by Mari Mancusi
“What’s perfect?” Ashley demanded. “Mold?”
“Antibiotics,” Sophie clarified. “Don’t you have some in your bag?”
Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind flashed back to the scene at the airport. The security agents digging through Ashley’s bag. Taking out the shampoo.
And the bottle of her mother’s pills.
“Oh! Right. Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” Ashley unzipped her backpack and started rummaging through. After what seemed an eternity—seriously, what else was in that thing?—she triumphantly yanked a bottle of pills from the sack.
“Ta-da!” she proclaimed, waving it in the air. She gave Sophie a smug look. “And here you thought I overpacked.”
“What is that?” Guinevere asked, peering curiously at the bottle.
Stu grabbed it out of Ashley’s hands and held it out to the queen. “May I present penicillin, my lady,” he said grandly. “The moldy magic that will save us all.”
Three Days Later
Nimue had had her doubts about this whole “modern medicine” idea, but in the end, it worked out extraordinarily well. Looking at Arthur now, sitting on his throne, the color back in his cheeks, she could hardly tell that he’d ever been sick.
Thank you, twenty-first century.
“It’s a true miracle,” she remarked to Emrys, who stood by her side at the back of the great hall along with half of King Arthur’s court. Her apprentice friend was dressed in a brand-new robe—this one tailored to fit him—and he actually looked like a wizard rather than a boy playing dress-up.
She also had a new gown, plucked straight from Guinevere’s closet and made of the softest silk she’d ever felt in her life. It would be hard to go back to her stiff, coarse druid robes after this. But she would enjoy it while it lasted. Tonight, she would dance at a royal ball. Just as she’d always dreamed of doing.
“If only we had more of those magic pills,” Emrys replied. “Can you imagine how many lives we could save?”
Nimue considered this for a moment. “Who says we cannot get more?” she asked, her eyes twinkling. “Perhaps we could take another trip to Lost Vegas to buy some.”
He grinned at her. “You just want to play more video games.”
“And you don’t?”
The court trumpets blew, calling everyone to attention. They turned to the dais to see Arthur rise from his throne. He was still a little unsteady on his feet, but his queen stood by his side, allowing him to lean on her.
Arthur smiled at Guinevere, then his gaze shifted to his guests. “Lords and ladies of the court,” he called out, his voice ringing through the hall. “Today we gather to honor some very special members of my court. Who risked their lives to save my own.” He beckoned to Nimue and Emrys and the twenty-first-century visitors. “Will you step forward?” he asked.
Emrys dipped his head to Nimue and held out his hand. She took it with trembling fingers and together they walked to the center of the room. The court erupted in cheers and applause. Nimue felt her face heat with pleasure.
“Look, everyone! That’s my boy up there!” shouted a gruff male voice from the back of the room.
Emrys stopped short. “Is that my father?” he cried in disbelief, standing on tiptoes to try to see over the crowd. “Is my father actually here?”
“I think your whole family is,” Nimue said with a smile, catching sight of the overly enthusiastic group of very tall people at the other side of the room, cheering and whooping in excitement. “And I have to say, they look quite proud.”
“They should be proud,” Arthur declared from his throne. “You, Emrys the Excellent, have proven yourself a true hero of Camelot.”
“Uh…” Emrys stammered. “I really didn’t—”
“Shush,” Nimue scolded, poking him in the ribs. “Heroes don’t argue with their kings.”
Emrys’s cheeks turned bright red, but a grin stretched over his face.
“And you, Nimue,” Arthur added, a fond look in his eyes. “You risked your life to save the Grail. And you kept it safe—in whatever form it might take.”
As if on cue, Spike burped loudly from his perch on Ashley’s shoulder. Everyone laughed.
Nimue dropped to her knees in a bow before her king. “And I shall continue to do so,” she vowed. “For the rest of my life, if need be.” And she meant it, too. As long as the Grail existed, she had a purpose. Even if she had to carry it out alone.
Well, not totally alone. A wet nose nudged at her hand. She smiled down at Damara and scratched her behind the ears. “You and me, girl,” she whispered. “We’ll do it together.”
