Prilla, the one and only mainlandvisiting-clapping-talent fairy, was a newer arrival. She had not yet taken part in this special event.
“It’s a series of fun and challenging clues for you to solve that take you all over Never Land,” the queen explained. “You get to pair up with anyone you want.”
“And don’t forget about the box lunches!” cried a sparrow man. “They’re delicious!”
Everyone laughed. The box lunches were a special treat. Each fairy and sparrow-man got his or her favorite sandwich, on his or her favorite bread. They picked their favorite cookies, a piece of fruit, and a canteen full of their favorite drink. Rani smiled just thinking of it. She’d have raspberry lemonade for sure.
“How many clues are there?” Prilla wanted to know.
“There are four clues in all,” the queen answered. “Tomorrow morning in the courtyard you will pick your partner. Once everyone is paired up, we will hand out the very first clue. If you get it right, it will lead you to the second clue. And so on.”
“What is the treasure this year?” asked Vidia in her usual haughty tone. “A shiny silver bauble? A sparkly trinket?” She sounded uninterested, but Rani was close enough to see the gleam of competition in her eye.
“A private luncheon in my gazebo,” said Queen Clarion. “And afterward, a special viewing of the Fairy Jewels.”
There was a gasp. The Fairy Jewels! What a treat! Vidia tried to look indifferent, but Rani knew that even she would be honored to have a private viewing of the special gems and precious objects that had been passed down from fairy queen to fairy queen.
“So come to the courtyard at sunrise,” the queen finished. “We will hand out lunches and the first clue to each team.” She paused. “May the best fairy team win!”
“Hooray!” the fairies all cheered. Queen Clarion looked pleased. She was a wise ruler who knew how to keep things running smoothly. A day of goodnatured competition, of no work, of roaming around Never Land with a friend, was just what the fairies needed. And then things could return to normal.
The serving talents had begun to pass out dessert. Lympia, a laundry-talent fairy, leaned over from her seat at the next table. “Are you as excited about the Fairy Treasure Hunt as I am?” she asked Rani.
“Yes,” said Rani. She tried to decide between an acorn tart and blueberry crumble. Maybe the acorn tart today. She reached for it.
Lympia’s eyes were sparkling. “You know,” she confided, “it’s not the clues, or the competition, or even the possibility of winning that I love the best. I spend so much time in the laundry room, it’s a treat for me to get to fly all over Never Land. The wind in my wings, the…” Suddenly, she trailed off and bit her lip. Rani was confused for a moment. Why was there a flicker of pity in Lympia’s eyes?
Then Rani realized what Lympia was thinking. “Yes, I enjoy the view from Brother Dove’s back, too,” Rani said lightly. She put the dessert back down. She had lost her appetite.
“Oh, it’s almost the same thing, isn’t it?” said Lympia. But the look on her face told Rani that she didn’t believe it, even for an instant.
Now Rani was determined not just to do well in the treasure hunt. She had to win it. She wanted to prove that you didn’t need wings to be the best fairy. To prepare, she decided she’d go to the library to look at some maps of Never Land.
The library was empty except for one scribe talent named Tome, who was reshelving some gardening books. Rani gave him a smile, then went straight to work. She pulled books off the shelves and maps off the rack. The words and pictures filled her mind with fairy history, legends, and landmarks.
She learned more than she’d ever thought she’d want to know about fairy-Tiffen relations. She read about Kyto the dragon’s ancestors. And she found out that the traditional fairy greeting “Fly with you” had evolved from the much wordier “I would happily fly with you to the farthest reaches of Never Arbor and to the top of Torth Mountain if you asked.”
What a mouthful!
Tome whispered good night and shut off all but one of the firefly lanterns.
Rani mumbled a reply, but she was caught up in the story of Captain Hook. Finally, the last lightning bug winked out for the night. Rani fell asleep, her cheek pressed against a page about mermaids.
BANG! RANI JOLTED AWAKE as a door in the Home Tree slammed shut. She looked around, bewildered. Where was she? All around her were books and maps. Oh, dear—she had fallen asleep in the library!
