2
Be Careful What You Wish For
“That pillow better be perfumed with the attar of rose, not that dreadful lavender essence,” grumbled Rose, watching as Mildred turned down her bed and plumped up her luxuriant, down pillow.
“Attar of rose it is, my lady,” assured Mildred, holding up the crystal perfume decanter for the Princess to inspect.
“Lovely! Sweet smelling roses for a beautiful Rose. It is only fitting, after all. As far as I am concerned, lavender reeks. It is too heavy for my delicate senses. Its overpowering stench dulls my mind.”
“The lavender is said to have relaxing, calming properties,” commented Alice, as she hung Rose’s dress in the wardrobe. “It is the perfect remedy to help a troubled or restless mind achieve a blissful night of sleep.”
“By all means, help yourself! Take that wretched bottle. You can use it more than me,” offered Rose. “After all, my mind has nothing to be troubled about.”
“How very generous of you!” exclaimed Alice. It had been a long, trying day of appeasing the Princess, and at this point, she made no effort to disguise the sarcasm in her voice.
“Yes, it is,” agreed Rose, oblivious to Alice’s cynical tone. The Princess’ lovely face suddenly contorted in disgust as she scolded Evelyn, “What is wrong with you? Can you not see this ribbon does not match my nightgown?”
“With respect, my lady, no one will see it. What difference does it make?” questioned Evelyn, shrinking away from the Princess’ angry scowl.
“Mildred, when will you have this girl properly trained?” rebuked Rose, snatching the white ribbon from her head. “Of course it makes a difference! I know it does not match and that is all that truly matters!”
“My humble apologies, my lady,” said Mildred. “You must give Evelyn some time. She is relatively new and there is just so much for her to learn.”
“A feeble excuse!” admonished Rose, glaring at her servant.
“With all due respect, it is not an excuse, my lady. I merely speak the truth,” countered Mildred.
“I beg of you, my lady, do not blame Miss Mildred. I am terribly sorry!” apologized Evelyn, hastily selecting a pale pink, satin ribbon to tie back the Princess’ golden tresses. “This one matches perfectly.”
“Hmph!” grunted Rose, sneering with resentment at the handmaiden. “I ask for so little, and yet, the simplest of requests go ignored.”
“I will do better,” promised Evelyn, carefully securing Rose’s hair so there would be less tangles to contend with in the morning.
“I would prefer it if you did your best,” snipped Rose, checking to see if her hair was tied high enough on her head so it did not get trapped under her shoulders as she slept.
“Of course, my lady,” responded Evelyn. She turned to pick up the urn of fresh water to fill the crystal tumbler that always sat on the nightstand by the bed.
“No! No water,” ordered Rose.
“But – but,” stammered Evelyn, confused by this new demand. “You said you always require a glass of water in case you get thirsty in the middle of the night.”
“Do not question me, Gwendolyn! I am a princess. It is my prerogative to change my mind as I see fit.”
“Yes, my lady,” responded Evelyn. She did not even bother to correct the Princess about her name, for at this point she felt her continued employment was now tenuous at best.
“Just leave the glass by my bedside,” ordered Rose, pointing to the nightstand.
“Empty?” questioned Evelyn, her brows furrowing in curiosity.
“Do you have cloth ears or are you just a stupid girl?” snapped Rose. “Just leave the empty glass!”
“You heard the Princess,” said Mildred, taking the crystal tumbler from Evelyn’s trembling hand. “Glass on the nightstand.”
Alice quickly steered Evelyn to the door as she made a suggestion, “And let us leave Princess Rose to sleep.”
“Good night, Princess. Pleasant dreams,” bade Mildred, motioning for Alice and Evelyn to retreat quickly and silently.
“They always are,” responded Rose, as she crawled into the soft, warm bed.
As the door closed, the Princess nestled down. She pulled the counterpane up around her neck and waited a moment to make sure her attendants were well on their way to retiring for the night.
“Now to set the trap,” whispered Rose. She rifled through the drawer, pushing aside embroidery supplies to pull out a tiny jar of adhesive and a silk kerchief. She carefully unwrapped the bait; a perfect, little incisor she managed to swindle from the scullery maid’s son with the promise of doubling his profit should he lend her this tooth.
Using tree sap that had been boiled down to a thick, sticky consistency and utilized by the bindery shops to glue sheets of parchment to the spines of books, Rose set to work. She applied a tiny drop of this clear, amber liquid onto the center of the nightstand. With great care, she positioned the tooth just so on this congealing droplet.
“This should do quite nicely.” Rose took a moment to admire her clever trap as she placed the empty tumbler next to the bait. “Now, I wait.”
As the sky deepened to a deep cobalt blue and a dusting of tiny, glittering stars studded the night sky, Rose impatiently tossed and turned, waiting for the Tooth Fairy to make her grand entrance.
