I don't own Disney's The Owl House. I do, however own the Main OC and any other OC's that will appear in the story. Hope you all enjoy my story on this lovely show.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Another day selling stuff at the market, the girls help Eda with her stand. King is offering samples that had some edibles and some not so edibles. Aster happily was curled on top of Danielle's head, swishing his tail about.
"Partake of my free snack samples! Take them; I demand it as your ruler, the King of Demons!" said King, holding a tray of samples up. "Nyeh! Why isn't anyone paying attention to me? I'm their rightful overlord. Intellectually and such."
"I still can't believe that King didn't believe you," said Aster, staring at Danielle. "There has to be a way to get him to believe you."
"Unless something happens for King to believe it," said Danielle, staring at King. "He's not going to believe it."
"Yeah... hey!" said Eda, grabbing a passerby by their cowl and sniffing. "It reeks more of nerd than money today."
"Guys!" shouted Luz, running towards the stand. "You will not believe what's going on! It's a book fair! Where books come to life!"
"Hello," said a book, jumping off its stand and startling Luz.
"Books… "said Danielle, gasping upon seeing so many books. "People and worlds that won't reject me."
"Huh…" said Aster, hearing what Danielle said and looking at her. "Danielle… what are talking about?"
"Oh… um… I-I don't want to talk about it," said Danielle, rubbing her arm. "Please understand."
"Danielle's hiding something from me," thought Aster, not liking it and also concerned seeing Danielle down. "What is it?"
"A fair without rides?" said King, someone coming over to him.
"Who needs rides when this," said a young boy, holding a book up at King. "Can take you anywhere?"
"Nyeh," said King, throwing a piece of bacon on the young boy before he was picked up by a passing winged demon and screaming.
"A, ew," said Eda, picking a book up then dropping it on the ground. "B, I'm bored. C, I feel like pickpocketing some dork while they browse."
"Glad Rune wasn't around to see that," said Danielle, picking up the book. "I don't think he would have liked seeing that."
"Agreed," said Aster, seeing Eda walk away.
"No, wait!" said Luz, before staring at King. "Will you give it a chance? I'll let you ride in my hoodie!"
"Ooohoohoohoo!" said King, walking up to Luz.
"Danielle, do you have a hoodie?" asked Aster, seeing King climb into Luz's hoodie. "Do you?"
"I'll have to look in my bag," replied Danielle, wondering what kind of hoodie she'll find in the bag before walking after Luz and King.
"This book fair's got everything! A zine-making workshop, meet and greets, and—what's that?" said Luz, gasping upon seeing a certain banner. "A writing competition!? I've always wanted to be a writer."
"Writer? What?" said King, staring at Luz. "I thought you wanted to be a witch?"
"Writing competition," thought Danielle, staring at the banner. "I shouldn't."
"Of course, I wanna be a witch. But where I'm from that's kinda... impossible. So, my runner up dream was to be a writer," said Luz, pulling a picture out of her pocket. "I've had this about the author picture since I was seven years old. I know my good angle. I'm gonna enter the competition."
"You should too Danielle," said Aster, pawing Danielle's head before looking down at her. "Danielle?"
"I'm not that good a writer," said Danielle, rubbing her arm and thinking. "I'd probably just get laughed at for my writing style."
"Danielle…" said Aster, staring at Danielle before thinking. "I don't understand. Why is she like this on occasions? What is she hiding? We're supposed to be friends."
"Ugh!" said King, seeing a Hexside student run past him. "What are these basement dwellers doing out in natural sunlight?"
"Um! We're in line for Jon De Plume, most famous writer on the Boiling Isles, famed author of the Realm Warriors series! I'm gonna have him read my story..." said Shorter Prisoner, holding a book before whispering to herself. "And marry me."
"You know, we see each other a lot," said Danielle, bending down. "What's your name?"
"Tinella Nosa," replied Shorter Prisoner, saying her name.
"Nice to mee'cha. Name's Danielle and this is Aster," said Danielle, pointing to Aster.
"I better get in line. Bye," said Tinella, running towards Jon De Plume's stand.
"Jon, will you sign my child?" asked a man, holding up his baby.
"I'll sign anything!" said Jon De Plume, signing the baby and laughing.
"Such power. Such command he holds over his minions. I must have the same!" said King, staring at Jon De Plume then Luz. "Luz the human! I too shall enter the competition."
"Really?" said Luz, gasping. "We could work together! It'll be perfect! We're best friends, so we'll make the best team!"
