CHAPTER EIGHT

THE FAIRY INAUGURAL BALL

The day of the Fairy Inaugural Ball finally arrived and the entire Fairy Kingdom was united in celebration. Two years ago, when Alex first laid eyes on the fairy gardens and the Fairy Palace, she never would have thought the kingdom could look more magical than it already did. But when she awoke that morning and looked out her window and saw the results of all the hard work the fairies had put into making this day as special as possible, she realized she had been mistaken.

A double rainbow arched high above the kingdom without fading. The fluffiest white clouds imaginable slowly morphed into the shapes of flowers, animals, and insects as they floated through the sky. The air was filled with bubbles of all sizes and some transported the tiniest fairies from one corner of the kingdom to another. Every plant was bigger and brighter than normal and swayed in a light breeze. High geysers shot sporadically out of every pond and lake and never from the same place twice.

The kingdom only became more majestic as the sun set and all the stars appeared. They twinkled vividly in the night sky and with each shooting star a sparkly trail glistened down as if it were raining stardust. The Fairy Palace shimmered brighter than ever, as if it were covered in millions of miniature lights. Fireworks went off in slow motion above the palace, illuminating the gardens and bodies of water in bright colors.

The ball began downstairs in the main hall of the Fairy Palace and the sounds of celebration increased as more and more fairies from around the kingdom arrived. Alex was still in her chambers, too nervous to join the festivities. They were all waiting for her, they had all come to see her—it was more attention than she was comfortable with.

Alex had been standing in front of her mirror for hours. She magically transformed her dress into several different gowns, each more eccentric than the next, until she finally settled on a simple white gown with matching gloves. She even styled her hair up into a look Queen Red would have been proud of.

She looked beautiful and, more important, she felt beautiful. She wished her six-year-old self could see her now. Alex would have grown up with such confidence had she known this was where she would end up. She just wished her brother and her mom could see her.

The small piece of glass Alex had chipped off her mirror so she could communicate with her brother during his trip had been shimmering non-stop all day. She figured her brother was having the time of his life in Germany and wanted to tell her all about it. Alex couldn’t wait to hear about it, but she ignored him, wanting to spare herself from any jokes or sarcastic comments he would make about her dress and the ball tonight—she was dreading it enough as it was.

There was a knock on her door and Tangerina and Skylene walked into her chamber.

“Hello, hello,” Tangerina said. “We came to see how you were doing.”

“Everyone is waiting for you downstairs,” Skylene said.

Alex lost all confidence in her appearance as soon as she saw the enchanted outfits they were wearing. Tangerina was dressed in a square gown made entirely out of honeycomb. Live bees circled her neck and wrists like floating jewelry and honey dripped from her earlobes like teardrop earrings. Skylene wore her long hair up in the shape of a large water lily. Her dress was made of continuously flowing water; it started at her neck and flowed down her body, stopping just before it touched the ground—it was like she was wearing a waterfall.

“You two look amazing,” Alex peeped.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” Skylene asked. She and Tangerina exchanged a look that made Alex feel horribly underdressed.

“It is,” Alex said confidently, trying to rebuild her self-esteem. “You both said I should dress as I want to be remembered, right? This gown is elegant but simple and it does its job without being overly flashy and without stealing focus. That’s exactly what I’d like my reputation to be.”

The fairies just nodded. “It’s cuuute,” Tangerina finally said.

They weren’t convincing and made Alex feel more discouraged than ever. “I can’t do this,” she said, and sat on her bed. “I’m not cut out for this kind of attention or pressure. I’m the kind of girl who just wants to be at the ball, not be the belle of the ball.”

Tangerina and Skylene sat down on either side of her.

“You’ll have to excuse the kingdom,” Tangerina said. “The last Fairy Inaugural Ball was canceled when we discovered how destructive Ezmia was. It’s been a very long time since we had something or someone worth celebrating. We’re all just very excited, perhaps too excited.”

“I can’t imagine how over-stimulating all this must be for you,” Skylene said. “And I don’t think we’ve been much help. We may have given you the wrong idea about what tonight is truly about.”

