“We can’t take you there!” Jacob said. He tried to stand but Lieutenant Rembert pushed him back into his seat.
“The Fairy Godmother—the sparkly woman you speak of—brings us the stories from her world to share with ours,” Wilhelm said.
“She’s the only one who can travel between worlds. We’ve never been there nor can we take you there,” Jacob said.
“How did you even get the egg in the first place?” Wilhelm demanded.
General Marquis carefully placed the golden egg back in the box. “From another one of your acquaintances, the other woman who gives you stories to share. Apportez-moi le corps de la femme oiseau!”
Colonel Baton left the tent and returned a moment later pulling a wagon with bars built around it. He yanked off a sheet covering it and the Brothers Grimm gasped. Lying inside the wagon was the lifeless body of Mother Goose.
“What did you do to her?” Wilhelm yelled, trying to stand, but he was forced back into his seat.
“I’m afraid she was poisoned at a local tavern,” General Marquis said without remorse. “So sad to see such a spirited woman leave us, but accidents do happen. We found the egg in her possession. Which makes me wonder—if this old lush has managed to find a way to travel between worlds, I’m very confident you two can as well.”
The brothers’ faces were bright red, and their nostrils flared. “And what are you going to do once you get there? Claim the fairy-tale world for the French Empire?” Wilhelm asked.
“Why, yes,” General Marquis stated, as if he had made it obvious already.
“You’ll never stand a chance!” Jacob declared. “That world has people and creatures you could never imagine! People and creatures more powerful than you will ever be! Your army will be destroyed as soon as you set foot there.”
General Marquis let out another laugh.
“That is highly unlikely, Brothers Grimm.” The general giggled. “You see, the Grande Armée is planning something very big—there are many territories we’re planning to conquer by the end of next year. The fairy-tale world is only a crumb of the cake we’re after. As we speak, thousands and thousands of French soldiers are being trained, and they will form the greatest army the world has ever seen. I very much doubt anything will stand in our way—not the Egyptians, not the Russians, not the Austrians, and certainly not a bunch of fairies and goblins.”
“So what do you expect from us?” Wilhelm asked. “What if we can’t supply you with a portal into this other world?”
The general smiled, but it was sincere this time. His eyes filled with greed as he finally told them what he wanted.
“You have two months to find a way into this world of stories, Brothers Grimm,” Marquis said.
“But what if we can’t?” Jacob said. “Like I said, the Fairy Godmother is very mysterious. We may never see her again.”
The general’s face fell into a cold and malicious stare. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Brothers Grimm,” he said. “You won’t fail, because the future of your friends and family depends on you. I know you won’t let them down.”
A quiet snort filled the tense room—but it didn’t come from either of the Brothers Grimm. Jacob looked toward the caged wagon and saw Mother Goose smack her lips. To the amazement of everyone in the tent, Mother Goose stirred back to life as if she was waking up from a long night’s rest.
“Where am I?” Mother Goose said. She sat up and rubbed her head. She cracked her neck and let out a long yawn. “Oh no, did Spain start another Inquisition? How long have I been knocked out?”
The general slowly got to his feet and his eyes grew in bewilderment. “But how is this possible? She was poisoned!” he said to himself.
“Well, I wouldn’t say poisoned… but maybe a little over-served,” Mother Goose said as she looked around the tent. “Let’s see. The last thing I remember is being at my favorite alehouse in Bavaria. The barkeep there has a very generous pour—his name is Lester, he’s a sweet man and an old friend of mine. Always said I would name my first child after him if I ever had one—wait a second! Jacob? Willy? What in the name of Merlin are you two doing here?”
“We’ve been kidnapped!” Jacob told her. “These men are planning to invade the fairy-tale world in two months. They’re going to harm our family if we don’t provide them with a portal!”
Mother Goose’s jaw dropped and she looked back and forth between the brothers and the soldiers. She was having enough trouble regaining consciousness in general, but this information made her head spin.
“But… but… but how do they know—?”
“They’ve been following us,” Jacob said. “All of us—they have your golden egg! They have an army of thousands and want to claim the fairy-tale world in the name of France—”
“Silence!” Colonel Baton demanded of the brothers.
General Marquis raised a hand to silence the colonel. “No, Colonel, it’s fine. Because this woman is going to help our friends fulfill our request. After all, she wouldn’t want anything to happen to the Grimm family, either.”
He peered through the bars at her as if she were an animal. Mother Goose was no stranger to waking up in peculiar places and situations but this took the cake. She had always feared the secret of her world would be revealed but never thought it would be under such extreme circumstances.
Her cheeks turned bright red and she began to panic. “I gotta go!” she said. She reached out an open hand and the golden egg floated straight out of the box and into the wagon where she sat. And with a blinding flash, Mother Goose and the golden egg disappeared into thin air.
The soldiers around the tent began to yell, but the general remained very still. The determination in his eyes grew as he stared at the wagon Mother Goose vanished from—it was the most amazing thing he had ever witnessed and had proven everything he was after was real.
“Général, quelles sont vos instructions?” Colonel Baton asked, anxious to know what his next instructions were.
The general looked to the ground as he decided. “Emmenez-les!” he said, and gestured to the Brothers Grimm. Before they knew it, the brothers were gagged again, their hands retied behind their backs, and the black sacks placed over their heads.
“Two months, Brothers Grimm,” the general said, unable to tear his eyes away from the wagon. “Find a portal in two months or I’ll make you watch as I personally kill everyone you love!”
The Brothers Grimm moaned under their masks. Capitaine De Lange and Lieutenant Rembert forced them onto their feet and out of the tent. The whole camp could hear their muffled moans as they were pushed into the carriage and sent away into the dark forest.
General Marquis sat back in his seat. He let out a pleased sigh as his heartbeat and his racing mind caught up with each other. His eyes fell upon the Brothers Grimm storybook on his desk and a soft chuckle surfaced from within him. For the first time the fairy-tale world didn’t seem like an overly ambitious Arthurian quest—it was a victory within reach.
The general took one of the miniature French flags from the map of Europe and stabbed it into the cover of the storybook. Perhaps the Brothers Grimm were right—maybe the fairy-tale world had wonders he couldn’t imagine—but he was imagining them now.…