Chapter Four
Greylock wiped the water off of his face and blinked the smoke out of his eyes. "Ca-card..." he tried to say the word 'Cardtrick', but Cedric magically stopped up his mouth.
"Cedric, we need to know why he did this," Aleena spoke up. However, before she removed the cloth, she waved her wand at Greylock, chanting another spell. "There. Now any time he tries to say any version of your name, he'll get kicked until he says it right."
"Aleena, what would your father say about this?" Patricia smirked.
"He'd agree with me," Aleena smiled.
"Who are you and what have you done with Aleena?" Robert smirked.
"I know where Cedric's coming from when it comes to someone not knowing someone's name or teasing them," Aleena smirked. She whispered to Sandra, "I do that to Ezekiel when he tries to tease you and Zoe. The kicking stops when he apologizes or leaves the room."
Greylock frowned. He liked teasing Cedric, but he didn't want to get kicked for it. He spat the cloth out and protested, "But Hat-tri-ouch!" he groaned as he felt something kick him from behind. "Breadsti-ouch! All right! Fine! But Cedric! It was just like our days at school!"
"You mean, you were a jerk then, and you were a jerk now?" Sandra challenged him. "I'd say something stronger, but there are kids in the room."
"They've heard worse than the word 'jerk', Princess, trust me!" Bianca chuckled.
"Bad words?" Elena asked in confusion.
"Kind of. Like Mommy and Daddy's mouth," Florence admitted with a smile.
"It was only for fun!" Greylock tried to protest. "You know, in the spirit of the season?"
"You mean trapping us in those crystals and traumatizing us with our worst fears was fun?" Robert challenged, waving the guards in. "Guards! Seize him!"
"You bad man!" Elena scolded. "You scared Mommy and made Daddy mad!"
"And this little stunt of yours just cost you a bigger role in my next Andrew Harmon story," James added as Greylock was dragged from the room.
"Greylock was included in one of your stories?" Nell asked.
"As a hired goon," James explained, "He had one line, and that was it."
"Good for him!" Bianca chuckled with a smile. "I would never want to relive my fear ever again!"
"Me neither!" Nell shuddered as Elena tugged at her dress. "Yes baby?"
"Cost room!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down. "Elena cost room!"
"Yes, sweetheart, we can work on your costume now," Nell smiled.
"I think that's a wonderful idea," Robert agreed. "Zoe, would you like to help Elena with her costume?"
"Yeah!" Zoe cheered.
"And now that Greylock's gone, I'll go to the castle library and get that book I was talking about," Sandra agreed.
"For Day of the Dead?" Bobby Lee asked.
"That's the one I'm thinking of," Sandra nodded. "Do you want to come with me? We can also see if there are some new fairy tales Elena and Gabby might like for their bedtime stories."
"That sounds like a very nice idea," Florence smiled, "I'd like to come with you, if you don't mind."
"As Queen Miranda says, the more the merrier," Sandra smiled as she led them out.
"What Day of Dead?" Elena asked in confusion.
"It's a holiday honey like Halloween or Wassailia," Nell explained, taking her hand.
"Why dead?" Gabby wondered with a pout.
"It's a way to honor people who have passed away," Nell replied as Bobby Lee and Sandra came back a short time later. "We talk about our loved ones, and share memories."
"It says here that people also make altars for their loved ones," Sandra agreed, showing Elena a picture of an altar in the book she'd found. "They put pictures and flowers on it, and little decorations."
"Pretty!" Elena smiled.
"And there's lots of things to eat during the celebration as well," Bianca agreed.
"Do you need help making any of it, Miss Bianca?" Sandra asked, watching Zoe come down with her box of craft supplies.
"I'd appreciate that," Bianca smiled. "I take it you have a cookbook with the recipes I need?"
"Right here," Sandra grinned, holding up a second book.
"That will do nicely," Bianca smiled, turning to Miranda, Nell and Florence, "Well, ladies, and Princess Sandra, let's get to work."
