The Mind Behind The Beanie || ✔

More Preparations for War

To the members of the Royal Families,
An emergency has occurred and all members of the Happily Ever After Assembly and their families must report to the Fairy Palace immediately. We will provide details of the matter upon you arrival.
Thank you,
Alex Bailey, Acting Fairy Godmother

Before Froggy had read the note, it hadn't really dawned on me that we would actually be going to war, but the fact hit me plain and blunt as he read the invitation to the royalty. It was real now, and it was scary. Not too scary, like a jump scare, but enough to heighten your senses.
As Alex instructed the swans on where they were supposed to go, I walked over to the end of the balcony and perched my elbows on the rail. It was still all so much to take in, and now this place that I had only know about for a day or so was being attacked the moment I set foot in it.
As the swans took off into the sky, I managed to think about all the good things about being here. I was alive, for the time being. I was safe, for the time being. I was surrounded by friends, that I had just met. I was in a cool world with cool people, until it got destroyed. Wow. There is always a dark side to things, I guess. But at least for the time being I'm away from all my other troubles, just, my time away has created new ones to deal with. But I was going to enjoy this journey no matter what, because I was here, and that's all that matters.
"Now what?" I heard Red ask Alex. "Do you think the kings and queens will take you seriously?"
"We'll have to wait and see," Alex said, hope gleaming in every word she said.

___

~~~~~ (*****^-^*****) ~~~~~

___

The next few hours consisted of more history lessons with Red and Froggy on the balcony. I learned the backstory of every kingdom, the backstory of all the fairytales, and all of them intertwined. Even though I already knew most of the information, it was still fun to hear it from different storytellers.
The entire time Alex was pacing the balcony back and forth, she almost left a mark. After a while, we all went inside, leaving Alex to pace on her own.
Since the Fairy Palace didn't have a ceiling, which I had neglected to notice last night, I don't know how, it still felt like we were on the balcony with the sun on our backs and the cool breeze on her our faces. We walked awhile*'and talk about the things we'll do when we get out of school', just me?, okay. * and Red and Froggy continued to tell us about the Land of Stories.

___

