Knights of the Otherworld REWRITE

by Ten-Faced Paladin

(REWRITE of KOTO). Destiny has always been a focus to the people of Ever After. However, Destiny is not so easily predicted or controlled. A force outside of Giles Grimm's written pages has forced itself into their world. A meddlesome mage, with the power of Prophecy, sees a solution outside of the context of their stories.

4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider Ryuki or Ever After High

Knights of the Otherworld

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 4: The Jester Knight and the Red Princess

As summer comes to a close, it is time for the fairy tales of tomorrow to resume their education at Ever After High.

The students eagerly reunite and set out to continue their education, all to take up their future destinies.

*giggle* Well, except these students.

(***)

Book End - Library

That morning saw the new Knights of the Round Table sitting at their dining room table in the residential section of the library, enjoying bowls of cereal, muffins, toast, and other breakfast foods. It was quite a spread considering there were fourteen of them. Everyone was chatting a little, or just being quiet as they woke up. There were subtle nerves in the air as everyone knew they were about to start at a new school. Morning training had given them something to focus on besides being nervous, but now it was over, the nerves came back for an encore.

"Alright, everyone!" Merlin's voice rang as he strolled into the kitchen, looking as bright and chipper as he ever was. He was met with grumbles, yawns, and mumbles. Merlin didn't lose his stride as he came to the head of the table. " So before you all pack up and head off to your first day at Ever After High, we have some details to go over."

"Details?" Rex asked around his muffin.

"I don't think I have to tell you how every student is slated to take over their parents' stories," Merlin explained. "So to help with our little masquerade, we have to cement down which stories you all are going to take over. "

"The Knights of the Round Table, right?" asked Gabe. "Uh, are there going to be enough stories we can take over for? How many knights were there?"

"More than enough," Merlin chuckled. "There were thirty-two of them who became prominent. More if you add the ones who just served instead of doing something legendary."

"Are you sure we should be taking their stories, even if in name?" asked Kevin.

"Nah it's perfectly fine," Merlin confirmed, but was met with several skeptical looks from Harry, Kevin, and Max. "Oh come on! One of you is named Arthur Pendragon. We're not going to get a better chance than that!"

Lance chuckled as Arthur sulked, "Yeah, seems your name has a a lot of pull here too."

"Wait, you mean you really are named Pendragon?" asked Rex, turning to look at Arthur who scowled into his cereal. "I thought that was just a nickname everyone gave you, comparing us as potential kings of Storybrooke."

"It's not," Arthur sighed. "And I've said it a hundred times. My father's side of the family comes from Wales. They had a military rank. In Welsh, it's 'Pendragon', or 'Bendragon', meaning 'Head Dragon'. The top of a command chain. When last names became a thing for everyone, people just kept mistaking his rank for his name. He kept it and it became our family name. Apparently, when they wrote the stories about King Arthur, they did the same thing."

"Kind of a weird coincidence," Harry shrugged. "But weirder things have happened."

Kevin sighed, "Okay, fine, we'll take the backstory. So which ones do we get?"

"Okay, lessee," Merlin dug into a pocket and pulled out a roll of parchment. "Alright, well we're going to start with Lance taking up the mantle of Lancelot. Since he's become famous after Arthur here, and he's his best friend, it makes him a natural fit for the role."

"Cool," Lance grinned. Just like he had predicted to Apple.

"Next is Harry, who gets the story of Sir Hector de Maris," Merlin moved on. "He was Lancelot's ever-loyal half-brother, often supporting him during their quests and having a few daring adventures of his own. Of course, he's known for saving Lancelot's hide once or twice during those adventures."

"So, like how I keep Lance out of trouble sometimes," Harry grinned, making Lance grumble.

"And then we have Rob taking the role of Sir Bors," Merlin glanced at the blankly staring Rob who clearly didn't know the story, "Specifically, Bors the Younger who charged forward, taking part in most of the conflicts which Camelot found themselves in."

"Oh, okay," Rob nodded, returning to his breakfast.

"By that stroke, that makes Kevin Sir Lionel, Bors' brother and his constant companion through many of their adventures," Merlin added. "Although it is more noted for Bors going forward and doing something while Lionel backs him up."

"Ask me if I'm surprised," Kevin rolled his eyes as Rob chuckled.

"Now for the lady of our group," Merlin turned to Gwen, "Sorry, Gwen, but we've got to keep to the stories as well as we can. Since you're the only girl, that would make you Guinevere of our little merry band."

Gwen nodded, although she wasn't one hundred percent pleased considering anyone who knew a little about Arthurian lore knew Guinevere cheated on Arthur and it was never a good bit of reputation. She looked at Lance and pointed at him with her spoon, "Don't get any ideas. I'm not hooking up with you."

"Oh, ouch! My broken heart," Lance bemoaned, playing up being rejected. He chuckled and shrugged, "I've got my eye on someone else anyway."

"Gabriel, it took me a bit, but since you have some of the toughest armor, I decided to stick you with Sir Galahad's story," Merlin looked at the short one of the group. "One of the youngest of the knights, he's also been called the defender of Camelot's gates. With such a hard defense of your own, I figured it would fit you."

"Cool. I'm the tank then," Gabe grinned.

"Darren, yours was almost too easy," Merlin grinned at the resident clown. "Since you're such a kook, it was almost like Sir Dagonet was made for you. He was Arthur's court jester who was knighted, then used his acting and tomfoolery to save the day."

"Ah-ha! And who said the funny guy can't be the hero?" Darren laughed.

"Maybe if your jokes made sense," Max commented, making Darren pout in response.

"Okay, moving on," Merlin chuckled. "Tristan, since you seem to be the downer and the gunner of the group, I've given you the title of Sir Tristain. He was known as a great archer, but his bad luck with women made him the mopey one of the knights too."

"Seriously?" Tristan frowned. He sighed and shook his head, "Whatever."

"Gawain, well, since your name matches and you have a thing for the woods, I decided to give you Sir Gawain's story," Merlin shrugged.

"Avoid green. Got it," Gawain nodded, recalling Sir Gawain's most infamous adventure.

"Kyle, since you're the wanna-be playboy," Merlin continued, earning snorts of amusement from several of the teenagers, "You're taking up the role of Sir Kay. He was Arthur's adopted brother and one of the most loyal, although he was a bit of a skirt-chaser too."

"Never heard of him," Kyle shook his head.

Merlin shrugged, "Max, sorry to say, but since your armor's the way it is, we're going to have to stick you with the title of Sir Mordred, one of the most famous villains of King Arthur's stories."

"Doesn't bother me," Max shrugged, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "At least it's a good one."

"Now, Rex, I know you've got pride in your heritage and all that but I can't give you a king's story," Merlin looked to the self-appointed commander of the group, "Still, I decided to give you the next best thing and gave you the story of Percival, the knight who found the Holy Grail."

"That's acceptable," Rex nodded. He did have pride in his lineage and expected it to be respected. If he couldn't be the king, the knight who achieved the impossible was the next best thing.

"And Ben, don't think I forgot about you," Merlin looked to the gentle giant of the group. "Since you are literally the biggest of you lot, you get Sir Bedivere. He was supposedly so strong he was able to take on giants, meaning he had to be a pretty big guy too."

"Oh…um, I guess that's okay," Ben shrugged meekly. He didn't know the lore too well himself, so he would have to look it up, although he feared it might push him into the spotlight.

"And since everyone in town is jumping to the conclusion, and you have the name for it, Arthur, you get to be our next King Arthur," Merlin finished.

"Joy," Arthur deadpanned. Another role of leadership was thrust upon him just because of his name. Well, it wasn't like the others were expecting him to really be a king. It was just a role to play while they were fighting Mirror Monsters and going to school here.

"Okay, I'd recommend reading up on the knights and their stories if you haven't already," Merlin nodded, tucking the parchment away. "Most of the other students probably aren't going to care about the details, but King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are still a bunch of famous stories. People might ask questions now and then."

"Duly noted," Harry nodded, making a mental note to read up on Sir Hector later. "So, is there anything else we should know about going to Ever After High?"

"I dunno. I grew up in the middle ages, remember? No high schools back then," Merlin shrugged, earning scowls from the group. He broke out in a laugh, "I kid, I kid. It's really no different from high schools in your world. We just have a big fantasy theme to everything we do and some classes most of your schools wouldn't have."

"Like what?" asked Gabe. "Fighting dragons, wooing damsels, and running kingdoms?"

"Hey, good guess!" Merlin grinned. "Those are exactly some of the classes you're going to be taking at Ever After High."

"Joy," Arthur rubbed his face.

(***)

Darren whistled a nonsensical tune to himself as the new Knights of the Round Table shuffled out of the library to the parking lot. Everyone had their backpacks filled with their new school supplies and were ready to go on their first foray into the famous school for fairy tales.

"So, are we just walking?" asked Gabe as they shuffled out of the building.

"Please," Merlin laughed as he led the way with Mira at his side. "First day of school for Ever After High. You kids are the new Knights of the Round Table. No, you need to make a good impression on everyone."

"I'm not showing off in full armor," Harry frowned.

"Nah, that's totally cliche," Merlin shook his head. "Mira?"

Mira nodded and made a twisting gesture with her hands before almost appearing in a poof of smoke was a silver-framed oval mirror like one would hang on the wall. Mira held it with pride, "My personal mirror to help with your needs, all to summon your magnificent steeds."

"It's lovely, Mira," Gwen complimented, making Mira preen.

Merlin grinned and gave off a sharp whistle which echoed more than it should have. Mira's mirror shimmered before in flashes of silver, multiple forms emerged from the glass. None of the knights reacted, having gotten used to it. Coming out in a well-ordered line were the fourteen steeds which belonged to them. They were even lined up in a row which almost seemed like they were color-coordinated.

"On the first day of school, you can't not arrive in style," Merlin grinned. "So, mount up and make a good impression."

"Oh, hex yeah!" Lance laughed, quickly approaching his horse.

The group approached their steeds which were fortunately much more docile than regular horses. That was good, as some of them still had a bit of trouble getting onto the horses. Gabe needed a boost from Max since he was still getting used to the horses. Kyle had several false starts since his horse kept shifting before he managed to get on. Tristan nearly got on backwards before he realized he had his footing wrong and adjusted it.

Darren only continued to smile as he mounted his own horse easily, recalling his pony-riding days when his grandparents would take him to the circus. Getting comfortable, he patted the bright green horse's neck, "Hey, Lewis."

Naturally, constructs or not, everyone ended up naming their horses, which the constructs seemed to take a liking to. Arthur named his Lamrei which was apparently the name of a horse his grandfather owned when he was younger. Lance tried to be cool and named his Noir. Darren just named his horse Lewis. Why? Well, why not? It sounded like a good name to him. For some reason, everyone thought he would have named his horse something weird.

"Well, if we're going to be knights, might as well flaunt it a little," Gwen admitted, patting her horse's mane.

"Then let's make haste," Rex declared. He glanced over at Arthur, "Well? Lead us off, 'King'."

"What?" Arthur's face snapped up. "Me? Lead?"

"You are the next King Arthur," Lance grinned teasingly. "So, like Rex said, lead us off, King."

