No Place for Magic

  I shouldn't have been surprised that Mother had brought her favorite seamstress with her from home. She usually traveled with a full entourage, just in case she needed someone's special talents. I followed her up the stairs reluctantly, unable to think of any plausible reason to get out of it.

  Maude was very businesslike when we stepped into Queen Frazzela's solarium, as were the two older women helping her. They were finishing the last of my measurements when Queen Frazzela came to the door. I could hear her arguing with my mother from where I stood in the middle of the room, so I was curious when my mother came back alone.

  "What was that all about?" I asked.

  "Nothing really," said my mother. "Frazzela wanted to see what fabric you've chosen, but I told her she couldn't come in. She had Bradston with her and he refused to stay outside. That boy has become so insecure since you brought him home. He hasn't left his mother's side yet."

  "That's odd," I said, pretending to watch the seamstress.

  "She did tell me that she has the wedding feast well under control. She also said that the guests have begun to arrive. Those friends of yours, Oculura and Dyspepsia, are here. Your grandmother insisted that she be in charge of the invitations."

  "What is Grassina doing?" I asked.

  "She's taking care of the flowers. I just hope they aren't like the ones she had at her own wedding."

  When the initial fittings were done, the seamstresses said I could go but had to return when they sent for me. They seemed smug in their ability to tell me what to do, even if it was for a short time, but I was happy just to have gotten my freedom back long enough to go see what was going on.

  I was on my way to the Great Hall when I saw Eadric very briefly. He was going to his own fittings, but was so nervous that he couldn't stand still and paced the whole time I was talking to him. "So the wedding is tomorrow," he said.

  "Can you believe it? I didn't know what to say when Father told us."

  "Are you all right with it being so soon? I don't want you to feel rushed."

  I smiled, warmed by his concern. "I think it's wonderful," I said, realizing that I really did.

  "It looks as if we have enough people to help out," he said, gesturing toward my aunt, who was bustling through the hall with an armload of ferns.

  "Mmm hmm," I replied. "I just wonder whom my grandmother is inviting."

  "I saw her waiting by the drawbridge. She seemed to be expecting someone."

  "Dyspepsia and Oculura are already here. I think I'll go talk to Grandmother," I said, "and find out exactly who's on her list."

  I didn't have to go far to find her. Some of her friends from the Old Witches' Retirement Community had arrived, and she was escorting them across the courtyard. After they'd offered me their congratulations, Grandmother sent them inside while we talked.

  "Who else did you invite?" I asked.

  "Grassina helped me with the list. We invited Pearl and Coral, but Coral is still visiting her friends and Pearl has gone to see her sisters. I thought about inviting that little dragon friend of yours along with his parents until Grassina pointed out that Bodamin and Frazzela might not appreciate having three dragons in their castle."

  "So who is coming?" I asked.

  "We've invited all the fairies from Greater Greensward and Upper Montevista. I made sure that we didn't leave anyone out. You know how irate fairies can be if they think they've been slighted."

  "Oh dear. I didn't think of them. We needed to invite the fairies, of course, but we'll have to make sure that everyone is extra nice to them, even the more peculiar ones. The last thing we need is another curse cast on the family. I'll explain it to Queen Frazzela and King Bodamin so they can tell everyone else."

  "Good," said Grandmother. "It will be for only one day. Fairies don't like spending the night away from their own homes."

  My search for the king and queen took me to the courtyard and all the public rooms, but it wasn't until I started asking if anyone had seen them that a maid said they were in the family corridor. I found them talking to Bradston outside the room where Eadric was getting fitted for his clothes.

  ". . . just for a little while," said the queen. "You're perfectly safe here. No trolls will ever get into the castie. There's nothing to fear from . . ."

  "I'm not afraid," Bradston said, looking more irritated than frightened.

  The king threw up his hands. "Then why can't you stay in your room without your mother? You're too old to be following her everywhere. You haven't left her side since you came home. The poor woman can't even use the garderobe without you waiting for her on the other side of the door."

