by E. D. Baker
Chapter 14
“Roar!”
Annie was out of bed, standing up, before she was even awake. The sound had been terrifying, and as she tottered on her feet, she looked around, half expecting to see the ceiling caving in or a dragon tearing down the walls. She was surprised to find that everything was just as she’d left it when she’d fallen asleep in the clean but shabby bedroom. The sound came again, just as loud and just as terrifying.
“Annie, are you all right?” Liam shouted, throwing open the door.
“I’m fine,” she said as she hurried to join him. “What was that?”
“Good morning!” Lizette called out in a cheerful voice, appearing in the doorway of her own room. “I thought I’d let you sleep in while breakfast was cooking, but no one could sleep through that!”
“What made that sound?” Liam asked her.
“I’m sure it was just one of the workmen upset about something. It happens all the time. You get used to it eventually. Grimsby went downstairs to talk to them. He’ll be joining us for breakfast, so if you’d like to get ready …,” Lizette said, giving Annie’s borrowed nightgown a pointed glance.
“Give me five minutes,” Annie said as she closed the door.
She turned around, surprised to see that her bed had been made and her own clothes were clean, dry, and draped across a chair. “That’s odd,” she murmured. She hadn’t seen anyone, nor had she heard any magic.
It took her only minutes to get dressed. She was ready with her hair brushed and the nightgown folded neatly on the bed when the five minutes were up. The aroma of frying bacon and fresh-baked bread greeted her when she opened the door, making her mouth water. Lizette wasn’t there, but a moment later Liam stepped out of the room across the hall.
“You were fast,” said Liam. “Lizette said to go to the dining room at the bottom of the stairs when we were ready.”
“But there was nothing in it,” said Annie.
Liam shrugged. “We could sit on the floor for all I care, as long as they feed us.”
“We need to get on the road as soon as we can,” Annie told him as they started down the stairs.
Liam nodded. “We should reach the Garden of Happiness in just a few hours, then we can start back to your parents’ castle.”
“Why are you going to the Garden of Happiness?” Lizette asked as the door at the bottom of the stairs opened. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear you.”
“We’re looking for the fairy Moonbeam, and we were told she’d gone there to visit her friend,” said Annie.
Lizette raised one eyebrow. “Why do you need Moonbeam?”
“It’s a long story,” Annie replied.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Annie was surprised to see that the table was back, along with four chairs and a sideboard. Grimsby was already seated at the table, drinking something cold and frothy. Platters of steaming bacon, biscuits, venison sausage, herbed potatoes, and cooked mixed grains rested on the sideboard.
“Oh, my,” said Annie. “Where did all this food come from? I mean, how could you cook it with your home so torn up?”
Lizette laughed, a loud shriek that reminded Annie of the first time they’d met. Annie and Liam had come with Cozwald, a prince who had thought Lizette needed rescuing, especially when they’d heard her shrieking and believed the ogre was killing her.
Annie and Liam both looked confused now, but Grimsby laughed with his bride, a gentle sound compared to the shrill noise she was making. When she was finally wiping tears from her eyes, she smiled at Annie and said, “I didn’t cook any of this. Our servants did, just like they always do.”
“What servants?” Liam asked, looking around.
“Our invisible servants, of course,” said Lizette.
“Every wealthy ogre household has them,” Grimsby explained.
“Someone did make my bed and wash my clothes,” said Annie. “I didn’t hear any magic, though.”
Lizette gestured for Annie and Liam to help themselves from the sideboard. “You said last night that magic cannot touch you, so I assume you did your own hair. Otherwise the servants would have brushed your hair and helped you dress this morning.”
“Doesn’t that bother you?” asked Annie. “You’d never know when an invisible servant is in the room.”
Lizette sighed. “It’s just something else I had to get used to. Now, you never did tell me why you need Moonbeam. Is something wrong?”
