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chibifukurouTitle: In Which Magic is a Euphemism for being just a little bit Different
Author: chibifukurou
Artist: deadflowers5
Beta: Madame Marigold/Smoking Cougar
Rating: Pg-13
Genre: Cracked Fantasy
Warnings: Passing mentions of child neglect, alternate sexualities, self hatred, and depression
Summary: A story about a boy who was born with the soul of a fairy, his brother, a prince who didn't want to be wed, and a frog who wasn't going to let anyone tell him who he should be or who he should love.
Word Count: 19,500
Copyright Notice: Licensees may copy, distribute, display and perform the work and make derivative works based on it only if they give me, the author, credit.
Any Notes: This story is based on an idea rather than a plot so it is only tenuously related to any particular timeline or story despite being based in a world of Fairy Tales. It is also meant to be a story that makes fun of itself. The names are ridiculous, the premise is strange, and if you can figure out what I was going for, please comment so that I can gush about your physic ability.
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I flitted into Char's room on quiet wings. I really didn't feel like being caught in here. It wasn't a good idea to come here at all, but he could hardly resist coming. It might not be smart, but Char was my twin and up until I'd left the human world to become a fairy, we'd been connected despite the distance that had kept us apart. I'd been stuck in the human world where fairy tales were little better than dreams. And Char was stuck in the land of Fairy Tales, where humans were a long forgotten group. Only a handful of nobles even knew how to get back into the human world.
Even after I'd finally managed to escape to the land of fairies and claim the wings that I should have had since I was born, I hadn't forgotten about Char. Being changed into a fairy had broken the mental connection that we had shared but it hadn't done anything to our bond as brothers.
I still loved Char best of all, which hopefully wouldn't come back to haunt me. Reaching out I shook his shoulder to wake him up. I wasn't expecting him to jump up from the bed as though he'd just been waiting for me to get within arm's length or too press a dagger to the thin membrane of my too sensitive wings. "Char?" my voice quavered in a way that was embarrassing both as a someone that had once been a boy and now as a fairy.
"What are you doing here fairy" Char spat out.
I shuddered. This wasn't the Char who had lived in my head for years and years. This was the Prince Charming I'd heard stories about in fairy world. The only member of the royal family who'd ever managed to scare away not one, not two, but five different fairy Guardians.
"Char? It's me."
"I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that fairy. I'm not exactly on speaking terms with most of your kind. Even if I was I doubt I'd be able to recognize any of your kind on voice alone, since you seem to enjoy vexing my kind with your tricks."
What had the other fairy Guardians been doing? Did I even want to know were he'd gotten these kinds of ideas about fairies. Still, he did have a point about not being able to recognize me in the dark. Flapping the wing he wasn't holding, I shed a fine sprinkling of fairy dust on the floor, enough to light the area around us as though I'd lit a candle. "Would you please let go of my wing now?"
"No."
"I'm not here to hurt you Char."
"I would thank you to be less familiar. Your kind might not be controlled by our rules, but I am still a prince in this world. You should show me enough respect to use my full name at least."
Okay, so Char definitely didn't recognize me either by voice or sight. Which wasn't just my luck not to mention something I'd never really considered it before. We'd only ever known each other through our mental bond. Even if I'd still been in my original body, he still wouldn't have know what I looked like. Now, with my fey body it was basically impossible."I think I have as much right to call you Char as you do to call me fairy as though the term was a curse word. You might be a Prince but your still a brat."
He backed away as though struck. I tried not to feel triumphant. Once he'd moved close enough that I could see his face clearly in the light of my dust, I had no problem controlling that impulse. His face was a mask of rage, cheeks covered with dark booms of rage and his mouth pulled into a vicious smile. "Watch your tongue."
"Or you'll do what to me?"
"This." He flung his knife at the wing he'd was still holding.
It probably wouldn't have done more than graze me but I my instincts wouldn't even allow that much of risk. I slid sideways and fought back with my magic. A clap of my hands and light flashed sending Char stumbling back to fall halfway on his bed. "Fine if that's the way you want to play it bratling!"
I jumped, pinning his arms and legs down before he could grab another knife. He opened his mouth as though to scream, so I clapped my hand over it. Ignoring the way he nipped painfully at my palm. Now that I had a chance to breath and adjust to what was going on I noticed how pale my hand looked next to his. My fingers were longer and thinner too, delicate in a way that had more to do with elegance than femininity. If the rest of my body had changed this much then it really wasn't a surprise that my brother hadn't recognized me. I had bigger problems though. Even with the strength I'd gained due to my transformation I still had a hard time holding Char's bucking form down. "Will you calm down?!"
"Mmhh." Was all he managed to reply but the way he shook his head made it pretty clear what he meant.
I rolled my eyes in a manner that my human mother had always had a particular hatred for and pressed my hand down harder over his mouth when he bit me again. "I'll let you up if you agree to let me say my peace for five minutes."
It was more of a "Mmmmph –Mmm-Mrrrroom" this time, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even if he did call the guards they probably wouldn't arrest me. Even if Char told them to.
I moved carefully off him, slowly enough that if he tried to yell I could get my hand over his mouth again. He didn't though. Instead he settled back against the bed in a sullen sprawl and glared at me.
Staring back at him, I was enthralled by all the little details that set his body apart from mine, despite the fact that we'd been identical when we'd been born. He was bigger, thicker. Long hair and a crazy look in his eyes was also different. Well at least the kind of crazy I saw in his eyes. It had more to do with rage then peace.
He fished a box with a pipe and a packet of tobacco out from under the ruffled skirt surrounding his bed. He puffed at it and stared at me. I stared back. Finally he seemed to get the idea that I wasn't going to talk to him unless he started the conversation. "If you don't start talking, I'm still going to start counting this as part of your five minutes."
"How have you been Char? I was coming to check on you and meet your partner, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. I looked over at the side of the bed he hadn't been sleeping on. Wondering all the while who he thought I was. A creep, a pervert, or just a hopeless fairy. Just another in the string of useless Guardians he ended up with. I could let him keep thinking at probably. It wouldn't be too hard, not if I really didn't look like I used to, but if I didn't really want that. Even if fairies weren't supposed to have families, I did. And I was prepared to fight for it.
"I don't know what you're playing at. We've never met before in my life."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Positive."
"Well at least that's one thing we can agree on." The joke fell flat. I got the feeling that it had almost as much to do with my deliver as his not finding if funny. Either way I probably wasn't going to get a better chance to explain who I was.
I opened my mouth, scrambling to think of a way to explain the truth.
Only to end up losing my train of thought when two burly guards burst into the room and dog piled on top of me, pressing my face into the carpet.
This was turning into a really long night.
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The guard probably thought he was intimidating in his sharply starched blue and gold uniform with its flouncy gold sash and ridiculously feathery cap. I considered informing him that he looked utterly ridiculous instead but I figured that probably wasn't the kind of thing you were supposed to say when you were locked in a cell for attempting to assassinate the Prince. Nobody had listened to me when I'd tried to explain I wasn't trying to assassinate him.
Or in Char's case I wasn't trying to become my his fairy godparent. I'm pretty sure I wasn't believed on either front. The being locked into a cell with an iron chain and lock wrapped around the base of my wings was a big clue.
I wasn't worried though, since this wasn't a sanctioned visit and I hadn't officially been assigned to anyone in either the human of Fairy tale world yet, somebody was going to notice if I want missing. And my Fairy trainer was much more intimidating the flouncy guard. So I just ignored his increasingly enraged shouting and kicked back in my cell to wait. It wasn't like they were hurting me. Not really. I wasn't full fairy no matter what I looked like and that gave me a measure of protection against the iron.
Though I couldn't wait to see how my trainer punished them when she figured out they tried to iron wrapped someone they thought was full fairy. That sort of thing just wasn't done.
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"You wrapped an unknown fairy in iron despite not knowing who they were or asking permission from the fairy counsel?" It wasn't really a question, but it didn't need to be. This sort of thing was Trainer's specialty.
She liked to watch people flounder and ding themselves further into trouble.
The flouncy guard was no different. "I—I" stammering like a raw Fairy trainee. Or like I had when I first had to deal with trainer one on one.
"What would you have done if Frankie hadn't been resistant to iron. Would you have known what to do if I had been allergic to the metal. Or would you just not care."
The guard tried to backpedal both physically and verbally. It came out as flailing. Char wasn't as impressed with Trainer, keeping a cool look on his face and an angry fire in his eyes. I didn't take it personally. We used to have dream conversations about some of the things that his previous Fairy Guardians had done to him in an attempt to 'fix' him and find him the love of his life. I knew him well enough to know that he would have been upset if I'd died. Even if I was just the crazy fairy he thought I was and not his brother.
For me that was enough to make up for the way he appeared to support the guard. "We did what we felt we had too to protect the royal family."
"What made you think he was a threat? Did he use a weapon or threaten violence?" Another rhetorical question. She knew that I wasn't the type to get violent. Even when I was supposed to. She had long despaired at my refusal to practice swords with the other trainees. We'd settled on a crossbow as my weapon eventually, but it still wasn't something I commonly used.
But at least I could defend myself without worrying about freaking out about the feel of blood running down my hands and arms. There was just something frightening about that feeling and I'd never been able to figure out what.
"He didn't threaten me, but he didn't defend himself either. He's refused to speak with us once we got him in the cell."
I shook myself to get rid of the image that came through my head. Blood dripping off silver and the pale pink of flesh.
Trainer ignored my shuddering, and kept her eyes on the guards."Even if you had a reason to believe he was a threat, iron wrapping should never be uses without the council's permission."
"What we do in our Land is none of your business, fairy. I suggest you leave us to our methods, unless you want us to invade your Lands." Mr. Pompous Guard had finally gotten his wind back it seemed, too bad he was such an idiot.
