A/N: Thank you Wimpzilla and Mr Wang 330 for your reviews, they really inspired me to work on this chapter as soon as possible. I was hoping not to have too many Original Characters in this story, but I already added four in this chapter alone. So yeah. Hopefully I won't end up making too many more. Anywho, this chapter goes on to explain a little bit of Daisy's childhood and her thoughts on fairy tales while introducing her family (aunt, uncle, and cousin) and a family friend. Why do I talk about fairy tales in this chapter? Well, read on and find out. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 2: "Fairy Tales"

"I'm home!" Daisy announced as she dropped her backpack off next to the front door of the cozy one-story house. She looked around at the living room just inside with a smile on her face.

For the duration of her schooling, Daisy convinced her father to let her live with her uncle and his wife, a pair that lived humbly despite being related to the king of Sarasaland. They already resided in Toad Town, the location where Daisy would be attending school, and they lived the life that Daisy secretly wanted.

Deep down, Daisy wished she could just be a normal girl like any other. Princesses couldn't go for a walk without an escort accompanying them. Princesses had to wear dresses at all times. Princesses had to be trained to be responsible for running an entire land someday, and princesses were always expected to find a prince, who would be the new king some day. She really didn't mind the idea of running Sarasaland when her father stepped down from the throne, but Daisy could already hardly stand never being able to walk alone and having to wear dresses. The expected idea of society that she would find a prince that would effortlessly love her and make her happy for the rest of her life was just completely ludicrous.

"Fairy tales can come true."

Daisy heard this saying so many times that she began to wonder if it was actually true at a very young age. As a matter of fact, in kindergarten, she questioned the validity of one specific fairy tale that her teacher had just finished telling to the class.

"How come it always says they lived happily ever after at the end of the story?" she would ask in front of everyone, shocking the teacher quite a bit. Soon, a few other children would begin to wonder as well.

"Yeah. My mommy and daddy are married, but they're not always happy like that," another girl would call out.

"And I saw my big sister kiss five different boys, but she never lived happily ever after with any of them," yet another girl would add, making the teacher sweat, not expecting these young children to think so deeply into the story.

"Well, um..." she would stutter. "You see..."

Thankfully, the bell would ring just in time, granting the poor teacher a great moment of relief as she urged the young children outside into the playground for recess. Daisy would stay behind though, partially thanks to her own will and partially due to the fact that the teacher would want to speak with her.

"Daisy...why did you ask that question?" the teacher would ask, unknowing of how exactly to handle the situation.

"Because, it's stupid," Daisy would respond bluntly as she tried to explain, causing the teacher to recoil. "Fairy tales can't be real. They don't make sense."

"Princess..."

"Don't call me that," Daisy would shoot back. "Princesses are in fairy tales, and fairy tales aren't real. I don't want to be something that's not real."

In actuality, Daisy lost her purity and innocence at a pitifully young age. Thanks to witnessing the death of her mother when she was only three and harboring that as the first memory to hold firm in her mind, Daisy always wondered why fairy tales never divulged into life after the first kiss or after the wedding ceremony. Why did everyone always assume that things would be okay? That love would prevail over everything, and that princesses were destined to lived happily ever after? It was almost maddening to think about all the details that the tales left out just to give a happy ending.

However, as she grew up and observed the innocence of youth, she began to understand. Children simply were not like her. Daisy was an actual princess; she was the subject matter of many fairy tales, and as such, she felt that these stories pertained to her personally. It made her wonder how people expected her life to end up, and how they would react if she didn't turn out to be the perfect stereotype of a princess. It made her worry.

But other kids, they weren't princes or princesses. They were kids. Just kids. They were allowed to believe that life could be perfect, because they would learn otherwise later and truthfully, people wouldn't expect them to turn out like this. Kids had the ability to accept a happily ever after ending. And as they played their games and lived their young lives, they could make a happily ever after come true in their imaginations. That was good enough for them.

The case was especially true for Daisy's little cousin. Her little cousin that she simply knew was hiding somewhere, waiting to pounce, for the house was far too quiet.

