CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO SWAN RIVER
The next evening they finally finish making the star flower shirts. Rosie leads Filomena, Alistair, and Gretel to the frozen river where she says she meets her brothers most nights.
“I usually bring them leftovers from dinner with the giants,” Rosie says, leading them down a snowy path. “But sometimes when I start feeding them, I worry that I’m feeding the wrong swans! It’s good that swans don’t often travel in groups of seven. Makes my brothers easier to pick out.”
Filomena gives a light laugh, but she hasn’t been in a very fun mood today. Alistair feels morose for teasing Jack when Jack was obviously terribly upset about what happened to Zera. Jack’s barely left his giant bed today. Filomena went to check on him at one point in the afternoon, and if he hadn’t looked so sad, she would’ve laughed at the way the bed seemed to swallow him whole.
She’d asked if he planned to come down anytime soon. Without looking at her, he’d said only that he might as well wait until the famous League of Seven was ready; they couldn’t do anything until the League was found, anyway.
Filomena had never heard him be rude like that before. Whoever Sadie is, she can have him!
Soon enough they arrive at a beautiful frozen river. Not frozen like still water with a thick layer of flat ice on top. Frozen like waves and swirls of water stopped cold in midair. It is stunning, like someone pressed PAUSE during a particularly spiky wave crash.
They’re carrying bowls of leftovers from that night’s dinner. Alistair made ramen—with luscious noodles, spicy broth, soy eggs, and bok choy—at Filomena’s request. She was craving some hot ramen in this cold weather. Plus it was elaborate enough to cook that she thought doing so might distract Alistair from Jack’s bad mood.
The four of them sit down on a log, bowls of ramen in their laps.
“This ramen is actually a great lap warmer,” Gretel says.
“And an even better internal warmer once you eat it!” Rosie adds. “Alistair, seriously, it was so good.”
The three girls all ooh and ahh over Alistair’s cooking skills, hoping to lift the spirits of the evening a bit. It doesn’t appear to be working. Alistair just nods in thanks.
They wait and they wait. No swans appear.
“Rosie, are you sure we’re at the right river?” Filomena asks.
“Of course. This is odd. We always meet at this time.”
The longer they wait, the more Filomena starts to feel panic rise in her chest. What is it about waiting for something important that’s so intensely anxiety inducing? It feels like at any moment the swans could appear …
But there are no swans …
Still no swans …
Seriously, still no swans?
“Alistair and I are going to go for a little walk,” Gretel says. “Can you call us when the swans come? We’ll stay within earshot.”
“Sounds good,” Rosie says as they walk away.
Still no swans …
“You don’t think they got…,” Filomena starts. Her brain is racing with worst-case scenarios. “Eaten by ogres?” she blurts out, and then immediately regrets it. They are Rosie’s brothers, after all!
Thankfully Rosie just laughs. “Don’t worry, I don’t think swan tastes very good,” she says. “I don’t know why the ogres would eat them. They’re already cursed by Queen Christina; how much worse can it get?”
They fall into silence, once again waiting. Filomena figures she may as well try to get to know Rosie better while they wait. “What do you want to do when you’re able to leave the giants’ cottage, Rosie?”
“That’s almost too hard to think about,” Rosie replies. “Too exciting. I’ve been in that cottage for so long now, it feels like it’s all of Never After.”
“I know what you mean,” Filomena replies. “In the mortal world, I spend a lot of time inside. My parents can be pretty intense about keeping me safe. Plus I honestly didn’t have a lot of friends before I met Alistair and Jack.”
“I hope they stay friends for your sake,” Rosie says. “Do they fight a lot?”
“No, never! Absolutely never. I’ve never seen them act like this,” Filomena says. “And they’ve been friends for, like, ever. For so long. But don’t avoid my question!”
Rosie giggles. “Okay, fine. To be quite honest, all the work I’ve been doing in my laboratory … I really love it. I want to be an inventor, I think. I want to make things that are useful for people in Never After. I think, if I could combine my own ideas with a bit of magic, I could make some really interesting things.”
“I love that you can add magic to inventions in Never After,” Filomena says.
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot you guys don’t have magic in the mortal world. How weird!” Rosie laughs. “I mean, no offense.”
They laugh together. Filomena’s impressed by Rosie’s smarts and her creativity. She wants to be an inventor, how cool is that? That would have never even occurred to Filomena!
They both realize at the same time that it’s getting pretty dark.
“I’m sorry to say it,” Rosie says, “but it doesn’t seem like we’re going to have much luck tonight. I don’t know where my brothers are, but I don’t think they’re coming.”
Just as Rosie says this, Gretel and Alistair walk back over. Alistair looks at the ramen sadly. “They aren’t coming tonight, are they?” he asks. “It’s probably stone-cold by now, anyway.”
The four of them pick up the ramen bowls and the star flower shirts and start walking back to the giants’ cottage.
“Rosie, I’ve been meaning to ask you if I could get a pair of those glasses…,” Gretel calls, running up to walk next to Rosie.
Several paces behind them, Alistair and Filomena walk side by side. It’s the first time she’s seen Alistair alone since the whole thing with Jack.
“Hey, buddy,” she says, bumping his shoulder lightly. “How are you holding up?”
He just shrugs.
“Have you and Jack talked at all today?” she asks.
“Nope. Not a peep.”
“That was pretty nasty last night. I’ve never heard him talk to you like that.”
“I don’t think he’s ever talked to me that way before. He usually loves my jokes. But I was being annoying about Sadie, I suppose. Hey, I’m sorry about that, by the way. That was stupid of me to say in front of you,” he adds.
Filomena feels nerves flutter in her stomach. “What do you mean? Why would it be stupid in front of me?”
“Oh…” Suddenly Alistair looks nervous, like he’s let something slip. “Just because…,” he hedges. “Well … you know, in case you feel weird about it. Sadie, I mean.” He’s flustered now.
Did Jack say something to him? Or is Filomena so obvious that everyone in Never After can tell she has a crush on Jack? But does she still, after the way he’s been acting? It’s all too confusing.
“I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but don’t worry about it,” she says quickly.
“It was just a little crush, by the way. Nothing happened, they never went on a date or anything.”
A date? They’re only twelve and thirteen! In the mortal world, kids their age go on group dates to the movie theater and then talk in the parking lot for fifteen minutes before their parents pick them up. That’s about as much dating as Filomena knows. But maybe Sadie the reindeer rancher knows about other kinds of dates? Like dates where you go on walks and discuss quests?
“Well, I wouldn’t care if they did!” Filomena blurts out.
Alistair looks at her, seeming slightly confused. She needs to steer the conversation away from this.
“While I don’t like what Jack said, I hope you know that you don’t always have to be funny, Alistair,” Filomena says, getting back to the initial topic. “I love your jokes, and thank goodness you are the way you are. You do get us through some rough moments. But you should just know that you’re allowed to be whatever you want to be in this group.”
“Thanks. I’ll never stop joking around, but it’s nice to know there are other things about me that you like, too.” Alistair looks at Filomena, then stops to give her a hug. “Does it count as a group hug if it’s only two people?” he asks.
Filomena laughs and thanks the fairies that she gets to be with heroes who have a sense of humor.