Queen Clarion sat in her chambers in the Pixie Hollow tree having just gotten back from helping everyone get to the Mainland and back to bring in Spring. She flitted to her window, an oval shaped hole in the tree's bark, and stared at the sky. She silently tried to find shapes in the drifting cotton puff-like clouds. Through her window she could see all of the fairies doing their work, training, playing and more. She could also see beyond that; as long as the daylight would let her. She could see the small fairy forests to Mermaid Lagoon to Neverland's vast oceans. She could see lush green hills, mountains, and waterfalls, glistening with the light of sunset.
She sighed happily as she finally caught a break in her busy life. She was tired of working, sorting things, fixing problems, and having the ministers of the seasons nagging at her, day in and day out. Her life was so busy, there was always something to prepare for-the Autumn Revelry, seasonal balls and festivals, bringing the seasons to the Mainland-Clarion was lucky if she even got five minutes to herself.
As she watched a pair of doves hover, kiss, and flutter to the sky together, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her wooden, tree bark door. She sighed and straightened her posture, gracefully turning around.
"You may enter," Her words rolled off her tongue like liquid silver. One of the Queen's messengers, Talia, entered the room, hovering over while her wings flitted. Talia was Queen Clarion's personal messenger fairy that always stayed at her side.
"The Ministers request your presence, your highness," She bowed her head, her messenger hat nearly falling off of her orange locks. "They are awaiting the Conference Hall,"
"Very well," The Queen smiled and followed the messenger fairy out of her room. They floated down a red carpeted hall into a fairly large room.
The Conference Hall was a room with two windows and a small throne where Queen Clarion sat. It had four large mushroom chairs that sat facing the throne to where it was almost a circle of chairs. The Minister of Winter was standing up, and the other three men were sitting in the mushroom chairs in order of their seasons, chatting with each other.
When Queen Clarion entered, the men ceased they're idle chat and watched as she floated over, her large, glossy butterfly wings glittering a transparent gold, to take her place on her golden throne. As she did this, the Minister of Winter also took his seat.
"Good evening gentlemen," Queen Clarion pleasantly said as she looked at them. "I understand you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Queen Clarion," The Minister of Summer shifted nervously in his chair. Clarion furrowed her eyebrows.
"Is something the matter?" She asked.
"Nothing is wrong, your highness, is just…" The Minister of Autumn trailed off.
"It's just we need to discuss with you, your most important royal duty, as Queen of Pixie Hollow." The Minister of Winter, being the more straight-forward one of the bunch, picked up where the Minister of Autumn had left off. The Queen's face stayed calm and her blue eyes traveled to the Minister of Winter.
"Go on." She said, honestly feeling nervous because she knew this particular discussion had been put off for to long. Yet she remained calm on the outside.
"Well, as you aren't like the other fairies, you know what your duty is, and as you are getting older you may not have time to fulfill it." Winter continued.
"Pixie hollow must always have a queen." The Minister of Autumn concluded. Queen Clarion thought about all of this for a moment then cleared her throat to speak.
"I would like to point out a few things," She spoke, clear as day. The Ministers nodded. "For one, I am still young for a fairy of my standards,"
"I meant no disrespect, My Queen," The Minister of Winter bowed his head, slightly embarrassed.
"I would also like to point out that, though you want me to fulfill this duty before my 'time runs out', I don't have enough time in the day to do this, let alone to simply take a nap or read," She declared, feeling a bit relieved to get that off of her chest.
"We also took that into consideration," The Minister of Autumn said.
"So what do you suggest, Ministers?" Queen Clarion asked.
"We've come up with options," The Minister of Summer said. "The first one was that we could choose a successor to take the throne, but then we remembered she had to be of royal blood"
"The second and final option," They all exchanged looks with each other, as if knowing the Queen wouldn't like the next option, and the Minister of Autumn continued, "Is we could…arrange your marriage," Queen Clarion's face twisted with emotion. Part anger, part sadness.
"Absolutely not!" She stood up, her face turning slightly red.
"Please! If you don't do this…you know what will happen!" The Minister of Autumn exclaimed.
"But…marriage-having a child with-I just don't want to…get married and have a child with someone I do not know. Let alone someone I do not love!" The Queen's calm, elegant façade faded with her every word and her face became flustered.
"We've discussed this as well! Please, just hear what we have to say!" The Minister of Spring pleaded. Queen Clarion was just about to say something when the Minister of Winter spoke up.
