Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales Book 3)

by Aya Ling

  “And he eventually chose you.”

  “It was a surprise to Mr. Bartlett as well. During the five years he took my father’s place, he instructed me in so many unusual lessons, in knowledge that I never knew existed. I read books, I learned new things, and when I reached eighteen, I was arguably the most intelligent debutante at the time.” Mother smiles—a confident, charming smile that must have attracted Father when he made her acquaintance. “As a history scholar, he occasionally served as a consultant for the king. And because of that, when I accompanied him to the palace and inadvertently met your father, we talked. He was impressed by my intellect, and I by his behavior. Your grandfather was already a shame on the family. Your father was trying to rectify this, and my middle-class ideas aligned with his. We fell in love, and he proposed. Mr. Bartlett was overjoyed when he heard it. It meant that he could return to his own country, though he also told me he had grown fond of me and would be sorry to leave.”

  Mother puts down her teacup and looks at me. “If Mr. Bartlett, with his five years of training, could influence me and catch the eye of your father, then I am not surprised by the effect that Kat has on you. When I first met her, I did not suspect she could be from another world, but I was impressed by her delightful character. I did not wonder why she captivated you. And sometimes I even became a little jealous because she had all your attention.” She pats my hand. “Now I fully understand your attachment. Since you are similar to your father, a girl born and bred in that other world would be irresistible to you.”

  Slightly dazed, it takes a while before I find my voice. “Does Father know?”

  Mother shakes her head. “When we married, the curse was triggered and Mr. Bartlett returned to his own world. There seemed no point telling your father such an incredible story, and I had expected to take it to the grave with me. Now, what is this disease that caused her to leave? She did not appear particularly sickly when I saw her.”

  I tell her about the goblin’s magic, and since Kat is from another world, she could not breathe the same air as us. She relied on something called oxygen in her own world to keep her alive. And since the goblins could no longer supply the oxygen for her, she had to go home. I would rather have her alive than dying here in Athelia.

  Mother lays a hand on my shoulder, as she usually did when she comforted me as a child. “Oh Edward,” she says, her eyes full of sympathy. “Isn’t there a way that she could return? Find the goblins and make them produce another spell. If they could have her survive in those eight months, surely there must be a way to let her live.”

  “Of course I wish there was a way.” I clench my fists. “The goblins are not unsympathetic towards us.” I remember there was one time that the goblin queen, Morag, visited me and offered to put a memory charm on me. If there was a way to avoid separating Kat and I, they would have done it. “But Kat only had three days left, so there was nothing for us to do but to send her back. Have you ever seen the goblins?”

  Mother shakes her head. “Mr. Bartlett never mentioned them.”

  My heart sinks. “Then you have no idea how Kat might come back.”

  “Edward…”

  “No.” I hold up a hand. “Do not pity me. If I could turn back the time, I would have done the same thing. I do not regret the two years I’ve met and lived with Kat. Never.”

  “There may be hope,” Mom says softly. “If the goblins can do it once, they can do it again.”

  “Perhaps.” I want to be optimistic, but what if the goblins never find a way? Better be prepared for the possibility I’ll never see Kat again, because at least the shock will have less impact. Vividly I can remember the black pit of devastation that consumed me when Bianca Bradshaw accused Kat, and subsequently, Krev’s appearance. I do not want to experience the same awful despair again.

  7

  Kat

  We sit in silence. For a moment, none of us speak.

  Mom is the first to break the silence. “Professor Bartlett,” she says, gesturing towards the book on the table. “Do you mean that twenty years ago, you disappeared into this other world called Athelia?”

  “Twenty-five years ago, to be exact. I was forty years old, about the same age as the queen’s father. Though my son was only three at the time, while the queen was already in her teens. I never had a daughter, not to mention one who grew up in corsets and laces, so it was quite an experience.” Professor Bartlett smiles. “Now it’s your turn, my dear. I see that there are flashes of recognition when you heard me describing Athelia. What was your experience in that old-fashioned country? For twenty-five years I have carried this secret and never could share it. Not even to my wife.”

