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. Thanks to Kamen Rider Chrome for all of his help.
Knights of the Otherworld
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 7: Cute Matchmaking
With the, 'ahem', explosive story behind us, we look forward to a new tale about more of our mysterious fellowship. This time, one of our two heroes is the smallest of the group and-!
He's so cuuuuute!
Brooke, please don't interrupt.
Sorry. Couldn't resist!
Ever After High - Hallways
Gabriel Lighthart strolled through the halls of Ever After High, whistling a nonsensical tune he learned from the Wonderland kids and just being in an all-around good mood. Why wouldn't he be? He was in a world where fairy tales were real and high adventure was just around the corner. What wasn't there to love?
Gabriel, or Gabe to his friends, really didn't look like he'd be a knight. At first glance, he looked more like a kid who was going to junior high than a high school like Ever After. He just broke a little over five feet in height, being shorter than the Wonderlandians, who were shorter than average themselves. His blonde hair was slightly shaggy since he hadn't been to the barber before he left for camp. His face was almost cherub-like with bright baby blue eyes. His shirt was gray with Splatoon paint on the front and he wore black jeans with sneakers.
Back on Earth, Gabe was a gamer who enjoyed playing fantasy RPG'S and adventure-type video games. He was never a fan of FPS' and preferred more immersive games like World of Warcraft which had the players go on quests. He had a guild that he regularly played with. Thankfully, this place also had video games and he regularly logged onto the MirrorNet to play. Still, just playing online paled in comparison to how spelltastic this world was.
Now if only it would be his turn to debut so he could show off his mad knightly skillz! Following Rex's suggestion, Gabe had done some training in the Mirror World to see what he could do. He was not disappointed at all and couldn't wait for the whole world to see him in battle.
"Now, if only some action would happen when I'm around," Gabe pouted. Unnoticed by him, several girls began to coo with hearts in their eyes at the 'little cherub' who was walking through the hall. Not that Gabe really noticed, too deep in his thoughts.
'So, should I go where lots of people go? Monsters may congregate there looking for prey,' Gabe considered to himself. 'Or maybe I should just go hunting in the Mirror World, but I only have so much time before the air starts corroding my armor. Maybe I should pick a princess since that seems to somehow help the other guys find monsters.'
"Little boy, are you lost?"
Gabe's mind came to a screeching halt and he slumped with a groan. Turning, he saw yet another tall and pretty girl. He recognized her from Tristan's retelling of his meeting 'folks of special interest' as Rex would put it. If Gabe recalled correctly, he was looking at Holly O'Hair of the Rapunzel twins.
"I may be short, but I do go to school here," Gabe groaned. "I'm the same age as everyone else."
"You are?" Holly blinked. "But you're so cute!"
"Cute...I don't wanna be cute," Gabe groaned, drifting into his own world again. "I wanna be manly!"
"Oh, dear," Holly fretted, seeing she made the cherub boy upset and other girls were giving her mean looks for it. "I'm sorry...um...I think you can be manly if you try. Ah, would you like some chocolate?"
"Really?" Gabe looked up, his eyes sparkling enough to make princesses swoon again.
Holly couldn't resist. Kneeling slightly she produced a small box of bonbons and opened them up for Gabe.
"Here you go. Have as many as you like. Then cheer up and keep believing you can be the man you want to be."
Despite Gabe's intentions, his weakness for candy and his adorable appearance made him a treasured sight to the princess community. He was simply precious and all of them loved to coo over him or try to spoil him with treats. Treats he gobbled up without thinking before realizing they made him look like a kid. His reputation as Ever After High's cutest kid sadly got cemented when C.A. Cupid, a literal cupid who worked for the God of Love, mistook him for another cherub and wanted to hear news from home.
It kind of ruined any chance at appearing manlier. All of the girls he thought were cute just saw him as a little brother figure to dote over. The candy was nice, but it didn't really do his social life any good.
And he had fallen into the trap again, taking candy from Holly with a happy thanks. He swallowed it and made yummy noises down the hallway, princesses cooing once again. It wasn't until he got around the corner that he realized what he did.
"Gosh darn it!"
Legacy Day was just around the corner. This no doubt weighed heavily on every student's minds. The Royals were looking forward to signing the Storybook of Legends, which meant accepting their predetermined destinies. The Rebels, however, were not too keen on signing the book as they wanted to rewrite their stories and take control of their own destinies.
As for the knights themselves, they remained close with the fairy tales they had befriended, both Royals and Rebels alike. Their opinions on the destiny conflict were rather vague to the student body at large. In truth, this was because the knights themselves didn't believe in the conflict in the first place. Destiny couldn't be manipulated by a book and everyone could choose for themselves.
But, despite some of them wanting to take a stand, it was agreed that they would keep their heads down when it came to that. Those who were close to the Royals would just let them pursue their Happily Ever Afters while the Rebels with their knights would be encouraged to go seek their own happiness. Fortunately, no one was pressing them for their opinion yet, but some worried that would change with Legacy Day coming up.
But that was still some time off. Harry Beauregard had to focus on the here and now.
