Disclaimer, I do not own The Land of Stories. This magical tale was written by Chris Colfer.

Chapter Seven: Halves Meet

"Now," Froggy said,

"I've packed you some rolls, apples, and blankets. I hope it will be enough."

Froggy handed Connor a rucksack and the map they had looked at the previous night. Connor promptly placed the journal into the rucksack, not taking any chances.

"Are you sure you don't want to come Froggy?" Connor asked.

"I mean, a map's good and all, but it wouldn't hurt to have a tour guide. A map can only tell me so much."

"It would be some adventure," Froggy said, his face lighting up.

"But in my current state, I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well, because I look like a frog," Froggy said in a matter-of-fact tone."

"Come on Froggy," Connor persisted.

"You said it yourself that that witch cursed you because you were arrogant and needed to learn a lesson. What better way to learn a lesson than going on an adventure."

Froggy looked down at his webbed hands in deep thought. The thought of leaving his underground hole was certainly very tempting, but he couldn't help but have doubts. The two stood there for several minutes, and Connor was beginning to think that he'd have to go alone.

"Alright, I'll go," Froggy said, unable to hold back a smile.

"I think it's about time for me to accept myself for who I am and be proud. It's about time I overcame my insecurities."

Connor grinned, and the two friends high-fived, eager to set off. Just then, there came a light knock at the cottage door. Together, Froggy and Connor answered it.

"Hello, I'm Emilia and I'm a fairy in training. How can I help you?"

In the doorway, stood a young girl about Connor's age. She had brilliant blue eyes, and she wore her long black hair in a braid down her back. Her gown was the colour of the sky, and in her hand, she held a crystal wand.

"You're a fairy," Connor said, in disbelief.

"Yes, and my unicorn brought me to this location because someone here needs help," she said, gesturing behind her.

Outside the cottage, stood a magnificent unicorn. It was pure white and it seemed to gleam and glow majestically in the early morning sun. It was tall with big brown eyes, and a long swishing tail. The unicorn was chubby, it's horn slightly crooked, but that did not diminish its breath-taking beauty. Even Froggy stood mesmerized by the unicorn's elegance.

"Connor, maybe this is your chance," Froggy said hopefully.

"Hold on, hold on," Connor said slightly suspicious.

"How do I know you're a real fairy? What if you're a scam?"

"Well, I'll provide you with a little demonstration."

Emilia waved her wand towards him, and he felt a soft breeze blow against his face.

"What was that?" Connor asked.

To his horror, Froggy was chortling with laughter and was grinning at him.

"You look quite handsome Connor."

Instantly, Connor's hands flew to his face, and there, he discovered that he had obtained a spectacularly bushy beard.

"Get it off," he said, glaring at Emilia who was smirking triumphantly.

"Now do you believe me," she said, giving a wink and waving her wand again.

"Are you going to help or not?" he asked.

"I said I was didn't I. So, how may I assist you?"

Connor stood there thinking carefully about what he was going to say. Did he dare tell her about coming from another world? What if she thought he was crazy? She'd already embarrassed him once today, and they'd only met about two minutes ago. He wasn't eager to look a fool a second time.

"I need your help collecting the items of The Wishing Spell," he finally said, deciding not to risk it.

"But Connor-", Froggy cut in.

"That's what we need help with," Connor said, giving Froggy a meaningful look.

"The Wishing Spell," Emilia said, amusement clear in her voice.

"But that's just a myth."

Connor reached into the rucksack and showed Emilia the journal.

"This journal documents a man collecting the items and making a wish."

"Was his wish granted?" she asked.

"It doesn't say."

"What items do we need to find?"

"It's all in the journal," Froggy said,

"and there are instructions on how to obtain the items."

"Alright," Emilia said looking at them.

"Firstly, what are your names?"

"I'm Connor, and this is my friend Froggy."

They shook hands with their new companion, and together, the trio made their way out of the cottage.

"The Dwarf Forests is a dangerous place to be," Froggy said,

"I suggest we make our way into a kingdom, and work out what to do from there."

"Good idea," Emilia agreed.

"I'm down," Connor said without protest.

