CHAPTER SEVEN

LITTLE BO PEEPING

Alex left Red’s House of Progress, grateful to return to her own problems. The anxiety she felt about the Fairy Inaugural Ball and the walk with Rook was heavy to carry around, but not life altering like Red’s afternoon had become, although Alex had a sneaking suspicion Red would find a way to drag her into the drama.

That evening Alex went to the field beyond the gardens to meet Rook. She was positive she arrived at the exact time they had agreed to meet but when she got there Rook was nowhere in sight. Alex sat on a boulder by the stream and waited patiently for him—or at least she thought she was being patient.

Every second waiting for Rook felt like a minute and every minute felt like an hour. The more she waited the more her head filled with doubts. Where was he? What was taking him so long? Had he forgotten about their walk? Had he changed his mind and decided not to come? Had she been stood up?

In between the negative thoughts she self-consciously straightened her headband or fixed a crease in her dress. After only five minutes of waiting Alex had convinced herself Rook wasn’t coming. What was she going to tell Red the next time she saw her? How was she supposed to trust another boy again? How could she live with the embarrassment?

Just when she was about to call it a day and return to the Fairy Palace, she heard rustling in the woods beyond the field. Rook stepped into view, looking as happy, excited, and dreamy as ever.

“Hello, Alex!” Rook said with a big smile.

“Hi, Rook!” Alex said, and let out a relaxed sigh. Just seeing him had instantly switched off all the negative thoughts multiplying in her head. She had stressed herself out for no reason.

Neither knew if they should hug or shake hands or something else, so they stood a few feet apart and silently looked at each other for a moment. It was an awkward hello.

“How was your day?” Alex said, breaking the silence.

“It was pretty normal,” Rook said. “I was planting carrots.”

“How nice!” Alex said, as if it was the most fascinating thing she had heard in weeks.

Rook nodded. “I’m a good gardener,” he said. “My secret is singing. I’ve discovered if I sing to the crops, they grow much healthier.” Rook’s eyes suddenly widened. “Oh no, I hope you find that charming and not crazy.… It’s not like I have conversations with them or anything.…”

Alex giggled. “Oh please, where I live, the plants often sing back.”

Rook was relieved to hear this. “So… where would you like to take a walk to?” he asked.

“I was planning to follow you,” Alex said. She wasn’t obeying any of Red’s advice and she knew Red would have killed her for saying that she’d follow Rook.

“Well, there’s a trail through the woods that I know pretty well,” Rook said.

“Terrific,” Alex said.

They journeyed into the trees and found a small dirt path that snaked deeper into the woods. It wasn’t a very scenic route but it didn’t matter; their walk was more about getting to know each other. However, they were both afraid to be the first to say something to the other.

“What if we take turns asking each other questions?” Rook suggested. “This is going to be a very quiet walk unless we start talking about something. Or we could play charades.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Alex said. “But you go first.”

“Oh, you’re making me go first?” Rook said playfully. “All right, here’s one—how long have you been practicing magic?”

“Less than a year, actually,” Alex said. “Everyone says I’ve been learning very quickly, though. I didn’t even know I was a fairy until I was twelve.”

“Really?” Rook said. “How did you find out?”

“It’s a long story,” Alex said bashfully.

“Good thing we picked a long path,” Rook said with a wink that made her melt inside.

Alex decided to tell him the shortest version of the story she could. “My twin brother and I grew up in a place very far away and different from all of this,” she explained. “Our dad grew up here and felt that magic ruined people. He thought it made them lazy and entitled. He wanted us to learn how to take care of our problems without relying on magic. Then when we were twelve—well, to make a long story short, we followed our grandmother home one day and discovered who we really were.”

Rook’s eyebrows were raised so high they disappeared into his floppy hair. “That’s incredible,” he said. “No wonder you’re so different from all the other fairies. What does your father think of you now?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Alex said sadly. “He died shortly before our eleventh birthday. He never got the chance to tell us the truth himself.”

