Viola arrived at Fairy Tale Theater and spoke with Lyria. The summoner asked the performing talent if she knew anything about a law which specifically prohibited tinker talents from flying to the mainland.
"I know the law exists," Lyria answered.
"In your recollection of historical reenactments do you know why this law was enacted?" the summoner asked. "It would have been enacted before the time of our written language."
"Let me check through my folios," Lyria replied. "I could use some help."
Viola followed the performer into Lyria's private archives. Contained within were thousands of rolls of papyrus scrolls, each of which contained an historical play based on the old oral traditions. The two began to sift through the scrolls.
"This archive contains transcriptions of the early history of Pixie Hollow. They were passed down through the generations by the performing talents," Lyria explained. "Some were minstrels; others used puppet theaters, while a few like me put on plays. They would recount major events in our history to the masses to entertain and educate. I should warn you, some of the old tales were usually altered as they were passed down through the generations. Each new fairy would embellish to make the stories more interesting and dynamic. Some of these recollections are no more accurate than the fairy tales humans tell their children."
"Do you know which are accurate and which are not?"
"I've done some cross checking with our library and with The Keeper," Lyria answered.
"You've met The Keeper?" Viola asked.
"No, but we correspond a few times a year, typically when a new batch of books makes its way to our library. I look for details that would necessary follow from the oral histories into the written archives as a means of verification. I do the same when the scouts return with details of the human world."
"When do you find time to practice your performances?" Viola asked.
"I do my research when the other performing talents are putting on their own shows," Lyria replied.
Viola unrolled one scroll after another looking for anything relating to tinker fairies or prohibition to the mainland. "Aren't these catalogued?"
"They are, but not by content," Lyria answered. "They are filed according to the time periods in which the events portrayed would have occurred." The performing talent continued to sift through her vast library when something occurred to her.
"Wait a minute. Fairy tales, folk tales, faerie folk. Now that sounds familiar." Lyria began searching the scrolls from the time of Queen Elphame.
Tinker Bell went to the healing talent fairies and asked them if they had a mortar and pestle they could spare, but they had none available. "We always need them," the head of the guild told her. Tinker Bell then flew to the kitchens and talked to Dulcie who told her the same them. "Sorry, Tink, the baking and cooking talents are always using them. I can't loan one out even for a day or two."
The tinker fairy now felt her hopes dashed like breakers on the rocks. She stepped away from the kitchen and was ready to pin all her hopes on Bobble and Clank when a familiar face popped up.
"Hi, Tink," Rosetta said. "Why the glum face?"
Tinker Bell explained to her what had happened starting from the mice in Vidia's home to her needing a mortar and pestle to grind food for Roquefort. "But the healing, baking and cooking talents won't loan one to me," she said gloomily. "They always need them."
"Oh you'll never get anything out of those guilds, they're too protective of their wares," Rosetta told her. "Why didn't you come to me first, Sugarplum? I've got one I can spare."
"You do?"
"Sure, but I'll be needin' it back before the Autumn Revelry. Clank told me he had some big idea for the event and that he was needin' pigments from my flowers to make it work."
"I'll only need it for a few days," Tinker Bell said. "Clank and Bobble are going to make a big grinder for me once they get Tinker's Nook cleaned up."
The two friends, Rosetta the eldest of the two, and Tinker Bell, the youngest, flitted off to the Rosetta's home in her flower gardens. Once there the garden fairy provided Tink with one of her mortar and pestle sets. Since Tinker Bell had never seen one before, Rosetta flew with the tinker to the stables to show her how to use it properly.
During the long wait for Viola to return with Lyria, the four ministers moved into the queen's library and began to discuss privately amongst themselves the future of their beloved Queen Clarion.
"What are we going to do?" Hyacinth asked his fellow ministers. "If the queen is dethroned for upholding an unjust decree then all of us could lose our positions, too."
"What are you talking about?" Snowflake asked.
"We all knew the law existed and never questioned it," Hyacinth explained. "If the queen is found guilty of contempt and discrimination and is dethroned then we would have to step down, too. With no one to rule, all of Pixie Hollow would fall into chaos."