“Where is she?” Rose muttered beneath her breath as she glanced at the ever-shrinking candle. Its small flame flickered and danced, casting its light to illuminate the tooth positioned on the nightstand for the Fairy to see.
“I suppose I should look convincingly asleep,” decided Rose, snuggling down into her bed. She pulled the counterpane high around her neck as she closed her eyes. The sleep was feigned, but not the great yawn Rose could stifle no longer.
For what felt like hours, the Princess waited, watching through narrowed eyes for her quarry to appear. And as the night grew longer and the candle’s wick continued to shrink, Rose’s half-closed eyes became heavier and heavier. They slowly drooped until they gradually shut and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Just as the Princess’ breathing became long and slow, wheezing out of her parted lips, a golden orb of light flickered, tentatively hovering at the open window before floating into the bedchamber. Cautiously circling the room, this glow of light maintained a respectable distance from the sleeping form, flying overhead to ascertain that she was indeed fast asleep.
The Fairy waited for the long sigh or heavy snore, indication of a human embraced in a deep slumber. As another jet of spent air was slowly expelled from Rose’s gaping mouth, the diminutive being decided it was safe to make her move. Her shimmering wings hummed as she maneuvered closer, fluttering down to the object of her desire: the perfect, little tooth.
Alighting upon the nightstand, she inspected this seemingly pristine specimen. Under the glow of the candle’s light, she saw the tooth was completely devoid of decay, lacking in the usual nicks or chips and it was unusually white coming from the mouth of a human child; a mortal relatively unconcerned about oral hygiene. This was a rare find!
On her nightly forays, the majority of teeth she collected were either utterly rotten or riddled with the onset of cavities. Those in the worst condition were used to line the dungeons of her grand palace. However, this perfect tooth, a rare specimen indeed, polished and gleaming white in the candlelight would be a suitable addition in the construction of the main watchtower of her dental edifice. With an incisor like this, her castle promised to shine like a dazzling pearl in the sunlight. She just had to have it!
With her eyes and heart set on this tooth, the Fairy made her claim. Her eager hands took hold, but just as she attempted to lift the tooth to make off with it, the incisor refused to budge. Wrapping her arms around it, she gave it a mighty heave, her wings fluttering madly to aid in this extrication. Instead of flying off with her prize, the Fairy lost her grip, tumbling head over heels. To her surprise, the tooth remained exactly where it was.
“This is odd,” the F
airy muttered beneath her breath, as she suspiciously eyed the prize. Kneeling down, she was stunned to spy a clear, sticky substance. This tooth was stuck in this congealing drop, keeping it fixed to the surface of the nightstand.
“I can remedy this,” whispered the Fairy. Holding forth her wand that sparkled with light, she called upon an incantation to dissolve this hardening adhesive.
As a loud boom exploded around her, the Fairy jumped with fright.
A voice rattled her body right down to the bones as it exclaimed: “Caught you!”
“What the?” gasped the Fairy. Launching into flight, she immediately slammed into an invisible barrier. Her stunned face, plastered against this clear wall made a strange, high pitched squealing sound where flesh met glass as she slid down against this clear barricade.
“There is no escaping me, little Fairy!” declared Rose. She pressed down on the overturned glass to secure her prisoner.
The Fairy’s aura glowed with an intensity to match her outrage. The fine, iridescent scales of her wings floated around like a cloud of glittering dust as she buzzed about. She was like an angry bee, bouncing and banging against the wall of this invisible trap in a desperate bid to escape.
“Try, try, try to fly! It will only make you cry!” chanted the Princess, teasing her moth-sized prisoner.
Hearing this juvenile taunting, the Fairy ceased her frenetic flight. Fear gave way to anger as it became obvious this human being had deliberately set out to capture her.
“Do you know who I am?” Her puny balled fists pounded against the crystal barrier.
“You are a Tooth Fairy, of course,” responded Rose.
“A Tooth Fairy?” she gasped in exasperation. “I am Pancecilia Feldspar, the Queen of the Tooth Fairies!”
“Oh, goodie!” exclaimed Rose. “Then you can grant even better wishes!”
“Are you mad? What makes you think I would grant you a wish?”
“Three wishes,” corrected Rose. “You owe me three of them if you want your freedom.”
“You really are loopy! You have me mixed up with a genie, you horrid little twit!” admonished Pancecilia Feldspar, sputtering with rage.
“I am not the little one!” snorted Rose, staring mockingly at her prisoner. “You are!”
“That is what you think!” With a wave of her wand and a magical incantation, a surprising metamorphosis took place before this mortal’s startled eyes. The entire room seemed to tremble with her fury as the glass rattled against the nightstand.
Rose dove under her quilt as the Fairy transmogrified into the size of an adult human with a stunning set of wings. She gracelessly tumbled off the nightstand as the crystal glass, too tight to fit, popped off her head to shatter on the floor. Scrambling to her feet, the Fairy snatched up the counterpane, yanking on it to expose the cowering mortal hiding beneath this quilt.
