I was reading a particularly good book when I was interrupted.

The doorbell rang.

Scowling, I covered my ears to the ruckus that always came right afterwards. I didn't have to wait long, and looked up in time to smell a faint whiff of perfume as a blur headed to the door.

Daphne threw open the door, breathing hard. I could see that the back of her neck was faintly pink. She spun around and stuck her tongue out just as Puck leapt from somewhere up the stairs, to the middle of the room.

Puck sounded impressed. "You're getting faster, Marshmallow."

When Daphne beamed at him, Puck gasped and jumped back. He'd finally noticed the person at the door, then.

"Hello, brother." Mustarded greeted, smiling stiffly. "Hello, Ms. Grimm."

Daphne stuttered out a 'h-hi,' and backed away from the door. Then she stopped.

"You haven't chilled out at all. You look like a spring that's been tied down."

Mustardseed blinked at her, and opened his mouth. Then he closed it, and tilted his head forward a bit.

"My apologies."

"What are you doing here?" Puck asked, his shoulders tensing up.

"Ah- no, you do not need to appear so apprehensive. I apologize for showing up at your doorstep without advance notice. But I only wish to speak to Pinocchio."

I stopped skimming the page I was on. Me? What would the current King of Faerie want with me? I stood up, and my chair scraped back.

Mustarded heard the sound and looked into the room. All the tension on his mind seemed to leave him as he met my gaze.

"Pinocchio, please. I wish to speak to you. It will only take a few moments."

"What do you need Puppet-Boy for?" Puck interrupted. Mustarded looked at him with a cold stare.

"It does not concern you, brother, since you ran away from the throne."

Puck flinched and immediately brought out his wooden sword.

"Puck!" Daphne warned.

"Relax. It isn't for anything ominous or important," Mustardseed said, smiling playfully. "Though you might be interested in hearing about it."

Puck stepped forward with an annoyed expression. I would've told him to stop, but he suddenly spun around while sheathing his sword.

"That's when you do the most boring things." He muttered, stomping away.

Mustarded looked at me again, with a genuine smile. "Well? Come on."

I followed him out the door, and found him waiting on the pathway that led away from the house. I followed him, thinking that he was probably going to lead me to town... until he suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me into the trees. I felt a hand clap over my mouth, and another restrain my arms.

I bit down on his hand instinctively. His hand jerked, but didn't relent.

"Hush! I saw his pixies behind us."

I bit his hand harder than last time.

"Pinocchio-"

"Are you an idiot? If you saw his pixies behind us, then you should've pretended like you didn't notice them. We could've easily lost them in Ferryport Landing."

Mustarded paused, and seemed to be weighing my words. After a second, he nodded.

"Oops."

I twisted around to look at his face, annoyed. "You are the current king of Faeries?"

He shot me an annoyed glance before he shoved my face into the dirt. I immediately tried to push myself back up, and he let me.

I spit out the dirt in my mouth, wiped my lips on my sleeve, then threw a rock at the most powerful Faerie alive.

"His pixies- " He started.

"I know! I saw them! They would've ignored us if we'd stayed still, too! Let me repeat, are you an idiot?"

He sighed and sat back. He looked embarrassed. He was even blushing.

"Are you sick?" Then it dawned on me. "Did you want to find me so you could ask me about some remedy?"

He looked at me sharply, then looked away. "Well..." He rolled the word around. "I... am. Was. I mean, I was sick. It's sort of like a... curse. No, not really... more like an addiction."

"If you want me to help you, I need more details. Obviously."

"Yes. You do, don't you?" He stopped. "I'm sorry, this is what the problem is. Without it, I kind of go insane. No, that sounds too harsh. More like restless. Or unclear. Or- "

"Without what?"

He breathed in slowly, then let a breath out. "February the fourteenth is approaching."

"Valentine's day. Yes, so what?"

"I heard that you have the same problem."

My hand twitched. No, he couldn't know about that...

"I've heard that... you're hopelessly addicted to them, too."

There was a long stretch of silence, in which I stared at the bright blue sky and took some time to admire the fluffiness of some of the clouds. Cumulous clouds. Very pretty. Many were building up, too, almost completing their transformation to cumulonimbus. I had to tell Sabrina to pack an umbrella, or I would have to put up with her whining about the unpredictable rains.

"Where did you hear that from?" I asked, finally.

"Word gets around pretty quickly when anyone orders the last five boxes of TerryTerry's Most Delicious chocolates."

"You want a box?" I asked, looking away. Noooo, my precious joys of life! I couldn't! I wouldn't!

But this was the King of Faeries asking.

"Just one. Please."

I looked up, and found that I was looking into the eyes of someone who had sacrificed his pride for something he loved, maybe just as much as me. If he did like them as much as me, he'd know my answer.

"Before you refuse my request, please hear me out. I know I am asking you to do something very, very hard. This day only comes once a year, and TerryTerry's Most Delicious are the best of the best."

I nodded. He did understand, then.

"But I have something to trade."

What could possibly be more-

"The Ploopery."

I stared at him. "No way. You're the customer who got it before me last year? I did everything I could to get it. The limited edition doll that comes with the first box sold."

He was respectable enough to be the King, after all.

"So..." He raised his eyebrows.

"Deal." I said, putting my hand out. He took it, and we shook hands.

We both heard laughter, and turned around simultaneously. Puck was standing in the shadows of a branch above us, bent over laughing.

"Saved, and uploaded." He said, grinning at us. "On to YouTube."

We both lunged for him.