Rook nodded. “I’m very sorry to hear that. He must have been a very smart man to raise a daughter like you.”

“Thank you,” Alex said. She quickly straightened her headband to distract him from her blushing face.

“Is your brother a fairy, too?” Rook asked.

Alex couldn’t help but laugh. “Conner? A fairy? Oh, heavens no. Being a fairy was the last thing he ever wanted to be. He still lives back home with our mom and stepdad. I think he’d be really good at magic if he ever tried, though.”

“What about your grandmother? Does she live in the Fairy Kingdom with you?” Rook asked.

It took Alex a moment to respond. She hadn’t realized how little he knew about her; it was really refreshing. He must have genuinely liked Alex for her and not who she was going to be.

“She does,” Alex said. She wasn’t sure how he would react to hearing who her grandmother was and she wasn’t sure she was ready for him to know. “Now it’s my turn to ask you a question. How old are you?”

Rook had to think about his answer. “I’m fifteen, but technically I’m one hundred and fifteen.”

At first Alex thought he was joking and gave a small laugh, but when he didn’t laugh with her she realized he was being serious. “Oh my goodness, because of the one-hundred-year sleeping curse!” She figured it out. “You must have been a toddler when it was cast.”

“I was very young,” he said. “I don’t remember much about it. I was playing outside when suddenly for no reason I went to sleep. Then my dad and I woke up one hundred years later.”

“What about your mother?” Alex asked. “What happened to her?”

Rook paused for a second before explaining. “It was my birthday and my mother and brother were in a field collecting berries for a special dessert they were making that night. The field was just outside the border of the Eastern Kingdom, so when the sleeping spell was cast it didn’t reach them. By the time my father and I woke up… they were gone.”

Alex placed a hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Rook,” she said. “It never occurred to me that families were separated because of the curse.”

“Many people don’t realize that,” Rook said. “They just assume everyone went to sleep and awoke to their normal lives a hundred years later, but our whole lives changed when we awoke. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was happy to hear Ezmia had been killed. It brought a lot of closure for me. I don’t think my father will ever be the same, though. That’s why he hates fairies so much; he blames them for not being able to stop the curse.”

Alex nodded. “I understand him a little better now.” She wondered how Rook and Farmer Robins would take knowing she was the one who had defeated the Enchantress. Would it make them like her any more? Or would she just become a living reminder of what they had lost?

“My mother and brother took care of us for as long as they could while we slept,” Rook went on. “They wrote us letters every day and left them for us to read when the curse was eventually broken. I’ll read one or two when I find myself missing them the most. It makes it feel like they’re still around.”

Alex understood this more than he knew. One of the reasons she felt so comfortable in the Land of Stories was because everything there reminded Alex of her dad and made missing him less painful.

“My turn to ask you another question,” Rook said, changing the subject. “How was your day? Tell me everything you did.”

Alex didn’t know where to begin. “Well, it started out very nice,” she said. “I went to the Red Riding Hood Kingdom to visit Queen Red—we’re old friends, believe it or not—but then the day took a very bizarre turn.”

“What happened?”

“Her throne was challenged by Little Bo Peep,” Alex told him. “She managed to convince everyone they should have an election for a new leader.”

Rook was so intrigued his whole face lit up. “That’s unbelievable,” he said. “What would make her do that? I always thought Queen Red was loved by her people.”

“Not by everyone, it seems,” Alex said. “Apparently Little Bo has been unhappy for a long time with the way the kingdom has been managed and thinks she would be a much better queen. I would never want Red to lose her throne but I honestly think Little Bo had some valid things to say.”

Rook scrunched his forehead and thought more about it. “What would you say possessed Little Bo to challenge the throne today of all days? If she’s been unhappy for so long you’d think she would have done something about it sooner.”

Alex thought back to the scene Little Bo had caused earlier that day in the House of Progress but couldn’t come up with an answer. “That’s a really good point,” she said. “She didn’t mention anything in particular. But something must have provoked her into demanding an election.”

