Tears streamed down Fudd's cheeks. "Don't do this for me, please. I'm not worth it."
Elliot put a hand on Fudd's shoulder. "You're my friend. Besides, I'm still the king. You don't get to tell me no. Patches, how do I do this?"
"Put your fingers over his eyes," she instructed.
Elliot knelt in front of Fudd and put his fingers over Fudd's eyes. The magical vibrations he had felt inside him rose from his chest and traveled out his fingers, and then they were gone.
As the magic entered his body, Fudd stumbled back and fell to the ground.
"Are you okay?" Mr. Willimaker asked.
Fudd rolled to his stomach, then pushed himself up. He put a chubby hand in front of his face and wiggled his fingers, then began laughing. "I see my hand! I can see!" He picked up a spoon and looked at himself in the reflection, "Argh! I forgot how ugly I am." He ran to Elliot, still laughing. "You are a great king, Elliot. Thank you, thank you for what you've done. But I'm sorry to take your magic."
"You didn't take it. I wanted to give it to you," Elliot said, "and to give you this too." He took the crown off his head and handed it to Fudd. "You are the king now."
Fudd shook his head. "Me? There are other Brownies who deserve it more."
"You don't become king because you deserve it. You become king because the Brownies deserve you." He raised his cup of Mushroom Surprise again. "Long live King Fudd."
The entire audience raised their cups. "Long live King Fudd," they all repeated.
Elliot smiled. "It's time for me to go home now." He walked down to his brothers and sister, let Reed punch him lightly on the arm, and then said, "We need someone to poof us there."
Several Elves stepped forward, but Fudd raised a hand. "It will be my honor to send Elliot on his last trip home from the Underworld."
"Just one minute," Elliot said. "Everyone move back." Thanks to the Mushroom Surprise, he burped out the king of all burps. Or at least the former king of all burps. It knocked over the nearest table and melted the tablecloth. "I have to admit, I will miss that," Elliot added. Then he stepped back. "Now it's time."
And with that, Elliot closed his eyes, felt the last tug in his gut, and opened his eyes back in his room. Reed sat on his bed across from Elliot.
"That was pretty cool," Reed said. "Are you okay?"
Elliot smiled. "Yeah. Everything is great."
And for the next day and the next and every day after, Elliot played and learned and laughed as any ordinary kid would. Every once in a while, though, he would stop when he smelled the very strong odor of pickles. And sometimes a pointy brown hat would peek out from behind a bush. And he would know that even though he was no longer the king, a part of him would always belong to the Brownies.
Warning: Any similarity between this story and any actual story of an eleven-year-old king of the Brownies fighting an Underworld war is, believe it or not, a really freaky coincidence. Seriously, what are the odds of that?
Acknowledgments
All my affection and appreciation to Jeff, who is my best friend, partner in crime, and love of my life. Warm thanks also to Ammi-Joan Paquette, who has been coach, counselor, therapist, friend, and agent extraordinaire. And to Kelly Barrales-Saylor, Kay Mitchell, and the many wonderful people at Sourcebooks who gave of their time and talents to build this series. My sincere thanks to you all.
Special thanks should also go to the Pixie Princess, Fidget Spitfly. Without her help to Elliot, the last Underworld War might have turned out very differently. Although to be fair, without Fidget there probably wouldn't have been an Underworld war in the first place. Then this book would have been called Elliot and the Rather Uneventful Day, in which Elliot wrestles with an ingrown toenail, and then has lunch.
About the Author
Jennifer A. Nielsen lives at the base of a very tall mountain in northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a dog that won't play fetch. Although she has never fought in any Underworld Wars, she did once engage in a battle to the death with a noisy cricket that had gotten loose in her house. The battle ended in a tie and the cricket is fine. We are less sure about the condition of the house.
About the Illustrator
Gideon Kendall graduated from the Cooper Union for Science and Art with a BFA and has since been working as an artist, illustrator, animation designer, and musician in Brooklyn.
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