  "Don't you think I'd like to stop following her?" said Bradston. "I just can't, that's all, and don't ask me why because I don't know the answer."

  I'd been standing in the hall, wondering if I should leave and come back later, when Queen Frazzela glanced up and saw me. "Bodamin," she said, tilting her head in my direction.

  The king turned to me, smiling. "Ah, there you are, my dear. All set for the big day tomorrow?"

  "I'm sorry to interrupt, but that's what I wanted to talk about. I guess it's a good thing that I found all three of you together. We have some guests coming tomorrow who are a little unusual. Some are from Greater Greensward and some are from Upper Montevista. They're very sensitive, you see, and..."

  "They're witches, I suppose," said Queen Frazzela. "I should have known you'd open my home to the worst sort of people."

  I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself calm. "They aren't witches, although we did invite a few, and I expect them to be treated with as much courtesy as any other guests," I said, looking straight at the queen. "The people I'm talking about are fairies. We invited them because they would have been insulted if we hadn't, which wouldn't bode well for either kingdom."

  Bradston snickered. "You're going to have little fairies at your wedding? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

  "Then listen to me, Bradston," I said, barely controlling my temper. "The stupidest thing would be if someone were to insult one of these fairies. They're very powerful and could make you miserable for the rest of your life if you so much as look at one of them in a funny way."

  "I'm not surprised that you consort with fairies in your kingdom, but it's unheard of in Upper Montevista," the queen said in a voice I'm sure she thought sounded superior.

  "I wouldn't say that exactly, my dear," said the king, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "My father's older brother had some fairy friends. One day he told my father that he had fallen in love with a fairy lass and was going to attend one of their dances. He disappeared that night and no one ever heard from him again."

  "Your mother told me that he died very young and that that's why your father inherited the throne," said the queen.

  "My mother didn't want people to know what had really happened. I'm sure that most of the stories she told you were altered to fit her version of the truth. She refused to let anyone tell me fairy tales when I was growing up. She'd say that they were all lies, then check the doors and windows as if she feared that someone might have heard her."

  "She was right to be afraid," I said. "If any fairies had, they might have taken offense. It's a mistake to ignore fairies, but it's an even bigger mistake to be rude or unkind toward them."

  Bradston snorted as if he thought I was making it up, but King Bodamin looked thoughtful when he said, "You say the fairies who live in my kingdom are coming here tomorrow? How many should we expect?"

  I shrugged. "I'm not sure. My grandmother might know."

  The king nodded and looked at his son. "Bradston, I order you to be respectful toward all our guests. None of your tricks, understand?"

  The boy hesitated as if he wanted to make a snide remark, then seemed to think better of it and said, "Yes, sir. If you say so." His parents were both looking my way when Bradston stuck out his tongue at me.

  "I'll see that this gets relayed to the rest of the castle. Frazzel
a," the king said, turning to his wife, "regardless of your feelings, you're to treat them as honored guests."

  The queen glared at me. "We would never have had to worry about any of this if Eadric had chosen a normal princess."

  "Oh really?" I said. "And would that be a princess who had slept for a hundred years or one who cleaned house until her fairy godmother helped her go to a ball? I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I've ever met a normal princess."

  King Bodamin chuckled. "She's got you there," he said to his wife. "It doesn't matter whether they should have been invited or not. They have been, so we'll do as Emma has asked. This should be interesting. I've always wanted to meet a fairy."

  Wonderful, I thought, heading back to the Great Hall. With Frazzela and Bradston around, something is bound to happen. I began to wonder if my family was doomed to end one curse just to fall prey to another.

  Fourteen

  When I couldn't find Eadric, I decided to take a nap before I had to face everyone again at supper. The chamber I'd used before was just as I'd left it, which meant that the person who usually slept there had not come back. Because I didn't want to be disturbed, I said a spell to lock the door, and another to keep any outside noise from getting in, then lay on the bed and closed my eyes. I was almost asleep when I remembered what the troll queen had said. Although I'd asked her whom she meant when she told me, "He said you would come," we'd been interrupted before she answered, and I'd forgotten to ask her again. Whom did she mean? I wondered as I drifted off. Why were they talking about me?

