I do not own Kamen Rider Ryuki or Ever After High. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am not writing this for profit and am only doing it for fun.
Knights of the Otherworld
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 4: The Beast Knight of the Forest & The Leader of the Herd
We begin today's tale some time after the last, nearly a week later as the fellowship of knights grows accustomed to their new surroundings, finding new paths to their destinies and making new friends…
And new romances!
Brooke, no interrupting.
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
As I was saying, our tale takes us not to Ever After High, but to the Enchanted Forest, where one particular student is about to become a major player in this next tale.
Enchanted Forest
Cerise Hood heaved a sigh as she walked through the enchanted forest. She needed it every so often with the pressures on her life. Fortunately, with so much space taken up by the woods, solitude was never far away.
Cerise was a girl who easily stood out. She wore a red checker blouse with black sleeves and a matching skirt. Unlike many of the girls at Ever After High, she wore heavier boots made for hiking in the woods although they were stylish. She had a pretty face with naturally tanned skin, red lips, and long brown hair which had an exotic white streak on her left fringe. Her most prominent feature was the red hood and cloak she wore, passed down from her mother.
Cerise was the one who was destined to become the next Red Riding Hood. However, she was hiding a secret that had her join the Rebels the moment Raven began the movement. Of course, when Raven kept her secret and bailed her out, it only cemented their friendship and bond.
Cerise wasn't just the daughter of Red Riding Hood, but she was also the daughter of the Big Bad Wolf, Ever After High's teacher of General Villany. Unbeknownst to everyone, the last Red Riding Hood fell in love with the Big Bad Wolf and had her and her older sister Ramona. It was a forbidden union and with how seriously so many in charge of Ever After took their stories, they had to keep it a secret. So Cerise had to keep her hood on at all times to hide her wolf-like ears.
Cerise didn't hate her parents for falling in love, but it wore down on her to have to hide so much about herself. It was a relief to finally share it with someone like Raven, but she couldn't talk about it that much. Worse, she couldn't even have her entire family together except on rare occasions. Her parents had to stay apart and her older sister was in reform school for being too bad for villainous students. She was essentially on her own with the pressures of her secret
So when the pressure got too much for her, Cerise would go out to the forest to be alone and let her hood down and maybe play with her pet wolf, Carmine. In the forest, she could run wild and free. No more worries, no pressures, she could be Cerise Hood, proud daughter of Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.
Inhaling deeply, Cerise breathed in the soothing forest air before she looked down and saw her pet emerge from the underbrush after having found a squirrel to chase.
"Have fun?" Cerise smiled as Carmine barked back. "Well then, how about we get some real running done?"
Carmine yipped and both he and Cerise took off, blazing through the forest without a care. Cerise had been running through the forest for years, so she knew a lot of it like the back of her hand. Not even close to all of it, but enough so she could run and relax and know she could have privacy. Well, after making sure Kitty Chesire didn't try to spy on her again.
They ran through several trees, over a small hill or two, before they finally came to a rest. Cerise won, naturally in her opinion, since Carmine was still a puppy. The skidded to a halt and Cerise had to laugh while Carmine yipped happily at the playtime.
"You're getting quicker Carmine. A bit more time and you'll be leaving me behind."
Carmine yipped again and Cerise pondered stopping for water or to have another race when she heard it. It was a shrieking buzz followed by the clanging of metal. Cerise blinked at the sounds since she never heard an animal like that before, and metal in the forest was pretty rare as she knew loggers didn't go into the forest for anything.
Telling Carmine to stay, Cerise tip-toed closer to the source of the noise. Call it curiosity, or an instinct to examine her territory, but Cerise wanted to know what was going on in her neck of the woods. Shifting through the underbrush, she hid behind a tree when she felt she was close enough before daring to take a peek. Pushing some bushes aside, her eyes widened in shock.
It was one of those knights that had started appearing in Book End and Ever After High. She knew about Arthur since Raven gushed about him often and he was a nice guy. Then Apple gushed over her knight, Lance. Typical clique competition to Cerise. Then that weird chameleon guy students like Maddie loved and she heard rumors that a crab knight was running around somewhere. This one though was clearly different.
He had a strong build that filled out a black bodysuit with silver and blue gauntlets and greaves. His chest armor was white with blue accents, looking like a muscled chest while his shoulder armor appeared like tiger claws gripping him. His helmet was white with blue stripes with a large silver visor that had slits across the surface connected to a main line and had some kind of whisker decoration at the base. Most intimidating was the large battle axe he wielded, decorated with a tiger head at the base of the blade.
He was also fighting a weird monster. It was humanoid, covered in red chiton-like armor which seemed shaped a lot like hexagons, or trapezoids. It had a silver chestplate and its head was smooth, except for six orange eyes and an exposed humanoid mouth with silver teeth. It was also armed with a pair of daggers shaped like bee stingers.
The two were fighting and Cerise found herself transfixed by it. Unlike Raven, Apple, or other princesses in the school who would have been in delight at seeing knights battle monsters, Cerise only felt fear. To her, she could clearly see that the monster had taken quite a beating already. The tiger knight, on the other hand, seemed to just power through whatever it tried to do to fight back and savagely hacked at it with his axe.
Unlike many fairy tales, Cerise grew up hearing both sides of the story. As such, she didn't see the Hunter as someone to admire. He was the one who was a constant childhood threat that would take her father away and leave her, her sister, and their mother alone. Worse, the next Hunter, despite his love of animals and vegetarianism, was still a threat to taking her older sister away too. The huntsman's preferred tool? A large axe meant to chop up wolves.
Cerise watched as the tiger knight savagely attacked the monster, not showing any mercy as he hacked away at it with his huge battle axe. Each swing of the weapon, and its silver sheen, made her heart skip a beat in natural fear of a hunter. She clenched her eyes shut as one savage swing tore a trail of sparks across the bug monster's chest, making it screech and stumble.