Luckily, she hadn’t drooled on the pages of the book she had used as a pillow. The scribe talents would have had a thing or two to say about that! As she yawned and stretched, a thought broke through to her sleepy mind. She was late!
Hurrying into the courtyard, Rani took a quick look around. Most of the fairies were already standing in groups of two. She was even later than she’d thought. Rani breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted her best friend, Tinker Bell. Surely Tink had waited for her!
“Partners?” Rani asked. She touched Tink’s shoulder. But Tink turned around with a guilty look on her face. Next to Tink stood Prilla, who was obviously her teammate.
“But you weren’t here,” Tink said. “I thought you already had a partner.”
Rani nodded sadly. She made her way through the crowd. Silvermist had partnered up with a pots-and-pans talent named Zuzu. Rani’s friend Lily, a garden talent, was deep in conversation with her partner, Violet, a dyeing talent. Fira, a light talent, was whispering with Bess, an art talent. Amaryllis, a butterfly-herding talent, had chosen Aidan, the crown-repair sparrow man.
“I’m sorry, Rani,” said Lily when she saw her friend standing by herself. “If I’d known you didn’t have a partner…” Her voice trailed off.
Rani gave Lily a wan smile. She was very certain that her friends must have figured she already had a partner. But still, she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of doubt. Maybe nobody wants to be my partner because I don’t have wings, she thought.
She stood to the side, all alone, her heart growing heavier and heavier. Everyone was partnered up. Even—and Rani did a double take when she saw this—even crabby Vidia had found a partner. Vidia raised an eyebrow when Rani wandered by.
Dulcie, a baking talent and Vidia’s partner, gave Rani an If I had only known look. Rani felt a small amount of satisfaction. But it was short-lived, because the truth was that every fairy had someone. Every fairy except Rani.
Rani’s eyes filled with tears. She cried even more easily than most water talents. Thankfully, the sewing talents had made sure that all her dresses had several pockets. She needed them to hold her many leafkerchiefs. She pulled one out and blew her nose loudly.
Suddenly, Queen Clarion breezed over to her side. “Rani, how lucky!” she exclaimed. “You need a partner, and I have the perfect one!”
Rani turned, an eager look on her face. The queen smiled and presented Rani’s “perfect partner.” Rani’s heart sank. Before her stood—Ronan.
Was the queen serious? Ronan was too slow to be a good partner. And he felt sorry for Rani for not having wings. He had said so just the evening before. This was not going to work!
Rani smiled at Ronan politely. Then she asked for a private word with the queen.
“Is something wrong, Rani?” Queen Clarion asked with a half-smile on her face. To Rani, it looked as if she had a secret.
“I…I…don’t think Ronan is the best partner for me,” Rani managed to say.
“There’s no one else,” the queen explained. She looked into Rani’s eyes. “You might be surprised. I believe you and Ronan are better suited than you think.”
“But…but…,” Rani spluttered. Before she could get the words out, the queen had flown to the top of a nearby rock. The crowd noticed and quieted down. The Fairy Treasure Hunt was about to begin.
Now that everyone had chosen their partners, Queen Clarion announced, the first clues would be handed out.
“One last word of advice,” said the queen. “Be sure to thin
k twice and work with your partner. This is all about teamwork.”
Teamwork, thought Rani. All the other fairies were milling about excitedly. Meanwhile, she watched her partner lower himself to the ground. He leaned back against a toadstool and closed his eyes.
Oh, my goodness! Rani thought. He’s going to take a nap!
Ronan yawned.
Well, I certainly have my work cut out for me, Rani thought.
RANI WAS WORRIED. She had whistled for Brother Dove several minutes ago and he still wasn’t there. Maybe he had gone to her room instead? Sometimes he met her on the branch outside her window. She decided to check.
On the way, she glanced back and saw that the queen’s helpers had started handing out clue envelopes. A crowd of fairies pushed and jostled to get their clue first. Rani’s partner still sat on the ground, watching with amusement.
Well, at least he’s awake now, Rani thought.
When Rani reached the Home Tree, Vidia was stretched out on the front steps. Rani simply wasn’t in the mood to talk to the prickly fairy. She gave Vidia a curt nod.