Trainer had the grace to refrain from laughing in his face, but the shake of Zi's shoulders and the fluttering way in which Zi's wings moved made the stifled amusement clear. At least if you knew what you were looking for. Which the guard didn't appear to. As he continued to puff himself up like an overly arrogant Robin who's sure he's going to get the worm.
My brother had a truly nasty smirk on his face and I suspected that he knew just what his guard had stepped into and was hanging him out to dry. That still wasn't enough to make me feel bad for the pompous ass.
Trainer stepped forward her wings held high and danger in every line of her body. The guard stumbled back again. This time Trainer didn't let him go. Instead Zi followed him with slow steps forcing him to stubble around the room in an attempt to stay out of reach. A cat torturing a mouse before going into the kill.
Amusing as it was to watch, I didn't feel like having a war between the Lands start just because I'd come to visit my brother. "Trainer! I'm sure he didn't know what he was saying. Isn't that right?"
The guard nodded vigorously still backing himself into a corner. Zi ignored him, in favor of turning Her attention to me."So, are you ready to explain why you felt the need to come here?"
"I had personal business."
"That isn't a good enough explanation. Not for a breech this important."
"I wanted to check on my brother."
"And after that you just decided to pop into the Fairy Land palace?" Trainer sounded incredulous. Which was a fair reaction. As little as Zi knew about me.
"Something like that."
"You're not going to give me a good explanation are you?"
"Do I ever?"
Zi snorted. "No you never do. You do realize that you will have to be punished don't you?"
"Yeah, I know." I sighed, though I wasn't really bothered by the idea. I wasn't the type to jump into things blind. I'd been prepared to pay the price for getting caught, even though I hadn't expected to be found out so quickly. "So what's it going to be?"
"I'll have to speak to the council before I can decide for sure."
"So I'm stuck here until you get things sorted out?"
Zi winked before disappearing in a buff cloud of fairy dust.
I rolled my eyes at Zi's theatrics.
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After having to put up with Trainer nobody was in a hurry to keep questioning me.
They didn't let me out of myself, but at least I was left alone, so that I could get some sleep. Middle of the night sneaking around didn't help a body get beauty sleep.
I didn't know how long I'd been asleep when I was woken by the long creaking, bang of the cell door. It was dark though so it had probably been a fair number of hours.
Surprisingly enough it was Char who came in, carrying a bowl of food. Not something I'd expect from a prince. Still I didn't know anyone else he could convince to feed me. Not if the captain of the guard was still shaking in his boots.
"So are they making the royal family do housework now?"
"Don't be bitchy. You're here on our kind will."
I think you mean your families fears."
"It's the same difference in the end."
Doesn't that just say something about your family?"
He didn't contradict me this time, so I let it go. I wasn't here to fight after all. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I assure you that I didn't have any intention of harming you. I just wanted to check up on you. ."
"Why do you care?"
"I have my reasons." It wasn't something I wanted to discuss where we could be overheard. I wasn't naive enough to think that there wasn’t' a guard listening at the door, or some hidden peek hole.
"That isn't helpful."
"It wasn't supposed to be helpful. It's not like I enjoy your company or your hospitality, I motioned with my fork at the room. "Thanks for the food though."
He didn't bother saying I was welcome before he stomped out. I didn't worry about appeasing him. He always had been the more temperamental of the two of us. He wanted respect, but refused to bow to anyone else s will. It was a tough road he'd chosen to walk. Yet another thing we weren't going to discuss until I could get him alone and had a chance to cast a privacy spell. For now I'd eat my lumpy oatmeal mush and wait. I had nothing but time, until the council made a decision.
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It was three more days before Trainer came back. I was extremely tired of mush by that point, and practically climbing the walls with boredom. Except for a short visit with Char over dinner I'd been alone throughout the three day wait. I hated being alone.
Trainer called for the guard captain to take her to the throne room. He didn't even try to disagree In short order we were shuffled out of my high tower cell and down into the palace proper. One of the other guards ran ahead to let the rulers know we were coming. This wasn't how I'd wanted to meet my parents and older brother, but it couldn't be helped Trainer was at least kind enough to cast a spell to refresh my robes and clean m body. At least I wouldn't stink.
The throne room was awash with gold and gems. It was empty when we arrived. But soon, the gentry trickled in, in groups of twos and threes. They were all dressed in bright robes and jewels. Plumes of perfume wisp-ed about mixing into a heady and slightly nauseating miasma. I wrinkled my nose, but followed Trainers lead and acted like I didn't notice that anyone had come into the room.
The throne room was almost completely full by the time the royal family swept in. They stood out in their purple and gold clothing, even when surrounded by all of the brightly colored courtiers. Char was the last one in, a dark shadow following in the wake of our parents. Dressed in charcoal silk and silver bangles.
The King and Queen took their thrones, one of their two sons standing on each side of their thrones. A wave of bows and curtseys swept through the crowd of courtiers. Only Trainer and I, and the guards who were standing watch, remained upright.
The King frowned thunderously at us, and I knew that if Trainer had not been there standing in front of me, I would have followed suit and bowed. If only to avoid his wrath. Trainer didn't even bother to act intimidated, standing still, with her wings in a relaxed position. I could see the slight shudders that ran though Zi's wings, due to the way she held them in iron control, but I doubted that the King could see the movement as far away as the dais was from where we were standing.
Even if he could have seen Trainer's wings, I don't know if the king could understand what the shaking meant. Or even if it would matter. No matter what Trainer was thinking he'd still refused to bow.
Once the courtiers had risen back to their feet we approached the dais. Trainer first with me close behind. The guards tensed but didn't attack.
Trainer pretending not to notice and I didn't let my nerves show. While I might have done something wrong from the perspective of tradition, I didn't feel guilty for trying to check on my brother. I needed to know that he was okay.
I'd made my decision when I'd left him to go to the fairy world so that I could become what I was always meant to be. But that didn't mean that I was ready to give him up for good. Not by a long shot.
When I'd snuck into his room I'd thought that I'd find him in bed with his new lover, the person he was going to share the rest of his life with. that wasn't how it worked out wand I really wanted to know why it hadn't. I'd always thought that my own quest would be harder.
Whoever herd of a supposedly human boy becoming a fairy Guardian. It seemed like a much more farfetched quest then the search for ones soul mate. Particularly when you considered that my brother was Prince Charming of Fairy tale land. It was pretty much written in the stars that he'd get a happily ever after.
Perhaps that was the problem. We'd just taken his destiny as fore ordained and hadn't spoken about how to achieve it. Hopefully whatever punishment the council had prescribed would not keep me from being able to help him find the love of his life. I really wanted to make sure that he was taken care of before I spent the rest of my life looking after my charges. With only the occasional break to look after the people I cared about most.
"King Black, I have come to you with a message from the council and it is this: 'We apologize for the presumptuous actions of our trainee and want to make it clear that the fairy court did not intend any harm when the fairy, Frankie breached the sanctity of your borders. That being understood, your treatment of our emissary was abominable and unforgivably harsh. Thus we demand reprisal.'"
"You dare demand reprisal from us when your minion tried to do harm to one of my heirs." The king yelled, probably thinking that he'd be intimidating. I almost laughed in his face. The release of my earlier terror almost ridiculous. Perhaps it was just my blood relations to him, but I had my doubts. He might be a king but the power of his throne seemed much more impressive than him. He bore no comparison to the council.
As became clear when Trainer cut loose. Zi was the avatar of the council and sometimes when Zi let her true power out it showed. "WE DEMAND REPRISAL." Zi thundered. The courtiers fell back to their bowed state in fear as her voice echoed and grew in the cavernous room. "We accepted you as the rulers of the land of Tales and legends. But do not forget that it was our power that created your land, your world separate than that of the humans. We do not owe you tribute or loyalty. Not in the way you seem to believe. You overstepped your bounds greatly when you iron wrapped one of our own. A punishment that has been forbidden since centuries gone by. Beyond your families' memory if not beyond ours. Had our emissary been killed our judgment would have been swift. It was our power that raised the Blacks to the throne, our power can pull you back into the mire of commonality."
Trainer stilled to let the full power of the councils threat sink in. "Our judgment is as follows. Our emissary will be forbidden from taking his full rights as a Guardian until after he has succeeded in guiding the youngest prince of the Black family to his destiny. Until such time as that goal is accomplished the Fairy Frankie will be treated with the utmost respect as the member of the Black family."
The throne room was quiet as a church as the full extent of the councils punishment sunk in. In my case I wasn't displeased I still had the right to be with my brother thanks to this decision on the Councils part. Perhaps I'd even be able to see my part of our vow through to the end.
The Black family didn't seem as happy with their punishment. My brother in particular glowered at Trainer and me as though we were the scum on the bottom of his shoe. Trainer didn't bother hiding her amusement, wings thrumming with amusement. "What say you King Black? Do you accept the terms of this punishment, or do you prefer to take the full blame for what has happened in your castle? A higher tribute will be charged for the next fifty years, and the Fairy's Blessing will be withdrawn from your family until such a time as the council feels that your family has earned it back."
It wasn't much of a choice between the two options. Every Black heir had been guided by Fairy Guardian from the day of their commitment to the throne to the day of their coronation. If they weren't guided by the fairies then their rights to the throne were questionable. So far the only exception to this rule was my brother. Who'd managed to scare off all four of the Fairies who had been assigned to him. He really should have expected there to be consequences for that. The council didn't like it when people tried to escape their destiny.
My father's face was twisted into a grimace of distaste but I could already see the resignation lurking in his eyes and the way my mother gripped his hand tightly, warningly in hers. They wouldn't risk going against the Councils wishes unless they had no choice. "We accept the Council's judgment and thank them for their wisdom and judgment." The thanks was practically spat out but it was enough to fulfill the obligations of tradition.
