“She can turn into a wyvern?” Ollie moans. “I thought dragons were bad. Wyverns are even harder to kill. Watch the tail and, um, try not to get torched.” We dive out of the way as fire comes too close for comfort.
Jax slides under a wall of fire to reach us. “How do we kill that thing?” Jax yells, grabbing a chair and holding it up like a shield. The embers from a nearby fire ignite his chair, and he drops it like a hot cross bun.
Rapunzel comes running over, dragging Rose behind her like a rag doll. Rapunzel turns and begins to shake her fellow princess. “That wyvern will rip apart the whole castle while the princesses and the others are under her spell! You have to uncharm them so we can get everyone to safety!”
Princess Rose holds her head in her hands. “I can’t with all this commotion. There is a dragon in the ballroom. What am I supposed to do? Walk through the flames and ask all the RLWs to hold hands with Ella and Snow and repeat after me the charm that reverses the spell? I’ll be a toasted marshmallow before I cross the dance floor!”
“You selfish girl!” Rapunzel scolds. “Were you so desperate for glory that you had to curse your own sisters and your kingdom? How could you work with the fairy that destroyed your life?”
“I thought I could trick her!” Rose cries as flames engulf half the ballroom. I can’t even see Maxine or the other RLWs anymore. I can only hope they’re okay. “Haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘The enemy of your enemy is your friend’? Alva’s plan was so delicious. How could I not want to be part of taking you all down and getting the kingdom for myself? I should have known she’d never let Enchantasia be mine—even if I handed over Gillian.” Rose glares at me and her eyes look yellow in the flames.
The Evil Queen and Jocelyn weren’t lying. They were actually trying to protect me! “You are the poorest excuse for a princess I’ve ever seen!” I yell.
At that moment, the wyvern’s tail curls around Rose’s body and lifts her off the ground and away before we can stop it. One of its massive legs knocks down a rear wall of the ballroom, and debris rains down on our heads.
“Rose!” Rapunzel cries as Rose screams in horror. “She’s a pill, but I can’t let her die. How do we kill that thing?”
For once, I’m completely stumped. “I don’t know!” I realize and that terrifies me. What kind of hero am I?
“Houratiempo!” I hear someone yell, and I see Jocelyn and Harlow running toward us. Jocelyn has Jax’s pocket watch and is using it to zap the wyvern’s legs. The wyvern screeches in anger. The blast holds the creature hostage for a moment, but I know that moment won’t last long. Jocelyn hits me in the arm. “I told you we weren’t the villains!”
“I see that now!” I shout. “I’m sorry!”
Jocelyn’s eyes bulge out of her head. “That’s your apology?”
“Jocelyn! Now is not the time to be petty!” Harlow has her back to us, and I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. The Evil Queen is commanding the flames away from Ella, Snow, Maxine, and the RLWs on the other side of the room. “You don’t have much time. This room is going to come down,” Harlow yells to us. “You must hit the wyvern in its mouth or the vents behind its legs. The impact should cause Alva to transform back to her natural state and then I may be able to contain her. Use this.” She produces a dagger from her skirt pocket. “It’s laced with gingerroot. Once she’s back in human form, this should hold her for a few minutes.”
“Should hold?” Rapunzel and Jax ask at the same time. They look at each other.
“Do you have a better idea, Princess?” Harlow snaps. Jocelyn and I duck as a table is thrown past our heads. I notice the wyvern’s legs are starting to move again.
“Okay, we’ll try it,” Rapunzel says as flames shoot in our direction.
Jax throws me out of the way as the fire comes dangerously close to us. “Lead it away with anything red,” Harlow adds. “It hates red.”
I scan the room for something red. Of course, we’re in a room filled with pink. Then I spot a red velvet tapestry hanging on a wall. “Let’s use that!” I tell the others.
Rapunzel freaks. “That tapestry has been in the kingdom for over a hundred years!” A breath of fire crumbles a section of the balcony, and pieces fall on us. “But I guess it’s worn out,” she says quickly. “I’ll go get it.”
Jax holds Rapunzel back. “You stay here, Princess. It’s too dangerous.”
“No!” Rapunzel insists. “This is my kingdom too. We’ll fight this beast together.”