Arthur grumbled, and Darren had to hold back a snicker. For all he was unintentionally popular back home, Arthur definitely did not try to stand out as much as everyone thought he should. Darren had only heard about him more than seen him involved in anything related to school events. Getting to know him, it really did seem like Arthur didn't like the spotlight regardless of how many people in the social hierarchy would do anything to get the same amount of attention.

Arthur grumbled, but he didn't complain as he moved Lamrei to the way out of the parking lot. The others took the reins to their horses and began following him like a royal procession. They turned down the street and began heading towards the familiar hill with Ever After High on the top. Surprisingly, they weren't garnering any real attention. People in carriages or on horseback weren't so unusual in Book End. If anything, if they took the bus then it would have gotten much more attention. As it was, the only unusual thing about them were the colors of their horses and the number of them.

They rode through town and headed through the forest and up the hills. They saw other students strolling up to the school along the way. People regarded them with curiosity while others seemed to recognize Arthur and Lance at least and began gossiping with any nearby friends.

They finally came to the front gates of the school proper. Coming to a stop, the knights began to dismount their horses. The steeds knew what they needed to do, trotting to the polished brass plate which was in front of the school before they phased through the polished metal to where they waited in the Mirror World.

As Gabe was the last to slip off his horse, Darren began to hear many of the students milling around outside.

"Wow, who are they?"

"Did you see those horses? They went right into the sign!"

"Wait, isn't that the next King Arthur?"

"Yeah, and the other guy who saved Apple White. They must be his Knights of the Round Table!"

"Wow, I thought their story disappeared!"

Darren wasn't surprised that the focus moved to Arthur and Lance. They did cut the figure of the dashing knights since they actually stepped up and fight monsters.

Darren himself would admit he didn't look like the typical stock for a knight. He had black hair which was long enough to tie in a ponytail. He did have a slight tan from being outside so often, but his eyes were bright green. His fashion choice definitely didn't follow the heroic types, consisting of a green hoodie and matching sneakers with jeans.

But that was fine with Darren H. Quinn! If he was going to be a knight, then he was going to be his own kind of knight. After all, Dagonet wasn't the typical knight and Darren was more than happy to follow in those funny footsteps.

The group of knights were preparing to go into the school and get their class schedules when quite suddenly, a girl with blonde hair in a blue dress popped onto the scene, a blonde boy with glasses and a MirrorPad following her. The odd thing was that no one saw her coming as she literally just came out of the crowd, looking ready to report to the masses.

"Hello, fellow fairy tales! This is the first official broadcast of 'Just Right with Blondie Lockes'!" the girl spoke into a microphone as her cameraman filed it all. "We're on the scene as a new year begins at Ever After High! All sorts of fairy tales are back to continue the road to our destinies, but this year is something special!"

She turned and came to the group of fourteen, smiling excitedly, "This year we have the return of King Arthur's story! We're here with his spelltastic arrival with his companions, no doubt the new Knights of the Round Table!" She spun around and pointed the microphone in Arthur's face, "Arthur, what would you like to say to your fellow students?"

Arthur blinked, again surprised by how pushy Blondie could be yet seem so nice at the same time. Lance chuckled and pat his shoulder in comradery. That seemed to bring Arthur to his senses and he resigned himself to the interview.

"Well, my friends and I are looking forward to seeing what Ever After High is all about," he smiled neutrally. "We've already got to meet so many nice folks and made some new friends since we arrived. A lot of us can't wait to see what other surprises the school has in store for us."

"And we certainly are excited to have you," Blondie beamed. "Having the most chivalrous and heroic knights in all stories is almost like having spellebrities come to school! Everyone can't wait to see you all in action!"

"Ah, aheh, let's hope our kind of action is few and far between," Arthur chuckled weakly. "I think Ever After High isn't ready for our brand of excitement."

The other knights waited patiently behind their 'leader'. They all knew it was part of the show and they had to make the image of the new King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. This would be their shot to really fit into Ever After High and get others to think they were fairy tales too.

"You know, for all he tries to avoid getting attention, Arthur's sure good at dealing with it," Rob muttered to Darren as they watched Arthur take the interview.

"Ah, just means he's a natural," Darren shrugged. "Like me and comedy!"

"Uhhh…no comment," Rob distinctly looked away. Darren huffed with a pout.

"You just don't get my sense of humor," he grumped playfully.

"Not many do," Kevin snorted.

"And now we see the rest of King Arthur's chosen knights!" Blondie's voice rose and the rest of the group perked up as her cameraman began scrolling over each of them. "Let's have some introductions! Which knights are you destined to become? The whole school is excited to hear!"

"Reporters," Rex sighed under his breath.

This was going to take a while.

(***)

They finally got to the school! Who are they going to meet? What's going to happen?

Well Brooke, we can find out if you calm down.

But Moooom, it's so new and exciting!

Your mother is right Brooke. You just need to calm down and keep reading or you'll miss the little things which make a story better. Now then, we turn our focus onto our newly appointed Sir Dagonet, Darren Quinn…

(***)

Ever After High - Crownculus

Darren had a few ideas of what classes at Ever After High would be like. From what he heard, there would be classes on potion brewing, tending to magical animals, learning to be heroic, and maybe even learn to use magic. Hearing all of that, Darren was ready to go to school, a far cry from back home where so much of it felt so plain and boring.

But here he was, the Ever After version of math…Crownculus.

Darren never liked math classes. He could do it, but when it came time to move to more advanced things, he just couldn't bring himself to really care beyond what he needed to pass. He knew addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. He really wasn't interested in learning more. More than that, math was just…so bland, orderly, and boring! Where was the chance to have fun? All one had to do was learn the formula and it all worked out. Every. Single. Time. So in Darren's mind, math was just something he needed to get credits in to graduate.

But now he was trapped in a fairy tale version of the class. One that grew boring after the first few minutes after the fairy tale aspect lost its charm. To that end, Darren, sitting near the back, decided to use his old standby. He took out a pair of sunglasses, slipped them over his eyes, and began to nod off.

He might have gotten away with it. It was only the first day and they weren't looking over anything special.

But then he began to snore…and talk.

"Zzzz…will you…line dance in…a gazebo…Godzilla?" he mumbled, earning snorts from some of his fellow students. One girl, who sported purple hair in twin ponytails and a black cat ornament struggled not to burst out laughing.

"Mr. Quinn!" the teacher's voice barked, followed by the man slapping his desk with a ruler. The noise so close to his head caused Darren to yelp as he was broken from his dream of dancing with giant monsters. He sat up, his sunglasses falling off his face. It took him a moment to come back to reality…and realize the teacher was looking right at him.

"Uh-oh," he gulped, seeing the displeased look on the man's face.

"While I can certainly understand adjusting to a new schedule, please do your best to stay awake during classes, hm?" the teacher frowned, looking at Darren expectantly.

"Uh…sorry sir!" Darren gulped. "Just ah…uh…burning those midnight candles…oh, wait," Darren gulped as he remembered the teacher's name. One Jack B. Nimble to be precise.

'Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick…' Darren's treacherous thoughts echoed the old nursery rhyme to him.

Mr. Nimble looked none too pleased with the mention of candles. Other students just began to laugh.

He was saved from possibly disciplinary measures when the bell rang, ending the class and allowing the students to leave and Darren was practically the first out the door. Skidding to a halt in the hallway, he heaved a sigh of relief, "Well, that could have been worse…"

Exiting from the classroom was Rob, snickering as he caught sight of his neon green friend, "Wow, man. I don't think you could have done worse than that!"

"What are you talking about?" Darren chuckled as he and Rob began walking down the hall. "I made a great first impression!"

"You slept in class and then made a candle joke to the guy who's famous for doing something dumb with them," Rob retorted. "You couldn't do worse even if you tried."

"Ah, but did you hear everyone laughing? I struck gold I tell you!" the kooky knight retorted. "It's a fresh start here! Ever since we got here, I've been able to find my audience! People who finally understand what good humor is all about!"

"The people who work at the tea shoppe are the only people I've heard laughing at your jokes," Rob pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's a start!" Darren insisted. "A beginning! The commencement of a movement of good humor!" His declaration wasn't met with cheers as Rob gave him a deadpan stare. One or two students, who were wearing outlandish coloring to their outfits, fought back snickers, but they were a minority. Darren just shrugged and kept walking, "Hey, nothing starts off big."

"Sure, sure," Rob nodded. "Don't give up on the jester's shoes I guess."

Darren and Rob wandered the halls, the latter checking a slip of paper in his pocket to make sure he knew where his locker was supposed to be. Coming to the rows in question, the two quickly found their friends likewise getting ready for their next classes.

"So, how's it going?" asked Kevin, getting his books.

"Kingdom Management is actually very interesting," Rex admitted, tucking his new textbooks away. "Plenty of practical applications to it."

"Hm, good to know," Max added, shutting his own locker. "General Villany seems like a lecture in every villainous trope in stories, to be honest. Be glad you don't need to take it."

"At least your teacher is grounded," Gwen grumped. "One look at White Queen and you can tell she's the vainest, stuck-up former blonde cheerleader you'll ever meet."

"Gee, Gwen, tell us how you really feel," Gabe chuckled with sarcasm as he pulled out his notebook for his next class. "How bad could she be?"

"The entire class was one big gossip fest of what 'princessing' we got up to over the summer and which princes they were hoping to get wooed by," Gwen shot back.

"Everyone gossips about what they did over the summer," Kyle tried to argue. "Maybe that was just her way to get on everyone's good side."

"It was our first assignment," Gwen retorted, making Kyle blink. "We're supposed to critique the gossip as a basis to being better princesses and get the eye of any aspiring princes. How we can improve our maiden skills and all that stuff."

"Seriously?" Kyle blinked. Gwen just grimaced and nodded.

"Well, I can't wait for Wooing 101 for final period," Lance grinned. "I'm good, but seeing how fairy tales do it might be able to give me an edge in the romance department."

"You need an edge?" Arthur asked in disbelief to his best friend. "The dating fiend of Storybrooke?"

"Arthur, remember where we are?" Lance retorted. "Almost every guy here is a literal Prince Charming! That's a high standard! If I'm going to keep what I have with Apple going, I need to know what I'm up against!"

"Oh please. They're good-looking, but I don't see anything worth falling apart over," Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah?" Lance asked. "Daring Charming. The Big Prince on Campus. He's literally the most charming of Charmings, or so Apple told me. He's got a smile so bright, he's blinded people by smiling at them too widely. He did it just this morning with some giant!"

Arthur and Harry glanced at each other and sighed, "Rival."

"Rival?" asked Darren. "Already? It's only our first day."

"Lance claims he needs an edge, but it's more because Daring Charming is slated to be the Prince Charming next to Apple's Snow White," Harry reported. "First day and you're already trying to cozy up with your new potential girlfriend. You're usually more patient than this."

"Hey, what can I say? Apple's just that perfect," Lance shrugged. He hefted up his books, "Anyway, gotta get to Heroics 101. Gotta make a good impression on day one or else no one's going to take us seriously."

"Wait up. That's my next class too," Arthur sighed, grabbing his books before slamming his locker shut.

"I got Grimmnastics," Rob nodded, pulling out a duffel bag. "Don't sleep through the next class, Darren!"

