Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Only two of my Tedroses don't flee, looking just as dazed as the enemy Tedroses around them. The two Tedroses I knew wouldn't run, not without finding each other first.
I'm already on my feet, stumbling downhill, my broken body masked by Tedros' form.
Thirty seconds left.
I push myself to run faster, even as I feel myself fading. I rush into the crowd of bewildered Tedroses and grab Agatha by her tattered shirt, the bag with my crystal still on her arm-
"It's me," I whisper, hearing my voice as Tedros', deep and assured.
Agatha's princely face softens.
"Tedros?" she mouths.
I clasp her arm tightly.
"Spell breaks in twenty seconds. Get Dovey. Take her into the Woods. She'll lead us to the Caves of Contempo. That's where Merlin is."
I can see the other Tedroses zeroing in on us.
We're the only ones talking.
"What about you?" Agatha presses.
"If we run together, Rhian and his men will know it's us. I'll meet you at the old League hideout in one hour. Then we'll go to the caves”
"I can't leave you-“
"You will if you want me to stay alive” I say, my glare so sure it quiets her.
“One hour.”
“Go. Now.'”
"Which one is Dovey?" Agatha breathes.
I point to the real Tedros.
"That one," I say, watching him claw out from under a pile of clones, scanning the field for his princess. "Get Dovey to the Woods. We need to rescue Merlin." I reach for her bag, determined to get my crystal away from her.
"I'll take this.”
"No," Agatha retorts, wrenching it back with more strength than I can challenge.
Her steeliness burns through her prince's blue eyes.
"One hour or I'm coming back for you.
And then she's running, diving for Tedros and seizing him by the wrist and dragging him towards the Woods, thinking it's me.
Tedros doesn't resist, either because he knows it's Agatha or because it happens too fast for him or anyone else to understand-
But Rhian sees them.
His Tedros knows exactly what's happening.
He won't let them get away.
His eyes fly to his sword on the ground.
He bolts for Excalibur-
I'm there first.

I hold up King Arthur's sword to the boy who claims to be his son, the boy who thinks he's king, the boy who pulled this sword out of the stone and who I could kill by its tip.
But I've only killed for one person in my life.
“A friend I can’t live without. I just hope she can learn to live without me.”
Rhian doesn’t deserve such a fate.
I have other ways.
“This is Tedros!” I declare to Rhian’s men around me, pointing Excalibur at the king.
“This is the impostor! This is him!”
An army of Tedroses converge on the king.
Rhian backs up. “No . . . wait . . . he’s Tedros. He’s him!” Then he gapes at me, his self-assurance cracking beneath Tedros’ facade. “But if you’re Tedros . . .” He looks back at Agatha and the prince, hurtling for the Woods.

“Then who are—”

“Get him!” I cry.

“No!” Rhian screams.

But it’s too late. The hyenas taste blood. His men besiege him.

I sink to my knees, Excalibur spilling out of my hands into the grass, my body drained of life despite its veneer of youth. Inside, my lungs wither. My heart falters. My eyes cloud as if I’m already far away.

As Rhian is crushed beneath his own mob, I look back at my two Tedroses, helping each other over the gatehouse wall that separates the castle from the Woods.

Suddenly they freeze, as if something in their touch has given it away. Agatha stares at the real Tedros in horror before she spins to me, the Tedros who tricked her, left behind on the battlefield—

The ground shudders, followed by the echo of hooves. A dark horse streaks across the hill like a specter.

Its rider is blacked out by the sun as he crushes through the Tedroses assailing the king, shattering their bones and spraying them aside, before he swings off his saddle and sweeps the broken Tedros into his hands.
Crouched over the king, the shadow touches Rhian, as if he knows who he is beneath Tedros’ face. His fingers run along Rhian’s bruised, bloodied chest, feeling it rise and fall, alive with breath.
Gently, he lays the king down.
Then his cool blue eyes find me like sapphires in a cave.
He moves quickly, a black fog, like Death itself.
As he stands over me, his face comes into focus.
Japeth bares his teeth, his cheeks flecked with Rhian’s blood, his fists gnarled with murder.
He pulls Excalibur out of the grass, my princely face reflected in its steel
Behind him, I see my two Tedroses sprinting to save me—
I give them a smile.
A smile that tells them I’m at peace.
This is what I’ve chosen.

