Chapter Ten
Bennett
"What were you doing?" Timmy put his paws on his hips when he saw me float back.
"I saw Goldilocks," I pointed behind me. "She reunited with her friends and had a little…skit where the giant pretended to scare them. I had to check to see if things were all right."
"All right, we're moving out of here," Ophelia mounted her broomstick. "Felicia, try to get that sugar-stuffed dronkey of yours in control." Her eyes narrowed over a glare that went from Bananas to me.
"What's wrong with all this?" I threw down my arms. "The Fairy Godmother killed me and caused all our problems. Goldilocks and her crew haven't harmed us."
"What about sticking most of us in cages?" Ophelia gestured around.
"You were put in cages because you broke into Goldilocks's factory!" I thrust out my hand. "What would you do if someone broke into your home?"
"All right, you have a point," she stuck a hand under her hair with a sigh. "But why are you so nice? You're the total opposite of the rest of us."
Timmy cleared his throat and twirled his épée. "Ahem?"
"Uh, almost the rest of us," her eyes went down to him with a tight face.
"That's because I am the opposite of most of you," I clenched my hand. "I am the Prince."
"Yeah, I know," she rolled her eyes, then halted. "Wait," her eyes widened. "Is that—capitalized?"
"Yes," I nodded. She must've found that out in her history books of dark magic.
"What makes you get a capital letter?" She hovered in midair.
"I am the manifestation of the light," I pointed to my chest, "As the ogres and witches are manifestations of darkness."
"All the light? In you?" She tutted over my transparent body. "I'm not the mistress of the fairytale world and all that, but shouldn't there be lots of Princes, just as there are lots of ogres and witches? Someone up there should've realized that having just one of you could lead to the end of the light. This whole thing isn't exactly practical." She rubbed her long chin. "Hang on, if you're the light, then how were things in balance before you were born?"
"I can explain all of this," I raised my hands and stared through them. "While there is only one Prince, he always gets reborn right after death. That way, the world will always have hope, joy, and a leader against evil. I had many past lives before I became Prince Bennett, and I was expected to have lives after this one. But I wasn't reborn, and with me gone—"
"—Everyone has turned into a cynical sourpuss," Timmy sniffed. "But if you are supposed to be reborn right after death, why are you a ghost?"
"I don't know," I grasped my hair. "The poison must've killed my magic along with me." And if my magic was destroyed… "I-I can't live again," my hands moved down to my face. What could I possibly do now? A Prince with no chance of living again was like a voiceless bird.
Timmy doffed his hat and lowered his head.
"We just can't have a balance, Timmy," Felicia scratched his ears. "Bringing back the darkness will be good enough, if the only thing we can do."
"And who knows?" Timmy raised his head and plopped his hat back on. "Fate works in mysterious ways in this world. We might get the chance to restore the balance after all."
"It all depends on if Fate favors us," Felicia's eyes turned skyward.
"Yeah, right, like Fate would ever bless us with a happy ending," Ophelia muttered.
I wished I could give them hope, but without a chance at rebirth? Trying to assure them of a good outcome would just be denial on my part. If I knew my reincarnation would die with me, would I still have run off all those years ago? I remembered how Princess Hydrangea never referred to me by name. But those with me now always called me Bennett. Everything was wild and unsure now, but maybe I needed that. A different story from my usual tale. Flying around light as a feather was enjoyable.
But I still wanted a return to the familiar story at some time.
"I wish I could just…wake up from this," I sighed.
"You still don't like our company?" Ophelia lifted an eyebrow.
"No, no, I mean—I wish everything could be the way it was before," I held up a hand and gazed through it.
"We know how you feel," Felicia nodded.
"But you've never been in one era, then landed in a completely different one, have you?"
"No," she dropped her shoulders, "But we want things back in balance, too, so we at least understand you a little. Don't we?"
"Yes," I managed a smile. "Ophelia," I took a breath as I turned to her, "I can't believe I'm asking about evil potions, but do you know what poison stopped my rebirth?"
"Rebirth-stopping poisons?" She raised her eyes. "They sound awfully potent, but I've never heard of any potion that could affect the soul. Either the Fairy Godmother was even more powerful than we thought, or something's going on here."
