(( Disclaimer: This story is completely original. All characters, settings, and events are spawned from my own mixed up little mind and may not be used, copied, or adapted without my express written permission. Do not steal my story!!!

Yay! We finally made it to Avalon! We're getting to the final chapters of the story, so if you have any feedback or ideas for the end of the story, you'd better share them now. :D ))

22.

The stump stairs wound down for what seemed like a small eternity. Toby tried to count how many times they made a complete circle, but found it impossible to keep track of the nearly endless twisting. So finally she gave up and instead focused on keeping the shattered sword in her hands from bumping into the walls and railing.

Just when she was at her wit's end and about ready to flop down and refuse to keep going down the stairs, they reached a level platform. Toby paused, waiting until Verum, who was behind her, had moved around her and was leading the way. Princess or no, she had no idea where she was and where she was going and she wasn't as silly as to think she'd just magically know or conjure up the information.

They emerged into a courtyard large enough to rival Everdark's throne room. Where Everdark, however, had been clad in shadows with only the faintest of light from the blue fires dappling across its walls, the courtyard was full of rainbows, nary a shadow to be seen. Columns at the sides of the giant room arched high over head, mimicking trees with their supports like branches fanning out across the domed cieling. Toby, at first, thought the cieling was a window opening to the sky above, but after a moment realized that it was in reality encrusted with crystals and gems all of all sorts that seemed to actually be generating their own light. Crystals and gems twined all the way down the pillars to the floor, which was a beautiful burnished wood, etched with thin lines of gold.

Toby had to pause on the threshold, staring around her. As dark and clustered as Everdark had been, Avalon was that bright and spacious. It almost hurt her eyes and she had to blink rapidly against the sudden brilliance.

"Keep going, Princess. This is just the entryway," a voice said to her right, and she turned to look into twin emerald eyes. She gasped and jumped back, staring at Fizzybink. A Fizzybink who now stood about a head taller than she was.

"F-Fiz?!"

He grinned, bowing to her, his emerald eyes sparkling like mad. This size, she realized just how intricate and complex the tattoos that spanned his broad, muscular chest were, and now long and silken his spring green hair was. He'd donned some sort of leather bands that crossed his chest, holding to his back a shell that outside of the Fairy Court had seemed to Toby to have been made out of an acorn shell. Now she could see it was wrought of a deeply bronzed metal and wood, mimicking the look of an acorn. Across his brow was a simple golden circlet, a tiny emerald set in the middle of it. Toby supposed it only made sense; he was a crown prince, after all. "When we're in the Fairy Court, we're all the same size. Our magic is stronger here."

"S-so... all the fairies are going to be .. normal sized?"

"Mm-mm. You are going to be our size," Fiz said, straightening up, his hands resting on his hips. Toby couldn't help but stare at him. He was handsome, but ... different somehow. It was obvious that he wasn't just another human. His cheekbones were higher, his eyes wider and more slanted, and his long ears curved back behind his head. Even the way he moved was some how more direct, more graceful, like the most skilled of martial artists.

Toby wrinkled her nose, but before she could say anything Verum had grabbed her elbow and was directing her further through the Courtyard, towards the arched doorway at the end. Half of her wanted to drag her feet as she was ushered though the hallway, too tired to deal with what else what in store for her.

The Courtyard was huge but before she'd even processed all of it, they were at the other end, and plunging into the doorway beyond. The sudden light made Toby throw her hand over her eyes, and when she could finally see again she found herself in a room even more massive than the previous one. All of these huge spaces and dizzyingly high cielings were making her head spin. What happened to normal sized houses, normal sized rooms? Well, she supposed this must be normal for the fairies. It all made her feel so small.