“Who’d have thought you were capable of that?” gasped Rose, stunned by the Fairy’s unexpected transformation.
“Proves how little you know!” growled the Fairy. “How dare you?”
“How dare you?” snapped Rose, jumping up on her bed to stand nose to nose with the Fairy. “Do you even know who you have just insulted, Pancreas?”
“To start, do not insult me! It is Pancecilia, or Pance for short,” corrected the Fairy. “And I know exactly who you are, young lady.”
“If you did, you would not be speaking to me with such disrespect.”
“You are Rose,” grunted Pance, impatience tainting her voice as she glared at this human. “And I will give you the respect you are deserving of!”
“I am Rose-alyn Beatrice Elizabeth Wilhemina Pepperton, the Princess of Fleetwood. My parents are the King and Queen!”
“And that is supposed to matter to me?” questioned the Fairy, disgruntled by this mortal’s arrogance. “Do you feel you are above being punished because you are a princess?”
“Maybe not, but you are a nobody to me,” sniffed Rose, speaking with utmost confidence. “No one can punish me except my father or mother!”
“If that is the case, then we shall see just what punishment the King and Queen will dole out for your audacious act of impudence. If you are lucky, perhaps they will show you some mercy.”
Instead of trembling in fear of the retribution in store for her, Rose began to giggle, dismissing the Fairy’s words. “Now, you are being silly! These are my parents you speak of.”
“Yes, and as your father is reputed to be a fair and just ruler, he will deal with you accordingly!”
“He will deal with me as any loving father would treat his precious daughter.”
“That is exactly what I am hoping for!” stated Pance. “If he cares, King William will see fit to discipline you for your own good.”
“Yes, yes, but first you will have to find him,” taunted Rose, almost daring her to do just that. “He could be anywhere in this big, old castle. You will be searching for a very long time.”
“That’s what you think, missy!” grunted Pance. With a wave and a flick of her wand, she and the Princess vanished, vapourizing in a shower of sparkling, golden dust.
“Wh- what happened?” stammered Rose. Her hands hastily patted her body to make sure she was whole again as her startled eyes glanced about to see the stunned expression on her parent’s faces as she and the Fairy suddenly materialized before them in the palace library.
“What is the meaning of this?” questioned King William. Startled by their abrupt appearance, he dropped the sheets of parchment he had been reviewing while the Queen nursed her finger, having pricked it on the embroidery needle.
“I am sorry to intrude on you at this ungodly hour, Your Highness,” apologized the Tooth Fairy, bowing respectfully before the royal couple. “But I desire an audience with you.”
“Pancecilia Feldspar, is that you?” asked Queen Beatrice, putting aside her needlework as she admired the glistening wings. It had been at William’s coronation ball that she had last seen the Tooth Fairy in her full, regal size.
“Indeed, it is, Your Majesty,” greeted Pance, nodding in respect to the Queen. “And I say again, I am sorry to intrude at this late hour, but there is an urgent matter requiring your immediate attention.”
The King and Queen glanced over at their daughter as Rose attempted to sneak out of the library as the Fairy addressed her parents.
In a bright flash of light, Pance disappeared, only to reappear before Rose. She blocked the doorway of the library to prevent her escape.
“You are not going anywhere, young lady!” snapped Pance, thrusting the glowing tip of her wand into Rose’s face to steer her back to her waiting parents. “I am not done with you!”
“Who said I was leaving?” grumbled Rose.
“Good gracious!” exclaimed the Queen. “What have you done now, Rose?”
“My dear, do not hasten to jump to any kind of conclusion just yet,” urged her husband. “This may have absolutely nothing to do with our daughter.”
“Unfortunately, Your Highness, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but it has everything to do with your daughter,” responded Pance.
“Pray tell, Pancecilia, what has Rose done now?” asked Beatrice. “And spare no details, for I want to know exactly what our daughter has been up to.”
“To put it bluntly, Princess Rose took it upon herself to set a trap to capture me. And to make matters worse, she succeeded!”
“You did what?” The King and Queen gasped in unison, staring in utter disbelief at their errant daughter.
“She makes it sound so very bad, but it was not like that at all,” insisted Rose, her eyes blinking innocently at her parents.
“How dare you downplay your actions!” denounced Pance. “Do not take her word as the truth.”
“And you expect my mother and father to believe in you? A Fairy with a name like Pants?” snorted Rose, rolling her eyes in ridicule.
“It is pronounced Pance, like dance! Not like underpants,” explained the a
gitated Fairy.
“Rose, enough with your rudeness!” admonished her mother. “How dare you speak to Pancecilia Feldspar with such disrespect? And how dare you do such a despicable thing to her?”
For a moment, Rose’s eyes glazed over, brimming with tears. Her lower lip protruded in a sad pout as she blinked helplessly at her father in a bid to solicit his sympathy.