They run faster, harder towards me. But it’s too late.
“Little boy who thinks he’s a man. Little boy who thinks he’s a king,” Japeth seethes at me.
“You tried to kill the one I love and now look at you. On your knees, bowing down to my brother. Bowing down to the real king.”
I turn my smile on Japeth.
“No Snake will ever be king,” I vow.
He puts his face to mine. “Long live Tedros.”
With a roar, the Snake swings the sword for my neck. I look boldly into his eyes, reverting to my true form.

Then suddenly before I can react I feel myself falling and I assume he hit me the last thing I register is a Voice but I’m too far away and everything goes dark

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

As Robin and the students arrived at Gnomerland, they saw some of the teachers outside waiting for them.
“Did everyone get away?” Professor Anemone asked Robin.
“I don’t know; I just took who I could find and ran. It’s a bloodbath and carnage. I know we got most of them out,” Robin told Professor Anemone.
Sophie managed to break away from him.
“He left Dovey behind and Agatha and Tedros; we need to go find them and save them,” Sophie told Professor Anemone.
“What we need to do is rejoin the students and teachers inside of Gnome Land and see who’s missing, and then we’ll send out people to help them,” professor Anemone told Sophie.
“They will be dead by then; Rhain or Japheth would have killed them. And Dovey didn’t look well; he’ll kill her first,” Sophie told Professor Anemone.
Sophie then saw Lady lesso exit gnomeland and look around. She knew who she was looking for.
“My best friend. My Agatha.”
“How could you leave her behind? How could you not help her? She was your dean, and she helped you and looked after you. She has been there for you even now, and you’ve just left her,” Lady lesso told Robin.
Sophie hadn’t seen lesso this angry in a long time.
“She would’ve wanted me to save the students, so I did. They were all tied up. I had to free them and bring them here," Robin told Lady lesso.
“Did you at least untie her because I doubt it,?” Lady lesso asked Robin.
“She untied herself. I saw her get free, and she ran after someone; she was definitely untied,” Robin told Lady lesso.
“And you, you are supposed to be Tedros's mother, and you just left him behind; a mother doesn’t do that; they never leave their child behind if they’ve got the choice and you had the choice and you left him behind.” Lady Lesso told Guinevere.
"Everyone, get inside. I’m going to find the others and bring them back,” lady lesso told everyone.
"Red, you won’t be able to help her and Agatha and Tedros on your own, and you definitely won’t be able to if Clarissa’s injured,,” professor Anemone told Lady lesso.
“I’ll be fine; get everyone inside and look after them,” Lady lesso told Professor Anemone.
Lesso then tightened her hand around her cane and walked as fast as she could manage. She knew she was still in her heels which she knew wasn’t a good idea; she couldn’t run in them even on a good day, but she didn’t have a chance to change out of them; she had to help Dovey Agatha and tedros.
As lesso arrived to where they were, she climbed over the gate, trying to hold in a wince of pain as her right leg touched the ground.
She didn’t have time for her knee to play up right now; she needed to get the others to safely.
As she looked up, she saw what looked to be Tedros looking at another Tedros.
And the way they were talking, she knew that one was Dovey. That was confirmed when she saw two tedros’s run away, then look at each other shocked and look back at her.
She had tricked them; the pure, literal ball of sunshine had tricked them.
Lesso couldn’t help but smile.
But her smile soon dropped when she saw another tedros come up behind dovey and start fighting for Tedros’s sword. Lesso saw dovey grab it. She then saw Dovey talking to the person who looked like Tedros, but couldn’t hear her from where she was as she got closer She saw the tedros get tackled to the ground and get attacked by other tedros’s.
Another tedros then Arrived on horseback and got off his horse, and grabbed a hold of doveys shoulders to stopped her from getting away.
Lesso could tell from where she was that Dovey's breathing wasn’t right, and it wasn't because she was panicking; something was wrong with her.
Lesso ran as fast as she could manage, which she knew wasn’t very fast, but she was trying.
She saw the person lift up the sword to Dovey's neck.
She knew she wasn’t going to make it in time.
