The next morning, we woke up to the clanging of bells echoing through the palace halls. The three of us had been given a guest room for the night—an actual guest room in a palace. Sabrina nearly lost her mind when we walked in, squealing at the luxurious four-poster beds, the velvet curtains, and the gilded furniture.

"Can you believe it?" she gasped, bouncing on the mattress like a five-year-old. "We’re literally living in a fairytale!"

I, on the other hand, had been too tired to enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. After last night’s run-in with shadow beasts, all I wanted was sleep. Jeanna had also been oddly quiet after the battle, possibly still miffed that she hadn’t gotten to flirt with any of the monsters before Sabrina zapped them into oblivion.

Now, though, with the sun shining through the tall, stained-glass windows and the smell of fresh bread drifting from the kitchens, things felt a little less… dire.

Until the knock came.

“Ladies,” said a stern voice on the other side of the door, “His Royal Highness, Prince Eryndor, requests your presence at breakfast.”

Sabrina’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, and I swear she leaped out of bed with the energy of a 3-year-old kid.

“Prince Eryndor invited us to breakfast?!” she squeaked, throwing open the wardrobe and rifling through the absurdly fancy dresses that had been left for us. “Oh my gosh, this is it! It’s happening! I’m going to meet my prince!”

I groaned, rolling over in bed and burying my face in a pillow. “He’s not your prince, Sabrina. He’s just a prince.”

Jeanna, still sprawled on her bed, yawned. “Do you think the palace staff will mind if I show up in my hiking boots? I don’t have time for corsets or whatever torture devices they’ve laid out for us.”

"Well, I’m not letting this chance go to waste!" Sabrina declared, holding up a frilly gown that looked like it had been pulled straight from the set of a Regency-era romance movie. “This could be my love story in the making!”

“Sabrina, we’re not in a romance novel,” I said flatly, sitting up and stretching. “We’re in some weird fantasy world where shadow monsters tried to eat us."

But Sabrina was already halfway into the dress, hopping on one foot as she struggled to pull it over her head.

After a short debate (which I lost), I ended up in a ridiculously elaborate gown as well. Jeanna, predictably, refused to wear anything too constricting, opting for a tunic that she claimed was “good for sneaking and stabbing,” which concerned me on several levels.

As we entered the grand hall for the banquet, we were led to the dining hall, which was just as over-the-top as the rest of the palace. Chandeliers dripped with crystals, and the long table was piled high with every breakfast food imaginable—fruits, pastries, slices of bread, meats, cheeses, and jugs of what I could only hope was coffee. Nobles in elegant gowns, musicians playing delicate tunes, chandeliers shimmering overhead—it was all ridiculously posh. And then there was us.

Sabrina practically skipped to her seat, her eyes darting around in search of the prince. Jeanna made a beeline for the food, grabbing a loaf of bread and stuffing a piece into her mouth with zero shame.

It all started innocently enough. We were trying to behave, mostly because I had no desire to end up in the dungeon for "crimes against royal fancy-pants etiquette."

But then… the music changed. A new melody kicked in—a rhythm that sounded oddly familiar.

Jeanna perked up. “Wait… is that…?”

Sabrina gasped. “Oh my gosh, it’s a medieval remix of that TikTok song!”

Before I could stop them, Jeanna and Sabrina were already in the middle of the ballroom, striking poses like they were about to drop the hottest dance challenge of 1347.

And they did.

Sabrina started with a flawless Renegade, her dress swishing dramatically as she moved. Jeanna jumped in with The Woah, somehow making it look medieval-appropriate, if you ignored the horrified stares from the nobles.

I stood there, frozen, while the two of them fully committed to Savage Love, their arms flailing in time with the beat as the noble guests whispered in disbelief. One elderly woman fainted into her wine glass. A duke dropped his monocle.

And then—against my better judgment—I found myself joining them. Because if you're going to embarrass yourself in a foreign fantasy world, might as well go all in, right?

We were mid-Say So when I saw Prince Eryndor across the room, his expression somewhere between confused and mortified. He was standing with his advisors, who looked like they were deciding whether to stop us or let us continue out of sheer fascination.

Sabrina spun around and grinned at me, oblivious to the chaos we were causing. "Come on, Alice! Hit the woah with me!"

“Is this how we die?” I muttered, as I awkwardly flailed along.