“Now, now my dear,” said William, patting his wife’s hand in a bid to calm her down. “I am positive there is a logical explanation for what had happened.”
Before Rose could respond, Pance spoke up, “I will have you know your daughter deliberately laid a trap; a perfect baby tooth to be exact, to lure me into her bedchamber, where upon she trapped me in a drinking glass when I attempted to claim the bait she left on her nightstand!”
“Good gracious, Rose! How can you do such a terrible thing?” rebuked her mother, her face burning with embarrassment upon learning of her daughter’s latest scheme.
“It must be a mistake, my dear friend,” decided the King. “Rose had shed the last of her baby teeth quite some time ago.”
“But I speak the truth, King William,” insisted Pance.
“The only way Rose would be able to use a baby tooth to lure you is to physically remove it from another child,” stated the Queen. She suddenly blanched, the colour draining from her face as she stared in horror at her daughter. “Tell me it is not so! Do not tell me you plucked a tooth from the mouth of an unsuspecting child!”
“He was not unsuspecting. He parted with it willingly,” explained Rose, in her own defense.
“Ah-ha! So you do admit to placing a tooth out to trap me!” declared Pance, staring accusingly at the Princess.
“Well, what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?” interrogated her mother, her arms crossing her chest in annoyance as she eyed her daughter.
“Not much, really,” said Rose; her tone indifferent.
“There must be some misunderstanding,” decided the King, hoping this was the case so he would not be condemned to face his daughter’s wrath and the ensuing feelings of guilt should he be forced to punish her.
“It is obvious Rose has done the Fairy wrong! Why must you constantly come to her defense?” groaned his exasperated wife.
“Because she is my daughter,” reasoned the King. “Which begs the question, why do you not, when you are her mother?”
“You know as well as I do, our daughter has been less than forthright on more than one occasion,” reminded Beatrice.
“Oh, mother,” sighed Rose, disappointment lacing her voice. “I was young and foolish then, I have matured greatly since. You really must learn to trust me.”
“And anyone with even a hint of maturity would know trust is earned, not given freely,” reminded her mother. “Sadly, your actions of late do not warrant trust, my dear.”
Realizing her efforts would not garner her mother’s backing, Rose gazed over at her father, peering at him with those sad, doleful eyes to garner his sympathy.
The King squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. Trapped by the Fairy’s stare of condemnation on one side; his wife’s look of resentment for not supporting her on the other; while his daughter stood before him, pulling her saddest face ever, he could take no more. William rose from his chair and began to pace. He hoped those in his company would take this abrupt action as his need to seriously consider all parties concerned, rather than to be viewed as no longer being able to bear up to their scrutiny. He adopted a pensive expression on his face as he tried his best to appear deep in thought.
“So, Your Highness, in all your wisdom, how do you intend to handle this matter?” questioned the Fairy.
“Well, we must be sensible. We must not be hasty in passing judgment nor in delivering punishment.”
“Now see here, William, I pray this is not your way of avoiding the issue at hand,” admonished his wife. “As unsavoury as this whole matter of punishing Rose is, she must be dealt with! You are doing her no favour in not disciplining her. She must learn to be accountable for her words and actions. Nothing will be learned if you shrug this matter off, pretending it never happened.”
“Quite right, my dear,” agreed her husband. “Rose must be punished!”
“What?” gasped Rose, her eyes widening in utter surprise as her mother breathed a sigh of relief.
Pance gave Rose a smug smile, pleased that her father was willing to take appropriate measures to condemn her wretched actions.
In typical fashion, the Princess knew there was only one of two ways to handle this situation: issue a royal tantrum unlike no other or open the floodgates to unleash a torrent of tears. Her flushed face, which had instinctively screwed up in anger and frustration suddenly softened, dissolving in a sad trail of tears. She began to sob uncontrollably as she sputtered: “I- I- I am sorrrry! I promise I will never do that again!”
“Rose, enough with this silliness!” scolded her mother, her nerves worn thin with this whining. “You have shed crocodile tears once too often and there is no sincerity in this apology. You have repeatedly promised to change, however, it is apparent by your actions you cannot be held to your promises.”
“But I will change,” whined Rose, stamping her feet in frustration.
“Yes, you most definitely will, but only after you receive just punishment, my dear daughter,” cautioned her mother.
Rose glanced over to her father, seeking pity as great tears tumbled down her burning cheeks. Her lower lip quivered as she whimpered: “Father… It’s not fair.”
Unable to endure her mournful cry, King William turned away from his daughter’s pleading eyes. He pulled Pance aside as he whispered to her, “My dear friend, I urge you not to take deliberate action in punishing Rose.”
“Am I mistaken, or are you allowing me to dole out punishment on your behalf?” questioned the Fairy.
“Well, I feel it is only fitting, as you are the one who was wronged,” justified the King, willingly transferring this distasteful task on to Pance. “But as I said, I urge you not to take deliberate action, if you get my meaning?”