“Rani, dearest,” the fast-flying talent drawled. Vidia always used terms of endearment she didn’t mean. “I’m waiting for my too-sweet-for-words partner. She has decided we can’t go on the hunt without a dozen freshly baked maple-nut muffins.”
Vidia rolled her eyes. “We’re certainly an odd pair, aren’t we?” she said. “But not quite as mismatched as you and your partner. Did I see him napping out there?”
Rani nodded. She hated to agree with Vidia. But this time Vidia was right. She and Ronan were a real mismatch.
“I doubt you two will get any farther than the dairy barn,” Vidia mocked. “I hope you don’t mind coming in last.”
Rani felt her cheeks get warm. She knew she should just keep going. Talking to Vidia would only make her say something stupid. But she couldn’t help herself. “Team Rani is going to beat Team Vidia hands down!” she blurted out.
Oh, dear, why did I say that? she thought in alarm.
For a moment, Vidia looked surprised. Then she recovered and laughed. “Would you like to bet on that?” she asked.
“Fine,” said Rani. She put her hands into her pockets. She didn’t want Vidia to notice that they were trembling.
“All right, then.” Vidia’s eyes glittered as she spoke. Rani knew that Vidia was imagining all the awful things she could make Rani do. “If Team Rani beats Team Vidia, your wish will be my command for one week. And if Team Vidia beats Team Rani, you’ll do what I want.”
Rani gulped. That sounded horrid! Was she crazy? What were the chances that a wingless fairy would beat the fastest of the fast-flying talents? She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
Vidia crossed her arms and arched her eyebrows. “Are the stakes too high for you, Rani dearest? Having second thoughts?”
“No!” Rani managed to say. “I accept!”
Rani turned and ran inside, her stomach in knots. What have I gotten myself into? she wondered.
Upstairs, she quickly checked for Brother Dove, but there was no sign of him. With a sigh, she headed back to the courtyard. By then, the sick feeling had begun to pass. Instead, to her surprise, she only felt excitement.
So what if I made a bet I can’t win? And so what if I have the worst—no, scratch that, she thought, remembering Vidia—the second-worst possible partner in all of Pixie Hollow? It was Fairy Treasure Hunt Day, for goodness’ sake! It was bright and sunny, with a bit of a cool breeze. There were clues to find and puzzles to solve…and Rani loved a good challenge.
The courtyard was nearly empty. Envelopes were scattered everywhere. Many of the teams, eager to start the hunt, had hastily torn open the clues. Hardly pausing to read them, the fairies had taken off into the air.
To her relief, Rani spotted Brother Dove right away. But why were Beck and her partner, Jerome, there? Why was Beck checking Brother Dove’s wing? And why did Ronan look so concerned?
Beck looked up and saw Rani. The animal talent gave her a reassuring smile. “Brother Dove hurt his wing last night,” Beck said. “I’m going to bandage it for him, but he shouldn’t fly for a couple of days. So he has sent for his relative Cousin Dove to take his place until he’s better.”
All thoughts of the treasure hunt vanished. “Are you sure he’s going to be okay?” Rani asked. Her brow wrinkled with concern.
“I’m sure,” said Beck. “He just needs a few days to recover.”
Rani reached over and patted Brother Dove’s good wing. “Get well, Brother Dove,” she said. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Brother Dove nodded in thanks. Just then, there was a loud fluttering of wings and quite a bit of squawking. Everyone looked up to see a smaller version of Brother Dove land beside them.
“This is Cousin Dove,” Beck told them. The bird chirped excitedly, and Beck listened, ready to translate. She looked for all the world as if she was trying not to laugh. “Actually, he says he prefers to be called Hawk,” she added.
“Hawk?” Ronan said.
“Hawk?” Rani repeated. Cousin Dove was a bit on the scrawny side, if you asked her.
The bird nodded briskly and made cooing noises.
Beck’s mouth twitched at the corners. “Yes, Hawk,” she said. “Hawk is honored to be your wings today. And he says that if you like him, he can take over for Brother Dove full-time.”
Brother Dove gave Hawk a stern glare, and the little bird had the good sense to look embarrassed. Ronan chuckled, and Rani couldn’t help laughing herself. Hawk certainly was a cheeky bird!