"If we find the poison that did this," I gestured down to myself, "We could figure it all out." My thoughts began to race aloud. "We could go back to the clearing where I was killed, and find the Huntsman's arrow!" I had a quest, one I had chosen for myself. An old excitement rose in me, stronger than it had ever been before. With a quest ahead, I was closer to who I was. Perhaps I could even be who I was. If I found out why I hadn't come back, could I find a way to return? But would the others let me go on this journey? Would they go with me? I would be lost in this strange new world without them.
Ophelia's mouth dropped open. "You want us to travel around even more?"
"What did you have in mind?" My brow tensed. Was this a bad idea?
"I wanted to get all this witch-finding business done with those guys," she paced away from me, "Then go right back to Crone's Nest and show you to the High Witch."
"Crone's Nest…" my eyes widened. "That's in Duloc."
"Yeah," her eyes traced back to me. "What're you thinking?"
"I was killed in a forest in Duloc," I gestured to the woods. "Perhaps we could find the other witches, then find out what really happened to me."
"We'd be going back over 700 miles," she grumbled, "But there could be other witches on that route. And…" A cunning gleam came to her hazel eyes. "Okay, Bennett, you've got yourself a deal." She turned to Felicia and Timmy. "How about you guys?"
"I never turn down the chance to prove myself a hero," Timmy puffed out his chest. "More of a journey could help me better prove myself as an adventurer! And we could find plenty of good dining areas, too."
"I'm game," Felicia shrugged. "Helping people is what I like to do."
"Thank you so much," excitement rushed in me.
"Let me pull up these pegs," she soared over to the larger tent. "We're taking the scenic route home."
Bananas' eyes widened over a sharp-toothed grin, and he darted over to her.
"And so the mad whirl continues," I shook my head as I followed them.
"I know," Ophelia snorted. "Traveling around with these guys?"
I found I chuckled as well.
She stuck a thumb back to the tents. "They pulled me into this mess, too."
"Really?" We shared more than just this group and my necklace? The smile stayed on my face. "What happened?"
"I was just the average apprentice witch, flying around, causing trouble, minding my own business," she waved her hand, "Then Felicia, Timmy, and Bananas showed up at my witch school and persuaded the High Witch to make me join their quest to restore the balance and all that stuff. I'm as much stuck with them as you are."
"I thought you chose to go on this mission," I held out my hands. "You just appeared to be in charge."
"It's a loner attitude thing," she shrugged.
"But if you are someone who enjoys being alone," I lowered my head, "Why did you accept the quest and summon me?"
Ophelia halted. "Well, I-I just did it to move forward in my witch training, all right?"
"But why keep me with you?" I floated forwards. "When you summoned me the first time, that could have been enough for you."
"Haven't you ever heard the saying misery loves company?" She sighed to the grass a foot under her. "Plus," she lifted her eyes, "You seem like a helpful guy who'd like an adventure."
"Thank you," I truly smiled at her now.
"We have a ways to go before we return to Duloc," she rubbed her chin. "If you want to learn about what killed you, we should go to the Fairy Godmother's factory; we might find the poison."
"Wait a minute," Felicia held up a hand. "You want us to return to the factory? What if Goldilocks catches us and sticks us in cages again?"
"I won't let that happen," I swept my arm aside. "If Goldilocks can listen to me, then I can talk her into freeing you." And if that didn't work, I could help them escape; there were few dungeons I hadn't gotten out of in my past lives.
Felicia's face was still tense with uncertainty.
"Come on," Ophelia raised her shoulders. "Let's give the new guy a chance to scare up some success." She elbowed Felicia.
"Fine," she groaned with a hand to her face. "Let's go back to the factory."
I faded away into the warm darkness of the beyond, then returned to the living world in front of a building I barely recognized.
The last time I saw the factory, the stones were sparkling marble, and no tree dared to hide the factory's facade.
But now, thick bushes of ivy crept around and over the dirty gray walls. They looked as if they wanted to yank the entire building down into the earth.
"This place is different than I remember," my eyes traced over the factory's now-crumbling turrets of chimneys and loose bricks on the long roof.