  I swallow hard. Mom sits on my right side, and Paige to my left. I had told them the entire story before, but I’m not sure that I want to relive it again. However, Professor Bartlett has told me his story, and it’s only fair that I should tell him mine.

  So I start. I start from the year I was seventeen, how I ripped up that old Cinderella picture book, and came to Athelia. I tell him everything that happened to me, up to the second time I was transported back at twenty-four, and how I came to meet Edward for a second time, but had to leave again. Mr. Bartlett stays silent throughout the entire story, but occasionally he sits up straighter and his eyes gleam. My story has intrigued him.

  “So instead of being the matchmaker, you ended up as the prince’s bride.” He strokes his beard. “What an extraordinary turn of events. Remarkable, really, that we who went to Athelia had influenced the monarch’s choice in his bride.”

  “Do you know if there’s a chance I could get back? I belong with him.” A tear slips down my face, and I wipe it away as quick as I can. Paige holds my hand and Mom pats my back.

  Professor Bartlett looks thoughtful. “I teach history, and Athelia was perfect for my research. It was similar to taking a time-traveling machine, and so much of Athelia’s culture coincide with what I know about nineteenth century England. For the twenty-five years since I came back, I have been researching if there was a way to travel back to that country.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  Professor Bartlett rubs his chin. He rises and goes into another room for a few minutes. When he returns to the living room, he hands me a folder. “Here is some evidence I have gathered in my years of research. I have tried to track down the people who might have experienced getting to Athelia, but most of them have passed away by now. This is what I have so far.”

  I glance at the information he gleaned. “The nearest place we can connect to Athelia is through the goblin realm?”

  “The woman I interviewed had an unfortunate error happen to her while being transported to Athelia. She was trapped in the goblin’s realm for a few days before the spell took effect and she ended up in an Athelian woman’s body.”

  “How do we get to the goblins?”

  “There is a portal from an ancient mound in Cornwall. As a matter of fact, you are the first American I’ve heard of, who has been to Athelia. All the people I’ve interviewed were from various regions in Britain. I’d imagine that the goblin king’s books were scattered closer to where the goblins emerged.”

  “I remember now,” Mom says. “Kat, the Cinderella picture book you had was a present from your grandfather on your father’s side. He went vacationing in London and picked up a few books for you.”

  “Okay.” That explains how I ended up with the book, but I’m more interested in the route to the goblins. “Did you find the portal in Cornwall?”

  Professor Bartlett releases a sigh. “I asked the woman to show me where the portal is. She led me to a hill, but no matter how we combed the area, we could not find it. She blamed her faulty memory, though I also believe she didn’t want to recall her experience in Athelia. She inhabited the body of a scullery maid, unfortunately.”

  “That certainly is awful.” In the hierarchy of female servants, the scullery maid occupies the lowest rung.

  “It took her nearly ten y
ears before she completed the story and was able to return. We spent three days searching, but our efforts were in vain. Whether it is she identified the wrong portal or that the goblins had to activate it for humans to access...I do not know.”

  Dang.

  “Wait,” Paige interjects. “Even if you succeeded in traveling back to Athelia, you can’t survive. Didn’t that goblin say they don’t have oxygen in that other world?”

  The bubble bursts. Professor Bartlett nods. “I’m afraid my experience was the same when you first traveled to Athelia. I inhabited the body of that poor gentleman, and so I had no problem with living in Athelia. It is quite novel that the goblins could transport you back by force. Maybe you can just wait, my dear. If they had tried to have you reunited with the prince, it is likely they would try a second time.”

  He’s trying to comfort me. I wish I could be hopeful, but I can’t bring myself to be optimistic. Krev told me that the elements required for the oxygen spell no longer exist in the goblin realm. Moreover, the goblins are no longer as powerful as they were before. What if it takes ten, twenty, or even more years for the goblins to regain power?

