CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

THE DAWNING

The following day the entire Happily Ever After Assembly gathered in the main hall of the Fairy Palace. All seven fairies stood nobly behind their podiums, Mother Goose sat in her chair across from Alex, and the kings and queens stood on the floor before them. Jack, Goldilocks, and Trollbella had also been asked to attend the meeting, although none of them knew what for. They figured Alex had something up her sleeve.

The Fairy Godmother’s seat remained in the hall by Alex’s request—she wasn’t ready for it to be moved. Every time she looked at the chair she imagined her grandmother sitting there smiling back at her. It inspired Alex and kept her motivated to continue her grandmother’s work.

“Looks like we’re all here,” Mother Goose told the room after conducting a head count. “Shall the meeting proceed?”

“Not yet,” Alex said. “We’re still waiting for one person to arrive.”

No one but Alex knew who they were waiting for. The rest of the hall joined her as she looked upward. Their curiosity increased with every moment that passed. Two giant swans appeared in the sky and descended into the hall. Empress Elvina rode one of the swans while two elf soldiers escorted her on the other.

The assembly exchanged wide-eyed glances as if they were looking at a ghost—the majority of them had never seen her in person before. The elf soldiers dismounted their swan and helped the empress down from the other. It was the first time in hundreds of years that elves had touched fairy soil.

“Thank you so much for coming to our meeting, Empress,” Alex said with a cordial bow.

“I was very surprised to receive an invitation since I didn’t fulfill my end of our agreement,” the empress said.

“I’m just glad you and your elves are safe,” Alex said.

The empress and her soldiers stood apart from everyone else in the hall. She was the tallest person in the room and glared at the other monarchs. The elves hadn’t come with the intention of making friends.

“I just love your branches,” Snow White said, trying to break the ice.

Empress Elvina stared at her as if the compliment was a horrible insult. “This is the sacred crown worn by every ruler of the Elf Empire since the Dragon Age,” she stated as if it were obvious.

“Well, it’s just lovely,” Cinderella added.

Now that everyone had finally arrived, Alex began the assembly meeting.

“I’ve called you all here today to make an announcement,” Alex said. “I’ve decided my first act as the new Fairy Godmother will be to abolish the Happily Ever After Assembly.”

The hall immediately erupted in protest. Empress Elvina was the only one not surprised by the news and she found the others’ reactions very amusing. It was the first time in a great while that the elves were in the know before the humans.

“Have you lost your mind?” Tangerina asked.

“I think you need a vacation, kiddo,” Mother Goose said.

Xanthous tried reasoning with her. “Alex, we’ve stood behind you on every decision but this is one we can’t support.”

“Everyone calm down and hear me out,” she said. “My grandmother formed the Happily Ever After Assembly as a way of uniting the world, but as the Grande Armée proved, the world is far from being united. The war wasn’t the last threat we’ll face. We have to be prepared for whatever the future may bring and we can’t do that if some of us are left out of the conversation. So today, I am founding the Happily Forever After Assembly, and I’m asking the troblins and the elves to join us.”

The hall went very quiet but no one objected. The men and women looked back and forth between the troll queen and the elf empress, waiting to see how they would react to the offer.

“You want the troblins to join?” Trollbella asked in shock.

“Yes,” Alex said. “Your people come from a long line of horrible behavior and you’ve done a wonderful job of restoring their dignity, Trollbella. However, the trolls and goblins will never respect us if we don’t respect them, too. I learned very valuable lessons from two unlikely teachers over the course of the war—one was a prisoner and the other was a witch. They taught me that every creature is an individual and we can’t punish an entire race for mistakes made by individuals. As easy as it is to label large groups with the reputations of their ancestors, it isn’t right. As we forgive the trolls and goblins, I hope the elves can forgive the humans and fairies for the treatment they have received from the fairies in the past.”

“Our agreement wasn’t based on forgiveness,” Empress Elvina said. “But it was a very gracious gesture on the fairies’ part to assist us during the Grande Armée’s attack, and we are grateful. If this new assembly will benefit future generations of elves, then we will gladly join it.”