As the monster backpedaled after being struck by the axe, the tiger knight opened up a section behind the blade, drew a card from his belt, and slipped it inside before he closed it.
[Final Vent!]
The monster tried to escape when a humanoid tiger monster came into the scene with a loud roar. It had a white body made of pure muscle with blue tiger stripes and big sharp claws. It was an alpha predator if there ever was one, one that Cerise did not want to get the attention of.
'A hunting tiger?!' Cerise mentally shrieked. 'Aren't hunting dogs bad enough?!'
The tiger knight's hunting partner grabbed the fleeing monster with its claws and dragged its prey across the ground toward its master who had exchanged his axe for a pair of gauntlets that resembled the claws of the tiger monster. The tiger monster threw its prey at the tiger knight who caught it with his claws. As the helpless monster was impaled, the tiger knight raised his prey over his head victoriously and flash froze it before shattering the frozen monster to pieces.
Cerise's eyes widened in horror at the sight. He, he just…! That was all but torture to that monster! Sure, it was a monster and wanted to kill him, but, but...just impaling and freezing it like that?! That was just malicious! Cerise immediately knew that she had to get away and tried to move, but her heart stopped as she felt a stick break under her boot with an audible snap. Immediately the tiger knight's head turned in her direction and Cerise dove for cover in a hollow in the tree's roots.
Cerise bit on her lip to keep a wolf-like whine from leaving her lips as she hid in the hollow of the tree. She could hear the tiger knight's heavy breathing nearby as he scanned over the area, trying to find her.
Fortunately, a distraction came from the tiger knight's companion. The tiger monster saw the sphere rising from the slain monster's remains and gobbled it up. However, it let out a dissatisfied growl. This caused the knight to turn around and face it.
"Too weak?" the tiger knight asked. The monster growled and the knight nodded. "More hunting then."
'Hunting?' Cerise thought, panicking.
"Scent," she heard the tiger knight mutter in a low voice. The tiger monster growled and Cerise thought her number was up. She heard it sniff for several moments before it growled and crashed through the underbrush away from her. The running footsteps of the knight soon followed, fading from even her enhanced hearing.
Cerise almost collapsed from the relief. Taking a few moments to catch her breath, she dared to peek out. Lots of underbrush was trampled and strewn about were chunks of ice and the weird monster. All of the pieces looked like they were turning to dust.
Rather than stick around, as some curious teens might do, she instead ran back for Carmine and dashed for the edge of the forest. She had to tell someone, anyone, what she saw!
Destwilder, the partner of the tiger knight, eagerly bounded off into the Mirror World, hunting for the Buzzstinger's companions. They were a species bee-type Mirror Monster, so they never hunted alone. Destwilder's partner had more serious concerns than a little bit of hunting.
The tiger knight, or known by his official name, Kamen Rider Tiger, approached a young unicorn foal that was injured. The Buzzstinger's work as it looked like a large cut and sting, making the area swollen and bleeding. It had a deep cut on its leg that prevented it from moving. At first, the creature looked upon the tiger knight in fear but he slowly and carefully approached, showing he meant no harm. Once he was close enough, he gently put his hand against its head to try and soothe it.
"You're hurt," he said as he examined the wound. The Buzzstinger certainly had the ambush advantage, managing to catch the unicorn by surprise. Usually, the magical horses could outrun anything, provided they knew it was there.
Tiger was glad he managed to bring it down. Still, the foal was going to need treatment and maybe they could find its parents. Tiger picked up his supply bag from where he dropped it to fight and came back to begin treating the foal's leg.
"Don't worry," Tiger spoke with warm reassurance. "You're safe."
Book End Library
Kevin was in the library doing some research. He had been hearing rumors about Legacy Day, particularly the Storybook of Legends. Supposedly, if one did not sign and accept one's destiny, their story would be erased and they would go poof.
Kevin was someone who could be considered straight-laced as they came. He had short cut hair, black which matched his brother and matching blue eyes. Kevin was older than Rob, so he was slightly taller and more mature. He preferred less flashy clothes, happy with a simple t-shirt and loose fit jeans, although he was one of the few his age who didn't mind wearing a suit and tie when the situation called for it. He liked feeling sophisticated like their businessman uncle.
One thing about Kevin though was that he was an intellectual and one who didn't take things at face value. When told something, he would ask why. He questioned plenty of stories or rumors he heard in his life so he bucked tradition. Since coming to the fairy tale world, he found the mother of all traditions that needed bucking in his opinion. All of it centered on the Storybook of Legends which Milton Grimm apparently had under lock and key.
The idea of getting erased for not signing a magic book sounded highly suspicious. While this was a magical world, nobody just went poof. It did not make sense. The Headmaster likely started the rumor so the students would comply with tradition. He had heard from Arthur who had overheard the Headmaster confronting Raven, strongly urging her to sign the book. Horribly unprofessional and hinted that Milton had a personal stake in the situation, one he was determined to see unfold. Even Lance said that Apple hoped Raven would sign to help her get her Happily Ever After.
Apple White and Raven Queen, the de facto leaders of the Royal and Rebel cliques. They had a lot of influence over the student body and had the power to make great changes. What a coincidence that both would entangle themselves with their group.
Kevin was going over the history books which were basically fairy tale stories but they were still important history in this world. He was trying to learn more about the Storybook of Legends, its secrets, and supposed power over destiny.
Merlin's library was huge but even it was limited. He found no answers, at least not yet.
"Mira," Kevin called out to Merlin's assistant.
"Yes?" said assistant emerged from a mirror hanging in the research room.
"Mira Mirror, who is my friend," Kevin rolled his eyes. "Could you bring me the books from Shelf H's end?" A quirk about Mira was that, as the Magic Mirror's daughter, she could do just about anything you asked and if you had her physical mirror, she had to do it. The trick was that you had to ask in rhyme or else she could say no. Mira was a helpful girl though and so long as you didn't abuse that fact to her powers, she was happy to lend a helping hand to someone.