Harry was Lance's twin brother, but you would never have been able to tell by looking at them. Harry was only of average height with dark red hair from their mother and blue eyes from their father. He was shorter than Lance with an average build. He didn't even have the same sense of style as Lance, preferring casual clothes that didn't stand out since he wasn't an attention hog like his brother. It was no wonder they referred to themselves as the worst twins ever.
Harry was in Professor Rumpelstiltskin's Science and Sorcery class, a class he shared with most of the other Riders during this period. The subject was interesting and he had fun memorizing the Fairy Tale Table of Elements. The only problem was that the teacher was a mean little gnome. He knew his subject, but he loved to give students impossible tests so they would beg for extra credit, or be super strict so he'd have an excuse to put them in detention. Then they would have to use his special spinning wheels to spin straw into gold. Why he needed the gold, no one was sure. People just guessed he was a greedy old grump.
"Grrrr!" Rumplestiltskin frowned as Harry was given his quiz back. "A+ again, Mr. Beauregard."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry smiled proudly.
While Lance was the athletic one, Harry focused on excelling in academics. Even if this was a fairy tale school, he would not compromise his academic career for any reason. Besides, he enjoyed the look on Professor Rumpelstiltkin's face whenever he got a perfect grade for his tests and quizzes. The key to beating the mean old gnome was by outsmarting him. It also helped that Harry read ahead as he heard the teacher would put questions on his test that they had not even covered yet.
"One day, boy, I will have you spin my straw into gold for extra credit! Mark my words," Rumpelstiltskin threatened.
"Professor Rumpelstiltskin really hates you," Dexter whispered.
"Dex, he hates everybody," Harry deadpanned.
"Yeah, but you know he'll make his next quiz harder for all of us."
"Then we just need to work harder. I'm not letting him bring my GPA down."
Book End - Streets
After school, Gabe went to his favorite hangout, the Dragon's Lair arcade. He was surprised to find there was an arcade in a fairy tale world but he just accepted it. This world had modern conveniences too, like phones and tablets, so an arcade should not be out of place. For Gabe, it was familiar territory and where his skillz could shine. The games were fairy tale-themed but that was fine too.
There was a game where you play as Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk. The objective was to reach the top while avoiding items that fell out of the sky. It reminded him of the classic Donkey Kong game since it played nearly the exact same way. So far, he had recorded his name G-A-B on a fifth of the machines at the #1 high score position. He wouldn't rest until he had all the machines bear his name!
Unbeknownst to him, several girls just slipped into the noisy arcade to watch him. Normally, he would be pretty pleased with that kind of attention. The chance to show off for the ladies was something he would have lunged for. Of course, his mood would have dropped when he found out they had just wanted once again to see the 'cherub boy' of Ever After High in his natural habitat.
The three, in particular, were Holly O'Hair, her sister Poppy O'Hair, and C.A. Cupid. All three had a different reason to be there, although they all just wanted to catch a look of Gabe and make sure he wasn't too upset by Holly's blunder of calling him a little boy.
Cupid was, naturally, a pretty girl who wore a pink toga-like top with a pink skirt. From her back was a small pair of fluffy white wings. Her skin had a pink tint to it with rosy red cheeks and red lips. Of course, she had long tumbling pink hair and blue eyes. She was the adopted daughter of Eros and came to Ever After High to help couples fall in love. Of course, love seemed to be escaping her these days, but that was another tale.
The reason these three, in particular, were following Gabe was simple. Holly still felt a little guilty about upsetting Gabe earlier, forgetting he was a boy who was at their maturity level and not someone younger. Holly was naturally maternal to younger kids, like her younger twin sister, and wanted to do the same with Gabe. Poppy was there to help her sister, even if she, like many of the girls thought Gabe was just enchantingly adorable. Cupid's reason made a little more sense. Cherubs back in her home were like the little brothers of her extended family so she always looked out for them. That big sister instinct rose up fiercely since Gabe resembled one so strongly, albeit perhaps a little taller.
"He's having so much fun," Holly cooed, watching Gabe concentrate so seriously on his game. "Yes, he is, oh yes he is!"
"Aww, the girls are going to love his little serious face," Poppy giggled, snapping a picture.
"You can do it little cherub! Win that game!" Cupid giggled, again reminded of home through Gabe.
Gabe heard them and pouted. More and more, he could not wait for them to see him as a knight and finally take him seriously. Sadly, his pout just had them giggle more and snap pictures. He sighed and, seeing how he got the high score anyway, decided to move on to another game, his fangirls (and not in the fun way) following him while snapping more pics.
Gabe made his way to the Dance Dance Ever After machine once he saw that nobody was playing it. It was pretty much DDR with a different title. Now, this was a game that would show them he was not just a cute little cherub.
*Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!*
"Even better!" Gabe spun around with an excited grin. He dashed for the arcade's exit and started looking for the source of the noise. It wasn't far, centered on someone's carriage. Likely the Mirror Monster was waiting for the owner to come out before snagging them. Well, Kamen Rider Gai would have something to say about that!
Gabe grinned as he held his Advent Deck out in front of him, facing his reflection. His V-Buckle materialized and he struck his pose, pumping his fist.
"Henshin!"
