by Chris Colfer
Conner shrugged. “Maybe we’ll have to kidnap a fairy and keep her around until we need her to cry? What does the journal say to do?”
Alex opened the journal and found the section about the Fairy Kingdom.
Acquiring a fairy tear is not an easy task.
“Surprise surprise,” Conner said.
Since fairies for the most part are very happy beings, it will be hard to find one so overcome with grief that it is brought to tears. However you manage, hopefully under moral conditions, you can use the vial hidden inside this journal’s spine to contain the tear.
Alex turned the book on its side and looked closely through the hole where the pages were connected to the spine. Deep inside the journal’s spine was a small glass vial with a cork stopper.
“Look at this!” Alex said, pulling the vial out of the spine. “It says to put the tear in this vial.”
“Great. Now all we need is an emotional fairy,” Conner said.
Alex stopped walking. “Do you hear that?” she said.
Tiny sniffling sounds came from close by. The twins looked around but couldn’t see quite where they were coming from.
“What is that?” Conner asked. He looked down beside him and had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t imagining what he saw. “No, this can’t be real. This is too easy…. Nothing has been this easy.”
“What are you talking about?” Alex asked him. Conner turned her shoulders to face what he was looking at.
Sitting on a rock on the side of the path was a fairy… and she was crying.
She was only a few inches tall and had big, blue wings similar to a butterfly’s. She had dark hair and a purple dress made of leaves and shoes made out of flower buds. Her tiny hands were clasped around her big eyes, and tears were running down her face.
The twins just stood there and stared down at her. They were afraid their minds were playing tricks on them, they both wanted to see this so badly.
“What are you looking at?” the fairy said to the twins in a tiny, high-pitched voice.
“We’re sorry,” Alex said. “Why are you crying?”
Conner jerked his head toward his sister, and she knew he was thinking, Who cares! Get a tear!
“That’s none of your business!” the fairy said, and sobbed some more.
“Forgive me,” Alex said. “I can tell you’re upset about something, and I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t ask if there’s anything I could do to help you.”
“That’s sweet, thank you,” the fairy said, changing her attitude. “I’m just having a very rough day, that’s all.”
Conner kept trying to grab the vial from his sister’s hand, but she wouldn’t let him take it.
“What’s your name?” Alex asked the fairy.
“Trix,” the fairy said.
“Hello, Trix. My name is Alex, and this is my brother, Conner,” Alex said. “Would you like to talk about what’s troubling you?”
Conner was shocked. She was actually more interested in helping this fairy than collecting one of her tears.
“My trial is in a few minutes, and I’m scared,” Trix said.
“Your trial?” Conner asked. “Did you kill somebody?”
“Of course not,” said Trix. “I used magic on another fairy, and now the Fairy Council may ban me from the Fairy Kingdom.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Alex said.
“What did you do to the other fairy?” Conner asked.
“I turned his wings into prune leaves,” the fairy said, and cried some more. “It was only for a moment! I turned them back! But he was provoking me! He kept teasing me about my size!”
“They’re going to ban you from the entire kingdom just for turning someone’s wings into leaves for a couple seconds?” Conner asked.
“They’ve been very strict ever since that Enchantress put the curse on Sleeping Beauty,” Trix said. “The Fairy Council believes that every fairy is a representative of their order and should act as such.”
“Those are high expectations,” Alex said.
“I can’t leave the Fairy Kingdom,” Trix cried. “It would be so lonely, and I hate being alone! I don’t have many friends to begin with!”
Alex let Trix use the corner of her shirt to dry her tears. Conner turned bright red watching his sister dispose of the tears so carelessly. He had to make the fairy produce more.
“Being banned would really be terrible, though, wouldn’t it?” Conner said. “You’d probably have to live in an old bird nest in the Dwarf Forests and be chased by wolves and witches every day, and that’s only if an ogre doesn’t capture you in a jar and barbeque you first.”
Trix started hysterically crying at this.
“Conner, what is wrong with you?” Alex yelled.
Conner snatched the vial from her hand and collected a tear from Trix’s face just as it dripped off her chin. Alex gave him a dirty look.
“Would you like us to go with you to your trial?” asked Alex, leaning down to be eye level with Trix. “For emotional support?”
“Yes, I would like that,” Trix said. “That’s so kind of you!”
“Well, I know what it feels like to think the whole world is against you,” Alex said.
“We’d better get going. I don’t want to be late!” Trix flew into the air and fluttered down the path. The twins walked after her.
“Alex, are you crazy?” Conner said. “We’ve got a tear. Let’s get out of here!”
“We’re the only people in the world who this fairy has,” Alex said. “We’re going to be good people and help her out.”
Conner grunted with frustration. “Helping this fairy isn’t going to take away bad memories you have from school, Alex.”
Alex ignored him and followed Trix down the path. Conner followed, sulking the entire way.
They traveled deeper into the Fairy Kingdom. Everything in the distance seemed to sparkle. They thought it was a mirage at first, but the closer they got, they saw that the trees, the grass, and the path all shined and shimmered in the sunlight.
“What’s up with all the glitter?” Conner asked.