"I'll be back, from my journey to the stack!" Mira saluted, vanishing into the mirror again.
"Thanks," Kevin nodded, scribbling down notes from the book he did have. Something wasn't adding up about all this destiny talk and he suspected Milton Grimm and his missing brother had something big to do with it. The mystery was finding out what happened to Milton Grimm and to do that he needed some leads.
Ever After High - Castleteria
Gawain Forrest calmly sat at his table in the castleteria. In a way, he stood out since he sat by himself most days. Some weren't sure why since he looked like he fit in well with any clique. He was broad-shouldered and fit enough to be friends with the athletes. His brown hair was naturally windswept, although it shadowed his forest-green eyes and he had a sculpted jaw with freckles, making him handsome enough to hang with the princes and other Royals. He wore a simple blue plaid shirt over a white t-shirt with jeans and black sneakers, showing a homegrown fashion sense which the fashionistas would like to welcome him for since it was a breath of fresh style.
One thing about Gawain though was that he tended to speak only sparingly and let his actions speak for him. He never said why he was the way he was, only that he grew up on a farm and just got used to not speaking since he focused on his work. It likely wasn't the entire story, but Gawain wasn't telling.
That is to say, Gawain was a loner though. He appreciated being part of a team and he was a good roommate but he preferred to keep to himself most of the time.
"Baaa, baaa, baaa!" a bleating of a goat sounded off near the vending machines. Gawain looked up from his sandwich and saw the youngest brother of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, hopping up and down in an attempt to reach the selection and where his money would go. The goats were some of the smallest in the school, next to the Three Little Pigs, so it was sometimes hard for them to get around.
Gawain was up quickly as he approached the goat from behind. Once there, he simply leaned down and picked the Youngest Goat up by the middle and held him up to the part of the machine he was trying to reach. The goat blinked, but then saw who had him and quickly began working the machine.
"Tha-a-a-anks, Gawain," Youngest Goat smiled as Gawain set him down. "Are you able to sit with us again?"
"Sure," Gawain smiled. He moved to retrieve his tray and met up with Youngest Goat's brothers at another table.
Gawain found himself absorbed into a clique quickly, the animal clique. Many fairy tales weren't about people after all. Gawain would freely admit that he loved animals, even if he didn't say it in so many words. Instead, he found himself getting along splendidly with the animal students, or the multitude of pets that the students would bring with them. He made friends quickly with the goats and the pigs, since he went out of his way to lend a hand, which they greatly appreciated. The animals just seemed to understand Gawain better, able to read his actions rather than his words like people would.
He welcomed their company too. Being around the pigs and goats reminded him of his days back at the farm where he would care for the animals. Those animals were as friendly as could be and it seemed magical variants were no different.
"Ah, there you boys are!"
The goats immediately perked up, "Hi Rosabella-a-a-a!"
Approaching the table was a girl wearing a yellow dress printed with flowers. She had a fur collar and fur boots (faux fur of course) and sported black frame glasses. She had long brown hair which had red streaks in it and a tan complexion. She even wore yellow flower earrings and a similar hairband.
Her name was Rosabella Beauty, daughter of Beauty and the Beast. She was one of the school's activists, being part of the cause for the better treatment of fairy tale animals. She just loved animals in every form, often giving presents to the animals students, cuddling them, or even giving them a heartfelt kiss on the head to show they were all adorable to her. It made her very popular in the animal clique as they could go to her with their problems. A good trait for a future queen to have to be sure, if she could eventually find her Beast prince, of which there was none in sight yet.
"Hello boys, hi Gawain," Rosabella smiled at the other human in the group. "Gawain, thank you for cleaning up the magical creature pens. The last class has been getting sloppy about it and I've been trying to talk to the teacher about that."
"It's okay," Gawain shrugged. "Happy to help."
Rosabelle smiled. She had met Gawain in Magical Beast Training & Care class when he came as a new student and he displayed an incredible affinity with animals.
(FLASHBACK)
Ever After High - Stables
Rosabella calmly brushed the mane of the horse she was taking care of for the class. Part of Magical Beast Training & Care was to ensure all animals were healthy and happy. Horses included since so many stories relied on time. Rosabella recalled her own mother's stories of their faithful draft horse who brought her to Beast's castle and started their story together.
While she was doing her brushing, she heard a shout of fear and the whines of a horse. Immediately concerned, she stepped out of the stall to see one of their fellow students running and his horse starting to jump and panic from something. Rosabella immediately moved to help the poor thing, no doubt having gotten pinched, or frightened, or otherwise startled.
As the one student ran away, the new boy immediately came onto the scene. He boldly approached the panicked horse before he grabbed its bridle. Somehow, he wasn't immediately yanked off of his feet and he managed to bring the horse's attention to him.
"Calm down," he spoke softly. "You're okay."
The horse bucked a little more, but soon calmed down. It was surprising to Rosabella since she hadn't seen many other students aside from herself and Ashlynn Ella calm down a panicked animal so quickly. Especially not a full-grown horse.
Once calm. The boy examined the horse before he retrieved something from the horse's mane which looked like it got caught there. It turned out to be a hair ornament. Likely it had gotten stuck and pinched the horse unexpectedly, causing its panic.
"No jewelry," he muttered, glancing to the sheepish student who was with the rest of the class. All eyes turned to them with annoyed sighs.
The new boy just continued to pet the horse and help it remain calm.
(END FLASHBACK)
Rosabella was quick to introduce herself and was pleasantly surprised to find Gawain loved animals just as much as she did. He didn't say it in so many words, but just watching him with the animals around Ever After High, and even the animal students, proved just how much he loved them. It was almost fate how fast she and Gawain became friends after that.