“Then I shouldn’t dress how I want to be remembered?” Alex asked.

“Forget what we said about that, Alex,” Tangerina said. “Being a fairy means you must be true to the goodness in your heart, and nothing is truer than wearing your heart on your sleeve.”

“And the more honesty you show in your appearance, the more you will be remembered and admired for it,” Skylene added.

Alex thought about that for a few moments but wasn’t sure she entirely understood. “So I’m supposed to wear my feelings?” she asked.

“So to speak,” Skylene said.

“But if you truly believe this gown represents you, then you should have no regrets wearing this downstairs,” Tangerina said.

“We’ll give you a few moments alone to think it over,” Skylene said. “There’s no rush; come down whenever you’re ready.”

They each patted her on the shoulder and walked to the door.

“Oh, and Alex,” Tangerina said before leaving, “don’t think you’re not worth celebrating.”

The fairies smiled affectionately at Alex as they left her chambers. Alex stood before the mirror again, this time looking into her heart more than at her reflection.

In the past year Alex had experienced so many new phases in her life: living in a different dimension, learning magic, going on walks with boys, and being away from her family for the first time. Everything was as terrifying as it was exciting and Alex wanted her gown to reflect it all.

Alex closed her eyes and thought of the perfect thing to wear. She raised her wand and with a bright flash transformed her dress one last time.…

The main hall of the Fairy Palace was decorated to perfection. The usually golden arches and pillars had been bewitched to change colors as the night went on. A small band of enchanted flutes and strings played music by themselves in the corner. The hall had been cleared out entirely and was lined with tables of food and drinks.

There were hundreds upon hundreds of fairies and not one of them was alike: water fairies sprinkled in dew, garden fairies wrapped in leaves, fairies with large colorful wings, fairies that glowed like they were made entirely of light, and small fairies the size of insects. The majority of them stood around mingling, while others hovered in the air.

The Fairy Godmother was in the center of the party, playing hostess and greeting everyone who came up to her. She was wearing her finest robes, which sparkled like the night sky, and tonight the air around her also sparkled, as if her aura had dressed for the occasion.

Mother Goose and Lester were camped out by one of the drink tables, trying to avoid the other fairies at all costs. Mother Goose poured herself and the large goose goblets of punch and topped them off with a splash from her flask.

Tangerina and Skylene waited by the foot of the stairs for Alex to arrive. “I hope we cheered her up,” Tangerina said. “The poor thing looked terrified.”

“She’ll be down when she’s ready,” Skylene said.

“Oh look! Here she comes now,” Tangerina said, and pointed to the top of the stairs.

Skylene eagerly tapped the side of her glass until the room went silent. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we’d like to present the fairy of the hour,” she announced. “She is the youngest fairy to ever join the Fairy Council and the Happily Ever After Assembly, the only fairy clever enough to outsmart the Enchantress, and she’s the future Fairy Godmother! Please give a warm welcome to the one and only Alex Bailey!”

Skylene made a grand gesture toward the top of the stairs and the hall burst into applause. Alex walked down the stairs and the entire room gasped when they saw her gown. She was still wearing the white gown but it was now covered in thousands of vibrant live butterflies. The butterflies twitched and fluttered in time with Alex’s nervous heart but they never flew away.

Tangerina and Skylene were the first to greet Alex and rave about her new dress. Mother Goose and Lester raised their goblets in her direction from the drinks table. The Fairy Godmother smiled proudly up at her from the middle of the room. She met her granddaughter at the foot of the stairs, took her hand, and led her into the center of the hall.

The palace was filled with fairies Alex had never seen before, but besides Tangerina and Skylene, the rest of the Fairy Council members were nowhere to be found.

“Grandma, where is everyone?” Alex asked. “Aren’t Rosette, Xanthous, Emerelda, Violetta, and Coral coming to the ball?”

“They’ll be here shortly,” the Fairy Godmother said. “They’re just waiting for us to start.”

“Start what?” Alex asked, and gave her grandmother a suspicious look.

“You’ll see,” the Fairy Godmother said, hiding a smile.