Annie nodded. “Everything! Liam and I were supposed to get married a few days ago, but then one thing after another happened …”
While Annie and Liam piled their plates high with food and sat down to eat, they took turns telling Lizette and Grimsby about the day they were supposed to get married. They also told them about everything they’d gone through after leaving the castle.
“And now you want to see Moonbeam?” said Grimsby. “What are you going to ask her to do?”
Annie glanced at Liam. They hadn’t really discussed what they would say to Moonbeam or what they needed from her. Annie knew they wanted her help, but she wasn’t sure what form it should take. Knowing Moonbeam, it would be better to tell her something precise, rather than let her make it up as she went along.
Annie wanted Moonbeam to make the mischief stop, end King Dormander’s siege, and send the evil wizard away. What she’d really like, however, was to have everything back the way it had been before their wedding was disrupted. Unfortunately, that kind of magic was probably more than even the most powerful fairy could handle.
“We’re not sure what we’re going to tell Moonbeam,” Annie told Grimsby. “But we do have to decide soon.”
“And we need to get going,” Liam said, setting his tankard on the table. “We have a lot to do today.”
“I was wondering, Lizette,” Annie said as Liam got to his feet. “Would you and Grimsby like to come to our wedding? I know it’s a little late to ask you, but—”
“We’d love to!” cried Lizette. “Wouldn’t we, Grimsby?”
The ogre nodded, taking his bride’s delicate hand in his big, rough one. “It will be the second wedding I’ve attended. Our wedding was the first.”
“We’re going to hold it as soon as we can after we have everything straightened out,” said Annie. Liam pulled her chair back for her as she stood. “Thank you for your kind hospitality.”
“And for locking up those men,” said Liam. “If you wouldn’t mind holding on to them for a few days, we should have everything settled.”
“No problem,” Grimsby replied. “I’ll be right back, my love. I’m going to see our guests to the door.”
“Annie, Liam, I’ll see you soon!” called Lizette, waving good-bye as they started toward the stairs that led to the lower floors.
“Wait,” Grimsby said when they reached the staircase. “I should go first. The workmen are down there and some of them aren’t very happy right now.”
Even from the top of the stairs they could hear hammering and the sound of heavy things being moved two floors below. Someone dropped something and yelped while someone else shouted orders. When the group reached the first floor and walked into the hall, Annie was glad that Grimsby had gone first. Three ogres who were bigger and nastier looking than Grimsby were carrying huge slabs of granite to the fireplace at the far end. Another ogre who was dragging an even heavier block stopped when he saw them, squinted his eyes, and growled.
“Now Lummox, these are friends of mine,” said Grimsby. “No need to get worked up.”
“Humans!” said the ogre. “They responsible for the mess I found this morning? Had to clean it up before I got started. No respect for other people’s property, if you ask me. Not staying here, are they?”
“No, no, just passing through,” Grimsby said as he hustled Annie and Liam to the door.
They walked around a crew of dwarves laying a new floor and a gnome carving woodwork. Every one of the workers looked at them with dislike. “They got Lummox mad, now we
have to put up with him,” one of them muttered.
“Sorry about the horses,” Liam said once they were outside. “We didn’t mean to make a mess.”
“Or be disrespectful,” said Annie.
“Don’t listen to Lummox,” Grimsby told them. “He’s happiest when he has something to complain about. The servants had cleaned up the mess before he got here, but he said it wasn’t clean enough. Ogres have a very refined sense of smell, you know. Even better than giants. You may have heard that giants can smell the blood inside your body. Some ogres can smell your bones. Here we go, the servants got your horses ready for you. Ogres don’t ride, so I didn’t have a stable before I married Lizette. I just had one built so she can keep some horses here. Good luck at the Garden of Happiness. I don’t care for the place myself. Too cheerful for my taste, and way too many fairies!”
As Grimsby strode back into the castle, Annie and Liam turned to the horses. Their reins had been tied to a hitching post that hadn’t been there the night before, and they both looked groomed and well fed. Otis nickered when he saw Annie, nuzzling her neck when she reached for his reins.
