Fairies in the Forest

by Lindsey Kelk

  ‘This is all very nice,’ Allaine said, edging towards the door, ‘but why don’t I run back downstairs and put the kettle on while you’re all getting to know each other?’

  ‘Why don’t you stay exactly where you are,’ ordered Sparks, ‘and tell us why you’ve got Rapunzel locked up here in the first place?’

  The green-haired woman gave a very loud huff. ‘It was for her own good. She was planning to run off to King Picklebottom’s kingdom and get herself in all kinds of trouble. I was only trying to protect her. You do know those folks eat fairies?’

  ‘For the last time, we most certainly do not.’ Cinders sighed, turning back to Rapunzel. ‘Why were you going to the kingdom?’

  ‘I was looking for someone,’ she said with a faraway look. ‘My friend, I think.’

  ‘We’re on our way to Fairyland to find out more about my mum!’ Cinders exclaimed. ‘Perhaps you could come with us and help us find our way.’

  ‘You’re both talking nonsense,’ Allaine said, butting in before Rapunzel could answer. ‘You should both go back home and forget about all this silliness. No one cares who is or isn’t missing from Fairyland any more and, Cinders, have you even thought about how much trouble your father is in? Or Prince Joderick? You made the king very mad, and he’s bound to take his temper out on someone!’

  Cinders chewed nervously on her fingernail. She really hadn’t thought about that. Poor Jodders. And her poor dad! He hadn’t done anything wrong.

  ‘Don’t listen to her,’ Sparks said, giving the woman a good growling. ‘She’s trying to put you off your quest.’

  ‘You’re right,’ replied Cinders, leaping to her feet and then sitting back down because she had cramp in her left leg. ‘But what are we going to do with her when we leave?’

  ‘You mustn’t trust her,’ Rapunzel said. ‘She’ll only cause trouble for you on your quest.’

  ‘Me?’ Allaine gasped. ‘Cause trouble? As if.’

  ‘There’s only one thing we can do,’ Cinders said with a sigh, turning to Allaine. ‘I’m very sorry, but we’re going to have to lock you up in this room.’

  ‘You can’t do that!’ Allaine protested. ‘That’s a terrible thing to do!’

  ‘You did it to Rapunzel! And don’t worry – we’ll come back and let you out in a couple of days when we’re done.’

  ‘If we feel like it,’ Sparks said, sticking his snout in the air.

  Even though Cinders felt terrible about it, she and Rapunzel and Sparks walked out of the room at the top of the tower, leaving Allaine locked inside.

  ‘Ooh, it’s not so bad, is it?’ Allaine called through the door. ‘This bed is actually very comfy. And I haven’t had a nap in sixteen years. Don’t rush back. I might have forty winks while you’re gone.’

  ‘She’s fine,’ Sparks said as Cinders popped the big black key in her pocket. ‘Both your father and Prince Joderick would want you to find Fairyland, which is exactly what we should be doing right now. What are we waiting for?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Cinders. ‘You’re right. Let’s go.’

  From behind them, as they went down the stairs, came the sound of Allaine snoring.

  Getting down the staircase of the Alabaster Tower was much easier than getting up it. In no time at all, Cinders, Sparks and Rapunzel were back in the banquet hall where Mouse waited patiently and Hansel remained fast asleep.

  ‘The best way to wake someone from an enchanted sleep is with a kiss,’ Rapunzel whispered as Cinders tried to prise her friend’s eyelids open.

  ‘No, I don’t think so,’ she replied, poking him in the ribs, pinching his arm and punching his funny bone.

  ‘It is traditional,’ Rapunzel said, shrugging her shoulders. ‘And it’s a great way to get a snog from a prince.’

  ‘Look, I’m not going to kiss him,’ Cinders said, hands on hips. ‘I’ve never kissed him before, he hasn’t asked me to kiss him, I don’t want to kiss him and you don’t go around kissing people while they’re asleep! It’s very rude. Also, he isn’t a prince – he’s just Hansel.’

