A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(13)

Alex’s mouth dropped open. She wasn’t going to let someone speak to her like that, especially after the awful morning she had been having. Farmer Robins had picked the wrong day to mess with this fairy.

“No!” Alex yelled back at the farmer.

“What?” the farmer said.

“No, I will not leave,” Alex said.

The farmer’s son perked up—this was going to be interesting.

“I’m really sorry for going out of my way to help you but you aren’t the only one with a job, buddy,” Alex said. She stepped closer to Farmer Robins. “The fact is, you need my help whether you want it or not, and that’s why I’m here! That’s why my unicorn brought me! So swallow your pride, step back, and get out of my way because I’m not leaving until this fence is built!”

Farmer Robins looked genuinely terrified of Alex. His son bit his fist and choked on the laughter building up inside of him. Alex set her wand on the ground and rolled up her sleeves. She walked over to the farmer and reached for his hammer.

“What are you doing?” the farmer asked.

“Give me your hammer,” Alex demanded. “I don’t need magic to build this fence.”

She yanked the hammer out of his hand, picked up a couple pieces of wood, and continued to build what the farmer had started. Farmer Robins and his son stood motionless and watched the young fairy work.

“If you two have so much work to do today, I suggest you get to it while I build this,” she snapped with a dirty glare. They didn’t argue. Farmer Robins went to work a few feet away, pulling carrots out of the ground, and his son went back inside the house to finish the table.

Alex built the fence at a very quick pace. Fueled by frustration, she had the whole thing done in just under two hours. She pounded the final nail into the last piece of wood and returned to her unicorn.

“I’m done!” she called to Farmer Robins. His son stepped back outside to see the completed fence—he was very impressed by the young fairy’s craftsmanship. She retrieved her wand from the ground and jumped onto Cornelius’s back.

“Have a nice day, gentlemen!” Alex said. “And by the way, no need to thank me! BECAUSE I’M A FAIRY, IT’S MY JOB!”

Alex and Cornelius galloped away, leaving the two stunned farmers in the dust behind them. It was a few minutes past noon by the time Alex made it back to the Fairy Kingdom. She left Cornelius in the meadow at the edge of the gardens and hurried toward the Fairy Palace, not wanting to keep her grandmother waiting a minute longer.

“Oh come on now, they aren’t going to sting you!” said a perky voice in the garden. Tangerina was feeding acorns to a family of squirrels in a tree when Alex ran past her. The bees flying around Tangerina’s beehive were making the squirrels very apprehensive.

“Hi, Tangerina,” Alex said.

“Oh my goodness, what happened to you?” Tangerina asked when she saw Alex hurrying past her. Between fixing the well and building the fence, Alex had become filthy. “You look like you fell into a stream!”

“It’s a long story,” Alex said, trying to avoid getting wrapped up in an explanation.

“Did someone say stream?” an airy voice asked from across the garden. Skylene surfaced in the nearby pond. Her long, silky hair and gown were one with the water as she floated through it.

“Poor Alex has had a rough morning,” Tangerina said.

“Just trying to help as many people as I could before my noon lesson with Grandma,” Alex told her fairy counterparts.

“Don’t work too hard, Alex,” Skylene said. “You’ve got a big day coming up!” She floated through the pond and gently touched the surface with her finger, causing gorgeous white lilies to appear around her. “I’m getting a head start on the decorations. I’ve always loved a good fairy inauguration celebration. It’s an excuse for the kingdom to look its best!”

“I can’t wait for the Inaugural Ball! My bees are making me a brand-new honeycomb gown as we speak!” Tangerina said.

“How fancy is this Inaugural Ball?” Alex asked them, feeling a hurricane of anxiety forming inside her. “I thought it was just a simple ceremony. Do I have to dress up?”

Tangerina and Skylene exchanged the same worried look—as if she had asked them what the sun was.

“Sweetheart, the Fairy Inaugural Ball is how you’re introduced to society,” Skylene said. “You need to look how you want to be remembered.”

“Every fairy in the kingdom will be there,” Tangerina said. “And they’ll all be there to see you!”

Alex closed her eyes. “Oh great…,” she said, “as if joining the Fairy Council wasn’t enough, now I’ll have to worry about looking nice in front of the whole kingdom. Why does it seem like fairies always spare the details until the very last minute?”

“Not to worry, dear, you’ll look fine in whatever you choose,” Tangerina said.

“Yes, just don’t choose that,” Skylene said, and pointed to the dirty dress she was currently wearing.

Alex sighed quietly. She waved her wand over her body and her dress sparkled until it was like new again. “Well, good talk, girls! Thanks!” she said, and continued to the Fairy Palace.

Alex rushed up the golden front steps of the palace, down the main hall, and up a flight of stairs to the top floor, where her grandmother’s chambers were. They were some of the only parts of the palace that had four walls, so Alex had to knock.