He inserted the deck and his armor appeared on his body. Gone was the cute cherub-like boy as he was replaced by an armored brute in thick grey armor. He had also gained some height as well as muscle. Over the black suit, Gai wore gray plate armor over his chest that seemed bolted together with faulds hanging from his belt. He had thick blocky shoulderpads with the one on his left shoulder sporting a red curved spike. His cuteness was also concealed by his helmet which had several horizontal slits going across his eyes that were bisected by a rhino horn that stuck out of the faceplate.
"Kamen Rider Gai is here! Now, let's earn some EXP!"
Harry exited Yarns and Noble with a new book he had been waiting for and was eager to get home so he could start reading it. Yes, he lived in a library with numerous books, but they didn't have anything recent so Harry turned to the local bookstore for some modern fiction and such. So far, he had yet to be disappointed even if everything had the same fairy tale theme.
*Eeeeeeeeeeeee!*
"Guh! Of course, one would pick now to show up!" Harry grunted, a hand to one ear. Huffing, he ran for the source, cutting through a side street before he came to the scene. At first, he wondered where the monster was, but then saw a figure in gray armor reach into a carriage's window before yanking what looked like a barrel-bodied creature with octopus tentacles on its head out onto the pavement. Harry raised an eyebrow. "That's one way to draw them out I guess"
He'd hang back for a moment but still retrieved his magenta Advent Deck just in case Gabe needed backup.
Gai punched the Wiskraken in the face. That felt so good. The monster had appeared right when he needed to vent. It also gave him an excuse to show off his manliness. He was already drawing a crowd who were recording with their MirrorPhones and MirrorPads.
Time to give them a show.
A panel on his left shoulderpad opened up to reveal the Metal Visor's chamber. Reaching to his belt, he drew a card from his Advent Deck and tossed it into the Visor. The card landed perfectly in the chamber and he slid it close.
[Strike Vent!]
A gauntlet flew out of a window and landed on Gai's right arm. Equipped with the Metal Horn, which resembled a rhino head with a big yellow horn, he was ready to show his manliness.
The Wiskraken thrust its trident into Gai but the attack had no effect against his thick armor. Smirking, Gai wagged his finger and then gripped the trident before he punched the Wiskraken in the chest with the Metal Horn. It shrieked as sparks burst from the impact but Gai was not done as he repeatedly struck the Wiskraken until he sent it flying with a powerful punch.
As the Wiskraken lay on the ground, Gai tossed the trident aside and ran toward his helpless opponent. As it tried to get back up, Gai stomped on its chest, pinning it down. As it struggled to stand back up, Gai forced it down with repeated stomps.
"Just! Stay! Down!" Gai yelled between stomps before he kicked the Wiskraken away. He was a bit disappointed as the monster provided little to no challenge. "This is just boring. Let's wrap this up."
He drew his Final Vent card which had his emblem on the face surrounded by a shining grey background. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the card into his open Visor and shut it.
[Final Vent!]
Metalgelas, a humanoid rhino creature covered in thick iron armor with a gold horn, came running out a nearby window and stood behind Gai. The knight leaped and planted his feet on Metalgelas' shoulders, standing horizontally as Metalgelas charged at full speed at the Wiskraken, carrying him like a spear. The monster was struck down as the Metal Horn pierced its body and both Gai and Metalgelas rammed through it as it exploded.
Metalgelas slowed down, allowing Gai to jump off as he landed on his feet and flexed.
"And that's Game Over!"
Gabe removed his Advent Deck, banishing his armor. Finally, he would get some respect. Finally, they would not see him as a cute little cherub but a powerful knight.
Holly, Poppy, and Cupid quickly approached and he smiled. Like a princess, she would praise the noble knight for his heroic actions. Harry also began approaching from the other side of the street. Even better! He would finally get some real recognition and stop being the kid brother of the Kamen Riders.
"Looks like you didn't need the help," Harry spoke up, making Gabe grin.
"Of course! I sneak attacked that sucker so it was easy!" Gabe laughed. The monster had been so focused on waiting for its prey that it never noticed him until he yanked it straight out of the Mirror World and began kicking its butt. A flawless debut and all he needed was the praise of a princess to make it perfect. As Holly and her friends approached, he wondered how their opinion would change now that they saw how cool he could be.
"Are you alright, Gabe? That monster didn't hurt you, did it?" Holly worried.
Oh, come on!
"Holly, I'm fine!" Gabe insisted. Did she not see how it failed to land a blow through his armor?
"You shouldn't be doing such dangerous things at your age!" Holly scolded. "It's not cute at all!"
"I'm the same age as everyone here!" Gabe retorted but heard Harry snort. "You shut up!"
"Sorry," Harry snickered. "Holly, Poppy, Cupid, it's nice that you're worried, but Gabe is just as capable as the rest of us. The fact he has the armor and can use it so well proves as much."
"Well, he shouldn't have to!" Holly huffed. "He shouldn't be worrying about things like fighting monsters and being a knight yet!"
"Yeah!" Poppy and Cupid agreed.
"Uh, you did just hear him admit he's our age, right?" asked Harry.
