“Those guards no longer work for you, Ernst.”
The king squared his shoulders. “I see. Where is my wife?”
“Cinder? Oh, you can have her back.” Madam snapped her fingers, and two guards stepped forward, dragging a thin Ella between them. Her feet were shoeless, and her face was smudged with grime. I balled my fists. Madam would pay for that.
The king rushed to his wife, but a guard stopped him.
“Not so fast,” Madam purred. “Hand me the crown, and then you can have your wife.”
The king didn’t hesitate. He took off his crown, and I wanted to scream but didn’t because just then, long white hair and short blue hair flashed in my periphery. Mikka and Tia.
Madam greedily reached out for the crown only to cry out as an ice dagger slammed into her hand. “My fingers!”
Her daughters tried to run to her but couldn’t, their feet rooted to the ground by ice.
“Remember where your loyalties lie,” I sang to the guards. “Arrest her!”
The guards looked from Madam to me.
“Don’t listen to her!” With her uninjured hand, she pulled out a potion from her pocket and flung it at the guards. They stopped in their tracks and then turned on me. Mikka tried to get another shot at Madam but was blocked. Madam threw two more potions, knocking Tia out, while Mikka was tackled to the ground by the guards.
Madam grabbed Queen Ella. “Give me the crown! Now!”
The king extended the crown again, but before Madam could get it, I snatched it from his hand.
Madam’s eyes flashed. “Halia, if you mess with me, your mother will die.”
“Is that so?” I itched to use my singing on Madam, but she was prepared for that. I needed to take her off guard, and I knew just the way to do it, thanks to Mikka and Tia. “Promise me you’ll let her go,” I said, taking a step forward.
Madam smirked. “Why would I want to keep her? She’s really not as special as you all believe her to be.”
I focused my gaze on my mother and mouthed, “Duck!”
“What did you say?” Madam asked. I removed two of my hair combs and flung them at her. She managed to avoid both, and smirked, satisfied, not understanding that this was a distraction.
“Use a sleep potion on yourself.”
Madam’s features went slack as her hand moved into her pocket. “You can’t do that.”
“Use a sleep potion on yourself,” I repeated.
She fished out a black potion from her pocket and began to unscrew it.
“Use a sleep potion on yourself,” I sang for the third time.
She emptied the contents into her mouth, then yelled at the nearby guard, “Get me out of here.”
It took me a moment to comprehend what was going on. I had compelled her, but she had made a move of her own. With Madam swung over his shoulder, the guard ran. I tried to go after her but was blocked by the other guards.
“Stop it! Go to sleep! Now!” My voice broke on the final note, knowing that it was too late. Madam and the guard were too far away. They were out of my reach. If I had Lorenzo, he could’ve teleported with me, but as it was, they had escaped.
“Halia! My girl!” The queen took a step toward me as guards streamed from the castle to lock up the sisters. We had lost Madam, but we had captured her daughters, and my mother was free.
“I’m so horribly sorry for everything I put you through,” the queen said for, at least, the tenth time, still gazing at me as if I wasn’t quite real.
I shook my head. “You were trying to protect me. And if you hadn’t given me away, I doubt I would’ve been able to stand up to Madam and protect Arcadia.” The queen, my mother, shuddered. I took her hand and promised, “I won’t let her hurt you again.”
“She won’t return.” Lorenzo entered the throne room and bowed lowly to the king and queen, then took a spot by my side.
“How do you know?” I asked.
He sighed. “Because she’s a bully, one without magic. She can’t work on her own, and she knows she’s no match for you. Now that she no longer has Queen Ella, Madam really isn’t holding anything over our heads.”
I chewed my lip. “Yes, but I doubt she’ll just lay low. I think she’s going to Urbis. That’s probably where Rumpelstiltskin is. Something very important is happening there. Something that stopped him from assisting Madam here today.”
Lorenzo nodded. “Yes, whatever they’re planning, it’s far from being over.”
The queen stepped forward. “It’s over for Arcadia. We are safe, and now, I finally get to make up for my mistakes.” Her blue eyes filled with tears. “That is, if you’ll allow me to, Halia. Please, let me be the mother I should’ve been all along.”
I gave the queen as much of a smile as I could muster. I was grateful for her wanting me in her life, and I wanted to belong, to have parents, and be somebody’s daughter, but that wouldn’t change the past, it wouldn’t change me growing up as an orphan. And I didn’t want those things to change anyway. The trials I had been through had shaped me into who I was today. I might not know court protocol, but I knew how to stand up for myself and fight for what I loved.
