Chapter 12e - Part VI: The Conscience of the Queen / Tinker Bell at the Stables
Queen Clarion sat at her desk, her head supported by her hands. She replayed Vidia's words over and over again in her thoughts.
After each time the queen would ask herself the same questions. Did I discriminate against the tinkers by upholding that law? Was I responsible for turning Vidia into who she is now? Did I believe that the tinkers were unequal or even inferior? Why was the law ever written in the first place? Why couldn't I recognize that it was a bad law and overturn it?
While the queen was searching for answers she called in Viola and asked her to gather the four ministers of the seasons. She also asked the summoner talent to fetch Fairy Mary. If anyone could tell Clarion if the tinkers were treated unfairly and unequally Fairy Mary could and she most certainly would.
"Your highness," Viola stated, "Fairy Mary is waiting to see you."
The queen was surprised by this news. Why would the tinker overseer come to see her? "Show her in, Viola."
The summoner left the room and a moment later the plump Fairy Mary flitted into the room. The overseer bowed, "Your Highness," she said offering her fealty.
"Why are you here, Mary?" the queen asked her oldest and best friend.
Fairy Mary landed softly on the floor and with a serious, almost ashen look to her face began to speak.
"Vidia returned to Tinker's Nook not long ago and in a fit of anger destroyed all our work this morning, smashing stacks of acorn bowls, throwing baskets and satchels and she even overturned a cart that almost ready to make its delivery for the day. Poor Silvermist barely escaped without harm."
The queen was stunned.
"Then she flew into the workshop and used her wind talent to toss everything about," Fairy Mary told her. "The workshop is a bloomin' mess. And all throughout her tirade she kept yelling, 'It's not fair' and 'I'm not the criminal, she is.' I don't know what got into her head, but she had to be restrained and was taken away in wing cuffs."
"Oh dear," the queen gasped. "It maybe my fault, Fairy Mary."
"Your fault? Now that's a laugh," the tinker overseer said with a chuckle. "When has that fast flyer ever needed a reason to act like a brazen lunatic?"
Queen Clarion nearly shrunk when she heard Fairy Mary's description of Vidia. Brazen lunatic? Was that even fair to Vidia?
Clarion rose from her chair and stepped slowly over to the large oval windows that overlooked Springtime Square, with the Winter Woods framed in the distance by the opening. She took a deep breath, let it out and waited for a moment before speaking again.
"Fairy Mary, I need to ask you something, and I want your full and honest opinion," the queen stated, feeling her self assurance melting away with every passing moment.
"If its advice you want, it's yours for the taking, Ree. You know that." Fairy Mary was one of the few fairies in Never Land who could refer to Queen Clarion as "Ree" without prefacing it with the title "Queen." It was a familiarity she had earned over centuries of loyal, dedicated friendship and trusted counsel.
"Mary, have you ever felt that you or your tinkers were being treated differently by me?" the queen asked.
Fairy Mary stood in silence for a moment. It was an odd question to be asked for sure. "Why, whatever do you mean, Your Highness? Different in what way?"
"Did you ever feel that the tinkers were treated unfairly? Or as inferior to the other talent guilds? As anything less than equals?"
"Inferior? Unequal? What brought this on?"
Clarion took in another deep breath. She was afraid this might harm her friendship with Fairy Mary.
"Vidia's outburst in Tinker's Nook…." The queen decided to restate her answer. "Vidia accused me of institutionalized discrimination against the tinker guild because I upheld the law that prevented any its members from leaving Never Land and flying to the mainland."
"What?"
"She also accused me of being a hypocrite for insisting that all fairies are equal in the eyes of the law while maintaining a rule she believes expressly declared the tinkers to be inferior and unequal."
"Now don't be ridiculous, Ree. Vidia will say anything to flout authority and you know it," Fairy Mary responded.
"But did you feel discriminated against? Oppressed or treated unfairly? That law specifically prevents tinkers and only tinkers from going to the mainland."
"Tinkers never wanted to go to the mainland until Tinker Bell came along," Fairy Mary stated.
"That's not the question, Fairy Mary. Did you or your tinkers ever feel as if you were being treated unfairly because that law singled out your talent guild?"
Fairy Mary didn't respond right way. She thought about what Clarion had asked and searched her feelings. The tinker supervisor finally answered, "No. I never felt treated unfairly."
"Do you think the law was unfair?" the queen asked.
"Well if I never felt treated badly I certainly wouldn't consider the law to be unfair. It was there for a reason."
"What reason?"
"Because tinkers weren't needed on the mainland, their work has always been here on Never Land."
"Are they needed now on the mainland?" the queen pressed further.
"No, of course not. There is nothing there for them to tinker," Fairy Mary replied.
"Then why did we overturn the law for Tinker Bell? Wouldn't the same reasoning still apply? If she isn't needed on the mainland then why was she allowed to fly there?"
"She saved spring; it was her reward for her ingenuity."
"Is that really enough to justify overturning a law that existed because her talent was not needed there?"
"Ree, why are you worrying yourself over all of this. It's just more of Vidia's nonsense."