"That's beside the point," Cupid shook her head. "Adorable cherubs should not be exposed to such violence!"
"Yeah!" the twins agreed.
Gabe just groaned in depression, making the three girls fret over him again.
Book End Library
"I really don't see what the problem is," Lance shrugged as the group ate their dinner in their dorm. "I mean, you're a natural chick magnet. Some people have to work to get that much attention."
"If they wanted to be my girlfriend, I wouldn't mind," Gabe grumbled. "But they all just treat me like some adorable little brother and it's just annoying. I'm the same age as everyone here but because I'm short and have a cute baby face, everyone treats me like a little kid!"
"Well, that's one way of putting it," Kyle nodded from his plate. "But I think you can really make this work for you. If a girl's first thought is to coddle you, use it to get close and then start wooing them. Before they know it, they see you're a guy despite being short. Mix your adorableness with wooing skills and they'll be hooked on you."
"Wouldn't that be lying in a way?" asked Arthur.
"Nah," Kyle was quick to deny. "He's presenting himself as a suitor. Not his fault all they see is someone so cute. Then when he gets them to go on dates and other things, wham, they see how much of a man he is!"
"Hard to do that when girls here see you as a kid instead of just short and cute," Gabe grumbled. "Man, I was sure Holly would see me as a guy after watching me fight."
"Oh, so you set your sights on Rapunzel's daughter?" asked Rex.
"Well, I guess. I mean, she's pretty and nice and I like her hair I guess," Gabe shrugged. "I just want to at least try to get a girlfriend like everyone else is getting. At least Holly doesn't just sit there and 'bask in my cuteness' like others do."
"So you want to get to know her and try to show you're boyfriend material," Gwen stated as she tapped on her phone. "That's fine. Being attracted to a girl is an okay reason to want to at least get one date. If that's all you want to date her for though, it's going to fail hard."
"I know, I know," Gabe groaned. "But I can't get to know her if all she does is coo over me like a kid though!"
"Rough," Max shrugged. He glanced at Gwen and saw she was watching a stream on her phone. "Blondie again?"
"Yep. Listen to this," Gwen grinned, turning up the volume.
"And now on our Knightwatch segment, we have the debut of the cutest widdle knight ever, Gabriel Lighthart!"
"GAH!" Gabe groaned in despair. There goes any chance of becoming cool!
"Don't be fooled, my fellow fairy tales, little Gabriel might be cute but he still manages to show that he's a capable knight! Here's a clip from the battle!"
The clip showed Gai finishing off the Wiskraken with his Final Vent.
"I also had the chance to interview Holly O'Hair, Poppy O'Hair, and C.A. Cupid who were on the scene at the debut so they can share their thoughts."
"Look, Gabe! It's your fanclub!" Lance teased.
"Oooh, it just broke my heart to see little Gabriel fighting like that," Cupid cooed, really looking heartbroken. "Such a little cutie shouldn't have to do things like that even if he's good at it. He deserves to be cuddled and snuggled by adoring big sisters!"
"I thought my heart stopped when I saw Gabe suddenly put on his armor," Poppy nibbled on a nail in worry. "Oooh, he's so little for this even if his armor makes him seem like the right guy for the job."
"Well, I won't say I like when he has to go out and fight, but that's what knights have to do," Holly sighed, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "I'd rather just keep him to myself though, but what girl wouldn't with that cute face?"
Gabe listened to their words. They still saw him as cute but they at least acknowledged he was a capable knight. And Holly seemed interested, so that was a plus.
"Hey, you've got a chance, little buddy!" Kyle grinned. "Better strike while the iron's hot!"
Gabe chuckled, "Sure, but what do I do?"
"When the moose cries in your palm, the fountains will overflow with love," Darren answered.
"...you've been hanging out with the Wonderlandians way too much, man," Lance snickered.
The following day, Harry walked through the halls of the school, not for class, but to look for someone in particular. She was a fellow student in Chemyth-try class and far as he knew, she was friends with Holly.
Coming to the castleteria, he noticed her sitting with her usual group of friends. Fortunately, Holly wasn't there so he didn't have to try and wait for her to separate her from the rest.
The girl in question was Briar Beauty. She was one of the high placements on the Royal social clique since her mother was Sleeping Beauty, one of the most famous of fairy tales. She had long auburn hair with pink streaks through it. She sported black lace over a pink top with floral sleeves and a pencil skirt. She had olive skin and brown eyes. Nestled in her hair was a pair of literally rose-tinted sunglasses.
Briar was a, frankly, energetic party girl and a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Since she knew she was going to be cursed to sleep for 100 years, she wanted to try and experience as much as she could before the big sleep came. It drove her to do whacky things, one of which Harry heard was her bungee jumping out of Apple White's window, which was one of the higher floors of the dorm, simply because she had never done it before. Harry was sure he was missing some details, but it was confirmed that Briar had made that jump, twice even.
"Hey, Briar, have a moment?" Harry asked, approaching the group. Sitting with her were Blondie Lockes and Apple White. It was odd to not see Lance there, but then again, he had his own circle of friends he wanted to hang out with too.
"Hm? Oh, hi Harry. Ready for Chemyth-try?" the future Sleeping Beauty asked.