“Do you mean to say I am not to cast an enchantment on your daughter to teach her a lesson?”
“Yes! I do believe a strong threat of punishment, perhaps a moral lesson of what will happen if she does not change will be the best way to handle this dilemma,” suggested William, hoping this would appease both the Fairy and his wife.
For a moment, Pance’s blood boiled at the mere thought the obnoxious, young Princess would get away with her appalling actions and then, the Fairy had a change of heart.
“Perhaps you are correct, Your Highness,” decided Pance, giving William a judicious nod. “A lesson in humility, a strong warning of what can happen if the Princess does not change her errant ways, will be just the medicine to cure her need to act on these ill-conceived ideas.”
“There you go then, a satisfactory solution all the way around!” exclaimed the King.
He was thoroughly pleased he would not have to be the one to dole out punishment to his daughter. Neither would his wife chastise him for not taking appropriate measures to discipline Rose and at the same time, neither was the Fairy going to place a hex or spell on his daughter as a form of retribution for capturing her.
“So be it!” consented Pance, nodding in approval. “Allow me speak to your daughter on my own. In fact, we will discuss the repercussions of her actions while I tuck her back into bed.”
“A brilliant idea!” praised King William. “Go to it, my friend. Deal with my daughter as you see fit.”
“But- but- but” stuttered Rose.
“You heard your father, Rose! Accept your punishment with grace, and be done with it,” urged the Queen. “I pray you will learn your lesson this time.”
“Come along, Princess Rose, I shall escort you back to your bedchamber,” offered Pance.
“It is so late and I am too tired,” whined Rose, deliberately dragging her feet as she feigned a yawn.
“I do not believe I have the energy to walk all the way back to my room.”
“Worry not,” responded the Fairy. With a wave of her wand and a magical enchantment, in a glittering shower of golden light, she and the Princess vanished from the palace library. Just as quickly, they materialized in Rose’s bedchamber.
“Will you stop it with that!” scolded Rose, unaccustomed to this mode of transportation. She hastily wiped the phony tears from her eyes that failed to absolve her of the impending punishment.
“You claimed you were too tired to walk these great halls. I merely expedited the return to your bedchamber.”
“I was not really tired,” snapped Rose.
“I know.”
“Really?” questioned Rose, as she clambered into her bed.
Pance righted the overturned nightstand. Using an incantation, the tiny shards from the shattered crystal tumbler sparkled as they floated off the floor. A flick of her wand sent these glistening fragments out the open window, skyward to become one with the stars bejeweling the night sky.
“Do you take me for some kind of fool?” responded the Fairy. “I was just waiting for an excuse to get you here – alone! And the sooner, the better!”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I am not intimidated by you. You made a promise to my father you would not cast a spell on me. So there!”
“You silly, silly girl! It is a pity you do not even listen to your father as you should. He agreed to me issuing you a strong warning, to threaten you with the consequences of your insolent behaviour if you do not change.”
“You are the silly one! And you will be disappointed to know I am not frightened of useless threats issued by a lowly Fairy.”
“You nasty, impudent girl!” snapped Pance, her wings quivering with mounting rage. “How dare you?”
“Dare me? I am no ordinary girl! You are speaking to a princess!” reminded Rose, her balled fists pummelling her pillow. “I can do and say whatever I wish, whenever I want, to whomever I please.”
“Do not hide behind your title. Though it is true you are royalty, you are cursed with a sense of entitlement.”
“I am entitled,” snipped Rose, her tone smug. “And how can getting what I want, when I want it, be a curse? It is something everyone dreams of!”
“That is not the curse,” responded the Fairy. “Though you get whatever you desire, in your heart, you appreciate nothing and you take everything for granted. That is the curse. You are in need of nothing, yet you want everything!”
“Oh, boo-hoo! You are just jealous!”
“Of you? Absolutely not!” declared Pance, her words defiant.
“Believe what you want, but I know everybody wishes they were me,” stated Rose, speaking with all certainty. “There is not one person outside these castle walls, you included, who is not jealous of me.”
“Damn it all! I have had it with you, Rose!” cursed Pance, the wand trembling in her grip as her anger mounted.
“How dare you address me so informally? It is Princess Rose-alyn Beatrice Elizabeth Wilhemina Pepperton to you, Tooth Fairy!”
“In my eyes, you are just Rose. I see you for exactly what you are; a prickly, thorny rose in dire need of a good pruning to cut her down to size!”
“And you are nothing but a tatty, old pair of underpants nobody wants!” ridiculed the Princess.
“Do not test me, young lady! I have a wand and I know how to use it.”
“Go ahead!” taunted Rose, daring Pance to retaliate. “Unless your promise to my father means nothing, you will be in big trouble if you cast a spell on me. Mind you, if your powers are as wanting as I suspect, the best you would be able to do is to turn me into a warty, old toad. And even at that, I would still look prettier than you!”
“Looks are not everything, Princess.”
