Lost Destinies

↳ 10: A Little Thing I Like To Call 'Making This Up As We Go Along'

"Thank you for taking the time to come here on such short notice," said Queen Briar's fairy godmother, taking a seat at the head of the long, rectangular table in one of the meeting chambers at Rose Palace. "This is an unprecedented situation in the current time, and it seems to be throwing all of Fairytaletopia into unmitigated disaster. I have heard that the Charmings postponed their christening in light of it."

She had skin like smooth cedar wood, every inch dusted with gold glitter that gave her the appearance of something otherworldly. A band of golden flowers pulled back her halo of bubblegum-pink curls, which settled in just about every direction. Her ears were littered with hoops and crystals in various colors, and Felix Lange noticed that she had a small butterfly tattoo on her neck just below one ear that he hadn't caught upon initially seeing her. He realized that even in a dazzling dress blooming with live flowers, she almost seemed a bit... hipster, for a fairy at least, and certainly for one in such a prestigious position.

Upon further examination, she seemed rather young considering all the other famous fairy godmothers in history. The one responsible for the tale Cinderella, for example, had supposedly been around since the dawn of the dragons, born around 0008 A.D. That made her over two thousand years old. But Camilla Foxflower, more commonly known as 'Seven' as her claim to fame was being the seventh fairy that eased the severity of the Sleeping Beauty curse, could only possibly be in the early hundreds. She may as well have been a fresh-faced youth. Not that Felix himself was exactly an old-timer at twenty-nine. His thirtieth birthday was creeping up on him, though, and his wife Marissa kept teasing that he'd wake up an old crone with a gray beard.

Of course, these days, anything could happen.

"I am deeply sorry I could not come to you. But I'm afraid there's no room in my schedule to travel all the way to Central Lakeland." She flushed pink, surprising him. He'd heard she was nothing but composed. "I'm sorry. Snow," she corrected, her voice remaining even but her blush betraying her embarrassment over the brief blunder. "I mean no offense to the late queen, it's only difficult to keep up with shifting geopolitics—"

"That's perfectly alright, Miss Seven," Felix said easily, and he gestured to the boy at his side. "I hope you don't mind I brought Prince Everette along. His father is preoccupied with all the chaos in the kingdom at the moment, and His Highness has expressed interest in learning more about the situation."

The prince toyed with a stray lock of hair, glancing awkwardly at the fairy and nodding. He'd practically been on Felix's tail every moment of every day since his mother's death, and frankly, Felix didn't want him out of his sight. As he could protect Snow White no longer, he was watching over Everette with revitalized ferocity.

"I wish I could reassure you that chaos is limited to your country," Seven said bitterly. "Rioting has entered back into the cultural cycle here in Rose and it's spreading from east to west. I imagine you are aware of our, er, rocky last few decades. We are at a loss once again as to how to keep the paranoia contained and the last thing we need is more death." She lowered her voice. "I mean no harmful sentiment toward the current rulers, whom I am much devoted to, but... I must admit, I have not lived through a Rose monarchy so unsuccessful."

"Because they're young and hopelessly inexperienced?" came a voice from the doorway. The occupants of the room swiveled.

Seven's eyes went wide. "Aveline!"

"Sorry," the Aveline in question said lightly, covering her smile with her hand, but she didn't look very sorry. Felix wasn't too familiar with her accent, but he figured Villagetown was a solid guess; she had a farmer's tan, a slim figure, and a prominent nose. She let herself into the room, waving a feather duster. Her curled black ponytail swished behind her. "I'm only here to clean. Carry on."