"So long as it's not, bleh, math," Darren motioned gagging as he retrieved his schedule. "Ah…Wooing 101. Okay, gotta see how this goes."

(***)

Ever After High - Wooing 101

Wooing 101 normally took place in one of the classrooms in the school proper. On the first day, it was only where the class would meet up. Once the bell rang, the teacher, one King Charming, collected his entire class and brought them outside to what looked like a big hedge maze set on the school grounds. Once they were there, all of the boys in the class were standing across from the man.

King Charming certainly looked the part of a royal fairy tale. He was tall, handsome, with golden blonde hair and a mustache and fine clothing fit for royalty. He wasn't a vain fop, but a man with the aura of someone who actually went out there and did great things. Darren considered that kind of a given since the guy was a Charming and they always were ones who played the role of heroes in fairy tales.

"Princes, knights, heroes," King Charming began. "Today we begin your education in one of the most important aspects of your future stories. That of wooing a damsel in distress in her darkest hour."

'Really?' Darren pondered silently. He glanced at the other boys in the class and saw them looking serious and/or excited for the most part. Everyone seemed to be taking it very seriously which confused Darren a little more.

"Now, I know all of you are likely thinking wooing is easy. You're charming princes, future knights, and destined heroes so it should come naturally," King Charming continued "Wooing a damsel is a key way to win her favor and get that drive to rescue them from the villain. Still, there is so much more to it than that."

"But sir, isn't wooing just part of courtly etiquette and social graces for a prince?" asked one boy in the crowd.

"Ah, for the mundane, it might appear as such," King Charming admitted. "But to ones such as us, it can be an effective tool for calming a hysterical damsel. After all, not everyone has the peace of mind to help navigate perilous situations. When a hero comes across a frightened damsel, it is a hero's wooing skills that shall put her at ease and forget the dangers, at least for a little while."

"So…it's useful on the social scene, but also handy in a crisis when fair damsels are in danger?" asked Darren, trying to understand what the teacher was saying.

"Exactly," King Charming nodded. "Which leads us to our first lesson. We will be testing what wooing skills you have to set a baseline as to how much training you're all going to need. To that end, we will be working with the Damsel-In-Distressing class to help with this."

"Ah, King Charming, I hope we did not leave you waiting too long," a woman's voice interrupted. The class turned and coming up the path to the maze was a princessly-looking woman with long red hair and a flowing blue gown. She even had the old-style pointed hat draped with silk that some old-style princesses wore.

"Ah, Maid Marian," King Charming nodded. "Right on time. I was just explaining to my boys the nature of our first class."

Behind Maid Marian came her class, all of them princesses, and downright beautiful ones at that. All of them wore colorful fashions and definitely looked the part of damsels that princes and knights would charge dragons to rescue. Many of the boys in the class began to check themselves to make sure they looked their best while several of the princesses gave the boys flirty looks.

"Excellent," Maid Marian smiled. "Then we can begin. Damsels, we're going to give you a map of the maze and you are to go to the very middle. You will be paired with a dashing future hero and they will navigate the maze to come rescue you. Remember to use all your damselling skills to aid them in finding you and they shall use their wooing skills to calm you from your distress."

"Yes, Maid Marian," the girls nodded, although several looked excitedly at the princes who were prepping themselves for their run.

"Splendid! Then let us begin," King Charming took out a piece of parchment listing his students. " Charming, Courageous!"

Stepping forward was one of the more handsome boys in the class. Like many of them, he sported a crown. Maid Marian quickly lined up the girls and read off her own list. The first girl in line stepped forward and was given a map. She stepped into the maze while the prince waited. King Charming and Maid Marian both produced MirrorPads which they were using to watch the performance. After the damsel in question reached the center of the maze, the prince headed into the hedge maze to find her.

The teachers, fortunately, allowed the other students to see what was happening. Darren just thought the boys would have to navigate the maze, but he could hear the damsel dramatically bemoaning her fate. At first, he thought it was part of her lessons, but it wasn't until the prince came to an obstacle that he realized it. The damsel wasn't just waxing poetry, but she was secretly warning the prince about a hazard which was set up in the path to reach her. One the prince was able to navigate thanks to her hints.

Darren listened as Maid Marian explained the rules and guidelines of being a Damsel in Distress. To his surprise, it was more than just being a good prisoner and eye candy for the hero. It was actually a proven method of lulling a villain into a false sense of security and avoiding their wrath. If a princess looked threatening, a villain might actually be willing to take them out. More surprisingly, a damsel looking her best in colorful and fashionable clothing was a proven and encouraged tactic. Not only did it help enforce their image of being a helpless damsel, but it made it easier for heroes to spot them in the gloomy and/or evil lairs. As for their calling for help? It made it easier for aid to come to them, but like the damsel in the maze demonstrated, they could offer hints for the hero to navigate the hazards of the villain's lair.

"Man, who knew being a damsel had so many rules," Darren muttered.

"Yeah, my sister says it's pretty rigid," A boy next to Darren nodded. He was clearly a prince, wearing a blue royal jacket with a gold crown-like ornament over his cow-lick brown hair. He also wore a light blue and white scarf with a black shirt and denim jeans with sneakers. He looked handsome enough to be a Charming, although he sure didn't look like he had the confidence. He looked more the intellectual type with his square-framed black glasses.

"Well, may as well put our best foot forward too," Darren nodded. Looking at the prince, he decided to introduce himself, "Ah, I'm Darren Quinn, the next Dagonet."

"Dexterous Charming, another Prince Charming," the nerdy prince smiled. "Everyone just calls me Dexter though."

"Cool," Darren nodded. "Any tips for the new guy? We didn't have a class for this in…my first year." He finished his sentence a little uncertainly, wondering if there was such a class like Wooing for Ever After's first years.

Fortunately, Dexter didn't seem to notice, "A-Ah, I'm…not the best at this. Dad gives me all kinds of tips and my brother just says to do what he does. It never seems to work for me though. Lots of girls just make me kind of nervous."

"Oh. So, who's your brother?" Darren looked at the row of princes, each sizing up the damsels (and vice-versa) in hopes of being paired up with a specific one. To be honest, they all looked mostly the same to him, save for hair color and their styles.

"Him. Daring," Dexter pointed to one prince in the group. The guy had chiseled good looks, golden blonde hair perfectly placed under his crown, and was wearing a princely letterman jacket with a white and blue checkered vest underneath. The teenager oozed self-confidence, but also vanity. That was plain to see as he was checking himself out in a mirror, and was using a second mirror to check out the back of his head to make sure not a hair was out of place.

"Uh…" Darren blinked. Yeah, the guy looked the part, but from first glance, the guy seemed a little too full of himself.

"If you need tips, we can watch him go. He should be coming up next," Dexter shrugged, looking slightly down.

As if on cue, the first prince came out with his damsel. Both teachers gave a small critique of their performance. King Charming then lifted his scroll again, "Charming, Daring."

"Ready!" Daring smiled in a deep, heroic voice as he tucked his mirrors away. "Who's the lucky damsel I get to rescue today?"

Squeals erupted from the girls as one of them hopped in glee at being the one to partner with Dexter's brother. She traveled into the maze and a few moments later, Daring followed. Everyone crowded around the teachers to see the progress. The girl gave her hints, which led to tripwires hidden in the path which Daring almost danced around, posing heroically as he went knowing he was being watched. When he reached the spot where his partner was waiting, all he did was smile at her and she fell over in a happy faint.

"Wait, that's it?" asked Darren. "He just smiles and she falls over for him? I don't get it." Where was the romance? The soothing words? The tender moment as the hero found his one true love? Wasn't that what always happened in fairy tales? All Daring did was smile and it was over.

"He's just that good," Dexter shook his head.

Daring carried the girl in a classic princess carry out of the maze, getting cheers from his peers, "I think this is my best time yet, Father."

"Perhaps," King Charming nodded. "But next time, actually try speaking, won't you? This was to see all of your skills in action, not just your best ones."

"The teacher's your dad?" Darren gasped, looking at Dexter.

"Yep," Dexter nodded with a sigh, "He judges me and Daring all the harder because of it."

The test continued and the pairs would go through the maze. Darren did idly note that almost every guy in the class had the last name Charming, although Dexter said they weren't all related. Their various attempts ranged from smooth and suave like Daring, to clearly inexperienced. Dexter leaned on the latter since he stuttered and was clearly nervous when he was trying to be suave and say the things he thought the damsel wanted to hear. She wasn't really impressed, but she may have taken pity on him and played the part.

Darren would admit that he was a little nervous. Sure, he could talk to girls just fine and never had any issues being friends with them. Trying to deliberately flirt and woo one though was something else entirely. Darren always felt his sense of humor was one of his best traits, and what girl didn't like to have a good laugh? Still, Darren knew his sense of humor was a selective taste. He'd have to supplement it with something else.

Getting an idea, he waited for the next prince and damsel to leave the maze before he lifted his hand, "Uh, Your Majesty? Could I use my armor for this? I mean, being a Knight of Camelot and all that? Knights usually save damsels in full armor, right?"

"Perfectly allowable," King Charming nodded. "You're due to be called soon though, Mr. Quinn, so I would change into that armor quickly if I were you."

"Right," Darren nodded. He dug through his pockets and quickly found his Advent Deck. It was neon green with a chameleon head emblem. He suddenly realized he had forgotten his phone back at the library. Groaning, he looked to his classmates, "Hey guys, anyone have a mirror I can borrow real quick?"

"I'm using mine!" was a chorus from a number of princes.

"Ah, do you need a phone or something?" asked Dexter, at least trying to be helpful.

"No, just the reflective surface," Darren shook his head.

"Oh, I have a MirrorPad then," Dexter produced the gadget in question. "I work with Blondie Lockes a lot with her MirrorCast so I always carry it in case she finds news and drags me along."

"Perfect!" Darren grinned. He lifted his deck to the reflective surface. His V-Buckle appeared and wrapped around his waist, earning a gasp of shock from Dexter at the clearly technological item. Darren then spun around and snapped his fingers, "Henshin!"

He slid the deck into his buckle and immediately the monotone images of his armor folded over his body before solidifying into its colorful manifested form. He wore a black bodysuit with green torso armor that had red coils on the chest. His shoulders were green-plated with silver sockets and a red spike on each, making them appear like chameleon heads. His helmet was mostly green with large chameleon eyes making the grill to his helm. The mouthplate was white with black stripes, looking like the underside of a chameleon's head. Finally, strapped to his left thigh with green bands was a small box shaped like a chameleon head with the tip of its tongue sticking out.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Darren, or rather Verde while in his suit, rolled his arms in preparation for his turn.

"Wow!" Dexter gasped, seeing the change happen so suddenly. It drew more than a few eyes. "How'd you do that? Was it the belt? How did it call the armor like that?"

"Uh…it's magic. You'd have to ask Merlin about it. He made it," Verde shrugged.

The sudden spectacle did draw Daring over, curious as to what the armor of a Knight of Camelot would be like. He hummed as he looked it over, "Hmm, while the spectacle is good, your color scheme is a little…lacking. A chameleon theme? Your colors are almost absurd, clashing like they do."

"But that's the best part!" Verde defended proudly as he raised his index finger. "Never be normal! Dare to be different! That's the family motto!"