"Team! Yes!" shouted King, walking after Luz. "My name goes first on the cover."
"Danielle, you sure you don't want to do the writing competition?" asked Aster, pawing Danielle's head. "We could do it together."
"Positive," replied Danielle, staring at the ground sadly. "Let's catch up to Luz ad King 'kay."
"'Kay," replied Aster, wondering why Danielle was looking so sad while thinking. "Friends don't keep secrets from other friends. I'll find out what she's hiding."
"Boring, boring. Boring," said Eda, looking at the various books before grabbing one that had a mirror in it. "Another wrinkle! The curse is quickening!"
"You, lackey," said Lilith, alerting Eda to her presence.
"Lilith…" said Eda, hiding behind a banner.
"Do you have the item we discussed?" asked Lilith, in front of a certain book stand.
"Oh! Yes, right here," said a merchant, handing a map to Lilith.
"This is excellent. A map to the Bloom of Eternal Youth," said Lilith, unfurling the map before furling it back up again. "I think the emperor will be very pleased."
"Ma'am, shouldn't we be searching for the Owl Lady to join the coven?" asked a Coven Guard, staring at Lilith. "Remember that whole plan. And also get that specific human."
"My sister's curse has left her frail. She'll still be here when we get back, and I don't think the human will leave either," said Lilith, laughing. "This comes first, it's for the emperor after all."
"Yeah!" said the Coven Guard, knocking over some books. "All hail the emperor!"
"Very good, Steve!" said Lilith, patting the Coven Guard's shoulder.
"Shoulder pats for Steve!" said Steve, walking after Lilith.
"Hey bub, what'd you sell my prissy sister?" asked Eda, making sure Lilith was out of sight range and jumping the merchant.
"Oh! It's a map to the Bloom of Eternal Youth. A rare flower that only grows once a millennia," replied the merchant, staring at Eda. "Like the name says, it gives eternal youth to whomever holds it."
"Interesting. So, Lilith wants to nab this power for the emperor, huh," said Eda, talking to herself. "Well, won't she be surprised when I get there first and get it for myself! Hah! That'll show her who's frail."
"Well, we'll see won't we," said the merchant, opening a drawer and handing a map to Eda. "Can't go without a map of course."
Back at the owl house, Luz had found a big corkboard and placed it in her room. Danielle was kinda curious what Luz and King were going to write and sat on a nearby chest. Aster tried to land on King's head but was shooed off.
"Now, let's write down some ideas that we want to see in the story," said Luz, staring at King.
"I can write anything?" said King, staring at Luz.
"Yeah!" replied Luz, handing King some notecards and crayons. "We're brainstorming, every idea is a good idea."
"Mhm! Done!" said King, holding up a card that read violence in red.
"Aw, is that all you want to see?" asked Luz, staring at King as he wrote another one in red reading blood. "Hmm."
"What kind of story is King thinking?" asked Aster, staring at the notecards King wrote.
"I'm… kinda afraid to ask," replied Danielle, staring at the notecards as well.
"Romance! Magic! Heartbreak with shimmer tears. And, the main character is, of course, ahhh, Luzura!" said Luz, pinning notecards on the corkboard. "I know it's kind of cliché, but what's wrong with cliché?"
"I should have seen that coming," said Danielle, facepalming.
"Doesn't Luz know any other series like you do?" asked Aster, laying down on the chest.
"Luz must really be into Azura right now," replied Danielle, scratching Aster's chest.
"Oh, that feels so nice," said Aster, yipping in response and getting Danielle to giggle slightly.
"Nyeh! And my main character is the King... err..." said King, pinning his character to the board. "The Ruler of Demons! With this totally original, all-star cast, victory will be ours!"
"Now for the easy part," said Luz, putting a typewriter on a desk.
"Okay, I'm bored," said Danielle, getting up and leaving the room with Aster.
"I know," said Aster, staring at Danielle. "We can come up with new ideas for your magic. We can also combine them."
"Huh… water and light," said Danielle, wondering what she could do with those two elements. "I think those two can be used together."
Heading downstairs and to the back of the house, Danielle and Aster start coming up with ideas for those two elements. As for Luz and King, they go through a lot of steps before even starting to type their story.
"Luzura's tears fell on the frozen prince, bringing him back to life," said King, reading one of the typed papers. "Ehhh, it just seems kind of unrealistic."
"I see what you're saying," said Luz, stopping her typing. "But in your version, Ruler just destroys everything. I think a little romantic tension could help the scene."