Skylene tapped the side of her glass again to regain the crowd’s attention. “Tonight we’re here to celebrate a girl who over the past few months has shown wisdom and skill beyond her years. However, before she can officially join the Fairy Council and the Happily Ever After Assembly, there are four sacred tests she must pass: the test of courage, the test of grace, the test of kindness, and the test of heart.”

The butterflies on the inside and outside of Alex fluttered intensely. “Grandma,” she said with enormous eyes. “You never said I would be tested at the ball.”

An amused grin appeared on the Fairy Godmother’s face. “I didn’t want to worry you,” she said. “Just relax, sweetheart, you’ve already passed the first three without realizing it.”

“Please clear the floor!” Skylene said, and the crowd of guests parted to the sides of the room, leaving Alex alone in the center. A bright flash of light filled the back of the hall and seven podiums and a seat on either side of them suddenly appeared. They were the official stations of the Fairy Council members—and if Alex passed the tests, she would be given a seat among them.

Mother Goose was to present the first test. She went to Alex and put an arm around her. “When Alex was thirteen years old she proved her bravery to the world by defeating the evil Enchantress,” Mother Goose said to the guests. “Alex was able to do something five queens, four kings, and ten fairies combined could not; she figured out a way to outwit Ezmia. She didn’t care if she lived or died in the process, all she cared about was saving the people she loved. So, Alex, it’s my privilege to inform you that, without question, you have passed the test of courage.”

The fairies applauded and Mother Goose took her seat by the podiums. Once she was seated, four familiar people pushed their way through the crowd of fairies lining the room and stepped into the center of the hall next to Alex—it was the old lady and her three bratty granddaughters whom Alex had helped in the Charming Kingdom.

“Wait, what are they doing here?” Alex asked.

Suddenly, bright lights appeared and began swirling around the woman and her granddaughters. Alex watched in amazement as the woman transformed into Emerelda and the three granddaughters became Rosette, Violetta, and Coral.

“That was you four?” Alex asked in shock, and a smile came to her face.

All four looked as gorgeous as ever. Emerelda wore a long dress made entirely out of small emeralds. Rosette’s gown was red and multi-layered, so the bottom of it looked like a giant rose wrapped around her legs. Violetta wore a purple dress with a high collar shaped like a violet. Coral’s dress was made of pink flower petals and Fisher, her walking-fish pet, held tightly in her hands, wore a matching bow tie.

“Being a fairy doesn’t mean you’re always appreciated,” Emerelda said. “But even when she was subjected to a rude and unwelcoming home, Alex was able to keep a calm and elegant demeanor. She understands that being a fairy isn’t about whom you help, but how you help. She has passed the test of grace.”

The fairies around the hall clapped again. Rosette, Tangerina, Emerelda, Skylene, Violetta, and Coral went to their respective podiums—there was only one fairy missing.

Before Alex knew it, Cornelius abruptly galloped into the hall at full speed with Xanthous on his back. They stopped in the center of the room beside her, and Xanthous hopped down from the unicorn.

“Don’t tell me you were a test, too!” Alex said to her unicorn, and playfully put her hands on her hips. The unicorn happily nodded his giant head.

Xanthous was wearing a crisp yellow suit with a long flickering cape of flames. He addressed the crowd, soaking up the attention for all it was worth. “Of all the unicorns in the forest she could have chosen as her method of transportation, Alex chose this one,” he told the crowd.

Cornelius snorted loudly as if to say, “I have a name.”

“Alex gave this unicorn a chance to prove himself even when the unicorns of his own herd had disregarded him,” Xanthous continued. “She has proven that she believes passion is far more important than appearance and in doing so has passed the test of kindness.”

The fairies cheered again. Cornelius became emotional and had to wipe his eyes on a tablecloth. Xanthous joined the other fairies at the podiums, completing their rainbow of color. The Fairy Godmother was next to approach Alex. The entire hall fell silent, knowing the final test was about to be presented.

“Alex, there is one final test you must complete, and you must complete it in here in front of all of us,” the Fairy Godmother said sternly, although it was mostly for show. “It’s the test of heart, and it cannot be proven with a wand, but only with words. Are you ready?”