Trainer nodded her acceptance of the King's decision. "Then from now until the youngest prince has reached his destiny he will be watched over by the Fairy Frankie. This is our ruling and our contract by word and by magic." Instead of thundering her voice came out with a melodious noise like a bell tolling.
The courtiers shuddered and quaked and looked away. Missing the movement when Trainer was there. And then wasn't. I was alone in my family's home for the foreseeable future. I decided that given my lack of options I'd do my best to make the best of it.
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It took two weeks of acting harmless before I was able to slip out of my new guest quarters and into Char's rooms.
We ended up in much the same position as we had when I'd first gotten into his room. Me leaning over the bed, and him twisted around so that he could hold a knife at my throat. This time I didn't panic. I didn't need to. He wouldn't be stupid enough too spill his own Fairy Godparents throat. No matter how much he wanted to. And I could definitely tell that he wanted to.
Something I hoped to remedy once I explained exactly why I had come there in the first place. Since I most definitely hadn't meant to end up as his Fairy Guardian though in some ways it was better this way. At least as far as my goal of setting him up with a soul mate were concerned.
Of course if that wasn't his destiny then we'd have a problem but I had faith. Prince Charming's throughout the generations had always had soul mates even if they weren't always the type of person that the Prince's in question had imagined.
I had faith that it would be no different for my brother. Once I got him over his irrational hatred of all things having to do with his destiny.
"Why are you here, Fairy?"
Still with using my species as a curse word. We were really going to have to work on that. Even if he wasn't likely to curse at me once he knew who I was. "I've come to discuss your past."
"Why would that be of interest to you? Your simply here to make sure your precious fate isn't disturbed."
"It's not that simple."
"Honestly, fate was the last thing I had in mind when I came to check on you."
"Then why bother coming at all?"
"It's complicated."
"If you're not here to explain then I suggest your return to your quarters." He started flipping his knife end over end. I couldn't tell if it was to annoy me or simply an expression of his own annoyance. Either way it worked admirably as an intimidation factor. Though that had more to do with my own distaste for blades than any fear of him.
Not willing to risk being overheard after I'd gone to all the trouble of sneaking into my brothers room. Twice. I shook out two large handfuls of fairy dust from my wings and used it to mark a large circle around Chars bed. He watched me with interest, but didn't offer to help. Not that I had really expected him to.
Fairy magic as a bad thing for most people to mess with, Even if they were members of the royal family of Happily Ever After Land. After I'd whispered every half remembered silencing spell I knew I finally felt comfortable enough to explain.
"My name is Frank Black and twenty years ago I was separated from my twin brother and sent away into the human world."
Char's knife dropped from his fingers to land quivering in on the bed, held upright by the tip, which had sunk into the bedclothes. "That's impossible." He whispered.
"Why is it impossible? I told you that I was going away to become a fairy. Surely you knew I'd want to check on you once I could."
"It's – I"
"What's wrong. Your acting strangely." I moved towards him daring to graze my fingers against his shoulder. So strange to be able to touch him when for so many years they'd only had the touch of each others minds to prove that they weren't going crazy. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Tell me something that only my brother would know."
"What?"
"Tell me a secret."
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
I scrambled to think of something that I could tell him. Something that I felt comfortable talking about out of the sanctity of our own shared minds. At the same time I tried to figure out why he would ask this of me. Surely he didn't doubt who I was. Nobody knew about my existence except the family. "You love differently than anyone else you have ever known. And when I told you that I wanted to become a fairy you didn't laugh even though you never thought I'd be able to manage it."
"This is – impossible." Char rubbed a hand over his mouth. "I—I'd thought."
I gave up on giving him a chance to adjust to the idea to my presence. There was something wrong and I wasn't going to leave him alone to deal with it. Not when our minds were separated so that I couldn't help him like I used to. I crawled into the bed with him and pulled him into a hug rubbing my hand up and down his spine like one of the workers at the orphanage used to do for me when I'd cried."Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm alright." He reached out to rub his fingers over my cheek, tears running down his own cheeks. "I just can't believe your real."
"Why wouldn't I be here?"
"Didn't you ever wonder if we'd dreamed the whole thing? Being twins, sharing our minds."
"Why would I doubt that you were real? You were the most real thing in my life."
He leaned forward until his head rested against my shoulder and I could wrap my wings around his back. "I wish I had your faith."
I wished he did to. I'd never considered that he might not think I was real. He'd always seemed so sure when we'd been young. I could only think of one thing that could have shaken his faith. "I'm so sorry I left you alone. I never meant to hurt you."
Knowing how much pain I had caused him only made me more determined to see that he found his Soul Mate.
We stayed up late into the night until Char calmed down and was finally able to get some sleep. By that time the early birds had already started their singing.
I didn't see much point in going to sleep. Too wired from worry and nerves. Anxious to get started making up for abandoning Char. It didn't help my guilty feelings that I was glad he hadn't told me how he was feeling. I would have stopped my quest to become a fairy if I'd known how much Char had to pay for my happiness.
I stormed down the hallway, not caring which of the guards saw that I was out of my room. I was done playing around. It was time to get to work finding him, his destiny.
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Late morning found me in the palace's records room going over the birth rates for children born to magically induced unions. Each of them were touched by fate in one way or another. Which meant that their likelihood of contributing to another person's fate was higher than normal.
If I could arrange for them all to congregate on the palace then there was a good chance that one of them would either be Char's mate or would be able to help to help him find his bond mate.
"I couldn't find you." Char said, startling me away from my calculations of where the descendant's of a Lord who had been cursed into the form of a beast, would have ended up.
I turned to confront him for startling me, but as soon as I saw his face my mouth snapped shut. His eyes were like holes in his face, panicked and dark. His jaw was like stone and over his shoulder I could see a guard edging away. If you didn't know him, I supposed it looked like he was angry. All I could see was his fear and depression.
I stood up and slammed the door in the guard's face, before pulling Char into a one armed hug, leading him to the second chair in the records room. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I just couldn't sleep, so I came here to start working to find you bond mate."
He gripped my hand tight. "I don't need a bond mate. If you don't find them then you can stay. I won't be alone."
"That's not your destiny. It's not in Fate's design."
"Screw fate!" He jumped to his feet. If there had been room in the cramped space for him to pace I could tell that he would have. Instead he shifted from side to side. "Screw fate, I just want to be happy. Why can't that be enough?"
How could I explain that it was my decision to become a fairy that was guiding me now. I wasn't capable of ignoring the pulling of fate anymore. Not even for my brother. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sure you are." I didn't need to know him as well as I did to hear the doubt in his voice. To understand that he didn't understand why I couldn't just turn my connection to fate off. Even if I had been willing to explain I wouldn't have gotten the chance as he stormed out of the room.
I didn't follow. Choosing to turn my attention back to the files in hopes of finding someone that could put Char first, as I was no longer capable of doing.
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The first Cinderella I met with didn't seem to understand the brilliance of my scheme. Of course she was a little old to be a potential companion anyway, so it didn't really matter. I probably wouldn't have even approached her if she hadn't lived so close to the palace and her reputation for being a bit eccentric hadn't been so well known. AS it was I was beginning to doubt whether her unusual views would counterbalance her seeming lack of intelligence.
"So let me get this straight." Cinderella, 'Call me Elena please' said for the third time. "You're going to put me in a dress, drag me off to the ball, and strand me there for three nights in a row?"
"Exactly!"
"No."
"But why not? Don't you want to marry the Prince?"
"I'm pretty sure I don't."
"But he's the prince!" The title was usually enough to convince people to go along with my ideas regarding the balls.
She didn't seem impressed. "Is this supposed to be convincing me?"
"Is it working?"
"No. I'm already in a relationship. I'm pretty sure she'd object to me going out on a couple of dates with a guy. Even if it was just to get the crazy fairy Godmother out of our garden."
"I'm not crazy!"
"You come into my garden in the middle of the day and ask me come with you to a ball, so that I can make the Prince fall in love with me, and you're not crazy?"
"No I'm not! Look it's right here in my notes. A girl named Cinderella is supposed to go to three balls held in the Prince's honor. They will fall madly in love and Live Happily Ever After."
" I'm sure you mean well, but just because that sort of thing worked out a couple hundred years ago, that doesn't mean it will work out now. For one thing most people these days are logical enough to understand that three dates does not a happy marriage guarantee. No matter how Earth shatter said dates are."
She just had to be logical in addition to being unavailable. "But you're a Cinderella!"
"So was my Great Aunt, and my Great Great Grandmother, and my Grandmother on the other side. You can probably find at least one Cinderella in every town within five hundred miles of the capital. It's a thing. Everybody wants to name their daughter after the queen that helped to bring women’s rights to Fairy Tale Land."
"Crap!"
"Excuse me?!"
"Sorry. It's just how am I supposed to find the right Cinderella if everybody is named Cinderella."
"I'm not trying to be mean about this, but have you considered the possibility that no Cinderella will be the right Cinderella?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She rolled her eyes. "It means that maybe your prince can't find a bride because he doesn't want a bride. If you catch my drift." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
I really didn't know what the eyebrows were supposed to mean. In my experience it usually meant that the person I was talking to was making a sexual innuendo. But really I couldn't think of any double entandras having to do with drifts. "I'm sorry but I really don't know what you're trying to say." I wasn't really sorry and I was beginning to agree that Elena wasn't the right Cinderella for the job. Charming like people who were straight forward.
Heaving out a sigh, Elena headed back towards her house. "You might as well come in. I'm getting the feeling that this is going to take some serious explaining.
I resisted the urge to apologize again. It really wasn't my fault if she couldn't speak clearly. "If you could just explain I'm sure that I'd be able to figure out what you meant."
"Look, you seem like a smart kid. Crazy, and oblivious, but at least book smart. I'm sure that if I spent the next two hours explaining you'd get what I was trying to say. But I doubt you'd enjoy yourself and I know I wouldn't. Explanations aren't my thing. I leave them to Belle. So if you'll just come into the house we can share a nice cup of tea and wait for her to come back from her tutoring."
