The Real One True King | A School for Good and Evil FanFiction

Part 3

The original plan was to fight the pirates, but that went out the window when the Igraine sailed up to Jaunt Jolie. The place was full of them; they'd taken over the shops, the port, and from the looks of it, the palace too.  Chaddick wondered if Tedros knew what was happening there. On the sides of every building they looked at, there were wanted posters for all the members of the royal family, but Chaddick noticed that the one with the Queen's face on it, the words 'EXECUTED, CLAIMED' were printed on it. But they weren't the only wanted posters. All over the floor and in the pirates' hands were posters with all the Questers' faces on.

Chaddick picked one up off the floor with his face on it. "200 gold coins?! Surely Tedros' knight would be more than Evil's Dean?" he exclaimed, eyeing Sophie holding her poster which offered a reward of 400 gold coins.

"Well, seeing as the Storian thinks your dead I would bet Tedros does too. So I would stop calling yourself that." Sophie said, and Chaddick flinched. He hadn't thought about that.

The Pirates grabbed them all without any resistance from the group- they knew it was pointless; there were too many of them.

Chained to each other, they were dragged through the once-beautiful town of Jaunt-Jolie, now vandalized and torn to the ground.

"Anyone have a plan?" Chaddick asked, dreading being chained to Sophie any longer than he had to.

"Aren't Evers meant to be the ones who make plans?" She retorted.

"Says the Never who planned to take down the whole school in first year." He replied.

"Well, it's true I do make incredible plans, but we're in Ever territory now. I never thought I'd say this, but I wish Beatrix was here; isn't this her home town?" Sophie said.

"It doesn't make a difference who's here or not," Agatha said. "There's no way we can get out of here." She said, but there was something in her voice that made Chaddick think she hadn't given up yet.

"What?!" Sophie exclaimed. "You mean we're going to let them take us to probably get executed or something?!"

"I think Agatha's right. We should let them take us." A voice said from behind: Nicola.

Sophie scoffed. "Oh don't try and act like you and Agatha are best friends now. You probably have no idea what her plan is!"

"Actually, I think I do, but I wouldn't waste my breath telling you." she retorted. "And I think I can help; I have an idea."

"We don't need anything from you, first year." Sophie said haughtily.

"A first year who's saved your life twice." Nicola responded with satisfaction.

"So what's the plan exactly Nicola? Cos we are getting really close to the Snake now." Chaddick warned, knowing that he did not want to get anywhere near to his attacker.

"That is the plan, idiot." Nicola said. "Snake wears a mask right? He's not going to want to reveal his identity."

"Obviously." Sophie said with an eye roll.

"So we need to get to the snake in order to make him reveal himself." Agatha continued Nicola's explanation of the supposed 'plan', although Chaddick didn't think it seemed very thought-out when they were going head to head with a Snake.

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Sophie said. "He's not exactly going to take it off it we ask him politely is he..."

"You, Sophie!" Agatha said, but she had no time to elaborate, for the pirates who had been dragging them, had come to a stop.

______________

"When a pirate gives ye an order, ye best obey it." the pirate named Wesley spat. "Don't think the snake would flinch if we delivered yer lot without noses." he tapped Nicola's and Sophie's noses with his sword. "Which means we ain't movin' another inch until these two lassies pucker up and sing."

Sophie and Nicola swallowed, but Chaddick nearly laughed. As much as he would never admit it in front of them, it would be hilarious to see the two girls who had just been arguing about a plan to escape have to sing in front of their captors.

"Fine, i'll start..." Sophie began, but Nicola interrupted.

"No, i'll start." she said, eyeing Agatha. "There once was a boy named Ito, whose tale was in my storybook. He had a face of perfect beauty, and all day in mirrors he looked. But Ito loved his face so much, he didn't want others to enjoy."

"Sounds like Tedros." Hort mumbled. 

Nicola continued. "So he put on a mask and pretended to be coy. He wore the mask for days and years, until he fell for lovely girl. Who confided to a friend, 'he must be ugly and hiding from the world,' So Ito finally removed his mask, to prove her wrong and be bold. Only to find in time, his face had grown very old."

Chaddick watched as Agatha seemed to light up with understanding, but the rest of the questers, including him, were clueless.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Agatha turned round to Nicola and sang in a husky, barbarous croak: 

"I know a boy like Ito, who wears a mask of green. We need a pretty girl to tempt his pride, and make him want to be seen. A girl like a prize of trophy, a girl whose name is..."

Both Agatha and Nicola turned to face a baffled Sophie.

"Remind me to tell Tedros to never let you sing at his wedding." Chaddick said to Agatha, who ignored him completely, too focused on the plan which the rest of them had yet to hear.