Alex’s hands were trembling. She had been afraid a moment like this would happen—a moment when she could possibly let down the entire Fairy Kingdom if she failed. Alex licked her lips and nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“In your own words, tell us why you should join the Fairy Council and the Happily Ever After Assembly,” the Fairy Godmother said.

It was difficult for Alex to think with so many pairs of eyes staring at her. She looked inside her heart for the best answer. She thought about all the people she had helped as a fairy and all the people who had ever helped her before she was a fairy. She thought about the fairies around her, and about Farmer Robins and Rook, and tried to form an answer she thought would please them all.

“Because… because…,” Alex said with a nervous quiver. “Because I know what it’s like to live without magic. I know what it’s like to struggle and work hard for things. Right now I think people outside this kingdom have a hard time believing in us because they don’t see how any of us truly understand what it’s like for them. And in time, I think I can be the fairy they will all trust and depend on because I’ll always be one of them.”

The hall kept very silent while they waited to hear the results. The Fairy Godmother turned away from her granddaughter and faced the room of spectators. “She has passed the test of heart,” she declared.

The fairies erupted into thunderous applause. The Fairy Godmother took her seat by the podiums and the Fairy Council was complete. A brand-new golden chair appeared out of thin air beside the Fairy Godmother. Alex went to the chair and stroked the armrest. She was finally an official member of the Fairy Council and the Happily Ever After Assembly and had her own seat to prove it.

The Fairy Godmother leaned in to her. “I told you there was nothing to worry about,” she said.

Alex smiled at her. “I can’t believe you’ve been testing me all week,” she said to her fellow council members.

“We knew you wouldn’t disappoint us,” Xanthous said.

“Congratulations, Alex,” Emerelda told her.

“Well done,” Rosette added.

“Aren’t you going to try your seat?” Coral asked.

Alex sat in her chair for the first time. She couldn’t deny that sitting alongside the rest of the council members with purpose was a very good feeling.

The celebration went on and Alex was continuously congratulated by fairies she had never met. At one point she noticed someone lingering behind a pillar nearby. She could have sworn she knew him. He was taller than her and wore an old suit a tad too big for him. A feathered mask covered his face.

He had been watching her the entire night but never came over to congratulate her or say hello. The more Alex looked at him, the more anxious he seemed to become. Finally the attention she was giving him obviously worried him too much and he headed out of the Fairy Palace. Alex’s curiosity got the best of her and she decided to follow him.

“Grandma, may I be excused from the party for a few minutes?” Alex asked.

“Of course, dear!”

Alex hurried out of the main hall and down the front steps of the Fairy Palace. She felt something crunch under her foot and realized the fellow in question had taken off his mask and dropped it on the stairs. She looked ahead and saw him running into the gardens.

“Hey!” Alex called out, but he didn’t turn around.

She chased after him as fast as she could in her gown. Every time she got close enough to see who he was, he would turn and run down another path in the gardens. Alex felt like she was chasing him in a maze of colorful plants and flowers. Eventually she caught up to him on a small bridge that crossed over a pond.

“Freeze!” Alex demanded. “Show yourself or I’ll use my wand!”

He slowly turned around and his face was perfectly lit in the moonlight.

“Rook?!” Alex gasped.

“Hello, Alex,” Rook said timidly.

“What are you doing here?” Alex asked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run from you,” he said. “I just really wanted to see you again. I thought I would sneak into the ball and surprise you, but once I saw you and discovered it was your ball, I couldn’t help but stay.”

Alex didn’t know what to say. She had never meant to keep the reality of who she was a secret from him but she hadn’t wanted him to find out like this.

“Rook, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole story about who I am,” Alex said. “I was afraid I would scare you away if I did.”

Rook stared at her for a moment and then nodded. “So you’re the next Fairy Godmother, huh?”

“Yes,” Alex said sheepishly.

“And you’re the one who defeated the Enchantress?” he asked.

“Guilty of that as well,” she said.

Rook took a minute to wrap his head around it. He stared off at the gardens around them in absolute bewilderment. “This is bad,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about this.”

