Disclaimer for the story: Sadly, I do not own Strange Magic, although I do have the DVD that I play once a week.
I may return and modify this later. I'm not sure. Constructive advice is appreciated but please refrain from criticism. Enjoy!
Finally!
Her son is in love with someone who loves him back. The girl is just perfect for him too and with her feisty attitude, there is no way he's going to get away with his temper tantrums anymore. She can just picture all those grandbabies crawling and flying around...well, once they get over their shyness.
Griselda chuckles as the enamored couple remembers the watching audience and even from her place on the ground she can see their bright blushes. Deciding to take mercy on the most likely exhausted pair, she catches her son's attention and points to the large hole uncovered by the missing castle on the far side. Catching her meaning, Bog relays it to the fairy princess and the two quickly escape into it before anyone realizes their intentions.
"Relax," Griselda remarks to the agitated fairy guards! "Your princess hasn't had a lick of sleep and my boy has had very little himself. He's just taking her to the winter burrow for a rest."
"She can do that back home," Dagda grumbles.
"We both know that if they stuck around any longer, nobody would get any sleep for several hours," Griselda points out. "Let them get some sleep and then we'll figure this whole mess out."
Dagda looks to where their children escaped and sighs before nodding to the queen mother. Better to deal with this whole thing with a stable and rested mind than make any more rash decisions. There were a few things that he wanted to know now, though.
"I would like to know how this happened," Dagda comments, waving his hand toward the crumbled castle. "Nowhere in my orders was there instructions to attack. I gave Roland an army only for protection through the Dark Forest and to drag Marianne back if need be. Who else disobeyed my orders besides Roland?"
"It was Jason, Alexander, and Rufus," Sunny answers, shrinking at the sudden attention. "They started knocking the metal cages into the pillar down in the dungeons."
"Sunny, You have a lot to answer for," Dagda remarks.
Dawn hugs Sunny to her in defiance, her glare much less intimidating than the elder princess but enough to cause the fairy king to sigh again. How could everything change in such a short amount of time? Looking around the mishmash of people gives him some hope that maybe everything would be alright but the missing castle was a glaring reminder that some of last night's damage is irreversible.
"It can be dealt with later," Griselda interjects, catching his train of thought. "We'll just return to the winter burrow for a little while until a new castle is built. Everyone that was in the castle is accounted for and thanks to the elf, even the prisoners are safe and sound."
After assigning a few Dark Forest guards to help some Light Field guards find their missing brethren and making the needed preparations for a council meeting with both kingdoms to be held that evening, Griselda shuffles the more tired of her kingdom to head to the winter burrow's back entrance. Some sleep sounded very good right about now. She was too old for that short nap that she had after Bog took Marianne on an excursion to really satisfy her body. She had half a mind to tell the guards that if they found that blonde ponce that they had full permission to drop him in a fox den but that wouldn't help any of their problems, even if the thought did make her feel better.
But not as well as the scene inside the burrow does. Deciding to check on Bog before she goes to her own chambers, Griselda can barely contain the squeal that wants to burst out after she moves his curtain aside. Nestled on the moss bed was the lanky king but even more is the smaller figure he's curled around. Their deep breathing testifies to their state, even as Marianne mumbles before moving deeper into Bog's embrace. Ah, love! With shimmering eyes, the joyful mother returns the curtain to its place and enters her own chambers next door.
Even in his sleep, she can tell how happy her son is and no one is going to ruin that happiness. Griselda scowls slightly as she settles on her own moss bed. She didn't miss the fairy king's look of disgust during their public display or even his fainting soon after he arrived when the younger princess kissed the elf. She had passed it off as shock since it was a lot to take in when he didn't know what led up to it but she has since changed her mind. Several times he cringed or avoided looking at the sweet affection of the sunshine pair when they were making arrangements for their kingdoms and he looked positively sick when Dawn choose to ride home with Sunny and the other elf on the love-struck lizard.
She didn't care if he thought that the different classes shouldn't mix, she didn't care if he thought that the different races shouldn't mix, and she definitely didn't care if he thought that the two kingdoms shouldn't mix. If Dagda has any thought to ruin her son's happiness then he better prepare himself for a war because she wasn't letting him do so without a fight. She will even use political blackmail if it comes down to it! With how happy that feisty fairy nestled in her son's arms looks then Griselda is quite sure that she wouldn't mind being a payment for the damage done by the Light Field if it means for them to be together. Though, it'll be wiser to let Dagda make the first move before making any hasty judgments. But not even the worry of tonight's meeting can stop the little dragonfly-winged and butterfly-winged infants from dancing within her dreams.
Blinking awake several hours later brings a bit of disappointment to Griselda as she's not surrounded by little bodies but her joy is easily restored when she enters the main chamber. The larger dining table is filled with food and denizens as they discuss the recent happenings, with even several fairy and elf guests eagerly participating. Her attention, however, is drawn toward the smaller dining table with two young royals seated side-by-side.
