Conner, Froggy, and Red stood on the grand balcony watching the sun set over the gardens. The fairies across the lawns cleaned and restored the damage their homes had received during the battle.
“Even though more than half of the gardens were destroyed, the gardens are still beautiful,” Red said dreamily. “I would love to plant my own garden just below the balcony of my bedroom at the castle—” She suddenly grew very sad and stopped herself from finishing the thought. “Oh silly me, I keep forgetting I’m homeless now.”
“Have you thought about what you want to do now that you aren’t queen anymore?” Conner asked.
“Besides becoming a recluse like the Snow Queen as I wait for someone to restore my throne?” Red said. “No, I’m afraid not. Although I hear Queen Sleeping Beauty is in the market for a nanny.”
Froggy put his arm around her. “You’ll come home with me to the Charming Kingdom,” he said. “I can’t offer you a kingdom, but I’m sure I can arrange for you to have a private garden all to yourself.”
Red sighed at the idea. “I suppose that will have to do. It could be a lot worse—I’d rather be an evicted queen than a dead one. Poor Little Bo Peep, I almost feel guilty for saying all those horrible things about her.”
A carriage traveled through the gardens toward the palace. They didn’t pay any special attention to it until it got closer and they saw the passenger riding inside of it.
“That’s the third Little Pig!” Conner said and pointed to the carriage.
“What’s that brick-obsessed runt doing here?” Red asked.
“Let’s find out,” Froggy said. He led Red and Conner through the Fairy Palace and they met the third Little Pig on the front steps.
“Hello, Your Majesty,” the third Little Pig said, and graciously bowed. “It’s so good to see you again.”
“Cut to the chase, piggy, what are you doing here?” Red asked, crossing her arms. He had been the bearer of bad news lately and she wasn’t looking forward to hearing why he had come to them.
“The Bo Peep Republic is still mourning the tragic death of the queen, but a new election was held yesterday afternoon and I’ve come here to tell you the results,” he said happily.
Red couldn’t be less interested. “I wonder what baboon they replaced Little Bo with—they deserve whatever oaf they put on the throne—” She suddenly stopped talking and her eyes grew so large they took up half her face. “Wait one moment; did you just address me as Your Majesty?”
Froggy and Conner shared an excited smile. Red’s hands started shaking and she jumped up and down. Had all her dreams come true? Had her people given her back the throne?
“Was Red re-elected queen?” Conner asked.
“Yes, am I the baboon? Am I the oaf they deserve?” she asked as she anxiously bounced.
“No, ma’am,” the third Little Pig said. “I was speaking to Prince Charlie.”
Froggy turned a pale shade of green. “Me?” he asked. “I was elected?”
“Him?” Red said, just as shocked as he was.
“Yes, sir,” the pig said. “Congratulations, you’ve been elected king. Little Bo hadn’t named a successor and there wasn’t time for any candidates to properly run, so the citizens were given fill-in ballots. Your name was written down the most.”
Conner gave a hearty chuckle and patted his friend on the back. “Way to go, King Froggy!”
Froggy was speechless. His pupils almost disappeared into his big glossy eyes. He turned around and looked guiltily at Red.
“My dear, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I feel as if I’ve stolen something from you.”
“Are you kidding?” Red said. “This is fantastic news! Do you know what this means?”
“You’ll be secretly plotting my death now?” Froggy asked with a gulp.
Red laughed with delight. “No, Charlie!” she said with a gigantic smile. “This means I’ll be queen again! Once we’re married, that is.”
Froggy shook his head, positive he had misheard her. “Come again?” he peeped.
“Did you guys get engaged and not tell us?” Conner asked.
“Not to my knowledge,” Froggy said, and stared at Red, horribly confused. “Was that a proposal, my love?”
“It was if it makes me queen again!” Red said, throwing her arms around him. “Oh, Charlie, our wedding will be beautiful! We’ll have it right after your coronation in the new gardens you plant for me at the castle! It’s so funny how life works out sometimes, isn’t it?”
Froggy glanced at Conner with a fearful look on his face—his life had just taken a very unexpected and frightening turn.
The celebration was cut short when a cannon was fired in the distance. They all dove to the ground just in time to miss the cannonball that blew the front steps of the palace into smithereens. When the dust had cleared, Conner got to his feet and looked toward the edge of the gardens. A few dozen Grande Armée soldiers left over from the war, led by Colonel Rembert, were attacking the Fairy Palace.
“We’re being attacked again!” Conner yelled.
“Again?” Red squealed.
Xanthous and Skylene emerged from the palace and climbed down the destroyed steps to where Conner and the others were.
“What’s going on?” Xanthous asked.
“The Grande Armée soldiers have returned!” Conner said.
“How many of them are there?” Skylene asked.
“Not too many,” he said. “Only a couple dozen or so.”
The fairies looked across the gardens as another cannonball was fired in their direction. Xanthous shot a fiery burst out of his finger and the cannonball was destroyed in midair.
“Skylene and I will handle this,” Xanthous told Conner. “Tell everyone inside the palace not to panic.”
The fairies ran through the gardens toward the soldiers. Conner helped Froggy, Red, and the third Little Pig to their feet.
“A few dozen soldiers hardly seem large enough for a proper attack,” Froggy said.
“I know,” Conner agreed. “It’s more like a distraction.” His heart suddenly fell into the pit of his stomach. “Oh no, that’s exactly what this is! The Masked Man is back! I’ve got to find my sister!”
Conner climbed up the ruined front steps of the palace and darted inside. He was like a fish swimming upstream as all the fairies inside made their way out to see what was causing the commotion. He raced up the stairs but didn’t find his sister in her chambers. He tried his grandmother’s room next, and burst through the door.
The first thing Conner noticed was the desk lying in pieces on the floor and the broken glass surrounding the potions cabinet. Alex was sitting on the steps of the platform in the back of the room. Her face was ghostly white and she panted as she stared off into space. Her wand was on the floor a few feet away from her—something was very wrong.
“Alex, are you all right?” Conner asked, and ran to her side. “What the heck happened in here?”
She was trembling and didn’t make eye contact with him. “The M-m-masked M-m-man was here,” she stuttered.
“Did he hurt you?” Conner asked.
Alex shook her head. “He—he—he stole a potion. I—I—I caught him and made him take off his m-m-mask!”
“And what happened?”
“I—I—I saw his face!” Alex shrieked. Tears spilled out of her eyes.
“What was wrong with it?” Conner asked. “Alex, you’re scaring me! Tell me what you saw!”
She turned to her brother and looked him directly in the eyes. He had never seen her so petrified.
“Conner,” she gasped. “The Masked Man—it was Dad!”
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to thank Rob Weisbach, Alla Plotkin, Rachel Karten, Glenn Rigberg, Derek Kroeger, Lorrie Bartlett, Meredith Wechter, Joanne Wiles, Meredith Fine, and my second brain, Heather Manzutto. Thanks to Alvina Ling, Melanie Chang, Bethany Strout, Megan Tingley, Andrew Smith, and everyone at Little, Brown.
My parents, my sister, Grandma, Will, Ash, Pam, Jamie, Jen, Melissa, Babs, Dot and Bridgette, Romy, Roberto, Char, Whoopi, Brian, and the rest of my friends and family who have provided material for this book without realizing it.
Jerry Maybrook for spending countless hours with me recording audiobooks and for baking the best homemade bread I’ve ever tasted!
The people at St. Matth?us-Kirchhof cemetery and Neuschwanstein Castle. And to all the readers who send me artwork of their favorite characters and book reports—nothing makes me smile more!