"It most certainly is not nonsense," the queen said with a touch of agitation in her voice. "If she is right then I have committed a crime, a high crime that could force me to surrender my crown."
"Now you're the one talking nonsense. How could it cost you your crown?"
"No monarch may violate the main tenants of Pixie Hollow law which govern all residents of the Hollow, including its queen. The first is 'Do no harm.' The second is 'All fairies are equal under the law' and are to be treated as such by everyone including the ruling monarch. If I violated that tenant willfully I could be forced to give up my crown and a new queen would arrive shortly after."
"Ree you are not guilty of violating that tenant since none of the tinkers ever felt discriminated against," Fairy Mary insisted.
"The law doesn't say that it cannot be violated if the fairies in question don't feel treated unequally. It exists so that no fairy can be treated unequally, period."
"So how would you lose your crown, exactly?"
"If there is a unanimous vote of no confidence among the ministers I can be stripped of my crown and would live the rest of my life as a normal fairy."
"Poppycock," Fairy Mary said. "It would never happen."
Viola opened the door at that moment and announced, "The ministers are here, Queen Clarion."
"Please show them in, Viola."
When Tinker Bell arrived at the mouse stables she was, at first, not allowed inside. The animal talents who were tending to the injured mice didn't want her near their patients. She had lost their trust because she was responsible for the mice being injured, some seriously.
Fawn stepped in, though, and allowed Tinker Bell through.
"Queen Clarion wants her to tend to the mice and help them recover," she told the other animal talents and mice attendants.
"Tend to them? With what, a hammer?" One of the mouse milking talents barked in protest.
"That's enough," Fawn told all of the other fairies who were within earshot. "It's a ruling handed down by Queen Clarion herself. If you have a problem with it you can go and file a complaint with her."
That was all that needed to be said. The other animal and mouse milking talents returned to their work, though some complained and grumbled under their breaths.
Fawn led the tinker fairy to the stalls where the injured mice were being kept and cared for. Inside the first one was Monty and his brother Jack. While in Vidia's home Monty had inadvertently bitten his brother Jack's tail. The mouse's tail was wrapped in green leaf bandages and blood stains could be seen peeking through the outer wrapping.
"How is he doing," Tinker Bell asked.
"Jack will be fine," Fawn answered. "The bite wasn't too deep so he'll good as new pretty soon. He just needs time for it to heal. Mice need their tails to help maintain their balance, so until his heals he won't be able to pull any carts for a while."
The tinker fairy entered the stall and gently stroked the hair of both mice. "I'm sorry Jack. Sorry Monty. It's entirely my fault," Tinker Bell said in a soft voice. She gave each one a hug before moving on to the next stall.
"Cheddar is here," Fawn told her tinker friend. "He broke a paw when fell off of something, probably the sofa. He is going to recover, but he will need some therapy before he can get back to work."
"Therapy? Why?" Tinker Bell asked.
"See his paw, how it is wrapped up?" she said. Tinker Bell stepped in closely and saw that Cheddar's paw was heavily bandaged and a splint was used to immobilize the mouse's leg, ankle and foot.
"When an animal, even ones as smart as our mice, have an appendage immobilized for a long period of time they began to assume that the paw will always stay that way. They won't move it very much after the splint is removed. So Cheddar will need therapy to relearn to use his paw and walk like he did before."
"How long could that take?" Tinker Bell asked her animal talent friend.
"Well, it depends on how much therapy they get, how receptive and intelligent the animal is and how good the animal talent is who is tending to them. But it will likely take anywhere from nine to fifteen weeks before he we even consider letting him pull a cart."
"That long?" Tinker Bell fell silent for a moment. She wondered if Cheddar would ever walk the same ever again. She knew Fawn was an excellent animal talent and could do wonders with her charges, but Cheddar's recovery still depended on so many factors. Tinker Bell once again stroked the mouse's fur, hugged him and whispered apologies to Cheddar. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you," she told the furry mouse. "Once that splint is off I'll take you for walks and we'll get that foot back in good order. Okay?"
Cheddar studied the little tinker fairy before chattering and nodding his head in approval. Tinker Bell laughed a bit, the first time in a long while. Then she hugged the mouse again and kissed him on his head before leaving to see to the other mice.
Fawn then directed Tinker Bell to some other stalls which contained mice who suffered from ill stomachs. They were being fed something to make them pass out what was making them sick. For once Tinker Bell was glad she would be wrangling thistles tomorrow instead of having muck out that nasty stuff. Ick!
In a few other stalls were the mice with the scratches. The animal and healing talents had done an excellent job of patching them up. Tinker Bell could still see bloody spots on their fur where the scratches had bled. It made her feel queasy because they wouldn't be in this situation, none of them would, if she hadn't lost her temper and put the animals inside Vidia's home.
"C'mon, Tinker Bell," Fawn said tugging at her arm. "Let's go see Roquefort."