"Mom, how did you sleep," Bog asks as she walks toward the table?
"Alright, dear," Griselda answers before grinning wickedly. "I'd ask you but I already know that you both slept very well."
She giggles at the resulting blushes and sits down in her seat. The meal is mixed in freely with conversations about the upcoming meeting and with Marianne's concern about what they are going to do with the castle's destruction. Fang's report that there isn't any damage to any part of the burrow is a relief and Griselda is pleased to discover that thanks to the early crop of primroses this year, most of the food store is still in the burrow's kitchen.
"And you thought my insistence at cutting down the primroses was a waste of time," Bog teases.
"It was a waste of time, hence why it saves us from worrying about not having enough food for the castle residences," Griselda points out. "It's a good thing we moved all the archives into the burrow a few years ago when ice managed to get into the library that winter but that still leaves a lot that is lost, however. We should probably start excavating anything salvageable from the castle tomorrow. There's enough room in the burrow to store whatever we find."
"The Light Field will offer whatever assistance you need," Marianne remarks. "There is no way that Dad or the council will refuse anything you ask."
Griselda keeps her concern at that statement to herself because, despite the girl's confidence, the gobliness is sure that there is going to be some trouble. Repeatedly during the journey to the designated meeting spot, Griselda has to remind herself to not do or say anything until after Dagda makes his feelings known. It won't do to be seen as a threat and give them justification for their rejections. Best to let the lovers make their stand first and then destroy whoever is left from their massacre.
Griselda chuckles as Marianne takes another teasing arc around Bog before zipping away with laughter as he tries to catch her. It is so good to see her son acting his age instead of like an old man. The crown can be such a heavy burden but it lightens drastically with a good partner to bear the weight with you and it seems her boy has finally learned to listen to his mother. Said mother nearly falls off her dragonfly from laughing too hard as her son nearly flies into a tree from being kiss-attacked.
She couldn't take it anymore! Listening to the whole events from everyone involved was helpful but she caught each grimace Dagda made each time either new couple showed the least amount of love to one another. Even after that Roland fluffer-head admitted about it all being his idea with only his three lackeys helping with full knowledge of the situation, the fairy king still showed his disgust about the turn of events. Well, no more. Why put off for tomorrow when it can be done today? The poor dears are just too happy to even realize that there is a problem and it's better to stop his attitude before he even slightly ruins both of his daughters' happiness.
"What did you want to talk about, Griselda," Dagda asks after following her to a more private location?
"Your attitude," Griselda growls! "I can understand that all of this is a lot to take in and it's quite shocking but as a parent, you should put your child's happiness before your own preferences. I don't care if you don't want my son with your daughter. That is not your decision to make but theirs and you will leave your opinions to yourself. Bog has had far too many unhappy days and I'm not going to allow you or anyone else ruin his happiness."
Dagda gapes at the queen mother's rant but has enough presence of mind to wave away the incoming worried guards. What is Griselda even going on about? Taking a moment to replay the last day's events in his mind only draws up a blank.
"What are you talking about? I'm ecstatic about our children being together and had the kingdom laws checked to see about the changes that will take place when they marry," Dagda defends. "Yes, I was shocked but only because my daughter has never warmed up to anyone this fast, romantic or otherwise. For spirit's sake, it took Roland three seasons just for her to agree to be courted and five seasons of courting before she agreed to marry him. At this point, I think Bog can propose right now and she'd agree."
"You trying to say that you also have no problem about Sunny and Dawn being together," Griselda questions skeptically?
"Of course, I don't have a problem," Dagda states before chuckling. "I'm surprised it finally happened, though. I was beginning to have nightmares of all the suitors I'd have to deal with now that Dawn is of age. What made you think that I didn't approve of my daughters' choices?"
"I saw you, Dagda. You fainted when your youngest kissed the elf and then covered your eyes when your eldest kissed my son, a goblin," Griselda points out, watching understanding cross the fairy's face. "All this morning and evening you showed your disgust about both couples."
"Ah, that," Dagda mumbles, his cheeks red and scratching the back of his neck.
"Yes, that," Griselda remarks!
"You see the thing is," Dagda whispers, looking around to make sure no one overhears. "Well, it's like this...public displays of affections make me...um, well..."
"But you're a fairy," Griselda deadpans.
"I'm...unique," Dagda mutters.
She looks earnestly at the blushing fairy before her. Of all the excuses Griselda was ready to hear, that one wasn't one of them. She can tell he isn't lying, though, as Dagda turns his attention away quickly after glancing at the gathered kingdoms and spots one of his council members kissing their wife. It was a look of disgust, true, but not of the specific couple, just their adoring actions. How ironic that creatures who love to excessively display their love in public actually has a king that hates seeing all the lovey-doveyness.
Griselda falls down laughing.
Tea Blend.