“Yes,” agreed Rose, eyeing Pance with obvious contempt, “especially when you have none.”
“You are as reckless with your words as you are with your actions,” denounced the Fairy.
“And you know nothing about keeping your word,” countered Rose.
“You know not what you speak of. I have not defied the promise I made to your father.”
“That is not what I am speaking of. I was referring to the promise of granting me three wishes,” reminded Rose.
“I never made such a promise to you.”
“Ah, but I did catch you, so you owe me three wishes for setting you free,” stated the Princess.
“You did no such thing! And it is a bloody good thing you mortals do not lose your tongue each time you lie, otherwise, yours would have fallen off long ago!”
“So you set yourself free. That is a minor detail,” snorted Rose. “The point is, I captured you. Now you are free. You owe me three wishes.”
“And where in heaven’s name did you hear this cockamamie story that a Fairy would grant wishes in exchange for freedom?”
“It is common knowledge. Everybody knows that,” replied Rose, her words matter-of-fact.
“You are a fool! It is common knowledge a Fairy will grant a wish for a good deed done,” corrected Pance.
“I set you free! That was a good deed.”
“Get it through your thick head! I set myself free,” rebuked the Fairy.
“Well, whatever the case, you will make an exception for me,” ordered Rose, as demanding as ever.
“Why should I? Is it not good enough I will not dispense punishment in the form of a spell? Because I can be extremely wicked about it if I wanted to be.”
“You will do so because I am a princess. Now, make it so!”
“And if I grant you a wish, what is in it for me?”
“If you do, I will permit you to do what my father suggested: warn me of the ramifications of my so-called ill-conceived actions,” negotiated Rose.
“You will permit me?” scoffed the Fairy, her brows arching up in dismay. “As you have a selective memory, it was your father who authorized me to do this, not you! And a king always supersedes a princess.”
“Ah, but when he and my mother are not in our presence, what I say, goes,” explained Rose.
“Nice try, but not good enough. You will listen to my words of caution whether you want to or not.”
“La, la, la, la, la, la! Can’t hear you!” chanted Rose, her hands clamped firmly over her ears.
“Good gracious! You are behaving like a child! Exactly how young are you?” questioned the Fairy, frowning in disgust at the Princess’ infantile display.
“I am a young lady – almost sixteen,” responded Rose, her hands still covering her ears.
“Ah-ha, so you can hear me!” exclaimed the Fairy, pointing her wand accusingly at the Princess.
“No, I can’t.”
“See! You did it again! You can hear me. Either you listen, and listen carefully, or you will face my wrath.”
“Wah, wah, wah!” mocked Rose, pretending to wipe a tear from her eye. “Talk all you want. I shall decide if you are worthy of an audience.”
“You are impossible! How dare you test my patience?”
“And how dare you waste my precious time!” snapped Rose.
“This is going nowhere fast,” groaned the Fairy, appalled by this pretentious mortal’s attitude.
“Yes, so you better go somewhere now,” suggested Rose, showing her the door.
“The nerve!” snapped Pance.
“The gall, the audacity, the insolence, blah, blah, blah,” sniffed Rose. “I have heard it all before.”
“And it does not bother you?”
“Why should it? I may be all these things and more, but above all else, I am a genuine princess.”
“Not if I turn you into a toad or some other lowly creature. I believe it would be a vast improvement.”
“Eek!” shrieked Rose, diving behind her bed for cover as the Fairy pointed the glowing wand at her. “You dare not do it! You promised my father: No spells!”
Pance drew a deep breath. Gathering her composur
e once more, she considered this promise she made to King William.
“You are quite right,” admitted the Fairy, lowering her wand. “I respect your father too much to disregard our agreement.”
“Farewell then,” bade Rose, peering over the edge of her bed as she waved the Fairy off.
“Who said I was leaving? I am not yet done with you.”
“I am most definitely done with you. And if you stay, I will not listen to you anyway,” stated Rose.
“What must I do to make you listen to my warning?”
“If you grant me three wishes, I will hear you out,” bargained Rose.
“I said it before and I will say it again: One wish for one good deed done. You have done nothing but infuriate me from the start and I cannot foresee any good deeds coming from you anytime soon.”
“How about just one wish?”
“My, you are persistent, I will give you that.”
“I would prefer it if you gave me a wish,” responded Rose.
“And if I did grant you this, what in the world would a princess like you ever wish for?” asked Pance.
For the longest moment, Rose was silent as she pondered this question.
“Now, give it serious consideration, and remember, be care–”
“I know, I know,” interjected the Princess, nodding thoughtfully. “Be careful what I wish for.”
“Precisely!”
“If that is the case, then I know exactly what I would request,” announced the Princess, basking in her moment of brilliance.
“Let me guess, you would wish for three more wishes,” determined Pance.
“How did you know?”
“I was not born yesterday. You are not the first, and you will certainly not be the last, to try and stretch out one wish. However, it is usually the poor and down-trodden making this request, not the rich and the privileged.”