Well, when she put it that way it did seem logical. It wasn't like standing around in the dew drenched garden for the next two hours held a lot of appeal. "All right then, thank you for inviting me into your house."
"You're welcome."
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"Look it's not that we don't understand what your charge is going through. It's just not really our business. We're not saying that having balls in the prince's honor is a bad idea."
"Yes we are."
"We're just saying that maybe a little bit of subtlety and understanding would help him open up to you and explain what he's really looking for."
"I really wish you'd just come out and say what you're trying to imply. Because it's really not making any more sense than when Elena was trying to explain it. I did ask what Charming wanted in a partner."
"And he said that he was looking for a partner who was already in a committed relationship, who he'd meet at a ball and sweep off her feet?"
"Elle!"
"What? It's a valid question because it's really not making much sense the way she's explaining it."
"I simply don't think it's my place to explain Charming's wishes to someone I barely know and he's never met."
"But letting me marry him is fine?"
"I wasn't planning on having you marry him. As you said there are a lot of Cinderellas in the surrounding villages. Even if you are the first I've asked, you're not the only one I was planning to invite."
"What?"
"That's actually kind of smart, in a crazy way." Belle said.
"Thank you."
"I'm not sure if it was a compliment."
"I'll take it as one anyway." I had a lot of experience with accepting odd remarks as compliments. Nobody ever seemed to understand what I wanted to hear. So it was just easier to go with the flow.
"Whatever." Elena said, obviously unimpressed by my with. "Belle explain what you meant."
"The Prince wants something in a bride that his Fairy Godmother –"
"Call me Frankie."
"Okay… The Prince wants something in a bride that Frankie can't explain, but thinks can be found in a Cinderella. So he's going around asking every Cinderella in the area to come to a ball held in the Prince's honor. That way he has a fair amount of options."
"That's so archaic. Why don't you just go around asking every woman of marriageable age to come to the castle so that they can be sold off like cattle."
"Because that would be a terrible idea."
"So it's disrespectful for you invite every woman in the area to a ball, but it's perfectly fine to ask every Cinderella?"
"Technically I'm also inviting any Briar Rose's, Peas and Cinderella's I run into."
Belle stifled a snort with her tea cup. Elena's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me right?"
"Why would I kid you about that? As you said there are a large number of Cinderellas in the area. But just because Queen Ella was one of the most famous queens that doesn't mean she was the only one that people name their children after."
"That doesn't exactly answer my question."
"What is your question?"
"Why you think gathering every person you can find who was named after a member of royalty will allow you to find the Prince's mate?"
I sipped slowly at my drink. Trying to decide how to answer that. There really wasn't a polite, diplomatic, or even mildly acceptable way to handle this. So I might as well be honest. Or as honest as I was willing to be when going against my charges wishes for privacy. "The prince is under a curse."
This time Belle snorted the tea up her nose, while trying to stifle her surprise. She was also the first one to speak. "A curse?"
"He can only fall in love if it's the love of fairy tales."
"Meaning?"
"He needs to find a love that is pure in nature." A love that could transcend time, form, and desire.
"Well that certainly puts a new spin on things. But how is gathering a bunch of people named after fairy tale princesses going to help?"
"Magic is a funny thing. If you get enough of it gathered in one place then there are boundless possibilities just waiting to happen."
"I'll take your word for it." It was obvious that she didn't understand, so I was glad when she changed the subject. "So, is this curse why the prince doesn't date?"
I almost regretted calling it a curse, because that innocent question was enough to piss me off. But there really wasn't any other way to describe it. Not so that they'd understand. I copied Belle's method for avoiding a conversation I didn't want to have. "Why did you think he was avoiding finding a bride?"
"Well?"
"Um…" Elena blushed, while Belle shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
The avoided talking for so long that I honestly expected them to change the subject completely. I'd hardly be upset by the prospect. I'd wanted to know what exactly Elena had been trying to imply, which was why I'd spent so much time at their house, but it was looking like they wouldn't be any more helpful then Elena had originally been. "So know that you understand the question will you accept the invitation to the ball."
They started acting even more nervous. Which was both extremely unhelpful and annoying. "I understand if you don't have the time." Perhaps it would even be better if they didn't accept. I really couldn’t see them hitting it off with Charming.
"It's not that we don’t' want to accept its' just that things aren't that simple. We aren't exactly looking for husbands." They shared a look. "And we suspect that the Prince might not be looking for a wife."
Well that was just ridiculous."If he didn't want a wife then why would he request the help of a Fairy Guardian to help him bypass the curse placed on him?"
"I don’t know? You mentioned that the curse kept him from falling in love. Maybe he wants to be able to fall in love and is willing to put up with your matchmaking to get it."
Surprisingly astute, though I got the feeling that she meant something a little different than how my partnership with the Prince actually worked. "He would like to fall in love, but I don't see what my matchmaking skills have to do with whether or not that happens."
"You're trying to match him up with a girl right? Well maybe that's not who the Prince is interested. Maybe he'd prefer a husband to a wife." It wasn't exactly a question. But then I suppose it didn't need to be. The implications were more than enough to be considered treason, if I was a stickler for the rules.
It was understood that sometimes people preferred the companionship of their own gender. That was acceptable if you were a commoner, but it was different with royalty. The royal family would never say that Charming couldn't have a lover, but that was a completely different title then that of a wife. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't we?" Elena screamed. Apparently having grown tired of waiting for Belle to explain whatever it was she was supposed to have explained to me. "Sure it's not illegal, but we're marginalized, pushed aside. Our relationships thought of as being less valid because it isn't one that leads to children. And now you're dismissing the Prince's rights to love who he chooses just because it doesn't fit into your view of the world?"
That was it! I could understand that I was a stranger in their house, and accept that they thought the worst of me. I wasn't good with people. Never had been probably never would be, but I drew the line on people telling me that I didn't know my own Charge. I reared up slamming my hands down on the table hard enough to make the china rattle. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but let me explain something to you. You don't know Charming. You don't know what he wants or needs, no matter what hold you think you have on him as subjects of his land. I dislike the implication that I would … would" I couldn’t think of a way to verbalize what exactly she'd been implying. All I knew was that it pissed me off.
"That's enough, Elle. He's right. It's not our place to judge him for searching for a mate for the Prince."
"But Belle!"
"No." She looked over her shoulder at where Elena was chopping vegetables in an overly violent manner. Whatever she saw satisfied her need to argue with the other woman, as she turned back to me instead of voicing further reprimands. "As I'm sure you've guessed, Elle and I are lovers."
"I had guessed." Oblivious I might be but that didn't mean I was completely stupid.
"I'm not sure how much you understand about how we humans do things, but we've had difficulties in the past with people who don't understand what it is we are to each other. We react negatively to the idea of anyone being similarly marginalized."
I wanted to say that I understood, but I doubted she'd believe me or accept my assurances. Nobody else had ever accepted that I was a fairy on the inside even if I wasn't on the outside. Now that I had a fairy body, it would seem strange that I could say I understood their struggle. "I'm not attempting to marginalize Charming's interest in men. If he fell in love with a person of the same gender then I would support him as best I could. But that really isn't the point of the balls."
"and why not?"
"Elle!"
"It's fine, I'm not insulted." It was a fair question despite how rudely it was stated. I was inviting them to a ball where they would be forced to act as though they weren't together. They had a right to want to know what they were getting into. I just wished they'd say they weren't coming instead. That would have been simpler. "Prince Charming was cursed on the day he was born to be unable to feel sexual love. He's never shown a physical interest in either men or women. I doubt if he even knows which gender he would prefer as a partner. "
Now they were both staring at me as though I'd grown a second head. I flapped my wings nervously, just to make sure they were still there. Surely I would have noticed if I had been turned back into a human. There was really no other reason for them to stare at me like this.
I was considering flying away, just to get away from their stares, when Belle finally spoke up. "How is that possible? Are you sure that he isn't just hiding his sexuality to make his family happy?"
I stood up. Right now I didn't really care if they came to the palace. I set two invitations on the table. "If you do decide to come to the balls then you'll need to have the invitations with you." I said, before heading out into the garden.
"Wait!" Elena yelled. I felt a hand grab my wings.
I was swinging around, a fist headed towards her face, before I even realized what happened. The jerk of pain as my wing pulled out of her hand was enough to let me gain control and pull the punch a second before it landed. "Don't touch my wings."
She stared at me, eyes large. "I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to leave. Not like this. At least stay for dinner."
"I have other invitations to deliver." I didn't feel like being polite and thanking her for the invitation, much less accepting it.
"Will you at least calm down. I don't know what we did wrong, but I'm sorry."
"It isn't anything you did wrong." At least not something that everyone else hadn't done first.
"Obviously it is, or you wouldn’t be running off like this."
"Perhaps I had hoped that with your unique perspective you would be able to understand being judged for who you love."
"It's just such a foreign concept. We didn't know what to think. Have you considered perhaps taking him to a witch to see if the curse can be broken.?"
Her words were kind but her voice was filled with doubt. Not that it really mattered. Even if I wasn't going to say it she and her lover had already failed my test. I would not recommend them as companions to my brother even if they did come to the ball. "If you were cursed by your birth to love only those of your own gender, would you wish for someone to take that love away from you."
"Of course not!"
"Then I suggest you think about why I would find your suggestion that I simply make Charming's manner of love disappear, so distressing." This time I didn't let her stop me from flying away. Raising my wings to the sky and fluttering away almost before I'd finished talking.