"Quinn, Darren!" King Charming declared the next participant.

"That's me!" Verde spun around and trotted to the front of the maze.

Maid Marian looked to her own scroll, "Lizzie Hearts?"

"Here," a girl softly spoke up. She stepped forward from the other damsels and presented herself.

'Wow, how'd I miss her?' Verde thought, instantly enchanted.

She wore a red and gold checkered skirt with a matching blouse that had lots of gold woven into it and a red Elizabethan ruff collar around her neck. She also wore black stockings with red and gold pump shoes. Her hair was black and red with some piled on top inside a crown ornament to make her look like she was wearing a real crown. The rest flowed elegantly down her back. What made her stand out was the large red heart mark that was painted on her face over her left eye, revealing how emerald green both her eyes were.

She was adorably petite, her style looked elegantly wacky, she was incredibly cute, and just all around beautiful. Verde gulped and awkwardly waved to her, "Verde knight the name I be. Rosy red, delight to see. Paths to wander ahead of me?"

'No, not the word vomit! Not now!' Verde winced. Whenever he got nervous or flustered, he would always babble complete nonsense. It sounded like what he wanted it to be to him, but no one else ever got it except his grandparents and sometimes his mom. He meant to introduce himself, compliment her beautiful red and black hair, and ask that they work well together. Now, this absolute cutie would think he was weird too and-!

Lizzie smiled warmly at him, like he shad aid something charming, "It is nice to meet you as well Sir Verde. Thank you for your compliment. I agree, let's work well together for this test."

"Bwuh?" Verde blinked. She understood all that?

Maid Marian chuckled, "Now, now, save the charming words for the test. Lizzie, here is your map."

"Of course," Lizzie nodded before she gave Verde another smile, "I shall await you inside the maze, sir twisty knight."

Lizzie walked into the maze and Verde waited for several moments before King Charming saw that Lizzie had arrived at her spot in the maze. He gave the signal and Verde headed into the maze to find his partnered damsel. Inside, he saw that the ground consisted of a cobblestone path and some statues depicting animals, cherubs, or other things. Some with simple marble while some had copper implements.

"Help, oh help!" Lizzie's voice began to cry, very audibly, and very harmoniously. One more thing which the knight found adorable and attractive about her. "My gallant twisty knight, oh hurry!"

"There we go," Verde grinned. He took a moment to listen before he took off down the right paths. He kept listening to Lizzie's cries for help.

"Oh help! My roses! My lovely roses!"

"Roses?" Verde pondered as he followed Lizzie's voice. Turning the corner, he stopped himself as he saw the hedge walls of the maze had numerous roses growing from them. They were large and looked like they had yet to bloom even though they were bright red.

"Hm, Lizzie mentioned the roses so it's got to be a trap," Verde tapped his chin. Stepping forward, he checked the ground ahead of him, consisting of a cobblestone path. Looking around, he spotted a statue of a cherub holding a copper bow and arrow. Approaching it, he saw the copper bow had been meticulously cared for.

"Perfect," Verde nodded. He reached to his deck and drew a card. It depicted a yoyo-like weapon with the title of 'Hold Vent'. He reached to the Bio Visor on his thigh and pulled the tongue tip of the device, showing it was connected to a line. He placed the card upside down in the clip before letting it retract into the device where the card sank inside.

[Hold Vent!]

A flash came from the copper bow before the device depicted in the card flew into his hand. It appeared to be a round yoyo with orange triangles decorating the sides, but the edges were composed of thick bands of metal, made for striking. The entire device was attached to a cuff which was wrapped around Verde's wrist.

"Okay, Bio-Winder secure," Verde nodded, turning back to the path of roses. Eyeing them, he spun the Bio-Winder for a moment before he swung with it, striking one of the roses. It shook from the impact, but it did not break or even tear. That told Verde the roses weren't real and were likely part of the trap.

Looking to the path in front of him, he spun the Bio-Winder again and began striking the stones along the path. He focused on the big ones which one couldn't avoid stepping on if someone didn't take care to avoid them. His suspicions struck paydirt when one rock he hit gave off a click. Immediately the roses opened up and sprayed blasts of red powder which stuck to everything. Verde guessed it was a kind of paint trap like dye packs to show someone fumbled into a trap.

"Well, that was easy," Verde chuckled before he continued to walk down the path.

He kept Lizzie's voice ahead of him to make sure he was going the right way. She didn't give any more hints about possible traps. That made sense since the current exercise was an assessment test rather than an actual one. It wasn't long before he took several turns and came out to what looked like a water garden with a gazebo in the middle. Seated on a lounge chair there in a damsel's classic verge-of-fainting pose was Lizzie Hearts.

'Is there nothing she does which doesn't look adorable or is it because she's so petite?' Verde idly wondered.

Lizzie glanced as she heard his footsteps and began playing her part, "My hero! Oh my twisty knight! Please help me, I am so afraid!"

Verde swiftly saluted, "Never fear, for I am here!" He was quick to approach the gazebo, hopping across the bridge before he skidded to a halt in front of the distressing Lizzie. He took a knee, recalling romantic period movies doing the same, 'Uh, what do I say?'

Not wanting to hesitate, even if this was his first time trying to woo a girl, he decided to just go with his gut, "Shining sunrise once more. Dark and shadow left sore. Beauty sparkles by a smile's roam, all to victory travel home."

'YOU MORON!' Verde chided himself. He was supposed to say 'All is well, fair maiden. The evil has been dispelled. You're safe now and I shall bring you home.' It was perfectly dramatic like some chivalric hero he saw in one of the cheesy romances his mom liked to watch! 'My one chance! Ruined! Can this get any worse?!'

He expected Lizzie to laugh at him or look at him like he was some kind of weirdo. Instead, when he dared to look at her face, he was surprised to see that her cheeks had turned pink and her eyes softened with a sparkle. For a moment, Verde blinked. Did she seem…flattered by his gibberish?

Lizzie seemed to catch herself, but her cheeks remained a cute pink, "A-ah, yes sir twisty knight. Please take me home. I miss my family so dearly."

"Then homeward bound we will be," Verde nodded. Standing up, he gently held Lizzie's hand and guided her across the bridge. Once on the other side, he got an idea. He brought two fingers to his faceplate and gave a sharp whistle. The nearby water rippled before Lewis emerged from the Mirror World, snorting as he came to a stop.

"Oh, my," Lizzie gasped at the horse's appearance.

"A knight never lets a princess travel on foot," Verde smiled behind his mask. "With your permission, milady?"

"Of course," Lizzie smiled back at him.

Verde nodded and mounted his steed before picking Lizzie up and setting her side-saddle in front of him. He then flicked the reins of his horse and began to trot through the maze. After a few minutes, and following Lizzie's map, they emerged in front of the maze where the rest of the class waited.

"Home again, home again, jiggity jig," Verde nodded.

"Indeed!" Lizzie giggled, smiling at Verde. He swiftly dismounted before gently lifting Lizzie from the saddle and setting her down. "Thank you, Sir Darren."

"Always, Princess Lizzie," Verde nodded. Both turned to their respective teachers as Darren saluted, "One Wonderlandiful princess rescued, sir!"

Lizzie giggled as Maid Marian smiled, "Hm, excellent work you two. Lizzie, you expertly guided your hero to you, although your hints about the rose trap were a little vague. Mr. Quinn suspected the roses were a trap but used up crucial moments trying to figure it out."

"Yes ma'am," Lizzie nodded. "I will work on that."

"I admit I had high standards after hearing you're a Knight of Camelot Mr. Quinn," King Charming admitted, beginning his own critique. "But you demonstrated exemplary caution and prudence in the face of an unknown trap. I prefer to see a little more daring, but common sense can go a long way. Your use of the mighty steed at the end was a nice touch. You clearly know how to use props to your advantage."

"Thanks, sir!" Verde grinned.

"Although you clearly wooed the damsel, in Wonderlandian no less, we'll have to see how well you do with Ever After damsels," King Charming warned. "But you seem to have a firm foundation on wooing damsels."

"Uh…thanks," Verde nodded. Inwardly, he was amazed King Charming was being so forward with praise. Verde had been utterly winging it since he had no idea what he was doing.

"Back with the others. Good work," King Charming nodded as he moved to the next name on the list.

Verde patted Lewis' flank, letting the horse trot away to a nearby garden fountain where he vanished into the reflection. He then removed his Advent Deck as he approached the other boys, his armor vanishing in green shards, "Well, what do you guys think?"

"Like Father said, nice touch with the mighty steed," Daring admitted. "I suppose your fluency in Riddlish helped in Lizzie's case. She's quite infamous for her capriciousness."

"What now?" Darren blinked, but then shrugged. "Didn't see any of that. She's…something though."

"You made it seem easy," Dexter admitted with a sigh. "I thought you were the new guy needing tips."

Darren shrugged, "I ad-libbed. Each girl is different and special, you know? Can't use the same move twice."

"Only if you don't have confidence," Daring boasted knowingly.

On the other side, the girls were quite curious about Lizzie's experience. One of her friends asked, "Lizzie, you looked rather charmed by that guy. Was what he said so charming? It sounded like, well, gibberish to me."

"Gibberish?" Lizzie asked. "Oh, you must listen carefully. He was speaking elegant and charming Riddlish." Lizzie smiled, looking over to where Darren was talking with the other boys. "It was so good to hear such charming speech from home. His armor is delightfully different and his steed was just as much so," she looked back to her friends, "How could I not be charmed by such passionate babble?"

"It sounded like nonsense. That just ruined the romance for me," another damsel shrugged.

"Only you, Lizzie," a third giggled. "But he looked like he was making a special effort just for you."

"Hm," Lizzie nibbled on her lip, twisting one of her red locks around her finger as she looked back at Darren. "For me?"

(***)

Oh, Oh! I'm calling it! Lizzie and Darren are so going to get together!

Brooke, remember, we're not supposed to try and change anything. Besides, Destiny never put the Queen of Hearts with Sir Dagonet of Camelot together.

But Moooom, they're so cute together!

Even so, young lady, we have our job to do.

…yes Dad.

(***)

The first day of school eventually ended, letting the knights go about their separate ways for the rest of the day. Darren didn't have a shift after school that day so he had the afternoon to himself. He heard an announcement for rehearsals about something called Legacy Day, but since his name wasn't called, he ignored it. Instead, he explored the school a little more, poked around a few places just because he could, and then got bored and headed back down to Book End.

Naturally, he couldn't let his first day of school end without going to his new favorite shop of all time; The Haberdashery & Tea Shoppe!

"If there's any place more perfect to hang out in, I can't imagine it," Darren chuckled as he walked through the front door. Inside was a wacky space set with several tables to sit at. Shelves lined with teacups and teapots sat behind the cash register. Dizzying stairs led upstairs with all sorts of wacky doors lining the wall. Even various hats fluttered around on small wings, some dropping onto tables only to fly away, leaving a steaming cup of tea in their place.

As he entered the door, various cuckoo clocks suddenly went off as several birds popped out, giving variations of the cry, 'Teatime! Teatime!'

"Ah, my kind of place," Darren laughed, walking in to find himself a table.