“Actually, that won’t be necessary.”
The crowd gasped as the back door to the great hall suddenly swung open and none other than Merlin the Great stepped into the throne room. He looked a bit ragged, especially among all the well-dressed guests. And—to Nimue’s shock—he was clean-shaven. No beard to be seen!
“Merlin!” exclaimed Arthur. “I was so worried!”
In a blink, he and Guinevere dove off the dais, pushing through the crowds until they reached the wizard, throwing their arms around him and hugging him with wild abandon.
“Now, now!” Merlin huffed, trying to untangle himself from their enthusiasm. “Take it easy on an old man!”
“Did you get the Agrimony?” Nimue asked after Arthur and Guinevere stepped out of Merlin’s way. “Are you able to turn the Grail back into a cup?”
It was funny, she realized as she asked the question, she wasn’t actually sure what she wanted him to say. Sure, she knew the Grail should, by all rights, be turned back to its proper form. But at the same time, she was going to miss the little dragon if it was. Digestive issues and all.
Merlin nodded solemnly. “I did. And I can,” he told her. “It took a bit of groveling. And much apologizing, too.”
“And…a trip to the fairy barber?” Stu asked, raising an eyebrow.
Merlin blushed, automatically reaching up to stroke his no-longer-there beard. “Don’t ask,” he grumbled. “In any case, in the end we came to an understanding.”
“So…does that mean you’re dating again?” Ashley asked with a wicked smile.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” the wizard huffed. “But we shall see how it goes. For now, I have agreed to winter in Faerie—the weather is much better there, anyway. No blasted snow! And then, each spring, I will return to check on the human race.” He shrugged, giving a sheepish smile. “I think that’s what you call a win-win?”
“Nice!” Stu declared, slapping Merlin on the back. “Our work here is done. So if you could just zap us home? That would be awesome. Let’s just say we’ve got a lot on our plates back in the good old twenty-first century.”
Merlin waved them off. “Do not worry,” he assured them. “I will get you back where you belong very soon. And none of your parents will have even noticed you were gone.”
“And my history test?” Ashley asked hopefully.
Merlin rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. But next time you really need to study!”
Ashley planted a big smooch on his clean-shaven cheek. “Thanks, Merl! You’re the best!”
“But wait,” Nimue interjected. “What of Morgana? You have not mentioned what happened to her.”
“She is still in the custody of the Fey court,” Merlin replied. “I made it a condition of our new deal. After all, there will be less need for my help here in the real world if she’s not running around mucking things up all the time. Which means I will get to spend more time in Faerie.” His eyes twinkled. “Win-win, as I said.”
“Sounds like quite the happily-ever-after indeed,” remarked a new voice.
Everyone whirled around. There, at the back of the room, stood a tall woman dressed in a long white gown cinched with a silver cord. Nimue’s eyes widened. A Companion! She dropped to her kness, bowing her head. The others around her quickly followed suit.
Except for Sophie.
“Mom!” she cried, rushi
ng toward the woman. “Oh my gosh, Mom! You’re here!”
The woman wrapped her arms around her daughter, squeezing her tight and nuzzling her face against her hair. Nimue’s heart ached a little at the love she saw between them. She had never known her own mother. And now the woman who had raised her was dead. Still, it was nice to see Sophie with her own happily-ever-after.
“Darling daughter,” Sophie’s mother said, pulling away from the hug. “You have done so well. On your first assignment, too!” She looked around at the group. “You all have,” she added. “I am very proud of you.”
“Thanks,” Sophie said, beaming. “It was nothing.” Stu gave her a sharp look. “Okay, almost nothing,” she amended with a laugh.
“And you,” the Companion said, turning to Nimue. “You have fulfilled your sacred vow as a druid. You kept the Grail safe, even at the risk of your own life.”
Nimue squared her shoulders. “And I will continue to do so,” she declared. “Once it’s changed back to a cup, I will take it back to Avalon and return it to its resting spot and guard it until it’s needed again.”
The Companion smiled. “That is very generous of you,” she said. “But you are only one girl. It would be unfair to put such a burden on your shoulders.”
