“Alright.” He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was a light to them, an animation in his face as the amulet glowed. His hands moved, weaving an image of a great palace, one that resembled the storybook on the shelf. “Once, there was a kingdom that spanned the entirety of a star and its surrounding worlds, ruled by the children of the King and Queen of the Cosmos.”

With a flick of his fingers, people appeared on the parapets and balconies of the grand palace. They all resembled Coppelius, with freckled faces, shining white hair, and deep blue eyes. Dressed in ethereal finery, there was something alien and distant about them, even in a mere glamour or projection.

“They created the Celestial Dynasty, and ruled their heavenly kingdom, protecting it from the threats that lurk in the abyss between the stars, as the King and Queen of All the Cosmos had set them there to do.”

The little people drew wands and swords and other crystalline weapons, and banished shadowy monsters that belonged in Sorrel’s nightmares.

“Within generations, the monsters disappeared and the kingdom prospered, the Celestial Dynasty was hailed as heroes and continued to rule as was their edict.”

The people and the monsters and the palace disappeared in a shower of stardust. Then they reformed into a beautiful throne room, with the white pillars and marble similar to the architecture in Lemura. More beautiful people appeared in the room, with two figureheads, a man and a woman standing in front of shining white thrones.

Then, off to the side and away from everyone else, was a girl, dressed entirely in black.

“But generations of peace could not prosper,” Coppelius continued. “There was a Princess who betrayed her family, choosing to ally herself with the abyss, with the monsters they had banished generations ago. She decided that the kingdom must fall, and the Celestial Dynasty with it.”

The throne room turned red, turning to flames as the silhouettes of the family members disappeared. The girl’s silhouette turned pitch-black with red eyes, growing taller and a spiked crown emerging from her head. The monsters from before returned, soaring around the scene.

But the king and queen remained. “One by one, all of the descendants of the House of Ondrina were struck down by the rise of the Spider-Queen. But there was still hope.”

In the queen’s arms appeared a baby with a shining face.

“The Queen of the Heavens took her youngest son, the little Prince of Light, and hid him away to hide him from the Spider-Queen’s gaze,” Coppelius continued, and with a flick of his fingers, the queen shuffled offstage of the projection, leaving the king and a few remaining nobles. Above their head floated items like a sword, a cloak, a crown, a scepter, a book, and a mirror. Then the queen reappeared—the baby was gone.

“The survivors hid the Royal Regalia and made their last stand.” Coppelius’s voice went quiet, so much so that Sorrel strained to hear him. “They sacrificed themselves to send their homeworld away to the far edges of the star-system, and sealed the Spider-Queen inside their castle.”

The image vanished again in stardust. Coppelius’s hands dropped to his lap. His fingers curled into fists around the brightly-colored Lemurian shirt he’d bought. Sorrel noticed a ring on his right index finger, with a reddish-pink stone that was set to look like a rose in all its petaled glory.

“The Prince of Light was prophesied to be the one who would return and defeat the Spider-Queen once and for all.” Coppelius looked up to Sorrel, now silent. His indigo eyes were wide, awaiting her response, she realized.

“Then you’re the Prince of Light.” She thought of the sword they’d found in the Reserve. “And you’re trying to gather all of the regalia, aren’t you?”

To her surprise, he shook his head. “Not exactly.”

He looked out to the water. “The Prince of Light was my father. He left me and my mother not long after I was born to fulfill the prophecy. But no one’s heard from him since.”

He twisted the rose-like ring on his finger. “I want to find him, help him finish what we started. I’ve been looking all across Ondrina for any sign of him.”

“What do you think happened, that he hasn’t done it already?”

“I don’t know.” Coppelius sighed and looked back to Sorrel. “But I’m done sitting around and waiting for the prophecy to happen.”

There was a moment of quiet between them, just the sand and the sea.

Coppelius smiled. “I’m sure you must have a lot of questions for me. It’s not everyday a fairytale comes true.”

“Not the fairytale I would’ve picked,” Sorrel muttered. She tilted her head, taking him in. “Ondrina—that’s the name of our star.”

“And my family, yes.” Coppelius nodded. “I believe that the star was actually named for us.”

Sorrel frowned. “I thought all of that was just a story, I mean the Society of Worlds says that we were just disorganized chaos before they got going.”

“I mean, that did kind of happen, from what I understand, between the fall of the House of Ondrina and the rise of the Society of Worlds.” Coppelius clasped his amulet. “But I don’t know the details. I’ve mostly just pieced some things together, in the gaps between the stories.”

“How long have you been alive?” The gears in Sorrel’s brain were turning. “You must be. . . .”

“I’m not entirely sure, the Society’s date system didn’t get going for a while, and their establishment didn’t reach my homeworld for a long time.” Coppelius shrugged. “But I’ve seen a few things.”

“I imagine.” Sorrel looked out at the ocean, her head whirling with all of this new information.

“I understand if after hearing all this, if you’ve changed your mind.” Coppelius spoke slowly and softly, as if he didn’t really want to say it, as if he were struggling to force the words out. “I was born to all of this. You get the choice, whether you want to get caught up in it or not.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his white hair, also looking out to the waves again. “I’d rather no one else get caught up in this. But I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t lonely. If I said that a part of me didn’t feel relieved when I saw you outside my door.”

Sorrel reached for his hand. He turned to her, eyes wide.

“I already made my choice.” Her voice was even, calmer and more confident than she felt. “I’m in this with you until the end.”

She glanced up at the graffiti under the bridge. “My last question is—what happens next?”

“I’ve been thinking about that.” Coppelius squeezed her hand tighter, as if she were made of sand and would crumble through his fingers any second. “Before we leave—we’ll have to find a ship, of course—there’s a lead I want to pursue.”

“A lead?”

“Yeah.” Coppelius let go of her hand and stood up. “I sensed it when we first arrived, but it’s stronger now. That feeling, of the magic that runs in my family, that I told you about in Perrault?”

“The one you used to find the sword, yes?” Sorrel recalled the search in the forest.

“I feel it here, and it’s only growing stronger.” He turned back to her, his indigo eyes ecstatic. “I think my father—or maybe something left for him—might be here.”

“Then we’ll have to find it.” Sorrel glanced down at the box and the food inside. “After breakfast, that is.”

Coppelius smiled, sitting back down beside her. He picked up the sandwich he’d started and took a bite.

“Right, after that,” he said.