A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(43)

“In your own words, tell us why you should join the Fairy Council and the Happily Ever After Assembly,” the Fairy Godmother said.

It was difficult for Alex to think with so many pairs of eyes staring at her. She looked inside her heart for the best answer. She thought about all the people she had helped as a fairy and all the people who had ever helped her before she was a fairy. She thought about the fairies around her, and about Farmer Robins and Rook, and tried to form an answer she thought would please them all.

“Because… because…,” Alex said with a nervous quiver. “Because I know what it’s like to live without magic. I know what it’s like to struggle and work hard for things. Right now I think people outside this kingdom have a hard time believing in us because they don’t see how any of us truly understand what it’s like for them. And in time, I think I can be the fairy they will all trust and depend on because I’ll always be one of them.”

The hall kept very silent while they waited to hear the results. The Fairy Godmother turned away from her granddaughter and faced the room of spectators. “She has passed the test of heart,” she declared.

The fairies erupted into thunderous applause. The Fairy Godmother took her seat by the podiums and the Fairy Council was complete. A brand-new golden chair appeared out of thin air beside the Fairy Godmother. Alex went to the chair and stroked the armrest. She was finally an official member of the Fairy Council and the Happily Ever After Assembly and had her own seat to prove it.

The Fairy Godmother leaned in to her. “I told you there was nothing to worry about,” she said.

Alex smiled at her. “I can’t believe you’ve been testing me all week,” she said to her fellow council members.

“We knew you wouldn’t disappoint us,” Xanthous said.

“Congratulations, Alex,” Emerelda told her.

“Well done,” Rosette added.

“Aren’t you going to try your seat?” Coral asked.

Alex sat in her chair for the first time. She couldn’t deny that sitting alongside the rest of the council members with purpose was a very good feeling.

The celebration went on and Alex was continuously congratulated by fairies she had never met. At one point she noticed someone lingering behind a pillar nearby. She could have sworn she knew him. He was taller than her and wore an old suit a tad too big for him. A feathered mask covered his face.

He had been watching her the entire night but never came over to congratulate her or say hello. The more Alex looked at him, the more anxious he seemed to become. Finally the attention she was giving him obviously worried him too much and he headed out of the Fairy Palace. Alex’s curiosity got the best of her and she decided to follow him.

“Grandma, may I be excused from the party for a few minutes?” Alex asked.

“Of course, dear!”

Alex hurried out of the main hall and down the front steps of the Fairy Palace. She felt something crunch under her foot and realized the fellow in question had taken off his mask and dropped it on the stairs. She looked ahead and saw him running into the gardens.

“Hey!” Alex called out, but he didn’t turn around.

She chased after him as fast as she could in her gown. Every time she got close enough to see who he was, he would turn and run down another path in the gardens. Alex felt like she was chasing him in a maze of colorful plants and flowers. Eventually she caught up to him on a small bridge that crossed over a pond.

“Freeze!” Alex demanded. “Show yourself or I’ll use my wand!”

He slowly turned around and his face was perfectly lit in the moonlight.

“Rook?!” Alex gasped.

“Hello, Alex,” Rook said timidly.

“What are you doing here?” Alex asked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run from you,” he said. “I just really wanted to see you again. I thought I would sneak into the ball and surprise you, but once I saw you and discovered it was your ball, I couldn’t help but stay.”

Alex didn’t know what to say. She had never meant to keep the reality of who she was a secret from him but she hadn’t wanted him to find out like this.

“Rook, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole story about who I am,” Alex said. “I was afraid I would scare you away if I did.”

Rook stared at her for a moment and then nodded. “So you’re the next Fairy Godmother, huh?”

“Yes,” Alex said sheepishly.

“And you’re the one who defeated the Enchantress?” he asked.

“Guilty of that as well,” she said.

Rook took a minute to wrap his head around it. He stared off at the gardens around them in absolute bewilderment. “This is bad,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about this.”

Alex felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. “Rook, I’m still me,” she pleaded. “I’m still the same fairy you met at your farm and who you went on a walk with yesterday.”

To Alex’s relief, Rook looked up at her and smiled. “That’s not what I meant,” he said, and stepped closer to her. “I thought you were amazing the first time I met you, and the more I think about you, the more amazing you seem. Now that I know just how incredible you really are, I’m not sure how I’m ever going to let you go.”