"As always, but that's not what I'm here for," Harry answered. "You're friends with Holly O'Hair, right?"
"Oh, sure! Why do you ask?"
"Well, I'm sure you know Gabriel Lighthart, right?" Harry questioned and got the expected cooing from the group of girls. Once they got it out of their system, he pressed on. "Well, Gabe may or may not have a crush on Holly, but she only sees him as this sweet little brother for her to fawn over. He wants to try and get closer, but he doesn't know how."
"Oh, little Gabe has a crush? On Holly? That's adorable!" Briar squealed. Her fellow Royals weren't far behind. "Of course I'll help!"
"Let's just keep it quiet. Gabe doesn't like to ask for help and if we tell Holly, it may make any matchmaking harder. Let's have it be natural between them," Harry suggested.
"Oh totally!" Briar agreed. She looked at Apple and Blondie who looked eager to help, "Okay girls, we've got a job to do!"
"Right!"
Ever After High - Halls
Gabe's day gave him mixed feelings. First, he did receive praise for his actions and showing courage worthy of a knight from his male classmates. The girls, however, just focused on him being cute and strong. Well, it was a bit better than just being considered cute.
As he opened his locker, an envelope slipped out and fell at his feet.
"What's this?" Gabe picked it up. The envelope was pink decorated with red hearts. Could this be a love letter? He opened it and read the note that came inside.
'Dear Sir Gabriel,
I am writing this to bare my heart to you. I always saw you as the adorable cherub in the halls, but after your appearances in your armor, I felt my heart beat stronger than before. I hope to meet you in the gazebo in the Enchanted Forest after school so I may confess properly to you. I eagerly await your arrival.
Sincerely, Holly O'Hair'
"No way…" Gabe's face lit up as he read the letter twice to make sure he wasn't seeing things, or if it wasn't addressed to the wrong person. "Yes! Yes, yes!"
Behind him, Apple, Blondie, and Briar peeked from a corner and watched as Gabe happily skipped away to meet Holly, pumping his fists in joy. All three grinned happily as they watched the cute boy make a beeline straight for the rendezvous point.
"Told you my letter was just right. Direct and straight to the point," Blondie said proudly.
"I still think a romantic poem would've been better," Apple argued.
"It's working, that's what's important," Briar cut between them. "Now come on, Holly should have gotten hers by now so let's go!"
Holly busily started swapping books for her bag so she could begin the process of going home. Poppy had gotten her a hair appointment and she never missed one. She tended to need the help since her hair was so long and needed care. Good thing Poppy was so good at what she did.
As she pulled some books aside, she stopped when a blue envelope fell. Curious, Holly stopped to pick it up and see what was inside.
It was a note:
'Dear Princess Holly
I decided to finally lay my feelings bare and confess how I feel about you. Perhaps this will be my greatest challenge as a knight. I have fallen for you and wish to court you as a knight would a princess. If you should feel the same, please meet me at the gazebo inside the Enchanted Forest after school today.
Sincerely, Gabriel Lighthart.'
Holly's face turned bright red. Gabriel, little cutie Gabriel had given her a love letter and wanted to confess to her? For a moment, she had no idea what to say or do. What would she say? Did she even feel the same way? Well, Gabriel was absolutely adorable and after seeing him fight she just wanted to keep him all to herself, but only to keep him safe like a big sister would a little brother, right? Well, in his suit he was certainly powerful and dashing, but he was still the little cherub everyone loved.
"Ooooooh!" Holly trembled. "M-my hairbrush! My makeup! Oh, I need to get ready! Poppy! Poppy, where are you?"
As she ran down the hall, Harry looked up from his own locker with a grin.
"I think she's on her way."
To be honest, Harry wasn't sure Holly would buy the note. Gabe could never write a love letter like that but she was clearly convinced he was more articulate than she initially believed.
Enchanted Forest - Gazebo
Gabe waited inside the gazebo, all but bouncing on the seat as he wondered when Holly was going to arrive. He tried to go over what he would say, what he would ask, or what else he might think of doing when Holly arrived. Did she want to go on a date right away? Would they keep it a secret with all the destiny talk going around? Would they be able to show it off at school? Would Holly let him hold her hand? What would they do as a couple?
Gabe was putting himself into a spiral with his thoughts. Meanwhile, hiding in the brush were Apple, Blondie, and Briar who all wanted front row seats to the impending confession. They froze when they heard someone approaching, but relaxed when they saw it was Harry, huffing from tackling the forest terrain.
"Is she coming?" asked Apple.
"Yes. She was just fixing her makeup and her hair," Harry nodded. "Poppy's good at what she does. Has Gabe been waiting long?"
"He just got here," Briar answered. "He plucked some flowers from the forest and now he's just waiting for her to show up."
"Here she comes!" Blondie squealed, looking down the path and seeing Holly looking almost timid with her sister clearly hiding in the brush behind her.
"Oooh, this is going to be-ZZZZZZ!" Briar suddenly slumped over, snoring softly. Harry had to rush to catch her. Confused, he looked to the other two girls.
