"Emotion sickness?!" asked Greenly as the queen wiped her own eyes with her handkerchief.
"Yes, it's a very rare disease that only the Pea princesses contract. This disease occurs when the princess is under great emotional stress. By supressing their feelings, it weakens them and causes them incredible pain." Baba Yaga explained. "Their health will continue to decline and until, well, The End." she said darkly.
"The End?!" Greenly was horrified. "But why would this only affect me?!"
"Because," Queen Pea put a hand on her daughter's cheek. "it's part of your destiny." She stood up and sat on Holly's bed. "Sit with me." Once Greenly joined her mother, the queen put a loving arm around her. "I had the same illness when I was your age. But I was able to survive it as well as those before me. You see, Greenly, like your predecessors, we have the heart of true princesses, having the sensitivity to feel things much stronger than others. Whether it's a pea under many mattresses, the falsehoods of others, or our own emotions. But there is a cure for the emotion sickness, whatever is troubling you, you must accept your emotions and follow your heart." Queen Pea looked deep into Greenly's eyes. "Now, I want you to be honest with me, what is troubling you?"
Greenly started to sink. She looked like she wanted to cry. But she screamed in pain when she felt the stabbing pain again.
"Greenly, if you want the pain to stop, you have to tell me what's wrong!" said Queen Pea. "It's the only way!"
Seeing herself at a stalemate, Greenly began to cry. "Because I did something stupid!" she screamed. As she cried, she felt the pain slowly dissipate. "Raven doesn't want to be the next Evil Queen and I told her that if she didn't want to, then she shouldn't!"
Queen Pea gasped, her face went pale. But Baba Yaga was stone faced.
"I-I encouraged Raven to be good even though it was against her destiny!" Greenly said, her voice breaking. "I just didn't want to lose her to being evil! Besides, the less evil there is in the world, the better it is to live in! It's just NOT FAIR! Can't we all just get along without being villains to each other?! I mean..." Greenly stood up and began to pace around. "the Evil Queen nearly destroyed Wonderland! Faybelle is a total jerk to everyone! Even to her own cousin, Amber, who's like, the nicest fairy friend ever after! Duchess is a royal jerk and she's not even a villain! And that's just the tip of the iceburg! I don't like the idea of Raven being evil! And you know what?! I don't care what anyone says! So, if you want to hate me forever and never speak to me again, Mom! Then..." Greenly broke down into more tears, falling to her knees.
But then, Greenly felt two gentle arms hugging her.
"Greenly," said Queen Pea. "I will never bring myself to hate you. Not now or ever." she said in her most honest words. "You are my only daughter, my best friend, my everything."
Greenly choked back her tears and saw her mom smiling at her. "So, how do you feel?" asked Queen Pea.
After a brief pause, Greenly noticed that her pain was gone. Her fever was gone. She felt one hundred percent healthy! And happy! "I...I feel better! I feel great!" She laughed as she hugged her mother. "Thanks, Mom."
Baba Yaga clapped her hands. "Well done, Miss Pea! You cured your emotion sickness!" She checked her wristwatch. "And I'm late for a faculty meeting!" She disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Queen Pea petted Greenly's head. "Remember, sweet pea. Change can be tricky, especially when you're growing up. But no matter how things really do change, as long as you stick up for what you believe in and stay true to yourself, you'll be just fine!" She leaned in closely. "And to be honest with you, I'm glad Raven wants to be good!"
"Y-You are?!" Greenly wouldn't believe it if she didn't hear it with her own ears. "But...why?!"
"Greenly, I think it's time you learned the true meaning of your story." asked Queen Pea with serious eyes.
The princess took a step back. "What?! But Mom, I already know the meaning! That you shouldn't jump to conclusions without all the facts!" Greenly replied. "When you came into the castle claiming to be a princess, Grandma didn't believe you because you didn't look like a princess. So, she planted that pea under the mattresses and when you felt it, she believed you and you and Dad got married."
"Greenly, there are always hidden messages within a story." said Queen Pea. "For example, the tale of Snow White seemingly teaches the dangers of vanity. When the Evil Queen learns that Snow White is the fairest and not her, she refuses to accept it and wants Snow White destroyed. And then in the end, the Evil Queen's own vanity destroys her instead. But that's not all the story teaches, it also teaches a few other important things."
"Like what?" asked Greenly, now really curious.
"Well, first, it's good to have friends. The seven dwarves took in Snow White when she had nowhere else to go. Second, you can appeal to the goodess in everyone. The Huntsman, who was ordered by the Evil Queen to kill Snow White, helped Snow White escape, showing that there's a little bit of good in everyone, well, almost everyone. Third, never talk to strangers, take anything from strangers, or let them into your house. Despite knowing that she was being targeted by a dark and powerful queen, Snow White bit into that poisoned apple that she was given to by a complete stranger who was the Evil Queen in disguise. And finally, real beauty comes from within. The Evil Queen wasn't the fairest because of Snow White's beauty on the outside, but her beauty on the inside, which was much more important. So, the Evil Queen was not and will never be as beautiful as Snow White not because she's less attractive, but because her heart is not as pure."
Greenly was stunned, realizing that her mother was absolutely right. She never realized that stories had more than one meaning. "So...what are the hidden messages in my story?"
"I'm glad you asked." Queen Pea smiled. "Besides not jumping to conclusions, the Princess and the Pea teaches us a couple more things. Do you know why the prince never found the right princess for him?"
Greenly shook her head.
"He said it was becase they, 'weren't his type'. But when the princess felt the pea under the mattresses, that's when he knew that he had found the one he wants to marry!"
"Because she had delicate skin?"
"No, not because she was a woman with delicate skin, she was a woman who was his equal!" Queen Pea's green eyes twinkled. "The princess passed the pea test because she was authentic, not because she was of royal blood or had a position of authority. She was a woman who cared very deeply and wasn't afraid to face up to her own issues. And that is the hidden message in The Princess and the Pea."
"Wow..." Greenly breathed out. "I had no idea my story was so...awesome!" she beamed. "Now I REALLY can't wait to sign the Storybook of Legends! But what does all this have to do with you being okay with Raven wanting to be good?"
"Because it's my personal opinion that Raven is going to write her own story with a very important message that many people can learn from." Queen Pea grinned. "And I can't wait to see how it turns out." Queen Pea stood up. "So, now that you're feeling better, what do you say we take a little mother-daughter holiday?"
Greenly hugged her mother. "That sounds like a happy ending to me!"