The day passed fast for the industrious children, but the evening dragged on. So consumed with last-minute defenses and final preparations, no one had remembered or volunteered to manage dinner. With the help of Spurt and Fish, several of the girls cooked a big stew as fast they could and served it over rainbow rice—the only grain Gwen had ever seen grow in seven different neon colors.
Twilight hoisted the weight of the night onto the sky before they had even finished cooking, and the children grew cranky. Their apprehension for tomorrow's impending battle coupled with their empty stomachs did not make for an agreeable combination. They were even starting to get short with the fairies, who responded by getting haughty and flitting into the tree tops. in Mint and Inch began fighting over which one of them had accidentally bumped the other, Jam crossed her arms and refused to talk to anyone as she squatted in a temper, and Jet led many of the boys in their griping and repeated inquiry: is it dinner time yet?
Gwen also felt the exhaustion catching up with her, but she'd spent too many breakfast-less days plodding through classes before lunch to get grouchy about a late dinner. As the only one benefiting from this maturity, she felt obligated to put out all the many fires and fights cropping up among the children. She couldn't keep up with all their meltdowns, however, and eventually resorted to the one solution that would occupy everyone until dinner. “Who wants a story!” she asked.
Cranky faces lit up and fussy voices piped down. This question drew the children toward her like magnets to metal.
“Before dinner?” Newt asked, intrigued by the novelty.
“About Margaret May?” Rosemary asked.
“Yeah!” Yam chimed. “Do we finally get to hear what happens to Margaret May?”
“Yes, we'll finish the story tonight,” Gwen answered. “Everybody gather around the fire so the cooks can hear, too.”
Peter, who had eaten a very large and late imaginary lunch and was not hungry, hung upside-down in one of the grove's short trees. He hung upside-down often when he wanted to send blood to his head to help him think. He must not have been deep in thought, or else his thoughts had little consequence, because he flew out of his tree and landed right in front of Gwen so he would have a front-row seat for the final installment of the story. The fairies, intrigued, decided to grace the children with their company again, and clumped around Peter to hear the end of Margaret May's story.
While everyone got comfortable, Gwen asked, “Do you remember where we left off?”
Everyone was keen to answer, especially Peter, who remembered the least. “The old elf woman had given Margaret May her music box!” he exclaimed as the others began chattering.
“And then they heard the raven witch and had to run away.”
“She found the raven tree with the music box!”
“There was a dress in her egg.”
“No, it was a gown!”
“A gown is a dress, Newt.”
“Oh.”
“Alright, alright… this is what happened next.” As soon as Gwen began speaking, the children hushed and nestled into the grass. “Margaret May gathered the gown off the ground and wondered if the elfin music box might guide her out of the woods now that she had her gown. Before she could test her theory, she turned around and saw an old woman in a heavy black cloak standing behind her.”
“The raven witch!” Rosemary gasped. The children exchanged frightened mutterings.
“Yes,” Gwen confirmed. “The raven witch had found her, and followed her to the raven tree. 'How dare you steal from my raven tree!' the witch accused. 'What right have you to take from my secret magic? You, the child and blood of the villain who banished me for that very magic!'
“Margaret May was scared, but she did not run away. She pulled her lucky feather out of her pocket, and held it for comfort. 'Alas,' the witch cried, 'You have the feather I gave that silly innkeeper—you have the blessing of its enchantment and I cannot harm a hair upon your head. But curse you for stripping my tree of its fruit!'
Margaret May felt very afraid, but she was still a very brave girl, and she challenged the witch, 'What right have you to accuse me, you who stripped me of my natural parents and noble birthright?'
“'Do not be angry with me, child—I have spared you a horrible fate. You have never known the cruel heart of Westera's King, as I and your changeling have. I gave you to two kindly souls, for whom charity and compassion are second nature.'
“'I will be angry with you!' Margaret May proclaimed. 'I will head straight to Prince Jay's coronation and meet my true parents. I will tell them what you have done and show them our family music box. When I become a princess, I will care for everyone who has ever shown me kindness—but not you.'
“'I have done you the greatest kindness of all, child. You are a fool to dismiss it,' the raven witch replied.
“Margaret May shook her head and went to leave, but as she stepped forward, her foot snagged on a claw-like root and sent her stumbling. She reached out to stop her fall, but all she reached was the raven tree's trunk. Although it stopped her fall, one of the many beaks on the bark snapped at her hand and cut it open.”
“Eww!” Inch squealed, burying her face in her hands.
“Cool!” Newt and Sal cheered. Hollyhock shushed them all, too curious to let interuptions slow the story.