The crumbling, overgrown walls made the whole building seem much smaller than it had been in the past. Didn't the Fairy Godmother's supporters think of keeping their mistress's factory in shape, at least out of respect for her? But if the factory wasn't tended to much, this could mean sneaking in would be easier than we thought.
"Great, they fixed the hole," Ophelia punched a spot on the stone wall in front of us. "How are we going to get in this time?"
"Ghosts can walk through walls, can't they?" I raised a finger. "I could float in and find a way where you could follow me."
"That could avoid a lot of trouble," her eyes brightened. "Try it out."
I flew forward, but instead of passing through the wall, I went back to the warm darkness of the beyond. I quickly gathered myself back to the others.
"What was that?" Felicia blinked. "When you headed for the wall, you just went poof in a puff of smoke. Did you go through?"
"No," I shook my head. "I'm sorry."
"Well, that didn't work," Ophelia blinked at me, then drooped. "There's another way I didn't summon you perfectly."
"I can't believe we're at square one again!" Felicia punched the wall, then struck it again.
"Maybe we should blast through another wall?" Ophelia drew her wand.
"Mi scusi?" Timmy's forelegs were crossed, round face tight in an irritated frown.
"We can't just knock on the door pretending to be representatives of a magic union," she tapped her wand on her chin.
Wham. Wham. Wham. Felicia gave literal meaning to the idea of banging one's head against a wall.
"Excuse me?" I raised a hand for Timmy.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat loudly.
All heads turned.
"What?" Felicia rubbed her forehead.
"I have an idea!" He threw up his paws. "Listen, everyone," he waved us close into a huddle. "We do not need magic or brute strength; all we need is a good plan!"
"And what's your idea?" Ophelia raised an eyebrow over crossed arms.
"We have to rig it like a heist or a secret rescue operation," Timmy paced in front of us, "Like the missions I always did with my siblings. We need someone stealthy to do the job," he held up a claw, "We need a diversion to distract our enemies, and we need people in between to make sure it all goes smoothly."
"Timmy, you and I can do the stealth job," I held out a hand. "I'm translucent, so I'll blend into things, and you can hide and pretend to be an ordinary cat."
"Good idea," Timmy put a claw to his chin. "I am with you on the stealth job. If we are caught, we can fight our way out!" He raised his épée.
If only I'd died with my sword on.
"I've got our diversion right here," Felicia pulled Bananas in.
A wall-eyed dragon hybrid would definitely attract attention.
"Which means that you and I are the middle people," Ophelia pointed to herself and Felicia. "Checking corners, handling anyone who sees us," she waved her wand.
"Then, it's all set," Felicia cracked her large, green knuckles. "Question is," she raised her head, "How do we get in?"
My eyes traced from the factory's sturdy walls to its tall, thick chimneys. The chimneys lit an idea in me. Would they be the right width? "I think I found a way," I pointed upwards. "Could we go down the chimneys?"
Felicia followed my gaze. "You want us to slide into the factory like Ogre Claus?"
"It is our only way in," Timmy latched onto the wall and started to heave himself up.
"I'll give you a lift," Ophelia chuckled, tossed him onto her broomstick, and flew to the roof.
I zipped after them and joined them on one of the four large tower-like chimneys upon the rusty red roof.
Felicia flew up to us on Bananas.
"Now," Timmy slipped off the broom, "We must remember our setup. Bennett and I do the sneaking, Ophelia and Felicia are the lookouts, and Bananas is the diversion. Do we all have it?"
Bananas gave a loud, snorting hee-haw.
"Close enough is good enough, I suppose," Timmy sighed down. "Here we go!" He jumped down the chimney.
"Timmy!" Felicia shot out a hand. "Don't jump down—"
Bananas leapt in after him, and there was a thud with a crack.
"Yeeooww!"
"—first," she winced.
A tense pause hung in the air, then—
"I-I have gotten myself out from under the dragon," Timmy's pain was audible. "You can come down now."
"I'll go next," I soared down the vast pipe of stone. A ghost couldn't crush anyone.
Air whistled past me, through me as I took a nosedive. For a moment, the shaft almost seemed bottomless.
Then, Bananas's distinct bat wings and scaly magenta back drew close in front of me.