  “Thank you, Professor Bartlett.” I rise and shake his hand. “I’m glad I came here and met you.”

  “It is a pleasure, my dear.” There’s sympathy in his face. “I am sorry I could not provide more assistance for you, but if I can help you in any other way, I will be sure to give it.”

  * * *

  After a few days in Wales, Paige suggests that we go up to London. Since we are here, we might as well make the most of the trip. I agree, but no matter how much fun we have in London, my heart isn’t in it. I keep thinking of my conversation with Professor Bartlett, and I keep wondering if I could return to Athelia.

  “Honey?” Mom says. “What would you like to have?”

  I come back to my senses and focus on the menu. They say Indian food in London tastes much better than anywhere but India. “A tandoori chicken sandwich.”

  “Kat.” Paige looks at me with concerned eyes. “Maybe we should go back to Canada. I’ve seen enough of London.”

  “Maybe that’s the best,” Mom says gently. “Kat needs time to heal.”

  I look up. “Do you believe me now? You don’t think I’m mental that I’ve been transported to another world and got married to a prince?”

  Mom and Paige look at each other. “I don’t think Professor Bartlett was lying, he seemed pretty legit,” Paige finally says. “If that storybook prince really is as wonderful as you described, I understand why you want to get back to him.”

  A tear drips down my face. “He is. But I...I might never see him again.”

  Mom places her hand over mine. Paige hands me a napkin. They know it’s better to let me cry; it’s not the time to convince me to move on with life in the modern world. A waitress passes, asks if there’s anything wrong, and Paige waves her off.

  When we leave the restaurant, Paige slips her hand into mine. The last time she did that was when she was in elementary school.

  “I’m sorry, Kat,” she whispers. “Whatever you decide, you know you’re not alone. Mom and I will always be here for you.”

  I try to smile. I should be glad that my family believes me, but it’s not going to help me return to Edward. A part of me is left in Athelia.

  They say that time will heal any wound. I wish I could move on with my life, but having seen Professor Bartlett, I feel like my memories of Athelia have come back stronger than ever. I don’t know how I am ever going to go on with real life here, now I know there’s a chance of getting to Athelia.

  No wonder that Morag had my memories removed last time. Because I know that living like this is agony. And I don’t know how long I can take it anymore.

  8

  Edward

  I am reluctant to have dinner with my parents and Katriona that night, but it has been a long time since we all dined together. I try to avoid Katriona as much as possible, taking my meals in my room, or sometimes simply going without them. In the rare occasions I have an extended period of free time, I’d visit the spicy food restaurant, sit in the small booth where Kat and I used to dine, and indulge myself in meat and sauce that make my eyes water, a nuisance I cheerfully endure. Sometimes I sneak in a snack with Galen or with Bertram in the gardens. If Madame Dubois could see me now, she would be horrified. The prince does not share a meal with his servants. But I would rather spend my time in their company than Bianca’s sister.

  When I enter the sitting room, for a split second I think Kat has returned. The woman with her back to me looks so similar to Kat, with her hair done up and wearing one of her favorite gown—a lush pine green silk that accentuates the brightness of her copper hair. At that moment, my resolve to divorce Katriona Bradshaw wavers. Since it is next to impossible to divorce her, perhaps I could let her stay, let her continue this pretense that she is my Kat. If she doesn’t speak, doesn’t turn around...I could let myself believe that Kat never left.

  She turns, and my dream is shattered. True, she has Kat’s eyes, nose, and lips, but the smugness on her face is so...unlike Kat that I know instantly that she is Katriona Bradshaw. Fool I am, to allow myself believe she could replace even a fraction of my Kat.