She knew she should’ve just let Emma follow her. Emma could get there in time, even in heels, and she couldn't, not with how bad her knee was.
Lesso lifts her left hand in a last-minute and last-ditch attempt to throw a spell at the tedros who were trying to hurt Dovey.
The spell lifted the guy up and threw him back.
As she reaches Dovey, she sees her falling; she only just manages to catch her before she hits the floor.
She could feel her knee threatening to give way on her, so lowered to the floor, bringing Dovey down with her.
“Clarissa, can you hear me?” Lady lesso asked, shaking Dovey's shoulder.
Lesso could tell Dovey was barely breathing and that her lungs were on the verge of giving out. She could tell from the way her eyes were fluttering that Dovey was trying to fight to stay conscious. But the fluttering soon stopped, and Dovey went unconscious.
“It’s ok, you’re going to be OK; everything is going to be OK, I promise,” lady lesso told Dovey.
Lady Lesso checked Dovey's heartbeat, and something sank in her with how slow it was.
“Is she alive?" lady lesso heard someone call out and looked around.
She saw Tedros and Agatha walking up to her.
“She needs your help. We need to get her out of here.” Lady lesso told Agatha and Tedros.
Agatha hated the way Dovey was barely breathing.
Lesso went to stand up, but her knee gave out on her. She only just managed to withhold her gasp of pain.
“You two help… her to gnomeland and I’ll meet you there…. Ive got to check to see if anyone else was left behind,” lady lesso told Agatha and tedros hoping her voice didn’t portray any of her pain.
Lesso didn’t want them to know how bad her knee was or that it would take her a while to be able to stand.
Tedros got Dovey standing, and Agatha looked at lesso.
“Make it back to Gnomeland; she needs you,” Agatha told lady lesso.
Agatha and Tedros then make their way to gnomeland Agatha hated to leave lesso behind but but she knew it was the only way to protect and save Dovey’s life, and Agatha knew lesso would never want her to know she was in pain even though she had worked it out awhile ago and she also knew that lesso would definitely not let her help her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Lesso heard footsteps and looked up she saw the guy starting to get back up again. As the spell was broken he could see who was the real tedros.
Lesso used magic to distract him, that's when she realized just how familiar he looked.
Suddenly she was hit with a spell knocking her backward as she sat back up and tried to get up to fight him she saw a sword impale him and him drop to the floor behind him stood Sophie shaking out of fear and dropping the sword. Letting go of Japheth as he falls.
“I killed him, I actually killed him ” Sophie says.
“You had to you it was the only way to stop him” lady lesso told Sophie.
“Where are the others?” Sophie asked. lesso could see she was scared, and after everything that had happened over the last nearly 4 years, she didn’t think she would ever see Sophie look this scared.
“ they have already left” lady lesso told Sophie.
“Aggie?” Sophie asked.
“She’s on her way back to gnomeland with tedros and dovey.” Lesso told Sophie.
Lesso then pushed herself up with her cane gripping it and leaning on it more than she ever had in front of Sophie before.
“Dovey is she OK?” Sophie asked.
“We’ll see when we get to gnomelnd” lesso told Sophie.
lesso then stepped forward trying everything she could to keep standing which she knew would end up being a losing fight with the way her knee kept trying to buckle.
Sophie felt bad she wanted to help but she didn’t know how and she also knew that she probably couldn’t help.
They begin slowly making their way back to gnomeland.
Everyone had already gone inside.
They slowly make their way inside and onto the carts.
“What happened to going inside and waiting with the others” lady lesso asked.
“I wanted to come and help you and the others well I mainly wanted to come and help Agatha, but also you and the others” Sophie told lady lesso.
They then load onto the carts and the cars soon start moving Sophie could tell the carts were making lessos knee worse from the way she kept rubbing it when she thought Sophie wasn’t looking Sophie could tell lesso was trying everything she could to try and hide her pain.
They soon arrived where the others where and Sophie got off the cart but when lesso went to get off the cart her right knee gave out she was only saved from hitting the ground by grabbing the side of the cart just time lesso tried to get walking again but her right knee wasn’t cooperating.

