Reality overload

Lucas didn't put me down.

Not after ten steps.

Not after twenty.

Not after we passed the fountain.

Not after Riley nearly passed out laughing.

Not after Charlie said, "You did this to yourself."

He just kept walking, arms steady, jaw set, carrying me like this was his new full‑time job.

"Lucas," I hissed, gripping his armor, "PUT. ME. DOWN."

"No," he said, not even winded.

Nate was having the time of his life. 

People in town stared as we passed.

Some waved.

Some whispered.

One old lady said, "Aw, young love," and I nearly died on the spot.

I slapped Lucas's shoulder. "Did you HEAR that?! Put me down before this becomes a rumor!"

"Too late," Riley called behind us. "It's already a rumor."

I covered my face with both hands. "Lucas, I swear, I will hex you."

"You don't know how," he said calmly.

"That's not the POINT....uum I'll get Reía to do it

"Sorry Zora....I uuu...rather not get involved."

He adjusted his grip like I weighed nothing.

" Looks like you're stuck Zora."

And Nate?

Nate was walking beside us with the biggest grin I'd ever seen on him.

He leaned in close to Lucas's shoulder and said, very loudly, exactly the kind of thing Nate would say.

"Bro... you know you don't HAVE to marry her just because you picked her up."

I choked. "NATE—"

Lucas's jaw tightened. "Shut up."

Nate kept going, delighted. "I mean, I get it. You're already halfway there. Princess carry? Town watching? Kids asking questions? This is basically a proposal."

I slapped Lucas's chest. "PUT ME DOWN."

Lucas didn't even look at me. "No."

Nate snorted. "Look at him. Look at this man. He's committed. He's locked in. He's carrying you like he's afraid someone's gonna steal you."

Lucas's ears went red. "Nate."

Nate raised his hands innocently. "Hey, I'm just saying— if you're gonna carry her through town like that, at least buy her dinner first."

I squeaked. "NATE."

Nate leaned closer to Lucas again. "Or, you know... a ring."

Lucas  and I turned in unison. And said at the exact same time

"SHUT UP NATE!!!"

Riley wheezed behind us. Charlie covered her mouth. Reia whispered, "Oh my gods."

Nate clapped Lucas on the back. "Don't worry, man. I'll be your best man."

Lucas finally snapped. "NATE I SWEAR TO—" too late the weasel scampered away to walk by himself.

I peeked up at him, cheeks frosting. "Why are you doing this?"

"You called me a baby," he said. "So now you get consequences."

"THIS IS NOT A CONSEQUENCE, THIS IS PUBLIC HUMILIATION."

"Same thing."

Charlie snorted. "Honestly? You deserve it."

I glared at her upside‑down from Lucas's arms. "TRAITOR."

She shrugged. "You poked the bear."

"I poked a hamster," I corrected. "Lucas is a hamster."

Lucas's eyebrow twitched. "Keep talking."

I shut up immediately.

We passed the bakery.

We passed the well.

We passed three confused guards.

We passed a group of kids who pointed and whispered, "Is she in trouble?"

YES.

I WAS.

By the time we reached the elders' house, I was red from head to toe, clinging to Lucas like a terrified cat.

He finally stopped at the door.

"Okay," he said. "We're here."

"Great," I muttered. "Now put me—"

He didn't.

He just looked at me.

And I combusted all over again.

Charlie opened the door, smirking. "Bring her in."

"DO NOT BRING ME IN," I yelped.

Lucas finally stopped in the entryway of the elders' house, still holding me like I weighed nothing. My face was already burning, my hands gripping his shirt because I had no idea where else to put them.

"Okay," he said calmly, "I'll put you down now."

"Good," I muttered, trying to sound annoyed instead of mortified. "Finally."

But he didn't move.

He just looked at me.

And smirked.

My stomach dropped.

"What," I said flatly.

"Nothing," he said, still smirking. "Just... you got real quiet."

"I DID NOT."

"You did," he said. "Like halfway through town."

"I WAS THINKING."

"Uh‑huh."

He shifted his grip slightly, just enough to make me squeak and grab onto him harder.

Charlie burst out laughing behind us.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"I'M FINE," I snapped, which only made him smirk harder.

"You sure?" he asked. "Because earlier you were calling me a baby, but now you're clinging pretty tight."

"I AM NOT CLINGING."

"You are literally clinging."

I tried to let go of his shirt.

My hands did not listen.

They tightened.

Lucas laughed under his breath. "See?"

I wanted to evaporate.

"Lucas," I hissed, "put me down."

"Say please."

My soul left my body.

Charlie wheezed. "Oh my god, he's enjoying this."

Lucas tilted his head. "Well?"