"Hey, there's more to life than shipping," said King, staring at Luz.
"Don't you dare insult shipping in my presence!" said Luz, angry and pointing at King.
"Apprentices!" shouted Eda, downstairs in the living room. "Living room!"
"I'll be back, we'll figure this out, okay writing buddy?" said Luz, leaving the room.
"My turn to write!" said King, looking at the typewriter.
"Coming," shouted Danielle, entering the house and going to the living room with Aster.
"Should I question why you're wet?" asked Eda, staring at a drenched Danielle and Aster.
"We may have had a little too much fun with water magic," replied Danielle, giggling before brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Need a haircut?" asked Eda, before moving her fingers like scissors. "I can give you one."
"No no," said Danielle, backing up nervously and covering her hair. "I'm good."
"You look good with long hair," said Aster, playing with Danielle's hair and nuzzling into it. "It's so soft and silky. Plus, it smells really nice."
"Thanks Aster," said Danielle, slightly blushing. "But I would like to get a haircut eventually."
"Hey!" said Luz, entering the living room. "What's up, boss lady?"
"I am popping out for a few days to an undisclosed place to do undisclosed things," said Eda, staring at the girls while rolling up the map. "Danielle's in charge."
"A few days?" thought Danielle, paling at what she just heard.
"Danielle, you okay?" asked Aster, staring at Danielle. "Danielle."
"A few days… Eda's gonna be gone for a few days," said Danielle, nervously chuckling and wringing her wrists. "Yay…"
"Danielle…" said Aster, staring at Danielle concerned before thinking. "Something's not right. Is this part of what Danielle won't tell me?"
"Great!" said Luz, staring at Eda.
"No questions!" said Eda, pointing at the girls and walking away.
"Okay!" said Luz, still staring at Eda.
"I said no questions!" said Eda, before closing the front door.
"You know what… I'm gonna…go cook," said Danielle, backing up towards the kitchen, breathing a little heavy. "Yeah… cook."
"Danielle…" thought Aster, concerned for Danielle.
"Okay," said Luz, walking back up to her room. "Well, King, it's just you, me, Danielle and Aster for a while."
"Hey hey Luz, great news!" said King, stopping his typing.
"What have you done?!" asked Luz, seeing that King had dumped the Luzura story in the trash among other things.
"I just made a few tiny edits and this baby is humming!" replied King, staring at Luz.
"Luzura dies?" said Luz, picking up a specific drawing.
"I know, right!" said King, staring at Luz. "What a twist!"
"King, I know you're trying to help, but I think you're crossing a line," said Luz, pinching the bridge of her nose and staring at King.
"Yeah, into greatness," said King, raising his arms up. "Don't you want us to win?"
"If this is how you want to win, maybe you should submit the story on your own," said Luz, leaving the room.
"What?" said King, seeing the door close. "Bah! What does she know?"
"What the heck, man?" said the typewriter, staring at King. "Learn to collaborate."
"Hush, you!" said King, pointing at the typewriter. "I'll prove to both of you my story is superior."
Leaving the owl house, King heads into Bonesborough. Entering a pub, King holds up his story while staring at the patrons from the door.
"Hey, you scum! Which one of you wants to read my literary masterpiece? Anyone brave enough?" shouted King, before being thrown out of the pub. "Oof! Nyah! Ugh."
"I'll read your story," said a Snazzily Dressed Lizard, grabbing King's book, a third eye opening on his forehead and reading fast. "You wrote this?'
"Yup, that's me!" replied King, wiping mud off his face. "Only me."
"Let me get you a fruit punch," said the Snazzily Dressed Lizard.
"Ooh. I love punching," said King, walking after the Snazzily Dressed Lizard into the pub and sitting down at the counter before snapping his fingers, a fruit punch being slid down the counter.
"I'm Piniet, of Piniet Publishing House," said the Snazzily Dressed Lizard, staring at King. "And your name is... King?"
"It's more of a rank than a name," said King, holding the fruit punch.
"I loved your story, so much better than the submissions we got for the competition," said Piniet, staring at King. "I want to buy it and publish it for everyone to read. I'll make you as famous as Jon De Plume."
"I've always wanted a people chair! I'm in!" said King, seeing Jon De Plume showing off in the pub. "This will be my first step in my reclamation of power!"
"Then all you have to do is sign here," said Piniet, pulling out a contract.
"You're ominous," said King, signing his name on the contract with fruit punch. "And I like it."
"Get ready to be famous, Mr. King," said Piniet, shaking hands with King.