Daisy stood by the doorway as she looked around, waiting to see somebody walk out and greet her.

"I said I'm home!" Daisy called out a second time as she put a hand on her hip with a smile. When everything continued to be silent, she rolled her eyes. "Oh well, I guess Ilys won't be getting this brownie I brought home from school for her!" she continued, pulling a large, wrapped brownie out of one of her front pockets and holding it rather high into the air. "I suppose I'll just eat it myself!"

"Gimme!" a high-pitched voice cried out from above Daisy. She turned around and looked upward immediately as a young girl with short brown hair dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts flew at her from above the doorway, having managed to hold herself above it by pressing her limbs against the surrounding walls. Daisy immediately dropped the brownie and caught the little girl as she fell right into her arms. "Hi Daisy!" she greeted happily as she hugged her older cousin around the neck. Daisy returned the hug and gave the girl a big kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Ilys!" Daisy greeted back with a giggle.

Ilys (pronounced "ee-lees") was Daisy's outgoing four year old cousin, and byfar the best friend she could possibly ask for. Her large, innocent brown eyes hid a truly adventurous spirit, one that rivaled even Daisy's, for she grew up thinking of Daisy as more of a sister than a cousin.

Ever since she could walk and talk, Ilys imitated Daisy's every word and action, serving as her smaller mirror image. And having such a young, impressionable girl admire her so much served as a positive experience. Ilys reminded her of the importance of imagination and fearlessness while teaching her how imperative it was to be a good role model. With this in mind, Daisy quickly committed herself to serving as an example for this young girl. And as an example, she had to keep her views on fairy tales a secret.

"Where are Mommy and Daddy?" Daisy asked as she continued to carry her small cousin, who quickly forgot about the promise of a brownie.

"They're in the backyard with Mister Monty," Ilys responded as Daisy turned to carry her through the living room.

Wonder what's going on now, Daisy thought as the two made their way to the backyard.

Monty Mole, or Mister Monty as he preferred to be called, was the city's event organizer. He would always go from house to house, attempting to recruit volunteers to help with setting up the proper accommodations for the gatherings. It was a long and difficult process, usually taking several days to visit every house and find people who would actually give up some of their spare time to come out and help. Realizing just how rough it must be to carry this job out every time a city-wide event took place, Daisy's aunt and uncle agreed to place the family on the "preferred" list; a list of individual households that could be visited with a likely chance of receiving participation.

The two signed themselves up for the service a full ten years ago, before either Daisy or Ilys were in the picture. Daisy learned of this the very day she moved in with her new guardians and was more than happy to lend a hand anytime she could. It served as a great opportunity to bond and to meet a wide variety of new people who also volunteered. Daisy thoroughly enjoyed herself every time she was able to help, and now, with Ilys by her side to impart her never-ending energy, going out and working was more fun than ever.

"Oh, hello Daisy, you're just on time," Mister Monty spoke quickly as he adjusted his thick glasses. He was a short and stout brown Mole that wore a blue work suit, which seemed barely large enough to contain his bulgy frame. He stood before Daisy's aunt and uncle, who were resting in lawn chairs as they paid the visitor their full attention. Daisy's uncle was taller than everyone, standing a full foot over his wife, the second tallest in the family. He wore a white button-up shirt that tucked into a pair of belted khaki slacks while his wife wore a pink T-shirt with a pair of blue-jean shorts that reached just above her knees. Looking at them, it was difficult to believe that the uncle was related to Daisy or that either of them were Ilys's parents; the uncle had short blond hair and hazel eyes while the aunt sported longer orange hair and a set of blue eyes.

They both turned and smiled as they witnessed Daisy joining them and taking a seat at a third lawn chair located to the right of her uncle.

"Hey everyone," she greeted, sitting Ilys on her lap as she settled into her chair. "What's up?"

"We were just talking about Sports Day," her uncle answered with a slightly surprised his expression. "Don't tell me you forgot already."