I glared at him, face frozen like a glacier. "Please."

He nodded, satisfied.

"Okay."

And then — finally — he set me down gently.

My legs wobbled.

I pretended they didn't.

Everyone saw that they did.

Lucas leaned down just a little, voice low enough only I could hear.

"See? Not that bad."

Before I could say anything, one of the Hilguard guards slipped in through the doorway and leaned toward Geld. He whispered something low and fast, too quiet for any of us to catch.

Geld's expression tightened immediately. He gave Lucas a look that said I'm watching you, then turned sharply and followed the guard out of the room without a word.

Riley exhaled. "Well. That's not ominous at all."

Charlie nudged me. "Come on. Let's get out of these clothes before Lucas decides he hasn't had enough

Without another word I toddled as fast as I could down the hall. I didn't even look back the waves of frost rolling off of me like a beacon as if to say look here I am.

I thought we were finally free.

I was wrong.

The six maids who had dressed us earlier were suddenly right behind us, lined up like a pastel‑colored firing squad.

The tallest maid bowed. "My lady, we will assist you in changing back."

I blinked. "Wait— you're coming with us?"

All six nodded in perfect unison.

Riley whispered, "Oh no."

Charlie whispered, "Oh yes."

Reia whispered, "They're very determined."

We headed toward the guest room, and the maids followed so closely behind us that I could hear every nervous inhale they made. When we stepped inside, they immediately fanned out like they were preparing for battle.

The moment the door shut, chaos began.

One maid rushed to Riley. "Miss Riley, please hold still...your sleeves are enchanted...."

Riley flinched. "Enchanted with WHAT!!

The maid tugged the sleeve.

The sleeve refused to move.

Riley stared at it. "It's fighting back?"

Another maid hurried over to help. "It does that sometimes."

"WHY!?" Riley demanded.

"It gets nervous."

"THE CLOTHES GET NERVOUS?"

Meanwhile, two maids approached Reia, who was already trying to undo the back ties of her gown.

One maid gasped. "No, no, no— you'll wrinkle the embroidery!"

Reia froze. "I'm sorry— I didn't mean to offend the embroidery—"

The maid looked horrified. "It's very sensitive."

Reia whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Charlie was dealing with her own disaster. A maid was trying to undo the clasp at her shoulder, but the clasp refused to open.

The maid tugged.

The clasp stayed shut.

The maid tugged harder.

The clasp made a tiny ping noise.

Charlie sighed. "It's stuck, isn't it."

The maid nodded miserably. "It's very stubborn."

Charlie crossed her arms. "It's a clasp."

"It has a personality," the maid whispered.

Charlie groaned.

And then there was me.

Three maids surrounded me like I was a grenade with the pin pulled.

One pointed at my ceremonial bodice. "We must be careful. This one is... complicated."

Another nodded. "Very complicated."

The third whispered, "Terrifyingly complicated."

I stared at them. "It's just a dress."

All three gasped.

The tallest maid stepped forward, eyes wide. "My lady, this is not just a dress. This is a Hilguard ceremonial garment woven with divine thread and reinforced with royal binding."

I blinked. "It's still a dress."

The maid looked like she might faint.

They began working on the back ties, but the ties were so tight that the maids kept bumping into each other.

One maid's hand slipped. "Sorry!"

Another maid dropped a pin. "Sorry!"

The third maid accidentally poked my shoulder. "SORRY!"

I winced. "It's okay...I'm fine..."

The tallest maid panicked. "She said she's fine...we must hurry..."

They fumbled faster.

Which made everything worse.

Riley was still fighting her sleeves. "WHY ARE THEY ALIVE?"

Reia was apologizing to her embroidery. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Charlie was glaring at her clasp. "Open. I swear to the Hestia, open."

And I was being spun in a slow circle while three maids tried to untangle divine thread without crying.

Finally...finally...the bodice loosened.

The maids sagged in relief.

One whispered, "We did it."

Another whispered, "We survived."

The third whispered, "Barely."

We changed into our normal clothes...hoodies, jeans, shirts, boots, and the maids gathered the ceremonial outfits like they were carrying priceless relics.

The tallest maid bowed. "We will return these to the royal wardrobe."

Riley muttered, "Burn mine."

The maid gasped. "We would never."

Charlie snorted. "She's joking."

Reia smiled. "Are you sure Charlie?"

Riley chimed in changing the subject. " It was the right call to bring clothes Charlie.

"I thought we might need spares. I always have go bags just in case, it's a good thing you are close to Zora's size." She looked at Reia who was swimming in one of Charlie's old shirts.

"Sorry Reia, I know they are pretty big on you" Charlie said.

"It's ok they are comfy so it's alright." Reia responded.