“It wasn't a big cut, or a deep cut, but the raven witch began laughing at poor, bleeding Margaret May. 'Now you have done it! Now your fate is sealed!' the old witch jeered. She continued to laugh, but the laughter began to sound like cawing and she transformed into a giant, black bird that flew off into the evening.
“Whoa,” Wax whispered.
“Margaret May shuddered, but did not have time to waste. Night had started to fall, and she needed to escape the woods before anything befell her. To her great relief, the music box lead her out of the forest. She wound it and listened to where the music seemed come from until she reached the edge of the woods. She emerged far from home, for she had found the elves' shortcut to Eastan. On the edge of the kingdom, she hurried to a lodging house with her music box and gown.
“She had no money, but she offered the master of the lodging house her lucky black feather in exchange for a night's stay. The coronation ball would happen the very next evening, and she would have a long ways to walk the next day to make it to the castle. He accepted the feather as payment, and thus Margaret May gained admittance to an inn, and some bandaging for the wound the raven tree had left on her hand. She did not imagine she would need her feather now that she was a princess.
Jam interrupted, “Being a princess is better than being lucky.”
“That's exactly what Margaret May thought,” Gwen replied. “The next morning she set out for the castle and spent all day walking to arrive by nightfall. A kind old couple of farmers gave her a ride in their wagon part of the way, and shared their lunches with her. She thanked them, and promised herself she would reward them once she was a princess.
“She arrived at the castle just after the ball had begun. The reluctant guards did not want to let her in, until she showed them the music box with the royal crest of Westera. They welcomed her in, and she changed into her gown before heading into the ballroom to find her parents, and congratulate Prince Jay.
“Everyone noticed when Margaret May entered. She was a beautiful young lady in a dress as dark as night and as sparkling as the stars. She looked as though she had been covered in diamond dust, and she caught Prince Jay's eye in an instant.”
“Oooh!” Pin cooed.
“One of the servants asked her name, in order to announce her entrance. She told him, and then trumpets sounded as he called out, 'Announcing Her Highness, Margaret the First—the lost princess of Westera!'
“Much amazed muttering followed, and the King and Queen of Westera, along with Princess Gracia, promptly came forward to speak with Margaret May. She showed them the music box, and explained what had happened the night of her birth. The king, who remembered the crafty and evil raven witch, had no trouble believing this story. The queen proposed that they pass Margaret for Gracia's long-lost twin sister.
“'How wonderful!' the queen announced. 'We stand a chance yet at merging Westera and Eastan. Perhaps we can get Margaret betrothed to Prince Jay. She's very pretty—except for that ugly cut on her hand.'
Margaret did not like this idea—she had come to find her family, not a husband—and it upset Gracia even more. 'What about me! I'm supposed to marry Jay! What good will it do to marry her to the Eastan throne if I inherit the Westera throne?'”
'Oh you won't rule Westera or marry the prince—he doesn't like you Nobody does,' the king said. 'Margaret will marry him, and then they can rule Eastan and Westera together,'”
This outraged Blink. “What a mean thing to say!”
“Indeed,” Gwen agreed, “and Margaret May thought so, too. But then Prince Jay came and asked her to dance. He fell so madly in love with her during the evening that before the ball even ended, he asked her to marry him.
“In the following weeks Margaret May stayed in the Westera castle and prepared for her royal wedding. She sent a messenger to her parents at the inn to explain everything—for she had vanished quite suddenly. She had them come to the castle, where the king and queen gave them a handsome and ample reward for taking care of their lost princess and future queen.”
“What does ample mean?” Scout whispered.
“Lots and lots,” Goose told her.
“What's more, the Kings of Westera and Eastan sent their best soldiers into forest, to make a new treaty with the elves, and also hunt down the banished raven witch. They wanted to put her in prison where she would never hurt or trouble anyone again. Meanwhile, Margaret waited for her hand to heal… but the simple cut began to turn black, and the blackness spread, across her hand and up her arm. The royal physicians had no idea what disease she might have contracted.
“What's a physician?” Scout whispered.
“A doctor-scientist,” Goose answered.
“Margaret May grew very sick. After a few days, she could not even get out of bed. The black infection from the raven tree had spread all the way up her arm to her chest. The doctors said it would kill her if she did not cure it, but the only person they suspected could cure such dark magic was the raven witch herself.”
“Oh no! Oh no!” Peach cried.
“She won't help her!” Pear exclaimed.
“Margaret May is going to die,” Plum announced.
No further objections followed as Gwen explained, “The soldiers redoubled their efforts to find the raven witch. During this time, Gracia never left Margaret May's side. Humbled by her parents' rejection and the sober realization that her unpleasantness had cost her a kingdom and husband, Gracia had resolved to be a better person. She stayed with her sick almost-sister, read to her, talked to her, and brought her water like a servant, which was much more than the king and queen did.
