Fairy Godmother

Bella appeared to the Prince as he was despairing of ever getting past the wilderness and into the castle. He looked pathetically glad to see her and the six Ladies of the Fair Folk that accompanied her; he was even happier to see the magical boat drawn by swans that brought them through the marsh. His face fell when he saw the thorn-hedge, however at that point, his sword and buckler probably seemed woefully inadequate. But it rose again, when the Fairies gave him a sword and shield of glass; it didn't take a lecture to tell him that these items were magical and could help him cut his way into the castle. And once inside, not even the Sorceress in the shape of a Wyrm could stop him.

'This was the first Sleeper ever in that Kingdom, so it was important that someone with experience be in charge. No one wanted this one to go wrong, and I had a certain personal interest in the outcome as well.'

'Now, now, Madame,' Randolf chided from the mirror. 'The whole truth, now.'

Bella grimaced. 'The Sorceress and I have history together. She has tried to kill me on several occasions. I wanted to see her eliminated, once and for all.'

'Ah,' Elena said, with understanding.

'Now, here's the rub — over the course of this Tale, there have been several Princes who had come close to the site, but none passed the ordeals to come to the point where they were entitled to Faerie aid, so there was no telling the exact moment when I would have to make my appearance. I had to invoke the 'All Forests Are One,' spell in order to get there in time,' Bella said, as the story played out, the Prince slaying the Wyrm with his glass sword, and awakening the Princess by ringing the bells of the Palace chapel. 'Most exhausting.'

Elena already knew about the 'All Forests Are One' spell — it was a very important one, that enabled a Godmother or the person she was supposed to guide to cross their paths, no matter how far apart they really were.

'And a good job she made of it, too,' said Randolf cheerfully, invisible behind the moving picture of the Prince being greeted by the awakened Princess and her entire Court. 'Is that enough, Madame?'

'Quite enough, thank you, Randolf; I'm sure she has the idea by now.'

'Randolf shows the future?' Elena hazarded.

The face appeared in the mirror again, and gave an exaggerated sigh. 'Alas, no, fair maiden. I show only the present and past. But I show the present as it happens, with enough warning and fully in time for the Godmother to arrive.'

Well, that put an interesting complexion on things! Elena had wondered just how Madame had managed to keep track of her all these years, and now she knew.

'Amazing,' she managed. The face in the mirror beamed. 'Oh, Madame!' it said. 'Don't forget the Christening tomorrow. You asked me to remind you.'

'Yes, thank you, Randolf. Elena, you may give him his curtains back.'

It seemed cruel to imprison the poor spirit behind heavy velvet drapes, but it didn't seem to mind. 'Doesn't he get bored in there?' she asked.

Bella laughed. 'Ah, my dear, unlike his former mistress, I have freed him to use his powers to look anywhere he cares to. He doesn't need to eat or sleep; what he enjoys is watching over my charges, the Kingdoms for which I am responsible, with some little time to view players, minstrels, and musicians! I give him the freedom and the magic power to enjoy himself when he is not watching on my behalf, and he keeps me apprised of what I need.'

Kindness, Elena thought, with satisfaction. A little kindness to Randolf had won Madame a powerful servant. Here, at last, she was in a place where kindness was rewarded. 'So you are attending a christening tomorrow?' Elena asked, disappointed, as she thought she was making some real progress in her magic lessons and frankly didn't want them interrupted.

'Oh, yes, a Royal Christening,' Madame said, and gave Elena an opaque look. 'I'll be there.

'And so will you.'

Chapter 7

A carriage had appeared from nowhere, at least, so far as Elena was concerned. It had simply turned up at the door when Madame Bella and Elena had both been gowned and coiffed to Rose's satisfaction. There certainly wasn't a carriage, nor a carriage-horse in the tiny stable, and this wasn't the sort of equip-page you would find in any of the nearby villages. While not large, it was excessively opulent, a little mauve- and-gold jewel-box of a carriage drawn by a single, handsome grey horse, and driven by a curiously silent footman in mauve livery with a great deal of gold braid on it.

Elena, recalling all of the tales, had to wonder if this carriage was really their little farm cart, and the horse that old donkey. As for the footman, well, he could be anything; a frog, a mouse, a rabbit — even old Hob or Robin, transformed.

Their coach took them into the edge of the forest, where Madame paused to invoke the 'All Forests Are One Forest' spell.

This was the first time that Elena had seen this Great Magic at work, and it was — remarkable.

Madame got out of the carriage, walked to the road just in front of the horse, and raised her staff, and it was as if she was the center of a whirlwind of the green dust motes of magic — but it was a very slowly moving whirlwind, and a soundless one. Denser and denser they became, and brighter and brighter, until Elena had to squint in order to see, and just as the light became painful, Madame thumped the end of the staff three times on the ground.

The light, the magic-motes, all vanished, and Elena got the strangest sensation, as if someone had dropped the carriage out from beneath her, at the same time thumping her in the middle of her chest.

Madame came back to the carriage and the footman handed her in, quite as if nothing whatsoever had happened. They entered the deep green depths, and no more than a mile later, emerged again. But this time, they were nowhere near the little village that should have been on that road. According to a