"Mama and I loved making witch cookies!" Nell recalled with a chuckle. "Together it was so much fun!"
"I remember those cookies. Especially when Madeline Elizabeth and Sabrina Marie started teething, trying to grab them with their little chubby hands!" Bianca laughed with a smile.
"They must have been big enough for them to hold in both hands," Sandra observed.
"Oh yes," Bianca smiled. "They'd put the hats on their heads and pretend to be witches."
"Do you have any cooking memories, Princess Sandra?" Florence asked.
Sandra bit her lip. "One bad memory, that's for sure," She led everyone away from the ingredients and sat down on a stool, drawing her left foot out of its shoe. "See that?" she asked, pointing at a huge scar on her foot.
"Oh my goodness! What happened?" Bianca asked.
"Princess Sandra got a boo boo?" Elena asked.
"A big boo boo," Nell nodded. "How did it happen?"
"A few years ago, I spilled hot liquid on my foot when I helped in the kitchen," Sandra sighed. "I wasn't barefoot; I just wore stockings, but I was also feeling dizzy as I was helping to carry some hot soup the chefs made to a tray. It spilled all over my foot and the chefs ran me to the bathroom and put it under cold water right away. Mom and Dad were upset, but they helped me with the recovery, and even a little physical therapy."
"Down with bad foot, up with good!" Gabby recited, repeating what Baileywick told her.
"That's right, Gabby," Sandra nodded, "And since then, that's been a cardinal rule: wear shoes when you're cooking, and don't cook when you're sick or dizzy."
"That's good advice, Princess, but do you have any good memories of cooking?" Florence asked.
"Sure I do," Sandra smiled. "I make apple Danishes for Sir Avery's birthday, or when he needs some kind of sweet snack, and everyone loves these ginger cookies I make."
"You'll have to make some for our celebration," Nell smiled.
She knelt down beside her daughters who were drooling over the thought of cookies. "Girls, how would you like to help me with some witch cookies?"
"Cost room?" Gabby wondered, hoping that it was at least something other than being a princess like her sister.
"Of course, sweetheart," Nell smiled, "We can work on your costumes while the cookies are baking."
"Wear shoes!" Elena pointed at everyone's feet, and noticed that they were all wearing shoes.
"Gabby, I know Elena's going to be Princess Elena, but what's your costume?" Sandra asked.
"I didn't think of one," Gabby admitted, hanging her head low. "Mommy let us pick out our cost rooms this year but it's hard."
"Last year they were Anna and Elsa. I'm still upset with Elena for throwing her shoes at me because she thought she couldn't get cold like Elsa!" Madeline pouted before she giggled. "But Elena lost in the end."
"The year before that Snow White and Cinderella!" Bianca added with a chuckle, smiling at Nell who blushed.
"What about their first?" Zoe asked, jumping up and down.
"I seem to recall that they were Jasmine and Aurora, or as you know her, Sleeping Beauty," Bianca smiled.
"I named my kitty Snow White!" Elena cheered, clapping her hands.
"Yes, she was your favorite princess at the time," Bianca smiled. "But you decided to be a different princess first."
"No! She still my favorite but Elena's number one!" Elena giggled, jumping up and down.
"And I tried to make angel costumes for their first Halloween but I couldn't do it. My skills with sewing were rusty," Nell remembered with embarrassment. "Not to mention I was tired and covered with baby spit up because two certain sisters of mine thought it would be a great idea to throw their nieces in the air after I had just finished with feeding them."
Madeline and Sabrina looked guiltily at each other. They had only wanted to play with their new nieces, and they didn't know that they had only just finished eating. "We're sorry, Nell," Sabrina apologized, Madeline nodding at her side.
"I'm not mad about it anymore, girls," Nell smiled, "But let's all be thankful I don't have to do that anymore!"