Sophie didn’t know what to do.
She knew that she needed to get someone that know what to do and someone that would be able to help but Sophie knew that lesso would not allow just anyone to help her The only people that could possibly help her and that lesso would possibly allow where dovey who wasn’t able to help her right now or possibly another evil teacher.
Professor sheeks thought sophie.
Sophie ran off to find her.
**************
Agatha and tedros follow Emma into a room and laid Dovey down on one of king teapeas sofas.
Emma starts using her magic to try and help her.
“You two have A mission to do go and do it I’ll help her” Emma told Agatha and tedros.
Agatha and tedros didn’t want to leave dovey but they knew they had to go on their mission.
“Let us know if she’s OK” Agatha told Emma
Agatha and Tedros then left.
Emma then checked doveys heartbeat and hated how slow it was.
“Stay with us we need you and I’m sorry I didn’t come after you and I should’ve. I know that now I was worried about the students and I don’t want to break the rules and put anyone else in danger but that doesn’t make a difference now because lesso broke the rules anyway.” Emma told dovey.
Emma continued to try and heal Dovey with her magic finally she noticed that doveys heartbeat was getting better but her lungs and ribs weren’t.
“What did you do to your self, you don’t do anything by half do you, multiple broken ribs and lungs so damaged that they look like they’re about to give out on you” emma told dovey.
Emma then made a machine with her magic to help dovey breathe she then put the mask on doveys face she needed to get her breathing properly untill her lungs could managed it themselves.
Emma had never seen someone look so pale and so clammy at the same time.
“You stay with us OK, we can’t do any of this without you red definitely can’t” Emma told dovey As she checked dovey heartbeat again.
Emma then heard the door open she quickly turned to see who had entered the room because no one was meant to enter the room.
***********
Sophie looked around For professor sheeks and finally found her with the others and runs over to her.
“lady lesso needs your help” Sophie told professor sheeks.
“There you are Everyone said you’d run off you need to stop doing that you’re going to get yourself killed, what does lady lesso need my help with” professor sheeks asked.
“ I think it’s her knee, she can’t walk at least not on her own and I don’t know how to help I thought you might be able to” Sophie told professor sheeks quietly, she knew that lesso wouldn’t want everyone knowing.
“Where is she?” professor sheeks asked.
“Down by the tracks” Sophie told professor sheeks.
“alone?” professor sheeks asked.
“Yes, What was I meant to do I don’t know how to help and she would never let me” Sophie told professor sheeks.
“Stay here I’ll go and help her and don’t tell anyone what’s happening” professor sheeks told Sophie.
professor sheeks then went off to find lesso.
She found lesso leaning on her cane more heavily than professor sheeks had ever seen her.
When lesso tried to take a step forward trying to keep as much weight as possible on her left leg her right knee still gave in and she dropped but this time professor sheeks catches her and keeps her standing.
“You Shouldn’t have gone after them One of us could’ve gone instead” professor sheeks told lady lesso.
“I had to save them… he was about to kill her….when I arrived he would’ve moved onto them…..next they were going back for her.” Lady Lesso told professor sheeks.
“Who, you mean Dovey” professor sheeks said.
Lady lesso didn’t respond she was too busy, trying to hide her pain.
professor sheeks then helped lesso to the room she had seen Emma enter she knew that dovey would probably be with her.
**************
Emma turned towards her.
“Put her on the sofa.”
Sheeba helped lesso to the other sofa. And walked over to Emma.
“Is it her knee or is it something else.” Emma asked.
“Her knee it was bad earlier and her going after them and helping them had only made it get worse” Sheeba told Emma
Lesso lays her cane against the sofa she’s sitting on and stretches out her right leg as best as she could.
“Can you do anything about it” Emma asked Sheeba.
“I don’t know if she’ll let me but if she doesn’t do something she’ll end up passing out and I don’t want to do anything to help if she’s not awake to let me know if it’s OK or not” Sheeba told Emma.
Sheeba then made a pain potion with her magic. And returned to lesso.
“You should take this I know you don’t want help but you need something otherwise you’re going to end up passing out and I would rather help before you end up passing out” Sheeba told lesso.
As much as lesso didn’t want help She knew that sheeba was right. And she hated that.
Lesso took the pain potion off sheeba opened it and drank it she then used her magic to make the bottle dissapare.
“Is she going to live the school does need her and lesso needs her even though she won’t admit it” sheeba said looking over at dovey.
“I don’t know but I hope so I’m doing everything I can but the damage to her lungs is severe.” Emma told Sheeba.