  There is a sparkling necklace around her neck. It is a curious design of silver lilies entwined together, so wonderfully exquisite that I can’t take my eyes off it. I do not remember purchasing this for Kat. And knowing Kat, she would never buy such an extravagant piece of jewelry for herself either. Too many times I’ve heard her complain she has enough clothes and ornaments, though I’ve yet to hear her claim she has enough books.

  “Where did you get that?” I say without preamble.

  She blushes and fingers a lily nestled in the hollow of her throat. “A gift, Edward. From a friend.”

  I raise an eyebrow. Is it too much to dare to hope she has an admirer already? If she is attached to someone else, I could have the perfect means to divorce her. “Indeed?”

  Katriona Bradshaw titters. “Do not worry, dear husband. It is not from an admirer, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was sent by a lady. Apparently, Kat had done a good deed to that woman, and she sent this necklace as a token of gratitude.”

  A lady? The most likely person who would give Kat such a costly gift would be my mother. But it isn’t Katriona’s birthday and if my mother gave her such gift, she would certainly mention the queen, rather than using ‘a lady.’ “Who is it? It seems extraordinary that someone would send such an expensive gift.”

  “I wasn’t deceiving you.” Katriona Bradshaw enters the bedroom, and emerges with a letter and a small hand mirror. “She sent me this letter. Anyway, it is time to be going to dinner. Your parents are waiting, and we should not disappoint them with a late arrival.”

  She sounds more and more like Bianca, but I pay no attention for her. I must see what the letter says.

  “Dear Katriona, You probably are worried about my disappearance, but let me reassure you that all is well with me. As a matter of fact, I am now reunited with Lysander. If you hadn’t saved me back at Mansfield House, I might not have lived to see my husband again. I am sending you a necklace as a gift, and also this mirror. If you have any difficulty, do not hesitate to contact me. I remain faithfully in your debt, Margaret Gregory.”

  Margaret Gregory. I search through my memory for this person, until I remember a story that Kat had told me. A couple of fairies had helped her obtain a ball gown and carriage when she attended the ball in which I proposed to her. One of the fairies was Lady Gregory’s daughter. And then I remember another thing. Kat had once visited Lady Gregory, but found the latter suffering from a heart attack, and she rushed her to the hospital in time. But later, Lord Mansfield had visited us in my office, telling us that his aunt had mysteriously vanished. Apparently, by some miracle, the old lady had gone back to the fairies.

  “Edward?” Katriona Bradshaw looks at me, her eyebrows raised in confusion. If it were Kat, she w
ould have waved her fingers in front of my face, her expression playful and exasperated. “We must go down to dinner.”

  “Fine.” The hand mirror is plainly wrought, compared to the necklace, and when I tuck it in my pocket, she doesn’t raise objection.

  * * *

  Later that night, I sit in an armchair with the letter and hand mirror on the table. I never believed in fairies, but having seeing Krev and Morag with my own eyes, I admit that supernatural beings exist.

  Lady Gregory wrote that she could help if Kat had any difficulty. As impossible as it may seem, perhaps the fairies could help getting Kat back? The idea is incredible, impossible—how could their powers extend to another world? They are not the goblins. But I am convinced that I should at least try it. But how do I summon the fairies?

  I look at the mirror. “Lady Gregory? Can you hear me?”

  No response. I wonder if there is a password that Kat had used before.

  “Lysander? This is the prince of Athelia. I am Kat’s husband.”

  Still no response. What’s the name of Lady Gregory’s daughter? Since her name is Margaret, then it might be possible that she named her daughter—

  “Meg,” I say tentatively. “If you can hear me, can you try…”

  The mirror starts to glow. Startled, I push my chair back and retreat to the wall. And then the most amazing thing happens. A small girl, with adorable cheeks and silvery-golden hair, climbs out of the mirror. She stares at me and lets out a squeal. “You are not Kat! Who are you? Oh, don’t tell me, I know who you are. You’re the prince of Athelia.” Two rosy spots appear on her cheeks and she looks down on the floor, apparently bashful. I suppose fairies are also capable of blushing.