  I was exhausted and slept through supper and on ' into the night. It was midmorning when I woke again, feeling more refreshed than I had since leaving Greater Greensward. My grandmother was sitting at a table across from the stairwell waiting for me when I went downstairs. "Come sit down," she said, waving me over. "I'll fill you in before your mother gets her hands on you and you don't get a chance to breathe."

  "Is she upset that I slept so long?" I asked, taking a seat across from Grandmother.

  "I wouldn't say she's upset. Livid, yes, upset, no. I understand she almost beat your door down trying to wake you. That must have been some spell you used to keep her out. Be prepared for a royal scolding," she said, smiling at her own joke. "She wanted you for more fittings for your gown, but I'm sure she's made do just fine."

  A page ran past carrying a basket of flowers. Three others stood on ladders while hanging garlands over doorways. Grassina and Haywood presided over them all from the center of the Hall.

  "I thought I should tell you before you heard it from someone else," said Grandmother. "We already had our first fairy-related near-disaster. But don't worry, I took care of it."

  "What happened?" I asked with a sick feeling in my stomach.

  We waited while a serving maid approached the table and set a mug of cider in front of Grandmother. She smiled at both of us and left to get one for me.

  Grandmother looked around as if to make sure that we weren't about to be interrupted again, then said, "Sir Geoffrey, a very sweet and well-intentioned knight, was returning from patrol when he dismounted to pick a wildflower for Lady Eleanor, one of Frazzela's ladies-in-waiting. Unfortunately, a flower fairy on her way to the wedding had stopped for a sip of nectar and was inside the partially closed flower when he snapped the stem. Sir Geoffrey had almost reached the gate when the furious fairy turned him into a chipmunk. A guard who saw the knight disappear into his clothes came looking for me. I was the logical choice since I'd already let everyone know that I'm a witch."

  "You didn't!" I said.

  "Of course I did. I'm not ashamed of who I am. All this tiptoeing around the subject gives me a headache. If these people have a problem with magic, it's their problem, not mine. As I was saying," she said, giving me a pointed look, "I calmed the fairy and got her to reverse her magic. She was very understanding once I explained it all to her. Fairies believe in true love just like you and me. There was one condition, however."

  "And what was that?" I asked, fearing the worst.

  Grandmother smiled. "They have to get married and invite her to their wedding, that's all. Neither of them minded in the least."

  "Was that the fairy's condition or yours?"

  Grandmother's smile got bigger. "Does it matter? Either way, they're getting married next month and I'm invited, too."

  I smiled at the serving maid who gave me my cider, then said to Grandmother as the girl walked away, "What happened when you told everyone that you're a witch? How did they take the news?"

  "They were a littie standoffish until I said a spell to fix the broken pots in the kitchen and another to rebuild a crumbling section of that causeway they're all so worried about. They became quite friendly after that."

  "I didn't know they were having any problems," I said.

  Grandmother peered at me over her mug of cider. "Everyone has problems. You just have to keep your ears open and help where you can."

  "How is Queen Frazzela today? Is she still upset because we invited the fairies?"

  "Not at all. She was quite taken with them after she saw one this morning. Listen, I think I hear more arriving now."

  She was right. When I tuned out the voices of the people in the Hall, I could hear a faint sound like wind chimes. The sound grew louder as I ran to the courtyard, wanting to make sure that someone was ready to greet them. Queen Frazzela was there already, so caught up in the fairies' arrival that she didn't notice me.

  Unlike the flower fairy, these fairies were as big as humans, although finer boned and with more delicate features. The queen seemed captivated by their sweet voices and the graceful way they moved. She smiled and was gracious to them, just the opposite of the way she'd treated me. I even heard her claim that she had insisted that we invite them and that she was so glad they had come.