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Part Two
Author: chibifukurou
Artist: deadflowers5
Beta: Madame Marigold/Smoking Cougar
Rating: Pg-13
Genre: Cracked Fantasy
Warnings: Passing mentions of child neglect, alternate sexualities, self hatred, and depression
Summary: A story about a boy who was born with the soul of a fairy, his brother, a prince who didn't want to be wed, and a frog who wasn't going to let anyone tell him who he should be or who he should love.
Word Count: 19,500
Copyright Notice: Licensees may copy, distribute, display and perform the work and make derivative works based on it only if they give me, the author, credit.
Any Notes: This story is based on an idea rather than a plot so it is only tenuously related to any particular timeline or story despite being based in a world of Fairy Tales. It is also meant to be a story that makes fun of itself. The names are ridiculous, the premise is strange, and if you can figure out what I was going for, please comment so that I can gush about your physic ability.
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In Which Magic is a Euphemism for being just a little bit Different
By Chibi Fukurou
A story about a boy who wants to get the body of a fairy, a prince who doesn't want to wed, and a frog who isn't going to let anyone tell him who he has to be to stay with the person he loves.
By Chibi Fukurou
A story about a boy who wants to get the body of a fairy, a prince who doesn't want to wed, and a frog who isn't going to let anyone tell him who he has to be to stay with the person he loves.
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I flitted into Char's room on quiet wings. I really didn't feel like being caught in here. It wasn't a good idea to come here at all, but he could hardly resist coming. It might not be smart, but Char was my twin and up until I'd left the human world to become a fairy, we'd been connected despite the distance that had kept us apart. I'd been stuck in the human world where fairy tales were little better than dreams. And Char was stuck in the land of Fairy Tales, where humans were a long forgotten group. Only a handful of nobles even knew how to get back into the human world.
Even after I'd finally managed to escape to the land of fairies and claim the wings that I should have had since I was born, I hadn't forgotten about Char. Being changed into a fairy had broken the mental connection that we had shared but it hadn't done anything to our bond as brothers.
I still loved Char best of all, which hopefully wouldn't come back to haunt me. Reaching out I shook his shoulder to wake him up. I wasn't expecting him to jump up from the bed as though he'd just been waiting for me to get within arm's length or too press a dagger to the thin membrane of my too sensitive wings. "Char?" my voice quavered in a way that was embarrassing both as a someone that had once been a boy and now as a fairy.
"What are you doing here fairy" Char spat out.
I shuddered. This wasn't the Char who had lived in my head for years and years. This was the Prince Charming I'd heard stories about in fairy world. The only member of the royal family who'd ever managed to scare away not one, not two, but five different fairy Guardians.
"Char? It's me."
"I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that fairy. I'm not exactly on speaking terms with most of your kind. Even if I was I doubt I'd be able to recognize any of your kind on voice alone, since you seem to enjoy vexing my kind with your tricks."
What had the other fairy Guardians been doing? Did I even want to know were he'd gotten these kinds of ideas about fairies. Still, he did have a point about not being able to recognize me in the dark. Flapping the wing he wasn't holding, I shed a fine sprinkling of fairy dust on the floor, enough to light the area around us as though I'd lit a candle. "Would you please let go of my wing now?"
"No."
"I'm not here to hurt you Char."
"I would thank you to be less familiar. Your kind might not be controlled by our rules, but I am still a prince in this world. You should show me enough respect to use my full name at least."
Okay, so Char definitely didn't recognize me either by voice or sight. Which wasn't just my luck not to mention something I'd never really considered it before. We'd only ever known each other through our mental bond. Even if I'd still been in my original body, he still wouldn't have know what I looked like. Now, with my fey body it was basically impossible."I think I have as much right to call you Char as you do to call me fairy as though the term was a curse word. You might be a Prince but your still a brat."
He backed away as though struck. I tried not to feel triumphant. Once he'd moved close enough that I could see his face clearly in the light of my dust, I had no problem controlling that impulse. His face was a mask of rage, cheeks covered with dark booms of rage and his mouth pulled into a vicious smile. "Watch your tongue."
"Or you'll do what to me?"
"This." He flung his knife at the wing he'd was still holding.
It probably wouldn't have done more than graze me but I my instincts wouldn't even allow that much of risk. I slid sideways and fought back with my magic. A clap of my hands and light flashed sending Char stumbling back to fall halfway on his bed. "Fine if that's the way you want to play it bratling!"
I jumped, pinning his arms and legs down before he could grab another knife. He opened his mouth as though to scream, so I clapped my hand over it. Ignoring the way he nipped painfully at my palm. Now that I had a chance to breath and adjust to what was going on I noticed how pale my hand looked next to his. My fingers were longer and thinner too, delicate in a way that had more to do with elegance than femininity. If the rest of my body had changed this much then it really wasn't a surprise that my brother hadn't recognized me. I had bigger problems though. Even with the strength I'd gained due to my transformation I still had a hard time holding Char's bucking form down. "Will you calm down?!"
"Mmhh." Was all he managed to reply but the way he shook his head made it pretty clear what he meant.
I rolled my eyes in a manner that my human mother had always had a particular hatred for and pressed my hand down harder over his mouth when he bit me again. "I'll let you up if you agree to let me say my peace for five minutes."
It was more of a "Mmmmph –Mmm-Mrrrroom" this time, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even if he did call the guards they probably wouldn't arrest me. Even if Char told them to.
I moved carefully off him, slowly enough that if he tried to yell I could get my hand over his mouth again. He didn't though. Instead he settled back against the bed in a sullen sprawl and glared at me.
Staring back at him, I was enthralled by all the little details that set his body apart from mine, despite the fact that we'd been identical when we'd been born. He was bigger, thicker. Long hair and a crazy look in his eyes was also different. Well at least the kind of crazy I saw in his eyes. It had more to do with rage then peace.
He fished a box with a pipe and a packet of tobacco out from under the ruffled skirt surrounding his bed. He puffed at it and stared at me. I stared back. Finally he seemed to get the idea that I wasn't going to talk to him unless he started the conversation. "If you don't start talking, I'm still going to start counting this as part of your five minutes."
"How have you been Char? I was coming to check on you and meet your partner, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. I looked over at the side of the bed he hadn't been sleeping on. Wondering all the while who he thought I was. A creep, a pervert, or just a hopeless fairy. Just another in the string of useless Guardians he ended up with. I could let him keep thinking at probably. It wouldn't be too hard, not if I really didn't look like I used to, but if I didn't really want that. Even if fairies weren't supposed to have families, I did. And I was prepared to fight for it.
"I don't know what you're playing at. We've never met before in my life."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Positive."
"Well at least that's one thing we can agree on." The joke fell flat. I got the feeling that it had almost as much to do with my deliver as his not finding if funny. Either way I probably wasn't going to get a better chance to explain who I was.
I opened my mouth, scrambling to think of a way to explain the truth.
Only to end up losing my train of thought when two burly guards burst into the room and dog piled on top of me, pressing my face into the carpet.
This was turning into a really long night.
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The guard probably thought he was intimidating in his sharply starched blue and gold uniform with its flouncy gold sash and ridiculously feathery cap. I considered informing him that he looked utterly ridiculous instead but I figured that probably wasn't the kind of thing you were supposed to say when you were locked in a cell for attempting to assassinate the Prince. Nobody had listened to me when I'd tried to explain I wasn't trying to assassinate him.
Or in Char's case I wasn't trying to become my his fairy godparent. I'm pretty sure I wasn't believed on either front. The being locked into a cell with an iron chain and lock wrapped around the base of my wings was a big clue.
I wasn't worried though, since this wasn't a sanctioned visit and I hadn't officially been assigned to anyone in either the human of Fairy tale world yet, somebody was going to notice if I want missing. And my Fairy trainer was much more intimidating the flouncy guard. So I just ignored his increasingly enraged shouting and kicked back in my cell to wait. It wasn't like they were hurting me. Not really. I wasn't full fairy no matter what I looked like and that gave me a measure of protection against the iron.
Though I couldn't wait to see how my trainer punished them when she figured out they tried to iron wrapped someone they thought was full fairy. That sort of thing just wasn't done.
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"You wrapped an unknown fairy in iron despite not knowing who they were or asking permission from the fairy counsel?" It wasn't really a question, but it didn't need to be. This sort of thing was Trainer's specialty.
She liked to watch people flounder and ding themselves further into trouble.
The flouncy guard was no different. "I—I" stammering like a raw Fairy trainee. Or like I had when I first had to deal with trainer one on one.
"What would you have done if Frankie hadn't been resistant to iron. Would you have known what to do if I had been allergic to the metal. Or would you just not care."
The guard tried to backpedal both physically and verbally. It came out as flailing. Char wasn't as impressed with Trainer, keeping a cool look on his face and an angry fire in his eyes. I didn't take it personally. We used to have dream conversations about some of the things that his previous Fairy Guardians had done to him in an attempt to 'fix' him and find him the love of his life. I knew him well enough to know that he would have been upset if I'd died. Even if I was just the crazy fairy he thought I was and not his brother.
For me that was enough to make up for the way he appeared to support the guard. "We did what we felt we had too to protect the royal family."
"What made you think he was a threat? Did he use a weapon or threaten violence?" Another rhetorical question. She knew that I wasn't the type to get violent. Even when I was supposed to. She had long despaired at my refusal to practice swords with the other trainees. We'd settled on a crossbow as my weapon eventually, but it still wasn't something I commonly used.
But at least I could defend myself without worrying about freaking out about the feel of blood running down my hands and arms. There was just something frightening about that feeling and I'd never been able to figure out what.
"He didn't threaten me, but he didn't defend himself either. He's refused to speak with us once we got him in the cell."
I shook myself to get rid of the image that came through my head. Blood dripping off silver and the pale pink of flesh.
Trainer ignored my shuddering, and kept her eyes on the guards."Even if you had a reason to believe he was a threat, iron wrapping should never be uses without the council's permission."