“Seems fishy, if you ask me,” Rook said. He abruptly stopped walking and a sly smile crept over his face.

“What is it?” Alex asked, looking back at him.

“I just thought of something really adventurous we could do,” he said, but then quickly said, “Never mind, it might not be your cup of tea.”

Alex laughed—if he only knew the mischief she and her brother had gotten into over the years. “I’ll have you know I happen to be very adventurous,” she teased. “Don’t let the wand and sparkly dress fool you.”

Rook shook his head. “I don’t want to be a bad influence, especially to an up-and-coming fairy. It could get us both into a lot of trouble.”

Alex was appreciative of this but was even more curious about what he was getting at. “Then tonight I’ll just be Alex,” she said. “What’s on your mind?”

Rook laughed at her and caved in. “All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He chuckled. “I was just going to suggest that if you’re curious about Little Bo Peep’s intentions, we could sneak onto her farm and have a look around. I know right where it is—it’s on the southeast side of the Red Riding Hood Kingdom, not too far from our farm. Her farmhands sold my father some sheep once.”

Alex’s conscience instantly shot down the idea. As a respected fairy, it would be extremely irresponsible and childish of her to spy on Little Bo Peep. She would never want to do anything that could potentially jeopardize her reputation. But the answer she gave Rook took them both by surprise.

“Let’s do it!”

Rook was shocked. He had been half kidding but the excitement in Alex’s eyes was contagious. “Are you sure you’re up for it? I’m not pressuring you, am I?”

In truth, the only thing pressuring Alex was Alex herself. It felt like ages since she’d experienced a true adventure. She craved the fear of getting caught and missed the thrill of being chased.

“Let’s ride Cornelius,” Alex said. “It’ll take us a quarter of the time to get there.”

She confidently turned around and headed back to the field. Rook froze for a moment before catching up with her—he liked her more and more with every moment they spent together. When they returned to the field Alex whistled for Cornelius and he appeared shortly after.

“Good evening, Cornelius,” Alex said. “Rook and I are going to the Red Riding Hood Kingdom to spy on someone. Care to join us in a little mischief tonight?”

Cornelius was just as surprised as Rook had been. He had never seen this side of Alex before, but he liked it. He nodded his huge head as if to say, “I thought you’d never ask.”

Alex and Rook climbed astride the unicorn and the three took off toward the Red Riding Hood Kingdom. By the time they reached the kingdom’s partially built wall, the sun had set and the moon was aglow in a twinkly night sky. All the stonemasons had gone home for the night, so Alex and Rook didn’t have to worry about being seen entering the kingdom.

Rook jumped off Cornelius’s back and began climbing the unfinished wall. “It’s a little tricky but I think you’ll manage in that dress of yours,” Rook called down to Alex.

Alex didn’t even bother trying to climb it. She removed her wand from the pocket of her dress and pointed it directly at the wall. A doorway appeared immediately and Alex effortlessly walked through it and into the kingdom.

“Oh, now you’re just showing off,” Rook said to her, and climbed down to meet her.

Cornelius tried to walk through the doorway but couldn’t fit.

“Stay on the other side of the wall, Cornelius,” Alex said. “We’ll be back soon.”

The unicorn slumped. He was disappointed he wasn’t going with them but patiently waited as Alex requested. Rook took Alex by the hand and led her through the grassy hills of the Bo Peep Farms. It was the first time a boy had ever held her hand. She felt like her heart was doing cartwheels into her stomach.

About a mile past the wall, the rooftops of Little Bo Peep’s quaint farm came into view in the distance. It was an adorable place and reminded Alex of a play set she and her brother had when they were toddlers. The barn was big and painted bright red with white trim. The farmhouse was wooden and small, the perfect size for one person, and had a wraparound porch. A metal windmill stood between the buildings, slowly turning in the night breeze.

Huge stacks of hay were scattered across the land and there were fluffy black and white sheep as far as the eye could see. It was like the farm was covered in little walking clouds.