As soon as he sat down, one Madeline Hatter popped onto the scene, quite literally as she dropped out of one of the flying hats "Welcome to the Haberdashery and Tea Shoppe! You're just in time for tea!" Brushing her hair from her eyes, she met Darren's gaze and began to grin, "Darren! You're back!"

"Of course, I'm back," Darren laughed. "If I wasn't, I would be front now wouldn't I?"

Maddie giggled at, in her mind, Darren's excellent pun, "So true! So, your usual then?"

"Just what I'm in the mood for," Darren nodded. "And you know what my usual is?"

"A surprise!" both of them laughed. Maddie nodded and wrote down a random item. "I'll be back in two shakes of a hare's tail!" She then zipped off to place the order as Darren settled in to enjoy the wacky atmosphere.

Darren had discovered the Haberdashery and Tea Shoppe on his first day in Ever After. Well, before Merlin teleported him back to the library when the monsters broke loose. Just by stepping in, Darren felt like he had come home. He met Maddie there and the two got along like a house on fire. The friendly chaos and open zaniness of it all just made Darren feel like he could kick back and truly relax. Maddie, her dad, and some of the other people there just seemed to click with him and his kind of talk.

It wasn't long before Maddie returned with a tall cup of…something. Darren never had it before so he was eager to try. Setting it down, Maddie decided to gossip with her new friend, "Soooooo, Darren, I heard from the narrators you met Lizzie today."

"Hm, Lizzie?" Darren blinked. He then grinned and rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, yeah. Wooing 101. We were partnered up together. She's…something."

"Isn't she?" Maddie giggled. "But I heard you nearly wooed her socks off! She didn't shout for your head once!"

"My head?" Darren blinked.

"Her mother's the Queen of Hearts," a new voice spoke up. In an empty seat, a wide smile appeared in the open air. In a shower of sparkles, a girl appeared attached to that smile. She was cute with pale skin and long lavender hair tied in two ponytails. Perched on her head was a cat ornament which had a zipper for a mouth that looked like it was grinning. Her eyes were oddly shaped, looking more like a cat's than a person's. Her outfit consisted of a black frilled skirt with a violet blouse which had black shoulders and a furred collar.

"She's always yelling for someone's head since her mother taught her to do that," the cat-like girl purred.

"Oh. Hi," Darren waved with a smile. "Who are you?"

"Kitty Cheshire, daughter of the Cheshire Cat," Kitty purred her answer. "And Lizzie has certainly had plenty to say about you, Mr. Darren Quinn. So, I just have to ask," she leaned in with another grin which…did not look entirely friendly. "What are your intentions with my BFFA?"

"Ah…well, I think Lizzie's cute, adorable, and all that. Her outfits are super cool and her hair's my favorite color, checkerboard!" Darren admitted with a slight flush. "Wait, Lizzie was talking about me?"

"Yes! She couldn't stop!" Maddie giggled. "Usually she's so worried about following her mom's lessons, she's never really talked about boys before! Then after today, she can't stop! How'd you do it?"

"U-um, I don't know. I was just trying to play it like out of movies or something," Darren blushed. "Although it came out like word salad. I always do that when I'm nervous. I'm glad that she understood me anyway."

"Word salad? Sounds dull," Kitty huffed.

"Oh, oh, what did you say? Gossip!" Maddie giggled, eager to hear the story.

Darren blushed, fiddling with his fingers, "It's kind of embarrassing. When I get excited or flustered, I kind of babble. When I wanted to introduce myself, compliment her hair, and hope we could work well together, it just came out as 'Verde knight the name I be. Rosy red, delight to see. Paths to wander ahead of me?'"

Maddie and Kitty blinked and looked at one another before looking back to Darren. Kitty spoke first, "What's so weird about that? I think that's a cute compliment."

"Yeah! I didn't know you were fluent in Riddlish, Darren!" Maddie nodded.

"Huh?" Darren perked up. "RIddlish? What's that?"

"Riddlish, you know? It's the language of Wonderland," Maddie explained. "But what did you say to Lizzie to woo her?"

"Ah, it's silly. I just said 'Shining sunrise once more. Dark and shadow left sore. Beauty sparkles by a smile's roam, all to victory travel home.' I meant to say something a little more charming…"

"How can you get more charming than that?" Kitty gasped. Darren blinked and saw both girls looked like they heard a romantic overture. "You said something so nice and even in Riddlish! No wonder Lizzie got so charmed!"

"Huh?" Darren blinked.

"Yeah! You're a total natural!" Maddie agreed, nodding rapidly.

Kitty nodded, but then her predatory grin returned, "So, now I just have to know, just what are your intentions with her? Do you just plan to charm and drop her?"

"Huh? No! I just…never had a chance with girls before," Darren admitted. "I don't know what to do!"

"With your charming words and your funny jokes?" Kitty raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Yeah, right."

"Girls don't get my sense of humor," Darren huffed.

"Don't get it? Darren, you're hilarious!" Maddie insisted. "I bet Lizzie would like that too! I can even lend a hand!"

"You would?" Darren perked up.

"Just leave it to me!" Maddie giggled with a wink.

Darren talked with Kitty, getting to know the cat-like girl as he talked with Maddie while she was serving in the Tea Shoppe. Once he was finished, he hung around a while longer to enjoy the atmosphere before saying his goodbyes. He tried to pry and see what Maddie and Kitty were planning to do with him and Lizzie, but the two Wonderlandian girls kept their lips zipped.

So returning to the library, perhaps feeling a little giddy at the thought of impressing a cute girl like Lizzie, he stepped through the front doors and wandered through the stacks. Looking through the stacks, he saw some of the others grouped up, discussing, or reading books.

"A study session? Already?" he asked, blinking.

"For me, yes," Rex admitted. "I want to catch up and be sure of what I'm seeing in the subjects."

"Apple wanted to talk," Lance didn't look up from his phone, rapidly texting. "Apparently they were rehearsing something called Legacy Day and it didn't go well. Apple's pretty upset over it."

Darren scratched his head, "Okay, so is Merlin around?"

"Over there," Arthur pointed towards the back of the library where Merlin's office was located. He turned and revealed he was on his phone, "Yeah, I'm still here Raven. Sounds like today was rough…"

Darren headed to the office in question. Merlin boasted of an open door policy and sure enough, he was there. The office was decorated almost like a normal office, but magical implements were everywhere. A crystal ball sat on a side table, star charts were on a far wall, and a cauldron was simmering on a bunsen burner next to the man himself who was reading over some papers with a steaming drink in his hand.

"Ah, Darren," Merlin lifted his cup. "What can this old wizard help you with?"

"Ah, well, maybe some information," Darren admitted. "So, I kinda think it's true but is there anything you can tell me about Wonderland? I mean, I made some…friends from there…"

"Friends huh?" Merlin grinned. "Well, if you want to treat your friends right, I suppose I can lend a hand." Merlin adjusted his seating and waved his hand. In a puff of smoke, a book appeared in his hand. He set it down on the table and let it open, showing a colorful landscape with colors where they shouldn't be. Magenta trees, purple grass, huge mushrooms, and swirly clouds. "Wonderland is not different from what you likely know. Everything is positively mad there. Nothing makes sense and common sense just does not apply."

"Okay," Darren nodded. "So, um, if I wanted to ah…be polite, to a Wonderlandian…"

"A girl?" Merlin teased, making Darren blush more. "Well, always remember teatime can be anytime, being mad is a perfectly respectable state of mind, babble is high conversation, and an unbirthday can happen at the drop of the hat," Merlin leaned forward, mischief in his eyes, "But it might help to know what kind of Wonderlandian you're hoping to impress. Would it be the Mad Hatter's girl? The Cheshire kitten?"

Darren blushed and blurted out a response, "Checkered finery lined in gold, maiden of high that I'm told. Tiny allure wouldn't lie, adorable hearts upon her eyes."

Merlin blinked, silent as he contemplated the words, but then grinned, "Ah-ha! You can't hide it in Riddlish! You have your eye on the Queen of Hearts' girl? Way to aim high!"

Darren rubbed his face, now knowing Merlin had fodder to tease him with. Merlin chuckled, but leaned back, "If you want my advice, that's all you need. I'd be gentle though. The Wonderlandians have had it rough for a while now."

Darren perked up, "Rough? Them? But they're all so happy."

"Oh, they're always a fun and optimistic bunch, but they were even more so a while ago," Merlin shook his head. "You see, the Evil Queen, Snow White's nemesis, tried to conquer other fairy tale lands to steal their stories. She failed, but not before she tried to cast this massive curse to try and conquer Wonderland. She didn't finish it, but with it just hanging there, it prompted a lot of Wonderlandians to flee in case it ever triggered. So now it hangs over their heads like a big sword of Damocles."

Darren gasped, "They're refugees?"

"Afraid so," Merlin nodded. "The Hatters made it out well enough and I don't know if the Cheshires care all that much. But the Hearts girl? She's likely under pressure to be ready to take over her mother's story and keep the curse from getting any worse. Plenty are afraid that one wrong slip in Wonderland might cause the curse to finally trigger."

"Woah," Darren gasped softly.

"Yep. So whatever you do, just treat the little lady right," Merlin nodded. "Otherwise, it might just be off with your head."

Darren gulped, "...might be worth it…"

(***)

It's worth it Darren! It's totally worth it!

Brooke, what did we say about trying to go off the script?

But Mom, it's so obvious!

Be it obvious or not, you can't rush things.

Yes, Dad…

(***)

Ever After High - Castleteria

Darren waited in line for lunch. He was idly chatting with Rob as they waited for their turn to get something to eat. It was their second day at their new school and so far, aside from gripes about some of their classes, no one had anything really exciting to report.

"Can you believe that the gym teacher is an actual gingerbread man?" Rob asked, making idle conversation as they waited.

"I know," Darren nodded. "I thought it was wild to see them working in the Tea Shoppe. He seems to be an okay guy though. Likes to repeat himself a lot."

"Yeah," Rob chuckled. "So, how's the quest to becoming class clown going?"

"I think I've found my fans," Darren grinned. "Maddie and her friend Kitty seem to like me just fine."

The two managed to get their food and paid for their purchases. Leaving the line, they began searching for a spot to sit down and eat. As they were walking, Darren suddenly felt something snag the hood of his hoodie. Blinking he turned and saw a familiar smile that heralded Kitty's appearance as she was gripping his hood.

"Uh, hi Kitty," Darren blinked. "What's up?"

"We want you to sit with us," Kitty answered. "We got a certain someone with us so now you're going to play your part."

"Huh?" Darren blinked, but Kitty began dragging him away, leaving Rob to watch them go, "Okay, I'll see you later Rob!"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Rob waved, slightly confused. "Must be a Wonderland thing or something."

Kitty dragged Darren through the castleteria, not really giving him the chance to walk on his own or argue his way out of his sudden lunch invitation. Not that he would have tried, even if he was a little nervous. They came to one table which had Maddie at it, serving tea with a number of other students. Darren recognized Blondie and Apple from streams or Lance's bragging. Others he never got to meet. Of course, prominently in his mind, there was Lizzie Hearts, gracefully sipping from her own cup.

"Ooooh Lizzie! Look who I found!" Kitty declared, coming up to the table.