“That was an interesting visit,” Annie said as Liam boosted her onto Otis’s saddle. “I like Grimsby a lot more than I thought I would, although I didn’t care for his workmen, especially Lummox.”
“I guess ogres are like humans,” Liam said as he untied his horse’s reins. “Some are nicer than others. At least the weather is good today. We should reach the garden in a few hours.”
“I just hope Moonbeam is there,” said Annie. “We have no idea how my family is doing. I can’t bear to be away from home much longer!”
The finch joined them before they had gone very far, trilling a wordless morning song. Annie liked it, but Liam looked annoyed and refused to let the bird sit on his shoulder while she was singing. When the finch finished her song, she hopped from Hunter’s forelock back onto Liam’s shoulder. “Where are we going today? Are you going to visit another ogre?”
“Actually, we’re visiting a fairy,” Annie told her. “She lives in a beautiful garden.”
“I like gardens, especially the kind with seeds,” the finch said, shifting from one foot to the other.
“You’ve already repaid me for letting you out of the ogre’s cage,” said Annie. “You don’t need to watch over me any longer.”
“But I haven’t saved your life yet! Telling you things isn’t enough. I’ll be right back. I think I see a tasty worm!”
“So we have a new permanent companion?” Liam asked Annie as the finch flew to the ground.
Annie shrugged. “Or until she believes she’s saved my life.”
It was midafternoon when they reached the village closest to the Garden of Happiness. They passed the inn where they had eaten with Prince Andreas and continued on to the path that led to the garden belonging to the fairy Sweetness N Light. Lined with a wild profusion of flowers, the path was easy to find. Even in the shade of the forest, there were flowers growing hip high on both sides. Tempted by so many delicious plants, the horses struggled against their reins as Annie and Liam made them keep going.
It wasn’t long before they spotted a brook running alongside the path. “Hello!” said the brook in a watery, wavery kind of voice. “How are you today? Have you ever … Wait, I remember you! Ooh! You are in trouble! Everyone is so mad at you. I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Why are we in trouble?” asked Annie. “What have we done to make them mad?”
“If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you,” said the brook. “But I will tell everyone that you’re here. There, I just did. They’re getting worked up now! Ooh, Dandelion’s face is so red, I think she’s going to pop! And Lupine is clenching her fists. And Snapdragon is—”
“That’s enough,” said Liam. “We don’t need a complete rundown of how mad everyone is.”
“Is Sweetness N Light here?” asked Annie. “Does she have a guest named Moonbeam?”
The brook gasped. “How did you know? Have you been spying on us? I wouldn’t put it past someone as low and sneaky and—”
“What did we do? Why are you saying these things?” Annie asked.
“I don’t know,” said the brook. “You should ask Sweetness N Light. She’s mad at you, too.”
“Look, there they are!” cried a fairy as a group of them flew into the woods. “You have a lot of nerve coming here, Princess!”
“Why? What did we do?” Annie asked them.
“Don’t play stupid with us! We know you know what you did. You did it on purpose, too, so don’t fib and say you didn’t.”
“But I … Ow! That hurt!” One of the fairies had thrown a berry at her, hitting her right between the eyes.
Suddenly the air was filled with flying berries as the fairies pelted Annie and Liam. Liam shouted and swatted at the fairies, while Annie wrapped her arms around her head and ducked. Fortunately, Otis kept walking, carrying them down the path to the open meadow. Liam chased most of the fairies off, so Annie was able to dismount without getting hit. The gelding started cropping flowers before Annie had dismounted, and didn’t seem to care when she tied his reins to a tree branch.
“Where will we find Sweetness N Light?” Annie asked the brook.
“At the waterfall,” said the brook even as a chorus of fairies sang out, “Don’t tell them anything!”
Annie and Liam knew the way to the waterfall, but it wasn’t as easy to reach as it had been the last time. Although the white-stone path was empty of flowers, it was filled with fairies no bigger than Annie’s little finger, getting in their way while insulting them by calling out, “Stinky Breath,” “Werewolf Butt,” “Moldy Pants,” and even more awful names.
