A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(123)

A knock came from the other side of the doors.

“I said I didn’t want to see you anymore!” Alex shouted.

Conner poked his head inside. “Jeez, sorry!”

“No, wait, Conner! I’m so sorry!” she apologized. “I thought you were someone else.”

Conner had come to find his sister to tell her what he had learned about Bree and Emmerich, but he was so captivated by the Hall of Dreams he completely forgot what he was going to say. He shut the doors behind him and sat next to her.

“What is this place?” Conner asked.

“It’s called the Hall of Dreams,” Alex said. “It keeps a record of every hope and dream of every person and creature in the world.”

“Neat,” he said. “It’s like a big fairy database.”

“It used to be much fuller but I’m afraid the war discouraged a lot of people and they stopped believing,” she said. “It’s my job to restore that belief now that Grandma’s gone.”

“You mean it’s our job,” Conner said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Alex looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean you’re not going anywhere? What about the Otherworld?”

“It’ll still be there waiting for me,” Conner said. “But right now my job is being here with you. I know you’re worried about being the Fairy Godmother so I’m going to stay with you until you’re comfortable enough to be on your own. Besides, I don’t want to go home until Mom and Bob have forgotten about how much money I withdrew with my credit card.”

Alex smiled. It was the sweetest thing her brother could do for her.

“You mean it?” She wasn’t even going to pretend for a second she wasn’t pleased and relieved to hear this.

“Absolutely,” Conner said. “We’re sort of unstoppable when we’re together—and there’s still a lot of work to be done here.”

“All right,” she said. “But on one condition.”

He was afraid to ask. “What’s that?”

“You have to be my apprentice,” she said. “Every Fairy Godmother needs one.”

Conner grunted. “Oh come on, Alex! Let’s not get carried away,” he moaned.

“Just think about it, Conner,” she said excitedly. “I can teach you spells, how to make enchantments, and how to grant wishes! And if anything should ever happen to me, the Land of Stories would fall into your hands, just as it should.”

He rolled his eyes and made a face like it was the worst idea in the world. “Fine,” he said. “But I will not be called the next Fairy Godmother.”

“You can choose whatever title you want.” She was so excited by the idea she didn’t care what he wanted to be called.

Conner thought about it for a moment. “I want to be called the Head Fairy Dude.”

Alex smiled and nodded. “I can live with that,” she said. “Conner Bailey, Head Fairy Dude—it has a nice ring to it.”





CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE





THE DAWNING


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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