"What we do in our Land is none of your business, fairy. I suggest you leave us to our methods, unless you want us to invade your Lands." Mr. Pompous Guard had finally gotten his wind back it seemed, too bad he was such an idiot.
Trainer had the grace to refrain from laughing in his face, but the shake of Zi's shoulders and the fluttering way in which Zi's wings moved made the stifled amusement clear. At least if you knew what you were looking for. Which the guard didn't appear to. As he continued to puff himself up like an overly arrogant Robin who's sure he's going to get the worm.
My brother had a truly nasty smirk on his face and I suspected that he knew just what his guard had stepped into and was hanging him out to dry. That still wasn't enough to make me feel bad for the pompous ass.
Trainer stepped forward her wings held high and danger in every line of her body. The guard stumbled back again. This time Trainer didn't let him go. Instead Zi followed him with slow steps forcing him to stubble around the room in an attempt to stay out of reach. A cat torturing a mouse before going into the kill.
Amusing as it was to watch, I didn't feel like having a war between the Lands start just because I'd come to visit my brother. "Trainer! I'm sure he didn't know what he was saying. Isn't that right?"
The guard nodded vigorously still backing himself into a corner. Zi ignored him, in favor of turning Her attention to me."So, are you ready to explain why you felt the need to come here?"
"I had personal business."
"That isn't a good enough explanation. Not for a breech this important."
"I wanted to check on my brother."
"And after that you just decided to pop into the Fairy Land palace?" Trainer sounded incredulous. Which was a fair reaction. As little as Zi knew about me.
"Something like that."
"You're not going to give me a good explanation are you?"
"Do I ever?"
Zi snorted. "No you never do. You do realize that you will have to be punished don't you?"
"Yeah, I know." I sighed, though I wasn't really bothered by the idea. I wasn't the type to jump into things blind. I'd been prepared to pay the price for getting caught, even though I hadn't expected to be found out so quickly. "So what's it going to be?"
"I'll have to speak to the council before I can decide for sure."
"So I'm stuck here until you get things sorted out?"
Zi winked before disappearing in a buff cloud of fairy dust.
I rolled my eyes at Zi's theatrics.
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After having to put up with Trainer nobody was in a hurry to keep questioning me.
They didn't let me out of myself, but at least I was left alone, so that I could get some sleep. Middle of the night sneaking around didn't help a body get beauty sleep.
I didn't know how long I'd been asleep when I was woken by the long creaking, bang of the cell door. It was dark though so it had probably been a fair number of hours.
Surprisingly enough it was Char who came in, carrying a bowl of food. Not something I'd expect from a prince. Still I didn't know anyone else he could convince to feed me. Not if the captain of the guard was still shaking in his boots.
"So are they making the royal family do housework now?"
"Don't be bitchy. You're here on our kind will."
I think you mean your families fears."
"It's the same difference in the end."
Doesn't that just say something about your family?"
He didn't contradict me this time, so I let it go. I wasn't here to fight after all. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I assure you that I didn't have any intention of harming you. I just wanted to check up on you. ."
"Why do you care?"
"I have my reasons." It wasn't something I wanted to discuss where we could be overheard. I wasn't naive enough to think that there wasn’t' a guard listening at the door, or some hidden peek hole.
"That isn't helpful."
"It wasn't supposed to be helpful. It's not like I enjoy your company or your hospitality, I motioned with my fork at the room. "Thanks for the food though."
He didn't bother saying I was welcome before he stomped out. I didn't worry about appeasing him. He always had been the more temperamental of the two of us. He wanted respect, but refused to bow to anyone else s will. It was a tough road he'd chosen to walk. Yet another thing we weren't going to discuss until I could get him alone and had a chance to cast a privacy spell. For now I'd eat my lumpy oatmeal mush and wait. I had nothing but time, until the council made a decision.
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It was three more days before Trainer came back. I was extremely tired of mush by that point, and practically climbing the walls with boredom. Except for a short visit with Char over dinner I'd been alone throughout the three day wait. I hated being alone.
Trainer called for the guard captain to take her to the throne room. He didn't even try to disagree In short order we were shuffled out of my high tower cell and down into the palace proper. One of the other guards ran ahead to let the rulers know we were coming. This wasn't how I'd wanted to meet my parents and older brother, but it couldn't be helped Trainer was at least kind enough to cast a spell to refresh my robes and clean m body. At least I wouldn't stink.
The throne room was awash with gold and gems. It was empty when we arrived. But soon, the gentry trickled in, in groups of twos and threes. They were all dressed in bright robes and jewels. Plumes of perfume wisp-ed about mixing into a heady and slightly nauseating miasma. I wrinkled my nose, but followed Trainers lead and acted like I didn't notice that anyone had come into the room.
The throne room was almost completely full by the time the royal family swept in. They stood out in their purple and gold clothing, even when surrounded by all of the brightly colored courtiers. Char was the last one in, a dark shadow following in the wake of our parents. Dressed in charcoal silk and silver bangles.
The King and Queen took their thrones, one of their two sons standing on each side of their thrones. A wave of bows and curtseys swept through the crowd of courtiers. Only Trainer and I, and the guards who were standing watch, remained upright.
The King frowned thunderously at us, and I knew that if Trainer had not been there standing in front of me, I would have followed suit and bowed. If only to avoid his wrath. Trainer didn't even bother to act intimidated, standing still, with her wings in a relaxed position. I could see the slight shudders that ran though Zi's wings, due to the way she held them in iron control, but I doubted that the King could see the movement as far away as the dais was from where we were standing.
Even if he could have seen Trainer's wings, I don't know if the king could understand what the shaking meant. Or even if it would matter. No matter what Trainer was thinking he'd still refused to bow.
Once the courtiers had risen back to their feet we approached the dais. Trainer first with me close behind. The guards tensed but didn't attack.
Trainer pretending not to notice and I didn't let my nerves show. While I might have done something wrong from the perspective of tradition, I didn't feel guilty for trying to check on my brother. I needed to know that he was okay.
I'd made my decision when I'd left him to go to the fairy world so that I could become what I was always meant to be. But that didn't mean that I was ready to give him up for good. Not by a long shot.
When I'd snuck into his room I'd thought that I'd find him in bed with his new lover, the person he was going to share the rest of his life with. that wasn't how it worked out wand I really wanted to know why it hadn't. I'd always thought that my own quest would be harder.
Whoever herd of a supposedly human boy becoming a fairy Guardian. It seemed like a much more farfetched quest then the search for ones soul mate. Particularly when you considered that my brother was Prince Charming of Fairy tale land. It was pretty much written in the stars that he'd get a happily ever after.
Perhaps that was the problem. We'd just taken his destiny as fore ordained and hadn't spoken about how to achieve it. Hopefully whatever punishment the council had prescribed would not keep me from being able to help him find the love of his life. I really wanted to make sure that he was taken care of before I spent the rest of my life looking after my charges. With only the occasional break to look after the people I cared about most.
"King Black, I have come to you with a message from the council and it is this: 'We apologize for the presumptuous actions of our trainee and want to make it clear that the fairy court did not intend any harm when the fairy, Frankie breached the sanctity of your borders. That being understood, your treatment of our emissary was abominable and unforgivably harsh. Thus we demand reprisal.'"
"You dare demand reprisal from us when your minion tried to do harm to one of my heirs." The king yelled, probably thinking that he'd be intimidating. I almost laughed in his face. The release of my earlier terror almost ridiculous. Perhaps it was just my blood relations to him, but I had my doubts. He might be a king but the power of his throne seemed much more impressive than him. He bore no comparison to the council.
As became clear when Trainer cut loose. Zi was the avatar of the council and sometimes when Zi let her true power out it showed. "WE DEMAND REPRISAL." Zi thundered. The courtiers fell back to their bowed state in fear as her voice echoed and grew in the cavernous room. "We accepted you as the rulers of the land of Tales and legends. But do not forget that it was our power that created your land, your world separate than that of the humans. We do not owe you tribute or loyalty. Not in the way you seem to believe. You overstepped your bounds greatly when you iron wrapped one of our own. A punishment that has been forbidden since centuries gone by. Beyond your families' memory if not beyond ours. Had our emissary been killed our judgment would have been swift. It was our power that raised the Blacks to the throne, our power can pull you back into the mire of commonality."
Trainer stilled to let the full power of the councils threat sink in. "Our judgment is as follows. Our emissary will be forbidden from taking his full rights as a Guardian until after he has succeeded in guiding the youngest prince of the Black family to his destiny. Until such time as that goal is accomplished the Fairy Frankie will be treated with the utmost respect as the member of the Black family."
The throne room was quiet as a church as the full extent of the councils punishment sunk in. In my case I wasn't displeased I still had the right to be with my brother thanks to this decision on the Councils part. Perhaps I'd even be able to see my part of our vow through to the end.
The Black family didn't seem as happy with their punishment. My brother in particular glowered at Trainer and me as though we were the scum on the bottom of his shoe. Trainer didn't bother hiding her amusement, wings thrumming with amusement. "What say you King Black? Do you accept the terms of this punishment, or do you prefer to take the full blame for what has happened in your castle? A higher tribute will be charged for the next fifty years, and the Fairy's Blessing will be withdrawn from your family until such a time as the council feels that your family has earned it back."
It wasn't much of a choice between the two options. Every Black heir had been guided by Fairy Guardian from the day of their commitment to the throne to the day of their coronation. If they weren't guided by the fairies then their rights to the throne were questionable. So far the only exception to this rule was my brother. Who'd managed to scare off all four of the Fairies who had been assigned to him. He really should have expected there to be consequences for that. The council didn't like it when people tried to escape their destiny.
My father's face was twisted into a grimace of distaste but I could already see the resignation lurking in his eyes and the way my mother gripped his hand tightly, warningly in hers. They wouldn't risk going against the Councils wishes unless they had no choice. "We accept the Council's judgment and thank them for their wisdom and judgment." The thanks was practically spat out but it was enough to fulfill the obligations of tradition.
