From the Ashes (A School for Good and Evil Fanfic)

Part 1: Welcome to Nottingham

"Couldn't we have ridden to Nottingham in a nicer carriage?" Hester grouched as the creaky wooden cart ambled down the dirt path, shaking violently every time the wheels hit a rock or root. Anadil, somehow, was asleep, her head resting on Hester's shoulder. Hester was trying her best not to move and disturb her friend's rest, but it was growing increasingly difficult as they journeyed further into the Woods.

"And where would we have gotten said 'nicer carriage?'" asked Dot, who, of course, had taken over an entire side of the tiny chariot.

"Um, hello?" Hester said, resisting the urge to throw her arms into the air. "Agatha is the Queen of Camelot, for evil's sake!"

"Camelot is broke," Dot stated, absentmindedly turning a piece of the hard, wooden bench into chocolate.

"Not anymore," Hester argued, wanting to smack the calm look off of Dot's face. "The Mistral sisters are gone. Tedros and Agatha have access to Camelot's funds again." Hester honestly wasn't sure why she was arguing. For some reason, she had felt uneasy ever since they had left the castle, but she couldn't put a finger on why.

"It takes more than a couple of days to work out all the account stuff, hon," said Dot, as if she knew what she was talking about. She shoved a chunk of fudge into her mouth. "And I don't think new carriages are high on Aggie and Teddy's priority list."

Hester growled, turning toward the window. The dark woods raced by outside, and save for the occasional glimpse of a mountain or castle spire, the crooked trees were the only sight for miles.

"By the way, what's going on between you two?" Dot questioned, almost unintelligible due to the large chunk of fudge gluing her mouth shut.

"Who?" Hester asked, tracing the path of a fox (the most interesting thing she'd seen all day) as it disappeared into the distance.

Dot, with some difficulty, swallowed the chunk of fudge. "You and Anadil."

Hester's head jerked back toward Dot. "What do you mean?"

Dot rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"No I don't!" Hester protested.

"You know, the whole staring into each other's eyes and 'I'll catch you if you fall' thing." Dot waved a sticky hand.

"That's not-" The carriage lurched, practically throwing Hester into Dot's lap. "This damned carriage!" Hester cursed, forcibly extricating herself from Dot's chocolate stained dress and shooting a glare at its owner.

"What's wrong with the carriage?" Anadil asked, awake at last.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong with the carriage?'" Hester shouted. "It's pretty much been throwing us out of its windows for hours!"

"I find it calming," Anadil said, raising her eyebrows. "What's your problem?"

"I just told you!"

"She means your other problem, hon," Dot observed. "Wants to know why you look like you want to kill someone."

Hester ignored her, staring out the window once again.

The carriage fell silent, and Hester was left alone with her thoughts. Tedros and Agatha were married. The Woods were in harmony. Camelot was to be restored to its former prestige. This was their happily ever after. But why didn't storybooks tell you what happened afterward? They were venturing into uncharted territory with mysteries left unsolved. Hester had the feeling that they weren't going to laze around basking in the glory of triumph for the rest of their days, nor would she want to do something so mundane. She steeled her nerves and unease, hoping that she was prepared for what was to come, knowing that it couldn't possibly be worse than what she had already faced...

"We're here!" Dot exclaimed suddenly, standing and promptly banging her head on the carriage ceiling. "Home sweet home." They ambled into the small, seemingly deserted town, the only sound the caw of a crow from a nearby tree.

Hester flung open the door and jumped down, happy to feel solid ground beneath her feet. "Last time we were here, we were chased by some of Japeth's scims," she remembered, scanning the streets as though the Snake would suddenly jump out from behind a building.

"And one of the nasty eels flew out of a mailbox and nearly took off Dot's head," Anadil added.

"And then we caught the Snake-"

"And met Robin Hood-"

"And the Snake escaped while we were lazing around in Sherwood forest doing nothing," Hester finished.

"Ah, memories," sighed Anadil sarcastically, but there was a slight edge to her voice that made Hester wonder if she was remembering the time they spent together by the campfire, the first time they had been truly open with each other. Or maybe Hester was just imagining it.

"Dot!" a voice exclaimed, thankfully snapping Hester out of her confusing thoughts. She turned to see a short, plump man waddling toward them, wearing a brown robe that was much too long. He tripped on its hem as he reached them, almost falling on his face.

"Friar Buck!" Dot said excitedly. "One of Friar Tuck's brothers," she explained. "Only he didn't join the Merry Men."

"One of?" Hester repeated. "What happened to the other brothers?"

"And did they all have idiotically rhyming names?" Anadil added.

"Friar Duck was eaten by an evil, devil possessed duck that roamed Nottingham when I was a toddler," Dot replied. "And Puck...We don't talk about him."

Hester and Anadil looked at each other and shrugged. They turned back to Buck, who seemed unfazed by their whispered conversation.

"I'm so glad you're back, my dear," he sighed, shaking Dot's hand vigorously. "And you brought...friends." He glanced at the other witches nervously. Anadil's rats stuck their heads out of her pocket and hissed.

"Yes, this is Hester and Anadil," Dot introduced. "You probably know them from The Tale of Sophie and Agatha." Dot winked. "We're famous."

"Of course, of course," said Buck, leading them into town. "I just didn't expect them to be so terrifying-I mean, wonderful in real life." His face grew somber. "My dear Dot," he said softly. "There is something you must see. We've been waiting for a little over a month to put him to rest, hoping you'd be here."

"Him?" Realization dawned on Dot's face. "Daddy," she whispered.

Buck led them toward the outskirts of town, where a gloomy graveyard loomed, half covered by fog. They approached a large hole in the center of the graveyard, the grey coffin that was to be lowered inside resting next to it.

The Sheriff of Nottingham lay peacefully in the coffin, his meaty hands folded over his heart. Someone had cleaned up his body; there was no trace of the fatal wound that had taken his life. Dot stiffened, a single tear rolling down her cheek. After a moment, however, she steeled her gaze, reaching for Anadil and Hester's hands. She squeezed them tightly as the three witches shared a sad smile.

"You are the Sheriff now," Friar Buck whispered, motioning to the badge pinned over Dot's heart.

"And not just of Nottingham," Dot added. She turned to the small crowd that had gathered on the outskirts of the graveyard, dragging her friends with her. Hester felt a rush of pride for her friend's courage, especially so soon after the death of her father. "It is our duty," Dot proclaimed, "to protect all of the Woods. No longer will the world suffer under the threat of villains like the Snake, who killed our Sheriff. He may have done some terrible things in his life, but my daddy fought until the end to keep the Woods safe."

The crowd murmured, some skeptical, but most approving. Soon, the murmurs gave way to a roar, all of the crowd chanting in unison:

"Long live the Sheriff!"