A smile came to Alex’s face. The fairies around her were stunned that she had convinced the elf empress to join forces with them.

“Are we all in agreement, then?” Alex asked the room. She made eye contact with every ruler and fairy in the hall and each nodded.

“I believe we are,” Emerelda announced. “Let today mark the dawning of the Happily Forever After Assembly.”

The hall burst into a round of applause. Even the empress couldn’t resist clapping. Trollbella was so excited by the union she did a cartwheel. Alex had secured a very promising future for the fairy-tale world.

Jack cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but we’re still wondering why we were called here.”

“That leads me to my second order of business,” Alex said. “The majority of the criminals the Grande Armée recruited fled from battle, which means more criminals are at large throughout the kingdoms than ever before, not to mention the remaining Armée soldiers that escaped. We need to work together to round them up and put them behind bars. With the assembly’s permission, I would like to ask Jack and Goldilocks to form a team to track these criminals down.”

Jack and Goldilocks looked at each other.

“Us?” Jack asked.

“But we are criminals,” Goldilocks said.

“Which makes you the perfect candidates,” Alex said. “You think like criminals—you know where they’ll hide and who they’ll make alliances with.”

“We’ll have to think about it,” Jack said, speaking on their behalf. “Recently we’ve been toying with the idea of settling down.”

This was news to Goldilocks. “When did we have that conversation?” she asked her husband.

“Well, I just assumed, because—” He raised his eyebrows suggestively so she knew he was thinking of their unborn child without saying it aloud.

Goldilocks smiled at him and held his hand. “Just because a bird builds a nest doesn’t mean its wings are clipped,” she said, and then quickly turned to Alex. “We’re in. Jack and I want this world to be a better place as much as the rest of you do. Besides, it will allow us to live our lives much like we always have, except we’ll be acting for the greater good instead of for ourselves.”

“I agree,” Jack said. They had both gained a sudden interest in the future, knowing they were bringing a child into the world. “We accept your offer.”

“Then I would recommend the first person you track down is the Masked Man,” Mother Goose said. “There is no limit to his ruthlessness or his greed—he tried stealing from the Fairy Godmother herself. I bet he’s out plotting his next strike against the fairies even as we speak.”

“Mother Goose, what did the Masked Man try to steal from her?” Alex asked. “Surely Grandma didn’t have a dragon egg in her possession.”

Mother Goose shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know, but it was enough to have him put behind bars for life.”

“We’ll get together a team at once and track him down,” Goldilocks said.

Unfortunately, the Masked Man was much closer than they all realized.

With nothing further to discuss, Alex concluded the first Happily Forever After Assembly meeting. She waved her wand and several more large swans appeared and took the kings and queens home to their own kingdoms.

Alex was completely drained after the meeting and desperately needed some time to rest and decompress. Rather than going back to her own chambers, she decided to go to her grandmother’s instead. Soon her grandmother’s old room would become hers and Alex wanted to spend a little time in it before it was changed.

The door was already ajar when Alex got there.

“That’s odd,” she said to herself. She hoped her things hadn’t been moved to the chambers already.

Alex went inside and her grandmother’s scent greeted her at the door. She was happy to see all of her grandmother’s belongings were still there. Alex gazed around the chambers at her grandmother’s things. She looked forward to going through them with her brother, and wondered what they would learn about her as they searched through her spell books and organized her cabinet of potions.

When Alex’s eyes landed on the cabinet of potions she was confronted with an alarming sight. All the drawers were open and had been rummaged through. Broken glass bottles covered the floor around it—someone had searched it in a hurry. The cabinet door was still swinging—whoever it was was still here.

Alex raised her wand and cautiously moved about the chambers. “Who’s in here?” she demanded.

She scanned the room though it appeared empty. But Alex’s gut told her she wasn’t alone.

Alex searched every corner of the room but didn’t find a soul. The only place she hadn’t looked was behind her grandmother’s desk on top of the platform in the back. Her heart beat faster and faster as she approached it.