~~~~~ (*****^-^*****) ~~~~~

___

After having a complete tour of the Fairy Palace, we heard a commotion on the balcony and headed back out to the balcony to check on Alex. We walked onto the balcony, and the view hit me. Sure, it was a pretty view during the day, but the view in the evening, stunning. Beyond stunning, gorgeous, or magnificent, no know adjective could describe it. I had thought that what I had seen already of The Land of Stories was amazing, but the view and scenery never ceased to get even more spectacular.
I then saw the royals standing next to Alex. Even though I had never met any of them before, they were very recognizable. Snow White's pale skin glowing in the soft glow of the evening sun, Rapunzel's golden hair shimmering in the breeze, there were dead giveaways. I stopped in my tracks at the top of the stairs and just stared.
I kept thinking I had seen it all here, but apparently, I hadn't. There had been surprises coming to me left and right since I got here, I don't know why I didn't expect them beforehand. I sat down on the stairs with Emmerich, who had gotten tired from the tour.
I saw Red jerk forward towards the royals, but then sat down with a huff on the stairs. She looked mad that she wasn't standing with the royals, and I couldn't blame her. She had had her kingdom stripped away from her, and a war brewing in her world, all in a very short time span. She must feel awful.
Froggy, on the other hand, rushed down the stairs to say hello to his brothers, who looked mighty confused.
"Charlie, what's happened to you?" one of them asked. Even though Conner had told me the difference in brothers, I still couldn't get it straight.
"Why are you a frog again?" the other one asked, seeming just as curious.
"It's a long story," Froggy told them. "We'll explain everything, I promise."
Alex cleared her throat and the noise in the room ceased.
"The Fairy Godmother is very sick and her magic is fading," she told everyone. "Her spell on Prince Charlie has worn off and the portal into the Otherworld has been partially re-opened. An army from our world has crossed over and plans to dominate this world, but I'll let Conner tell you about the army since he's seen them up close."
Alex gestured for Conner to take the floor, and I noticed him sitting next to Mother Goose where I hadn't noticed him before.
But Mother Goose rose before Conner had the chance.
"No, I'll do it," she said confidently. "It's my fault they're even here, after all."
Conner and Alex exchanged glances and then motioned for her to continue.
Mother Goose then went on to explain to the kings and queens about the Grande Armee and how it was her fault they had traveled through the portal into the fairy-tale world. She told them how they had raided Pinocchio Prison and recruited the criminals. And last, Mother Goose had the unfortunate task of telling the royals they could be at war very soon.
There was silence after Mother Goose finished. Apparently, these criminals were worse than I had thought. The first one to speak was Snow White.
"So, this army of five thousand men now has hundreds of additional soldiers-criminals that we put behind bars?" she asked with a hand over her mouth.
"Correct," Mother Goose said. "And we have a suspicion that it will inspire all the criminals on the loose in the Dwarf Forests and throughout the other kingdoms to join the Armee."
"And how many criminals total would we say are currently accounted for withing our own kingdoms?" Sleeping Beauty asked.
"We've estimated about three thousand or so," Emerelda told the room.
Oh great. " I wasn't the best with math, but I still knew that that was a lot of soldiers.  Hopefully the fairy-tale has more?
"Then that gives the Grande Armee a total of close to nine thousand," Rapunzel said, having done the math I couldn't.  "That's more than all our armies combined."
"How many soldiers are in your armies?" Conner asked with a hint of sadness, as if he already knew they didn't have near enough to defeat the Grande Armee.
"The Northern Kingdom has an army of two thousand men," one of the Charming brothers said.  Wait, that one would be Chandler, right?
"The Charming Kingdom has one thousand," Chance ^I think^ said.
"Many of the Eastern Kingdom's men perished trying to fight the Enchantress's curses," Chase ^I believe^ said.  "We only have around one thousand five hundred soldiers left."
"The Corner's Kingdom army is very small as well, consisting of only five hundred men," Sir William said.
I looked around, and the only person that hadn't responded was Little Bo Peep.  She looked caught off guard.
"I don't know the exact number, but I would say somewhere around- "she started.
"Eight hundred and twenty-eight men!" Red called from beside me, practically giving me a heart attack.
Even though Conner was down about how few the numbers were, a half grin appeared on his face as Red startled me, apparently, he knew she was going to shout and was waiting for it.  I glared at him and he looked away, still grinning.
Mother Goose caught onto the Bailey twins attitude change.  "Unlike your world, we've never had a real reason until now for large armies," she said.
Conner seemed lost in thought.  "So that means with all your armies together the Happily Ever After Assembly has roughly five and a half thousand men.  That's five and half versus a potential nine thousand- the Armee could grow up to twice the size of our forces!"
"And that's still not including the armies of the Elf Empire and Troblin Territory," Mother Goose reminded them.  "If General Marquis manages to convince them the way he convinced the prisoners, then it's over.  We'll never win this war."