For the next few days, King's book was published and put into bookstores. People literally brought out King's book. Some fan even gave King a knitted scarf. As this was going down, Luz was writing her own story. Danielle on the other hand, was on edge trying to keep the house and the people living in it in check. Aster was concerned for Danielle these last few days. King is walking down a street before some fans spot him.
"Oh my God!" said a crowd of fans, seeing King. "It's the King, I can't believe it!"
"Mr. King! I love your writing," said Tinella, holding up her story. "Please read my story!"
"Oh my, always good to meet minions," said King, signing Tinella's story and throwing it back at her. "I mean fans."
"You're my inspiration," said Tinella, staring at King.
Meanwhile, Eda had finally made some headway with the map and where she was. Pushing some vines away from a minitaur statue, Eda looks at her map.
"Okay, from the Minitaur, I head due north, and with luck, I'll get to the Bloom of Eternal Youth before Lilith! Who's frail now, emperor dorks?" said Eda, laughing and snorting before hearing a branch snap. "Someone's following me. Spicy toss!"
"Aah!" shouted Lilith, startled by Eda with fireballs in hand.
"Lily?" said Eda, seeing Lilith.
"Edalyn?" said Lilith, seeing Eda before sighing. "And of course, you would be here just to be a nuisance. Why don't you go home and rest? Wouldn't want you breaking a hip."
"Sorry, sister, I'm stronger than you think. I'm here to save the Bloom of Eternal Youth from the likes of you," said Eda, before running in the direction of the bloom. "And I'm gonna get there before you!"
"Aah!" shouted Lilith, running after Eda. "No, you won't!"
Back at the owl house, Luz is still typing her story, nearing the end of it. Danielle, on the other hand, had went on a baking spree and the kitchen was littered with a variety of European cookies she learned from her Nonna and some original ones she had made. Tables were procured from her bag and so were a lot of cookie tins of various sizes. Aster stared at Danielle concerned while she was cooking this whole time.
"Hey, Luz! Guess who won the writing competition and became a blockbuster writer superstar? You're right, it's me!" said King, before sliding an invitation on the desk to Luz. "Me! Do you wanna touch my scarf? A fan crocheted it out of their own hair! It smells so bad! My publisher is throwing a huge party for my book, Ruler's Reach. And I, uh, I'd like for you to be there. Alright, fine! Be that way I guess."
"Girl, you don't need him," said the typewriter, after seeing King leave after Luz pushed the invitation away.
"But I don't want to be mad at him, either," said Luz, before getting up and heading towards the kitchen. "Hey Danielle… whoa!"
"Hey Luz," said Danielle, taking out the latest batch of cookies from the oven. "Need something?"
"Do something," said Aster, staring at Luz.
"You're right," said Luz, Aster floating over to her and yipping at her before looking at Danielle. "Let's get some fresh air. I think we both need it."
"But I was about to start up a new batch," said Danielle, looking over at the cookies. "I was thinking chruściki or maybe even hamantash."
"Yeah, you need to get out," said Luz, pushing Danielle to the front door.
"But…" said Danielle, looking back at the cookies. "The cookies!"
"Enough to last the whole summer," said Luz, pushing Danielle out the door. "And probably all of fall."
"Ooooh," said Hooty, entering the kitchen door and gasping upon seeing all the cookies. "Is it my birthday?"
Walking to Bonesborough, the girls and Aster head to the library, which the invitation specified where King would be at. An extensive line is outside the library, King sitting at a table alongside Piniet.
"Your fans are dying to know when Ruler's Reach 2 comes out!" said a fan, speaking to King.
"That's between me and my publisher, right, Piniet?" said King, elbowing Piniet.
"Yes. Ooh, pardon me, I need a few moments of King's time," said Piniet, ushering King to follow him.
"Where's Jon De Plume at?" asked King, pointing at his sunglasses. "I wanted to compare sunglasses."
"Oh, he's taking a break to finish his latest masterpiece. Fame can really box you in, you know?" said Piniet, staring at King. "Uh, speaking of, how's your second book coming along?"
"Coming along? Or finished!" said King, pulling out a manuscript. "Bam! Haha! Ruler's Reach 2—now with more swears!"
"Ahhh! Splendid!" said Piniet, grabbing the story and reading it like last time, at a fast pace. "Oh, you cad! Not only are you a great writer, but a practical joker as well!"
"That's true…" said King, before looking at Piniet. "Wait, what?"
