Disclaimer, I do not own The Land of Stories. This was written by Chris Colfer.

A/N

Apologies for the confusion and my lack of organization. After reading the chapter through, I thought of things I wanted to add. I promise chapter three is staying for good this time and I'll do my best not to have a repeat.

Chapter Three: The Favour

All was well in the Corner Kingdom. There was no war happening, trade was thriving between them and the other kingdoms, and Queen Rapunzel and Sir William were loved and respected throughout the entire land. But in a small cottage on the outskirts of a village, a dark haired woman lay awake, unable to put her mind at rest and close her eyes to sleep. Evly tossed and turned between the covers, unable to find a comfortable position. Beside her, her husband Mira slept soundly, his deep snores filling her ears. It wasn't the snores that bothered her. Mira snored every night and she found the sound as warm and comforting as his poems. As a child, she had feared storms and the sound of thunder. But the night was quiet, peaceful and undisturbed. Only the distant sound of carts could be heard through the stillness as traders and merchants delivered their goods. Sighing, she got up, careful not to wake Mira. After giving him a soft kiss on his cheek, she walked out to the kitchen, deciding that a warm mug of hot chocolate would do her some good. After putting the kettle to boil, Evly sat down at the kitchen table looking down at its oak surface in contemplation. She wasn't sure if the feeling in her gut was good, or bad. It felt like an itch she couldn't scratch, or a dull pain where it was impossible to tell where the source of the pain was coming from. Minutes ticked by as Evly sat listening to the whistling kettle. When it was finally done, she poured the water into a mug, then added sugar, milk and cocoa powder. For some reason, the warmth between her palms gave her strength, slightly diminishing the anxious feeling she had felt all night. The warm sweet liquid calmed her and she almost felt like her usual self. But just then, Evly's intuition proved accurate. With an ear-splitting bang, the windows and doors in the cottage flew open. Evly felt a strong gust of wind blow through the house almost knocking her over. The mug slipped through her fingers, dark liquid pooling on the wooden floor among fragments of broken glass. Then there was a bright flash of light.

"Hello Evly," said an all too familiar voice behind her.

"I'd say it's good to see you if not for the fact you tried to kill me."

Evly whirled around, a sour taste forming in her mouth.

"Ezmia!" she cried, gripping the table for support.

"What are you doing here?"

"Is this how you treat your old mentor? Are you not going to make me some tea, or even ask me to sit down?"

"What do you want from me?"

"Touchy, very touchy," Ezmia said with a sneer.

"I just want to catch up. Sit down Evly and relax."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get rid of Ezmia any time soon, she decided to follow along, eager to get Ezmia to leave as soon as possible. With a wary expression, Evly sat, twisting her hands in her lap.

"So," Ezmia began, her voice dripping sickly sweet like syrup,

"I see you and your poet have reunited."

Evly nodded stiffly, completely at a loss for what to say.

"How lovely. Now Evly, listen carefully. I need you to do a favour for me."

"What favour?"

"I need you to make poisons for me."

"What are the poisons for?"

"Well, for my, um, my daughter."

"You have a daughter," Evly said unable to disguise the surprise in her voice.

"Yes, I suppose. She's very powerful, almost as powerful as me. I have big plans for her, but after that-"

She trailed off her eyes intense.

"After that what?"

"Well, when she's helped me with my plans, I have no use for her or for my dwarf servant. I want to rule by myself. And they know all my strategies and secrets. If they decide to turn against me, and they will because there's no such thing as friends, that will be a threat. A dangerous threat that could put all my hard-work into Jeopardy."

"What if I don't?"

"Well you love that poet of yours don't you?"

At this, Evly lost the little composure that remained in her.

"I'm sure you're just as capable of making the poisons."

"Oh Evly, I'm a busy woman. Help me out. You're the best apprentice I've taught in the field of poisons."

"What kind of poisons?"

"The one you used on me. That certainly made quite an impact. If no one had found me, your mission would have been a success. But unfortunately for you, I got lucky. Although, I was terribly weak afterwards. Your effort to kill me was definitely a noble one. Also, a poison that drains magic from the blood couldn't hurt."

"I have some now. I can give it to you. I have both."

"That wasn't too hard was it?"

Slowly, Evly stood, her knees trembling. Keeping her eye on Ezmia, she walked over to a small cupboard in the hall. After rummaging inside, she produced two glass vials, one with liquid the colour of wine, and the other bright green. As soon as she returned to the table, she handed the vials to Ezmia.

"Thank you Evly. Your help will be remembered. I hope you have not deceived me. I'm sure your quite aware of what the consequences will be otherwise."

"No Ezmia. Those poisons are as fatal and disruptive as you," Evly said her voice surprisingly steady.

"Until we meet again my apprentice," Ezmia said coolly.

With a final cruel smile, Ezmia disappeared into a cloud of violet light and was gone.

Evly sank to the kitchen floor, her heart hammering in her chest. She had no idea what she was suppose to have done, but all she knew was that she couldn't let Ezmia wreck a young girl's life just as Ezmia had tried to wreck her own. She was also certain that they were no longer safe here and that both her and Mira had to leave right away. Evly wouldn't risk losing Mira after everything they'd been through. As a young maiden, Ezmia had kidnapped her from her village, imprisoning her and forcing her to be an apprentice. Evly had been devastated to be parted from Mira, so the enchantress trapped Mira in a magic mirror, thinking it would make Evly happy so she could do Ezmia's bidding. However, this only made things worse. Until one day, Evly planned a daring mission to poison the enchantress. Using a potion, Evly succeeded and escaped with the magic mirror, Mira still trapped within. Distraught, Evly recalled vivid memories of travelling from kingdom to kingdom seeking help, but no fairy, healer or witch could free Mira. Evly remembered all too well the excruciating heart ache she'd felt every second of every day. As the days went on, Mira's memories began to fade, and so did he. But when she thought all hope was lost, and on the day she was about to go to a witch to put a stop to her pains, evly woke to find Mira sitting on the bed beside her. To this day, Evly still didn't know how Mira got free. Did he free himself? Or, did some unknown magic in the universe free him? But, it didn't matter to her. Mira was with her once more and they couldn't be more overjoyed. Evly didn't go to work that day. All day, her and Mira walked through the villages of the Corner Kingdom, hand in hand, talking endlessly. During their walk, Evly vowed to herself that she would do anything to protect Mira, even kill. She vowed to have more faith in the universe, and that hope was always there lingering and waiting. Now, she was more determined than ever to ensure Mira's safety. and hopefully, help those who had been unfortunate enough to fall in the hands of an evil enchantress.