A short time later, when the cookies were in the oven, Zoe invited Nell, Madeline, Sabrina, Elena, and Gabby to her room where she pointed out a large box full of costumes. "You can look through that and see if there's something you like for your costume, Gabby," she offered. "You might also find something for your costume, Elena."
"That's very generous of you, Zoe," Florence smiled.
"Yes, but these costumes won't fit Elena Lydia or Gabby Anna," Bianca pointed out.
"When they find something, we'll take it to Aleena, and she can shrink it to fit them," Zoe suggested.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Bianca smiled.
"Go on! Pick something!" Nell encouraged, gently pushing Gabby forward.
"It can be anything. Like when your daddy and mommy started being friends, they decided to do Belle and the beast!" Bianca recalled with a chuckle.
"Don't remind me. All that fur!" Florence groaned, looking towards her son. "But someone just couldn't costume without it!"
"How about this?" Gabby smiled as she drew something out.
Nell and Bobby Lee looked amazed at Gabby's discovery. She had found a long fish-tail. "Well, how about that!" Nell smiled.
"We can cut holes in the bottom so you can walk in it, or try to make some kind of modifications for you," Florence agreed; she was never one to back down from a sewing challenge.
"Mermaid!" Elena jumped up and down.
"Ariel! That's a great idea, Gabby!" Sofia smiled.
"I don't think you've been her yet!" Nell agreed.
Gabby shook her head but frown.
"She's a princess too," Gabby muttered, crossing her arms.
"You don't like princesses no more?" Elena asked in surprise.
"I like princesses, but Ariel was a fish first. Mommy don't like fishes," Gabby looked sad.
"Oh, honey...is this because I got seasick?" Nell asked. "No, sweetheart, mermaids didn't have anything to do with that."
"But Ariel couldn't sing, just like James," Gabby looked at James.
"Sweetheart, James can sing, but are you thinking of when he sang behind a closed door?" Bianca asked.
"Gabby, I was embarrassed about losing my voice when I had to sing at my birth mother's funeral," James explained. "She loved singing so much, and I was really upset when I couldn't sing that last song for her. I thought she'd be so upset too, but after a while, I learned that she'd never me to held what I said, and it was okay to have my door open when I sang."
"I like it when you sing kitty songs," Elena smiled as she hugged him and offered him Kitty.
James make Kitty nuzzle Elena's cheek as if giving her a kiss. "Maybe we'll sing a kitty song later."
"Okay!" Elena shouted with a smile before turning to Gabby. "Why you wanna be a fishy?"
"I don't know!" Gabby muttered with a giggle. "Mommy and Daddy don't got a cost room!"
"We'll find a costume later, sweetie; I don't think any of the things Zoe has will fit us," Nell smiled.
"Miss Magic Lady can make something fit you!" Elena suggested.
"If they can find something they like, or if they describe it, I can make it that way," Aleena suggested.
"Sure, we can try something like that," Bobby Lee agreed.
"I don't see why not," Nell added.
"Just like when you were kids!" Florence chuckled with a smile.
"Except a little bit older," Bianca reminded her with a wink.
Aleena waved her wand over the fish tail. Two holes appeared in the bottom, and she had Gabby slip into the tail and stick her feet through the holes. "How about that?" she asked. "I didn't make the tail too big so you can walk around and not trip."
"That's a good idea, Miss Aleena," Nell smiled. "Here, Gabby, come with me and Aleena, and let's see how that fits you."
"Why Miss Magic Lady coming?" Gabby asked.
"Just in case I need to make adjustments to the tail or something," Aleena smiled.
Meanwhile, Bobby Lee had found a fedora in the box of clothes. "Please let there be a second one...yes! And I found two pairs of sunglasses! Helen!" he called, going after her and Gabby, "I found our costumes!"
"A fedora and sunglasses?!" Nell asked with a chuckle.
"It's been so long since we've dressed as a duo!" Bobby Lee pouted, before handing her a fedora. "Guess what we are."
