Chapter Text
While the bonfire burned brightly, the three color sprites were hanging out in the throne room, Bobby looking out the window at the burning fire.
“Oh, silly fiddle faddle!”
Bobby says angrily, stomping back over to the other fairies.
“There there, dear.”
Crafty says, making a teapot and cups appear from nowhere. “Relax and have some tea.”
She pours some into Hoppy’s cup. “I’m sure things will work out okay!”
“Well, a bonfire won’t stop Ulrike.”
Hoppy says, sipping her tea.
“Of course not!”
Bobby says, taking her cup. “But what will?”
Crafty thinks. “Maybe we could negotiate with her?”
Bobby and Hoppy almost drop their tea cups.
“Negotiate?!”
Bobby says.
“With ULRIKE!?”
Hoppy adds.
Crafty smiles a bit. “Well, she can’t be ALL evil, right?”
Bobby shakes her head. “Oh yes she can!”
Hoppy makes a cookie appear out of nowhere, taking a bite.
“I’d like to turn her into a slimy, gross swamp slug.”
Crafty looks disappointed. “Now that’s not very nice!”
Bobby sighs. “Besides, you couldn’t.” She says. “Our magic doesn’t work that way, remember?”
Crafty smiles. “Yes, we can only use it for good, and to make people happy!”
Hoppy rolls her eyes, taking another bite of her cookie.
“Well THAT would make ME happy…”
Bobby keeps pacing the floor.
“There must be something we can do…”
Then, she gets an idea, smiling.
“Wait, there is!”
She says happily.
The others look at her.
“There is?”
Crafty asks, walking over, followed by Hoppy, who says, “What is it?
“I’m going to-”
But then Bobby covers her own mouth, leaning in.
“Even the walls have ears.”
She says, looking left and right to make sure they weren’t being watched.
“Follow me.”
She says, magically shrinking herself and gesturing for the others to do the same.
Crafty nods, shrinking herself and following Bobby into the dish box, where she was hiding.
Hoppy looks around as well, then shrinks herself, following after her friends and closing the lid, making sure they were completely hidden.
Once they were all safe inside the dish box, Bobby reveals her plan.
“I’ll turn them into a flower!”
Hoppy was confused.
“Ulrike…?”
Bobby giggles. “No, dear, the prince!”
Crafty’s eyes light up. “Oh, he’ll make a lovely flower!”
Bobby holds up her finger. “You see? A flower can’t prick his finger!”
Hoppy smiles. “It doesn’t have any!”
Bobby giddily giggles.
“He’ll be perfectly safe!”
But then, Hoppy’s smile fades.
“Until Ulrike sends a snowstorm…”
She says.
“Yes! I-”
Bobby realizes what Hoppy had just said, slumping down and frowning.
“Oh dear…”
Crafty sighs, patting her back sympathetically. “She always ruins your nicest flowers…”
Bobby nods. “You’re right… and she’ll be EXPECTING us to do something like that…”
Hoppy grumbles. “Well what WON’T she expect? She knows everything…”
Crafty looks at her. “Now that’s not true.”
She says. “Ulrike doesn’t know anything about love, or kindness, or family.”
She sighs. “Maybe she’s just not very happy…
Bobby’s face then lights up, getting another idea.
“That’s it!”
She says, smiling brightly. “Of course!”
She looks back to the others. “It’s the only thing Ulrike CAN’T understand, and WON’T expect!’
She says, giggling giddily.
Bobby starts to pace the floor again, mumbling to herself.
“Now, we’ll have to plan it carefully…”
Crafty and hoppy look at each other, wondering what the heck Bobby was on about.
“Let’s see, the woodcutters cottage, the abandoned one… of course the queens will object…”
She walks into a mug, Crafty following her, and Hoppy poking her head in.
“But when we explain it’s the only way…”
She says, walking out of the mug and being followed by Crafty.
“Explain WHAT?!”
Hoppy, still in the mug, says, the others looking at her.
Once she walks over, Bobby explains.
“About three peasant women, raising their adopted child, deep in the woods.”
Crafty smiles shyly. “Oh… that’s rather nice of them.”
Hoppy tilts her head. “Who are they?”
Bobby smiles. “Turn around.”
As Hoppy and Crafty turn around, Bobby turns all their outfits into peasant outfits, with Crafty’s being blue and feminine, and Hoppy’s being red, like Bobby’s, but a bit more masculine style, like she knew Hoppy liked to wear.
The two gasp as they see their reflections.
“Why, it’s US!”
Crafty says, smiling brightly.
Hoppy looks at Bobby. “You mean, WE, us?”
Bobby nods. “Mhm!”
Crafty’s eyes sparkle. “We get to look after the baby?”
Bobby nods again. “Yeah, why not?”
Crafty claps. “Oh, that’ll be wonderful!”
Hoppy looks grumpy, quickly changing her outfit from red to green.
“Well yeah, but we’ll have to feed him, and-”
“And bathe him, and clothe him, and rock him to sleep!”
Crafty says, sighing softly. “Oh, I'm going to love it!”
Hoppy still looks nervous. “You really think we can?”
Bobby nods, patting her shoulder. “If humans can do it, we can too.”
She says, going to open the dish box.
Hoppy shrugs. “I suppose we’d still have our magic.”
Crafty nods. “That’s right.”
Bobby frowns. “Oh no! We can’t use magic!” She says.
“Give me the wands.”
Crafty nods, giving Bobby hers.
“Better get rid of the wings too.”
She says, magically poofing Crafty’s wings away.
“Y-you mean, living like mortals…?”
Hoppy says, trying to fly away. “For 18 years?!”
Bobby nods, poofing away Hoppy’s wings and making her fall into the teacup.
“B-but we don’t know how!”
She says, still playing keep-away with the wand as Bobby chases her. “We’ve never done anything without our magic!”
“And that’s why Ulrike will never suspect a thing!”
Bobby says, still chasing her.
“But who will wash dishes and do laundry?! And who will make food?!”
Hoppy says, still running away.
“Oh, we’ll all pitch in.” Bobby says.
“I’ll look after the Baby!”
Crafty adds.
“Let me have it dear!”
Bobby says, finally catching up to Hoppy.
Hoppy managed to remove Bobby’s wings before she took her wand.
“Come along now, we must tell their majesties at once!”
She magically makes herself normal size, then goes towards the door.
“Bobby!” “Bobby!”
The other fairies call from the tea cart.
Bobby giggles, turning them back to regular size as well.
And so, that every same evening, the two queens watched with heavy hearts, as their most precious possession, their only child, disappeared into the night.