When they got closer to the farm Rook pulled Alex behind a haystack to hide from a group of farmhands they saw ahead. The farmhands were collecting their tools and putting them away in the barn. They had finished their work for the day and were preparing to go home.

The front door of the farmhouse suddenly burst open and Little Bo Peep stepped onto the porch. She had taken her bonnet off for the evening and her dark hair was up in a tight bun. She wore a long blue cloak over her yellow ruffled dress and held her staff in one hand and a lantern in the other. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight.

At first Little Bo appeared to be in a hurry, but she stayed on the porch once she realized the farmhands were still there.

“Good night, Miss Peep!” the farmhands called to her.

“Good night, gentlemen, thank you for all your hard work today!” Little Bo said back. “See you in the morning.”

The farmhands tipped their hats to her and all climbed into the same wagon and drove off into the night. Little Bo smiled and waved to them, but once they were out of sight her smile faded into a somber expression. She did a full circle around the porch, scanning the farm to make absolutely certain that she was alone.

Once she was sure that every farmhand had left, Little Bo hurried down the steps of the porch and headed straight to the barn. She pulled open the heavy red doors and shut them behind her. Alex and Rook heard a scrape as Little Bo locked them from the inside.

“What do you think she’s up to?” Alex whispered.

“Let’s find out.” Rook gestured for her to follow him.

They sprinted to the barn as quickly, as quietly, and as low to the ground as possible. Alex kept tripping over her dress and Rook had to help her up each time. They were both laughing and kept reminding each other to stay quiet. Alex couldn’t remember the last time she had had this much fun.

They circled the barn until they found an open window. They slowly peeked over the windowsill to see inside.

The barn was lined with mountainous stacks of square hay bales. Little Bo was standing before the largest stack, in the middle of the barn, tirelessly pulling the bales down one square at a time. She grunted and dabbed her forehead with the corner of her cloak. Eventually, a large rectangular object covered with a sheet was revealed. Little Bo had been hiding something in the hay.

She yanked off the sheet covering the object and Alex had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping out loud.

“That’s a magic mirror!” Alex whispered. “Little Bo Peep is hiding a magic mirror in her barn!”

“Are you sure it’s magic?” Rook asked.

“I’m positive.” The mirror had a thick silver frame with floral engravings and its reflection was too crisp to be a normal mirror’s.

Little Bo examined herself in the mirror, fixing a few strands of hair that had fallen into her face. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she gently placed an open hand on the glass. The mirror instantly rippled to life like a stone had been dropped in a still lake.

Little Bo leaned as close to the mirror as she could without touching it. “Are you there, my love?” she whispered softly. Her eyes were wide and anxious as she waited. She looked like a puppy waiting for its master to arrive.

A dark silhouette of a man appeared through the rippling glass. “I am,” his deep and gruff voice declared.

Little Bo smiled and pressed both of her hands against the glass. “I missed you so much today,” she said. “I would have come sooner but the farmhands were working late.”

“How did it go at the House of Progress?” the man asked.

“Everything went exactly as we planned,” Little Bo was happy to share. “I wish you could have been there to hear me; I was very convincing. No one would have thought I was anything but genuinely passionate about the kingdom.”

“Good,” the man said. “Make sure to keep it that way.”

The man’s harsh tone made Little Bo blue. “What’s wrong? You don’t seem yourself,” she said, and peered closer into the glass to see his silhouette better.

“Every day I’m trapped in here is harder than the one before,” he said. “I’m starting to have doubts that I’ll ever be free.”

“You don’t trust me?” Little Bo said sadly.

“I trust your intentions, my sweet, but until you’re crowned queen I can’t get my hopes up,” he said. “Misery fills the emptiness that hope leaves behind when the world disappoints you.”

Little Bo passionately pressed her body against the glass. “I will find a way to get you out of there, if it’s the last thing I do,” she said. “Soon I’ll be queen and I’ll have a world of opportunity at my disposal. I’ll exhaust every resource in my power until I have you in my arms again.”