"Detectives?" Nell guessed with a sly smile.
"No," Bobby Lee grinned. "Even better! One of the greatest movie duos of all time!" He found a small paintbrush, took Nell's hand, and painted her name on her knuckles.
When Bobby Lee released her and started painting on his own hand, Nell couldn't help but laugh. "The Blues Brothers? Really, Robert?"
"You two used to love that movie," Florence remembered.
"Oh yes. And every time I scolded Helen Genevieve or Robert Lee, they always said, 'I'm sorry...Penguin!'" Bianca smirked.
"That's a favorite movie around here, too," Robert grinned.
"Except I'm a woman so I'm wondering how this would work!" Nell smirked as Elena tugged on her dress.
"We play with paint?" Elena asked with a smile.
"As long as it washes off," Nell smirked.
"Of course," Bobby Lee grinned. "Only I'm going to be in charge of decorations."
"Okay," Elena agreed. "But Daddy, Mommy's a girl. She can't be a brother."
"So we'll be the Blues Brother and Sister!" Bobby Lee shrugged.
Nell rolled her eyes playfully as Bianca and Florence chuckled, remembering the duos the two had done as children.
"Helen Genevieve, it's not as bad as your first duo costume together!" Bianca chuckled with a smile.
"Oh yes! Madeline and her little bad hat friend!" Florence chuckled with a smile.
"What friend?" Madeline asked in confusion, looking around.
"You remember Pepito, don't you?" Florence asked.
"Not really," Madeline shook her head.
"Really? You don't remember you reforming him to be good?" Nell asked playing along. "You didn't remember anything about Paris?"
"No. I don't even know where it is!" Madeline pouted as she saw her family trying not to laugh.
"Maybe it happened before you were kidnapped," James suggested, "I don't think I've ever heard your friend's name either."
"And as for Paris," Sandra held up a book of maps, "It's right here." She opened the book to a map of Europe and pointed out the location. "Wow! Madeline, look at all these pictures! Landmarks, people, and most important, recipes!"
"And look at the costumes these dancers wore," Amber agreed. "I call that as my costume!"
"Me too!" Madeline smiled.
Nell smiled, gathering her in a hug as Madeline couldn't help but smile back.
"You got my name from a book? Didn't you?" Madeline asked with a laugh. "That's why you were asking questions I don't know about!"
"Surprise!" Nell grinned.
"Will you read me the book again now?" Madeline asked.
"Maybe," Nell smiled. "Maybe if we read the book again, we'll remember the stories again."
"But enough about books Helen Genevieve. Right now we have to get ready!" Bianca chuckled, wrapping an arm around the two girls.
"For what?" Gabby asked in confusion.
"Nap nap time for grow ups?" Elena guessed with a giggle.
"I think after all the excitement of being trapped in fear crystals and capturing Greylock, we're all entitled to a little rest," Bianca agreed.
"And after we rest, we can set up your Day of the Dead altar," Florence suggested.
"That's a good idea," Nell smiled.
"But Elena and me are fine!" Gabby pouted, frowning at Nell and Bobby Lee. "We don't need a nap! We didn't get in that crystal thingy!"
"And Mommy And I are happy about it," Bobby Lee assured her with a hug. "But-"
"But what?" Elena wondered, looking for her kitty.
"But you two did so much for us, helping everyone who was trapped in the crystals, offering comfort, and being there when we needed you," Nell smiled, finding Kitty and giving it to Elena.
She smiled as Ambre pawed Elena's dress and asked, "Won't you lie down with me for a minute, Elena?"
"Okay. I do like kitty naps," Elena smiled, petting Ambre.
"And later, you, Gabby, and I can play," Ambre purred.
"She responds so well to kitties," Bianca smiled.
"I know," Nell agreed before finding a heart pendant around her neck. "What? How did I get this?"
"You're not the only one," Bobby Lee muttered, feeling a moon pendant around his neck. "Hey! This looks great on me!"
