Chapter One & Two

## *Chapter One*

After stepping through the magic mirror, each new citizen of Grimmlore found themselves transformed in unexpected ways. For some, the town offered newfound freedom, while others found themselves imprisoned in Grimm’s psychiatric hospital. They were each assigned a home, job and wardrobe to bring them into the modern era. Naturally, there were those that adjusted much quicker than others, and some that haven’t adjusted at all. It was a drastic change from their fairy tales indeed.⠀

In the sleepy town of Grimmlore, not everything is as it seems. Residents begin to disappear from their homes at alarming rates, leaving their neighbors with one question: where could they have gone? Accusations and attacks run rampant as an informal sort of witch hunt to find the guilty party begins. Was it murder? Kidnapping? With so many storybook villains gathered in one place, it was anyone’s guess. A few curious souls take it upon themselves to seek out the answer, venturing deep into Grimmlore’s woods against their better judgement. After searching the dark woods for miles, they finally discover a dilapidated building just outside the edge of the Spine. It appears to be some sort of makeshift hospital - and all the missing residents are being held in the high-security ward. They have no choice but to hatch a plan to free the hospital’s prisoners.

Those who discover the hospital return to town with the secret held behind tight lips. Enemies lurk at every corner and they have no one to trust but each other. Tinkerbell, Faye, Philip, Levi, Evangeline, and Leto gather at the Cup o’ Joe Diner - at the insistence of Charlie - to figure out their best strategy for breaking out the residents, namely James, Tatyana, Alyse, Ariel, Margaret, and Belle. The odds are clearly stacked against them; the only entrance to the ward is manned by 24 hour guards and Grimm has many powerful allies of his own. A lost boy from Neverland by the name of Slightly turns out to be their saving grace, offering much needed intel regarding the hospital’s security system. Unbeknownst to them, Slightly is a spy for Grimm’s alliance from the beginning. While those at the Diner plan their attack, another alliance begins to form…

A sizable portion of the town feels that their lives have improved once entering Grimmlore. They are grateful to Grimm for all he had given them, or frightened of what he might do if they weren’t, and they want to please him whenever possible. A few residents find themselves on the staff of Grimmlore’s psychiatric hospital, keeping an eye on certain “patients” known to cause trouble. Some simply find themselves tasked to guard it. Gretel, Maleficent, Merryweather, Flora, and Fauna are the first line of defense against those who would seek to break out their “patients.” Soon, many others who supported Grimm would aid them in holding their ground as well.

The plan against Grimm was rather simple. Levi would have himself admitted to the hospital, gather more information on those being held inside and those on staff, break himself out, and return to share his findings. During the raid itself, the fairies would enter the hospital unseen and unheard while their allies gathered outside the gates with enough weapons to storm the hospital. Faye and Tink would disable the security system from the inside, allowing the others to enter and break out the prisoners. Challenging Grimm in his own domain was certainly a risk, but it was one worth taking if it meant freeing their friends and allies from his clutches. They couldn’t have known the severity of the repercussions for rebelling against him, but they would soon find out.

## *Chapter Two*

Now armed with a plan and a substantial number of allies, the anti-Grimm alliance prepared themselves for the upcoming raid. Despite the challenge ahead, they knew they had the numbers necessary to complete their mission successfully. They were determined to rescue their friends and return home safely. Meanwhile, other plans were put into motion… Gwen and Wendy found themselves at the helm of Grimmlore’s local newspaper and conspired to use the front page to convey secret information to their anti-Grimm allies. Anything from meeting locations to a countdown to the raid were indicated by the number of stars beside the paper’s title. Those as curious as John Darling launched further investigations into the mysterious happenings of Grimmlore, though not all were revealed by their own kid brother. Some like Guinevere, Andrew, Bevin, Charlotte, Toto and Mercutio were torn between one alliance and the other, or indifferent completely. They knew they ran a great risk if they angered Grimm.