Alex felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. “Rook, I’m still me,” she pleaded. “I’m still the same fairy you met at your farm and who you went on a walk with yesterday.”

To Alex’s relief, Rook looked up at her and smiled. “That’s not what I meant,” he said, and stepped closer to her. “I thought you were amazing the first time I met you, and the more I think about you, the more amazing you seem. Now that I know just how incredible you really are, I’m not sure how I’m ever going to let you go.”

“Oh,” Alex said. Her heart began racing and her butterflies fluttered to life. “Well, that’s very… very… nice.”

“You make me really happy, Alex, in ways I can’t explain,” he said.

“You make me really happy, too, Rook,” she said. “One of the reasons I’m wearing butterflies tonight is to match the butterflies you give me when I think of you.”

Rook stepped even closer to her and placed a hand on the side of her face. He looked into her eyes for a moment and then slowly leaned his head closer to hers. Alex’s heart was about to beat out of her chest. The butterflies fluttered more rapidly the closer he got to her. They flew off her dress just as Rook kissed her for the first time.

The celebration continued in the main hall despite Alex’s absence. The Fairy Godmother sat in her chair and happily watched over the party around her. It had been a terrific night and she couldn’t have been prouder of her granddaughter. However, the celebration had taken a toll on the Fairy Godmother and she was feeling very tired and a tad weak.

“It’s a wonderful party,” Mother Goose said, pulling up her own seat next to the Fairy Godmother. “Nothing will ever beat that mixer I threw during the Crusades but this might be a close second.”

“Yes, I think everyone is enjoying themselves,” the Fairy Godmother said softly.

“Are you feeling all right, FG?” Mother Goose asked. “You don’t seem very festive.”

“I’m just glad this day is finally here,” she said. “The Fairy Kingdom can now rest assured that their future is in good hands.”

Mother Goose took a good look at her. She knew something was wrong even if it wasn’t plainly written on her face. “I’ve known you for centuries; I can tell when something is bothering you,” she said.

The Fairy Godmother sighed. “Can I confide in you?” she asked her oldest friend.

“Of course,” Mother Goose said. “If I gave you a gold coin for every secret of mine you’ve kept, I’d be broke.”

The Fairy Godmother looked directly into her eyes. “Years ago when I declared Ezmia as my heir, there was always something in the back of my mind that told me it wasn’t meant to be,” she said. “I ignored it, but then later that feeling proved to be intuition. Now that I’ve declared Alex as my heir, there is another feeling that’s come over me that I can’t ignore.”

“What is it?” Mother Goose asked. “Do you have doubts about Alex, too?”

“On the contrary,” the Fairy Godmother replied. “After months of training her and finally seeing her among the council tonight, I feel nothing but hopeful… and tired.”

“How tired?” Mother Goose asked.

“More tired than I’ve felt before in my life,” the Fairy Godmother told her.

Mother Goose’s face fell. “Are you telling me what I think you might be?”

The Fairy Godmother nodded. “Yes,” she said with a bittersweet smile. “You and I are the only ones old enough to know how magic works in these situations. We know what’s to be expected. But please remember this is good news. It means we’ve finally found the true heir of magic and she’s ready.”

Mother Goose didn’t say a word. She took the Fairy Godmother’s hand into her own and smiled as widely as she could, given the news.

“I think I’m going to retire for the night,” the Fairy Godmother said. “If you see Alex, please tell her I’ll see her in the morning.”

The Fairy Godmother slowly disappeared into soft glittery clouds, too tired to climb the stairs.

Suddenly the hall of fairies parted. Something was causing a ruckus, and they hurried away from it as fast as possible. Three boisterous witches had just arrived in the Fairy Palace, and they noisily made their way into the center of the hall.

Each wore a long, ragged black cloak, and they all smelled foul. One witch had cat eyes and twigs for hair, another was missing an eye but had two large noses, and the third had skin so loose, it appeared to be melting off her face like wax. They cackled loudly at the fairies cowering away from them.

The eight members of the Fairy Council formed a circle around the witches. It was obvious they had come to start trouble.

“What business do you have here?” Emerelda asked them.

