The Ballad of Never After

The author went on to curse the names of all the original Great Houses: Fortuna, Slaughterwood, Merrywood, Redthorne, Hawkleaf, Casstel, Bloodgrave, Verita, Ravencross, Darling, Havok, Bellflower, and Acadian

Unlock it,” Jacks ordered.

Evangeline bristled. “You could at least say please.”

“I could, but then you might think I’m being nice, and I would hate to confuse you.”

“I hurt everyone, Little Fox. But you have to be alive to hate me.” His eyes iced over. “I do not want you dead, and I’ll kill anyone who tries

So, you think they’re all doomed? Evangeline would ask.

Then her mother would smile, sweet and warm as fresh sugar pie. Not at all, my precious girl. I think there’s a happy ending for everyone. But I don’t think these endings always follow the last page of a book, or that everyone is guaranteed to find their happily ever after. Happy endings can be caught, but they are difficult to hold on to. They are dreams that want to escape the night. They are treasure with wings. They are

Conceived in the north, and born in the south, you will know this key, because she will be crowned in rose gold.

She will be both peasant and princess, a fugitive wrongly accused, and only her willing blood will open this arch

His eyes were wet with blood. Red tears fell down his cheeks and onto hers. But the girl didn’t stir.

Why do you even care how I feel? she thought back tartly. It’s not as if I’ll remember any of this anyway.

“There is nothing of equal value to me.”

The story curse was familiar with pain, but this was agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century. The Fate was every tear that anyone had ever shed for lost love. He was pain given form.

The girl was dead. If her lifeless body had not confirmed it, then it would have been made clear by the horrible scream of the Fate who held her in his arms.