A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(22)

Thankfully, before she could overanalyze the situation to death, Alex and Cornelius crossed into the Dwarf Forests. It didn’t matter how old or powerful she became, the thick and dangerous woods of the Dwarf Forests always gave Alex the creeps. These woods were home to some of her worst memories and to some of the worst creatures that lived in the Land of Stories.

She guided Cornelius up one of the only paved paths in the territory and followed a sign that pointed in the direction of the dwarf mines. Just before they reached the mines, a spacious clearing came into view. The clearing had been staged like an outdoor chapel. Two dozen logs had been positioned like bench seats facing the front where a large boulder stood like a pulpit. Carved into the pulpit were the initials J & G, surrounded by a heart.

“Go find some grass to eat, Cornelius,” Alex said as she hopped off the unicorn. “I’ll come get you as soon as the wedding is over. But don’t go too far; these woods aren’t exactly unicorn friendly.”

Cornelius trotted over to the other side of the clearing while Alex looked for a place to sit. She was one of the first guests to arrive.

A man with a thick, curly mustache and a heavy black cloak sat at the front near the pulpit. A witch who was missing her left arm and most of her teeth sat in the very back with a small troll that had gray skin and large horns.

Sitting in the center of the makeshift chapel was a woman Alex could have picked out in any crowd. She was sitting alone, wearing a large, fluffy red coat that covered most of her body. A tiny red hat with a matching feather was perched on top of her very stylish blonde hairdo, and she wore a pair of round glasses with red lenses in an attempt to conceal her identity. She glared at the people and creatures around her, anxious about being in their presence.

“Red, it’s so good to see you!” Alex said and took a seat next to the covered queen. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here—”

“Shhh!” Red said, and pressed a finger against her mouth. “Keep your voice down. I don’t want anyone to know who I am.”

Alex looked at her like she was joking. “You’re trying to hide in that outfit?”

“Well, forgive me, but I didn’t know what the proper attire was for a fugitive wedding in the woods,” Red said and hid her face deeper in her coat. “I wouldn’t be here except that Charlie talked me into it. Look at the characters around us! Where did Jack and Goldilocks meet these people—a child’s nightmare?”

“Where is Froggy?” Alex asked. She couldn’t spot her formerly cursed friend anywhere in the clearing.

“He’s in the woods somewhere with Jack waiting for the wedding to begin,” Red said. “He’s Jack’s best man.”

“Oh, that’s adorable!” Alex said. “Who’s Goldilocks’s maid of honor?”

Red gave an irritated snort she didn’t mind the other guests hearing. Clearly this was a sore subject. “The horse is.”

Alex had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “I suppose that makes sense,” Alex said. “She and Porridge have been through a lot together. You two, on the other hand, have always had a—how do I say this—teetering relationship.”

“Yes, it’s always been very give and take—I give and she takes,” Red said. “But we made up once she gave me back the diamond necklace she stole from me. She thought it was just a joke, I thought it was an act punishable by death, blah, blah, blah… but we reconciled and here I am.”

“That’s good news,” Alex said.

“So how are you doing, my dear? How’s your grandmother and everyone in the Fairy Kingdom?” Red asked. “Shimmery as always, I imagine.”

Alex let out a long sigh. “Everyone is getting ready for the big Fairy Inaugural Ball coming up. I’ll officially be a part of the Fairy Council and the Happily Ever After Assembly when it’s over,” Alex said. She hesitated to bring up the other major subject on her mind, but figured there weren’t too many people in her life she could talk about it with. “And, I sort of met a boy.”

Red did a double take and yanked off her glasses. Her big blue eyes grew even bigger and a crooked smile stretched across her face. “A boy!” Red said loudly, the topic obviously so exciting she couldn’t be bothered to worry about disguising herself anymore. “Tell me everything! Where did you meet him? How old is he? How tall? What class? What race? What species?”

Alex had difficulty remembering all the questions. “He’s the son of a farmer from the Eastern Kingdom. He’s older and taller than me. And as far as I know, he’s human.”

“For now,” Red said. “Trust me, being involved with someone who has been cursed to live on and off as a grotesque creature can put a strain on the relationship. But he sounds very promising! I love a good working-class man. What’s his name?”

“Rook Robins,” Alex said, and she couldn’t help but smile just mentioning his name.

“I can tell you really like this boy,” Red said with a raised eyebrow.

Alex sighed again as she felt the butterflies reappear in her core. “I’m not sure I’m even ready for all of this,” she confided. “I just have so much on my mind these days I’m not sure it’s a good time to add a boy into the mix. I keep worrying that it may turn into something really special or really awful—and to be honest, I’m not sure which would be worse.”