"Oh man, that completely slipped my mind," Daisy admitted as Ilys giggled at her.

"Come on Daisy, you're not old enough to start forgetting things," her aunt teased, causing Daisy to stick her tongue out at her childishly. Ilys followed her example and stuck out her tongue as well, making both adults retaliate with the same action.

Sports Day was a biannual event that celebrated the athlete in everyone for one day in Spring and one day in Autumn. The entire city park was used from sun up until sun down and split into sections where anyone who wanted to participate could join in for the fun. Basketball, baseball, tennis, every popular sport imaginable was showcased that day. Stands were set up for supporting audiences and stadium lights were provided in case participants wanted to continue to play after the sun set. It was a very lively and active day where everyone was welcome, and it was easily one of Daisy's favorite events throughout the year.

"So you're all eager to help yes?" Mister Monty asked as a sheer formality before marking the family's name on the list.

"I'm sure Julie is," the uncle answered with a smile as he looked at his wife.

"And I know Jeff is too," Julie responded, returning the smile.

"You know I'm in," Daisy added.

"Me too!" Ilys spoke up with a bright grin.

"Good good," Mister Monty said happily as he scribbled a mark onto his extensive list of names. "I'm very glad you are all so willing to assist with setting everything up. If you would, please visit the city park at five o' clock this afternoon. I need to visit more households to see if we can get additional support and we will be starting as soon as possible for the event to successfully take place this weekend. Thank you and I will see you there."

With that, Mister Monty wobbled his way over to a hole he created in the ground when he first arrived in the backyard near the fence surrounding the border of the area. The spot in question was reserved specifically for his visits anyway, so neither Jeff nor Julie ever bothered fixing it.

Over time, that hole became a natural part of the backyard; Mister Monty became a rather frequent visitor, going from a pure business associate on behalf of the city to a family friend who often stopped by to simply shoot the breeze over a glass of lemonade. When he appeared in his suit with his business face on, he always appeared to speak too quickly in hopes of cutting down time so he could move on to the next house as soon as possible. However, his method contradicted itself quite often, for he tended to impart too much unneeded information. When simply passing by and visiting however, he seemed like a completely different Mole. His speech became slow and almost lazy, but he always got straight to the point. Whichever method of speech he chose though, he always seemed to take too much time to say just about anything. Everyone enjoyed his visits however, for, below his business-like exterior, he was a laid back individual and seemed to take life at a comfortably steady pace.

Once their visitor was out of sight, Jeff turned to his niece and ruffled her hair a bit, causing her to wave his hand away playfully.

"So what sport am I beating you in this time?" he asked with a smile.

"None of them, because you're not gonna win," Daisy answered, returning the smile.

"Oh really?" Jeff responded with a raised eyebrow. "And what makes you think that?"

"Because this time I'm gonna have Ilys on my team," Daisy announced as Ilys quickly hugged Daisy around her neck once again and stared at her parents with a competitive look.

"That's right!" she said happily. Julie let out a small chuckle before speaking up.

"I think they've got you there Jeff," she commented. "There's no way you can win against both of them."

Both Daisy and Ilys nodded in agreement as Jeff inspected his daughter, appearing to size her up. After a few moments of contemplation, he obtained a smug smile.

"I think I can take you," Jeff stated as he folded his arms. Julie quickly nudged him on the shoulder, surprised he would say that to their four year old daughter. Ilys didn't back down though, as she climbed down off of Daisy's lap and stood up to her father.

"Come on! Me, you, soccer, now!" Ilys exclaimed with a smile as Jeff stood from his chair and put his hands on his hips as he looked down at his daughter proudly.

"I accept your challenge!" he answered, prompting Daisy to shoot up out of her seat.

"Alright, I'll go get the ball!" she announced excitedly as she hurried off into the house. Julie was the only person on the site to remain seated, shaking her head as chuckles escaped her.

"I always feel like the only sane one here," she muttered to herself through her giggles.