“I don’t think it’s glitter; I think it’s magic,” Alex said.
They reached the heart of the kingdom and were completely bewildered by what they saw. It was like they were standing in a gigantic tropical garden with large, colorful flowers of all shapes and species. There were weeping willows over small ponds and vines that grew across the ground and up the trees. There were beautiful bridges over many streams and ponds.
There were fairies everywhere. Many flew around in the air, some just hovered above the ground, and some walked on smaller paths adjacent to the one the twins were on. They were all different shapes and sizes and colors. Some were taller than Alex and Conner, some were as small as Trix, and some didn’t seem even to be solid, but rather made from pure light.
There were just as many male fairies as there were female. Some of the fairies wore gowns, others’ clothes were made entirely from plant materials, and some wore nothing at all. Many had made miniature homes in the branches of the trees or in mushrooms on the ground, and there were fairies who even lived underwater with colorful fish.
Something about this place made Alex feel as if everything were right in the world. It gave her more hope, excitement, and happiness with every step she took. It was paradise.
“Have you ever seen something so beautiful in your entire life?” Alex asked her brother.
“Not too shabby,” Conner said.
“The Fairy Council operates in the Fairy Palace. It’s just up ahead,” Trix said, and gestured the twins to follow her over a pond. They, of course, took a bridge.
They walked toward a palace made entirely out of golden arches and pillars. It was completely open: There were no more than two walls to line each room, and all the windows were tall with no glass. When you lived in a place as beautiful as this, who would want to keep out the environment?
Trix took the twin
s to the center of the palace, into a long room with many seats facing the front.
“This would be the perfect place for a wedding!” Alex said.
At the front of the room were seven fairies Alex and Conner’s size. They looked like a living rainbow: Each was dressed in a specific color, and they stood behind podiums positioned over an arch.
“That’s the Fairy Council,” Trix said. “That’s Rosette, the red fairy, Tangerina, the orange fairy, Xanthous, the yellow fairy, Emerelda, the green fairy—she’s mostly in charge—Skylene, the blue fairy, Violetta, the purple fairy, and Coral, the pink fairy.”
Rosette was short and plump and had very rosy cheeks. Tangerina was stylish and wore her orange hair in a large beehive with actual bees flying around it. Xanthous was male; he wore a shiny suit, and parts of him were ablaze. Emerelda was tall and beautiful; she was black, and wore a long, emerald dress that matched her eyes and jewelry. Skylene was very pale and had hair the color of the sky and flowing robes the color of the sea. Violetta was the oldest and had grayish-purple hair. Coral was the youngest, no more than a few years older than the twins in appearance, and wore a simple pink dress and had a pair of pink wings on her back.
There were two empty seats on either side of the podiums.
“Who sits there?” Alex asked Trix.
“The Fairy Godmother sits on the left and Mother Goose sits on the right,” Trix said. “They complete the Fairy Council, although they’re rarely here. They’re always traveling around the kingdoms helping people.”
“Is that you, Trix?” Emerelda asked.
“Yes, I’m here,” Trix peeped nervously, and flew to the front of the podiums.
“You’re late. Please come forward,” Emerelda said. She was gracious but authoritative, someone the twins would definitely want in their corner during an altercation. “Trix, do you know why you’ve been called before the Fairy Council?”
Trix shamefully nodded her head. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Being a fairy requires a strong sense of responsibility,” Tangerina said. “Responsibility you haven’t shown.”
Trix nodded some more, her eyes swelling with tears. “I know,” she squeaked.
“Unfortunately, we can’t let your actions go unpunished,” Violetta said.
“We need to make an example of you, to reinforce the number one rule of being a fairy,” Rosette said.
“To never, under any circumstance, use your magic harmfully against another person, place, or thing,” Xanthous said.
“Unfortunately, there’s only one thing for us to do,” Skylene said.
“We have to banish you from the Fairy Kingdom,” Coral said.
Trix covered her eyes and wept harder than she had all day. “I understand,” she said through her sobs.
“Whoa whoa whoa!” Conner yelled from the back. “Hold on! Are you kidding me?”
He promptly walked to the front of the room and stood next to the spot where Trix was hovering.
“Conner!” Alex said, and tried to grab him, but was too late.
“Are you seriously going to ban her for making one little mistake?” Conner asked the council with his hands on his hips.
There was whispering and murmuring among them. They were appalled that someone would so openly question their judgment.
“Please don’t try to help me!” Trix whispered to Conner.
“Young man, who do you think you are?” Xanthous said.
“Well, I’m just a kid, but even I can tell you that your ruling is ridiculous,” Conner said.
They all gasped except for Emerelda, who kept her calm and imposing demeanor. Alex slapped an open palm against her forehead.
“How dare you!” Tangerina said, and the bees swirling around her hair grew mad and flew faster around her head.
“You are out of line!” Violetta said.
“How disrespectful!” Coral said.
“How rude!” Skylene said.
Emerelda was the only member of the assembly to remain silent. She studied Conner with her emerald eyes.