There were balconies upon balconies, at least four levels of them, each set back a little bit more like the steps of a fountain, all leading down into the main room on the ground floor. Directly in front of Toby and her party, on the other side of the massive room, were two ornate doors, gems and gold and silver all twined into an incredibly detailed design depicting what Toby could only imagine was the cosmos, or at least that of Believe's. About two thirds of the way between them and the intricate doors was a white marble planter, a small, twisted tree bent in the middle. It seemed, as far as Toby could tell, to be dead, dropping sadly with only a few tiny, pale leaves left on its branches.

The most daunting thing, however, were the hundreds of fairies that all, in unison, turned to look down at them. Beautiful and breath-takingly gorgeous, all of them, their brilliant eyes like gem stones all focused on Toby. She wanted to sink through the floor, but even through her humiliation, she noticed something odd. Some of the fairies looked at her with obvious joy in their eyes, their happiness practically radiating from their faces. Others, however... they were like dark clouds, their scowls and mistrustful gazes making Toby avert her eyes with the strange feeling she'd done something wrong already.

"Come, you must meet the Queen," Verum said with a rustle of fluffy skirts, heading forward and quite obviously expecting Toby to do the same. The brunette balked, but then found Fizzybink standing at her side. He gave her a reassuring smile and she inhaled, feeling her confidence boulstered. She smiled gratefully, then turned and followed her fairy godmother-in-training.

As they passed near the withered tree, Toby couldn't help but linger, staring at it quietly. It reminded her of her pansies after she'd once forgotten to water them for the better part of a week. Upon finding her precious flowers wrinkled and withered, Toby had been heartbroken and sworn never to forget about them again. She hadn't, either, always taking impeccable care of the small buds. The tree looked like it hadn't received any caring attention in a very long time.

There was a sudden crack like a shot, making Toby start and look over. The giant doors had slitted open, pushed open by two fairies, both strong looking warriors in shades of bronze and deep brown.

It was the figure between the two guards, however, that drew everyone's gaze. She was tiny, even "full-sized" like she was, barely making five feet. Her hair was the color of the pale rose flush on a maiden's cheeks, her skin the color of fresh milk. She wore a long white dress that only made her look paler, diamonds and small sparkling stones set into the fabric and turning her into a dazzling, glittering figure, like the sunlight glinting off of freshly fallen snow. A white gold crown set on her brow, deep red rubies framing a diamond that Toby was sure put any other to shame in size or clarity.

The Fairy Queen practically floated through the steps and towards Toby, her eyes never leaving the girl's face. Toby felt her head swim, her vision filling with those deep red eyes. the color of crimson rose petals.

"All hail Queen of the Fairies, Rosepink the Magnificent," a rich velvety voice announced, and Toby was dimly aware of fairies upon fairies all bowing in time. Toby herself was frozen, her hands gripping the sword, which was suddenly as cold as ice, biting into her skin.

Rosepink paused in front of Toby, gazing up at the brunette with a face that at once seemed young as a girl's and old as a crone's, wisdom shining from its perfect curves. "You are our Princess, then?" she said in a voice that was high and clear yet strong, reaching up to even the highest balconies. The fairies seemed, as one, to lean forward, watching with anticipation... though, of what, Toby wasn't sure.

The Fairy Queen extended her hand. Toby stared at it for a moment before someone elbowed her. "Kiss it," Fizzybink hissed in her ear.

"Oh!" Toby exclaimed, louder than she'd meant to. Flushing in embarassment, she let go of Kjavaeos with one hand, stooping to take the Fairy Queen's hand and kiss the back of it, feeling the burden of hundreds of eyes watching her... judging her.

As soon as her lips had brushed that cool skin, however, there was a sudden pulse of light. Toby froze as a familiar tingling raced through her. The tiara? But... what? There was no danger here, of all places... The tiara didn't seem to listen to her mental confusion, pulsing again in light.

It was then that Toby noticed that the branches of the withered tree were thickening, flushing out as if infused with water, and... reaching out towards her. She let out a shriek as they wrapped around her, dragging her back towards the planter. "Toby!" Dom cried, drawing his sword and dashing forward.