He was constantly around the stables, in the forest, or hanging out with their animal friends. He could almost be a male Ashlynn when it came to that since animals seemed to gravitate to him so easily.
Ever After High - Halls
Kevin sighed in frustration. All the stacks of books he went through, he couldn't find anything that gave him a clear answer as to who was right, Merlin or Milton. In retrospect, the school's library probably made sure to remove any hint that the headmaster was wrong from its shelves. Still, it would be good to see how hard Milton was pressing for his destiny schtick with how much propaganda he was pushing through the books he allowed in the school's library.
"Milton is playing a game, I'm sure of it," Kevin muttered to himself. "Merlin just likes to stir things up, but he ultimately does the right thing. But Milton doesn't have a story so why is he so determined to see things done his way?"
It was a question that Kevin didn't like to see unanswered. Not when it seemed like there were so many futures on the line. Roughly half the population of the school, if not a little less, were going to be dropped into dangerous, painful, and maybe even deadly situations by being forced to become the villains of the stories and Kevin wasn't the type to let something like that go.
Coming through the halls towards the school's library, he stopped when he spotted Raven Queen and Maddie Hatter boarding the school elevator.
"Where are those two off to?" He wondered. Since Raven was the leader of the Rebels, if only because she rebelled first, Kevin made it a point to look into her. Especially since she and Arthur kept hanging out together so often.
He was too late as the elevator doors closed in front of him. He looked for another way to follow them and spotted a door which led to the stairwell.
"Looks like I'm taking the stairs." He opened the door and raced down the stairs until he reached the same floor as Raven and Maddie. It was the basement floor. Panting, he saw Maddie knock on a door before both she and Raven vanished.
"What the-?" He ran up to the door and put his hands against it. "How did they...? Magic, of course. Let's see, how did that Hatter girl do it?" He rapped his knuckles against the door and he disappeared as his body turned into a wisp which went through the door.
For Kevin, it was instant. The light died down and he found himself inside what seemed like a dusty old-fashioned office. Numerous projects and books were stacked everywhere. Most surprising of all, Raven, Maddie, and a man with wild hair and a long beard were sitting around Maddie's pop-up tea table.
"Aha!" Kevin yelled, pointing to the man, surprising Raven and Maddie. He easily recognized him from the numerous pictures he found in his research into the Grimm and their family. "Giles Grimm! I've found you!"
"The King of the Deers! He's here, he's here!" Giles rhymed, looking happy to see Kevin.
The oddball shout stunned Kevin for a moment, but he walked closer to the table, "So, this is where he's been hiding," He looked to Maddie and Raven, "And why does he talk like that?"
"Babble spell. Makes him speak Riddlish so it's all coco cuckoo," Maddie answered.
"And you can translate," Kevin concluded. "Since Wonderlandians are fluent in Riddlish."
"Yes!" Maddie smiled. "Mr. Grimm says he's excited to see you."
"Oh?" Kevin looked at the man. "Any reason why?"
"Knights of the looking glass, clad in masks, champions of legend and fates, seeking mates," Giles babbled.
"M-mates?" Raven blinked, slight color to her cheeks.
Kevin arched an eyebrow and looked to Maddie, "Did the last part mean what I thought it meant?"
"He said that you knights are champions of the fairy tales who can change destiny, but you won't be able to do it by yourselves," Maddie giggled. "You're going to need a fairy tale's help to do it."
"Oh," Raven and Kevin both sighed in relief. Kevin felt silly for a second, "So then it is possible to defy fate and try to live for a better ending. They won't disappear no matter how much your brother preaches they will?"
"He told us that I don't have to sign the Storybook of Legend and I won't disappear," Raven nodded with no small amount of relief in her eyes.
"Which means she can claim our friendly Dragon Knight as her king," Maddie added, taking a dainty sip of her tea. This caused Raven to sputter and glare at her friend.
Giles merely laughed and continued his tea time with the three students. Although he needed Maddie's help to translate, he proved to be a sociable man who liked educating students. He also had plenty of stories of his own to tell. Kevin found himself enjoying his time with the worldly educator. Enough to believe it was truly sinful that something like his curse had been pushed onto him and then getting locked in the Vault of Lost Tales. It seemed the curse that prevented him from communicating also kept him from leaving.
Eventually, Giles sent them to go home, something about their curfew. He did pass a letter to Kevin which he wanted to have given to Merlin. Apparently, the two knew each other and had been friends before he got locked away.
"Kevin, you can't tell anyone about Giles," Raven said as they walked through the library for the front door. "Giles mentioned that it would be messy if people found out he was there."
"I only wanted to get some answers, Raven," Kevin replied. "But this does bring up some interesting questions, like who cast the babble spell on Giles Grimm, locked him down here and why?"
"I wondered that too," Raven nodded. "Although I'm more worried about Legacy Day, now just for different reasons."
Kevin shook his head, "I can guess who did it already. I'd say Milton Grimm likely cast the babble spell on his brother."
"The Headmaster? Why?" Raven gasped.
"To get him out of the way so he would not have to share power is one of the most obvious answers. It happens a lot from where I come from, siblings fighting over an inheritance and all that. Or maybe it's because Giles was a Rebel." Kevin shrugged.
"A Rebel? Like he didn't approve of the Storybook of Legends?"
"He likely supported the idea of the students writing their own destinies instead of reliving the stories of their parents. If what we heard him talk about was right, he fully supports the Rebels. Problem is, we can't confront Milton about it since it would mean revealing we know where Giles is. I might need to ask Merlin if there's a way to break the spell."
"Oooh, he can come support you on Legacy Day!" Maddie gasped. "Wouldn't it make it way better to not sign the book if a Grimm says you don't have to?"
"It would help me stay brave," Raven nodded with a sigh.
Ever After High - Stables
"A hunter in the Enchanted Forest?!" Rosabella gasped in shock.