"She has narcolepsy thanks to the magic left over from her mother's curse," Apple explained. "She'll wake up in a minute or two."
"Ah, good," Harry said, relieved. He sometimes saw her fall asleep in class but the teachers never made a big deal out of it. So this was the reason.
Gabe stiffened when he saw Holly approaching on the path. He gripped the flowers he picked tightly, hoping the meeting would go as he hoped. Although, he was sure it could turn out well since it was her who had passed the love letter to him.
"U-um, hi Gabriel," Holly stuttered, a bright blush on her cheeks.
"H-hi," Gabe nodded back. He presented the makeshift bouquet. "Ah, I, I got these for you."
"Oh, ah, thank you, Holly nodded, taking the flowers and then using them to hide the lower half of her face. "I...Um..this is so sudden."
"Y-yeah," Gabe agreed. "It's..um...wow.."
"Wow…" Holly agreed. "I didn't know you felt this way."
"How could I not? You're pretty, you're kind, and you're funny too," Gabe replied, causing Holly to turn bright red.
"B-b-but you're so cute, and brave, and, and strong. So many other princesses would love to snatch you up." To show how flustered she was, she wasn't even considering her destiny as the next Rapunzel.
"I don't want any other princess. Look, I know I'm short and you kinda see me like the cute kid brother you wanna protect, but I really like you, Holly," Gabe confessed fidgeting on the spot.
"Oh this is just right," Blondie recorded the scene on her MirrorPhone.
"I know!" Apple resisted the urge to cheer.
"Zzzzz-snk, huh? What did I miss?" Briar suddenly woke up.
Holly's face grew brighter, all but burying her face in the flowers. She honestly didn't know what to do. She just felt that she'd just meet Prince Charming when he came to rescue her from the tower and all the feelings and other things would work themselves out. Now, of all sudden, she's being confessed to by someone she admittedly adored and didn't know what to say or do. Her destiny said she was for one person but…
Poppy smiled as she smoothed out her sister's hair for the confession, "Maybe Gabe is your Prince Charming. You won't know if you don't give him a chance."
Holly lifted her face from the flowers, still bright red.
"W-will you be my b-boyfriend?"
Harry grinned while the three girls began congratulating each other. Even Poppy, who was hiding behind a tree, pumped a fist in victory as she recorded the event on her own MirrorPhone.
*Eeeeeeeeeeeee!*
"No, not now!" Harry hissed, feeling the stinging in his ears. In the gazebo, Gabe likewise winced as the painful tone reached his ears.
Much like Rob and Nina before, a Mirror Monster began to emerge from the polished underside of the gazebo's roof. It appeared like a biomechanical humanoid with twin prongs on either of its arms. Its head was a large dome with several white orbs in it and small tentacles connected to the edges. Sparks crackled on its arms, showing it had electrical power. This was a Brobajell, a jellyfish-type monster.
"Look out!" Gabe cried, rushing to Holly and pushing her out of the way before the Brobajell landed on the floor with an electric crackle.
Holly squeaked, but she wasn't entirely frozen by the shock of the monster. She had been targeted by Zebraskulls only two days ago. Plus, with Poppy sharing all the stories she heard from Tristan, she knew what to do. Regretfully dropping the flowers, she pulled out a gold hand mirror and presented its surface to Gabe.
"Gabriel, here!" she cried.
Gabe looked stunned at her, but quickly got the idea. Retrieving his Advent Deck, he held it up to the glass to summon his V-Buckle. The appearance of the belt and the noise following it, caused the Brobajell to stiffen and even back away as it sensed a threat.
"Henshin!" Gabe called as he pumped his fist, sliding the deck into his belt. His armor quickly folded onto him before solidifying and filling with color. Snorting, he stepped forward, "You picked the wrong time to butt in, pal!"
The Brobajell gave off a wet burble before electricity arced across its arms before it pointed them at Gai. The Rhino Knight prepared to move, but then stopped when he realized that Holly was right behind him. If he moved, she could be struck by the lightning and unlike him, likely wouldn't survive it.
The Brobajell fired a stream of lightning and Gai simply braced himself. The lightning struck hard, making sparks fly in all directions. Worse, since his armor was made of metal instead of ceramic or leather like the others, the voltage went right through him. The pain was intense as Gai staggered back with a smoking chest.
"Gabriel!" Holly cried.
"Why did he just take that?!" Blondie gasped. "He could have avoided it."
"Because it would have hit Holly," Apple realized in horror. Forgetting the fact she was hiding and stood up, "Holly! You have to move!"
Either Holly was too shocked to listen, or she couldn't hear her over the noise. She didn't move and the Brobajell just fired more lightning as Gai just stood there and took it to shield her. He stumbled, and his cries of pain were audible to all, but he didn't dare fall.
"Damn!" Harry stood up. "Girls. Mirror. Now!"
"Here!" Briar fished out her compact.
Harry didn't hesitate and produced his stingray Advent Deck and held it up to the glass. His V-Buckle appeared and wrapped around his waist. Lifting his free hand with his index and middle fingers out, Harry announced himself.
"Henshin!"