"Miss Magic Lady gave you those when we all saw her pretty fountain," Elena replied, showing them her red diamond pendant.
"I got one too!" Gabby piped up, showing them her blue star pendant.
"I have one as well," Florence showed them her yellow sun-shaped pendant.
"Look at this!" Madeline showed them a green swirl-shaped pendant.
"Me too!" Sabrina pointed at her orange triangle pendant.
"Well, how about this," Bianca smiled, seeing a purple circle pendant around her neck. "Thank you, Miss Aleena."
"I'm glad you like them," Aleena smiled. "I told the girls that they can speak to animals now, and so can all of you. I only enchant pendants like these for my friends. But speaking to animals is the only talent this grants you."
"That's perfectly all right, my dear, and we all thank you very much," Bianca smiled.
"Yes. Now maybe we can understand the horses that Robert rides with his guard buddies!" Florence chuckled, kissing her son's cheek. "Especially the older one."
"Benjamin?" Bobby Lee guessed with a laugh. "He's gentle and sweet around me!"
"Then the last time you rode him, why did he tell you to-" Sofia was about to finish her sentence, but Miranda put a hand over her mouth and pointed at Elena and Gabby. Sofia took her hand away and grinned. "Mom! I was going to ask him, why did Benjamin tell you to take it easy around him and not to make him jump so high! What did you think I was going to say?"
"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Miranda tried to sound stern, but she couldn't help but muss Sofia's hair. "We're all new to having pendants like these!" she pointed at the pink heart pendant she was wearing.
"Sorry, Mom," Sofia grinned.
She smiled at Bobby Lee. "You could tell him not to eat your homemade sweaters around Wassailia time anymore once we get back."
"Horsies like Daddy?" Elena asked with a giggle.
"What their names?" Gabby added, shuddering a little.
"You know Saffron, Minimus, Echo, and Windfall," Bobby Lee started, "But there's also Benjamin, Kevin, Bob, Stuart, and Dave."
"Oh yes, Dave," Roland smirked. "He's been here since I was James' age!"
"Is Dave a horse we should be worried about?" Bianca asked.
"Not anymore," Roland assured her. "He's mellowed out in his old age, but in his youth he was quite a prankster."
"How about the rest?" Nell wondered, seeing a familiar look of fear on Gabby's face.
"They better be friends so Gabby isn't scared!" Elena pouted before running to Aleena, Zoe and Sandra.
"All the horses were quite well behaved, but they had their own personalities," Roland assured her. "I don't remember the name of the horse Gabby rode that day, but the man in charge of them assured me that he won't bring him next time Amber wants to have winged horses at her party."
James shuddered at the memory of the horse. His own horse, Echo, was bigger than the one Gabby had gotten on, and he'd been afraid that he'd hurt her when he yanked her onto him. He was even crying harder than Gabby when they landed, but mostly because he had been so scared. However, he was happy that he didn't have to relive that moment when he had been trapped in his Fear Crystal.
Gabby ran to hug James tightly before looking up at him.
"James fishy too?" Gabby wondered with a smile.
"I'm still trying to decide on my costume," James replied.
"You be mystery singer again?" Elena suggested.
"You mean the Secret Singer?" James asked, "No, everyone's seen that outfit, which is actually my squire outfit, and now that I don't need to disguise myself, I don't need it this time. Besides, I didn't bring it with me."
"What about your Andrew character?" Elena asked, thinking that James' spy character might wear something different than James.
"He wears whatever I wear," James said as he went over to the box and rummaged through it. "Wait. Black cape, black hat, black mask, fake sword-brilliant! I found my costume!"
"James, my children are confused about what you are!" Nell chuckled, seeing her daughters look at him funny.
"Not funny Mommy!" Elena pouted with crossed arms.
"It's that Zorro character from that movie you and Bobby Lee saw a few weeks ago," James grinned.