“Halia, please, don’t tell me it’s too late,” the queen whispered, making me realize I hadn’t given her an answer.
“I would love to be your daughter.” I smiled at the king, at my father. “It would be an honor to be a part of your family, but I can’t stay here.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“I need to go to Urbis. If Madam and her colluders aren’t squashed, they’ll eventually return to Arcadia to finish what they started.”
The king shook his head. “I can send my men. You’ve done enough.”
I put my palm over my heart. “I know in my heart that this is the right thing to do. I’m asking you not to hold me back.”
There was so much sadness in the queen’s face, and her throat wobbled, but she nodded. “If that’s what you feel you must do, we shall not stand in your way.” She tilted her head. “Before you go, will you spend some time with us?”
I gave her a genuine smile. “Of course. We still need to finish the competition.” Most of Arcadia’s citizens had recovered from the potions Madam had thrown at them, but they were still shocked. I wanted to reassure them that everything was fine and celebrate with them Madam’s banishment.
Then, I would have to be on my way. As much as I wanted to stay with the king and queen and learn everything about them and what the first months of my life had been like, that would have to wait.
Since Mr. Goodwin had been on Madam’s payroll, it was decided that his assistant, Henry, would take over the competition host responsibilities. On the one hand, it was strange to continue the competition, but on the other hand, I thought it was important to give the people of Arcadia some closure and provide them with entertainment. With the sisters locked up and officially eliminated, only Lana, Hendrix, Deryll, and I would compete in the final round. I was about to make my way to the other contestants, but the queen stopped me.
“Halia, if you don’t mind, I would like you to stay with us.”
“But—”
She glanced at the king, who nodded, a silent conversation passing between the two. “Now that Madam is gone and with you determined to go to Urbis, I want to do what I should’ve done eighteen years ago.”
My breath caught. Certainly, she didn’t mean…
“I want to announce you as my daughter, the princess, and heir to Arcadia.”
I was too overwhelmed to respond.
“That is if you accept those titles.” The queen fumbled with a golden bracelet on her wrist. “I know we haven’t exactly done much for you.” She swallowed hard. “I truly believed that you would be safest at the orphanage. I hope you believe me when I say that I tried my best, that even though I saw no other way but to give you away, I always considered you my daughter.”
My throat laced shut with emotions, but I forced the words out. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this mean
s to me.”
The queen’s face brightened. “We’ll send all of our best fighters with you to Urbis, and when you return, I hope you’ll accept our offer to live in the palace with your family.”
Next to me, Lorenzo, who had been silent the whole conversation, went rigid. I caught the concern in his violent-green eyes and mouthed, “I love you.” Then I took my mother’s hand. “I would love to visit often, but we can’t turn back time. I’m an adult now. I must live on my own.” I glanced at Lorenzo. “I already have a home.”
The queen’s face fell, and I hugged her tightly. “Please, don’t be upset. I’m not trying to hurt you.”
She wiped underneath her eye. “I know you’re not, and children grow up. It’s just that I never got to watch you grow up, and we had to skip to the next phase.”
My spine straightened. “Madam will pay for what she took from us, for everything she did to Arcadia.”
The king nodded. “You are our brave daughter.”
Just then, Henry approached. He bowed lowly. “Your Majesty, everyone is ready.”
The queen rested her elbow on the king’s arm, and together, they strode toward their dais.
Lorenzo gave me a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you after the performance.”
As much as I wanted him to come up with me to the dais, I knew this was not the time to announce that the heir that had materialized out of thin air was also dating a demon. This moment was about Arcadia, not Lorenzo and me.
Thus, I followed my parents alone. With the blood rushing in my ears and my heart pounding, I barely caught what the king said about Madam and her daughters, explaining the situation to his citizens. It was only when he motioned for me to come forward that I got a grip on my nerves.
“Dear citizens of Arcadia,” Mother began. “Most of you don’t know this, but eighteen years ago, my husband and I adopted a baby. Due to the threat to her wellbeing, I wasn’t able to raise the child, but thankfully, now that Madam is gone, I would like to introduce you all to our daughter and the heir to the throne, Halia Charming.”
I stepped forward, the silence from the crowd deafening, their agape mouths making me want to shrink back. Lorenzo was the first to clap. Tia and Mikka joined in, and so did Henry and the other competition contestants, and before I knew it, everyone was clapping and cheering, “Welcome Princess Halia.”