At that moment, one of the musicians visibly gave up on life and switched back to a more traditional tune, possibly to save the royal family from further scandal.

We finished with a dramatic flourish, breathless, and I could feel the weight of a hundred judgmental noble eyes on us. Sabrina, naturally, was beaming like she’d just won a talent show.

Prince Eryndor approached, his face unreadable. “That was… something.”

I winced, expecting a stern reprimand.

But instead, he smirked. “Perhaps we should add this woah to our formal dances next season.”

Finally, Prince Eryndor strode into the room, looking just as regal and brooding as ever. Sabrina’s face turned bright red as he walked past her, his cloak sweeping the floor dramatically like he was trying out for the lead role in a Shakespeare play.

“Good morning, ladies,” he greeted us, taking his seat at the head of the table. “I trust you slept well?”

Sabrina nodded so vigorously I thought her head might fly off. “Yes, Your Highness! It was wonderful! The bed was so soft, and the view from the window was just magical, and—"

“We almost got eaten by shadow monsters, but yeah, everything else was fine,” I cut in, shooting Sabrina a look. “So… what happens now? You saved us, but we don’t exactly have a plan.”

The prince leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. “You’ve found yourselves in Lunaris, a kingdom in the midst of great turmoil. Your arrival here is no accident. The fact that you were able to fend off the shadow beasts suggests there’s more to you than meets the eye.”

“Wait, what?” I blinked. “We didn’t fend them off. Sabrina just read some magic from a book she picked up in the market.”

The prince’s gaze flicked to Sabrina, who blushed under the attention. “Magic from a random book?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Interesting. That suggests an innate ability to wield the magic of this world.”

“I knew it!” Sabrina squealed. “I’m destined to be a heroine!”

Jeanna snorted, wiping crumbs off her face. “Heroine? Please. If anything, we’re comedy relief in someone else’s story.”

Ignoring Jeanna’s comment, the prince continued. “I’ve received word that the shadow beasts’ attack last night was not an isolated incident. There have been reports of increased beast activity across the kingdom. Lunaris is under threat, and I believe your presence here is linked to the upheaval.”

“So… what?” I asked, frowning. “You think we’re supposed to save the world or something?”

"Not necessarily," he said, his gaze thoughtful. "But you may hold the key to restoring balance."

Sabrina’s eyes practically sparkled with excitement. “See? We’re going to save the kingdom! Maybe we’ll even uncover some ancient prophecy that names us as the chosen ones!”

Jeanna leaned over to me, whispering, “I’d bet ten gold coins that Sabrina ends up accidentally cursing us instead.”

I snorted. “You’re probably right.”

The prince stood, motioning for one of his advisors to approach. “I’ll need to conduct further investigations to understand the full extent of the threat. But in the meantime, you’ll be staying here at the palace. I’d advise you to prepare yourselves. If last night was any indication, you’re bound to face more danger in the days to come.”

Sabrina clasped her hands together, stars practically dancing in her eyes. “Don’t worry, Your Highness! We’ll be ready for anything!”

Jeanna leaned back in her chair, tossing an apple in the air and catching it with a smug grin. “Bring it on. I could use a little excitement.”

I, on the other hand, felt a sense of impending doom settle in my gut. Because let’s face it—if anyone was going to mess things up in this world, it was definitely us.

As breakfast wrapped up, the prince turned to us again. “There’s something else you should know. You may have access to magic, but that also means the beasts will continue to be drawn to you. The more you use it, the greater the risk. You’ll need to learn control.”

"Control?" Sabrina blinked. "Like… magic training?"

“Yes,” the prince said, his tone serious. “If you are to survive here, you must learn how to wield your power properly."

Jeanna grinned, punching me lightly in the arm. “Looks like we’re off to Hogwarts after all.”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Great. As if this wasn’t already insane enough.”

Sabrina’s excitement, however, was unstoppable. “Oh my gosh, we’re going to train with magic! This is literally every fantasy I’ve ever read come to life!”

I groaned, standing up from the table. “Well, I guess if we’re stuck here, we might as well make the most of it. But just to be clear—if we die because one of you messes up a spell, I’m haunting both of you for eternity.”

Jeanna winked. “Deal.”

And with that, our ridiculous, magic-infused adventure officially began.