"I did something like that last year," Sandra agreed. "Only my sword was real."
"What about you, Sandra?" Nell asked.
"I've thought about this," Sandra said as she drew out a blue cloak with a hood. "This is from a book series I like. The characters are called Bluecapes."
"I love that series!" Sabrina smiled. "Who's your Animal Guide?"
"I think we both know the answer to that one, Sabrina!" Sandra grinned as she picked up Ambre.
"Kitty!" Elena giggled, petting Ambre gently.
"How long has Elena liked cats?" Ambre purred, liking how Elena was petting him.
"Since she could speak!" Nell chuckled with a smile, turning to her husband. "But it wasn't as adorable as when she called Bobby Lee Da da, just a few weeks after she was diagnosed with autism."
"I'm her Da-da now, anyway," Bobby Lee smiled.
"I love you, Daddy!" Elena smiled, hugging him.
"We love you too, sweetheart," Bobby Lee smiled back.
"How about you, Sabrina?" Nell asked, "Do you have any ideas for your costume?"
Sabrina nodded her head excitedly as Madeline looked down at the floor.
Like Gabby before her, she didn't know what she wanted to be but wanted to do her own costume.
Like Sandra, she liked reading, so she also decided to find a character from one of her favorite books. However, all the choices for princesses had been taken, thanks to Elena and Gabby, but she didn't hold it against them. She was glad that they had found inspiration from their favorite princesses.
Plus with them being little, they would have a fit picking something else.
"What we do now?" Elena asked, wanting to be held.
Nell obliged, taking her on her lap. "Well, we could start decorating...where are we having the party?"
"The ballroom," Patricia smiled.
"We could start by helping decorate the ballroom for the party," Nell smiled.
"What can we put in?" Sofia asked.
"Hopefully nothing too fancy!" Florence chuckled as Bianca nodded in agreement.
"Why not? Bigger is better!" Amber expressed with a smile.
"Kitty don't think so," Elena muttered with a frown.
"Amber, do you want another Sweetheart Pie incident?" James asked.
Amber shuddered, remembering the lesson James and Sofia taught her, which was disguised as a prank. "Don't remind me! That pie was terrible!"
"But it taught you a lesson, bigger's not always better," Nell replied.
"And you should let people who have their own plans for a party use them," Sofia agreed.
"And if you want to help with a party, you should ask first before taking over," Sandra added.
"We should have kitties at the party!" Elena giggled before seeing the people around her look confused with her plan. "Spooky kitties?"
"Elena, sweetheart, Halloween isn't just with kitties," Miranda explained with a smile.
"We can have some kitties for you," Patricia suggested. "I saw that you were a little nervous around the fake bats and spiders, but maybe if we have some less scary decorations, how would that be?"
"Okay," Elena nodded. She ran to Patricia with open arms. "Love you Queen!"
"Elena, that's sweet but not everyone with a crown is named King or Queen," Madeline said, making her frown.
"She'll learn the names in her own time, Madeline," Nell assured her.
"Elena, which kitty would look best on this window?" Zoe asked before Elena could have a meltdown.
"This kitty!" Elena smiled, finding an orange colored cat.
"Thank you for the distraction, Zoe!" Nell smiled.
"Anytime!" Zoe laughed before seeing Elena take the orange colored cat for herself.
"Kitties mine! Kitties mine!" Elena sung, walking out of the room to find some more kitties.
"Let her play with it," Patricia assured Nell, who looked ready to go after her. "Sandra used to do the same thing with those, as well as some of our Wassalia decorations."
"Carry them around?" Nell smiled.
"Oh yes. She played with some of them so much that I finally gave them to her," Patricia smiled.
"Those tiny little angels live on my bookshelf now," Sandra grinned.
"Can I see them?" Elena asked, coming back with the plush cat.
"Sure, but like I said, they're really tiny, and they might get lost or be seen as a choking hazard," Sandra agreed, leading her and Nell to her room.