"Hm?" Lizzie looked to her friend, only to gasp, nearly dropping her cup. "S-Sir Darren! What brings you to our tea party?"

"Well, I got an invitation," Darren grinned. "Gotta be honest, I never thought my card would turn up so quick."

Despite herself, and the groans from one or two of the Ever After guests, Lizzie broke out in a giggle, "Oh you! Please, have a seat. I insist!"

Darren sat, or was placed by Kitty, on the seat directly across from Lizzie. Maddie swooped by, dropping a plate of scones and a cup of tea in front of him while his plate of food from the lunch ladies vanished someplace. He and Lizzie looked at one another, suddenly finding butterflies in their stomachs, but smiling at each other just the same.

"Oh, I recognize you!" Blondie perked up, seeing Darren. "You're one of the Knights of the Round Table!"

"Yep! That's me! Darren H. Quinn, the next Dagoneet, Camelot's knightly jester!" Darren grinned with pride. "It's my ambition to bring good humor and laughter to my friends and now this school!"

"What a noble pursuit," Lizzie smiled. "Please, do you have a joke ready? I do so love a proper jester!"

"My mother had some for parties when I was younger. They were always so fun," Apple nodded in agreement. "Could you show us part of your act?"

Darren grinned, "Well, if you want part of my stand up routine…" Darren coughed into his fist and pondered which joke he could use. He glanced at Lizzie, who looked on in anticipation. Remembering what Merlin told him, he decided on his best joke so he could hear her laugh, "How many pancakes can you fit into a doghouse if your mother is a washing machine and your father is a dryer?"

Apple, Blondie, and the other Ever After guests stopped and blinked at the confusing beginning of the joke. Inversely, Kitty and Maddie leaned in, clearly hearing something much different from the nonsense which the others did. Lizzie herself even leaned in, just as pulled in by it all as her friends were.

Seeing he had people on the hook, Darren let the punchline fly, "None, because doghouses can't fly!"

"Huh?" Blondie and Apple looked at each other in confusion. Blondie shook her head, "But…Darren, that doesn't make sense…"

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Blondie was cut off as uproaring laughter erupted from the Wonderlandians. Maddie collapsed into her seat, holding her sides as she couldn't contain her laughter. Kitty was not in much better shape, doubled over in her seat and slapping the table.

"Doghouses…can't….oh, my sides!" Maddie laughed.

"I'm crying! I'm crying!" Kitty laughed, wiping her eyes. Her makeup was ruined, but it was worth it to laugh so hard.

Darren looked at Lizzie who had both hands over her mouth, her cheeks bulging. For a moment he feared she didn't like his joke. After a microsecond or two, Lizzie's princessly reserve couldn't hold, "Ha ha ha ha! Oh, oh! I can't…It's so…ah ha ha ha ha!"

Darren felt his own smile threatening to split his face. Yes, Maddie giggles at his puns and Kitty apparently heard them someplace. Seeing Lizzie suddenly erupt in such laughter was an especially precious treat.

"Oooooh, I haven't laughed like that in ages," Lizzie wiped her eyes, breaking out in periodic giggles. "Oh Sir Darren, you truly have a gift!"

"Thanks, Princess," Darren beamed. It was so rare to find someone who really laughed at his jokes besides his mom and grandparents.

"No, no," Lizzie shook her head, still in fits of giggles. "Please, call me Lizzie. You more than have the right now after such a performance."

"Only if you call me Darren then," the comedian smiled.

Apple and Blondie watched the exchange in confusion. The next Snow White could only shake her head, "I don't get it."

(***)

Mirror World - Castleteria

As opposed to the loud and busy castleteria of Ever After High, its Mirror World counterpart was deathly silent. Where the real world version was messy with trays everywhere, some wrappers of food left behind, and perhaps some spilled food here or there, the Mirror World version was impeccably clean. No people being present meant no mess being made.

It was silent.

It was empty.

But it was not lifeless.

Crouched on one table, staring down into several mirrors it had collected was a Mirror Monster. This one was humanoid, its body covered in bronze plating that almost resembled bones. Its hands and feet ended in skeletal-looking limbs. Silver strips of metal, resembling mummy bandages, wrapped around its arms, shoulders, thighs and legs. Its chest was covered in red metal plates with a red gem in its collar and abdomen like funeral dressings. Its head was mammalian with large flappy ears. Its head had more silver metal strips adorning it, but its face was truly bizarre. Its face was narrow like a corpse with a metal bar in its mouth. Its eyes were large, red, and looked like glass orbs…all three of them. Two rested where they would on a humanoid, but the third was in the middle of its forehead. Running along its back was a curled metal tail that had several styled twists and curls in it.

This was the Mirror Monster dubbed Deadlemur…and it was carefully hunting.

Mirror Monsters had various levels of intelligence and cunning. They weren't on the same level as humans, but they had several levels of capability when it came to thinking. Ones such as the Solospider could plan ambushes. Zelles had slightly better intelligence, being able to wield weapons if they recognized that they needed them.

Deadlemur was a different beast. It was able to recognize patterns, see opportunities, and utilize tools to help it hunt. In this particular case, it recognized the usefulness of mobile mirrors and their ability to help it see into the real world to find food. It collected hand mirrors where it could find them, using them to spy for food. The mirrors were too small to use as portals, only larger, established reflections being usable for such a purpose. Still, it allowed the Deadlemur to see more potential prey and begin hunting sooner.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh," the Deadlemur chuckled to itself, finding several enticing morsels as it crouched. Colorful, loud, and clearly filled to the brim with vital life energy.

They were irresistible. All the Deadlemur needed to do was wait.

(***)

Ever After High - Croquet Field

"Aaaaaannnd," Darren swung his flamingo-shaped mallet to knock the wooden ball through a hoop…and missed entirely. "Guh, missed. Again."

Lizzie giggled as she watched, "A valiant effort, Sir Darren. Croquet is quite a delicate sport and not everyone gets it right away."

"Ah, it's giving me flashbacks of my grandma and mom," Darren groaned, leaning on his mallet. "They were total champs at this. No matter how wacky a course I could come up with to throw them off, they could sail right through it like nothing."

"They sound like wonderlandiful people then," Lizzie smiled. She then decided to tease, "It makes one wonder how you did not receive their talent."

"I got my grandpa's sense of humor, thank you very much," Darren sniffed in a fake imperious tone. "I used it to my tactical advantage, making grandma and mom laugh to throw off their stride."

Lizzie giggled, "And what a fine sense of humor it is."

Darren was a little surprised to see how well he and Lizzie were getting along. Some people liked to say that two people could just click and feel like they knew each other for years. Darren hadn't quite gotten how that could be a thing but suddenly here he was playing croquet with Lizzie, the two of them chatting like they were a couple of old friends.

The invitation came suddenly as Maddie suggested it to Lizzie. It turned out Lizzie was the captain of the croquet team and was always setting up games between herself and her friends. Darren admittedly wasn't very good at it, lacking the 'delicate' touch that was required for it as Lizzie pointed out. Still, seeing Lizzie's face light up at the idea of a nice game of croquet, he couldn't say no.

So here he was after school, trying (and failing) to play a game of croquet and hopefully get to know Lizzie a little better.

*CLICK!*

"And another point for us!" Kitty cheered from where her ball struck the stake representing the end of the playing area.

Darren groaned, "Sorry for holding you back like this."

"Nonsense," Lizzie shook her head. "This is all in good fun. Besides, I enjoy the challenge of teaching someone new the finer skills of Wonderland's favorite sport."

Darren smiled, "You are a total sweetheart then for putting up with a goof like me."

Lizzie blushed slightly, but smiled, "I would certainly most enjoy a 'goof' of your caliber every day."

Darren laughed, "Wow, way to make a knight feel appreciated-!"

Eeeeeeeeeeee!

Darren's compliment was cut off when he winched, slapping his hands over his ears out of reflex. Hearing the shrill ringing, he quickly realized what was happening. His eyes widened, his head darting in all directions to try and find the source.

"Sir Darren?" Lizzie asked, surprised at his sudden and serious-looking actions. "Sir Darren, what's wrong?"

"Mirror Monsters," Darren replied abruptly. He tried to focus on the familiar screeching. The tone shifted and Darren followed it to a table that was set up with snack platters and a large tea dispenser. All of it was polished silver and was reflecting the croquet field. The surface rippled as a monster began to force its way through, struggling with Merlin's barrier.

"Kitty! Maddie! Get away from the table!" Darren yelled, starting to run towards them.

"Meow?"

"Huh?"

Both turned to see what Darren was pointing at, quickly noticing the Deadlemur emerging from the fine silver tea dispenser. Their eyes widened in shock at the monster and both began to yelp and make a run for it. Darren himself ran past the two, prepared to play whack-a-mole with his mallet to drive it off…

…when the monster sank back into the silver surface.

"Bwu…huh?" Darren skidded to a stop. Did…did the monster just run away?

Eeeeeeeee!

The screeching noise returned, forcing Darren to spin around to find the source again. This time, he did not have to wait long before the Deadlemur reappeared. This time, it emerged from the large glass gemstone set atop the croquet stakes used to score points. It leaped out, laughing as it landed in a crouch. Looking up, it charged towards Lizzie's back and wrapped its arms around her, pinning her in place before it started to run back towards the large gem.

"EEEK!" the princess cried in shock.

"Lizzie!" her friends gasped.

Darren's eyes widened in horror, but he took off running to try and save his new friend. He cut the distance into the croquet field, but the monster was much closer to its escape route. In a fit of desperation, Darren pulled back the mallet he had been carrying and threw it at the monster.

"Ah heh he heh!" the Deadlemur laughed and it dipped out of the way like a trained acrobat despite Lizzie struggling in its grip. The mallet flew past, but it did fly and impact the stake itself. The gem shattered, breaking into small pieces. Much too small for the Deadlemur to escape through.

"Drop the girl!" Darren snapped as the Deadlemur spun around with its captive. All humor and levity was gone from the normally bright young man. "NOW!"

The Deadlemur seemed to ponder its actions, ignoring Lizzie as she tried to escape. After a moment, it spied a nearby grouping of plants cut into various forms. It was the topiary garden, one of the vanity projects the gardening and agriculture clubs had put together. Seeing an escape route, since Darren was blocking access to the refreshment table, the Deadlemur crouched before taking an inhuman leap towards the cultivated greenery.

"Curses!" Darren grit his teeth. He looked at Maddie and Kitty. "Go get help! I'll hunt that thing down!"

"But-!" Maddie gulped.

"GO!" Darren shouted before he took off running after the Deadlemur.

(***)

Oh no! It's got Lizzie! Hurry, Darren!

Calm down, Brooke. Just keep reading.

I'm just so nervous, Dad!

(***)

The topiary garden was the pride and joy of the Gardening Club. Fairy tales with skills in gardening, or others who just happened to have an interest in it, were the ones who tended to the shrubs, cut them into their beautiful shapes, and proudly displayed them for everyone to see. The Agriculture Club lovingly tended to various berry plants, flowers, and even fruit trees, giving the garden a fragrant aroma and perhaps a bit of a healthy snack source when the teachers weren't looking.

The two clubs were tending to the plants, seeing what needed to be done since the majority of students had come back for the school year. Some overgrowth was noticed and some plants needed some extra care, but everything seemed to be just fine.