“Tell Cousin Dove—I mean Hawk—that I am pleased to have him be my wings.” Rani left it at that. She gave Brother Dove a quick squeeze around the neck. Meanwhile, Hawk was chirping away as Beck bandaged Brother Dove’s hurt wing.
Beck grinned as she said, “Cousin Dove would also like you to know that his eyesight is so sharp he can see a worm from a mile away. He can fly for days without stopping for food or drink, and—” Just then, Brother Dove made a warning sound, and Cousin Dove stopped bragging. “Well, you get the picture,” said Beck. This time she really did laugh out loud.
“Tell him we just need him to fly straight and follow our directions,” Rani explained. But she was amused by the eager young bird. He obviously wanted to make a good impression.
“Ahem,” Beck’s partner, Jerome, cut in.
“Oh!” cried Beck. She had completely forgotten about Jerome. He had been waiting patiently for Beck, and now that things were settled with Rani, he was ready to get started. “I guess I had better go! Are you sure everything is okay, Rani?”
Rani nodded. She watched Beck and Jerome take off into the air. Jerome was pointing in one direction. Beck pointed in another.
“One more thing!” Beck shouted to Rani. “Hawk has a terrible fear of—”
“—criticism?” finished Rani.
“No!” said Beck.
“Lightning?” suggested Rani.
“No!” said Beck. She called out something else, but the wind carried her words away. Rani could see Beck and Jerome arguing, midair. Finally, Jerome shrugged. He took off in the direction Beck was pointing.
Oh, well. Rani guessed she and Ronan would find out what Hawk was terrified of, one way or another.
Queen Clarion came over to where Rani, Hawk, and Ronan were standing. “Remember my words,” she told them before she flew away. “Work together. You just may be happy that you overslept, Rani.”
Not likely, thought Rani. Then she looked at her partner. And if I were Ronan, she imagined, I would be upset that we were getting such a late start because of me. But Ronan just grinned back at her.
“Ready?” she asked, eager to get going.
“Not yet,” said Ronan.
“Ronan, we’re already so far behind everyone!” she cried. But Ronan shook his head.
Rani groaned. What was the problem now?
RONAN HELD UP the envelope. “Let’s figure out the fir
st clue before we take off,” he said.
Rani frowned. “I think we should start flying and read the clue on the way,” she suggested.
“I think we should take our time now…,” Ronan started to say.
Of course you do, thought Rani. You never do anything quickly!
“…rather than flying off in the wrong direction and have to begin all over again.”
Rani sighed, but nodded. She nearly wanted to scream as Ronan bent over to pick up a twig to use as a letter opener. Slowly, he unsealed the envelope, took out the clue, folded the envelope into quarters, and put it in his pocket. At last he looked at the clue. He cleared his throat.
“‘I may be a place for sitting, but I am royally uncomfortable,’” he read. His brow wrinkled. “‘Royally uncomfortable’? What does that mean?”
Ronan sat down on a pebble. He put his hand to his chin, deep in thought.
With another sigh, Rani sank onto a small toadstool next to the sparrow man. Hmmm.…Rani thought about the chairs in Pixie Hollow. The chair-talent fairies made sure that they were all super-comfortable, so she knew the clue couldn’t be about a fairy-made chair.
“Could it be that chair in the library with the loose spring?” Ronan asked slowly. “It poked me in the—Well, let’s just say it was pretty uncomfortable!”
Rani frowned. “I don’t think that’s it,” she said. “I think the important clue here is royally. You know, like a king or queen.”
Ronan nodded. “Could it be one of the chairs in Queen Clarion’s chambers? That would mean it was royal,” he said.
“But it doesn’t explain the uncomfortable part,” said Rani. Why are we just sitting here when we could be thinking and flying? she wondered.
“Rani,” Ronan said, interrupting her thoughts. “A chair made of stone would be uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?”
“Probably,” Rani agreed.
“Isn’t there a lookout chair made of stone near the lagoon?”
“Yes!” she cried. She jumped to her feet. “And it’s called the Throne! That’s definitely it!”
Disney Fairies: Four Clues for Rani Page 2