All over the Fae city, plants shot up and grew meters taller, flowers bloomed, fruits ripened, berries grew sweet, and vegetables plopped out of the earth. Fae all over the palace cheered and clapped their hands. The dawn of spring had come, the power of Fae magic had returned stronger than before.
Vidya turned and grabbed Daisy, standing with her mother behind them, eyes wide. “Dance with me, Daisy!” cried Vidya, and the two girls twirled around in the dawn sun, giggling.
As they came to a halt, Daisy dizzy with the dance, Vidya gasped at a memory. She turned on her heel, running through the palace and out the back, down the garden path that led to the city. Halfway down, she skidded to a stop. A group of Fae had gathered around a large, glowing tree. There, from the hair she had buried in the soil just yesterday, now stood a beautiful tree laden with… Vidya squinted at the brown-coloured fruits that were growing from the flowers on the thick branches.
“Is that a… nose?” asked someone incredulously.
“Dear mother earth,” gasped another. “That’s a nose! And there’s another nose!”
Vidya could not help herself. The relief of her parents waking up, the Bunyips stopping the war, and now the picture she’d had in her mind’s eye become real… she let out a cackle of wild laughter. A Fae baby saw her from his father’s arms and also began chuckling, and soon everyone gathered around the tree was laughing at what they were seeing.
“What’s going on?” came her mother’s voice from behind her. Vidya turned and saw her mother carrying baby Mahiya, squinting at the new tree. Vidya pointed at the nose ‘fruits’.
“They’re… They’re noses,” she said through laughter. “I-I grew it myself, as my Queen’s plant, after Lotus’ nose couldn’t be fixed, I wanted to grow him a new one!”
Queen Salote chuckled. “My, what a great use for a tree, Vidya. The Yarama will be jealous.”
Vidya wiped a happy tear from the side of her eye, nodding. “Yes, that was another thought I had.”
“Do you think…” said a wispy voice from behind them.
Princess Vidya and Queen Salote whirled around to find Uncle Jula-wil hobbling up to them, cane in hand, eye patches in place. He pointed to the tree with his cane. “Do you think this tree will grow eyeballs?”
Vidya smiled, “Oh yes, most definitely, it should grow new eyes for you, Uncle Jula-wil!”
“Oh no,” said the elderly echidna waving his stick. “The eyes are not for me.” And he pivoted to the right and strode right into the rose bushes.
Queen Salote shook her head at him, the expression on her face made Vidya giggle.
“Come on, love,” she said, turning to walk back up to the palace. “I believe we have some decisions to make.”
They joined King Farrion and the Bunyip King out on the front lawn once again.
“Vidya,” said her father, beckoning her over. “We have an idea, come and hear this.”
The Bunyip King lifted his now-wiser brown eyes to Vidya’s green ones. “The Fae King has proposed that the Bunyips become the protectors of the Flower of Awakening. She prefers equal parts sunlight and sea water. Since the Bunyips are both land and water creatures, we are well suited to the task.”
“I have allocated them their own land in the Fae forest with a Fae pond,” explained Farrion. “To call home and live their lives. How does that sound?”
“As long as I can see her every day, that sounds brilliant!” said Vidya.
“Well…” said the Bunyip King. “There has been developments in that area.” He pointed to the bottom of the gigantic golden flower where three miniature flowers had sprouted beneath the outer petals.
Vidya gasped.
“I do not think you will ever have a problem with the Fae magic ever again,” said the Bunyip King. “Princess Vidya can even have her own flower.”
Vidya screamed with a happiness she had never known. It took her by such surprise that she flung herself at the Bunyip King, throwing her arms around him in a gigantic hug. The Bunyip King, startled, stumbled back a step before he blinked once, then let out a loud laugh, patting Vidya’s back gently.
The next day, the King held a ceremony on the front lawn of the castle. The Bunyips were there, standing next to the excited Fae citizens. They watched on with wide eyes and wings twitching with interest, as, standing on a broad platform, the Bunyip King gave an honest speech about how he had thought he had been doing the right thing, but now, with the help of the Flower of Awakening he only wanted a life of peace. He and his people would help to repair the palace and any damage they had done.
The crowd cheered, and the Bunyip King twitched in surprise and gave them all a toothy smile before lumbering away back into the crowd.
King Farrion and Queen Salote gave their own joint speech, praising the Bunyip King for his newfound wisdom, and announced their forgiveness and excitement at a new partnership for the future.
Next, Vidya, with Pancake by her side, presented her parents with her Queen’s tiara.
Her father took it with gentle hands, bowing. “You have been a worthy Queen, my daughter, and took care of our land with honour and bravery. We will hold your crown in safe keeping until your official coronation day, which is hopefully many, many, years away.”
The crowd tittered and smiled at their Princess.
“In its place, we award you with this medal,” the King held up a shining gold and silver medal hanging from a pink ribbon. “Princess Vidya, we award you with the Medal of Excellence for your bravery, skill, and perseverance in healing the flower of awakening and leading your people well.”
Vidya bowed her head, and her father hung the medal around her neck, she grinned at her parents, who smiled proudly at her in return.
“And now,” announced the Queen, holding baby Mahiya. “We ask the children of the Fae to come