“Show yourself!” she ordered. “This is a private room and you don’t belong in here!”

A tall and menacing figure suddenly jumped up from behind the desk. Before Alex could identify the Masked Man, he roared at her and shoved the desk in her direction. It toppled down the platform steps toward her and shattered on the floor—she barely avoided it crashing on her. He ran toward the door but Alex pointed her wand at it and it slammed shut.

“Freeze!” she yelled. “Don’t move or I’ll blast you into next week!”

The Masked Man raised his arms with his back to her. She noticed a small blue bottle dangling from one of his hands.

“So you’re the new Fairy Godmother,” he said. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“What did you steal?” Alex asked.

“I didn’t steal anything.”

“Then what’s in your hand?”

“Something that was owed me a long time ago,” the Masked Man snarled.

“Turn around!” Alex ordered.

The Masked Man slowly turned to face her. There was something very familiar about the pale blue eyes behind his mask—she could have sworn she had seen those eyes before.

“Take off that ridiculous disguise,” Alex said, and gripped her wand even tighter.

“You don’t want me to do that,” the Masked Man said in a playful tone.

“Now!” she yelled.

The Masked Man reluctantly pulled off the sack over his head and exposed his face for the first time in over a decade. Alex gasped and dropped her wand. She was right—they had met before.

Conner, Froggy, and Red stood on the grand balcony watching the sun set over the gardens. The fairies across the lawns cleaned and restored the damage their homes had received during the battle.

“Even though more than half of the gardens were destroyed, the gardens are still beautiful,” Red said dreamily. “I would love to plant my own garden just below the balcony of my bedroom at the castle—” She suddenly grew very sad and stopped herself from finishing the thought. “Oh silly me, I keep forgetting I’m homeless now.”

“Have you thought about what you want to do now that you aren’t queen anymore?” Conner asked.

“Besides becoming a recluse like the Snow Queen as I wait for someone to restore my throne?” Red said. “No, I’m afraid not. Although I hear Queen Sleeping Beauty is in the market for a nanny.”

Froggy put his arm around her. “You’ll come home with me to the Charming Kingdom,” he said. “I can’t offer you a kingdom, but I’m sure I can arrange for you to have a private garden all to yourself.”

Red sighed at the idea. “I suppose that will have to do. It could be a lot worse—I’d rather be an evicted queen than a dead one. Poor Little Bo Peep, I almost feel guilty for saying all those horrible things about her.”

A carriage traveled through the gardens toward the palace. They didn’t pay any special attention to it until it got closer and they saw the passenger riding inside of it.

“That’s the third Little Pig!” Conner said and pointed to the carriage.

“What’s that brick-obsessed runt doing here?” Red asked.

“Let’s find out,” Froggy said. He led Red and Conner through the Fairy Palace and they met the third Little Pig on the front steps.

“Hello, Your Majesty,” the third Little Pig said, and graciously bowed. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Cut to the chase, piggy, what are you doing here?” Red asked, crossing her arms. He had been the bearer of bad news lately and she wasn’t looking forward to hearing why he had come to them.

“The Bo Peep Republic is still mourning the tragic death of the queen, but a new election was held yesterday afternoon and I’ve come here to tell you the results,” he said happily.

Red couldn’t be less interested. “I wonder what baboon they replaced Little Bo with—they deserve whatever oaf they put on the throne—” She suddenly stopped talking and her eyes grew so large they took up half her face. “Wait one moment; did you just address me as Your Majesty?”

Froggy and Conner shared an excited smile. Red’s hands started shaking and she jumped up and down. Had all her dreams come true? Had her people given her back the throne?

“Was Red re-elected queen?” Conner asked.

“Yes, am I the baboon? Am I the oaf they deserve?” she asked as she anxiously bounced.

“No, ma’am,” the third Little Pig said. “I was speaking to Prince Charlie.”

Froggy turned a pale shade of green. “Me?” he asked. “I was elected?”

“Him?” Red said, just as shocked as he was.

