Goldilocks was eyeing the roof above them. “We need to get out of here fast.”
The three of them ran out of the home with their new discovery just as the roof collapsed. Sleeping Beauty had saved the baby’s life seconds before it would have been lost. They returned to their traveling party, which was still waiting at the edge of the village. They were all just as astonished to see the surviving infant.
“Whose baby is that?” Bree asked.
“As far as we know, she’s an orphan,” Sleeping Beauty said.
“Well, I know of a great castle you can send her to if you need an orphanage,” Red said, and gave Little Bo a dirty look.
Sleeping Beauty was smiling down at the baby she cradled with a warmth in her eyes the others had never seen. “I do, too,” she said. “She’s coming to live with us.”
Chase stepped toward his wife to talk sense into her, but once he saw the infant’s face he felt what his wife was feeling. The child had been waiting for them to save her.
“What about the royal bloodline?” Chandler asked what the rest of the group was thinking.
“If any of you are concerned with blood, I invite you to take a look around the village and see all the blood of my people that has been spilt,” Sleeping Beauty said. “This child is a survivor and a child of this kingdom and therefore a worthy heir to our throne.”
Although Cinderella and Chance were the only royals who knew Sleeping Beauty couldn’t have a child of her own, none of them objected. The child was a beacon of light in a very dark time—if she could survive the wrath of the Grande Armée, they could, too.
“What will you name her?” Cinderella asked.
Sleeping Beauty exchanged a smile with all the kings and queens around her and tears of joy came to her eyes. They all accepted the child of this spontaneous adoption as one of their own.
“Since she was found in the ashes of her village, I think I’ll name her Ash,” she said.
“Princess Ash of the Eastern Kingdom; it has a nice ring to it,” Froggy said.
“She’s beautiful,” Rapunzel said.
Red stared at the ransacked village and a heavy pile of guilt filled the pit of her stomach. All her anger and woes about losing her throne seemed so small in comparison to what the world was facing. This attack could have happened in her kingdom, and that thought angered her more than anything ever had.
Red marched up to Goldilocks. Everyone expected her to start an argument but she surprised all of them with a request.
“Teach us to fight,” Red said.
“Excuse me?” Goldilocks asked.
“I want to learn how to fight this army myself,” Red explained to the others. “This could have happened to any village in any of our kingdoms—this wasn’t an attack on the Eastern Kingdom, it was an attack on us all. I refuse to sit back and watch this Grande Armée destroy everything we love so much. If I die, I don’t want to die in a cozy carriage or throne room, I want to die fighting alongside our people.”
The royals all looked to one another as her words touched each of them. They were surprised, impressed, and, most important, inspired by what Red said. They all took a step toward Goldilocks, united in the request.
“I do have pretty decent upper-body strength from cleaning my stepmother’s house every day,” Cinderella bragged.
“And we could use a break from being cooped up inside those carriages.” Snow White shrugged.
Goldilocks was impressed by their interest and withdrew her sword from its scabbard. “All right, then,” she said. “Your Majesties, each of you please find a large stick. The first thing I’m going to teach you is how to use a sword.”
Mother Goose stood on the grand balcony of the Fairy Palace and gazed at the stars in the night sky. She quietly prayed that wherever the twins and Lester were, they were succeeding in their efforts to recruit the armies. But most of all, she prayed that they were safe.
Emerelda rushed onto the balcony. “Mother Goose,” she said breathlessly. “It’s the Fairy Godmother, she’s awake.”
Mother Goose’s spirits soared so high she almost floated into the air. “For good?” she asked.
“From the looks of it, I would say only momentarily,” Emerelda said. “She seems extremely tired and she’s asking for you.”
Without wasting a second, Emerelda and Mother Goose ran to the Fairy Godmother’s chambers. Mother Goose kneeled by her bedside and took her hand into her own. Her eyes were open but very heavy, as if she had just awoken from a deep sleep and was about to fall into another.
“Hello there, my dear friend,” Mother Goose said softly to her.
“Emerelda, would you please give Mother Goose and me a moment alone?” the Fairy Godmother asked weakly.
Emerelda nodded and left the chambers.
“Mother Goose, I have something I need to ask of you before I go,” the Fairy Godmother said.
“Go? But where are you going?” Mother Goose laughed. “The Poconos? Martha’s Vineyard? Palm Springs?”
“You know where I’m going,” she said.
“I do,” Mother Goose said sadly. “But I was hoping there was still a chance you’d be sticking around. What is it that you need to ask me?”
The Fairy Godmother’s eyes grew heavier the more she tried to speak. “Over the years I have kept many secrets for you,” she said. “I’ve only asked you to keep one of mine, and I’m asking you to keep it even after I’m gone.”
Mother Goose knew what her friend was referring to without having to ask. “I assume you’re talking about the other heir,” she said.
“Yes,” the Fairy Godmother said with a deep breath. “If Alex hadn’t proven herself to be the true heir of magic, I wouldn’t be lying in this bed. Her compassion is both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness. If she ever knew there was another—if she ever found out who they are—she would be fooled the same way I was and it would destroy her.”
“I understand,” Mother Goose said. “You have my word: I will keep your secret and Alex will never know.”
The Fairy Godmother smiled at her oldest friend. “Thank you,” she said with relief. Her eyelids became too heavy to hold open and she drifted back into a very deep sleep. She slept even more peacefully than before, now that this had been addressed.
Mother Goose sighed and squeezed the Fairy Godmother’s hand. Keeping the Fairy Godmother’s secret would be the hardest challenge she would ever face.