Charming raised his hand for the crowd’s attention. “We can discuss that matter later, but first I would like to let some of the people who knew Briar Rose speak,” Charming said. “Starting with myself. I stumbled upon Briar Rose’s castle wrapped in a thorn hedge centuries ago. My youthful zeal for exploration and treasure urged me to cut through it. Little did I know the treasure I would find. She was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen in my life. But her true beauty was hidden inside her like she was hidden in her castle. She was, above all, kind and patient. She was thoughtful and encouraging. She was smart, and funny, and wise, and I knew that I did not deserve her. I was not the husband I should have been to her and she knew it as well, but she never held a grudge. She was mature about the end of our marriage and moved on to a new life. I was not a good man when I met her, but I am all the better for knowing her. I count myself as one of the luckiest people in the world for having shared a love with her. Now, I’d like to ask Mallobarb and Buzzflower to speak.”
The fairy godmothers stepped forward and lifted their sad faces to the crowd. “Briar was a brave woman. She was also strong, stubborn, and opinionated … but brave,” Mallobarb said, holding back tears.
“She faced a dragon with no hope of victory … but that’s the way she was,” Buzzflower said. “I will miss her humor, her strong sense of right and wrong, and her companionship. Though my sister and I were assigned to raise her, I feel I learned more from her than she ever learned from me. Good-bye, my sweet rose.”
Buzzflower blew a kiss to the casket and the two rejoined Jake at the front of the crowd.
Jake stepped forward. He turned to the Everafters as if preparing to speak about the woman he loved, but instead, he reached into his pocket and took out the felt box that held her engagement ring. He took it out and slipped it on Briar Rose’s finger. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the lips. A tear streamed down his face and landed on her forehead, then Jake rejoined the group.
Charming stepped forward and looked over the crowd. “So death has come to our door. I’ve told you all that this day would come, and now that it is here I get no satisfaction from being right. Today, we all lost a friend and a member of our unique community. She was our first casualty and I know what you are thinking. Casualty is a word people use for death in the midst of war, and I say we are at war. Just because some of you have chosen not to fight does not mean you are not in the battle. They will find this camp and they will slaughter us all. If we stand idle we might as well start digging our own graves.”
Mr. Seven appeared with a shovel on his shoulder. He handed it to Charming. “Who wants to dig their own grave?”
The crowd eyed the shovel like it was a scorpion preparing to strike.
“These are your choices. Join Sleeping Beauty or fight.”
Sabrina scanned the crowd. There she saw so many familiar faces—Snow White, Friar Tuck, Puss in Boots, Morgan le Fay, Old King Cole, Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus, Rip Van Winkle, Sawhorse, the Scarecrow, the Pied Piper and his son Wendell, Lancelot, Cinderella and her husband, Tom, and Jack Pumpkinhead. There were Munchkins and Lilliputians, Yahoos and shoe elves. There were brutish creatures like the blacksmith troll and a Cyclops, but also delicate beauties like Little Bo Peep and her flock of sheep. There were also many Everafters Sabrina had never met and couldn’t identify.
“Why should we trust you, Charming?” Ichabod Crane said from the middle of the crowd. “You have a history of manipulating this town for your own selfish concerns.”
Charming was taken aback. “Because—”
“And weren’t you a member of the Scarlet Hand yourself? How do we know this is not some trap you and your toadies are laying?” a duckling quacked.
“Let me explain,” Charming said as the crowd erupted into shouts and arguments, but the noise stopped when Mr. Canis stepped forward.
“He is not lying to you, but since you need to hear it from someone else, here it is. The war is coming. If we fight many will die, but there’s a chance we could beat them back. If not, we will all die anyway. None of you are safe. We can train you. We can prepare this camp. But we have to do it together. You decide. Join this battle or pick up the shovel and dig.”
The crowd looked bewildered, and then Uncle Jake stepped forward. “I will fight.”
Sabrina’s father gasped. “Jake, no!”
“Thank you, Jacob,” Charming said, then turned back to the crowd. “Is there no one else? A human has stepped forward to fight for you! A human!”
Mallobarb and Buzzflower joined him. “We will fight.”
“Anyone else?” Charming said, raising the shovel over his head.
Poppa, Momma, and Baby Bear were next. They roared. Puss in Boots joined the rest. “I will fight.”
The tabby was followed by Beauty and her beastly daughter, Bella, then former deputies Mr. Boarman and Mr. Swineheart. Soon Morgan le Fay had joined the group as well as the bridge troll and Rip Van Winkle. The Munchkins followed, then the Winkies, then the Gillikins. The Lilliputians were the next to join, followed by the Mouse King and a sea of his royal subjects, then several Houyhnhnms, then a huge contingent of knights, princes, princesses, and witches.
Soon, the last one left in the crowd was Ichabod Crane, who frowned and eventually stepped forward himself. “Fine, but if I see one of those Scarlet Hand thugs is missing a head, I’m deserting.”
“Very well,” Charming said. “We will train and we will fight. Let the Hand come because we will beat them back with our bare hands if necessary.”