Hira/Synopsis

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## Before Forever After

   Hira attended school together with the other twelve Wise Women. Even in her childhood, she showed a greater aptitude for magic than them. It is implied this drove a wedge between the other Wide Women and her fueled by the Wise Women's jealousy of Hira and Hira's belief that the Wise Women thought themselves better than her.

## Forever After

Hira enters the celebration for Briar Rose's birth shortly after the other Wise Women give him their blessings. She expresses her dismay over not being invited, mocking the other Wise Women for giving Briar Rose the blessing of beauty, despite his parents already passing their good looks onto him. After some provocation from a fellow Wise Woman, Hira prepares to curse the child. At this point, Robin and Tank decide to try and deescalate the situation, with Robin getting Hira to hear the king and queen out as to the reason they didn't invite her. The king admits that it was because they did not have enough plates, an explanation that obviously doesn't satisfy Hira.

Robin attempts once again to get in her way, but Hira simply turns her to stone. She then curses Briar Rose to prick his finger on a spindle on his fifteenth birthday and fall into a deep slumber.

Hira presumably heard of the king and queen attempting to counteract her curse by burning every spinning wheel in their kingdom.

On Briar's fifteenth birthday, she disguises herself as an old woman and sneaks into the castle again, bringing her own spinning wheel, spindle included. She lures Briar to her at sundown and tricks him into pricking his finger on the spindle, by claiming that the spinning wheel is a magic wheel that can grant wishes, even a friend, to everyone who touches the needle. After Briar pricks his finger, actual briars start to overtake the castle and everyone within falls into a deep sleep.

Sometime between while Robin and Tank were doing story of *The Little Sea Maid*, Hira and Makemnoit prank the Fates by making them float.

When Robin and Tank return to the fairy tale roughly a hundred years after the curse was activated, Hira contacts them directly to inform them that her briars are far too powerful to be cut down. She then invites them to her and Makemnoit's resort to talk. When the heroes arrive, Robin attempts to call Hira out for cursing people, to which Hira retorts that her curse isn't hurtful at all and that the king and queen are far from the innocent victims Robin makes them out to be, pointing out their continued neglect of Briar and their mismanagement of their kingdom. She offers Robin a deal to teach the Queen of Hearts a lesson in exchange for Hira lifting her curse. Robin and Tank reluctantly agree and Hira transports them into *Alice's Adventure in Wonderland*.

During Tank's and Robin's journey through Wonderland, Hira pops up once to complain that the heroes are taking too long and magically shows them the way to the queen's castle.

Hira shows herself delighted when Robin and Tank return with the Queen of Hearts' execution wig as promised. Makemnoit scolds her for being "too soft" on the heroes and leaves for her own story. Hira tells Robin not to mind her, as Makemnoit actually likes drama. When Robin asks her to remove her curse, Hira goes back on her word and refuses, stating she likes the embarrassing predicament she created for the king and queen. Robin attempts to chastise her for breaking her promise and playing with other people's lives, but Hira retorts that a Prince Charming has no moral high ground over her. She points out how the Prince Charmings think of the characters in the stories only as stepping stones for a way out of Forever After, even though they're living, thinking people and their stories aren't just stories for them but their lives. She tells Robin that she was just unlucky to be made part of the game and that, contrary to what the Fates might have told her, she has no obligation to save anyone. Robin is appalled that Hira apparently views the whole situation as a game and Hira replies that to her it's not a game but conquest (despite everyone she could conquer being asleep, as Robin points out).

Having enough of Hira's antics, Tank threatens her with the other Wise Women, which Hira is only amused by. She tells Robin and Tank that she is the only powerful magic being in the story and that the other Wise Women are nothing but dazzlers with no real skills, citing Briar Rose's lack of intelligence and thoughtfulness despite their blessings as evidence. Hira watches Robin's and Tank's ensuing argument over what to do next with a pleased smile and shows interest when Robin offers to once again negotiate a price for the lifting of the curse.

During a break just before she is about to prank the other Wise Women, Hira helps Robin realise how insensitive she was towards Tank's opinion, pointing out how someone can tell how much of a true friend someone is by the pain they can cause to the to other. Upon pointing out her relationship with Makemnoit, Hira reveals to Robin about how she and Makemnoit merely rarely actually see each other. Hira further explains it was thanks to the Wicked Witch stealing the role of the former Wicked Witch, that she and Makemnoit are able to spend so much time together now.

Upon entering the Wise Women's castle, Robin states that she understands Hira, pointing out that the true reason why the other doesn't want her story to end is because she doesn't want to be alone. The two would then strike a deal to try to talk things out with the Wise Women, with Robin wagering her shot at completing the tale to persuade Hira.

After releasing the Wise Woman from the sleeping curse, Hira questions the Wise Woman on why they exclude her. The Wise Women then confessed that they did not wish to bother Hira with such matters and actually had the latter tapped for more major works. Wondering if Hira was still upset about Briar's baby shower, one of the Wise Women revealed that she had actually reprimanded Briar's parents for the mistake. Finally sorting everything out, Hira asks the Wise Women to let her know when they have something important on, emphasising that she doesn't mind if it's not too important.

Hira would then release Briar's Kingdom from her sleeping curse, telling the King and Queen that she was simply there to wish Briar a happy birthday.

When meeting the Wise Woman, Briar Rose is astounded by Hira's beauty, claiming that he wants to be like her when he grows up and asking if she could teach him magic with Hira stating that she would only do it if he used it for petty evil.

Just before Robin leaves the story, Hira gives her a pendant to block the magic of the Wicked Witch's spy glass, mentioning that if Robin was going to be causing trouble, she should be causing it for one who usurped the original Wicked Witch, Bastinda. As the story begins to wrap up, Hira tells Robin that whenever she's ready, she should ask the Fates about what happened with the current Wicked Witch.

When Robin asks if Hira was all right with her ending the story, Hira asks if Robin thinks they all disappear when the latter stops looking at them. Hira then dismisses the notion, stating that it is not an ending and that they all live happily ever after before the story of Little Briar Rose ends.