“Silence,” Emerelda ordered. She raised a hand, and all her fellow assembly fairies went quiet. “Let the boy speak. I want to hear what he has to say. Go ahead, young man.”
Conner wasn’t sure if this was a trick or not, but he didn’t hold back.
“Listen, I’m not a fairy—thank God—and I’m not perfect, either. I try to be the best person or the best student possible, but every once in a while I slip up—I forget a homework assignment, or I fall asleep in class. My best effort isn’t as good as someone else’s might be, and no one should have the right to scold or punish me or publicly humiliate me for it!” Conner said.
“Trix knew what the rules were, and she still committed an offense against one of her peers,” Rosette said.
“No one can be perfect,” Conner said. “And from what I hear, the guy had it coming! Where is his trial? Why isn’t he here? Why do I always get detention for sleeping when it’s ancient Mesopotamia that should be punished for being so boring?”
The council continued to be outraged by this outburst. Many members didn’t want to tolerate it and tried to leave.
“I hear what the child is saying,” Emerelda said.
“But we can’t just pardon Trix. We’re the Fairy Council; it wouldn’t send a good message to the rest of the kingdoms,” Tangerina said.
“Look, orange lady,” Conner said, “in the last week, my sister and I have almost been eaten by a witch, narrowly missed being attacked by a pack of wolves, were almost killed by a possessive bridge troll, survived a burning castle, and barely escaped a life of enslavement in the Troll and Goblin Territory! If you ask me, you’ve got bigger problems than a fairy turning a jerk’s wings into leaves. Looks to me like you busy yourselves with stupid little things so you feel like you’re doing something, when in reality you can’t handle what’s really going on out there!”
The council went silent and all the members appeared to become very concerned.
“Enslavement?” Skylene asked. “You mean the trolls and goblins are still kidnapping and enslaving people?”
“Yes!” Conner said. “There were dozens of us down there! We really could have used your help, but I guess you were too busy slapping fairies’ wrists for playing pranks on one another.”
Although they held their stoic expressions, the council was secretly ashamed of themselves. Conner was right. They eyed one another for a moment before Emerelda broke the silence.
“On behalf of this council, I hereby forgive Trix for her crimes,” Emerelda said. “Xanthous, Skylene, and Tangerina, I say we pay a visit to the Troll King and the Goblin King immediately. And furthermore, let this be a lesson. To all of us.”
Xanthous, Skylene, and Tangerina nodded, and then disappeared into thin air with a pop!
“Thank you, Mr….?” Emerelda said.
“Wishington,” Conner said. “Conner Wishington.”
Emerelda smiled, and then disappeared with the others.
Trix flew up to Conner’s face and gave him a huge hug. “That’s the bravest and nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!” Trix said.
Conner looked back at his sister. She was beaming with pride; she was so proud of her brother. It was a look Conner rarely got to see.
“You know, helping a fairy isn’t going to take away any unhappy memories from school,” Alex told him when she joined Conner and Trix near the podiums.
Conner slyly grinned. “I had to say something. I would have regretted it if I hadn’t.”
The remaining Fairy Council fairies began to leave. Some simply walked off, and others disappeared into thin air, leaving behind sparks or bubbles as they went. Coral was searching the room for something and patting her lap as she went.
“Here, Fisher! Where are you, Fisher?” Coral said.
A fish with four legs ran past Alex and Conner and jumped up into Coral’s arms.
“There you are!” Coral said. “It’s just about time for yo
ur lunch!”
Alex and Conner looked at each other, confused, each wondering if the other had just seen it, too.
“Is that what I think it is?” Conner asked.
“I think so,” Alex said.
Coral was just about to leave when the twins stopped her.
“Excuse me,” Alex said. “Where did you get your fish?”
“Oh, Fisher?” Coral said. “I dropped a wand in a lake once and granted him a wish after he swam down and got it for me. He wished for legs, silly thing, so he could play with some boy who lived in a village nearby. The boy ended up dying, sadly, so Fisher came to live with me.”
Coral’s wings began to flap, and she flew away with her pet fish.
“So that was what we thought it was,” Conner said.
“Yes,” said Alex, her head spinning with questions. “That was the Walking Fish from Dad’s story!”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A WOLF PACT
There was blood everywhere. White feathers and bits of wood covered the ground. A driver had been transporting a cart full of geese into the Northern Kingdom when the Big Bad Wolf Pack attacked. The only thing that remained in one piece was the green, floppy hat the driver had been wearing.
The wolves were spread out under the trees, chewing on the bones of their victims. Malumclaw jerked his head up and stared into the trees. Someone was coming; he could smell them. Whoever this person was, their scent made him anxious.
“We’ve got company,” Malumclaw growled. All the wolves jumped to their feet, ready to attack again if they had to. But they were no match for who was approaching.
A dark, hooded figure slowly moved through the trees and up to the wolves. It stood fearlessly in front of them for a moment before unveiling itself.
“Hello, Malumclaw,” said the Evil Queen.
“Who are you?” Malumclaw barked. The woman before him, less than half his size, was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“You don’t know me, but you know of me,” the Evil Queen said. “Everyone does.”