A few days after orchestrating their plan, those against Grimm had gathered at the psychiatric hospital to carry out their plan. Faye and Tinkerbell transformed into their fairy sizes, easily slipping through the keyhole of the hospital’s locked and guarded front doors. Once inside, they located their primary target: security headquarters. In order to gain access to the hospital’s most secure location, Faye shapeshifted into the Head Doctor, with Tinkerbell stealing a lab coat and posing as an intern. The two fae were granted access by the lower-ranking security guards instantly. As soon as they were left alone, the two went to work disabling as many doors, wings and gates as possible. Their allies on the outside would be able to break in with almost no resistance once the system was down. Once their role was fulfilled, Tinkerbell returned to her fairy size and left the hospital to signal the others that it was time.

Faye remained inside, still using the Head Doctor’s appearance to move throughout the hallways unnoticed; she could only hope she wouldn’t run into the Head Doctor herself. Just moments later, commotion from the main entrance let her know that the raid had officially begun. She fled to the wing where the prisoners were being held, all internal security systems now disabled and allowing her easy access. Inside the ward was James, Flore, Morgana, Margaret, Belle, Tatyana, Alyse and Ariel. A few anti-Grimm invaders had breached the front doors, among them being Tinkerbell, who joined Faye and demanded that they rescue James first. They entered his cell and roused him from his bed, quickly moving onto the next to ensure they rescued everyone in time. As the invaders finally entered the wing with weapons in hand, the pro-Grimm alliance did as well. Flora, Fauna, Merryweather, Maleficent, Gretel, Brigitta, Eric, Erica, the Sheriff, Eric, Macbeth, Mary, Adamina, Jack and Luca arrive to defend the hospital and its “patients” on behalf of Grimm.⠀

Meanwhile, the most powerful witches and sorceresses in Grimmlore came together to establish their own practicing coven. This coven began granting ‘wishes’ to vulnerable residents, each with their own terrible cost. Prince Adam fell into their trap first, agreeing to lure young women to his mansion for them to feed on in exchange for remaining in his human form. Each ‘wish’ manipulated another poor soul, and the coven began to cause massive problems amongst Grimmlore’s population.

The anti-Grimm invaders, consisting of Evan, Slightly, Dorothy, Alexandra, Diaval, Levi, Philip, Samuel, Lara, Adam, Leto, Fenrir, Tinkerbell and Faye, freed the prisoners just in time to fight back against Grimm’s loyalists. A bloody fight ensued, both alliances clashing with magick and weaponry in the hospital’s damp corridors. The recently freed prisoners began a riot and the majority fought alongside those against Grimm, tipping their numbers just enough to overpower the loyalists. Just as the fighting began to die down, Maleficent cast a spell to transform Adam into his Beast form. Using Adam as a pawn against the invaders, the coven regained the upper hand and severely wounded invaders and prisoners alike. Evan, Tinkerbell and Faye fought back with their sorcery and magick while the invaders escorted as many prisoners out of the hospital as possible. The Beast raged against the three magick users, but combined, their abilities were enough to hold him off. Their time to escape unharmed was dwindling quickly.

Leto ordered the anti-Grimm alliance to retreat with the prisoners. Despite the coven’s clever play with Adam, their rescue mission was still a success… or so they thought. Margaret and Dorothy were badly wounded by his attack, and they were too weakened to move or walk on their own. Just as Faye and Philip returned for them, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather cast a spell to block off the rest of the hallway, protecting the pro-Grimm alliance from further attack and cutting them off from Margaret and Dorothy. As much as it pained them to abandon their allies, the anti-Grimm alliance was out of options. Faye’s magic was reaching the end of its effectiveness and many others were wounded outside. As the final few invaders fled the hospital, Philip, Leto and Faye joined them, her powers finally wearing off and revealing her true appearance just enough to be caught on the hospital’s security cameras.

With Faye’s identity revealed and two of their friends and allies held captive by Grimm and his loyalists, the anti-Grimm alliance found it difficult to celebrate. They had rescued the vast majority of residents from the hospital, but not enough. Margaret and Dorothy’s fate was now in the hands of their enemies who had every reason to punish them for their insurrection. At their next meeting at Cup o’ Joe, they came to an unanimous agreement to save the two girls at any cost. As it turns out, Grimm would provide them with an opportunity to follow through on that promise soon enough.

A week later, an unmarked envelope was placed on each doorstep in Grimmlore. Someone was throwing a masquerade ball for all the town’s residents and had invited members of both sides. The only indicator of the host was a tiny message left at the bottom of the card: “The girl from Kansas and the Dragon Queen anxiously await your reply.”