Strange Magic Week is a tumblr event, which this year lasts from Monday August 15th to Sunday August 21st. The challenges/prompts (and what I did with them) are as follows:
1. Fairy Tale of creator's choice AU (I did a crossover with Thumbelina, where the two fairy kingdoms have diplomatic ties)
2. Wedding/Arranged Marriage (Bog shows up at Marianne's wedding to Roland, and meets her for the first time after she cancels it)
3. Tiny People in Jars (Pare finds a snow globe and everyone is creeped out by it)
4. Dark Fantasy AU (What if feels like to be love-dusted)
5. Role Reversal (Dawn is the Crown Princess, Marianne is her little sister)
6. Babies/Next Generation (Goblins do not know where fairy babies come from)
7. SciFi AU (In a world of ever-singing magical beings, a music box is the equivalent of an A.I.)
Rather than picking a fairy tale and rewriting it to involve the Strange Magic cast, I decided to write a single-chapter crossover story wherein the characters from Strange Magic meet the characters from another fairy movie - the Don Bluth version of Thumbelina.
Bog was almost accustomed to Dawn's cheerful energy, but seeing Marianne bounce with excitement was a new experience.
"Before you and I met, Cornelius was the only person I could get to spar with me who wasn't smaller than my sword. He's a lot of fun. I'm really hoping you two will get along."
"He and Roland never did," Dawn added, "so that's a point in his favour."
"Of course, as a king, you'll be spending most of the Summit with Dad and King Colbert and Queen Tabitha, but Cornelius and I should be there pretty much the whole time, too."
Every three years, the Fairy Kingdom west of the Dark Forest and the Vale of the Fairies across the river that marked the north border held a Royal Summit, a chance for the royalty and nobility of each kingdom to intermingle and review trade policies and … whatever else it was that they did. Being fairies, there would probably be a dance.
The Dark Forest had been independent from and largely ignorant of the international community ever since it had consolidated from the various goblin city-states, if not before then. Bog had opened the border to the Fairy Kingdom the year before, and Marianne had invited the king of the goblins to the triennial meeting of fairy monarchs.
"Cornelius and I always end up sword-fighting at least once during these." Marianne got a faraway, reminiscent look. "The first time, neither of us had swords, so we used twigs instead."
"And both of you ended up covered in mud." Dawn giggled.
"Yeah, but that was your fault. Dawn didn't know the difference between real fights and play fights yet," Marianne explained to Bog, "so she started throwing mud at us to get us to stop."
"I was four! Besides, it worked. Which means I won."
Bog didn't laugh at the idea of Dawn beating Marianne in a fight. The younger princess was terrifying in her own right once she started singing, and clever enough that she didn't always have to resort to that.
While the two sisters were chasing each other around and shouting gleeful threats – "death by a thousand tickles!" "I will sneak glitter into your makeup!" – Bog triple-checked the papers he was bringing. Having an exoskeleton meant he didn't need to worry about packing clothes.
Thang was coming with Bog, while Stuff stayed behind to help Griselda, who would be regent in the Bog King's absence. Portia, Captain of the Guard, would be joining the goblin representatives as Security, along with Cole, the Minister of Resource Management, and Juliet, the Minister of Finance.
The Dark Forest court wasn't nearly so elaborate as the Fairy Kingdom's. Bog didn't have any dukes or lords or knights or barons, but his ministers were roughly equivalent to nobility and those two in particular should be useful in setting up new international relations.
Marianne and Dawn landed on either side of Bog, panting but still grinning. Marianne leaned into Bog. He put his arm around her.
"I wonder what Thumbelina's like," said Dawn.
"Who?"
"Cornelius' wife," said Marianne. "He got married two years ago and she wasn't a noble, so we've never met her."
"I thought he was the same age as Dawn?" Dawn had turned nineteen in the spring, which meant she'd been an adult for a year by Fairy Kingdom law and was still a year shy of adulthood in the Dark Forest.
"The Vale marks legal adulthood at sixteen." Dawn flicked Bog's shoulder spurs. "And you thought our age of majority was scandalous."
"You don't have to be nervous," Cornelius assured Thumbelina for the fifth time. "The Summit is always pretty casual. It might be a bit more formal this time, with a new kingdom joining in, but they're only sending five people so it shouldn't change that much."