“Thank you, everyone.” The crowd fell silent at my words. “I really appreciate all the support you’ve shown me already as a contestant of the royal competition, and I can’t wait to see all the exciting things that are coming Arcadia’s way.” I motioned at the stage where the singers stood. “As much as I enjoyed singing, this competition is not for royalty. It’s to give an opportunity to a commoner, and thus, I will have to forfeit my spot.”
There were a few boos, but also a lot of applause, and the other participants looked relieved.
I nodded at Henry to start the final round and took my seat next to the queen.
“That was a very kind thing to do,” she said.
“It was the right thing to do.”
The remaining three singers did an amazing job, but it was Deryll, the romantic who won. After all the carnage and the hell Madam had almost unleashed onto Arcadia, it was nice to see love win.
After Deryll accepted the golden statue, the crowd cheered for me to perform. My parents gave me an encouraging smile, and I took to the stage and sang the song I had composed earlier.
Together, we’ll conquer this virus together. Together, we’ll eliminate all darkness with our light. Together, we’ll restore love and peace.
As I sang the last line, I saw them, a group of seven strangers moving toward the stage, toward me. All had golden rings in their eyes, their gaits filled with determination. I knew in my heart that they had come for me.
They each told me their stories, and as difficult as they were to believe, I knew they were telling the truth. They echoed my own, although they were all lucky enough to have grown up to the parents they had been given to. My time with my parents would come, but for now I had to go searching for my real parents.
I swallowed hard, knowing the time to leave had arrived. As hard as it would be, I would have to say goodbye to my parents, Lorenzo, Tia, and Mikka, and journey to Urbis with the seven strangers to save the world.
THE END
A note from the author
The Kingdom of Fairytales authors hope you enjoyed this new way of reading. We don’t think that a series has ever been set with one chapter a day thought a whole year before and we hope we did it justice.
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After the Happily Ever After…
There is more to these stories. You want to know what happens next right? Fast forward eighteen years…
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* * *
PREQUEL
* * *
SLEEPING BEAUTY
1. Queen of Dragons
2. Heiress of Embers
3. Throne of Fury
4. Goddess of Flames
* * *
LITTLE MERMAID
5. Queen of Mermaids
6. Heiress of the Sea
7. Throne of Change
8. Goddess of Water
* * *
RED RIDING HOOD
9. King of Wolves
10. Heir of the Curse
11. Throne of Night
12. God of Shifters
* * *
RAPUNZEL
13. King of Devotion
14. Heir of Thorns
15. Throne of Enchantment
16. God of Loyalty
* * *
RUMPELSTILTSKIN
17. Queen of Unicorns
18. Heiress of Gold
19. Throne of Sacrifice
20. Goddess of Loss
* * *
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
21. King of Beasts
22. Heir of Beauty
23. Throne of Betrayal
24. God of Illusion
* * *
ALADDIN
25. Queen of the Sun
26. Heiress of Shadows
27. Throne of the Phoenix
28. Goddess of Fire
* * *
CINDERELLA
29. Queen of Song
30. Heiress of Melody
31. Throne of Symphony
32. Goddess of Harmony
* * *
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
33. Queen of Clockwork
34. Heiress of Delusion
35. Throne of Cards
36. Goddess of Hearts
* * *
WIZARD OF OZ
37. King of Traitors
38. Heir of Fugitives
39. Throne of Emeralds
40. God of Storms
* * *
SNOW WHITE
41. Queen of Reflections
42. Heiress of Mirrors
43. Throne of Wands
44. Goddess of Magic
* * *
PETER PAN
45. Queen of Skies
46. Heiress of Stars
47. Throne of Feathers
48. Goddess of Air
* * *
URBIS
49. Kingdom of Royalty
50. Kingdom of Power
51. Kingdom of Fairytales
52. Kingdom of Ever After
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These books would not be written without a great many people. Here is our team:
Many thanks to those who have made this possible.
Thank you to Rhi Parkes without whom, this series would never have come about.
Thanks to all the authors.
J.A. Armitage, Audrey Rich, B. Kristen Mcmichael, Emma Savant, Jennifer Ellision, Scarlett Kol, R. Castro, Margo Ryerkerk, Zara Quentin, Laura Greenwood and Anne Stryker
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About J.A. Armitage
J.A lives in a total fantasy world (because reality is boring right?) When she's not writing all the crazy fun in her head, she can be found eating cake, designing pretty pictures and hanging upside down from the tallest climbing frame in the local playground while her children look on in embarrassment. She's travelled the world working as everything from a banana picker in Australia to a Pantomime clown, has climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and the bottom of the Grand Canyon and once gave birth to a surrogate baby for a friend of hers.
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Halia: Daughter of Cinderella Page 35