Julie was the only member of the family that didn't particularly have a very strong drive for competition. She knew what she was getting herself into when she married Jeff though, for his entire family thrived on the thrill of competitive rush. As a matter of fact, that was how the two got together.

Initially, Julie found no interest in Jeff whatsoever. He appeared to be the typical brain-dead jock when she first met him back in high school. He played as many sports as he could possibly get himself into, but as a result, his grades seemed to suffer severely. By the time he reached his Junior year, he was hardly able to pull a D average. It was when he was discussing his bad grades with a close friend of his that the two first met.

Julie had been watching Jeff for a while when she overheard the conversation. She knew he was big on sports and often seemed to skip class and shirked his homework for the sake of practicing to perfect his skills at whatever sport he was playing at the time. But when he spoke, he seemed unable to understand why his grades were so bad.

"Maybe if you stopped focusing on sports so much and actually opened a book you'd see a difference," Julie told him, causing Jeff and his friend to turn and face her.

"Well hey there pretty lady," Jeff greeted with a smile as if she hadn't just made a rather insulting remark toward him. "What's your name?"

"Get at least a B average and I'll tell you."

That was all Jeff needed. For the rest of the year, he didn't participate in a single sport. He never skipped class, he never turned in an assignment late, and never once did he get anything less than a B for the duration of his Junior year. And after school let out on the last day before summer break, he tracked her down and showed her his newest report card.

"All A's and one B," he announced proudly as Julie stared at the card in shock. Never in her life did she expect him to take her seriously. He proved that, with some determination, he could be just as good at his academics as he could at sports. And she had to admit, she was impressed. "I did what you asked," Jeff said coolly. "So how about it? Can I get a name pretty lady?"

"...Julie Cartelli," she answered, handing the card back to him. He accepted it with a soft smile spreading across his lips.

"Julie Cartelli huh?" he repeated in almost a whisper, changing his voice to a more serious tone. "Well Miss Cartelli, now that I know your name, what do I have to do to convince you to go on a date with me?"

"What makes you so sure I'd agree to a date in the first place?" Julie retorted, folding her arms defensively.

"I'm not sure at all," Jeff responded. "But I figure I might not see you again after this. And I managed to get your name, so I thought I may as well give it a shot." He stood on the spot for several more seconds, waiting to see if she would lighten up to him. When she didn't though, he simply nodded. "It's okay. I understand," he said before he turned to leave. "Goodbye Miss Cartelli."

He began to walk away as Julie simply stood there, wondering whether or not she should take him up on the offer. Jeff always appeared to be so much of a jerk, but when he spoke to her, she could feel a different side to him. A side that was true and genuine. Not only that, but he did seem to show a kind of attractive determination. He proved that he could achieve anything that he seriously put his mind into, and he actually managed to better himself academically, tossing out his entire sporting life just to show her that he could do it. He changed everything about himself just to learn her name.

"Okay okay," she eventually forced herself to say, causing Jeff to stop and turn around. "You can...pick me up on Friday night okay? At seven."

Those words led to some of the happiest years of Jeff's and Julie's lives. They dated for the duration of high school and all through college, marrying shortly thereafter. When Daisy heard this story at the age of ten, she was nothing short of astounded, having believed that things like that simply never happened. It was the stuff fairy tales were made of. It couldn't have been real.

"Well, I'm no princess," Julie said after telling Daisy the story. "And Jeff's...well, actually, he is a prince, though he certainly doesn't act like it. But Daisy, fairy tales really can come true. Your uncle and I are a perfect example."

So now, as Daisy watched her uncle and her small cousin play a slightly staged game of soccer (Ilys was obviously going to win), she honestly couldn't deny that the happily ever after ending wasn't as impossible as it seemed. The evidence was playing out before her after all. A faithful, devoted father played with his happy, energetic daughter while a cheerful, entertained mother watched from the sidelines. This had to be what a happily ever after was like.

"Yeah, go Ilys!" Daisy shouted as her little cousin got the ball and ran towards her father's goal excitedly, giggling the entire way.

But she still wondered if this was what she should expect in her own future.