Trainer nodded her acceptance of the King's decision. "Then from now until the youngest prince has reached his destiny he will be watched over by the Fairy Frankie. This is our ruling and our contract by word and by magic." Instead of thundering her voice came out with a melodious noise like a bell tolling.
The courtiers shuddered and quaked and looked away. Missing the movement when Trainer was there. And then wasn't. I was alone in my family's home for the foreseeable future. I decided that given my lack of options I'd do my best to make the best of it.
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It took two weeks of acting harmless before I was able to slip out of my new guest quarters and into Char's rooms.
We ended up in much the same position as we had when I'd first gotten into his room. Me leaning over the bed, and him twisted around so that he could hold a knife at my throat. This time I didn't panic. I didn't need to. He wouldn't be stupid enough too spill his own Fairy Godparents throat. No matter how much he wanted to. And I could definitely tell that he wanted to.
Something I hoped to remedy once I explained exactly why I had come there in the first place. Since I most definitely hadn't meant to end up as his Fairy Guardian though in some ways it was better this way. At least as far as my goal of setting him up with a soul mate were concerned.
Of course if that wasn't his destiny then we'd have a problem but I had faith. Prince Charming's throughout the generations had always had soul mates even if they weren't always the type of person that the Prince's in question had imagined.
I had faith that it would be no different for my brother. Once I got him over his irrational hatred of all things having to do with his destiny.
"Why are you here, Fairy?"
Still with using my species as a curse word. We were really going to have to work on that. Even if he wasn't likely to curse at me once he knew who I was. "I've come to discuss your past."
"Why would that be of interest to you? Your simply here to make sure your precious fate isn't disturbed."
"It's not that simple."
"Honestly, fate was the last thing I had in mind when I came to check on you."
"Then why bother coming at all?"
"It's complicated."
"If you're not here to explain then I suggest your return to your quarters." He started flipping his knife end over end. I couldn't tell if it was to annoy me or simply an expression of his own annoyance. Either way it worked admirably as an intimidation factor. Though that had more to do with my own distaste for blades than any fear of him.
Not willing to risk being overheard after I'd gone to all the trouble of sneaking into my brothers room. Twice. I shook out two large handfuls of fairy dust from my wings and used it to mark a large circle around Chars bed. He watched me with interest, but didn't offer to help. Not that I had really expected him to.
Fairy magic as a bad thing for most people to mess with, Even if they were members of the royal family of Happily Ever After Land. After I'd whispered every half remembered silencing spell I knew I finally felt comfortable enough to explain.
"My name is Frank Black and twenty years ago I was separated from my twin brother and sent away into the human world."
Char's knife dropped from his fingers to land quivering in on the bed, held upright by the tip, which had sunk into the bedclothes. "That's impossible." He whispered.
"Why is it impossible? I told you that I was going away to become a fairy. Surely you knew I'd want to check on you once I could."
"It's – I"
"What's wrong. Your acting strangely." I moved towards him daring to graze my fingers against his shoulder. So strange to be able to touch him when for so many years they'd only had the touch of each others minds to prove that they weren't going crazy. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Tell me something that only my brother would know."
"What?"
"Tell me a secret."
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
I scrambled to think of something that I could tell him. Something that I felt comfortable talking about out of the sanctity of our own shared minds. At the same time I tried to figure out why he would ask this of me. Surely he didn't doubt who I was. Nobody knew about my existence except the family. "You love differently than anyone else you have ever known. And when I told you that I wanted to become a fairy you didn't laugh even though you never thought I'd be able to manage it."
"This is – impossible." Char rubbed a hand over his mouth. "I—I'd thought."
I gave up on giving him a chance to adjust to the idea to my presence. There was something wrong and I wasn't going to leave him alone to deal with it. Not when our minds were separated so that I couldn't help him like I used to. I crawled into the bed with him and pulled him into a hug rubbing my hand up and down his spine like one of the workers at the orphanage used to do for me when I'd cried."Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm alright." He reached out to rub his fingers over my cheek, tears running down his own cheeks. "I just can't believe your real."
"Why wouldn't I be here?"
"Didn't you ever wonder if we'd dreamed the whole thing? Being twins, sharing our minds."
"Why would I doubt that you were real? You were the most real thing in my life."
He leaned forward until his head rested against my shoulder and I could wrap my wings around his back. "I wish I had your faith."
I wished he did to. I'd never considered that he might not think I was real. He'd always seemed so sure when we'd been young. I could only think of one thing that could have shaken his faith. "I'm so sorry I left you alone. I never meant to hurt you."
Knowing how much pain I had caused him only made me more determined to see that he found his Soul Mate.
We stayed up late into the night until Char calmed down and was finally able to get some sleep. By that time the early birds had already started their singing.
I didn't see much point in going to sleep. Too wired from worry and nerves. Anxious to get started making up for abandoning Char. It didn't help my guilty feelings that I was glad he hadn't told me how he was feeling. I would have stopped my quest to become a fairy if I'd known how much Char had to pay for my happiness.
I stormed down the hallway, not caring which of the guards saw that I was out of my room. I was done playing around. It was time to get to work finding him, his destiny.
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Late morning found me in the palace's records room going over the birth rates for children born to magically induced unions. Each of them were touched by fate in one way or another. Which meant that their likelihood of contributing to another person's fate was higher than normal.
If I could arrange for them all to congregate on the palace then there was a good chance that one of them would either be Char's mate or would be able to help to help him find his bond mate.
"I couldn't find you." Char said, startling me away from my calculations of where the descendant's of a Lord who had been cursed into the form of a beast, would have ended up.
I turned to confront him for startling me, but as soon as I saw his face my mouth snapped shut. His eyes were like holes in his face, panicked and dark. His jaw was like stone and over his shoulder I could see a guard edging away. If you didn't know him, I supposed it looked like he was angry. All I could see was his fear and depression.
I stood up and slammed the door in the guard's face, before pulling Char into a one armed hug, leading him to the second chair in the records room. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I just couldn't sleep, so I came here to start working to find you bond mate."
He gripped my hand tight. "I don't need a bond mate. If you don't find them then you can stay. I won't be alone."
"That's not your destiny. It's not in Fate's design."
"Screw fate!" He jumped to his feet. If there had been room in the cramped space for him to pace I could tell that he would have. Instead he shifted from side to side. "Screw fate, I just want to be happy. Why can't that be enough?"
How could I explain that it was my decision to become a fairy that was guiding me now. I wasn't capable of ignoring the pulling of fate anymore. Not even for my brother. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sure you are." I didn't need to know him as well as I did to hear the doubt in his voice. To understand that he didn't understand why I couldn't just turn my connection to fate off. Even if I had been willing to explain I wouldn't have gotten the chance as he stormed out of the room.
I didn't follow. Choosing to turn my attention back to the files in hopes of finding someone that could put Char first, as I was no longer capable of doing.
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The first Cinderella I met with didn't seem to understand the brilliance of my scheme. Of course she was a little old to be a potential companion anyway, so it didn't really matter. I probably wouldn't have even approached her if she hadn't lived so close to the palace and her reputation for being a bit eccentric hadn't been so well known. AS it was I was beginning to doubt whether her unusual views would counterbalance her seeming lack of intelligence.
"So let me get this straight." Cinderella, 'Call me Elena please' said for the third time. "You're going to put me in a dress, drag me off to the ball, and strand me there for three nights in a row?"
"Exactly!"
"No."
"But why not? Don't you want to marry the Prince?"
"I'm pretty sure I don't."
"But he's the prince!" The title was usually enough to convince people to go along with my ideas regarding the balls.
She didn't seem impressed. "Is this supposed to be convincing me?"
"Is it working?"
"No. I'm already in a relationship. I'm pretty sure she'd object to me going out on a couple of dates with a guy. Even if it was just to get the crazy fairy Godmother out of our garden."
"I'm not crazy!"
"You come into my garden in the middle of the day and ask me come with you to a ball, so that I can make the Prince fall in love with me, and you're not crazy?"
"No I'm not! Look it's right here in my notes. A girl named Cinderella is supposed to go to three balls held in the Prince's honor. They will fall madly in love and Live Happily Ever After."
" I'm sure you mean well, but just because that sort of thing worked out a couple hundred years ago, that doesn't mean it will work out now. For one thing most people these days are logical enough to understand that three dates does not a happy marriage guarantee. No matter how Earth shatter said dates are."
She just had to be logical in addition to being unavailable. "But you're a Cinderella!"
"So was my Great Aunt, and my Great Great Grandmother, and my Grandmother on the other side. You can probably find at least one Cinderella in every town within five hundred miles of the capital. It's a thing. Everybody wants to name their daughter after the queen that helped to bring women’s rights to Fairy Tale Land."
"Crap!"
"Excuse me?!"
"Sorry. It's just how am I supposed to find the right Cinderella if everybody is named Cinderella."
"I'm not trying to be mean about this, but have you considered the possibility that no Cinderella will be the right Cinderella?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She rolled her eyes. "It means that maybe your prince can't find a bride because he doesn't want a bride. If you catch my drift." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
I really didn't know what the eyebrows were supposed to mean. In my experience it usually meant that the person I was talking to was making a sexual innuendo. But really I couldn't think of any double entandras having to do with drifts. "I'm sorry but I really don't know what you're trying to say." I wasn't really sorry and I was beginning to agree that Elena wasn't the right Cinderella for the job. Charming like people who were straight forward.
Heaving out a sigh, Elena headed back towards her house. "You might as well come in. I'm getting the feeling that this is going to take some serious explaining.
I resisted the urge to apologize again. It really wasn't my fault if she couldn't speak clearly. "If you could just explain I'm sure that I'd be able to figure out what you meant."