"Oh, this is truly awful!" said Piniet, handing the manuscript back and walking away. "Looking forward to the real draft."
"Truly awful? But I'm a best-selling writer. How?" asked King, before seeing the girls and Aster in the library. "Luz! I can't write without her!"
"King!" shouted Aster, floating over to King only to be shooed away. "Whoa…hey! Wanna play?"
"Not now," said King, still shooing Aster away before running up to Luz. "Luz, buddy! I'm so glad you could make it!"
"Hey King," said Danielle, wiping some flour off her cheek.
"Yeah, hi," said King, waving Danielle off and staring at Luz.
"Danielle…" thought Aster, seeing Danielle looking shocked then sad before staring at the floor. "King, I don't think Danielle liked what you did there."
"Hey, King, I didn't wanna be angry at your success," said Luz, staring at King. "You're my friend. So, congratulations!"
"Stop it, Aster. I don't want to play," said King, shooing Aster away, yipping at him. "Great to hear, 'cause I really need your help with my next book! Apparently, I can't write my daring works of genius without rebelling against your gushy fantasy slop!"
"Excuse me?" said Luz, blushing angrily.
"N-No fighting…" said Danielle, seeing that Luz and King were about to argue and trying to get between them.
"We make a great team! So, here's a pen," said King, holding a pen out and clicking it. "Writey writey, clock's a-tickin'!"
"King!" said Danielle, looking at King, shocked. "That's not helping."
"I'm not writing for you after you made fun of all my ideas!" said Luz, dropping the pen.
"Hey! What the heck?" said King, about to bend down for the pen.
"Abbastanza!" said Danielle, holding her hands out, a sphere of glowing water in each hand pushing Luz and King into some bookshelves, gasping when seeing what she done. "Mi-mi dispiace... non volevo!"
"Oomph…" said Luz, rubbing her head before staring at Danielle. "Danielle?
"Whoa…" said King, rubbing his skull before staring at Danielle. "Huh…?"
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Piniet, walking over and glaring at Danielle. "That is one of my aspiring writers right there."
"Mi... mi dispiace…" said Danielle, backing away from Piniet.
"Do you have any idea what you have done? King could have been seriously hurt, probably could have sprained his wrists and could never write again," said Piniet, staring down at Danielle.
"Mi... mi dispiace…" said Danielle, tears forming in the corners of eyes, scared of Piniet.
"Hey!" shouted Aster, floating around Piniet. "Leave Danielle alone!"
"Shoo furball!" shouted Piniet, swatting Aster away before glaring at Danielle. "You're a burden to King and everyone around you."
"I'm a… burden…" thought Danielle, her eyes clouding over before covering her ears and running away to a different area of the library. "No!"
"Aah!" shouted Piniet, Aster slashing at his eye leaving a bloody scar. "You mangy furball!"
"Danielle, wait! Come back!" shouted Aster, following after Danielle.
Searching around for Danielle, Aster finds her huddled in a dark corner near some bookshelves. Floating over, Aster sees that Danielle is breathing heavy and looking out of it.
"Danielle…" said Aster, staring at Danielle, concerned. "What's going on?"
"Aster… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to see me like this," said Danielle, gripping her Mamma's necklace and biting her lower lip.
"Want to talk about it?" asked Aster, floating closer.
"Sorry, I don't want to bother you with my problems," said Danielle, bending her head on her legs. "Please try to understand."
"Will you tell me eventually?" asked Aster, floating in front of Danielle.
"Give me some time, please," said Danielle, wiping a tear away. "I just want to be alone right now."
"But…" said Aster, seeing that Danielle shouldn't be alone and curled into her shoulder, nuzzling her. "I don't think it's right to leave you alone right now."
"Aster…" said Danielle, touching the side of Aster's head then pulling him in and silently sobbing.
"I don't understand…" thought Aster, slowly pulling a paw to his chest. "These feelings that Danielle is bringing back to me… I thought I suppressed them… I thought Grandfather's training was working… is it not right to suppress certain emotions?"
Meanwhile back at the forest, Eda and Lilith are still running. A shadowed creature run by them.
"Ha! Doesn't this remind you of how we used to race to the kitchen, Lily?" asked Eda, before coming to a halt and seeing Lilith no longer behind her. "Lily?"
"Mmm! Mmm!" said Lilith, wrapped in some webbing from a crab like monster that was holding her.
"Lily!" shouted Eda, summoning a large fireball and blasting the crab like monster away before picking Lilith up. "Alley-Oop!"