“The only thing I need her for is so I don’t get stuck looking after the Evers until after A replacement is found” lesso told Emma and Sheeba.
“Sure it is” said Sheeba.
As lesso falls asleep against the arm of the sofa doveys heart rate starts dropping.
Emma starts using her magic to try and help dovey.
“Come on Clarissa stay with us” Emma told her.
Sheeba didn’t know what to do so she kept an eye on lesso who was still asleep the main thing was that she looked like she was going to be ok.
Emma finally manages to make dovey stable and get her heart beat better but it was still weak.
“That’s all I can do for now hopefully it’s enough” Emma told Sheeba.
When Sheeba looked over to Emma she noticed how pale she looked she could tell what was going to happen.
“You should sit down” Sheeba told Emma.
“I don’t need to I’m fine” Emma told Sheeba.
Sheeba used her magic to make a chair appear behind Emma.
“Sit down before you fall down she’s not going to be happy if you make yourself faint to help her.” Sheeba told Emma
As much as Emma wanted to argue, she knew that there was no point nor did she have the energy so she just gave in and she sat down.
Emma sat there watching over dovey hoping that she would be okay.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Emma woke up a few hours later to Sheeba Shaking her arm.

“I’m going to check on everyone, make sure everything is alright”

“Yeah ok”

Sheeba then left the room

Emma looked over at Clarissa and took Clarissa’s hand in hers.
“really clarissa What are you trying to do? Beat the record for how many broken ribs you can survive.” Emma joked, trying to cover up how worried she was.
She then looked over at lesso who was still asleep and clearly in pain.
“What are these two trying to do, get themselves killed?” Emma thought to herself.
she then realized how hurt tedros and the others seemed to be and she knew something bad must’ve happened.
Emma checked her spell to make sure it was still slowly healing dovey she know there’s too much damage to heal it all now and with Dovey's heart rate still being quite low, Emma didn’t want to risk anything.
Emma then checked Dovey's breathing to make sure the oxygen mask was helping and was glad when it was a lot better, nowhere near normal—but she was breathing enough for it to be OK for now.
Emma then let go of dovey hand and walked over to Lesso, whose hair had fallen in front of her face.
She started to make a bottle of painkillers to go on the side next to the sofa, just in case lesso needed it before Sheeba got back. She didn’t like her but she was helping her for Clarissa. Because she knew that they meant a lot to each other, even if she didn’t understand why.
Suddenly, lesso woke up bolting to sit straight; her face then flinched with pain.
"Easy, it’s only me, you, and clarissa in the room,” Emma told lesso.
“Im Fine," Lesso said, pushing her hair away from her face, but Emma could tell she wasn’t not only from the way her face kept flinching because of the pain, but from the way her face was more pale than Emma had ever seen it.
She knew Lesso could be pale but never like this, and the way her breathing was faster than normal.
Lesso, then saw the painkillers.
“I don’t need your charity; I’m fine,” lesso told Emma.
“It's not charity, and either you sit there in pain or take it; it’s up to you. Ive got other things I need to do, like trying to keep her alive." Emma said, pointing at Dovey.
Emma walked back over to Clarissa.
Lesso looked over at Dovey and couldn't help herself but smile as she saw that she was breathing. She wasn’t back to normal but Lesso was happy Dovey was breathing, especially when it had come so close to her dying.
As another wave of pain shot through her right leg, Lesso checked to make sure Emma wasn't looking at her, and when she wasn't, Lesso took some of the painkillers She knew she needed to take it; she couldn’t risk passing out, but she didn’t want Emma to see her take it; she didn’t want Emma to see her admit she was in pain.
“I’ve done all I can for the moment; the rest will take time. I’ve put a healing spell on her; it will heal her slowly, any faster, and it will kill her to heal all of her injuries in one day It’s too much for her,” Emma told lesso.
“What happened? From what I’ve seen and from what Tedros told me, it wasn’t good, and that’s just what I’ve seen or heard” Emma asked, looking at lesso.
“I think She was already hurt before everything happened; this just made it worse,” lesso told Emma.
“What happened one minute She was at the school, and the next minute I couldn’t find her anywhere, and then I saw Agatha come here saying that she couldn’t find any of them, and she thought they where all locked up somewhere, and something about how Clarissas hurt,” Emma told lesso.
"I think It was her stupid crystal ball that she has; she had to do something with it, and I think Merlin couldn't help, and he didn’t want to contact me and ask me or you for some unknown reason ” lesso told Emma.