"No!" Verum cut in, grabbing Dominic's arm and yanking him back. "Do not touch that plant with your sword!"

"But Toby--" Dom strained at the grip, but Fiz had stepped forward as well, his strong hnad curling about Dominic's upper arm. Toby stared at them in confusion, flailing against the vines. Why weren't they helping her?! The tree was dragging her back! She was going to be swallowed by an overgrown moss, and they were just standing there?! She yelled out for help, but no one moved to help her, even as the tree pulled her back against its trunk...

... and then abruptly released her. The tiara pulsed again, and Toby felt the tingling flow of magic washing through her and... into the tree? The trunk behind her suddenly thickened, losing its wrinkled look. The branches straightened, reaching towards the sky again, spreading even more as leaves, rich emerald in color, burst from their ends. Toby could only stare up above her as the tangle of bare twigs became a tall tree, lush with leaves, and complete with tiny white buds unfolding and untwisting from the ends of the branches.

The blossoms unfurled and Toby could almost hear the tree sigh with satisfaction as each delicate white flower opened fully, putting even their pale queen's beauty to shame.

Then the tree still, nearly three times larger than it had been, lush with life and beauty. Toby could feel the faint perfume of the flowers' scent tickling her nose and it refreshed her. For a moment she forgot the tree had just dragged her over to it, instead staring up at the sudden new life. It was the same satisfaction she'd seen when she'd nursed her pansies back to health, that quiet joy that they were alive and thriving.

"It's blooming again," someone whispered. "How long as it been?"

"Hundreds of years."

"Thousands!"

"Not since the last Princess. Not since Rosal--"

"Enough." The Fairy Queen held up one hand and the sudden flurry of whispers that had raced through the giant room ceased abruptly. "The Heart Tree is blooming again off of this girl's magic. She is a true Princess." Rosepink raised her arms and every eye, every ounce of attention, was on her. "In three days' time we will celebrate as we have not in many years. In three days' time we will welcome the Last Princess of Believe as befits her station, as befits the hospitality of the Fairy Court!

"In three days' time, I want to see all of your beautiful faces smiling back at me in the Court Hall. Now hurry, make ready. Take the Princess to the Royal Chambers. Find her a dress." The tiny fairy, who suddenly seemed the largest thing in the room, turned and smiled at Toby. It was a smile that made Toby uncomfortable, though she couldn't tell why. "After all, a Princess should look the part."

Then she turned and was gone into the doors again, leaving Toby's cheeks burning. 'Look the part'? What exactly did that mean? Flustered, she pushed herself away from the tree, finding, to her surprise, that the branches released her, brushing her with gentle carresses as she stood and moved towards Verum and the others. Dominic was immediately gripping her shoulders, glancing over her as if to make sure she was okay, then hugging her tightly. She didn't understand boys at all, really didn't.

"Please," she said, finally managing to find her voice. "I'm so tired. I need to sleep, please."

Toby felt like she was going to pass out at any moment. She had no idea if it was the tree drawing on her magic or all of the eyes staring at her or even the slight glint she'd seen in the Fairy Queen's eyes as she turned and swept from the room, a glint that spoke clearly of just how little was actually expected of Toby. Wavering on her feet, she nearly fell over, until Dominic stepped forward, sweeping her up into his arms.

"Lead the way," he said to Fizzybink, cutting off any objections that sprang to Toby's lips.

Fizzybink nodded and turned, leading the way down a side hallway, deeper into Avalon. Toby surrendered, letting herself be carried towards her room, just closing her eyes and resting her cheek against Dominic's shoulder. It felt good to have him back. She should just be grateful he had come after her, not worry about all the rest of the complicated stuff. It wasn't like she had time to think about normal stuff like boys and dating. Not with the entourage that was now following her, or the expectations of an entire world of recently awakened denizens, all looking to her to miraculously fix their problems.

Before they'd even reached the room, Toby had slipped off to sleep, still gripping Kjavaeos tightly in her hands.