“We came here for the Fairy Inaugural Ball, of course,” the one-eyed witch said in a shrill voice.

“You weren’t invited,” Violetta said. “This celebration is for fairies only.”

“You’re breaking the laws of the Happily Ever After Assembly by being in our palace,” Xanthous threatened. “Witches are not allowed to set foot in this kingdom, and you know it.”

“Enforce those laws while you still have them, because soon there will be no assembly to threaten us with,” the one-eyed witch warned.

The fairies whispered to one another. What did the witch mean by this? Xanthous grew impatient and didn’t care to find out. “Leave at once, or we’ll have you thrown in Pinocchio Prison,” he threatened.

The witches cackled even harder at his attempt to frighten them. “But if we leave, you’ll never receive our gift,” the witch with cat eyes hissed. “We didn’t come all this way empty-handed.”

“We don’t want your gift,” Tangerina said. The bees flying around her neck and wrists flew at a quicker pace. “Go back to wherever it is you came from.”

“Trust us—you want what we have to offer,” the witch with waxy skin wheezed. “It’s less a gift and more a prophecy. It’s something the witches have kept to themselves for a great while, but since it’s such a ceremonious night, we thought we’d share it with you.”

“We don’t want to hear your ridiculous prophecy, either,” Rosette said.

“I do!” Coral peeped, speaking on behalf of all the curious fairies in the room. “It couldn’t hurt just to listen to whatever information they want to give us.”

The members of the Fairy Council looked at one another, but no one objected. “Very well,” Emerelda said. “If the witches promise to leave us in peace when they’ve finished, they may share their message with us.”

The witches scowled at the audience of fairies. They held hands and formed a circle. The witches cocked their heads up to the sky, and their mouths and eyes began to glow. A strong breeze swiftly blew through the palace as the witches chanted a rhyme in unison.

“Fairies, listen well,

For there is truth in the sights we foretell.

‘Happily ever after’ will not last,

When it’s greeted by a threat from the past.

One by one, the kingdoms will fall apart,

From battles they’ll lose and wars they’ll start.

Fairy blood will be spilt by the gallons,

When you face the army of thousands.”

The witches howled with laughter at the conclusion of their prophecy. All the fairies had to cover their ears from the screeching sounds.

“Get out of this palace before I turn you into ashes,” Xanthous said, and his whole body burst into flames.

“Yeah, and then I’ll kick your ashes into next week!” Mother Goose added.

The witches left the palace, cackling as loudly as they could the entire way. The fairies looked at one another anxiously. Did they have any reason to believe a word of what the witches had just said? Was an army of thousands really on its way? And from where?

“Do not worry,” Emerelda told them. “This was nothing more than a foolish attempt to ruin our evening, and I refuse to let them succeed. I say we continue our festivities in the gardens where we can celebrate under the stars.”

The fairies cheered, and Emerelda led all the guests through the hall and outside the palace.

“Aren’t you coming, Mother Goose?” Coral asked as she left with the others.

Mother Goose was the only one who had stayed behind. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“All right,” Coral said, and flew off with the others.

Mother Goose’s eyes darted left and right, and small beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She was the only person to whom the witches’ prophecy meant something. Everything the witches had foretold was connected to a dark secret Mother Goose had kept for a very long time, a secret she had never told anyone, not even the Fairy Godmother.

But years ago Mother Goose had done everything in her power to make sure the army wouldn’t cross over. Was the threat still alive?

There was only one way to find out, and there was only one person who could help her—and he was worlds away.

Mother Goose took a giant swig from her flask and hopped onto Lester’s back. She steered him to the window of Alex’s room. Mother Goose climbed in through the window and had a look around. She found the magic mirror placed in the corner and touched its glass. There was no response and Mother Goose looked desperately around the room. On Alex’s nightstand she found the piece of mirror that had been chipped off, and to her relief it was shimmering—he was trying to contact Alex at that exact moment.

Mother Goose picked up the piece of mirror and the round, freckled face of the person she was trying to contact appeared.

“Oh, C-Dog, thank God it’s you,” Mother Goose said to Conner. “Listen, we need to talk. I need your help.…”