  ‘He’s very handsome,’ Rapunzel said as she popped his hat back on his head. It had fallen off into a big pile of mini muffins.

  ‘Is he?’ Cinders looked at his upturned nose and chestnut hair and ruddy cheeks, but she couldn’t see it. Jodders was definitely handsome, everyone said so, but Hansel? Rapunzel had been locked up in that room for too long.

  ‘Oh for goodness’ sake!’ Sparks leaped up on the table and gave Hansel a big, sloppy slurp, right on the lips, and right away, his eyes began to flicker open.

  ‘There we are,’ Cinders said, very relieved. Handsome or not, she had not wanted to explain this situation to his mother or Gretel. ‘Now no one needs to kiss anyone.’

  ‘Why does my face smell like sausages?’ Hansel mumbled, rubbing his eyes. ‘How long was I asleep?’

  ‘Not long enough,’ Cinders said, patting her horse’s back. ‘Are you ready to go, Mouse?’

  Mouse squeaked happily at his friend and twitched his pink ears.

  ‘Oh, that’s very funny,’ Rapunzel laughed as they made their way outside. ‘You’re such a comedian, Mouse.’

  ‘You can understand him?’ Cinders asked, her eyes wide.

  She nodded as though it was a fact that should have been very obvious to everyone. ‘All fairies can talk to animals,’ she explained. ‘And fairy princesses can even talk to trees and plants.’

  ‘Then it would have been very useful to have a fairy princess when we were travelling through the Dark Forest,’ Cinders said. ‘You don’t know where we can find one, do you?’

  ‘Oh!’ Rapunzel clapped her hands to her face. ‘That’s it!’

  ‘What’s it?’ Hansel asked, peeking at the fairy’s back as a large, colourful pair of wings appeared out of nowhere. They were very delicate, almost see-through, but, when the light hit them, the wings shimmered with every colour of the rainbow.

  ‘The fairy princess!’ Rapunzel exclaimed, fluttering her wings with excitement. ‘That’s who I was looking for! When she went missing, all of Fairyland was so sad. I was sure if I could find her, and bring her back, everyone would be happy again.’

  ‘Do you think she’s lost in the forest?’ Cinders said, a little worried. Fairies might be magical, but they weren’t always blessed with much common sense, and the Dark Forest was a dangerous place to be. She could easily imagine someone getting lost in there for years and years.

  ‘I hope not, but wherever she is I’ll find her,’ Rapunzel promised. ‘Just as I hope you find your way safely to Fairyland!’

  And, with that, a stream of pink sparkles shot from her hands and the big wooden drawbridge opened with a thud. Before Cinders could say another word, the fairy was flying away.

  ‘Wait!’ she cried. ‘How do we get to Fairyland from here?’

  ‘It’s not far,’ Rapunzel called back. ‘Simply traverse the Empty Valley and travel along the mountain pass and then you’re there! Shouldn’t take more than a few weeks.’

  And, with a puff of pink smoke, she vanished.

  ‘A few weeks!’ Cinders collapsed on the ground and crossed her legs. ‘I didn’t think it was going to take nearly that long.’

  ‘Neither did I,’ sighed Sparks, scratching his ear with his hind leg. ‘This is not good news at all.’

  ‘Say, Cinders.’ Hansel pulled a mini muffin out of his hat. ‘How long did that fairy say she’d been trapped in this tower?’

  ‘She wasn’t sure,’ Cinders replied sadly, ‘but she thought it was probably longer than I’d been alive. Why?’

  ‘Just thinking,’ he said as he shook crumbs out of his hair. ‘You don’t reckon the fairy princess she’s looking for could be your mum, do you?’

  Cinders stared at her friend with wide eyes.

  ‘Because if she is,’ he went on, completely oblivious to the shock on his friend’s face, ‘that would make you a princess too! How cool would that be?’

  ‘Good golly gosh,’
Cinders whispered, looking up into the clear blue sky. What an idea.