"Then we'll have to get to them first." Alex said, and I realized she hadn't been saying much.  "We need to do whatever it takes to make sure the elves and the troblins are on our side.  They may not have a great relationship with the Happily Ever After Assembly but I doubt they want to see the world taken over by the Armee any more than we do.  Does anyone know how large the elf and troblin armies are?"
"The trolls and goblins have an army of seven hundred, I believe," Tangerina said.  "And the elves have a thousand soldiers."
"Then that's good news for us," Alex said, I could really see her natural born talent of leadership Conner said she had shining through.  "After we convince the troblins and elves to join us, that will raise our army to much better odds of survival.  Plus, we have the fairies on our side; we can't forget to include them."
Commotion broke lose amidst the fairies and all of them objected at once.  Xanthous was the loudest, "Fairies can't go into battle; it's against the Happily Ever After Assembly code of magic!" he protested.
"SCREW THE CODE!" Conner yelled, and the room went quiet. I had seen Conner getting madder and madder with how things worked here, but I didn't think he would do that.  I was still getting to know him.  "The code is there to ensure peace and prosperity for the fairy-tale world and soon there may not be a fairy-tale world left! If we want to win this war, we will have to fight fire with fire, and Xanthous, no one has more fire than you- and no one can stir the waves better than Skylene- and no one can sting like Tangerina.  We're going to have to use every resource possible."
Even though I hadn't known, or even seen, the fairy council, I still knew that deep inside they knew Conner's idea was the right one.  They all looked torn, do what's morally right to them, or do what's best? The all started to nod in secession.
"All right, I think I have plan.  Everyone listen closely," Alex said after affirmation from the council.  "We don't know where or how the Grande Armee will strike first- we have to assume it could be anywhere.  I want all the kings and queens to write their commanding officers at once and tell them to spilt their armies in half.  Half of each army will stay in its respective kingdom so nothing is left unguarded.  The other halves will go into hiding- I don't care where they go as long as they stay out of sight- they are not to come out of hiding until they see my signal."
"But why split up the armies?" Xanthous asked.
"That way no kingdom is left unguarded in case it attacked," Alex explained.  "And if a kingdom is attacked it's entire army won't be lost."
Alex then turned to address the fairies.  As she gave each council member their assigned kingdom, I thought about all that was happening.  How was I going to fit into all of this? Where was I going to go? Sure, I wanted to be on the battlefield too, but I was pretty sure they wouldn't allow me.  Actually, scratch that, they DEFINENTLY wouldn't let me fight, unfortunately.
After addressing the fairies, Alex turned her attention back to the entire room.  "My brother and I will personally go to the troblins and elves and plead with them to join our side.  As soon as we recruit the elves and troblins, I'll signal all the remaining armies, the ones at home and the ones in hiding, and lead them in a strike against the Grande Armee."
I carefully went over the plan in my head for the bazillionth time.  I still didn't find where I fit in.  Fortunately for me someone else was thinking the same thing.
"What's going to happen to us?' Cinderella asked.  "Do we go home to our kingdoms or do we stay at the Fairy Palace?"
"Neither," Conner said before anyone else could.  He stood by his sister and continued.  "If the Armee finds you, they'll kill you- they have a history of killing royal families and aristocrats- to them, death is the only surrender.  We have to keep you moving at all times so they never find you.  I would suggest we put you all on a flying ship like the Granny but if the Armee saw that in the sky they would freak out and definitely shoot you down."
"Then what can we place them on that's both secretive and continuously moving?" Alex asked him.
I could almost hear the gears churning inside his head as he thought.  His face lit up and he practically jumped.
"I've got it!" he exclaimed.  "We'll put them on an enchanted path just like in the story 'The Secret Castle'!  The path could weave through the kingdoms like a snake, never traveling in the same direction twice and never leaving a trail behind it."
"That's brilliant!" Alex said.  "And the only people who will be able to find it are the people who know about it!  As long as the Armee never knows about the path, they'll never find it."
Conner stepped closer to Alex and whispered something into her ear.  Alex took a deep breath.
"Yes," she said.  "I know I can." I heard her say to Conner.  She then looked up to the top of the stairs where we all sat.  "Red, we can use the carriages you arrived in.  They were very plain and didn't bear any symbols of royalty."
Red grunted.  I had to stifle a laugh and I saw Conner do the same.  "Don't remind me." Red said.
Alex turned back to the royals and eyed them.  "We should also strip you down so you look less official," she said.  "You can't wear any jewelry or be followed by guards or do anything that would make you appear royal."
"But surely we can't go on this path unprotected," Snow White said.
"We'll surely need some form of protection," Sleeping Beauty added.  "Even if the path is as disguised as we are."
Alex looked to the sky and thought.  She then smiled as if a thought dawned on her.  "I know the perfect people," she said.
I looked up with everyone else and saw two people sitting on top of the sixth swan that was sent out.  The swan landed in the middle of the hall, and even though I had never seen them before, I knew immediately these two were Jack and Goldilocks.  Conner had told me so much about them, I practically knew them already.