"Ugh, thank you Edalyn," said Lilith, wiping some webbing off before staring at Eda. "I wasn't certain that you'd save me."
"Stow it! Ugh, we might fight, but you're still my sister. And besides, if someone's gonna be putting you down, it's gonna be me," said Eda, slapping Lilith's back. "Ha!"
"Is that?" asked Lilith, spotting a glowing pink flower nearby and walking closer with Eda.
"The Bloom of Eternal Youth!" said Eda, before pushing Lilith to the side. "Alright back off, that baby's mine."
"Why are you always like this?" said Lilith, growling.
"Because Lilith, you think I'm just some tired old biddy. Ah, but I'm more than that," said Eda, magically cutting the flower before disappearing. "And with the Bloom of Eternal Youth's power, I'll show you! What the…"
As the flower magically disappears, the merchant from earlier laughs maniacally, his shadow falling over Eda and Lilith as he stands on top the stone. Back at the library, Luz is searching around for Danielle and Aster.
"They got his good angle," said Luz, staring at a poster of King before a shadow falls over her by two reptilian like guards holding Danielle and Aster.
"Luz, run!" shouted Danielle, only for a reptilian guard to cover her mouth. "Mmm! Mmm!"
"Danielle! Aster!" shouted Luz, only for Piniet to walk forward. "Let them go."
"Perhaps. I hear you're an aspiring writer," said Piniet, remembering hearing what King said after Danielle ran away.
Luz looks nervously at Piniet and his guards. Elsewhere, King is pacing back and forth behind stage, hearing his fans rave for him.
"Oh boy. Oh, man, Aw jeez," said King, hemming and hawing as well. "Hemming. Hawing. Piniet, I gotta come clean. We can't announce book two. I can't write without... without..."
"Without your writing partner?" said Piniet, ushering King into a room where the girls and Aster were trapped in a translucent purple box.
"King!" shouted the girls, upon seeing King.
"Luz! Danielle!" shouted King, running up to the girls and Aster. "Aster!"
"That snappily dressed lizard trapped me in this shrinking box," said Luz, the box getting smaller when Piniet clasps his hand. "You gotta get me out!"
"No no no-no-no!" said Danielle, falling to the floor while holding Aster.
"Danielle…" thought Aster, seeing Danielle panic and pawing her face.
"What are you doing with them?" asked King, staring at Piniet angrily while pointing at the girls and Aster. "Let them go!"
"You wrote Ruler's Reach together. So, if you don't want her crushed, you'll write together again. The other two are just collateral," said Piniet, approaching King and staring him down. "Oh, don't give me that look. Some of the best books were written in literal crunch time."
"Eep," squeaked Danielle, lying on her back when the box got smaller. "Facci uscire di qui!"
"That's a toxic mentality that contributes to burnout and unrealistic expectations!" said Luz, staring at Piniet then King. "King, do something!"
"Set them free, now!" said King, growling.
"Not until I get my best-seller," said Piniet, pulling out the contract. "You'll recall you are under contract."
"Ah!" shouted King, floating in the air then slammed through a hole into the box. "Nyeh!"
"Make your deadline, or you'll never be able to hold a pen again. Just like..." said Piniet, holding up Jon De Plume who was shrunk into a cube.
"Help me!" shouted Jon De Plume, wiggling his arms about.
"No!" shouted King, staring at the cubed Jon De Plume.
"Oh mio…" said Danielle, staring at Piniet's open briefcase stuffed with other authors that were shrunk to cube size.
"I'll leave you to it," said Piniet, closing the briefcase and leaving the room. "Looking forward to your next volume!"
"Aah!" squeaked Danielle, the box shrinking once again.
"We're not getting out of here until we write a book, and that'll take forever!" said King, tossing the papers and pen about. "We're cube meat!"
"Well, I have my story," said Luz, pulling her story out of her messenger bag.
"But it's all hugging and crying!" said King, pushing the story down and staring at Luz. "I can't put my name on that."
"King, that is why we are in here! Because you can't compromise!" said Luz, angrily and turning around. "All I wanted was to write a dumb story with my friend."
"Luz, you're living your dream. You're becoming a witch," said King, staring at Luz. "But this celebrity is as close as I'll ever get to my dream. It all went to my head, and I hurt you. I'm sorry."
"Hey, being with you is one of my favorite parts of this dream," said Luz, putting a hand on King's shoulder before the box shrinks again. "I have a plan. But we need to work together this time."
"Just tell me what to do," said King, staring at Luz.