Liam acted as if they weren’t there, putting his feet down wherever he wanted to, so that they had to dart out of the way or risk getting squashed. Annie was more careful, however, trying to place her feet to avoid stepping on the fairies who were taunting her. The fairies soon saw what she was doing and began to gather in front of her so she had no place to step.
Liam glanced back when he realized that she wasn’t with him. “Just keep walking or they’ll never let you past.”
Still not wanting to hurt them, Annie began to shuffle forward, trying to push them out of her way. That seemed to make them angrier, however, and they attacked her. While some snagged her feet to trip her, others tried to push her into the brook.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” the brook cried when Annie staggered and almost fell into the water. “I don’t want her near me.”
“I’ll save you, Princess!” the finch chirped, seeming to appear out of nowhere. Fluttering her wings, the finch flew in the faces of the fairies that were shoving at Annie, chirping madly all the while. The fairies backed off, and Annie was able to regain her balance.
The fairies were about to attack her again when Liam turned around. Scowling, he strode to her side and scooped her up, cradling her in his arms as he headed for the waterfall. Although the fairies clustered around Liam and called out names, they kept their distance and didn’t try to trip him.
Annie and Liam didn’t have to go far before they reached the top of the waterfall. Passing the underbrush, they saw three full-size people sitting beside the pool at the base of the falls. All three were sipping from tulip cups and eating peeled grapes. While the two fairy women laughed and chatted, the third person, a short, pudgy, balding man, looked bored, as if he’d rather be anywhere but there.
At the approach of the prince and princess, the man looked up. He was smiling when he nudged his wife and said, “Look who’s here!”
Moonbeam’s mouth spread wide in a huge smile when she saw them. “My two most favorite people!” she cried. “Without you, I never would have met my beloved Selbert!” Scooting to the side, she patted the ground beside her. “Come join us!”
The moment she laid her eyes on them, Sweetness N Light began to scowl. It wasn’t an ordinary scowl, but a fearsome scowl that would
have looked more fitting on the face of Terobella, the evilest witch in all the kingdoms, if she hadn’t already been turned into snail slime.
“What are you doing here?” Sweetness N Light asked as if the words tasted bad. “You’re not welcome in my garden, especially after what you’ve done!”
“What are you talking about?” asked Annie.
Sweetness N Light’s scowl deepened. Raising her hand high in the air, she made an intricate gesture while calling out, “Come to me, my fairy friends. I have work for you to do! Take these two and—”
“I mean it,” said Annie. “What are you talking about? Your fairies said I had done something, but they wouldn’t tell me what it is.”
“Don’t play stupid with me!” Sweetness N Light snarled.
Annie had had enough. After everything she had gone through, she didn’t need or deserve the disdain of the fairies as well. Suddenly, she lost her temper, something she so rarely did that even Liam looked at her in surprise. “I am not playing anything,” she shouted. “I invite you to my wedding and you don’t even bother to reply, let alone show up. Then someone uses magic to ruin my wedding, and a king I’ve never even heard of lays siege to the castle and there’s a storm and everything is flooded and I have to go look for Moonbeam! Then every fairy in Treecrest treats me like I’m some horrible monster! No, I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but I’m tired of worrying about everyone else and thinking about their feelings when it was supposed to be my wedding day. Instead of being the person to help everyone, I’m the one who people should help for a change! Isn’t it enough that all these awful things happened, without you tormenting me as well?”
By the time Annie finished, she was quivering with rage, but when she looked around at all their astonished faces, she was suddenly too tired and too overcome to care about anything. Putting her hands over her face, she let her legs fold under her and she sat down for a good hard cry.
“You invited us?” asked Sweetness N Light, turning from Annie to Liam.
Liam nodded. “We sent out the invitations weeks ago. Your helper Squidge delivered them personally,” he said to Moonbeam.