Chapter 12 - Part IV: Tinker Bell

Queen Clarion approached Tinker Bell who was already looking terribly frightened at what might befall her. The queen wanted to take pity on the young tinker. She was the ingénue of Pixie Hollow, but naiveté could not excuse what she had done.

"Tinker Bell, you took the cart pulling mice and put them into Vidia's home. Why did you do this?"

The tinker fairy took one step forward, looked down and started making semi circles with one foot. "I…I wanted to get back at Vidia because she destroyed my house and possessions. Then she got me stuck in a tree, told me that she wanted me to be a failure, insulted my talent guild, compared me to a clumsy human and then paddled me for who I was."

"I see, but did she get you stuck in a tree?"

"Of course, she threw up leaves and got me to fly right into an old knot hole in a tree trunk."

"And how did she get you into that tree trunk? Did she force into it, or did you follow her?"

"I followed her. I followed her because I got so mad at her that I wanted to…"

"To what, Tinker Bell?" the queen pressed.

"I wanted to get back at what she had done to my house," Tinker Bell finally said. "She had us all convinced that what happened was an accident. But when I found out it was for real, that Vidia had destroyed my house on purpose and then tried to lie about it, I was really mad at her."

"So you followed Vidia of your own volition?" the queen asked. "No one forced you?"

"Yes."

"Good. And you got stuck in the tree trunk because you allowed yourself to be led there and Vidia swirled leaves to hide her intentions. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Vidia admitted that she wanted you to consider yourself a failure?"

"Yes."

"I see. Vidia, were you trying to destroy Tinker Bell's self confidence? Prevent her from reaching her full potential?"

Vidia, however, said nothing. Instead she just grunted, folded her arms over her chest and turned her back to Tinker Bell. Viola flitted right in front of Vidia and going to nose to nose with her demanded that the flyer answer the question.

"Okay, yes. I wanted her to lose self confidence. I wanted to break her spirit. Doesn't really matter, tinkers aren't a real talent and she's not a true Never Fairy, anyway."

The queen returned her gaze to Tinker Bell.

"Tinker Bell, is this what she said to you? That tinkers were not a real talent and that you were not real fairy?"

"Yes, yes she did. She said that what tinkers do did not require magic."

"And she insisted that she was better than you and demanded you admit to that, is this correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness, and then she spanked me like a human child to 'put me in my place,' as she put it" Tinker Bell added.

"And you thought this gave you sufficient reason to seek payback against her? To put mice in her home?"

"Well, yeah!" Tinker Bell answered. "She took away my home, my work, my dignity…"

"But did she take your dignity, Tinker Bell?" the queen asked.

"She hit me on my tushy with a chunk of wood," the tinker replied.

"Tinker Bell, dignity is something you possess and cannot be taken away by another fairy. Only you can lose it by what you do. No matter what she did, Vidia did not take your dignity. You lost it when you lost your temper, chased after her, allowed yourself to be captured and sought revenge afterwards," Clarion instructed her. "Dignity is your poise and self-respect. It is defined by how you act on a daily basis and how you react to what goes on around you."

Tinker Bell lowered her head in shame. This was never fully explained to her before now. Perhaps because it was assumed that she would conduct herself with distinction since most other fairies did so without the necessity of instruction. Tinker Bell was now made well aware of what it meant to conduct her affairs with proper seemliness and would be expected to follow through accordingly in the future.

The queen continued to berate Tinker Bell as she now moved to her actions with the mice. "Tinker Bell, you placed the mice in Vidia's home as an act of vigilantism. You sought justice through an act of revenge. Did you not trust your queen to dispense justice in a proper and timely manner?"

The tinker fairy was taken aback by the queen's description of her actions. She had never considered it in this light. Did she believe that Clarion wouldn't or couldn't deal with the crime properly? No, the queen could deal with Vidia.

"No, Your Highness," Tinker Bell said. "I trust you completely."

"But you still put the mice in Vidia's home."

"Yes."

"Why? If you trust me so completely then…"

"Because I wanted to teach that home wrecker a lesson she would never forget. Because I wanted her to know what it was like to lose everything the way I did," Tinker Bell said angrily at Vidia.

"Isn't that my area of responsibility?"

"Well…, yeah, I suppose it is," Tinker Bell said, this time rather quietly.

"Then I ask you again, did you not trust your queen to dispense justice properly and in a timely manner?"

Tinker Bell had to reflect on her action, but came to the same conclusion. "Yes, I trust you."

"Then did you do it because you thought it would make you feel good?"

"Yes. Yes, that's it. It made me feel good to get back at Vidia," Tinker Bell replied, this time with relish.

Queen Clarion could only shake her had in despair. She sighed before speaking again. "Tinker Bell, what would happen if every fairy and sparrow man were allowed to take revenge on any pixie who offended them?"

"Well, they wouldn't do it for little things-,"

"Did you not hear what happened between Silvermist and Vidia?"

Tinker Bell stopped to think how minor and petty they had been. "But its Vidia, she brings out the worst in a fairy."

"Tinker Bell, there have always been arguments among friends in Pixie Hollow, even long before you arrived," Clarion said. "If any fairy were allowed to seek retribution how long do think it would be before our harmonious community fell into lawlessness and disorder? And don't you think it would prevent us from bringing the seasons to the mainland?"

"I see what you mean, Queen Clarion," Tinker Bell admitted. "But it was just a harmless prank to teach her a lesson."

"Oh, but it wasn't harmless, Tinker Bell," the queen continued. "Some of the mice you brought to Vidia's home suffered terribly."

Tinker Bell was stunned. "How?"

"Vidia began to yell and scream to get them out of her home, but the mice became frightened," the queen told the tinker fairy. "Cheddar tried to climb on some furniture, fell over and broke his paw."

"Oh no," Tinker Bell gasped.

"Monty accidentally bit his brother's tail; several mice ate her clothing and got tummy aches and many suffered scratches and bruises as they scampered trying to get out of the tiny space."

"Will they get better?" Tinker Bell asked.

"Yes, they will. But the animal healers are not so sure about Roquefort. He tried to eat an acorn cup. It got stuck deep in his throat and he nearly choked to death."

Tinker Bell started to tear up. "I…, I didn't, how is he doing?"

"You will find out soon enough, Tinker Bell."

The tinker fairy could barely hold back her crying. "I…, I didn't think anything would happen to them while they were in there, Your Highness."

"No, Tinker Bell, you didn't think. You were so consumed with anger and a desire for retaliation that you put your our mice, and your friends, into harm's way. Now do you understand why there is no place for revenge in Pixie Hollow?"

"Yes, I do, Your Highness," Tinker Bell said. She was no longer able to hold back and started to cry.

"Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell, look at me." The tinker fairy looked up, tears running down her cheeks. "You are to be punished according to your crimes. First, you are confined to Never Land until the end of the summer season. Second, you are to help Vidia return the thistles to Needlepoint Meadow. Third, you will spend your free time caring for the mice until they are recovered and you are to spend one month mucking out the mouse stables. Do you understand your sentence?"

The tinker fairy sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yes, Queen Clarion, I do."

"Very well, report immediately to the mouse stables. Your mice friends are recovering there. Tomorrow you will begin helping Vidia to capture the thistles."

The tinker fairy fluttered out of the audience chamber. She was crying terribly as she left for the mouse stables.

Next: Part V - Vidia