  Bradston was there, too, of course, and was as curious about them as any ten-year-old would have been. I saw him surreptitiously touch the wing of one of the fairies, and held my breath when the fairy turned around, startled. Seeing the boy, her face relaxed in a gentle smile and I'knew that what I'd heard was true: fairies were more tolerant of children than they were of adults.

  I was going back into the castle when my mother finally found me. "There you are!" she said. "I hate it when you lock your door that way. I can never get in to see you when I have something important to discuss. You knew you had more fittings to do. Why did you sleep so late? Frazzela got Eadric up at dawn and he's been busy ever since."

  "We can go see about those fittings now if you'd like," I said, not wanting to argue with her.

  "It's too late for that," she said. "Maude had to work with what she had. That gown had better fit, that's all I have to say. It will be your own fault if you look gawky. Three seamstresses working together might have been able to disguise some of your flaws, but even they can't work miracles without fittings."

  "I can always use magic to make it fit," I said, then bit my lip when I remembered who I was talking to.

  My mother glared at me. "If I'd wanted my daughter to wear a dress made with magic, I wouldn't have had Maude and the others stay up all night to work on it. You will wear it as it is and be thankful that I went to so much trouble."

  "Yes, of course, Mother," I said, feeling sorry for Maude.

  "Go to your room and wait for us," Mother ordered. "I'll send a serving girl to tell Maude to meet us there with your gown. And for goodness' sake, don't lock your door!"

  Although 1 would have loved to go to the Great Hall to watch the guests arrive, I knew better than to cross my mother again, so I hurried up to my room. I was just shutting the door behind me when Li'l appeared at my window. Flying to the tapestry on the wall, she latched on with her claws and hung upside down to talk to me. "You'll never guess who I saw in the courtyard! The witches from the Old Witches' Retirement Community!"

  "I know," I said. "They arrived yesterday."

  "No, not them," said the little bat. "I meant the rest of th
e witches. Your grandmother didn't invite a few of her friends. She invited all of them!"

  I sighed and started to take my hair out of its customary braid. "Poor Frazzela. She won't like that one bit."

  There was a knock on my door, and before I could answer, my mother rushed into the room. "Good, you're here. Maude will be along in a moment. She has your gown and Lucy is going to do your hair. You've never been any good at doing it yourself. I don't think you even know how to brush it," she said, poking at a lock of my hair as if it were some loathsome creature she didn't want to touch. "Thank goodness I'm here to see that you look decent for your wedding."

  I glanced out the window at the tinkling sound of wind chimes and saw a brightly colored flock fly by. At first glance I thought they were birds or butterflies; then I realized that a large contingent of fairies had arrived. I saw them again as they circled the castle to appreciative applause from the courtyard below. A few minutes after they landed, Grassina came to the door.

  "Did you see them?" she asked, out of breath from running. "The fairies from Greater Greensward are here. They all came together, which is amazing in itself. I think this is the first time in years they've done anything as a group. You know they consider this a special event when you see the swamp fairy wearing a new dress of green leaves."

  There was another knock on the door, and Maude and Hortense came in carrying my gown and slippers. Maude couldn't stop yawning as she laid the gown on my bed. Lucy squeezed in past them, looking horrified when she saw the size of my room. "I'd better go," said Grassina. 'You need the space. Call me if I can help in any way."

  My grandmother was the next to arrive. When she saw how many people were already there, she pushed past them and took a seat on the bed. Hortense was helping me into my gown when Queen Frazzela came to the door. Once again, my mother wouldn't let her in because Bradston was with her. "But I have to talk to Emma," said Queen Frazzela. "The guards have cornered a dragon in the courtyard. Eadric saw them and interceded before they could dispatch the beast. He says the dragon should have received an invitation, but the beast didn't know about the wedding until the fairies told him. Can you imagine? Eadric actually insists that the creature attend the ceremony! I can't understand what's gotten into that boy. Before he met Emma he would have killed it himself. I nearly fainted when I saw it, and he wants to put it in the buttery until the ceremony begins."