“Of course those lowly peasants would make such demands,” stated Rose. “They are greedy by nature.”
“That is an unfair claim. How can you say such a terrible thing about the poor?”
“They are poor because they are lazy,” denounced the Princess. “They refuse to work hard to elevate their status, after all, they are not called commoners for no reason, you know?”
“These are your father’s people – his subjects, you speak of in such a derogatory manner!” gasped Pance, exasperated by her disparaging words.
“So? I hate the common people,” admitted Rose, shrugging with indifference. “They are so… so… common.”
“Hate makes you ugly,” warned Pance, shaking her head in disgrace as she was made witness to the Princess’ true nature.
“When you are as rich and beautiful as I am, there is no such thing as being ugly. So, do I get my wish?”
“No! I am not about to break the Fairies’ code just to appease you.”
“Then you can waste your breath, for I am not about to listen to whatever it was you were going to say,” grunted Rose, stamping her feet like a belligerent child on the verge of a tantrum.
Reaching this stalemate, the Fairy made an offer: “Suppose you listen to me and if you do, I will tell you how you can get all the wishes you can ever dream of?”
“Truly?” asked Rose, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she stared at Pance. “Whatever I dream of?”
“Literally and figuratively,” promised the Fairy, her hand over her heart as she made this vow. “Think on it! A never-ending supply of wishes, if that is what you desire!”
“It is much better than three measly wishes!” declared Rose, her hands clapping together in glee.
“So, will you listen to what I have to say to you?”
“I will lend you my ear, both in fact, if you swear on my father’s good name you will tell me how to get whatever I dream of when you are done,” offered the Princess, hoping to strike up a bargain.
“First of all, as your father had suggested, a lesson in humility,” decided Pance, her finger tapping her chin as she gave this grave thought.
“Remember, no spells! Not one enchantment.”
“I will not do a thing to you, but you most certainly will if you do not change your ways,” cautioned the Fairy.
“So I was a bit zealous in my efforts to capture you. Suppose I promise never to do that again?”
“Bloody right you will not be doing that again!” declared Pance. “But it is not just about that. It is how you treat others in general I mean to address.”
“And what would you know of my treatment of others?”
“I know plenty, young lady! Being that I can be quite small when I want to be, I can move about unnoticed by most. And I will tell you now, what I have heard spoken of you has not been flattering.”
“So what? I treat others exactly as they deserve or expect to be treated.”
“No one, not even the palace staff, deserve or expect to be treated with such disregard as you have treated them. And do not deny it, for I have heard the whispering in the halls of the palace. I know how you deal with others, those in stations lower than yours, those you despise because you feel they are less of a person than you are, because you are royalty and they are not.”
“So what? It is not as though I killed anyone. And if someone does get hurt, at least it will be some lowly commoner,” justified Rose. “What harm is that?”
“Words can kill, as surely as action,” cautioned the Fairy. “There are those who cater to your every whim, and yet, you treat these people with such disregard. Why is that?”
“Because they expect it from a princess and sometimes, one must remind them of their place in the world otherwise, they will come to believe they are just as good as us.”
“You sound as though you despise the common people,” noted Pance.
“Usually, I am indifferent to them. However, what I truly do hate are the commoners who do not know their place in society,” corrected Rose.
“That is a horrible thing to say! It is no wonder you are despised by so many.”
“That is a lie! Everybody loves me,” insisted Rose, shielding herself behind a sturdy wall of denial. “After all, what is there not to love?”
“Plenty!” snapped Pance. “And just because your subjects bow down to you, catering to your every whim, it does not mean they love you. In fact, they do not even respect you.”
“Of course they do! That is why these people do whatever I tell them.”
“Make no mistake, they do not do these things willingly,” argued the Fairy. “They only cow to you because it is expected of them. From what I understand, you make their lives miserable if they do not comply. If anything, those made to cater to you, actually loath you!”
“Oh, no, no! They do it because they love me and want to make me happy.”
“There is no getting through to you, is there?” gasped the Fairy, astounded by this mortal’s ignorance. “And how would you feel if you were one of those common people you so despise?”
“I am the Princess of Fleetwood. As if that will ever happen!” scoffed Rose, as she shook her head at the Fairy.
“If you do not change your ways, you shall unleash a curse unto yourself. You shall become what you hate the most. Your indifference will be your undoing,” cautioned Pance.
“And that is it? That is my warning?” Rose’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she stared at the Fairy.
“Yes, but do not take it lightly, Princess Rose, for at the midnight hour, from henceforth you shall be held accountable for your words and actions. Your indifference to others will cause you to suffer. The only way to make it stop is for you to find your heart.”
“So… you are not putting a spell on me?”
“Whatever happens will be of your own doing, not mine. Your choices will determine the outcome.”
“I have been known to make some very wise choices, so I can live with that,” decided Rose.