"We also have a bigger problem," said Danielle, staring at Luz and King, while bending over them. "King ate a bunch of hard-boiled eggs this morning."
"How is that…" asked Luz, before sniffing and gagging. "Oh, King, you didn't!"
"It stinks!" said Danielle, pinching her nose.
"It burns!" said Aster, fanning his eyes and hearing the girls gagging. "Get me out of here!"
Back at the forest, the merchant is staring down at Eda and Lilith. Eda and Lilith glare back at the merchant.
"I know you must be confused. The Bloom of Eternal Youth, dead? What if I told you the Bloom never existed at all!" said the merchant, scaling down the stone and staring at Eda and Lilith. "And now that I have led you to my nest, I'll suck all the life out of you to satisfy my unending hunger!"
"He scammed us," said Lilith, staring at Eda. "Can you believe he scammed us?"
"I thought there was a 50/50 chance going in," said Eda, waving her hand about. "Hard not to admire the tenacity though."
"Good entrance, but that outfit?" said Lilith, pointing at the merchant's outfit. "Ha!"
"Look at his little shoes!" said Eda, pointing at the merchant's shoes and laughing.
"Stop it," said Lilith, laughing as well.
"Well, maybe you've never been led into a lethal trap before, but the response should be, Aa! No! Spare us!" said the merchant, covering his shoes.
"Ah, sure," said Eda, sharing a look with Lilith before stepping on the dais. "Spare us."
"Woe to us whose fates are sealed," said Lilith, summoning her staff while Eda cracks her knuckles.
"Tha-That's right, witches!" said the merchant, gulping. "Cower! Cower?"
Back at the library, Piniet was stacking the cubed authors up. The girls, King, and Aster finalized their plan in the process. Though it looked like Danielle was having a hard time and began to slowly hyperventilate.
"Aw, dang," said Piniet, the stack of cubed authors falling.
"Hey Piniet! We're done!" shouted King, gaining Piniet's attention.
"Faster than I expected!" said Piniet, entering the room and staring at King.
"Hurry! I don't think I can…" said Danielle, her hazel eyes flashing dangerously white and her hands slowly changing to white energy-based dragon claws from the tips of her nails. "Help…"
"That's the miracle of teamwork!" said King, putting the story through a hole Piniet formed.
"This is much more gushy than your last book," said Piniet, reading the story and shrinking the box again.
"Skip to the finale, because it is quite a payoff," said King, staring at Piniet.
"No more…" thought Danielle, her hazel eyes going completely white with wisps in the corner, the dragon claws fully forming and blasting the shrinking box apart, screaming before staring at Piniet. "Do… not… interfere…"
"Really think you're getting out of this. Think again," said Piniet, taking the cap off his pen and extending into a large two headed battle axe before swinging it at Danielle, who just grabs it between her two fingers and starts melting it including the contract. "What… how?"
"Do… not…" said Danielle, staring deep into Piniet's eyes, scaring him to the core, his skin going ghostly white. "In…ter…fere…"
"What is this girl?" thought Piniet, before passing out.
"Danielle…" said Aster, never seeing Danielle like this before.
"Huh…" said Danielle, staring back at Luz, King, and Aster before regaining her senses. "Wha… What just ha… happened?'
"You… um…" said Luz, not knowing how to tell Danielle.
"Are you guys, okay?" asked Danielle, checking on Luz, King, and Aster. "No injuries?"
"We're… okay," replied King, staring at Danielle.
"Danielle… you just…" said Aster, checking Danielle all over before landing on her shoulder. "How'd you do that? I've never seen or read anything about that."
"How'd I do what?" asked Danielle, tilting her head in confusion before feeling lightheaded. "Oooh…"
"I think it's time to head home," said Luz, steadying Danielle and walking out the door.
"King! I am your biggest fan!" said Tinella, running over to King. "And I fought my way back here for you... to read my story?"
"I'm… um…" said King, before hearing popping sounds and seeing the authors back to their normal selves.
"Thank goodness for that girl's magic to break that spell," said Jon De Plume, stretching his joints before looking Tinella's way. "Your best bet is to not make a deal with this man."
"Agreed," said King, agreeing with Jon De Plume before staring at Tinella and signing her story. "Here. I'd find a publishing house that will work with you."
"I actually know quite the one," said Jon De Plume, gearing Tinella to follow him. "I think Featherwhyle will be interested."
Sighing, the girls, King and Aster head back to the house. Meanwhile, Eda and Lilith were finally done putting the merchant in his place, beaten up that is.
