As she slid the dress over my head, I shuddered. Her touch was warm, soft, gentle; I turned to her, eyes wide. With her round face and tight black curls, she didn’t look like a Fairy Godmother. Sure, she had a baggy blue dress and a wand. Still, Fairy Godmothers were old and she was-
“There.” She ran her hands down my arms. “Fit for a Prince.”
“Will I always have to lie to him?”
“It’s not a lie, dear. I’m just playing up what you already have. As long as he loves you, that’s all that matters. This just gives him a chance to meet you.”
I nodded. “But this is the third ball, and we aren’t married yet.”
She brushed my hair back from my face. At her touch, I blushed. “You’re good friends, though?”
“Yes.”
“That’s very important. Princesses used to rush these things, of course. They’d marry after one meeting and we Fairy Godmothers would be credited with providing their happily ever afters. But then, so many of them became unhappy afterwards. Their husbands were always away on war, or they found they came to hate them, or they fell in love with someone else...no, I don’t believe in rushing this. Love, true love, takes time.”
I nodded. The room was tight, all cobwebs and wood furniture. I’d memorized the pattern of upturned nails and stuck up boards to avoid. I ran my hands over the bed.
“You know, you’re not like I imagined a Fairy Godmother.”
“But what did you imagine, dear?”
I glanced up at her. “Well, for starters, someone...older?”
She chuckled. “That was the way of it at one time. But in recent years, the Council of Godmothers wanted to try something different. They thought younger Fairies would be more relatable.”
Relatable.
I took her hands. “Thank you for this. Thank you...but what is your name? You never told me.”
“It doesn’t matter, dear.”
“I’d like to know.”
“Very well.” She shrugged. Her cheeks flashed pink. “It’s Missy, and don’t tell anyone else.”
“Missy. I like it.”
“Now go on. Before the magic fades.” Missy placed a hand on my shoulder. We crept down the stairs, through the house, and across the yard. My stepsisters snores could be heard from without; wasn’t that always how these stories went?
Missy raised her wand. With a string of words, and a flash of silver light, a squash grew into a carriage. It seemed to emit a blue aura. I had to shield my eyes as I clambered in. I leaned out the window, and waved.
Missy waved back.
Something in my chest constricted.
The horses clattered away from the house. In what felt like no more than five minutes, I arrived at the palace. I ascended the steps, searching automatically for the Prince.
After ducking in and out of rooms, I found him in the gardens. He sat on a bench, head bowed. The fountains sang around us. Somewhere, a dove cooed. The cool space was redolent with the smell of roses, lavender, and sage. Green shrubs hemmed us in.
I sat beside him. He met my gaze, and smiled.
“Hello, Kendra.”
“Darren.” I nodded. “Are you alright?”
He stood up. He paced forward, and then back. He paused before me. He ran a hand through his hair, upending the glossed dome. He sighed.
“Darren?”
“My father would approve of you.” He sat beside me; he placed a hand on my shoulder. “You’re my closest friend.”
I drew back. “Thank you. I...”
“And I would marry you before any other girl.”
I gaped.
“Even were the most beautiful set before me, I would choose you. You are lovely, I’ll add, but that is not why I love you. You’re good, kind, funny...and I trust you.”
“You never complimented my looks before.” I looked away. Missy’s face flickered before my eyes. I touched my cheek, where she had touched. Her hands had been soft, gentle, and there had been the scent of free magic.
“But I can’t love you the way you deserve.”
I met his eyes.
“I couldn’t tell anyone else this. I would marry you because you are my best friend. I would be happy to spend my days in your company, even without passion. And if you could accept the truth...”
I edged towards him. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I love you. But I’m not...” He kicked at the ground. “You are like a sister to me. Do you understand? I am in love.”
I held my breath.
“But not with you. Even were there no other girls, I couldn’t be. But I would marry you, if you would have me.”
The breeze caught at my hair. When I shivered, he enveloped me in one arm. A peacock padded past us. Flower petals skittered over the smoothed stone. The fountains sparkled as if spewing silver.
I gazed at the stars, and smiled. “I am in love too.”
His arm stiffened.
“But were you the only man left, I could not love you as you deserve.” I turned to him. “Even though you deserve more, I would marry you for your friendship. And then her job would be done.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Hey.”
“I’m not really a princess. You know how the stories go. This is magic.”
“That doesn’t matter. You’re my friend.”
“But if we marry, her job will be done.” I leapt to my feet. “She would leave and...”
“The one you love...isn’t human?”
“Who do you love?”
“The Earl of Baddington.” He snorted. “Most people think he’s a hopeless drunk. But really he’s just a lightweight. And he has poor balance, you know. So if he even has one drink, or even none, he’s sure to fall off his horse.”
I giggled. “He’s the one with the red hair?”
“And the freckles, yes.” Darren blushed. “I’m hopeless, aren’t I?”