"You invited them?" Red yelled from the top of the stairs, almost giving me another heart attack.  Which, of course, Conner had expected and smirked again.  I glared at him more fiercely than last time and he stopped grinning to look away, but I saw it linger. 
"Yes, I figured it wouldn't hurt having a few friends around," Alex said.  "But now we have a perfect assignment for them."
Jack and Goldilocks waved uncomfortably at the royals; it was obvious they had offended them since the last time they met.
"Hello everyone," Jack said.  "What's the occasion?"
"We got your letter, Alex," Goldilocks said.  "We figured it had been sent to us by mistake, but the swan was very persuasive." She and Jack held up their arms and showed the bite marks they had endured from the swan.
Alex and Conner quickly summed up everything about the Grande Armee and their plans to conquer the fairy-tale world.  Jack and Goldilocks nodded at the end, maybe they had already come in contact with the Armee.
"Many of the criminals we know have already joined them," Jack said after Alex and Conner were done.  "The Armee is growing by the minute."
"Jack, Goldilocks, I need a big favor," Alex said.  "We're sending the kings and queens away so the Armee can never find them.  I'm going to ask that you go with them and protect them just as you protected my brother and me during our quest to stop the Enchantress.'
Jack and Goldilocks looked at each other, even I would say that that was a HUGE favor.  Some of the royals started to mumble objections among themselves.
Red whistled from the top of the stairs, this time not scaring me.  This time it scared Conner, and I took that as my cue to smirk at him.  He just rolled his eyes and looked back at Red.
"I know what you're thinking because there isn't a negative thought I haven't had myself about these two," Red declared, catching Conner even more off guard.  "But I can assure you there is no one n the world Goldilocks can't take on with her sword, or that Jack couldn't face with an axe at his side.  We wouldn't have survived our trip around the kingdoms if they hadn't been there.  You'll be well protected under their care."
Jack, Goldilocks, and the twins all did a double take.  Even I thought twice about what she had just said.  She didn't normally say nice stuff to people, but especially Jack and Goldilocks, they were here enemies.
"Thanks you, Red," Goldilocks said.  "I would never had expected praise from you."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Goldie," Red said excitedly.  "I have a new nemesis now! So you're off the hook!"
Red gave Goldilocks a thumbs-up.  I saw Little Bo Peep cross her arms and roll her eyes out the corner of my eye.
"Very well," Cinderella said, and I saw her grip tighter on her daughter.  "If you trust them, I suppose they're the best people for the job."
"Then it's decided," Emerelda declared.  "Now we mustn't waste another minute.  Let' get the kings and queens to safety."
As the fairies dealt with getting the royalty ready, Conner climbed to the top of the stairs to speak with us.  "I want you guys to with the kings and queens on the secret path,' he said.  "I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you.  You'll be safe if you're with Jack and Goldilocks, I promise."
I nodded, wide-eyed.  As I thought about what was going to happen in the next day, or even week, it was all really catching up to me for the first time in days.  I thought I had wanted an adventure, but there was still part of me that wanted to stay safe.  Sure, being on the battlefield would be fun, but causalities are not, and not being around people you know isn't fun, and this wasn't a game, or something I could respawn into. I could actually die here, and no one in the Otherworld would know.
"Certainly," Emmerich said.
"Sounds good," I said, feeling confident in the plan.
Conner smiled and faced Red.  "I want you and Froggy to go as well so Bree and Emmerich have someone they know with them," he said.  "Besides, I know Alex and I will feel better knowing all our friends are safe."
"What?" Red asked sharply, I thought she would be happy about being safe, but apparently not.  "You want me stuck in a travelling party with the Peep woman?'
"I'm really sorry you lost your throne, Red," Conner said, and I could see him trying to hide a smile.  "But if the Armee finds you, they won't care that you used to be queen.  I know you love necklaces, but I don't think wearing a guillotine will be a good look for you."
"Fine," Red agreed.  "But if we get captured, I'm volunteering Little Bo for target practice."
Once everybody was ready, we went out to the carriages.  There were three carriages lined up on the path outside the Fairy Palace.  Everybody piled into carriages leaving me going into the third carriage with Red, Froggy, Emmerich, and Little Bo Peep.
"Will someone please put me back inside the wolf's stomach?" Red complained when she found out who she was riding with.
"This is going to be a long trip." Little Bo sighed and shook her head.
We were all inside in the carriage, but I felt like something was missing.  I stepped outside of the carriage before the door was shut and gave Conner a massive hug.  Maybe it was because he was the only one, I knew really well here, or because it was because I had a crush on him, I couldn't decide.  I think it was a little bit of both.  "Please stay safe," I said.
I couldn't see him, but I'm pretty sure he blushed.  I let go and looked him in the eyes, yep, he was definitely blushing.  "Don't worry about me," he said.  "I'm used to being in danger."
I turned around and stepped back into the carriage watching out the window as Conner shut the door and tapped it an extra time for good luck.

___

~~~~~ (*****^-^*****) ~~~~~

___

THANKS FOR READING!!!
BYE BOOK-HUGGERS!!!
TLOSGEEK2-OUT!!!