A Little Less 16 Candles
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: I wish I owned the Sisters Grimm
The Grimms, Mr. Canis, Mr. Hamstead and Bess along with the Faerie royal family were all at a desolate part of the Hudson River bank for Oberon's funeral.
Titania stood forward first and spoke about her many, many, many years as Oberon's wife and then placed a red rose, supposedly brought to New York from the original Faerie. Mustardseed was next, talking about his father and placing a white rose on the casket. Puck was the last one to step forward and what he said shocked Sabrina.
"My father was a complicated man-one of strong traditions. He had unbendable beliefs and those beliefs often got in the way of new beginnings. He wanted the best for us but he didn't always know how to make things happen and he was easily frustrated when we disagreed. As I am the new King of Faerie, his blood will endure," and then he carelessly tossed a green rose onto the casket, took the lighted torch from OZ and lit the casket on fire, sending it off into the river.
The crowd began to drift away but Sabrina remained, wanting to talk to Puck before she left to return to Ferryport Landing.
"Should I start calling you Your Majesty now," Sabrina smiled, sitting down on the ground.
"You should have been calling me that all along," Puck wiped his eyes, turning away from his angry looking brother and sitting down next to her.
Mustardseed glared and then flew away.
"I liked what you said. It was pretty nice," She smiled.
"My mother wrote it for me. She didn't seem to like what I wrote," Puck said softly.
"Well," Sabrina said slowly, looking around and then grinning playfully, leaning in close to him. "Nobody's around now," She whispered as if the obvious was a secret. "Why don't you tell me," She suggested.
Puck looked at Sabrina, tilting his head curiously and then smiling.
"My father was mean, arrogant, horrible and selfish. He cared little for anyone and less for anyone who disagreed with him. His only love was for his precious kingdom," Puck shook his head and stared at Sabrina. Then he looked away and stared at the water. "I hated you!" He shouted. "You took every opportunity to remind me that I was weak and stupid," Puck said.
He stopped and then Sabrina saw the boy doing something she'd never seen him do before. He started to cry. Sabrina wrapped her arm around him from instinct.
"You're not weak and you are not stupid," She whispered.
"When I was little he took me aside and said he'd never let me have the kingdom. I went crying to my mother and she gave me my title-the Trickster King and I wore it proudly ever since," Puck explained. "I got older and he tried to force me to marry Moth and I said no way so he banished me since disobeying your father is a serious crime in Faerie," Puck said slowly. "My mom said I'd be the king and he'd never see it coming and here I am, King of Faerie and he never saw it coming," Puck sighed.
"You'll be a great king," Sabrina told him.
"But I don't want to be," Puck looked her in the eyes. "I don't want to be a king and I don't want to stay here. I want to go back," He said.
"So go-once you're there nobody can stop you from staying. It would be impossible," Sabrina smiled.
"It's not that easy. Mustardseed is the next in line if I life but he refused to take the crown for me to leave. I think-never mind," Puck sighed.
"If you leave he has to take it, doesn't he?" Sabrina wondered.
"He needs to agree. He needs his consent and my own," Puck explained.
You know, I think we finally have something in common," Sabrina said.
"What are you talking about," He asked.
"Neither of us have families we don't want to be a part of," Sabrina pointed out.
"The old lady told me you're quitting," Puck frowned.
"I can't quit something I never wanted to be. I'm retiring," She said.
"You can't retire from something you never tried," Puck pointed out.
"I did try-and people got hurt," Sabrina whispered.
"Don't worry about me Sabrina. Don't worry about Mr. Canis or your grandmother or your sister. Worry about you. I can tell that you love it and you're good at it. So stop whining and just admit to being a Grimm," He ordered.
"Puck," Sabrina smiled, grabbing his arm to stop him from getting up, and then leaning in close to him. He started to lean forward and then...
"What is that," Puck asked, not moving away from her or any closer.
"I...I don't know. Do you think we should check it out," She asked, not moving either.
"Let's go," He said reluctantly moving away and picking her up, flying towards the commotion.
They arrived just in time to see Hamstead turn back into his pig-form and turn Tony Fats into a rat.
"The pig's pretty good," Puck smiled, placing Sabrina on the ground.
~...~
"What are you doing," Sabrina asked as she walked off the stage after giving her mother's speech to the everafters. It hadn't been easy to get the journal which had held the speech. They'd had to fight OZ along with his Wicked Witch of the West robot. But they'd done it. And Sabrina had told her grandmother that she'd changed her mind about being a detective.
"What I started before," Puck said, pulling her close and kissing her before sending her towards her family.
"Ready to go," Granny asked.
"I don't want to go. I don't want to leave him here," Sabrina muttered but followed her family back to the hotel.
~...~
The next day the Sisters Grimm, their granny and Mr. Canis climbed into the car. Hamstead was staying with Bess.
As the family drove on they suddenly heard the sound of pounding metal and Sabrina and Daphne turned around in shock.
The Wicked Witch robot was chasing after them and on its shoulder was Puck.
"He's coming back," Sabrina read the writing he'd spray painted on the robot's chest-Ferryport Landing or Bust.
"And he's bringing his toy," Canis growled.
"I think we're going to need a lot of forget dust," Sabrina smirked as she smiled, turning on her iPod and hitting play on shuffle mode, smiling when A Little Less 16 Candles-the first song she and Puck had ever listened to together and finding something they'd had in common.
Sabrina pressed her head against the window and closed her eyes.
Where does this leave us She found herself wondering about her relationship with Puck. I don't get it at all. He kissed me-twice...but what does that mean? She was torn from her thoughts by her sister.
"Mustardseed is with him-then who is going to led Faerie," Daphne said.
Faerie doesn't exist anymore, Daphne. It's been gone for a long time-but Oberon didn't want to believe it. Puck's bringing it back to how it should be-gone. And now he's coming back. But he's bringing his brother; Sabrina shook her head as she thought about her adventures in her home town of New York City. But she didn't find herself missing the city. Instead, she was excited to return to her new home. The home she wished she'd always known. She'd come to love Ferryport Landing.
But what would happen if something made her come to hate it?