Beside him was Timmy, who was gingerly getting to his back paws.
"Are you okay?" I lowered my legs to standing as I nearly landed on the brick floor of the hearth.
"I—have been better," Timmy pulled his spine straight with a crack. "Where are we?"
A vast, dim, steely room spread out in front of us. It was as if we were inside the stomach of some strange machine. The walls were strikingly reflective, though smudged, spotted, and dusty. Multiple dronkeys, clothed cats, and ghosts stared back at us. My eyes traced gold and silver outlines on the walls, which made them look like the honeycombs of a beehive. Mirror frames, squares and circles, hexagons and octagons. But the room wasn't entirely walls of mirrors. Axes, swords, maces, clubs, and quivers of arrows hung on the wall, adding to the sharpness of the chamber.
But in a strange, almost comic juxtaposition to the arms was an enormous wardrobe at the front of the room that looked like it could be a fantastical gateway in disguise. Who had been in control of this room? I could hardly imagine the Fairy Godmother in fencing attire.
There was a light thump behind us, and Ophelia followed me out of the hearth. "This must be Prince Narcissist's armory," she muttered under her breath as her eyes went from the wardrobe to the weapons. Did I hear that wrong?
My eyes lifted back to the wall of arms, and stopped at a familiar short, thin blade with a curling, cross hilt. "That's the sword I took with me when I tried to run away," I pointed up at it.
"Old-fashioned, but elegant," Timmy nodded in approval.
Elegant? Maybe I hadn't thought through my plan as well as I'd thought. At least I gotten my wish not to look like a prince anymore, though not in the way I wanted.
I caught sight of more of my arms. My shield mounted next to my sword, the fish coat of arms upon it shining in the reflected light. My bow hung in a corner, my lance leaned against a wall.
"What sort of armory is this?" Timmy stepped out of the hearth onto a deep purple carpet with the emblem of a fierce dragon that had a rather uncanny resemblance to Bananas. "Who would need a great wardrobe like that for fighting?" He looked up to me. "Would you?"
"Just a uniform for fencing and a fancier one for tournaments," I shook my head and turned to Ophelia. "You said it belonged to a…Prince Narcissus?"
"Narcissist. Anyway, I was joking," she held up her hand with a sigh. "I was talking about that guy." She pointed above the wardrobe.
My eyes lifted to follow her finger, and found a large, mounted portrait. I could have admired its majesty, its ornate detail, if a tidal wave of revulsion had not crashed through me.
It was me, yet it was not me, as if my former shape had become another's costume. The same waves of hair, parted and combed exactly as they would be before a grand ball, but thinner, and a platinum-streaked blonde. My face, but square-featured instead of smooth, and without the softness of youth. Instead of the wide, warm emerald eyes I once had, there were blue ones, as thin and pale as the spikes from snowy rooftops. The nose was long and pointed, not my average-sized, upturned nose. My favorite periwinkle doublet with silver-white trim, but the chest was too broad and protuberant to be my own.
"Who is this?" My upper lip rose as I floated forward. Then, my eyes went past the overlarge feet of this false self to a heavy-looking, curling plaque upon the thick frame. "Prince Charming?"
"This is…rather peculiar," Timmy's eyes jumped from the portrait to my reflection beside it. "So different, yet so similar. Is it true you were a brunette?"
"Yes," I nodded. "Where did you learn that?"
"I told him about a lock of your hair that I used for your summoning potion," Ophelia's eyes traced over my translucent teal waves, then back to Charming's portrait. "That guy sure went overboard trying to do you better, didn't he?"
"He does look a little unnatural," my eyes stopped at the too-shiny red lips. "If he wanted to build on my looks to an extreme, he succeeded."
"Only artificially so, of course," Timmy tutted. "Having a beauty spot, and, of course, blonde hair."
"His eyes are different, too," mine narrowed. "I had green eyes. Do you think the Fairy Godmother used magic to try to make Charming resemble me?"
"I believe so," Timmy rubbed his whiskers. "Your lifespans were too far apart for you to be related. Perhaps he took Happily-Ever-After Potion with your hair in it. Mamma mia," he shook his head and began to pace. "Felicia's and Bananas's fathers drank your hair, Goldilocks nearly drank your hair, this Prince Charming likely drank your hair—how on Earth was the Fairy Godmother able to get your hair? Did she steal your brush after she ordered your murder?"