"Well, we wrecked this chump," said Eda, before sighing. "But I guess the Bloom of Eternal Youth isn't real."
"Well, if it makes any difference, I don't consider you to be a tired old bitty," said Lilith, staring at Eda.
"Really?" said Eda, staring at Lilith.
"If you were, you'd be much easier to catch," said Lilith, smirking.
"Oh great, you're gonna cart me away to the coven now, are you?" asked Eda, staring at Lilith.
"Not now. Because I want to give you a chance to join on your own! Join me in the Emperor's Coven, Edalyn," said Lilith, holding out her hand. "He could even heal your curse."
"No, I'll heal it on my own terms. I don't wanna owe him anything," said Eda, pushing Lilith's hand down. "Catch you later, sis."
"Not if I catch you first," said Lilith, smiling. "Oh, and the human…"
"Off limits," said Eda, summoning her staff and flying off. "I'll see you around."
"You're welcome for the chance to bond," said the merchant, yelling when Lilith blasted him with a fire spell.
Flying back home, Eda opens the door and cracks her back. Staring around, Eda wanders where the girls, King and Aster were before smelling baked cookies. Heading towards the kitchen, Eda leans on the doorframe.
"Hey, kids. Woof. That was a rough couple days," said Eda, cracking her back before seeing the girls, King and Aster place cookies into tins. "Whoa, what happened here?"
"I may have gone a little overboard on my baking spree," replied Danielle, putting some more cookies in another tin.
"A little?" said Eda, staring at all the cookies. "Girl, you went overboard."
"At least, we don't have to worry about not having any cookies for a while," said Luz, before eating one. "Plus, some are them are dairy free for me. Yum!"
Eda helps the girls, King, and Aster place cookies in the tins after a while. Hooty watched while sneaking a cookie or two away. After all the cookies were dealt with, everyone had packed it in for the night. After showering, Danielle headed to her room. Looking around, Danielle secretly takes a thick binder out of her bag. Aster flies in the room after King had shooed him away.
"What's that?" asked Aster, looking at the picture on the thick binder then reading the title. "From Skyward to Earthbound by Cuore della Luce."
"It's… um… a fanfic I wrote last year," replied Danielle, fiddling with the edge of the binder.
"You wrote this?" said Aster, staring at the thick binder then Danielle. "What's a fanfic? Why is your name not actually on it?"
"Fanfiction is when people write their own stories using characters, settings, or ideas from books, movies, TV shows, or other things they like," replied Danielle, sighing. "It's like playing pretend with your favorite characters and making up your own adventures for them. Also, that's my alias for the two sites I put it on."
"Why an alias?" asked Aster, staring at Danielle then the picture. "And who are these characters?"
"That's what authors on the sites I go on do. We don't put our actual names down," replied Danielle, before pointing at a certain character. "This is me. It's how I imagined myself being isekai'd into the Zelda series. I always use this character, though I keep my actual hair color, eye color, and complexion on the character."
"Then how come you didn't want to do the writing competition?" asked Aster, staring at Danielle.
"Because I don't want others to know it was me doing the stories, that's another reason for the aliases on the sites I go on. It's a secret hobby of mine, only a select few among my family know about it," said Danielle, looking at Aster. "And now you know too. Can you keep it secret?"
"Of course," said Aster, staring at Danielle then the binder. "Can I read it?"
"Sure, just remember to put it back okay," said Danielle, rubbing Aster's head. "There's even illustrations in it."
"Okay," said Aster, seeing Danielle place it before him and flipping it open to the first page.
As everyone went to sleep, Aster stayed up all night reading. Flipping pages and looking at the illustrations, Aster was pulled in, word by word by Danielle's story. Morning came around and Danielle stirred awake. Stretching, Danielle hears a page flipping.
"Huh? Aster?" said Danielle, seeing Aster still reading her story. "Were you up all night reading?"
"Can't put down," replied Aster, staring at the page he was reading. "Too good to put away."
"How's this then?" asked Danielle, pulling out a tasseled bookmark and putting it on the page Aster was reading. "This should keep your page. You need to rest your eyes."
"Okay," said Aster, closing the binder then rubbing his eyes.
"Come on," said Danielle, walking to the door. "Let's get breakfast started."
"Okay," said Aster, floating over to Danielle. "How 'bout pancakes? Everyone really enjoyed it that day."
"Sound plan," said Danielle, walking down the hall with Aster by her side. "Pancakes it is then."