“The crystal ball that August broke? I didn’t even know it worked,” Emma told lesso.
“ it must be working because I think she used it, so I don’t know if it was that or something else that has damaged her lungs. But something isn’t right with them, she wasn’t breathing right” Lesso told Emma.
“ if it was the crystal ball She should’ve said something; I would’ve helped her,” Emma told lesso.
“She should know to come to me for help. I’ve always helped her. The students can survive five minutes without me, so I could’ve helped her, and then she wouldn’t have nearly gotten herself killed.” Emma told lesso.
“ well, she’s clearly stubborn and obviously thought she could do it herself” Lesso told Emma.
As Emma went to say something, Dovey started coughing.
“You’re OK. You’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine,” Emma said, taking hold of Dovey's hand again.
Emma Used her magic to try and normalise doveys breathing.
Emma looked back over to Lesso.
“Her lungs are going to be a bad for the next couple of days so She’s going to have to be careful. Any slight hits or damage could be bad really bad, any coughing like this for the next couple days is normal. In a couple of days, she should be able to breathe better. It will take her longer than that to get back to her normal self, but she’ll be able to breathe better again, though she probably will have some breathlessness and a bit of coughing until they fully heal. she should be alright in a few weeks which is the main thing. " Emma told lesso.
"I'm not leaving this room I'm staying here till she leaves." Lesso said quickly, then regretted it.
“What I mean is I’m not leaving without her because if I leave, I have to deal with the Evers, and they’re very irritating and annoying,” lesso told Emma.
“Of course, what other reason would there be?” Emma said, starting to grin.
“There is no other reason than that. I’m just concerned about her because if something happened to her, it would take a while to find someone to cover her place, and I would have to deal with the Evers until then and That’s a lot of work.” Lesso told Emma.
"Sure,” Emma said, checking Dovey over one more time. Dovey's coughing started slowing down.
“So it’s nothing about being friends or anything about caring about your friend?” Emma asked lesso.
"I'm a never; we don’t care like that; we do things to get things out of them because they mean something,“ lesso told Emma. Lesso knew that she did care about Clarissa more than she should, and more than she would let on to Emma.
“Of course, but she does care about you a lot; actually and you’re either too blind to see it or you're in denial. Either way, I think we both know you care for her, no matter how much you try to hide it or cover it up. I know how people say Evers and Nevers can’t be friends, but I think we’ve been shown different Sophie and Agatha have shown us different, so I think you should start seeing each other as people, not just Evers and never‘s” Emma told lesso.
“Just go away,” lesso told Emma.
Emma could tell it lacked lessos normal annoyance. Emma could tell from the way lesso was still pale and from lessos face that she was fighting her pain and didn’t have the energy to say anything worse.
“ hopefully the worst is over and done with and she should slowly get better" Emma told Lesso.
“are you expecting her to get worse?” Lesso asked Emma.
Emma never thought she would see so much worry for Dovey on Lessos face as she saw right now .
"No, but I can’t rule it out from happening. I’ve done my best, and the healing spell will heal most of her injuries over the next two days, but there’s always a chance she could take a turn for the worst with how bad her injuries were and still are,” Emma told lesso.
Emma then sat back down next to dovey still holding her hand.
Lesso sat there, watching over Dovey. Her right hand rubbing her right knee, whenever Emma wasn’t looking hoping to calm the pain down.

************

“Emma is wrong I don’t care about Clarissa that much. we are friends but nothing else just associates and coworkers. I’m just concerned because if something happens to her, I’ll get abandoned with the Evers, and I don’t want that. That’s definitely it. But why did Emma think differently?" Lesso thought to herself.
“What is happening to me? She’s an ever, and I’m a never nevers don’t do feelings; we don’t do this; nothing can happen; we can never be anything more than coworkers; it could never happen.” Lesso thought to herself.
Lesso sat there waiting for Dovey to wake up, hating how ill dovey still looked.
“What if she does get worse? What if she doesn’t make it?” lesso thought to herself.
"No, she will; she’ll be fine. I know she will because I made her a promise.” Lesso thought to herself.
After What felt like days but was only hours Dovey's eyes started to open.