"Yeah, I saw him," Cerise nodded. "He was hunting those monsters out there and he was just...just so savage about it. He tore it apart like it was nothing!"
"That's not good," Rosabella grimaced. "So many animals are at risk if those creatures and knights are stomping around. Their homes are so delicate."
"Not to mention if he can't find monsters, he might just go after the animals too!" Cerise grimaced. "I...I don't know who else to talk to. You're the only one I know who'd really care about what's happening out there."
"Of course I care!" Rosabella huffed. "A threat to our animal friends can't be ignored! If that hunter is truly being so reckless and terrible, we have to stop him for the safety of all!"
In a stall, Gawain was scooping out droppings and glanced up to the two girls. He sighed softly, shook his head, and got back to work. That would be an issue he could deal with later.
Enchanted Forest
Cerise and Rosabella trekked through the forest, back to the site where Cerise had seen the tiger knight fighting that monster. Rosabella may have wanted to give the knight a good talking to and make sure he wasn't hunting animals, but Cerise didn't have that much faith in some people. No one who was reasonable would fight in such a savage way.
As Rosabella tried to find tracks with her eyes, Cerise secretly used her nose. She could smell plenty of things in the clearing, and it was raising her hackles. She could smell a lot of a bee scent, likely from that monster. She could also smell the tiger monster. What made her nervous about them was that they smelled like glass mixed in a way that was not natural. It really didn't smell right and Cerise's wolf side did not like it.
"I think they went this way," Rosabella spoke up, pointing in the same direction which Cerise smelled the glass beast scent.
"Then let's go too, but be careful," Carise warned as the two girls and one direwolf puppy followed the trail.
The trio followed the trail, coming over a hill as they found a small grove of trees. It looked like any other, but one thing that the girls noticed was that a willow tree on a small mound, made colorful by the sun and whatever magic it drew in. Some cat-like tracks were seen, mixed in with human ones. There was little doubt that the hunter and his companion had gone to.
Approaching the tree, the girls looked for a sign, or maybe a clue as to who the hunter was. Passing by the willow branches, they stopped when they saw a portion of the tree roots had small toadstools growing around it and what looked like small bits of chairs or other little things broken around a hollow spot. The small pool toys kind of made it obvious what the spot had been used for.
"Oh no. Poor fairies. I guess it dried up," Rosabella pouted.
"I'd say someone did it," Cerise frowned. She left it unspoken as to who she suspected had done it.
"Well, maybe we can at least give them back the spot," Rosabella offered compassionately. Rooting around in her bag, she produced a water bottle before she poured it out to fill the wood hollow which was apparently a swimming spot for the fairies in the forest. Little more than a large bowl for regular folks like them, it would have been a sizable spot for the little people. "There. Now they can have fun again."
Cerise smiled slightly. This was why she liked being friends with Rosabella. She was always willing to help out someone in need. The next Red Riding Hood cast her eyes out to the open space, wondering what the hunter and his tiger did and where they went. Both girls began walking to see where the next set of tracks could be found. The cat tracks were disappearing but it seemed the hunter had been there often, giving Cerise some ideas.
*Eeeeeeeeeeee!*
Cerise winced when she started hearing a faint ringing in her ears. Frowning, she rubbed the side of her head in discomfort. Next to her, Carmine was starting to whine and scratch his own ears. Apparently he could hear it too. It was barely audible, but it was high pitched enough to make it almost painful to her sensitive ears.
"Cerise?" Rosabella turned to see her friend had stopped walking.
"Can't you hear that?" Cerise grimaced. It was faint but constant and very annoying.
"Hear what? Rosabella asked.
"That ringing noise?" Cerise frowned, looking around for the source.
"What ringing noise?" Rosabella pressed.
Cerise opened her mouth to ask how her friend couldn't hear it when a fierce buzz brought it to an end as the scent of glass bees assaulted her nose again. Spinning around, she and Rosabella watched as one, then two of the bee monsters from earlier somehow, impossibly, pulled themselves out of the pool of water Rosabella had filled. They were almost identical, save that one was yellow and armed with a bow while the other was gray while wielding a sword.
Rosabella gasped in horror while Cerise's eyes flashed gold. Her instincts were telling her that she was looking at a pair of very dangerous predators.
She looked to Rosabella and hissed one word, "RUN!"
Rosabella didn't need encouragement as she and Cerise started to try and run from the monsters. The yellow monster buzzed and quickly drew a stinger arrow before taking aim at the pair. As they reached the tree line, the arrow flew before Cerise suddenly felt her cloak begin choking her and she fell back onto the dirt. With a groan, she saw the arrow had snagged her cloak and pinned it to the tree next to her.
Cerise coughed and forced herself up, glancing at the monsters, she saw them running with their weapons raised and she could smell the drool on their lips, eager for a meal. Cerise growled but yanked on the arrow to try and pull it out of the tree.
"Cerise!" Rosabella cried, seeing her friend pinned down.
The yellow monster kept running for Cerise but suddenly stopped when Carmine bolted into the fray, jumping up into its face as he snapped and bit at it. The monster buzzed and shrieked, stumbling to a halt as it tried to fight the direwolf pup off.
"Carmine!" Cerise gasped.
The pup tried his best, but he simply was not big enough to really fight. Not like how a full-grown direwolf could. The yellow monster managed to push Carmine's jaws back before the silver one promptly slugged him, knocking him to the ground in a heap.
"CARMINE!" Cerise shrieked. In that moment, her instincts roared to the front. Eyes turning bright gold, Cerise shrieked and charged for the silver monster, her cloak tearing in the process, before she jumped and tackled the silver monster to the ground. Snarling, showing large incisors, Cerise began clawing at its face.
