Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)(2)

“Why is your face all scrunched up, Krev?” Pippi asked, her eyes alight with curiosity. “You look like you’ve swallowed a lemon.”

Like a child being caught stealing from a jar of cookies, Krev tried to look innocent instead. Most goblins would have declared him a poor actor, but fortunately, the little princess wasn’t that perceptive. Yet. “Nothing, Your Highness.”

Pippi hugged the book close to her chest. Of all the books Barthelius had created, it was this messed-up version of Cinderella that she enjoyed most. She belonged to the post-office—or wait, was it post-modern?—category of readers who preferred their heroines strong and feisty. The damsel-in-distress was a thing of the past.

“Did you actually see Kat return to her family?”

Krev scratched his head. A couple of long, mottled-green hairs fell off. Dang, his premature baldness was speeding to the finish line.

“Did you?”

“Well . . . yes. There wasn’t anything we could do about it. The spell works automatically. Once she fulfilled the happily-ever-after requirement, she was compelled to leave. She had no choice but to return to her mother and sister in the human world.”

“But why couldn’t she go back for a while to say goodbye, and then come back? Oh, the poor prince! You can’t leave him stuck with a girl he doesn’t love!”

Krev heaved yet another sigh. He lost count of how many times he’d sighed when talking to Pippi. Really, it was entirely Barthelius and Morag’s fault for spoiling her and giving her whatever she wanted when she wanted it. Every toy she demanded had to be given to her, and every candy she coveted had to be procured. “Once the book is completed, it stays that way forever. It’s permanent.”

Pippi banged on the table with a fist. A crack appeared on the surface. Krev made a private note to mention to the king that the princess’s strength was showing early. “You’ve got to get them back together! It’s so UNFAIR to keep them apart!”

“Your Highness, unfortunately, the spell doesn’t work that way—”

“I don’t care! I want a happy ending for Kat and Edward! I want it NOOOOOOOW!”



* * *



Pippi stalked to her room, sniffling. Everyone was useless. Why were they all okay about Edward and Kat being apart? How could they be so heartless? Didn’t they all tell her that fairy tales end with happily-ever-after?

“Liars,” she muttered, scuffing her small foot on the ground. “Why didn’t Daddy stop Kat from returning to America? I don’t want Edward to marry another girl—he and Kat were perfect for each other! And how could Kat agree to leave him? Why couldn’t she remember him anymore? Did somebody put a spell on her?”

“Your mother did.”

Pippi whirled around so fast that her short legs got tangled into each other and she landed on the floor with an undignified bump. “Who–who are you?”

Another goblin, who seemed around her father’s age, hovered above her, his wings flapping. He looked friendly, but Pippi wasn’t sure that she liked his crooked grin.

“Morag put a strong memory charm on the human being because she knew the girl could become seriously depressed if she went home with the prince on her mind. It was hard enough that she had to choose between her family and him.”

“But what about Edward? Did Mommy also make him forget Kat?”

The goblin wagged a finger at her. “Morag offered, but he refused. The real Katriona would return to her body once the human girl’s soul left, and he needed his memory intact to deal with her. Besides, he didn’t want to forget Katherine Wilson.”

Pippi promptly burst into tears. “That’s so cruel!” she wailed. “Kat should be the one with him, not the other girl!”

“That can be accomplished.”

The wailing stopped. Pippi stared at the goblin with huge, suspicious eyes.

“What did you say?”

The goblin tilted his chin upward. “I am Borg the Invincible, elder brother of Barthelius. Your father was afraid of my powers, and he feared that I’d overpower him and take his throne one day, so he devised a plan and stole most of my magic away.”

Pippi gasped. “Daddy wouldn’t do that! He always said it’s wrong to steal.”

“He told you that you shouldn’t steal, but did he say it’s wrong for him? Parents.” Borg sneered. “Always nagging at the kids while failing to set a good example themselves. Anyway, do you or do you not want to see the human girl reunited with the Athelian prince?”

“Of course!” Pippi jumped up. “Can you really do that, Uncle Borg?”

Borg’s eyes gleamed. “With enough magic, it shall be no problem. However, Barthelius would never agree to perform the spell, so it will depend on you.”

Pippi didn’t understand. What did this have to do with her? She was only five. She didn’t know how to cast any spells. Barthelius and Morag refused to teach her until she was at least a few years older and had a better grasp on her magic.

“Barthelius doesn’t want to see me,” Borg said. “He knows I’ve been trying to get my magic back, so he will try to banish me from court as soon as he lays eyes on me. But you, the daughter of the king, can get it.”

“You want me to steal?”