Until the Deadlemur came crashing down into a flower garden. Students cried out and stumbled back from the sudden impact as flower petals flew from the impact. Their gasps turned to cries of fright as they saw the Deadlemur in its monstrous glory.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Lizzie struggled against the monster's grip. "Unhand me at once or else it's off with your head!"

"Heh he he he heh!" the Deadlemur seemed to find her struggling amusing. Ignoring her, it looked around for something reflective to escape to the Mirror World through. Eyes passing over the people, it frowned as it realized there was nothing reflective aside from the odd MirrorPhone which was taken out to record what was happening. Growling, it prepared to jump again…

"Hold it right there, three-eyes!" it heard before a heavy weight slammed into its back. The Deadlemur grunted and nearly lost its balance. A pair of arms wrapped around its neck, making for a tight hold as Darren tried to cut off the monster's oxygen flow. "Let her go! NOW!"

The Deadlemur snarled, but Darren's grip outside of his armor wasn't enough to truly choke it. Growling, it tucked Lizzie under one arm before elbowing backwards, catching Darren in the side. He gagged from the blow and fell from the monster's back.

The Deadlemur crouched and took a leap, flying to land on top of a giant dodo-shaped topiary. It could recognize a challenge for its prey when it saw one, especially with Darren's attack. Knowing he wouldn't give up, the Deadlemur prepared to fight for its meal. Unceremoniously dumping Lizzie on top of the dodo's head where she sank slightly into the branches, the Deadlemur jumped back down, squaring off against the recovering Darren.

Darren winced, feeling the pain in his side from the strike, but he managed to get up to his feet. As the Deadlemur landed in a crouch, he could see the monster was now taking him seriously.

"Time moves on in topsy turvy, rowdy rough and unruly," Darren gritted his teeth. Pulling out his MirrorPhone and Advent Deck, he reflected the front onto the screen. Even from the small reflection, the V-Buckle appeared and wrapped around his waist. Pocketing the device, Darren snapped his fingers, "Henshin!"

Sliding the deck into place, Darren's armor formed over his body, transforming him into Verde. The Deadlemur's three eyes seemed to narrow as Verde took a stance, "Knight of the Chameleon, I am Sir Verde the Jester!"

The Deadlemur let off a cackle and charged at Verde, its skeletal hands raised for clawing strikes. Verde braced himself, starting to move as the monster began to take swipes at him. The swipes came and Verde ducked back, avoiding being struck.

Verde moved quickly, but not in the familiar steps of a typical knight. He swerved, he dipped, he dodged, and moved in angles that were almost antithesis of how knights would move in combat. Some might argue that it was a strategy. If Verde moved unpredictably, then it would create openings for him to strike at. Others would say it was a stall tactic, a way to distract the Deadlemur until reinforcements could come.

In truth, Verde just felt more comfortable moving that way, moving with his whole body rather than with just his legs.

"Whoop! Ho! Too slow!" he taunted, swerving and dipping at his waist to avoid a strike. The Deadlemur snarled and swung down hard at the chameleon knight's head. Verde, rather than move back and take a blow to the chest, jumped forward, taking an elbow to the shoulder before he smashed his forehead against the Deadlemur's face.

The Deadlemur grunted, stumbling back as it clutched its head. Having three eyes, it literally took a blow to the organ in question, making the stunning blow that much worse. Seeing his chance to arm himself, Verde drew a card before attaching it to his Bio Visor and letting the device pull the card in.

[Hold Vent!]

The Bio-Winder appeared in Verde's hand, soaring out of one of the many phones the witnesses were using. Catching it, Verde gave it a spin like a yoyo before he let it spin across the ground with the walk-the-dog trick. The Deadlemer lowered its hands from its face, seeing the item spin towards it. Verde gave a yank before the Bio-Winder shot up, impacting the monster's chest before it rode up its torso and clocked its chin.

"Fear my mad yoyo skillz!" Verde laughed. He spun on the spot, swinging his weapon wide. The extra momentum made the Bio-Winder spin harder. The weapon crashed against the Deadlemur with enough force to make sparks fly against its toughened hide.

The Deadlemur stumbled back with a grunt. Despite looking like a toy, the Bio-Winder was indeed a weapon and one meant to do harm. Huffing, the Deadlemur took a step back before leaping up into the various topiary statues, leaving more students to run as the monster got near.

"Hey, get back here!" Verde shouted, running after the monster. Skidding to a halt in the midst of various topiaries, he tried to spy where the Deadlemur had gone. "Did it run again? Go back to the Mirror World?"

"HEH HEH!" Verde was proven wrong when the Deadlemur swung down from one of the garden statues on a vine, slashing Verde with its claws before it disappeared between the topiaries.

"Ow!" the chameleon knight grunted. "Hey…how did it even find a vine? We're in the middle of a garden!"

"Heh heh!" Verde spun around at the noise only to be met with a kick to the face which threw him onto his back. The Deadlemur chuckled in amusement before disappearing into the sculpted foliage again.

"Ow…" Verde groaned, seeing stars for a moment.

Above it all, Lizzie clutched to what security she could on the giant dodo topiary. After her fright died down and knowing the monster wasn't coming back right away, she got some semblance of her mind back. Looking down, she saw Verde trying to fight the Mirror Monster. She could also see the monster swinging around on vines which were hanging from the larger sculptures. Similar in size to the dodo sculpture she was on, thanks to all the sculptures obscuring his view, Verde couldn't see where the Deadlemur's vine came from.

She could though.

It was an impulse, brought from her training in Damsel-In-Distressing, but Lizzie brought her hands to her mouth so she might be able to be heard better, "Oh my brave knight! I hang by a thread from a great height! My back is against the wall in fear of my plight!"

Verde perked up when he heard Lizzie's voice. The words registered to him and he understood Lizzie. To any of the others, they would have just disregarded it as noise in the background and tried to keep fighting the Deadlemur or try to find an open space to get a better view of the fight. This would have made tactical sense, but it also would have given the Deadlemur a better element of surprise than it had before.

Verde…had a slightly different take. He was used to hearing nonsense and trying to figure out what it meant. His grandparents loved to spring nonsensical riddles on him to try and get him to figure out what they wanted him to know. It taught him some analytical skills, mostly used to gauge an audience for his jokes. It also taught Darren how to notice things said to him that others might unintentionally ignore.

'It's swinging from something higher. Somewhere I can't see through the shrub statues?' Verde thought to himself. 'But it's…coming from behind!' He swiftly reached to his belt, drawing another card. This one showed his armor, but it was clear like glass and apparently floating in an empty room. The title called it a 'Clear Vent'.

"Heh, heh!" the Deadlemur swung through the foliage, leaning in for another swipe. Verde glanced over his shoulder as he let go of the clip to his Bio Visor, feeding the card.

[Clear Vent!]

Verde's entire form turned transparent before it vanished. The Deadlemur swung, but missed, compromising its balance as it swung into a topiary cat. Grunting, it tore itself from the branches and turned, swinging through the area to try and find its opponent.

"Hiyah!" Verde reappeared for a brief moment, swinging his Bio-Winder where it crashed into the Deadlemur's face. The monster yelped, falling back onto the ground in a heap. Verde withdrew his weapon and vanished again.

The Deadlemur scrambled to its feet, spinning in all directions to try and find where Verde had come from.

"Now you see me!" Verde reappeared at the Deadlemur's side, clocking it across the face before he vanished again. "Now you don't!"

The Deadlemur spun around to try and swipe at him, but he was gone.

"Parkour! Parkour! Parkour!" Verde chanted, popping in and out of sight at some angle, striking from a spot the Deadlemur wasn't expecting. Unseen by all, he ducked, rolled, or jumped to others spots to strike again.

The Deadlemur was struck several times before it began to wildly swing around, hoping against hope just one random strike would actually hit Verde and reveal him. No blow landed, but it would get its wish to see him again.

"Peek-a-boo!" Verde reappeared in the air, both feet launching a double kick which impacted heavily against the Deadlemur's chest. Thanks to the enhancements the armor gave Verde, the Deadlemur was knocked off its feet, crashing through the topiary maze before landing in a heap in the fruit tree grove.

Students, some with silver buckets or large pails for refreshments, screamed and fell back, recognizing the monster for what it was. Verde tore out from the topiary garden, running for the Deadlemur as it got back to its feet.

Lizzie watched with bated breath, hoping that the twisty knight would come out victorious. From her angle, she could see the back of the Deadlemur and its tail. As the monster got up, it reached behind its back and grasped its tail. Lizzie was confused by the action but gasped when the creature detached its own tail and was lifting it up. As it did, Lizzie began to recognize the shape of the weapon.

Guns were rare in Ever After and Wonderland, but they were known. Usually, they were in the possession of hunters or musketeers. Still, they were made famous by some of those fairy tales and soon everyone knew of them, even if they weren't so keen on getting one. Being a princess, and surrounded by certain card guards who could use them, Lizzie knew very well what guns looked like.

"My knight! Before the last, look forward to my surprising blast!" Lizzie cried, hoping Verde could even hear her.

Verde's eyes narrowed behind his helm as Lizzie's words reached him, but he did not break his stride. The Deadlemur brought down its arm, pointing its detached tail at him with its distinctly rifle-shaped form. It was nearly point-blank and no one could miss such a shot.

"Heh-heh!" the Deadlemur smirked.

*BANG!*

Many shrieked or jumped when they heard the bang. Many expected Verde to be struck by the high-speed projectile like anyone would.

But Verde had pulled off the unexpected.

Verde knew how guns worked, if only from movies. He also knew from playing video games that most people would fire at the largest parts of enemies. He banked on the Deadlemur doing the same and used the only move he could at the time.

Verde began to powerslide. He dropped to his knees, letting his momentum slide him across the lush grass underfoot. As the Deadlemur fired, an invisible bullet of pure sound nearly grazed Verde's head, and certainly made his ears ring, as he slid up to the Deadlemur. The monster's three eyes widened as it looked down at Verde who reared his fist back and swung at the exposed Deadlemur's body…

*CRUNCH!*

"Oooooooooooh!" Many boys winced, chorusing as one as they witnessed where the blow hit.

(***)

Ever After High - Teacher's Lounge

The views of the fight were not just being seen by the students of the Agriculture and Gardening Clubs. Thanks to modern advancements in technology, several of the students who were savvy enough were livestreaming the fight to friends or to the school's Fablebook page. As a result…

"Oooooooooooh!" Several male teachers, even Coach Gingerbreadman, groaned as they witnessed the blow.

"What a villainous strike. Ten points," Baba Yaga, the school's faculty advisor cackled. Headmaster Grimm gave her a worried look as he winced at the sight of the critical blow.

(***)

Ever After - Hocus Latte

Dexter was hanging out with his brother and some of their common friends after school when he suddenly got a frantic hext from Blondie. It demanded to know where he was and why they were missing such a massive scoop. Included was a link to someone's amateur livestream.

Dexter opened it, letting his brother and friends see…

"Oooooooooooh!" they all groaned at the sight, empathetically shielding parts of themselves in reflexive sympathy.

(***)

Oooooooooooh!