I pulled my hoodie straight and exhaled. "Okay. Let's go."

We stepped out of the room, finally back in our normal clothes, and I felt like I could breathe again. Hoodie. Jeans. Boots. Actual sanity. Riley stretched her arms. Charlie cracked her neck. Reia smoothed her shirt like she was afraid it might suddenly turn into a gown again.

And then we froze.

Geld stood in the hallway with three Hilguard guards flanking him. But the real shock was who the guards were escorting.

Alexa.

And Halden.

Our RA and our dorm mother.

Alexa looked like she'd been caught breaking into a military base. Halden looked like she'd been caught breaking into a military base and was ready to argue about it.

Geld sighed the moment he saw us. "Good. You're here. I can explain this once."

I pointed at Alexa and Halden. "Why are they...how are they...what is..."

Geld held up a hand. "They were caught sneaking into Hilguard."

Riley blinked. "Sneaking?"

One of the guards coughed. "Climbing the outer wall."

Halden snapped, "We were ascending with purpose."

Alexa nodded vigorously. "Very purposefully."

Charlie whispered to me, "Oh my god."

I whispered back, "Oh my god."

Reia whispered, "Oh my god."

Riley sighed, "Oh my god."

Geld rubbed his temples. "They claimed they were here to retrieve you three."

Halden stepped forward, nearly tripping over a guard. "We saw you on TV! We thought you were kidnapped, like hostages or something."

Alexa pointed at us like she was scolding toddlers. "We are responsible for you three. Legally. Academically. Emotionally. Spiritually. I don't even know anymore."

Riley muttered, "Were ok Alexa."

Halden nodded. "Grounded as well."

Geld cleared his throat. "They insisted on entering Hilguard despite repeated warnings. They attempted to bypass the gate guards. They attempted to scale the wall. They attempted to bribe a stablehand."

Halden gasped. "He looked trustworthy!"

"He was... just not for you," Geld said flatly.

Alexa crossed her arms. "We were not going to leave until we found them."

Geld gestured at us. "And now that they have found you, they refuse to leave until they confirm your safety."

Alexa nodded. "Correct."

Halden nodded harder. "We're staying."

I stared at them. Here standing in Hilguard.

Geld sighed again, long and suffering. "Please. Someone explain to them that you are not in danger."

Right at that moment Halden sneezed hard.

A Halden sneeze.

A sharp, magical, fox‑sparkle‑explosion sneeze that echoed down the stone hallway like someone had fired a glitter cannon.

"Ah—CHOO!"

A burst of shimmering fox magic shot out of her like a firework.

And with a soft pop...

Her clone appeared.

Right in front of us.

Right between Alexa and Halden.

Right in the middle of the guards.

The clone put her hands on her hips, tail curled smugly, ears perked like she'd been waiting for this moment.

"SEE?" she announced loudly, pointing directly at me. "I KNEW you were hiding something!"

I blinked. "What...what do you mean hiding..."

The clone sniffed the air dramatically.

Then pointed at me again.

"I smell divine on her."

The hallway went silent.

Alexa's jaw dropped.

Halden groaned and dragged a hand down her face. "Not now. Not...why do you always show up at the worst possible moments?"

The clone shrugged. "Because that's when you need me most."

Geld stared at the clone like he was reconsidering every career choice he'd ever made. "What... is that?"

Halden sighed. "My sneeze‑clone."

Alexa nodded like this was normal. "She pops out sometimes."

The clone pointed at me again, tail flicking. "Divine. Absolutely divine. She smells like she walked through a god's living room."

I sputtered. "I DO NOT SMELL LIKE A GOD'S LIVING ROOM."

The clone sniffed again. "Oh yes you do."

Halden snapped, "Stop sniffing her!"

"I'm not sniffing her," the clone said. "I'm detecting."

Charlie stepped in front of me. "Detecting WHAT exactly?"

The clone crossed her arms. "Divine magic. Strong. Loud. Like someone poured celestial syrup all over her."

I covered my face. "PLEASE STOP TALKING."

Riley leaned toward me. "Zora... did you do something divine recently?"

"I DON'T KNOW," I squeaked.

The clone smirked. "She knows."

"OH WAIT AT THE MEETING..."I gasped and covered my mouth like it told a secret.

The clone pointed at me. HA... seee I knew it you are divine!!!!

Halden pointed at her clone. "You are NOT helping."

The clone pointed back. "I am ABSOLUTELY helping."

Geld cleared his throat loudly, trying to regain control. "Can someone...anyone...explain what is happening."

Halden sighed. "I sneezed."

Alexa nodded. "She sneezed."

The clone nodded. "We sneezed."

I whispered, "This is the weirdest day of my life."