"Are you saying Vidia really is guilty of sedition?" Sunflower asked.
"Don't be ridiculous," Redleaf insisted. "Vidia understands the need for law and order; she just wants to ignore the rules when she feels like it. Besides, every fairy and sparrow man through the centuries accepted the law without question. It is not as if the five of us were alone in overlooking it."
"Hyacinth is right," Sunflower said continuing Hyacinth's train of thought, "even if Vidia had no intention of overthrowing the monarchy that would still be the end result. We can't dethrone the queen for the sake of all the fairies in Pixie Hollow."
"Actually, it is Vidia who is the one guilty of contempt," Redleaf said. "She reasoned that the statute may have been unjust decades ago when no one else did. It is the duty of every fairy and sparrow man in Pixie Hollow to inform the queen when they believe that an edict is in violation of our sacred principles. She failed to do so, instead choosing to assume that the queen was maliciously ignoring our founding doctrine."
"So then we don't have to dethrone the queen," Hyacinth said. "In fact, we don't even need to vote."
"Actually, we do," Redleaf countered. "It is still a legitimate question. We cannot avoid the challenge because it comes from a fairy we dislike. The queen said we are to follow the law, not our hearts."
"How can you stand against the queen like that?" Sunflower returned. "Against all of us?"
"I'm not, but we must follow the queen's orders on this," Redleaf replied. "If we do not then we would be as guilty as Vidia for ignoring our responsibilities. We owe it to ourselves and to the queen to see that proper justice is done."
"'Proper justice?' After what Vidia did to Tinker Bell and to Tinker's Nook and then to the queen? Are you being serious?" Hyacinth said.
"Ministers," Snowflake interjected, "If we do not perform our responsibilities correctly then there will always be questions surrounding Queen Clarion's moral authority to rule."
"So we should just dethrone the queen and let Vidia win?" Hyacinth said, a bit hyper.
"No, if we can find lawful and irrefutable proof that would exonerate the queen then not only would we be carrying out our duties to their fullest, but it would also discredit all of Vidia's challenges against the queen's authority," Snowflake stated.
"You mean we could put that obnoxious little flyer in her place?" Hyacinth said rather gleefully.
"Not my preferred choice of words, but yes," Snowflake said.
"Well what kind of argument could we make that would vindicate Queen Clarion and deconstruct Vidia's challenge?" Hyacinth asked.
For several minutes there was silence among the ministers. Each one would look at the other hoping for a spark, but none came. They needed a rebuttal so strong that not even Vidia could question it.
Then Snowflake spoke. "We could argue on the grounds of 'reasonable expectations,'" she said.
"What exactly does that mean?" Hyacinth asked.
"That the queen assumed, as everyone else did, that the law had a reasonable and useful purpose. The same assumption we all make about all of our laws," Snowflake finished.
"So when Tinker Bell challenged the status quo it eventually led to Queen Clarion rethinking the usefulness of the law itself and eliminating it," Hyacinth said.
"Yes," Snowflake replied.
"Do you think that will be enough for us to preserve Clarion's rule?" Hyacinth asked. "Is there another argument we could make in case this isn't enough?"
"I think it will be more than sufficient," Redleaf answered. "As wise and intelligent as the queen is, she isn't perfect. No fairy is, but when she realized the unjust nature of the law she used her authority to overturn an incompatible regulation. In my opinion the queen performed her duties appropriately."
"So then the queen can't be guilty of a crime," Hyacinth said, a smile playing across his face.
"Indeed she cannot," Redleaf answered.
"Should we vote now or wait for Lyria to return?" Sunflower asked.
"Perhaps a straw poll?" Snowflake suggested. "This will allow us to review Lyria's evidence with an open mind."
The ministers agreed. "On the matter of a vote of no confidence against Queen Clarion," Redleaf began, "all those in favor of a vote of no confidence signify by saying 'aye.'"
All were silent.
"Then we are in agreement," Snowflake offered. "If Lyria's evidence does not significantly undermine the queen then the vote will stand."
Minutes later a messenger arrived to let them know that Viola had arrived with Lyria.