That…that's not very chivalrous…

Kinda funny though, Mom…ow…

(***)

Ever After High - Gardens

The Deadlemur let off a pained squeak and dropped its gun. It stumbled back, clutching its jewels. It shambled back, trying to focus through the pain of what it just experienced. Somewhat stunned by the pain, it seemed to disregard Verde and everyone around it.

"Thank you, Johnny Cage," Verde got up. Flexing his hand, he drew another card, this one depicting his emblem with a bright green background. "But playtime is over!"

He fed the card into his Bio Visor…

[Final Vent!]

A bucket filled with mostly melted ice and bottles of water and soda let off a blast of water as a new monster emerged from the reflective water. It was bright green and humanoid, sporting red coils which decorated its body. A large flat tail curled up behind it and its head was reptilian with a wide mouth and large chameleon eyes with a ridge extending from the back. Its legs looked especially powerful, being arched backwards, but with tight springs connecting the knees to the feet. This was Verde's partner, Biogreeza.

Many more students began running as Biogreeza appeared, but the reptilian monster ignored them. Coming onto the scene, it looked at a tree with branches overhanging the scene. Flicking its head, Biogreeza launched its tongue up and over the tallest sturdy branch towards Verde.

Verde crossed his arms and spun around, his back to the Deadlemur. He then dipped forward and performed a handstand. As his feet were in the air, Biogreeza's tongue wrapped around his ankles. Verde pushed himself back, starting to swing away from the recovering target. Gravity soon took hold and it, mixed with Biogreeza's muscles, had Verde swinging back hard at the Deadlemur.

The Deadlemur grunted and looked up, but it was too late as Verde crashed into it, grabbing its ankles. Both swung into the air, where Biogreeza let them go with a flick of its tongue. The momentum had them both spinning in the air before Verde came out on top, smashing the Deadlemer down headfirst in a heavy piledriver, burying its head in the dirt with an ominous snap.

"Laugh that one off," Verde huffed and turned to walk away from the monster's body, anticipating what would happen next…

'Don't look back at the explosion, don't look at the explosion,' Verde furiously reminded himself walking away from the downed Deadlemur, 'Cool guys DO NOT look at explosions!'

The Deadlemur's body, planted in the ground almost like a weird tree, slumped and fell over. Once it collapsed, it exploded in a haze of fire and light, making many of the witnesses gasp in surprise.

'Nailed it!' he mentally cheered. Behind him, Biogreeza slurped before launching its tongue into the dying flames, capturing a familiar sphere of energy before swallowing it in a flash. Making pleased noises, Biogreeza dove back into the watery reflection, vanishing again.

"Darren! Darren!" a familiar voice called. Verde looked over to see Maddie and Kitty pushing through the growing crowd of onlookers

Approaching the shocked duo as he disengaged his suit, happy with relief, Darren smiled, "Boy am I glad to see you two are okay."

"We're A-Ok!" Maddie smiled. "We knew you were winning when we heard the narrators comment on some special hit you made. Where's Lizzie?"

"Um, up there," Darren pointed to the nearby giant dodo sculpture. "Any ideas how to get her down?"

"I'm fine! One moment!" Lizzie called from above, waving to the people below. She rummaged in the pockets of her skirt before playing cards began to spill out. Lizzie waved her hand and the cards formed together to form one long slide down to the ground. Without hesitation, Lizzie slid down the playing cards until she came to the bottom. Once there, she snapped her fingers and the cards returned to her hand on one small deck.

"Where were you hiding those?" Darren asked in confusion.

"A princess has her secrets, Sir Darren," Lizzie smiled, approaching her friends. "And you handled that monster soundly."

Darren rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle, "I didn't quite get 'Snicker Snack', more like 'Crickety Crack', but its head is still gone."

"We need to celebrate!" Maddie lifted her hat, producing another teapot. "To Sir Darren's victory, and the rescue of Lizzie Hearts!"

"Let's Tea Party!" Kitty agreed with a cheer.

"Yes, let's celebrate as if it was everyone's unbirthday!" Lizzie agreed, but stepped forward and grabbed Verde's arm in her own. "I want to tell everyone of Sir Darren's valiant rescuing of me in my distress!"

"Aw shucks," Darren chuckled. He looked around and saw that many people were still filming the events and Kitty was starting to text her friends list, "Uh, wait. You mean literally right now?"

"What better time than the present?" Lizzie beamed, seemingly unconcerned by her near-devouring now that the threat was gone. "The best time to share a story is when it is fresh in our minds and over a spot of tea."

Darren looked around, pondering that notion. He should probably report to the others that a monster attack had happened and was taken care of. Everyone remembered the incident with Lance after all. Rex would want some kind of after-action report and Merlin would want to hear about the monster itself for his files.

But Darren saw his smiling friends as Maddie…somehow…slipped a tea table into view and was doing the same with several chairs.

"Two sugars for me!" hedeclared as he and Lizzie went to claim their seats.

(***)

And so Sir Darren Quinn, Knight of the Chameleon, found his own method of knighthood and his means of fitting into the magical world of Ever After.

But, but Mom! We can't close the chapter yet! I wanna see if he and Lizzie pair up! They've got to after such a heroic rescue!

Well, there is a page or two left…

Then don't close it yet! Please! Please read it!

(***)

The tea party came swiftly and immediately. Somehow, Maddie managed to have everything needed for one at hand. More than that, other Wonderlandians kept popping up to join the festivities. Even the Mad Hatter and his full staff showed up from the Haberdashery & Tea Shoppe to help keep the festivities going.

Darren never had so much fun. He talked babble as everyone wanted to hear what had happened. Word of the Mirror Monster apparently spread as witnesses recorded what had happened. The chameleon knight worried that everyone would panic at knowing such monsters were running around, but seeing him destroy it did quell everyone's fears and worries.

The tea party lasted well into the evening when everyone had one last cup of tea before setting off back home.

"I'm so stuffed. I've never had so much tea before," Darren burped, trying to keep it low so as to not look vulgar.

Lizzie merely giggled again, "Oh you should train your tummy to be used to such things. We Wonderlandians take great pride in our tea parties. One of my mother's lasted for days straight!"

"I believe it," Darren nodded. Straightening himself as Maddie and her father literally pushed the entire tea table out of sight, he smiled at Lizzie, "Well, I was hoping to get to know you today, maybe show you my stand-up routine, but instead I literally had to fight for you."

"You've shown me you are quite the capable knight," Lizzie smiled. "I look forward to seeing what a splendid jester you are."

"I'll polish off my best jokes then," Darren laughed.

Lizze nibbled her lip as she pondered what to do next. Protocol, according to all her classes, statedthat she should give Darren a mark of her favor. She did agree with the sentiment, especially since Darren was quite charming in her mind and did come to her rescue quite magnificently. Still, she did worry if she would only risk her heart if she got too attached. She was from Wonderland and Darren was clearly meant for Camelot somewhere in Ever After.

Hex it, she thought to herself. Steeling her courage, she slipped her MirrorPhone from her pocket, lifting it up to him. "Would you like my number Darren?" she offered shyly. "That way we could keep in touch."

"Really?" Darren blinked in shock. "Ah, y-yes! Sure! I'd love to have it."

Darren almost tore his pocket open while getting his own phone out, but he managed it. The two happily exchanged numbers. Darren felt quite accomplished, never having gotten a girl's phone number before, "I'll see you tomorrow, Lizzie?"

"Undoubtedly. In fact, I insist," Lizzie nodded. "I simply must hear more of your wonderlandiful jokes."

Darren saluted and the two separated to head to their respective residences. Lizzie watched Darren go, wondering what she was getting herself into. Still, the warm feeling in her chest when Darren spoke such wonderful nonsense to her and coming to her rescue helped reassure her.

Hearing Darren cheer 'whoo-hoo' when he thought he was far enough away made her feel even more reassured.

Kitty grinned widely as she appeared next to her BFFA, "You know Lizzie, I don't think I heard you call for Darren's head even once."

Lizzie blushed, looking to the side coyly, "No, I did not. I rather like his head right where it is."

Kitty's mischievous grin just widened at her friend's shy admission. It seemed playing matchmaker was rather fun!

(***)

Yes! Yes! I knew it! Lizzie and Darren are total H.E.A. material!

Brooke, don't go jumping to conclusions now. There are many chapters before the story ends after all.

To Be Continued…

OMAKE CORNER

The Knight's Armory

Sir Verde, Knight of the Chameleon

The armor of Darren Quinn is functional in its defense, offering plate armor over the shoulders and torso, but leaves the abdomen and legs with the reinforced fabric which helps the suit pass through worlds and survive in the Mirror World. This helps greatly in Verde's fighting style, remaining agile and flexible so that he may strike from unexpected places and take opponents off guard.

The main equipment for this suit is the Bio Visor, a thigh-mounted device on Verde's left side shaped like the head of his partner, Biogreeza. This visor has a different method of utilizing cards. Rather than feed into it like the others, Verde pulls a clip from the top, connected to a retractable string, and clips the card into place before letting the string pull it back into the visor's 'mouth'. It's quite the aesthetic difference from other visors, but so far there seems to be no functional difference between it and others.

The armor is connected to the Mirror Monster, Biogreeza. This contracted monster takes the form of a humanoid chameleon. Like the animal it is derived from, Biogreeza prefers to use stealth and camouflage abilities to fight rather than do it directly. Its most potent trick is the ability to turn completely invisible, requiring special vision or pure luck to be seen unless it is attacking.

The armor possesses a unique weapon in the form of the Bio-Winder, a yoyo-shaped weapon which seems styled after Biogreeza's eye. It packs a deceptive amount of force when used in battle. With Verde's dexterity and growing repertoire of yoyo tricks, it can make for quite a deadly weapon.

Thanks To his contract, Verde can use the Clear Vent to use the same invisibility trick that Biogreeza can use. Turning completely invisible, Verde can strike from anywhere. He then only reappears when he attacks, or the effects of the card wear off. It should be noted that while the card is in effect, if Verde attacks, he will disappear again.

The Final Vent of this suit is the Death Punish attack. This is an almost comically elaborate move as Verde swings by his feet held by Biogreeza's tongue. He will then collide with his target and grab hold before Biogreeza releases him. The two will then spin in the air before Verde will drive the target into the ground in a powerful piledriver. This crushing blow does have one glaring flaw compared to other techniques though. If the target has the sense of mind, and strength to resist the centrifugal force, they can angle their bodies to take the blow to the shoulders rather than the head, preventing this attack from becoming lethal.

Beyond the Looking Glass

Deadlemur

Deadlemurs are a humanoid breed of Mirror Monster which, while named for lemurs, seem to have similarities to primates. Unlike other monsters which are known for speed or strength, Deadlemurs are known for being intelligent. They are able to pick patterns, use tools to help in their hunt, and recognize patterns of potential prey in order to anticpate the best times to try and attack.

Deadlemurs are able to detach their tails, revealing them to be actual firearms, a rare armament for any Mirror Monster. This weapon is able to shoot high frequency bullets capable of deep penetration. It is a particularly effective weapon since a Deadlemur's third eye can function as a laser sight for its projectile attacks.

A/N: Whew. This one felt like it was longer than the others. I had to give Darren a proper introduction, but I also couldn't let him have his chapter without giving him that nutshot heard around the world.