Chapter 30 - A Happy Ending
That night, before she went to bed, Becca looked at her library books. "Horror," she said to the blue book, "You helped me face the forces of evil. Every barrel has its bad apples, and Frankenstein's monster started as a good apple before he went wild at the sight of fire. You should always be aware of strangers." Becca looked at the green book and said, "Mystery, you helped me step up when no one least expected it. I unknowingly helped Sherlock Holmes catch a criminal, and nobody else expected me to do so!" She looked at the yellow book and said, "Sci Fi, you helped me stay strong in times of danger. I rescued that time traveler and the Eloi girl, and later I rescued you from those awful morlocks! Standing up for friends is what loyalty is all about!" Becca looked at the brown book and said, "Adventure, you taught me the importance of standing up for myself. Those pirates wanted to kidnap me and make me a slave, but I gathered up all my strength and confidence, and then scared them away!" Finally, she looked at the lavender book and said, "Fantasy, I want to thank you for helping me face my biggest challenge yet – finding out who I am. Sure, I live a double life, but I didn't know that when I first came to Libralia! But you showed me the magic of imagination and what it means to find your destiny. Without your help, I probably wouldn't have gone to see the Page-, I mean, my imaginary grandfather again!" She then climbed into bed and said to all the books, "Good night, everybody. Tomorrow's Saturday, and I'll have lots of time to read you guys!" With that, she turned off her lamp, took her glasses off and placed them on her bedside, and then drifted off to sleep. Sheila climbed onto Becca's bed and then set herself to sleeping next to her new mistress.
In a dream, Becca looked around, and saw that she was back outside the palace in Libralia. This time, she was wearing the same dress she wore at her debutante ball, only it was all repaired, and she now had a golden brooch pin on the top-left side of her bodice. Something small and furry rubbed against the hem of her skirt, and the girl looked down. It was Sheila, who was happy to see her mistress as Princess Bethylasia! "Sheila!" the princess cried as she lifted the kitten in her hands, "I think we'd better go into the palace!" So the two of them walked in through the main doors, and a pair of royal guards bowed to the princess.
A chamberlain beside the door blew a fanfare on his trumpet, and then announced, "Her Royal Highness, Princess Bethylasia!" Bethylasia looked around and saw a crowd of people clapping and cheering for her. Then she looked straight-on, and saw some familiar faces. The entire royal family was dressed in white and light gray clothing, with red sashes around their waists, and golden crowns with matching brooch pins on the top-left sides of their jackets and dress bodices. The Pagemaster was also watching from atop the grand staircase, with the Pagemistress's spirit right beside him; both of them smiled as they saw their granddaughter make her way towards her family. Bethylasia also saw all her book friends wearing the same outfits they wore when they were humans.
Mystery happily sighed, "It's good to see a family reunite and be together again."
"Yes," agreed Sci Fi, "You know, Mystery, I've always wanted to have a second family of my own, too."
Mystery beamed and asked, "So, Sci Fi, I have been wondering this for a long time – will you marry me?" He reached into his pages and pulled out a diamond ring.
Sci Fi placed the ring on her finger and exclaimed, "Of course I will! I've always wanted a man besides my father who would care about me and support me at all costs!" She then placed her hands into Mystery's, and the two of them shared a passionate kiss.
Adventure watched the scene and scoffed with disgust, "Ah, love! Why do we always have to have a mushy-gushy scene at the end of these kinds of stories?"
"Now, just a minute there, honey!" said Fantasy with a smirk, "Don't you wanna curl up with a good book, too?"
Adventure stammered, "W-why, that's MY line!" He became more speechless as Fantasy kissed him on the cheek, making him blush bright red.
Horror playfully laughed at him and said, "It's a happy ending, after all!"
Meanwhile, Bethylasia and Sheila had just finished making their way to the royal family. "Mama! Papa!" the princess said with high enthusiasm, "Alexander! Donovan! Mirabelle! I'm so glad to be with all of you right now!"
"The same goes for us, too, my child!" said Matthias as he gave his daughter a hug, "Your mother and siblings and I are glad that you have a chance to visit us tonight."
"Of course," added Natalia, "For we are celebrating our reunion with all our storybook friends! Now let us join in the fun!"
Bethylasia smiled as she looked up at the top of the stairs. The Pagemaster smiled and winked at her, while the Pagemistress's spirit smiled before disappearing into the sky. Everyone then danced along with some joyful music while Bethylasia felt deep warmth in her heart; she knew that she didn't have to feel lost or afraid anymore, because she had new courage and confidence with the help of the imagination and literature.
Back in reality, Becca smiled a content smile as she dreamed on.
THE END