The silhouette went silent. “We’ll see,” it said coldly.

“You must believe in me,” Little Bo said. “I can’t do this without your trust.”

The silhouette slowly faded away and the mirror’s glass became solid.

“No, come back! Please come back!” Little Bo pleaded but the man did not return.

Little Bo slid down the glass and onto the ground. She sat on her knees and buried her face in her hands, quietly sobbing. Once she stopped crying she stood up and re-covered the mirror and re-stacked the bales of hay to hide it.

“We should head back before she finishes,” Rook suggested.

Alex agreed and they quickly crept away in the direction they’d come from. They stayed quiet until they reached the wall and then returned to the Fairy Kingdom on Cornelius’s back.

As they traveled home on the swift unicorn, Rook asked, “What was Little Bo Peep doing with a magic mirror? And who was that man trapped inside it?”

Alex had been asking herself the same questions. “I have no idea,” she said. “I feel so awful for her. Once someone is trapped in a magic mirror it’s nearly impossible to get them out, and whoever that man was, it looked like Little Bo loved him very much.”

“That’s the real reason she wants to be queen, then,” Rook said. “She thinks if she becomes queen it’ll be easier to find a way to free him.”

“And from the looks of it, that man hasn’t been trapped in the mirror very long,” Alex said. “After a while people imprisoned inside magic mirrors begin to lose themselves—their thoughts and memories fade and eventually all they can do is reflect the world around them. That man’s mind was still pretty intact. He must have been cursed recently and that’s probably what triggered Little Bo’s decision to challenge the throne today.”

“You sure know a lot about magic mirrors,” Rook said.

“I’ve had some experience with them,” Alex said. “And Little Bo’s not the first person to think of a throne as the solution to getting someone out. Not many people know this but the man trapped inside the Evil Queen’s mirror was her beloved, too. Her vanity and all the horrible things she did to Snow White were in one way or another just attempts to save the little of him that was left.”

“Oh, good,” Rook said with a smile in his eyes. “I was afraid you might have a collection of magic mirrors with all the other boys you’ve gone on walks with trapped inside.”

They shared a laugh over the thought. “Stop giving me ideas,” Alex teased. “Besides, you’re the first boy I’ve ever taken a walk with, so my collection would be awfully small.”

Alex’s saying this made Rook feel like the most special boy in the world and the way he looked at Alex made her feel like the most special girl. The closer they got to the Fairy Kingdom, the closer they sat to each other on the unicorn. Soon they reached the field just outside the fairy gardens and Rook helped Alex off Cornelius. They looked into each other’s eyes, knowing their night was coming to an end.

“It’s getting late,” Rook said, looking up at the night sky. “I should go home before my father worries.”

“I had so much fun tonight,” Alex said. “Thank you for taking me on an adventure. I really needed one.”

“When may I see you again?” Rook had been waiting to ask since they left the Red Riding Hood Kingdom. “If I may see you again, that is.”

“I’d like that very much,” Alex said. “There’s this fairy ball thing I have to go to tomorrow night but maybe we could see each other again at the end of the week?”

“I can’t wait.” He was looking so deeply into her eyes she felt like he was staring at her soul. He leaned closer to her and her heart began to flutter—was he about to do what she thought? Was she ready for it? But just before their mouths touched, Rook turned from her and began walking in the direction of his home.

“To more adventures,” Rook said.

“To more adventures,” Alex repeated.

“Good night, Alex,” he said as he disappeared into the trees.

Alex sighed and leaned on Cornelius for support. Her heart was beating in time to a glorious symphony that played in her mind. She felt like she was floating above herself. She had never wanted to be with someone as much as she wanted to be with Rook. His presence gave her a purpose she couldn’t explain.

Alex patted Cornelius’s head good night and made her way back to the Fairy Palace. She couldn’t help skipping as she walked; she was full of excitement, giggles, and butterflies.…