For any other human, this would have been fruitless as Mirror Monsters were just all-around more durable than most. Still, Cerise was distinctly not a normal human. She was the daughter of the Big Bad Wolf, a fairy tale so grand, he was part of two stories and in terms of magic, it made him a powerhouse. Granted, Cerise embraced her human side unlike her sister, it still made her tougher than most humans,
Exemplified when she gouged the armor of the monster, cracking the armor of its face and eyes. It let off a screech of pain, but Cerise's instincts to defend her pack and territory were in full control. Her only thought right now was to destroy the monster who harmed the pup of her pack. She wanted to grind it down and make an example of the one who invaded her territory!
*WHACK!*
That was her thought before something smashed into the side of her head. She was tossed aside and landed in a heap. Her vision was blurry and her two sets of instincts were in a blur. She noticed the silver monster get up, screeching and running for the willow tree it came out of. The yellow monster began to advance on her, and screams from Rosabella echoed in her foggy head.
'Help…' Cerise's human instincts begged.
[Advent!]
The yellow monster was suddenly taken off of its feet by something large and white crashing into it from behind. Sounds of fighting animals began to echo in the area before silver and blue boots ran in the same direction. Roars and clashes of steel sounded off, not that Cerise was really in the mindset to really take notice. Instead, consciousness just started to get harder and harder to hold onto. She was just getting sleepy and wanted to close her eyes.
[Final Vent!]
Cerise smiled sleepily hearing that. The hunter made that noise when he killed that other monster. Serves those bugs right. The sounds of something scraping on the ground before the monster's cries were cut off with the sound of something breaking just solidified it.
In her vision, she could see Carmine, poor little Carmine, growling at something as he limped to defend her. From beyond, a pair of silver and blue boots began approaching before a figure kneeled down in front of her puppy. Cerise's last vision was seeing something reaching for him.
"My...puppy…" Cerise murmured, passing out as she saw the hand stop.
Book End - Yarns and Noble
Kevin heaved a sigh, scrolling through a book as he tried to collect his thoughts. He managed to uncover a major bombshell through dumb luck, but it was a bombshell all the same. By finding Giles Grimm and hearing his story, it made it clear that Milton was lying about the stories vanishing if the students didn't sign the Storybook of Legends. Of course, it did raise the question of what Milton wanted if he was willing to go as far as to curse and imprison his own brother all in order to keep the stories from deviating from the destinies he wanted.
Kevin knew there was something more, but now the whole situation reeked of it. He'd gotten a major piece of the puzzle, but so many more were still missing.
So now Kevin was trying to find something mindless to read so he could calm down. Sadly, since all of the books were all fairy tales in theme, he just kept coming back to the big puzzle which was in his lap.
"I'm going around in circles," Kevin sighed, closing the book. "I need something more to relax with."
*Eeeeeeeeeeee!*
The sudden ringing made Kevin flinch as it gave him a splitting headache. As he recovered, the ringing continued, warning him that a Mirror Monster was about to emerge and it was nearby. He put the book away and ran out of the shop to look for the source of the signal.
A scream, a perfect pitch once again, erupted from a passing carriage as a Mirror Monster flopped rather ungracefully out of it. Snarling, and wielding a sword, Kevin saw it was a Buzzstinger of the wasp variety. What Kevin was noticing though was that the monster seemed to have deep gouges across its face, apparently affecting its vision.
The Buzzstinger stood up with a snarl, looking around while it rubbed at its face. Its gaze wandered wildly as people gaped at it. Finally, it seemed to zero in on a pair holding hands in front of the Multi-hex Theatre. They had hoods up, wearing crystal blue and green. Seeing them, the Buzzstinger snarled and started charging towards the pair, eliciting screams from everyone in the way.
Kevin shouted as he shoulder-tackled the Buzzstinger, sending it tumbling across the street.
"Run!" Kevin yelled at the pair. The couple did just that, the boy taking his girlfriend's hand before starting to run away from the monster.
Kevin faced the glass of a movie poster display window, holding his Advent Deck out in front of it with both his wrists crossed over each other. As his V-Buckle materialized, he separated his wrists as his free hand formed a 'rock on' sign, his proof of having a bit of a wild side despite his brother's claim otherwise.
"Henshin!"
He slid the deck in and his armor formed. The armor's texture was a contrast to the armor of the other knights. While theirs appeared to be made of metal, his suit had a texture akin to a deer's pelt. His gauntlets and greaves were a tan brown, but his right knee was covered with a gold gazelle skull which seemed split in the middle. His torso armor was brown, like leather, with a black cover embossed with an elaborate gazelle symbol. Where his arms came out, the armor was lined with white fur. His shoulder pads were again brown with gold antlers rising from either side. His helmet was dominated by its visor with numerous slits and a silver mouthplate. Rising on either side were gold horns styled like a gazelle's.
"Knight of the Gazelle, Kamen Rider Imperor!" the newly revealed knight pointed at the snarling Buzzstinger. As expected, many more people began eagerly recording the battle.
The Buzzstinger snarled, clutching its face again before it seemed to look around. At first, Imperor believed it may try to run away, making the battle easier in the Mirror World. However, the Buzzstinger instead snarled and jumped away, not in the direction of a mirror or pane of glass, but instead towards the fleeing couple it had been fixated on.
"No!" Imperor cried, chasing after the monster.
The Buzzstinnger took a flying leap and stabbed down at the girl in blue. She shrieked and her boyfriend, through some kind of instinct, managed to pull her away at the last moment. The girl shrieked, but the sword didn't hit her. Instead, it tore her cloak open, revealing tumbling brown/orange hair with a pumpkin-shaped bun and bright emerald green eyes.
Idly, a thought rolled in Imperor's head, 'Hey, that's Ashlynn Ella, isn't it?'
Grabbing the Buzzstinger, Imperor pulled it away before knocking it back with a kick.
"Time to teach you some manners," Imperor said as he drew a card from his deck and slid it into his knee-mounted Giga Visor.