Sliding the deck into his V-Buckle, his armor appeared, covering his form before solidifying with color. His bodysuit was black with magenta gauntlets and greaves. His torso armor was mostly magenta, styled like older armor with straps over the shoulders and silver sides. His shoulder armor was bowl-shaped, magenta with yellow trim. On his left arm was a magenta stingray-shaped shield called the Evil Visor. His helmet was smooth, the faceplate being two curved silver plates with eight slits for the visor and silver mouthplate. The rest was magenta with a barbed ponytail hanging from the back.
"Oooh! Another debut for Knightwatch," Blondie turned her tablet to the new Harry.
"Call me Raia!" The Kamen Rider spoke before he took off running for the fight.
Gai screamed as he stood his ground, shielding Holly from the Brobajell's electric attacks. It hurt a lot, it really did, but in his games the hero would endure any pain for the ones they protected.
He was Kamen Rider Gai, the Iron Rhino Knight, and he was Princess Holly's shield!
The Brobajell intensified its attack when Raia kicked it down, knocking it out of the gazebo. This ceased its attack on Gai who soon collapsed in front of Holly. His armor smoked from being zapped but he was otherwise okay. The pain did more to drain him than the actual attacks did.
"Gabriel!" Holly cried, on the verge of tears as she embraced him from behind.
"Ugh..." Gai groaned.
"Holly, take care of Gabe!" Raia instructed as he faced the Brobajell, tagging in for Gai. Walking around the gazebo, he drew a card from his belt and allowed the back end of his shield to pop open. Slapping the card inside, he shut it again.
[Swing Vent!]
A segmented magenta whip flew into Raia's hand and he cracked it as he approached the Brobajell. It fired an electric bolt at him but he sidestepped it as he advanced on it. Once he was close enough, he lashed it with his whip. It staggered and tried to fight back but Raia relentlessly whipped the jellyfish monster. It had ruined a romantic setup and hurt his little buddy. It had to pay.
The Borbajell snarled and lashed out with more electricity. Unlike Gai, Raia had no one to worry about and rolled around the attack. He lashed out with his whip again, sparking across the monster's hide, making it shriek in pain.
"A dozen lashes for every attack you landed on my friend!" Raia huffed, quickly growing short of breath from all of the exertion. He was not an athlete or someone who was used to a lot of physical exertion like so many of the others.
The monster gave another shriek and tried for another blast of voltage. Raia merely beat the monster to it and lashed out with his whip. This time it struck the orb in the center of its 'face'. This time there was a larger blast of sparks and went down, clutching the wound.
"*huff, huff* Okay, time to finish up," Raia breathed heavily before he drew his last card, his stingray emblem surrounded by magenta light.
[Final Vent!]
A song-like call came before a large magenta stingray with a yellow X on its forehead swooped out from under the gazebo's canopy. This was Evildiver, Raia's contracted Mirror Monster. Raia leaped up and landed on Evildiver's back, riding the flying stingray like a surfboard. The Brobajell, however, had recovered and caught both Raia and Evildiver with an electrical net, stopping their attack.
"Gah!" Raia grunted, feeling a static field pin him and Evildiver into place.
Holly gasped in shock at the sight and Gai groaned from where he was leaning against her. Gai was still weak and could barely move to help. He knew he had the right card to help, but his arms were too numb to do more than fumble and push things while his fingers felt like sausages.
"Holly...draw a card...from my deck."
Holly sniffled, clearly upset, but reached down to his Advent Deck and pulled a card. The art depicted a broken mirror. Gai opened up his Visor, gesturing Holly to put the card inside. She did so and pushed the black cover back down, activating the card.
[Confine Vent!]
The Brobajell's attack suddenly stopped, freeing Raia as he crashed into it with Evildiver. The stingray's sharpened fins cut through the monster, eliciting a scream before it exploded, leaving only a small bonfire behind. Raia leaped off, panting for breath while Evildiver snagged the monster's rising energy for itself.
"Okay *huff*, Gabe, Gabe are you okay?" Raia cried, running to his friend's side. Apple, Blondie, Briar, and Poppy were quick to enter the clearing as well once the Brobajell had been destroyed.
"Peachy," Gai groaned, still smoking. Holly still had a death grip on him, as if he might disappear if she let him go. "Ugh, can, can someone take my armor off? It's not very comfy like this."
"I got you," Raia nodded, reaching down and snapping the rhino Advent Deck out of Gai's belt. Immediately his armor shattered off, leaving the smaller Gabe to be nestled comfortably in Holly's arms.
"Much better," Gabe grunted, sinking into Holly's arms. "Guess I didn't look too impressive out there, did I, Holly?"
"No, no, no!" Holly shook her head, her hair partially covering Gabe's side. "You were so brave and strong! You knew it would hurt and you still let that monster hit you! You did it to keep me safe! You're my Prince Charming! I won't let you go now!"
"We better take Gabriel to the nurse's office," Apple urged. She didn't like how bright Gabe's skin looked. It was as if he was sunburned and that was never pleasant.
"Can someone help carry me?" Gabe asked.
The four girls aside from Holly immediately looked to Raia who sighed. It was a good thing he was still in his armor or he'd never have the stamina to carry even tiny Gabe back to Ever After High.