Charlie whispered back, "Same."

Riley muttered, "I need a drink."

Reia said softly, "I think this is sweet."

The clone pointed at me one more time. "Divine.

Halden groaned. "Please stop talking."

The clone pointed at her. "You sneezed me out, I get to talk."

Geld looked like he was about to resign from every position he'd ever held.

And then—

The doors at the end of the hall slammed open.

Eldrin strode in like a thunderclap wrapped in robes.

His staff hit the floor with a ringing CRACK that echoed down the corridor.

Everyone jumped.

Even the clone.

Eldrin's eyes swept the hallway, blazing with purpose, landing squarely on me and Charlie. His voice boomed with ceremonial authority that made the guards straighten and Alexa clutch Halden's arm.

"The coronation," Eldrin declared, "must proceed at once!"

I froze.

Charlie froze.

Riley whispered, "Oh no."

Reia whispered, "Oh yes."

Alexa whispered, "CORONATION?!"

Halden's clone whispered, "Ah.. the secrets get deeper, I love this rabbit hole!" The clone said a little more giddy than I was comfortable with.

Eldrin lifted his staff again, the metal catching the lantern light like fire. "Queen Zora must be presented before the people. The signs are clear. The divine has awakened."

I felt my stomach drop. "Eldrin— wait— I'm not— we're not ready—"

He wasn't listening.

He pointed at Charlie next, eyes shining with reverence. "And her sister, Charlie— daughter of flame and spirit— must stand beside her."

Charlie blinked. "I'm sorry— WHAT."

The clone gasped. "Holy divine sister too you guys are like the queens of the secrets!"

Eldrin's voice rose, filling the hallway with a warmth that felt like sunlight and pressure all at once.

"You are the daughters of Hestia," he proclaimed. "Born of the Eternal Flame. Marked by divine blood. Chosen by the Mother of Creation herself!"

Alexa fainted.

Halden caught her.

The clone clapped. "Oh, I'm never leaving this place, ITS WAY TO MUCH FUN!!"

Riley stared at me. "Zora... you're a goddess‑princess, might as well come to terms with it."

"I'M NOT," I squeaked.

Reia whispered, "You kind of are."

Charlie grabbed my arm. "Zora. Zora. Zora. He's serious."

"I KNOW HE'S SERIOUS," I hissed. "THAT'S THE PROBLEM."

Eldrin stepped closer, lowering his voice but not his intensity. "The coronation must begin. The people wait. The divine calls. Hilguard rises."

I stared at him, heart pounding, hoodie suddenly feeling way too mortal for this moment.

"Eldrin," I whispered, "I just changed out of the ceremonial outfit."

He smiled like that was adorable. "We will put it back on."

A staff struck the floor.

CRACK.

The Elder stepped into the hallway like a storm front, expression sharp enough to cut stone.

"No."

Eldrin froze mid‑stride.

The Elder's voice was calm, but it carried the weight of mountains. "She has been through enough today."

Eldrin blinked. "But the omens—"

"The omens can wait," the Elder said. "The coronation can wait. The world can wait."

I sagged with relief so hard my knees almost gave out.

Charlie squeezed my hand. "Thank god."

Riley muttered, "Finally."

Reia whispered, "Bless her."

Eldrin sputtered. "But...but the divine revelation...the daughters of Hestia...the people must—"

"In the morning."

The Elder's tone brooked no argument. "Queen Zora is exhausted. Her sister is exhausted. They have done enough, faced officials, and endured more than anyone should in a single day."

Eldrin opened his mouth again...

Kathrine stepped forward like a mother hen ready to smack someone with a wooden spoon.

"She is right," Kathrine said firmly. "These girls need food. They need rest. They need beds. Not another ceremony."

Eldrin looked between them, scandalized. "But...but...the flame..."

"The flame," Kathrine said, "will survive eight hours."

Halden's clone nodded. "She's got a point."

Halden elbowed her clone. "Stop agreeing with people."

Alexa, still half‑conscious, mumbled, "No coronation... bedtime..."

Eldrin deflated like someone had poked a hole in his divine balloon. "But the people..."

The Elder stepped closer, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Tomorrow, Eldrin. Or the next day. When she stands, she will stand strong."

Eldrin wilted.

I exhaled so hard my soul nearly left my body.

Charlie rubbed my back. "You're okay."

"I'm not okay," I whispered. "But I'm less not‑okay."

Kathrine gave me a warm, steady smile. "Come. All of you. Food first. Then sleep."

The Elder nodded. "The coronation will wait."

Eldrin sighed dramatically, bowing his head. "As the flame wills."

I groaned into my hands.

"Please let the flame take a nap."

Charlie snorted.

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