"Your mother did it," He said calmly. Clarion closed her mouth and bowed her head. It was true. Her mother had gone through an arranged marriage and ended up having Clarion.
She sat back down, "I'm listening," She said calmly. The men sat back down as well, relieved and calming themselves down, also.
"Times are not like they used to be. Things change. Back then, we would have picked out the most eligible suitor for you and that would be then end of it. Now days, we have come to an agreement to let you choose. We will gather the most eligible bachelors we can find in Neverland, and you will have a chance to get to know each one of them before you decide," The Minister of Summer explained.
"And how do you suppose I 'get to know' these bachelors? I'm always so busy." She said. For once having a busy life may not have been such a bad thing.
"We are prepared to offer you a vacation of sorts," The Minister of Autumn said.
"Sounds…reasonable. But who will take over for me? Who will be in charge?" She questioned.
"Well, since it's Spring, we thought that I could take over for you," Said the Minister of Spring. The rest of them nodded they're heads in agreement. Queen Clarion still looked slightly uncertain about the whole ordeal. She sighed.
"Very well. What are the terms?" She asked calmly.
"You will start to grow weaker within the year. If you do not find someone to marry by the end Spring, we will pick for you," The Minister of Autumn said. Queen Clarion nodded her head.
"I am now dismissing this meeting," She said. Talia flew over to her and escorted her back to her room. Clarion sat on her queen-sized, cotton puff bed with the spider silk sheets. She asked Talia to light her fireplace and draw her curtains. It was Nighttime and she could now rest. She thought about everything that was going to happen. She wished she could have someone to talk to about this.
Queen Clarion got up from her bed and paced the room. She worried and fretted. Just then there was yet another knock on her door.
"Yes?" She wasn't quite acting like her usual, graceful self.
"Tinkerbell is here to see you, your highness," Talia answered her.
"Let her come in," The Queen Replied. Tinkerbell entered Queen Clarion's room and shut the door behind her "Hello, Tinkerbell," She smiled pleasantly, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Queen Clarion! I was going to ask you tomorrow but It couldn't wait! I wanted to ask you about making a contraption for the…" Tinkerbell trailed off, noticing the Queen was pacing and looked distressed. "…Is something wrong?" She looked concerned.
"Oh, no dear, I'm fine," The Queen tried to smile.
"I know I may be hyper sometimes, but that doesn't mean I can't listen and help my friends. You don't have to put up a front for me just because you're the queen," Tinkerbell replied. Queen Clarion smiled at this.
"Come sit," She smiled and lead Tinkerbell over to some comfortable looking chairs by the hearth. Tinkerbell sat down and nearly sank in it, as Clarion took the chair opposite. She decided to let her façade go and tell Tinkerbell everything. "I am not a fairy like you, or anyone else. I'm…special, in a way. For years and years I have been descended from royal blood. My oldest ancestor, which was my greatest grandmother, was one of the first fairies to ever live. She discovered this pixie dust tree. More fairies then came, and she was their queen. My great great great-well, you get the picture- my grandmother gave life back to this tree. If she died, the tree's life would be taken away as well. That's why…that's why she was the only fairy who could…reproduce. She met a man and they had a child. And she did the same, and so on. But it's only us, who have royal blood, who can reproduce. That's why, now, I have to find someone to marry and have a child," Queen Clarion finished. Tinkerbell stared, flabbergasted.
"Really? How neat! But what if you have a son?" She asked.
"It's always a daughter. No one has ever had a son. Sparrow-men can't have babies, not even human men. It's only women, and in fairies' cases, me," Clarion replied.
"Wow…but, what if you don't find someone?" Tinkerbell asked her.
"If I do not find anyone by summer, the Ministers will pick someone for me," She said, a bit sad.
"But that's crazy! What if you don't fall in love?" Tinkerbell exclaimed.
"Then I have no choice. I would have to accept,"
"But why? Wait…what if you refuse. What if you don't have a daughter? What if you don't give birth at all?" She asked, curious.
"Then I…and all of Pixie Hollow…will die. It will cease to exist, and be gone forever," Queen Clarion said sadly. Tinkerbell gasped and brought a hand to her mouth.
"I'm so sorry, Queen Clarion…" Tinkerbell said, feeling her Queen's pain.
"It's alright Tinkerbell," Queen Clarion smiled.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I'm afraid this is something neither of us can fix" The room fell silent for a moment. They both thought things over.
"One more question," Tink said "…How are babies made?"