“Mark my words, Princess,” warned Pance, the tip of her wand throbbing with light, “if
you do not change your ways, all who know you will see you for what you truly are. You will remain as such until the day you come to understand and appreciate what it means when nobody loves you.”
“As if! I am the fairest in all the lands. All will bow to my magnificent glory, for I am as lovely and lovable as they come!”
“I am speaking, but obviously you are not hearing me,” muttered Pance, groaning in disbelief. “Often, the hardest lessons to learn in life are the ones thrust upon us. Perhaps it is not such a bad thing for you to experience life.”
“If you mean for me to endure some hardship to better appreciate my lifestyle, I know all about hardship,” declared Rose.
“Do you now?”
“Oh yes,” said the Princess. “I am made to suffer each day! There are times when I feel as though I am drowning in a sea of incompetence. The lowly staff appointed as my attendants consistently fail to meet my expectations.”
“As I said, keep this up and you will be made to learn the hard way. Swallowing a bitter pill shall either fix your ills or make you choke. You have a heart of stone, Princess Rose. Where is your compassion?”
“Make no mistake, it is there, but it is reserved for those deserving of it.”
“It shall come to pass those who love you will turn on you if you do not find your heart,” warned Pance, sensing her lack of compassion.
“Yes, yes!” Rose urged the Fairy to spill this great secret. “Now, what about the promise of telling me how to get all my dreams fulfilled? You are still going to keep your promise to me, are you not?”
“I always keep my promise. As you accept this wish without performing a good deed, to make this deal binding, you must give me the one thing you value above all others in exchange.”
Without a moment’s thought, Rose dashed over to her dresser. Rummaging through the contents of a large jewellery box, she found a simple, heart-shaped locket she once wore as a little girl. It was a birthday gift she received as a child, but she could no longer remember who gave it to her. Obviously, this inexpensive bauble had no sentimental value or personal relevance to her anymore. It now lay buried beneath a regular treasure trove of expensive pieces of diamond and ruby encrusted jewellery.
“This should do quite nicely,” Rose muttered beneath her breath. “And I will not even miss it.”
“I do not have all night, Princess. Do you have something you wish to exchange?”
“Here you go,” offered Rose, presenting the silver chain and locket to the Tooth Fairy as she blatantly lied. “It is very dear to me, and for this reason, I believe it will be a fair trade.”
Pance inspected the locket suspended on this thread of fine, silver links. “Are you sure of this?”
“Of course I am,” assured Rose, giddy with excitement. “Now how do I make all my wishes come true?”
“To obtain all you can ever dream of or ever wish for, you must make a special deal with the Dream Merchant,” revealed Pance, speaking in a whisper so no others would hear this secret.
“The Dream Merchant? Who is this person, if indeed he is a person?” asked Rose, gazing suspiciously at the Tooth Fairy.
“This person happens to be a very powerful Wizard. He specializes in magic that allows dreams to come true, hence, the moniker the Dream Merchant. And as with any merchant, there is a price to be paid for his services.”
“And what might that be?” questioned Rose, intrigued by the possibilities.
“That, I cannot say,” replied Pance.
“Because you will not say? Or because you do not know?”
“The price is totally at his discretion. Just be warned, Princess, it might be greater than what you bargained for.”
“That is of little concern, for money is no object to me,” said Rose, shrugging off the Fairy’s warning.
“Who said the price was monetary?” Pance responded with a shrewd smile.
“What are you not telling me?”
“I have told you all you need to know. As for the price, as I said, it is at the Wizard’s discretion to ask, and it is at your discretion to accept or decline his offer.”
“Fair enough then,” decided Rose. “Now, where do I find this Dream Merchant? Is the Wizard in some faraway land or is he somewhere in Fleetwood? And can he be summoned or must I go to him?”
“If you are in need of his services, he will come to you,” disclosed Pance.
“But where shall we meet?” asked Rose, bewildered by this response.
“Where else, but in your dreams,” revealed the Fairy, giving the Princess a knowing smile as she placed the locket in her bag along with the collection of teeth. “For now, I will take this silver heart and hide it away in a very special place.”
“And if I should want it back?”
“Trust me, if that should ever happen, and I highly doubt it will, it will not be worth the effort for you to retrieve it,” replied Pance, as she shrank down to her usual size that allowed her to steal into bedchambers unnoticed in the still of the night. “Besides, you do not have the heart to undertake any kind of quest, no matter how simple.”
“You can think what you want. Now, are you telling me that all I must do is dream of the Wizard, this so-called Dream Merchant, and he will come to me?” questioned Rose, unleashing a great yawn as she crawled back into her cozy bed.
“Yes, but be warned, Princess, even the sweetest of dreams can have a dark side,” cautioned Pance, as she hovered before Rose.
With that said, the Fairy’s translucent wings shimmered, humming as they carried her out the window and into the tranquil night. She drifted away until her golden light became one with the stars twinkling in the cobalt sky.