"I'm not nervous," she lied for the second time – she hadn't started to feel nervous until the third time her husband had reassured her she didn't need to be. She suspected he was nervous and trying to hide it. "I just want to make a good first impression."
"No worries there." He grinned. "Even if you weren't the most lovable woman in the world, which you are, Dawn will love you, because Dawn loves everyone. Marianne will like you because her sister does. King Dagda will like you because his daughters do. The Bog King will like you because Marianne does. And the courts will follow their royalty."
Thumbelina pulled her lower lip between her teeth.
"You've known these princesses your whole life. Did your parents ever think about betrothing you to one of them?" She'd been wondering that every once in a while since she'd first heard of these foreign fairy princesses.
Cornelius burst out laughing. "No! Or if they did it was before we decided we were honorary brother and sisters."
"I'd like for your honorary sisters to think I'm good enough for you."
"Thumbelina." Cornelius took her hand. He gazed solemnly into her eyes, then kissed her. "You're perfect for me."
Bog was stunned when he got his first look at fairies from the Vale. They had clear, narrow wings, like his.
Not exactly like his – the shape was different, with forewings like pointed leaves and stunted hindwings like buds, and they left a trail of gold sparkles in their wake, which grew denser the faster their wings moved. But they were similar enough for Bog to wonder, if he and Marianne had biological children, whether their children's wings might look like that.
Hopefully without the glitter. Stealth was clearly not a concern in the Vale. This impression was reinforced when he got close enough to notice their short, rounded ears, which couldn't possibly hear a predator sneaking up or feel a subtle change in air currents when the weather was changing.
According to Marianne, these fairies actually had a limited ability to control the weather, which they used to stabilize the transition between seasons in their home.
The three kingdoms were meeting in a flower meadow, set up with colourful tents. The Vale and Kingdom alternated hosting duties, and this Summit was in the Vale. If things went well, the Dark Forest would be hosting the Royal Summit in six years, after having a chance to see how each of the fairy countries did it.
"Marianne! Dawn!" One of the Vale fairies rushed up to greet them, riding a bumblebee. Before he could fly right over the procession, he leapt from his mount and landed between the princesses, who sandwiched him in a hug.
"Cornelius, it's good to see you! Let me introduce you to the Dark Forest representatives."
Marianne dragged him over to goblin party. Bog hadn't brought enough people to form a 'procession'. The goblins came as a pack, to the side of the Fairy Kingdom's … parade.
"This is Portia," Marianne eased Cornelius around the guard, "Juliet, Cole," between the ministers, "Thang," passed the Royal Aide, "and the Bog King," she presented him with a flourish and a grin.
Cornelius bowed. "It's an honour to finally meet you, Sire. Dawn and Marianne have told me good things about you in their letters."
"They've spoken well of you, likewise." Bog bowed back.
Dawn pounced in and grabbed Cornelius' other arm.
"So where is she?"
"Thumbelina's getting a report from Jacquimo – an old friend of hers; he's flying patrol to make sure there aren't any dangerous birds or animals close enough to ruin the party. If we go past the treetops we should spot them."
They both took off. None of the fairies looked at all surprised.
"They're the same age," said Marianne, "so they spend a lot of time together at these things. Bickering about which one's the honorary older sibling."
"Were you or Dawn ever betrothed to Cornelius?"
Marianne burst out laughing. It wasn't that funny. Bog's research had unearthed historical precedent for kingdoms strengthening alliances by marrying the royal children. It didn't seem unreasonable that the Fairy Kingdom and Vale of the Fairies might have considered it at some point, with both royal families having similar-aged children who got along.
"Oh, you're serious," Marianne realized. "No. Our parents wouldn't have minded if Dawn or I had fallen in love with Cornelius and vice-versa – ideally if Dawn and Cornelius fell in love, since then there wouldn't be the logistical mess of merging the kingdoms to deal with – but there was never a contract or even implications. Or, if there were, they were so subtle I never picked up on it."
The glory of colour in the butterfly-like wings of their guests made Thumbelina gasp. She gasped again when she caught sight of the goblins.