[Spin Vent!]
Another window rippled before Imperor's weapon emerged, attaching to his arm. It appeared to be a pair of drill-like blades attached to a base that socketed into Imperor's right arm.
Armed with the Gazelle Stab, Imperor attacked the Buzzstinger with the spinning drills, ripping sparks off as he struck the creature's exoskeleton armor. It stumbled and tried to fight back but Imperor was relentless as he drove it back with vicious strikes. Finally, he sent it tumbling with a roundhouse kick to the face, sending it a distance away.
"Obviously something got to you before I did," Imperor spoke, drawing another card. This one depicted his emblem surrounded in dark purple light. He lifted his knee, opening the Giga Visor, and slipped the card inside. "Best I put you out of your misery."
[Final Vent!]
Imperor activated his Final Vent card and stood with his back facing a window. The glass rippled and a herd of Zelle-type monsters jumped out. Leading the charge was Gigazelle, Imperor's Contract Monster, as Omegazelles, Magazelles, Negazelles and Megazelle followed. Bystanders panicked at the sight of so many monsters but the Zelles were more focused on the Buzzstinger as they attacked like a stampede, striking the monsters as they ran or jumped past it.
As the Buzzstinger was left in a daze from the Zelles' stampede, Imperor delivered the killing blow as he jumped and landed a knee strike into the Buzzstinger's skull, sending it flying before it blew up.
Imperor's Gigazelle remained as the rest of the Zelles retreated back into the Mirror World. Trotting to the remains of the Buzzstinger, it gave a cry of glee as the orb of energy rose. It captured the orb in its hands before it made tracks, diving into another window.
Imperor heaved a sigh. That actually helped release some stress. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Ashlynn being helped from the scene by her apparent boyfriend. She glanced back to see Imperor and he merely nodded to her, glad to see the Buzzstinger hadn't hurt her.
None of them were aware that so many MirrorPhones were recording the event, catching even that minuscule detail.
Enchanted Forest
Cerise groaned, consciousness returning to her with a ringing headache. She gave off a soft moan as she tried to open her eyes. She was laying down in a shaded area and something squishable and soft was acting as a pillow and her cloak was being used as a blanket.
"Cerise, you're awake!" a familiar voice gasped. Cerise turned her attention and saw Rosabella sitting on the grass next to her. She looked exhausted, but completely relieved. She grasped Cerise's hand, "Oh, I was so worried about you! The hunter said you'd be okay but I was still worried!"
"Rosa...mn," Cerise sighed. She sat up with some bit of vertigo. She sighed and rubbed her head. She felt bandages holding something cold. So out of it, she didn't even consider if someone saw her ears. "What happened?"
"Well, the hunter came and rescued us," Rosabella explained. She reached to the side and produced what looked like a cup of hot tea. "Here, he said it will help with your headache."
"Thanks," Cerise nodded. She took the cup and took a drink. It tasted bitter, but she recognized some herbs her mother would use when she was sick, so she gulped it down all the same. "Ew. So the hunter saved us?"
"He did. He picked you up and said to follow him. He brought you here and treated your head," Rosabella explained. Her smile dimmed a moment later, "Cerise, we were very wrong about him."
"We were?" asked Cerise. "How?"
"If you can stand, I can show you," the animal-loving princess offered.
Cerise managed to get to her feet. She felt a little off-balance, but got her feet under her after a few moments. Slowly, Rosabella escorted her from under the willow tree they were under down a path to another grove of trees. Cerise's ears perked when she heard the soft croon of animals coming from inside.
Cerise gasped as they entered the grove. What they found inside wasn't a hunter's camp, but numerous magical animals who were simply resting, cuddled close to each other or were eating food provided for them. All of them were sporting bandages or braces to help with wounds or sprained limbs. Despite how they were obviously hurt, all of the animals seemed to be doing well and appeared content considering their situation.
A bark caught Cerise's attention and she gasped in shock.
"Carmine!" her dire wolf puppy limped out from the menagerie and Cerise quickly scooped up the dire wolf puppy, "Oh I was so worried about you!" Carmine licked her cheek and Cerise almost felt herself cry from relief. She even saw that her puppy's sprained leg was bandaged and set to keep it from breaking. Relief flooded her knowing some kind person actually saved her puppy and fixed his wounds.
Rosabella looked to the various animals who were treated, noticeably with supplies she knew went missing from the Beast Training and Care supply room. All the wounds and sprains were treated well, following the steps out of textbooks and other sources. In all, it pointed Rosabella to one conclusion.
"The tiger knight," she spoke to her friend. She looked to Cerise who looked up from cuddling her puppy. "He's not hunting the animals, Cerise, he's rescuing them from something!"
Cerise blinked, "What?"
"Mirror Monsters. They eat magic," a new voice spoke up. At the far end of the grove, the tiger knight sat on a boulder, idly letting a group of kittens play with his fingers while their mother, a magical breed of wildcat, recovered from what looked like some slashes she took.
"And...you've been protecting them this entire time?" Cerise gasped. The knight only nodded. "I saw you fight a red monster. When you were fighting it-?"
"Unicorn foal. Pinned and alone. Had to hit fast and hard," the knight answered.
Rosabella turned and saw the foal in question, its parents nearby as it healed with their and the knight's care. It warmed her heart and Rosabella found herself wanting, needing, to know more.
"Sir knight, who are you?" Rosabelle asked.
The tiger knight was silent for a moment. After that moment, he reached down to his belt and removed his Advent Deck, causing his armor to vanish like a shattering mirror, revealing the one behind the mask. Both girls' eyes widened and their jaws dropped when they saw his identity.
"Gawain...?"
"You're the tiger knight?"
"Kamen Rider Tiger."
"Why didn't you say anything, Gawain?" asked Cerise, marching towards him. She recalled seeing him in the stables when she told Rosabella about what she saw the hunter do. "I...I said all those horrible things about you!"