  ‘I really think we should get going,’ Sparks said, ever the voice of reason. ‘It certainly isn’t getting any earlier and Fairyland isn’t getting any closer.’

  ‘You got it, Sparks.’ Hansel grabbed Mouse’s rein and directed him, clip-clopping, over the drawbridge. ‘Anyway, it’s just a thought, Cinders.’

  ‘Just a thought,’ she agreed, her mind wandering as she followed her friends. ‘I’m sure it’s not the case. I mean, if I was a fairy princess, even half a one, surely I’d be better at magic.’ And have neater hair. And princesses hardly ever had to do the dishes. Cinders did the washing-up all the time.

  But, she thought as Bloop the blobble reappeared and waved them on their way, but, but, but … What if Hansel was right?

  What if her mum was the missing fairy princess?

  What if she was a fairy princess too?

  The creatures of the Dark Forest didn’t usually get a lot of visitors, but, on this particular day, the dank, dismal woodland was busier than a very busy place indeed. First Cinders, Hansel, Sparks and Mouse had travelled along its tracks, followed by a brave Prince Joderick Jorenson Picklebottom, and now, as the sun began to set, one more citizen from the kingdom rode his horse into the forest.

  The Huntsman.

  A little way back from the dense line of trees, at a safe distance from any stray nobbledizooks who might be passing by, Margery, Elly, Aggy and the royal family watched him disappear into the darkness on his tall black horse.

  ‘Do you think he’ll find my beloved prince?’ asked Elly, more hopeful than she was afraid.

  ‘Let’s hope so,’ Margery sniffed.

  ‘Do you think he’ll find Cinders?’ asked Aggy, more afraid than she was hopeful.

  ‘Let’s hope not,’ Margery muttered.

  ‘The Huntsman has never failed on a mission,’ King Picklebottom said, tucking his thumbs into his belt. It was new and the buckle was very shiny and he really wanted everyone to see it. ‘Well, except for that one time …’

  ‘He’ll have both of them back home before sunset tomorrow,’ the queen confirmed. ‘Right where they belong. Joderick in the palace, and Cinders in the dungeon.’

  As the black horse rode further into the forest, the sounds of the royal family faded away. The deadly nightshade closed up its petals and even the munklepoops ran to hide as the Huntsman rode by. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of him and, even though she didn’t know it, that was exactly where Cinders was at that very moment.

  His horse seemed to fly through the woods, the trees bending and bowing to make room, and the darkness didn’t bother him at all. He could see perfectly well without the sun. As he rode onwards, not far from the three bears’ cottage, a certain fairy godmother popped into the forest with a fizz and a crackle and a sprinkling of silver sparkles.

  ‘Cinders?’ Brian called out. ‘Did you call?’

  Of course Cinders had called, except it had been several hours earlier, and now she was many, many miles away. Fairy communications were far from reliable. Much better to send a text or something, but, for the life of her, Brian couldn’t work out mobile phones. Too many buttons, not enough magic and, for some reason, hers was always tweeting. She once took it apart, looking for a little bird inside, but she couldn’t find anything but wires and the like.

  ‘Cinders! Where are you?’

  The fairy was investigating a suspicious blue spot on her pale pink skirt when she realised she was not alone. In front of her, on top of a massive horse, was a tall man with a thick beard, dressed all in black.

  ‘You’re not Cinders,’ she said simply.

  The Huntsman grabbed his horse’s reins and pulled them sharply, making the horse rear up on its back legs (which it really didn’t enjoy at all).

  ‘Where is the girl?’ he barked.

  Brian eyed him warily. This was why she preferred not to leave Fairyland. You never knew when you were going to run into complete twonks like this.

  ‘I’m sorry, have we met?’ she asked politely.

  ‘Tell me where she is or I’ll chop off your head,’ the Huntsman roared, brandishing a rather impressive sword. If you were into that kind of thing.

  ‘You, sir, are very rude,’ Brian replied.