She dreaded hearing that name because of what the queen had told her earlier. How Roquefort had tried to eat an acorn cup and nearly choked to death. Tinker Bell felt ever so small for what she had done as she was being paraded through the stables and coming face to face with the results of her own stupidity. And now she was being led to Roquefort, the mouse who suffered the worse, who nearly died by her actions. The queen had not been very specific about Roquefort's condition, only that the tinker fairy would find out soon enough. What Tinker Bell had heard could not have prepared her for what she saw when the door to the stall was opened.
"Absurd, Your Highness, absolutely absurd," Redleaf, the Minister of Autumn told Clarion.
"Is it, minister?" she replied.
"Of course it is," Hyacinth, the Minister of Spring injected.
"There are other talents in Pixie Hollow who have no reason to fly to the mainland and who have never expressed a desire to visit," the queen pointed out. "Yet there have never been any laws enacted to prevent them from going to the mainland. The tinker fairies were specifically singled out and I need to know why."
The four ministers stared at each other. Their queen was clearly upset by this. She had described to them Vidia's outburst during her sentencing and the accusations she had hurled at the queen. Clarion had to know if she was guilty of a high crime. However, as she regained more and more of her composure the queen began to return to form and was demanding to know why the law was passed. If it was for purposes of discrimination and oppression then she could be held accountable for continuing to uphold a law that clearly violated the second most sacred principle of Pixie Hollow law.
"I will have The Keeper search his archives at once," Snowflake, the Minister of Winter said. "If there is any fairy or sparrow man who can provide an answer it will be him."
"Thank you, minister," the queen replied. "I will search through my private library in the event one of the previous monarch's of Pixie Hollow left us an answer."
"It isn't in the Book of Laws?" Sunflower asked?
"The law is contained there, but no explanation for its existence," Clarion replied.
"We will find that explanation for you," Redleaf reassured her. "No leaf or pebble shall be left unturned."
"Thank you ministers," Clarion said. Being able to take definitive action left her feeling more in control of this difficult situation. "Once we have our answer then we can grapple with the next issue, whether or not I am guilty of a high crime against the fairies of Pixie Hollow."
Tears began to stream down Tinker Bell's cheeks as she saw Roquefort lying on his side. He was asleep, his mouth was wide open and he had a tendency to twitch with each labored breath. She almost wanted to leave the stall and try to forget what she had just seen.
"What…, what…,"
"That acorn cup he tried to swallow got stuck in his throat," Fawn explained in a voice that quivered with pity for the poor creature. "It wouldn't go down so he kept trying to swallow and each time he did, the cup tore big gashes in his throat until it went down so deep it blocked his airway."
Roquefort suddenly woke up and looked around. He tried to swallow and then let out pitiful squealing sounds as he twisted and rolled in agony.
"He can't swallow without excruciating pain," Fawn said making clear to Tinker Bell what she was seeing. "He can't eat because it hurts too much for food to go down. He can barely swallow soft cheese, water or milk and he will stop after only a few small mouthfuls because it is too torturous for him to continue. Since he was brought here yesterday he has eaten precious little. If we can't get him to eat, he will become weak and those cuts and gashes in his throat won't heal very quickly. If he doesn't eat and drink soon or if those gashes get infected he may perish."
Tinker Bell turned and walked out of the stall back into the breezeway. She leaned against the wall and began to sob. Fawn followed her out and put a supportive arm around her friend. "Its okay, the healing talents are doing everything they can."
"He can't die, Fawn. He just can't. I took him to Vidia's house and now look at him," Tinker Bell said through tears. "I'm responsible and I have to do something to help."
"Oh, Tink, you're not a healing talent or an animal talent," Fawn told her. "You're a tinker, let us handle it. Okay?"
"But the queen said I had to care for the mice," Tink replied.
"And you can, there is plenty to do like read to them, comb their hair, help change their bandages and feed them."
Tinker Bell glared at Fawn. How could she feed Roquefort when he couldn't even swallow food? Suddenly, though, she had an idea. "You're right, Fawn, I can still help. And I think I know just how to do it." Then Tinker Bell lit off for Tinker's Nook to start work on her idea.
The little tinker fairy just knew she could save Roquefort's life if she could make her idea work. Tink, though, also had a person stake in keeping Roquefort alive. If the mouse died because of her deeds, she could spend several years banished from Pixie Hollow.
Tinker Bell had been sentenced to caring for the injured mice because she had put them in harm's way, violating the First Principle of Pixie Hollow: Do no harm. It was intended as the highest guiding principle for all fairies. It required that they do no harm to each other, to the humans on the mainland or to animals or insects of any type, the only exception being for reasons of self defense in a life threatening situation when all other options had been exhausted.
Subsequent laws based on this first principle also placed hefty penalties for causing the death of a fairy, human or animal. If Roquefort died because of her thoughtless actions Tinker Bell could be placed in confinement or banished from Pixie Hollow for up to ten years. In her case, since it would be classified as willful negligence rather than malicious intent, Tinker Bell would receive the reduced sentence of two years confinement or banishment.
This did cross her mind, but she was far more concerned with Roquefort's health than her own future and was determined to make things right. When she arrived at Tinker's Nook, however, she was shocked to find that it was in shambles. Suddenly any hope of helping Roquefort survive evaporated.
Next: Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell find their solutions.