“But…” Nimue faltered, suddenly worried all over again. “I really don’t mind!” She knew the Companion was right—it would be a tough task to accomplish on her own. But if she didn’t look after the Grail, what else would she do? She didn’t have anywhere else to go. Any other calling…
“That is not true,” Sophie’s mother said sternly, as if she could read Nimue’s thoughts. “In truth, you have a very important destiny, my dear.”
Nimue gawked at her. “I…do?”
“It will be clear in time. For now, I want you to go with Merlin to his Crystal Cave. He has agreed to take you on as an apprentice along with Emrys. Together, you will learn magic and become powerful sorcerers in your own right. We will need as many as possible for the dark years ahead.”
Nimue stared at the Companion, her face aglow with a mix of fear and wonder. “Me? A sorceress?” she breathed. “How can that be? I am only an orphan girl of no importance!”
“You may have been told that. But nothing could be further from the truth,” Sophie’s mother assured her.
Nimue’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you…know where I came from, then?” she asked, her voice squeaking on the words. “Who my parents were?”
“I promise you, dear one, all will be made clear in time,” Sophie’s mother said. “But for now, tell me: Will you accept your destiny? Will you agree to train under Lord Merlin?”
“Why yes! Of course, yes! I would like nothing more in the world!” Nimue burst out, ecstatic. Then she glanced over at Emrys. “You don’t mind, do you? Being stuck with the most bothersome girl in the world a little longer?”
Emrys grinned at her. “I can think of nothing I’d like more.”
“Excellent,” Sophie’s mother pronounced. “Then let it be so.”
She turned to her daughter, Ashley, and Stu. “Now,” she said, “if you three are ready? I think it’s time to go home.”
The wedding venue was beautiful. Situated in the backyard of an old Victorian mansion on the shore of a quiet lake, it glittered like a true fairy forest—with sparkling lights strung from tree to tree. Small, circular tables were scattered across the lawn, each adorned with pale peach tablecloths that matched the bridesmaid dresses perfectly and mason-jar centerpieces that Sophie and Ashley had filled with glow-in-the-dark stones. After the amount of glitter they’d endured during their adventure, they’d decided to skip the avocados.
Ashley had wanted more decor, of course. But by the time Sophie’s mom zapped them home, they barely had time to do the centerpieces. Sophie had felt a bit awkward informing her mom that her dad was getting remarried. But her mother had been totally cool with it, in the end. She still loved Sophie’s father, she told Sophie, but she could never be with him. And since she couldn’t be there to make him happy, she was thankful he’d found someone who could.
“There you are!”
Sophie looked up. Ashley was on approach. She hadn’t seen her now stepsister since the church ceremony, as Ashley had been busy helping her mom get changed into her reception dress. Ashley surveyed the scene now, smiling widely.
“It looks amazing out here, doesn’t it?” she asked, letting out a low whistle. She turned to Sophie. “Thank you for all your help. I mean, we had zero time to do this. But somehow we pulled it off!”
“We totally pulled it off,” Sophie agreed with a smile of her own. “Everyone’s going on and on about how beautiful it all looks.” She smirked. “Of course, they all said that I looked beautiful, too. So maybe they’re a bit nearsighted.”
“Please. You look amazing,” Ashley assured her. “Despite the dress.”
Sophie raised her eyebrows. “I thought you loved these dresses!”
“Are you kidding me? They’re orange chiffon. That pretty much makes them hideous by any standard.”
“But I thought…” Sophie shook her head. “Why didn’t you say something before?”
Ashley gave her a sheepish look. “Because they mean a lot to my mom,” she confessed. “They remind her of this Barbie she really wanted as a little girl.”
“A Barbie?” Sophie had to admit, now that she thought of it, the dresses did seem rather Barbie-like.
“The Peaches and Cream Barbie,” Ashley explained. “My mom wanted it so badly. But her mom couldn’t afford it.” She shrugged. “My mom grew up really poor.”
“Oh,” Sophie said, suddenly feeling terrible. “I had no idea. Did she ever get the doll?”
