A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3)(67)

“For the queen’s information, I lost my flock of sheep one time and it was a traumatic experience that inspired me to single-handedly turn my family’s farms into the most productive in the kingdom,” Little Bo stated. “We are now the number one wool-producing business in the world and, thanks to the flawless counting system I invented, my farm has never lost a sheep since.”

Red greeted this response with an impressive eye roll. “Well, if traumatic experiences make someone a bigger person, I’m surprised I even fit through the doors of my own castle,” she said. “I was inside the stomach of the Big Bad Wolf—inside him! Surely that deserves a little more credit than just being absentminded—”

“You walked into that forest wearing a bright red cape and carrying a basket of freshly baked goods,” Little Bo interrupted. “You were asking to be attacked by a wolf, and then we elected you queen. If a fish jumped into a boat with a hook in its mouth, would we have elected him king?”

A sprinkling of people in the crowd grunted their protest, feeling Little Bo was insulting their judgment now. Red quickly milked this for all it was worth.

“Are you telling the Hoodian people here today that they were wrong to elect me queen?” Red asked.

Little Bo’s eyes darted around the crowd, who grew more insulted by the second. It was her turn to get them back on her side.

“What I’m trying to say is, Queen Red may have been a symbol at one point, but the Big Bad Wolves are gone now,” Little Bo said. “The times have changed and so should the leader of this kingdom. The kingdom may have needed a symbol then, but we need a ruler now.”

A hush fell over the crowd. The citizens started to look at Little Bo differently now, not just as someone brave enough to challenge the queen, but as a true leader.

“Let’s read some of the questions,” Froggy said. “We’ll start with Queen Red and then Little Bo will follow. The first question is, How will you help the farmers whose crops freeze in the winter?”

Red perked up like she knew the perfect answer. “Not only would I supply the farmers with coats, I would supply their crops with coats as well,” she said happily.

The entire crowd squinted at her—was she serious?

“I would supply the farmers with mulch to give their crops a better chance of withstanding the cold as well as barrels of heated water to keep the crops from freezing over,” Little Bo said. The citizens nodded to one another—they liked her answer better. Froggy moved on to the next question.

“Now Little Bo will answer first, followed by Queen Red,” he prefaced. “How will you make school a more meaningful experience for the children of our kingdom?”

Little Bo was prepared with an answer. “You can only learn so much in a classroom,” she said. “I would invite the children to my farm or have them visit the shops in town so they can experience different workplaces before choosing a field to go into—and it would give our poor overworked teachers a rest once in a while.”

This answer was welcomed with a soft round of applause from the teachers in the crowd. Red thought about her answer before giving it.

“Actually, I like her answer,” she said with a confident nod. “Yes, I would do the same.”

Alex sighed—she didn’t think this was going to end well for her friend.

“Next question,” Froggy said, and flipped to the next card. “Queen Red will answer first. What is your take on national security?”

Red placed her index finger over her mouth while she formed an answer. Alex crossed her fingers, hoping she would deliver an answer the citizens could get behind.

“I like it!” was all Red said, and a large smile grew on her face.

Alex covered her eyes; it was like watching a carriage wreck. A few citizens even laughed at Red. Little Bo waited a moment before answering the question herself, letting Red’s embarrassment marinate.

“I believe the key to national security is having a strong army,” Little Bo said. “No kingdom has ever experienced a downfall because it was too strong.”

The Hoodian citizens started a round of healthy applause for Little Bo. “Bo Peep! Bo Peep! Bo Peep!” the crowd chanted. “Bo Peep! Bo Peep!”

Red looked sadly over her citizens; she didn’t understand where she had gone wrong. Froggy immediately concluded the debate before it got worse for her.

“We’d like to thank you all for joining us in this debate,” Froggy said. “Please cast your vote in one of the many voting booths in the park.”

While the citizens voted for a queen, Alex and Froggy kept Red company in the library of her castle. They were all on pins and needles waiting to hear the results of the election. Alex and Froggy sat in the large comfy chairs by the fireplace but Red had been pacing for hours since they’d returned from the debate. Clawdius watched her sadly from a corner of the room, looking as if he wished there was something he could do.

“Little Bo is a pain in the shepherdess!” Red shouted, loud enough for her whole castle to hear. “She’d never be half the queen I am. Would she have been chased by a pack of wolves and lived to tell the tale? No! Would she have gotten into a flying ship and sailed around the world trying to save it? No! Could she have chopped down a beanstalk to save her citizens from being devoured by a giant man-eating cat? No! Would she have refused to surrender her kingdom to the Enchantress? No! Does anyone except me remember the things I’ve done for this country?”