Other than their shocking nudity, most of them reminded her a little bit of the jitterbugs. The goblin king – Bog King – "Boggy, but only Marianne and I can call him that, and she doesn't," – with his scales and sharp wings and sharp nose, reminded her uncomfortably of the Beetle responsible for her second kidnapping.
He didn't seem to care for singing, though, by how he edged away from the fairies when the opening speeches were done and the dancing began. Princess Marianne went with him. The two – the couple – were engaged in quiet conversation.
"I like him better than Roland," Cornelius confided in his wife. "Though that's not saying much. Marianne's ex-fiancé. You're lucky you never met him … except I guess you kind of did."
"How could I possibly have met him?"
"He was sort of like the Toad." He didn't need to specify which toad. "Except for a while, he had Marianne convinced she really did want to marry him."
Thumbelina shuddered and grimaced. She hated thinking about those awful months after her escape, wandering lost with no idea if she'd ever see her mother or Cornelius again, then stuck in the tunnels, safe from the snow but heartbroken, believing Cornelius had died searching for her. But nothing compared to the revulsion of two memories: Mrs Toad's blithe invitation for Thumbelina to "Call me Mama; You are going to marry my son, Grundel," and the moment she'd been found again, her slimy suitor bursting into the underground cathedral and declaring, "She marries ME!"
"How did she come to her senses?" Thumbelina asked Cornelius.
"She's never said. She just gets really angry about it."
"You can't avoid the dance floor forever."
"I can try."
"The point is to mingle, right?"
"I don't see you making an effort."
"But I'm well known for my prickliness."
"Not here, you're not." Marianne rubbed Bog's jaw with her knuckles. "I'm just waiting out the first dance. It always gets faster and more fun later."
The dance floor looked crowded. Bog suspected at least some of that was an illusion created by the Vale's fashion. Half their people had clothing that poofed out at the waist and made a dome around their legs, perhaps to keep their dance partners from stepping on their feet or hold them at a distance demanded by propriety.
After three songs, the 'fast, fun' music was still unheard. Marianne went to talk to the musicians and Bog, who had decided to have a snack, found himself in the company of a different fairy princess.
"Are you enjoying the festivities, your majesty?" asked Princess Thumbelina.
"Well enough, your highness. It's very different from celebrations in the Dark Forest, but I enjoy new experiences."
Bog selected a fish kebab. Unlike the fairies he knew, it seemed the Vale's fairies were omnivores. Thumbelina took a kebab as well.
"I understand this is the first Summit for both of us?" Bog offered when the silence started to feel awkward.
"Yes … it's a funny story, actually. I didn't even know I was a fairy until after I met Cornelius, let alone that there were whole countries of fairies out there."
"I would think your wings would be a bit of a giveaway as to your species."
"I didn't have wings then." She looked over her shoulder and smiled, fluttering the limbs in question. Bog was grateful that the glitter dissipated quickly. "You see, my mother – she wasn't a fairy either –"
"But the potion didn't work, right? Because by then she'd fallen in love with you?"
Thumbelina was surprised how invested she'd become in a tale she already knew turned out happily. The Bog King was an amazingly emotive storyteller.
"Aye, but she tricked him, and everyone else. Played along for a moment then punched him off a cliff!"
"I see you two are enjoying each other's company." Marianne inserted herself under Bog's arm. He kissed the top of her head.
"We were swapping stories of how we became involved with fairy courts. Which reminds me, why didn't you tell me that it was traditional for courtship of fairy royalty to involve someone being kidnapped?"
"What?"
"I was kidnapped right after I met Cornelius."
"And I was kidnapping your sister when we met. Have you been keeping secrets, Princess?"
Marianne smacked his chest playfully.
"You dork. Come dance with me."
Cornelius arrived as they were leaving.
"So, what do you think of our neighbours?" he asked Thumbelina.
"They seem nice. They're easy people to warm up to."
"Yeah … If you have to spend two weeks with someone every three years, it's nice not to be at each other's throats the whole time."
"That, you save for sparring." Thumbelina laughed. "The Bog King mentioned looking forward to that."
Since teaming up wasn't allowed, the swordfight was a three-way tie. There was some debate whether the Bog King counted as a sword-fighter, since he used a staff, but then it was pointed out that the first sparring weapons had been twigs, so a staff was entirely within bounds.
The Summit as a whole was also successful.