“Yes, sir,” the pig said. “Congratulations, you’ve been elected king. Little Bo hadn’t named a successor and there wasn’t time for any candidates to properly run, so the citizens were given fill-in ballots. Your name was written down the most.”

Conner gave a hearty chuckle and patted his friend on the back. “Way to go, King Froggy!”

Froggy was speechless. His pupils almost disappeared into his big glossy eyes. He turned around and looked guiltily at Red.

“My dear, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I feel as if I’ve stolen something from you.”

“Are you kidding?” Red said. “This is fantastic news! Do you know what this means?”

“You’ll be secretly plotting my death now?” Froggy asked with a gulp.

Red laughed with delight. “No, Charlie!” she said with a gigantic smile. “This means I’ll be queen again! Once we’re married, that is.”

Froggy shook his head, positive he had misheard her. “Come again?” he peeped.

“Did you guys get engaged and not tell us?” Conner asked.

“Not to my knowledge,” Froggy said, and stared at Red, horribly confused. “Was that a proposal, my love?”

“It was if it makes me queen again!” Red said, throwing her arms around him. “Oh, Charlie, our wedding will be beautiful! We’ll have it right after your coronation in the new gardens you plant for me at the castle! It’s so funny how life works out sometimes, isn’t it?”

Froggy glanced at Conner with a fearful look on his face—his life had just taken a very unexpected and frightening turn.

The celebration was cut short when a cannon was fired in the distance. They all dove to the ground just in time to miss the cannonball that blew the front steps of the palace into smithereens. When the dust had cleared, Conner got to his feet and looked toward the edge of the gardens. A few dozen Grande Armée soldiers left over from the war, led by Colonel Rembert, were attacking the Fairy Palace.

“We’re being attacked again!” Conner yelled.

“Again?” Red squealed.

Xanthous and Skylene emerged from the palace and climbed down the destroyed steps to where Conner and the others were.

“What’s going on?” Xanthous asked.

“The Grande Armée soldiers have returned!” Conner said.

“How many of them are there?” Skylene asked.

“Not too many,” he said. “Only a couple dozen or so.”

The fairies looked across the gardens as another cannonball was fired in their direction. Xanthous shot a fiery burst out of his finger and the cannonball was destroyed in midair.

“Skylene and I will handle this,” Xanthous told Conner. “Tell everyone inside the palace not to panic.”

The fairies ran through the gardens toward the soldiers. Conner helped Froggy, Red, and the third Little Pig to their feet.

“A few dozen soldiers hardly seem large enough for a proper attack,” Froggy said.

“I know,” Conner agreed. “It’s more like a distraction.” His heart suddenly fell into the pit of his stomach. “Oh no, that’s exactly what this is! The Masked Man is back! I’ve got to find my sister!”

Conner climbed up the ruined front steps of the palace and darted inside. He was like a fish swimming upstream as all the fairies inside made their way out to see what was causing the commotion. He raced up the stairs but didn’t find his sister in her chambers. He tried his grandmother’s room next, and burst through the door.

The first thing Conner noticed was the desk lying in pieces on the floor and the broken glass surrounding the potions cabinet. Alex was sitting on the steps of the platform in the back of the room. Her face was ghostly white and she panted as she stared off into space. Her wand was on the floor a few feet away from her—something was very wrong.

“Alex, are you all right?” Conner asked, and ran to her side. “What the heck happened in here?”

She was trembling and didn’t make eye contact with him. “The M-m-masked M-m-man was here,” she stuttered.

“Did he hurt you?” Conner asked.

Alex shook her head. “He—he—he stole a potion. I—I—I caught him and made him take off his m-m-mask!”

“And what happened?”

“I—I—I saw his face!” Alex shrieked. Tears spilled out of her eyes.

“What was wrong with it?” Conner asked. “Alex, you’re scaring me! Tell me what you saw!”

She turned to her brother and looked him directly in the eyes. He had never seen her so petrified.

“Conner,” she gasped. “The Masked Man—it was Dad!”

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