They walked over to a tall oak tree where the unicorn was standing. Before mounting, Connor and Froggy took turns stroking the unicorn. It was so soft, and its tale was feather light. Connor had never imagined getting to see a real unicorn in person. He'd only ever heard girls in his class talk about it. He smiled, thinking about how envious they'd be if they found out. Emilia climbed onto its back, followed by Froggy, then Connor.

"Okay Cornelius," she whispered into its dark mane.

"Take us out of the Dwarf Forests. Travel south to the Corner Kingdom. It's the closest."

With a confident nod, Cornelius and his riders set off. They travelled at a steady pace, passing ponds, streams, and makeshift homes along the way. Several times, they had to duck down in order to avoid hitting their heads and faces on low-hanging branches. The further they travelled, the trees got thicker and grew closer together. Connor was immensely glad he wasn't alone, and that Froggy had chosen to join him on his quest. He wanted to start reading the journal while they were travelling, but there were so many sights to see, that Connor was afraid to miss anything. There was so much in this forest, that Connor wondered what other splendours awaited him in the other kingdoms. He had to see at least one palace before going back home. That's what his dad and grandma would've wanted, he was sure of it. Nobody spoke as they continued on, and Connor found that he felt calm. He inhaled deeply, sucking the fresh air into his lungs. He sat up looking around. There was something in the air, a scent. It was sweet and inviting, and it reminded Connor of the aroma of home every Christmas when his mom would bake batch after batch of cookies.

"Do you guys smell that? It smells like ginger bread."

"Sure does," Froggy said calmly.

"We must be almost half way."

"Yes, I think you're right," Emilia said.

"Wait!" Connor exclaimed,

"You mean we're passing the ginger bread house that Hansel and Gretel was lured into by the witch!"

"Yes," the two said together.

"Stop!" he shouted,

"I need to see it! Oh my gosh! I really wish I had a camera!"

Emilia sighed, a flicker of annoyance crossing her expression.

"Sorry Connor," Froggy said smiling,

"I keep forgetting that this is a whole new world for you. Take a look, but this is as close as we can go without her seeing us. You won't get home if your a witch's lunch."

Connor stared in sheer disbelief at the sight before him. The entire cottage was made of sweets. Tall candy cane posts bordered the cottage's perimeter, the door was square and made out of a large slab of toffee. The roof was pointed, frosted with chocolate chips, and had a chimney, and gum drops decorated the windows. Connor's stomach began to rumble just by looking at it. The cottage door suddenly opened and a small, stooped old witch came out.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Emilia said, steering Cornelius forward.

At that moment, it suddenly occurred to Connor that while being in the Fairy tale World meant he'd get to see the characters he loved growing up, it also meant that he might meet the characters he hated. With this in mind, Connor vowed to himself that he would be mindful of the stories he'd heard all his life and avoid any trouble at all costs.

"So Froggy," Emilia said,

"Have you always been a frog?"

"Not at all. A very feisty and aggressive witch cast a spell on me to teach me a lesson."

"So how come you didn't use the journal to find the Wishing Spell items to turn human again?" Emilia asked.

"Well, I couldn't stand the thought of facing the world as a frog, but Connor here has put my feelings into perspective. If that witch wanted to teach me a lesson, why not embrace it and learn as much as I can."

"So which kingdom are you from?" Connor asked Emilia.

"I'm from the Fairy Kingdom of course."

"What of your parents?" Froggy asked.

"Oh, they died a few weeks after I was born. A kindly old fairy adopted me, and is teaching me all she knows."

"What's her name?" Connor asked.

"Um, her name is," Emilia paused,

"her name is Josephina."

"Why do you need The Wishing Spell items?" she asked him.

"Well, to make a wish obviously," he retorted.

"Alright, be like that," she said, promptly turning away.

They continued to talk about nothing in particular as they travelled. Afternoon was slipping by quickly, and the sun had begun to climb lower in the horizon. The atmosphere in the forest was also taking a turn, becoming more eerie and growing more sinister as darkness approached.

"I think Cornelius needs to rest," Emilia said, stopping at a small stream.

"It'll only be a few minutes."