"Look, you seem like a smart kid. Crazy, and oblivious, but at least book smart. I'm sure that if I spent the next two hours explaining you'd get what I was trying to say. But I doubt you'd enjoy yourself and I know I wouldn't. Explanations aren't my thing. I leave them to Belle. So if you'll just come into the house we can share a nice cup of tea and wait for her to come back from her tutoring."
Well, when she put it that way it did seem logical. It wasn't like standing around in the dew drenched garden for the next two hours held a lot of appeal. "All right then, thank you for inviting me into your house."
"You're welcome."
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"Look it's not that we don't understand what your charge is going through. It's just not really our business. We're not saying that having balls in the prince's honor is a bad idea."
"Yes we are."
"We're just saying that maybe a little bit of subtlety and understanding would help him open up to you and explain what he's really looking for."
"I really wish you'd just come out and say what you're trying to imply. Because it's really not making any more sense than when Elena was trying to explain it. I did ask what Charming wanted in a partner."
"And he said that he was looking for a partner who was already in a committed relationship, who he'd meet at a ball and sweep off her feet?"
"Elle!"
"What? It's a valid question because it's really not making much sense the way she's explaining it."
"I simply don't think it's my place to explain Charming's wishes to someone I barely know and he's never met."
"But letting me marry him is fine?"
"I wasn't planning on having you marry him. As you said there are a lot of Cinderellas in the surrounding villages. Even if you are the first I've asked, you're not the only one I was planning to invite."
"What?"
"That's actually kind of smart, in a crazy way." Belle said.
"Thank you."
"I'm not sure if it was a compliment."
"I'll take it as one anyway." I had a lot of experience with accepting odd remarks as compliments. Nobody ever seemed to understand what I wanted to hear. So it was just easier to go with the flow.
"Whatever." Elena said, obviously unimpressed by my with. "Belle explain what you meant."
"The Prince wants something in a bride that his Fairy Godmother –"
"Call me Frankie."
"Okay… The Prince wants something in a bride that Frankie can't explain, but thinks can be found in a Cinderella. So he's going around asking every Cinderella in the area to come to a ball held in the Prince's honor. That way he has a fair amount of options."
"That's so archaic. Why don't you just go around asking every woman of marriageable age to come to the castle so that they can be sold off like cattle."
"Because that would be a terrible idea."
"So it's disrespectful for you invite every woman in the area to a ball, but it's perfectly fine to ask every Cinderella?"
"Technically I'm also inviting any Briar Rose's, Peas and Cinderella's I run into."
Belle stifled a snort with her tea cup. Elena's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me right?"
"Why would I kid you about that? As you said there are a large number of Cinderellas in the area. But just because Queen Ella was one of the most famous queens that doesn't mean she was the only one that people name their children after."
"That doesn't exactly answer my question."
"What is your question?"
"Why you think gathering every person you can find who was named after a member of royalty will allow you to find the Prince's mate?"
I sipped slowly at my drink. Trying to decide how to answer that. There really wasn't a polite, diplomatic, or even mildly acceptable way to handle this. So I might as well be honest. Or as honest as I was willing to be when going against my charges wishes for privacy. "The prince is under a curse."
This time Belle snorted the tea up her nose, while trying to stifle her surprise. She was also the first one to speak. "A curse?"
"He can only fall in love if it's the love of fairy tales."
"Meaning?"
"He needs to find a love that is pure in nature." A love that could transcend time, form, and desire.
"Well that certainly puts a new spin on things. But how is gathering a bunch of people named after fairy tale princesses going to help?"
"Magic is a funny thing. If you get enough of it gathered in one place then there are boundless possibilities just waiting to happen."
"I'll take your word for it." It was obvious that she didn't understand, so I was glad when she changed the subject. "So, is this curse why the prince doesn't date?"
I almost regretted calling it a curse, because that innocent question was enough to piss me off. But there really wasn't any other way to describe it. Not so that they'd understand. I copied Belle's method for avoiding a conversation I didn't want to have. "Why did you think he was avoiding finding a bride?"
"Well?"
"Um…" Elena blushed, while Belle shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
The avoided talking for so long that I honestly expected them to change the subject completely. I'd hardly be upset by the prospect. I'd wanted to know what exactly Elena had been trying to imply, which was why I'd spent so much time at their house, but it was looking like they wouldn't be any more helpful then Elena had originally been. "So know that you understand the question will you accept the invitation to the ball."
They started acting even more nervous. Which was both extremely unhelpful and annoying. "I understand if you don't have the time." Perhaps it would even be better if they didn't accept. I really couldn’t see them hitting it off with Charming.
"It's not that we don’t' want to accept its' just that things aren't that simple. We aren't exactly looking for husbands." They shared a look. "And we suspect that the Prince might not be looking for a wife."
Well that was just ridiculous."If he didn't want a wife then why would he request the help of a Fairy Guardian to help him bypass the curse placed on him?"
"I don’t know? You mentioned that the curse kept him from falling in love. Maybe he wants to be able to fall in love and is willing to put up with your matchmaking to get it."
Surprisingly astute, though I got the feeling that she meant something a little different than how my partnership with the Prince actually worked. "He would like to fall in love, but I don't see what my matchmaking skills have to do with whether or not that happens."
"You're trying to match him up with a girl right? Well maybe that's not who the Prince is interested. Maybe he'd prefer a husband to a wife." It wasn't exactly a question. But then I suppose it didn't need to be. The implications were more than enough to be considered treason, if I was a stickler for the rules.
It was understood that sometimes people preferred the companionship of their own gender. That was acceptable if you were a commoner, but it was different with royalty. The royal family would never say that Charming couldn't have a lover, but that was a completely different title then that of a wife. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't we?" Elena screamed. Apparently having grown tired of waiting for Belle to explain whatever it was she was supposed to have explained to me. "Sure it's not illegal, but we're marginalized, pushed aside. Our relationships thought of as being less valid because it isn't one that leads to children. And now you're dismissing the Prince's rights to love who he chooses just because it doesn't fit into your view of the world?"
That was it! I could understand that I was a stranger in their house, and accept that they thought the worst of me. I wasn't good with people. Never had been probably never would be, but I drew the line on people telling me that I didn't know my own Charge. I reared up slamming my hands down on the table hard enough to make the china rattle. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but let me explain something to you. You don't know Charming. You don't know what he wants or needs, no matter what hold you think you have on him as subjects of his land. I dislike the implication that I would … would" I couldn’t think of a way to verbalize what exactly she'd been implying. All I knew was that it pissed me off.
"That's enough, Elle. He's right. It's not our place to judge him for searching for a mate for the Prince."
"But Belle!"
"No." She looked over her shoulder at where Elena was chopping vegetables in an overly violent manner. Whatever she saw satisfied her need to argue with the other woman, as she turned back to me instead of voicing further reprimands. "As I'm sure you've guessed, Elle and I are lovers."
"I had guessed." Oblivious I might be but that didn't mean I was completely stupid.
"I'm not sure how much you understand about how we humans do things, but we've had difficulties in the past with people who don't understand what it is we are to each other. We react negatively to the idea of anyone being similarly marginalized."
I wanted to say that I understood, but I doubted she'd believe me or accept my assurances. Nobody else had ever accepted that I was a fairy on the inside even if I wasn't on the outside. Now that I had a fairy body, it would seem strange that I could say I understood their struggle. "I'm not attempting to marginalize Charming's interest in men. If he fell in love with a person of the same gender then I would support him as best I could. But that really isn't the point of the balls."
"and why not?"
"Elle!"
"It's fine, I'm not insulted." It was a fair question despite how rudely it was stated. I was inviting them to a ball where they would be forced to act as though they weren't together. They had a right to want to know what they were getting into. I just wished they'd say they weren't coming instead. That would have been simpler. "Prince Charming was cursed on the day he was born to be unable to feel sexual love. He's never shown a physical interest in either men or women. I doubt if he even knows which gender he would prefer as a partner. "
Now they were both staring at me as though I'd grown a second head. I flapped my wings nervously, just to make sure they were still there. Surely I would have noticed if I had been turned back into a human. There was really no other reason for them to stare at me like this.
I was considering flying away, just to get away from their stares, when Belle finally spoke up. "How is that possible? Are you sure that he isn't just hiding his sexuality to make his family happy?"
I stood up. Right now I didn't really care if they came to the palace. I set two invitations on the table. "If you do decide to come to the balls then you'll need to have the invitations with you." I said, before heading out into the garden.
"Wait!" Elena yelled. I felt a hand grab my wings.
I was swinging around, a fist headed towards her face, before I even realized what happened. The jerk of pain as my wing pulled out of her hand was enough to let me gain control and pull the punch a second before it landed. "Don't touch my wings."
She stared at me, eyes large. "I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to leave. Not like this. At least stay for dinner."
"I have other invitations to deliver." I didn't feel like being polite and thanking her for the invitation, much less accepting it.
"Will you at least calm down. I don't know what we did wrong, but I'm sorry."
"It isn't anything you did wrong." At least not something that everyone else hadn't done first.
"Obviously it is, or you wouldn’t be running off like this."
"Perhaps I had hoped that with your unique perspective you would be able to understand being judged for who you love."
"It's just such a foreign concept. We didn't know what to think. Have you considered perhaps taking him to a witch to see if the curse can be broken.?"
Her words were kind but her voice was filled with doubt. Not that it really mattered. Even if I wasn't going to say it she and her lover had already failed my test. I would not recommend them as companions to my brother even if they did come to the ball. "If you were cursed by your birth to love only those of your own gender, would you wish for someone to take that love away from you."
"Of course not!"
"Then I suggest you think about why I would find your suggestion that I simply make Charming's manner of love disappear, so distressing." This time I didn't let her stop me from flying away. Raising my wings to the sky and fluttering away almost before I'd finished talking.
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Part Two