Gawain shrugged, "You were scared."
Rosabella pressed, "But why didn't you tell us you were protecting all these animals? I could have helped! We could have moved them to the stables to treat them and keep them safe."
"My duty," Gawain shook his head. "Too many mirrors."
"Wait, the monsters come out of mirrors?" Cerise frowned, hearing as such from Raven. "But then why do they keep getting into the forest?"
"Puddles, ponds, fairy crystals," Gawain replied. "Nature reflects too. They eat magic. I protect them."
"You appointed yourself as the forest's guardian," Rosabella concluded.
"Others protect the village, princesses, and school. No one protects the forest," Gawain answered. "No one else. Just me."
"That's so noble," Rosabella smiled. He really was a knight, just a different breed. He did not fight for glory but instead fought to defend the forest and its animals. They were at just as much at risk from the monsters, since the creatures apparently fed on magic.
"I owe you an apology, Gawain," Cerise said apologetically. "I'm sorry. I thought you hunted those monsters just for sport."
"It's OK," Gawain accepted with a smile and a nod. "Didn't know." He looked at the sky as it was getting dark soon. "Need to get back. Night soon."
"Huh? But what about the animals?" asked Cerise.
"Made friends. Guards at night," Gawain replied. He brought his fingers to sharply whistle. A rustle returned before to the shock of the two girls, a pair of green dragons slipped through the foliage into the clearing. "Dragons make good guards."
"Oh wow," Cerise gaped.
"Amazing!" Rosabella gasped.
Gawain seemed to have one of his unspoken conversations with the animals before he began escorting the girls out of the woods. Not that they didn't know themselves, but with night approaching and having taken some bumps and bruises, Gawain took the lead to make sure they were protected. The moon was out by the time they returned and it was dark when they got to the dorms. Cerise gave her quick thanks before she headed for the dorms. Rosabella seemed to hesitate before Cerise was far enough away.
Rosabella was a princess, the daughter of Beauty and the Beast, and as such, she was destined to one day find her 'Beast' like her mother had. She really did not care much about her destiny, preferring to help others, animals included. Gawain was like her as well. He loved and cared about animals and was determined to protect them.
Gawain's armor, his personality, it seemed to check all the boxes. With the appearance of a vicious tiger but with a gentle soul, could he be her 'Beast'?
"Gawain," she spoke tentatively. "Thank you, for everything."
Gawain shrugged, accepting it as if it was no big deal. Rosabella shook her head, "No, Gawain. You showed so much of a gentle, but valiant and noble soul. You do deserve something to feel proud of for that." Gawain raised an eyebrow, silently questioning her. Rosabella smiled and approached him, "As a princess, I can bestow a title or two and I want you to take pride in this. Would you kneel?"
Gawain blinked, but nodded as he kneeled before Rosabella on the sidewalk. Rosabella nodded and steeled herself. She didn't have a sword like her father did, so she pulled one of the flowers from her hairband and used that instead.
Placing it on his right shoulder, she spoke, "I recognize you as brave and unyielding in the face of misfortune." She then tapped his left shoulder, "I recognize you as kind and noble to all those under your care." Finally, she kneeled down, brushing the hair away from Gawain's forehead and planting a soft kiss. Gawain's eyes widened and his face turned red as he looked up while Rosabella stood up, blushing with a smile, "And so I dub you, Sir Gawain Forrest, Knight of the Beasts, to uphold valor and nobility for the world of men and the world of nature. Rise and be recognized."
Gawain rose, blushing, "...thank...you."
"Thank you," Rosabella smiled. Nibbling on her lip, she turned and began walking for the dorms. "See you tomorrow, Gawain. We can check on the animals in the forest together now."
"...o-ok," Gawain nodded, still red in the face. Rosabella beamed and vanished into the dorms, leaving Gawain to start walking home with a big smile on his face.
Ever After High - Ashlynn's Room
Ashlynn groaned as she once again heard her MirrorPhone go off for another hext. She put it on silent, but the messages just kept coming so her phone was vibrating on the table, making an annoying noise. Right now, the last thing she wanted was to talk to her friends since she knew what they wanted to go on about.
She had been looking forward to the day since she and her secret boyfriend Hunter Huntsman were going to go to the movies together. In a large dark theater, they had all the privacy to be a couple that they could want. Being the daughter of Cinderella, and Hunter the son of the Huntsman who would save Red Riding Hood, their being together was frowned on, but they wanted to anyway. Sadly, their date was ruined by the monster attack. Why it fixated on her of all people she didn't know, but it only made the situation worse.
Because the new knight, Imperor if Blondie was right, showed proper knightly concern for a lady who was attacked by a monster, everyone was gossiping about how he might be her Prince Charming! Her phone wouldn't stop ringing from her friends who wanted to know. Plenty of students were already offering their help to find him so they could get together. In only a few hours, it went from shipping gossip to Imperor being her Prince Charming! It was ridiculous!
At least no one picked up she was with someone at the theatre, but now everyone was trying to pair her with Imperor. She knew Hunter was not going to like that. His feelings were so sensitive since he wanted so badly to be her Prince Charming. Now that everyone was talking about how her 'Prince Charming' had appeared, it was going to make things harder between them.
"I just hope mother doesn't find out about this," Ashlynn groaned, covering her face with a pillow to try and block out the sound of her phone vibrating on her desk again.
And so the day came to a close, one new love blooming and another in peril! Our next tale will cover the day of the Swan Knight and the Black Dragon Knight! There they will-!
Brooke, no spoilers!
Oops, sorry, Dad!
To Be Continued...
A/N: And now we come to chapter four, meeting the most stoic of the knights, and one looking for answers to the mysteries of Ever After. Sadly, he may end up distracted by people pushing him towards Ashlynn now.