"That's not how those spells work," Ophelia shook her head. "You need to pluck or cut the hair from the head to make an efficient disguising potion. Anyone can take strands of hair from clothing or brushes, but they don't work as well, and you can get the wrong hair by mistake."
"If the Fairy Godmother needed hair right from my head," I raised a finger. "Does that mean—she had my head? Perhaps even in this factory?"
Timmy clapped a hand to his mouth as he held back a retch.
"Let's not get too dark, Bennett," Ophelia waved her hand. "To believe I'm saying that. What we do know is that the Fairy Godmother cast at least a basic embalming charm on your head to keep your hair on your scalp, and she had to have easy access to it. Hair doesn't need to be put in a disguising potion right after it's plucked."
"So, we do not have to look out for pickled heads?" Relief came to Timmy's face.
"But you do have to look out for me," a nasal female voice came from behind us.
We spun around to see Goldilocks, her warty green arms crossed.
Doves bearing ropes hovered around her.
"I came back to pack for a trip to track you down," she stepped forward, "But it seems finding you was easier than I thought."
"Felicia!" Ophelia yelled up. "Don't go down that chimney! Goldilocks is here in the room with us! Timmy, get up there and help Felicia!" She pointed up the chimney. "Goldilocks will be easier on us if I stay here."
Timmy first halted, then firmed his face, rushed into the hearth, and scurried up. "We will rescue you soon!"
Or we would find a rendezvous point.
"Let's see how much an ogre and a fat little cat can do," Goldilocks smirked. "But where are my manners?" Her eyes went to me and glistened. "Welcome to my home, the factory of the Fairy Godmother," she batted her eyes. "Or, for you two," she turned to Ophelia and Bananas, "Welcome back."
"I'm glad you can provide some pleasantries," my voice sharpened.
"Listen, Your Majesty," Goldilocks curtsied, "You're not trouble for me. I heard what happened to you. It wasn't easy for the Fairy Godmother to get rid of you, just so you know," she slouched her shoulders.
"What do you mean by that?" My hand clenched.
"She had to do it because you were a threat to what happily-ever-after should be. But she could never create a prince who lived up to your goodness. She always called Charming 'Junior' to let him know that," she gestured up to the portrait.
"Who was he?" I followed her arm.
"Your 'replacement,'" she rolled her eyes. "Looking you both over, I can hardly believe the Fairy Godmother thought you two were alike."
"She didn't want someone like me because I didn't follow her orders," I raised my head.
"Oh, yes, she told Charming that too much," Goldilocks primped her ringlets, looking exactly like that snooty princess Hydrangea who almost married me. "I heard her snapping at him all the time when I was just a little girl hunting for her secret chocolate stash in the factory."
Secret chocolate stash? If I wasn't dead and my companions weren't in danger…
"Anyway," she waved her hand, "As I said, you're no criminal, Prince Bennett. Now, go off and find someplace nicer to be. Where do you go when you're not with Ophelia?"
"I'm staying here," I crossed my arms.
Ophelia's eyes widened.
"What?" Goldilocks jerked back. "You actually want to stay with these undesirables? Who pose a threat to all that is good and orderly?"
"I know it's not good, Goldilocks," I gave her a firm stare. "And these 'undesirables' have helped me adjust to a strange new world." I took a deep breath. "I won't leave without them."
"Fine then," she threw down her arm. "Doves, tie those two up and bring them down to the dungeons. I will bring Prince Bennett to the potions office."
The birds swept down on Ophelia and Bananas.
I threw out an arm. "Leave them—"
And then the birds flew right through me.
I gathered myself from the darkness.
"Hey! Give that back!" Ophelia shot up her hand as she tried to pull her wand out of a dove's talons.
"Come along, Your Majesty," Goldilocks turned around. "Right downstairs."
I paused. "Will I be allowed to leave your office?"
"Stay out of the dungeons," she waggled her finger.
I didn't usually feel good about betraying one's hospitality, but this was different. I gave Ophelia one last look and followed Goldilocks.
—