“One day, the soldiers returned from the forest and the royal family assembled to hear their report. They had signed new treaties with the elves, for Westera and Eastan, and the elves had told them the ancient raven witch had died several days ago.”
This twist met mixed reactions: some rejoiced at the villain's death, others pitied her, and still more feared for Margaret May.
“And,” Gwen continued, “that night, Margaret May died.”
“OH MY GOSH,” Jam yelled.
An insane flood of objections followed, and it took almost a whole minute before Gwen managed to get a word in edgewise and assure them, “The story's not over.”
The children and fairies, feeling betrayed, settled down and gave Gwen a chance to redeem the tragic story. She still had Hollyhock's rapt attention.
“They buried Margaret May in the royal catacombs, but three days later, she woke up.”
“Phew!” Rosemary sighed.
“However, she was no longer Margaret May. She awoke in the body of a raven and flew out of the catacombs. She went to the forest, and flew all through it until she found the raven tree. Landing in its branches, she pecked an egg-fruit free from the tree. It cracked open against the ground, and Margaret May ate from it to become human again. She remained transformed, though. No longer a young lady, she had aged much in her short death and returned to life with a few wrinkles and grew hairs. She knew then what the raven witch had meant when she said her fate was sealed—Margaret May felt the magic of the raven tree's fruit deep in her belly and the magic of the tree's bark in her blood. She had become a raven witch.”
The children did not know what to make of this plot point either, but they listened as Gwen continued to spin her story, winding into deeper and stranger territory than they had ever traversed in a simple fairytale.
“Margaret May experimented with her newfound magic for several days, and summoned the forests' enchanted birds to build her a tree-house nest deep in the woods. As she learned, and began to enjoy, her new powers, her mind turned to her grieving loved ones.
“She could not return. The King and Queen of Westera hated raven witches and would banish or kill her for this eerie witchcraft she now practiced. Still, she felt terrible for heartbroken Prince Jay, and poor Gracia who had become such a sweet soul since the ball. Hoping to help them, Margaret May hatched a cunning plan.”
“The next day, she returned to Westera and, using her raven magic, kidnapped Princess Gracia out of the castle courtyard. Several onlookers saw, and reported to the king and queen that the raven witch had returned and taken Gracia. No one recognized Margaret May, not even Gracia.
“Margaret May took her back to the nest home she had made in the forest, and kept her captive there. She treated Gracia well, giving her a soft and mossy bed, plenty of food, and constant promises of her safety, but still Gracia worried.”
“WHY IS MARGARET MAY DOING THIS?” Jam yelled, voicing a question all the lost children shared.
“Because,” Gwen answered, “not two days later, Prince Jay came into the woods with a troop of soldiers, for he had vowed revenge on the raven witch who had killed his bride and now stolen her beloved sister. The elves helped lead Prince Jay to the new raven witch's home—for they also wished to avenge the sweet princess of Westera.
“Margaret May flew out as they approached, swearing Jay would never rescue his princess even as Prince Jay fired an arrow at her. He missed, but Margaret May pretended his arrow struck her. 'I've been hit! I've been hit! I'm dying!' she cried, staggering off in flight and collapsing into the trees. She quickly morphed into a tiny raven and abandoned her cloak so it would seem she had dissolved into nothing upon her death. The soldiers found the cloak and declared the witch vanquished. Prince Jay climbed the tree to rescue Princess Gracia, who had become even sweeter and more humble during this frightening event. She was grateful to him for rescuing her, and fell as immediately and entirely in love with him as he fell in love with her.
“And so, in a few weeks' time, Gracia and Jay were married. Together, they ruled the joint kingdom of Westera-Eastan, which prospered with the elves' blessings. When they had their first daughter, they named her Margaret May after the wonderful and mysterious princess that they had once known. But the real Margaret May lingered as an ordinary raven only long enough to see that both of them would live happily ever after. Satisfied with their happiness, she flew off to find new kingdoms, new continents, and new adventures that she might lend her magic to.”
The children stared at her, somewhat happy, somewhat puzzled. Before anyone could begin the usual gamut of follow-up questions, Fish exclaimed, “Dinnertime!” and the hungry children leapt to their feet, scrambling to get the first serving. Their bellies growled loud enough to quiet their questions, and only Peter remained, sitting in front of Gwen with his confused eyes staring her down. His thoughts stewed in the firm confines of his own head. He offered no comment, so the only questions Gwen had for her story were the ones that had rattled in her heart all along.