Ashley nodded, her eyes lighting up. “Yes!” she told her. “From your dad!”
“What?”
“Didn’t he tell you? That was how he proposed to my mom! He brought her out to this nice restaurant. And he gave her a box. She opened it up and it was the Peaches and Cream Barbie. He’d found it on eBay or something and paid a fortune for it. And on the box he stuck a little sticky note asking ‘Will you marry me?’” Ashley beamed. “Of course she had to say yes! I mean, how romantic is that?”
Sophie nodded. She had no idea her dad had it in him.
“Anyway, it was like the nicest, sweetest thing ever!” Ashley continued. “And my mom wanted him to know how much it meant to her. So she found these awful dresses that look just like the doll’s. Super ugly and out of fashion, I know. But they mean the world to her. So how could I say no?”
“Wow,” Sophie whispered. She looked at Ashley’s dress now, and then at her own. “You know,” she said, “they’re not that bad….”
Ashley laughed. “Yes they are, but they’re also pretty great in their own way.”
“Yeah.” Sophie nodded. “Wow. I can’t believe they actually did it. We’re actually sisters.”
“Crazy.” Ashley snorted. “But also…pretty great, too?” Her voice held a hint of uncertainty.
Sophie reached out and gave her a hug. “Pretty great,” she agreed. And she was surprised, she kind of meant it. Sure, this wasn’t the happily-ever-after she’d imagined as a child—with her parents magically getting back together—but it could be a pretty decent alternative.
And hey, she and Ashley had just teamed up to save the world. How hard could this sister thing really be?
“By the way! I have amazing plans for our bathroom,” Ashley chirped, her eyes shining excitedly.
“Wait, what?”
“Total makeover! It’s going to be spectacular. I have this whole Pinterest board dedicated to ideas. We’ll start with taking everything off the walls….”
Sophie sighed. Well, she’d wanted an adventure….
“Sophie!”
She turned to see Stu running across the lawn, dressed in a suit that looked two sizes too big. He’d spent the afternoon with his mom, talking things out, and must have just arrived at the reception. She excused h
erself from Ashley and ran over to him. “How’d it go?”
Stu drew in a breath. “Well, I told her I’d go,” he said hesitantly. “I mean, not like I really had a choice. But I wanted her to know I was cool with it.” He shrugged. “And this way I get to help pick out the apartment. I’m holding out for something near the beach.”
“Near the beach would be amazing,” Sophie cried. “Maybe you can learn to surf!”
Stu snorted. “Let’s not get carried away. This is still me we’re talking about. King of the geeks.”
“You’ll never know unless you try.”
“True.” He wrung his hands together. “I’m also going to check out my new school. It’s really a cool place, actually. They’ll teach me how to code and do game design and it goes all the way through high school. A lot of their students even end up at Caltech, where all the best game designers go to college.”
“Nice,” Sophie said. And she meant it, too, even though her heart ached at the idea of losing her best friend. At least he was going somewhere cool. “Maybe I can visit you sometime?”
“You’d better. Maybe you can even figure out a way to teleport from time to time? You did get a new spell book from your mom, right?”
“Oh my gosh, I didn’t even think of that! What a great savings that will be on airfare!”
Stu nodded. “And, of course, we’ll always have the Camelot Code. Who knows what crazy quest we’ll be called on to do next?”
“I can’t wait to find out.”
“Look, look!” Ashley cried, rushing over to them. “The bride and groom!”
Sophie looked up. There, standing on the porch, were her dad and Ashley’s mom, looking radiant and happy as they waved to their guests. Her heart swelled in her chest. And as she watched them step down the stairs and onto the dance floor to start their first dance, she and Stu and Ashley clapped and cheered.
“Look at them!” Sophie heard her father say, glancing in their direction. “They actually look like they’re getting along.”
“Sometimes dreams do come true,” her new stepmother said with a smile.
Sophie felt herself smiling, too. She looked over at Ashley and then at Stu, her heart suddenly feeling very full. Their adventure in Camelot may have ended. But in many ways, this was a new beginning. Who knew what was in store for them next?