They dismounted, and the unicorn leant down and drank eagerly. While Cornelius drank his fill, they all sat down under a tree to rest their bodies. Suddenly, Emilia sat up abruptly, her head tilted to one side, motioning to them to keep quiet. Connor listened closely, straining his ears, and then he heard it. Barely audible beneath the sound of animals, birds and rushing water were light footsteps coming their way. Quickly, Emilia waved her wand over them and the unicorn. When Connor looked around, all he could see were trees and leaves. They had been camouflaged with their surroundings. Out of the trees, came a cream-coloured horse, carefully putting one hoof in front of the other as if it had been trained to tiptoe. On it's back, sat a young woman with bright blue eyes and long golden curls. She wore black leggings, a maroon coat, and tall leather boots.

"Easy Porridge," she said soothingly, stroking the horse's mane.

"Easy, that's a good girl."

From beside him, Connor heard a snicker, and looked around to see Emilia trying to stifle a laugh. The woman whirled round, retrieving a long sword from her coat.

"Whose there." she called, raising the sword high and pointing it in their direction.

They sat completely still, not even daring to breathe. Suddenly, there came the sound of piercing howls, rapidly approaching. The woman turned away from them, and pointed her sword in the opposite direction.

"Get ready girl, we're about to have company," she said, patting her horse.

Through the trees, came half a dozen enormous wolves. Everything about the wolves were abnormally large. Their arms were long and rippled with muscle, and they had large eyes, large muzzles, large pointed ears, and large mouths.

"Hello Malumclaw," the woman said, looking one of the wolves directly in the eye.

"Hello Goldilocks."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Me and my pack were just walking through the forest looking for a snack."

"Don't tell me you think you'll get me. You should know by now that I bite back."

"No," Malumclaw growled.

"You're much too meagre for a snack, but your horse should quench our hunger just fine."

"If you so much as scratch her, I'll wear you for a coat."

"Why do people in this world always want to eat each other," Connor whispered.

As soon as the words left his lips, Connor realised his mistake. At once, all the wolves stopped and turned their way. They sniffed the air deeply, savage hunger gleaming in their eyes.

"I smell three edible beings," Malumclaw snarled.

"One boy, one girl, and a man that's not quite a man."

Connor held his breath terrified. Was Goldilocks going to give them away to save her horse?

"I'm afraid you've just missed them."

"Then horse it is."

As one, the wolves began to circle Goldilocks and Porridge. They were closing in, ready to pounce, but Goldilocks was deft with a sword. Every time a wolf got so much as a claw close to her or Porridge, she was quick to shield them, slashing her sword through the air effortlessly. Porridge wasn't too bad herself. She wasn't shy about kicking away wolves that were too close for comfort. One of the wolves pounced and sank its sharp claws into Porridge's back. Goldilocks swung her sword, hitting him on the muzzle drawing blood. The wolf whimpered and retreated back into the forest. Two wolves closed in on Goldilocks, and she stumbled. Her sword flew from her hand, landing near Connor and the others. The wolves were closing in for the kill, and Goldilocks had no weapon to defend herself with.

"Catch!" Connor cried, tossing her the sword.

She caught it, and swung at the oncoming wolves. In no time at all, they had all retreated, bleeding, limping and injured.

"Easy Porridge," she said, dabbing at the horse's wounds with her coat.

"You can come out now."

Emilia clicked her fingers and they stepped from the trees.

"That was epic," Connor said enthusiastically.

"You're really good with a sword especially for a girl. I thought they had you for sure."

"When you've been on the run as long as I have, you pick up a few tricks here and there," she said, giving Connor a stern look.

"You're quite the sword's woman," Froggy said.

"Here, take these," Froggy said, handing her some coins.

"I couldn't."

"Please," Froggy said gently.

After several seconds, she pocketed them, mounted her horse, and rode off. However, after a few feet, she stopped and turned around.

"Thank you, for your assistance," she said.

She withdrew a small dagger from her boot and tossed it on the ground in front of them.

"In case you need it."

With that, Goldilocks and Porridge rode away, fading into the distant trees.

"Okay, rest time is over. We're not stopping until we reach the Corner Kingdom," Emilia said, re-mounting Cornelius.