  It was a shame, really, she thought to herself. If he shaved off the beard or at least trimmed it a bit, he’d be quite a good-looking chap. She might have invited him to tea if he hadn’t been trying to hunt down her fairy goddaughter.

  ‘I will find her with or without your help,’ the Huntsman said, giving Brian quite the look before spurring his horse on and disappearing into the darkness.

  ‘Oh, I say,’ Brian muttered. ‘What a drama queen. All talk and no trousers, that one. I can tell.’

  And, even though she was pretty sure she could take him if it came down to a fight, she waved her wings and disappeared.

  Better to find Cinders before the Huntsman did, just in case …

  Do you remember where it all began? Read on for an extract from book one …

  ‘A long time ago, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a girl. And, even though the girl was humble and poor, she was as kind as she was beautiful and, whenever she passed by, all the townsfolk would say she was—’

  ‘Incredibly boring?’

  A young girl with messy hair and bright eyes stood in the doorway, yawning so hard her head almost fell right off her shoulders.

  ‘Good morning, Cinders.’ Margery, the storyteller and the girl’s stepmother, gave her a stern look. ‘Have you finished all your chores already?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Cinders.

  ‘You’ve chopped the wood?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Cinders.

  ‘You’ve fed the pigs?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Cinders.

  ‘Done all the dishes?’

  Cinders looked back at the pile of plates, bowls and saucepans stacked up in the sink. She had not done all the dishes. She had not done any of the dishes.

  ‘Yes,’ said Cinders, swiftly stepping to the side to block her stepmother’s view of the kitchen. ‘May I go outside now?’

  ‘No,’ replied Margery, turning back to her book. ‘Ladies don’t play outside.’

  ‘Ladies stay inside and sit nicely,’ Cinders’s stepsister, Agnes, announced from her seat on the sofa. ‘Like us, listening to Mother reading. Ladies don’t ruin their dresses in the mud as you always do.’

  ‘I like reading but I like reading for myself, not listening to Margery,’ Cinders muttered, scratching at a stain on the hem of her dress. What had she spilled on it that was purple? ‘She doesn’t do all the voices. And I’d rather read outside, not cooped up in here. Sometimes it gets a bit muddy – I can’t help that.’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind reading outside,’ piped up Eleanor. ‘It’s a lovely day. Maybe I’d like it.’

  ‘You wouldn’t like it at all,’ Agnes informed her little sister. ‘There are bugs everywhere, and it would be no good at all for your complexion. You want to stay inside with me and Mother.’

  ‘Do I?’ Eleanor replied with a shrug. ‘If you say so …’

  ‘As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,’ Margery said, turning her back on Cinders, ‘there was a beautiful girl in a faraway kingdom and she was loved by everyone she met. She was good and truthful, and she never lied to her stepmother about finishing her chores when there was clearly a sink full of dishes waiting to be washed.’

  Cinders sloped back into the kitchen, turned on the tap and stared out of the window. Not for the first time she wished the elves would make some kind of device for washing dishes instead of just useless things, like phones for playing games. A washy-dishy-thingy. Hmm. The name might need work.

  Cinders sighed. Trust Eleanor to side with Agnes. They always ganged up against her. Before her father had remarried, she’d dreamed of having a loving mother and a sibling to play with, but instead she’d been saddled with Miserable Marg
ery and the Terrible Twosome. Margery wasn’t so bad, but she thought about nothing but herself and how she looked and what people thought of her and her girls. She was always nagging Cinders, punishing her messiness and forgetfulness with chores, chores and more chores. It hadn’t been so bad when they’d first come to live in her pink cottage at the edge of the woods, but, as they’d got older, Cinders had realised her stepmother was always going to be bossy and boring, and that she and her stepsisters had absolutely nothing in common.

  Books by Lindsey Kelk

  The fantastic Cinders and Sparks adventures in reading order:

  MAGIC AT MIDNIGHT

  FAIRIES IN THE FOREST

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