"Okay, help him onto my back. I can at least spare him the princess carry."
"You're a true bro, Harry," Gabe snickered with a cough.
Ever After High - Nurse's Office
It took some time to carry Gabe back to the school. Naturally, seeing one of the Riders in their armor caught everyone's attention. Phones took pics, but many of the girls who remained gasped in horror at seeing Gabe so bright red from electrical burns. Gossip was also following their wake as Holly had a death grip on Gabe's hand. Likely the only reason that no one tried to ask was because of Gabe's condition and the fact that Blondie was with them and could stream the news later.
Baba Yaga quickly took charge and had Raia put Gabe into a room, but then kicked everyone out so she could treat him without interruption. Everyone waited with bated breath outside for several minutes. Holly and Poppy seemed to be the most anxious since Holly had extreme emotional highs and lows in a ridiculously short time. Poppy, through a sibling or twin bond, seemed almost as distraught as Holly was, but was able to hold it together better.
After minutes that seemed to stretch on forever, Baba Yaga finally allowed the group to come back inside.
"How are you feeling, Gabriel?" Holly asked as Gabe lay in bed in the nurse's office. Gabe's color had returned to normal, although it seemed he was still bedridden.
"Baba Yaga gave me something for the pain but now my mouth tastes like burnt toast," Gabe answered. "Right now she says I just need rest to get over the exhaustion of the pain and potions to heal me."
"I'm so glad you're fine," Holly said, relieved. She quickly took a seat next to the bed so she could take his hand again.
"You know, this might be the painkillers talking, but I'm glad I got zapped. I got to show my manly side for real," Gabe boasted.
Everyone in the room had a brief chuckle at that. Holly's giggles seemed almost musical as she wiped her eyes, "You already showed it with the letter you wrote me."
Gabe blinked, confused, "Wait...what letter?"
Holly looked to him, now confused herself, "The letter you left in my locker, asking me to meet at the gazebo."
"Wait, but you were the one who wrote a letter to me to meet you at the gazebo," Gabe answered. Both turned and looked to their collected friends who had started backing out of the room, whistling innocently.
"I do think we were set up," Gabe deadpanned as their friends left the room.
"Yes," Holly agreed. Looking back to Gabe, she just smiled and squeezed his hand again, "But I don't think I can complain."
"Infirmary trips aside, I don't think I can either," Gabe chuckled, but then winced from phantom pain.
"Poor little cherub," Holly cooed, "Don't worry. I'll help you feel better."
Ever After High - Castleteria
"I feel upstaged," Lance deadpanned next to Arthur. It was the next day and there was a very distinct social shift.
"Don't pout," Arthur chuckled, punching Lance's shoulder. "Gabe's earned this."
Blondie didn't disappoint as she made a breaking news announcement in her MirrorCast stream. Since she had been in on the plot which got Holly and Gabe together, she had an exclusive video of their romantic meeting, then the fight with the Brobajell, before Harry came in and saved the day. Still, everyone's focus was on the new romance between princess and knight. Harry didn't mind since he didn't care for the spotlight like his brother did.
Once they got to school, Gabe and Holly were seen in the halls holding hands, looking adorable. Everyone wanted to hear the story and they found themselves in the castleteria, surrounded by princesses and other girls, Royal and Rebel alike as they wanted to hear the story. In a bit of a gender reversal, Gabe found himself in Holly's lap as she cuddled him, much to the adoration of many of the ladies around them.
"I'm surprised Raven is in there too," Lance commented, seeing the next Evil Queen apparently just as eager for the story as Apple White would have been if she weren't part of it. "Your girl usually doesn't fall into the stuff the Royals gush over."
"We're not like that," Arthur rolled his eyes. "And Raven likes romance and other girly things just like every other ordinary girl. She doesn't believe in all the fated romance and destined love things the Royals do."
"Ah, true," Lance nodded. "Is that Ramona I see over there?"
"Could be. Hard to tell with the rainbow of hair colors," Arthur shrugged.
"I still feel like I've been upstaged," Lance sighed. "I mean, look at the guy. I managed to snag Apple, but he's got all of the most gorgeous and popular girls in school gushing over him right now."
"But he only has eyes for one," Arthur smiled, watching Gabe blush when Holly placed a kiss on his forehead. It served to make the girls squeal and gush over the cuteness of the act.
"Yeah, I guess I can give the little dude this one," Lance admitted. "They do look happy. It makes me want to cuddle with Apple though."
"Go ahead. She'd love it," Arthur laughed.
"I will," Lance chuckled, moving to find his princess. "And you can go snuggle Raven!"
"I said we're not like that!"
Not yet! It was just getting good!
Brooke, it's the end of this story. You'll have to wait for the next one.
Ah phooey.
Don't worry. Next is the last of the fellowship: the Phoenix and the Shark.
Cool! Odin and Abyss! We saved the best for last! Odin is perfect for Ginger coz of his sweet tooth!
Brooke!
Spoilers!
Oops, sorry!
A/N: And another chapter to the list. We now meet Gai and Raia, seeing some of their daily life along with their debut. Plus the short one seems to be one of the quickest to get a romance going.