I pecked his cheek. “At least you fell for your own kind.”
“She'd be a Fairy then?” He shook his head. “I thought all Fairy Godmothers were old.”
“Missy is special.”
He took my hand. “I don’t want to lose you, Kendra. This friendship means everything to me. I’d like to introduce you to the Earl. Were we to marry, we...”
“I wouldn’t mind you seeing him.” I squeezed his hand. “It’s not perfect, but I don’t want to leave you either.”
“Does she know?”
I looked away. The blush ran down to my neck.
“I see.”
“I don’t even know if it’s possible. I’m human, and she...”
“You have to tell her.”
I pulled him into a hug. We held each other for five minutes, listening to the peacock’s cry. I traced circles on his back. He patted mine, and drew back. He smirked, and I laughed.
He took my hand, and kissed the top. “It’s almost midnight.”
I curtsied. “I’ll see you again...Darren.”
“I hope so.” He bowed. “Let me escort you to the carriage.”
In the dark of my room, in a worn shift and shoes whose soles were half gone, I called for Missy. There was a flicker, and she started from the darkness. She wore a transparent cloak of magic; it glowed around her, catching the light in her eyes and saturating the colour in her face.
“Missy?”
“Well?”
“He’s made me an offer of marriage.”
“And?”
“And we’re best friends.”
Missy crossed her arms. “But you’re still here? Shouldn’t he have presented you to his father? Why-”
“I had to say goodbye.”
Missy winced. “It would have been easier if you hadn’t.”
“I couldn’t just leave you.”
“I’d rather you did, dear.” She turned away, and her cloak winked out. Her face was all shadows.
“Missy, I couldn’t.” I wound my hand through hers, and pressed my head to her hair. “Don’t say that, Missy. Do you want me to leave?”
“No.” She drew her arms around me. The hug swallowed us. Her hair smelled of meadows and sunlight. I took a deep breath.
“This isn’t how the stories go,” I whispered.
“How is this different? You can’t be thinking as I am. It’s not proper.”
I lifted a hand to her hair. Sucking in a breath, I stroked it. “Missy.”
“Kendra?”
“Darren is...like us. Well, he fell for a human. So it’s slightly less complicated. But he thought, if we could be married as friends...then we could still be companions. Talk about things we couldn’t...with others.”
“Then you will marry him?”
“Only because there is no other way to see him. It’s not like he and the Earl could...”
“Or you and I.” Her cloak winked into a beam. I winced as she took my face. Heat crawled along my cheeks. I shivered. “I’m supposed to go away after the happily ever after is made.”
“But Darren and I aren’t the happily ever after. It’s friendship. A formality.”
She leaned in. I closed my eyes, and our lips met. We gripped each other. The kissing grew faster. I gasped for air. Each breath cut my throat. My hold tightened. She made circles along my lower back; I shivered.
“So that’s what people mean when they say they are...tickled.” I giggled.
Her next kiss was gentle. She folded my hands together and nodded. “I don’t have to leave, Kendra.”
I nuzzled her neck. “Then I am glad.”
“But you should know, if I stay...”
I met her gaze. Her eyes were solemn. She pressed her lips together.
My breath caught.
Missy kissed my hands, and shook her head. “I would be human.”
I swallowed. “They wouldn’t let you back?”
“It just happens. Fairies aren’t supposed to fall in love. Why do you think they never send us to help any princes out? When we give up our hearts, we also give up our magic.”
“Oh, no, Missy.” I drew back. “If that’s the case, I couldn’t-”
“Shh.” She tucked my hair behind my ears with both hands. “It’s too late, Kendra.”
Her cloak dimmed. The scent of magic—electric and burning—faded. Missy drifted to the window. I cried out, and she turned to me with a smile. In the moonlight, she was just the same. Her face was round, and her curls pressed to her head but-
“But your wings!” My hand flew to my throat. “They’re gone!”
“Of course. Women don’t have wings. Only Fairies do.” She held her hand out.
I took it. “I don’t think I can marry Darren now.”
“I can’t provide for you.”
“I don’t mean...” I glanced at my dress. “I’m a peasant again. If I approach the palace like this...”
Missy grinned. She turned away, and then she was holding out a dress of red velvet. The electric scent lingered.
“But your magic...”
“I had a smidge left. And I’ve given it to you.” She pressed the dress into my arms.
“Missy.”
“Now go and tell him.” She slapped my back. “I will be waiting for you on the balcony of your shared room.”
“And the Earl?”
“He will be there too, I’m sure.” Missy kissed me. “It’s not perfect, but these are the times.”
“You think it will be better? In the future?”
“One day, we may not even have a monarchy.” Her fingers trailed over my cheek. “It has to be better someday. I have to believe that.”
“I’m with you, you know that.”
“I know.”
We embraced, and there was a last flicker of magic. The light winked out, leaving us to hold one another by only the moon’s light.
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