Catherine was busy training Vivian when Alfred came running up. “A winged lion has just landed on the top of the castle tower,” he said.
Catherine paused, and then smiled. “Winged lions aren’t common in this part of the forest,” she said. “Somebody is up to something.”
“The Winged Lion was carrying a basket,” said Alfred. “In that basket were a hedgehog, several pixies, two talking mushrooms, two rabbits who claimed to be dragons, a teenage boy who has been shrunk down to the size of 6 inches, a mouse, a frog, and--”
“Carlyle!” said Catherine. “He’s behind this somehow.”
“Catherine, you mustn’t hurt my father,” said Vivian.
Catherine opened her mouth to reply, but then thought better of it. She changed her expression from one of anger to one of sympathy. “No dear, of course not. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson. I wouldn’t dream of doing him any further harm. But…” and here Catherine’s tone hardened, “...I will not do him any favors either. If he’s come to ask me to reverse his spell, then…”
“Yes, he said you would say that,” came a female voice.
“Who is that?” asked Catherine.
“It is I, Queen of the Water Sprites.” Alfred revealed that he was carrying the Queen of the Water Sprites in his hand.
“A Water Sprite? Here in the palace?” said Catherine. “What are you doing out of water?”
“We can survive outside of water,” said the Queen.
“But it drains your power, doesn’t it? I can’t believe my brother didn’t think of that. Wait, actually, yes I can. It’s very typical of him. There’s a small pond in the castle garden. Alfred, put her there!”
“Wait! I have something very important that I must tell you,” cried the Queen.
“It can wait until you’re comfortably back in the water, I’m sure,” said Catherine.
“It’s about Ambrosia,” the Queen cried out. “She’s the one sending out the monsters. Carlyle thought you would want to know.”
Catherine stood still for a moment, shocked. Then she came to herself. “Alfred, get a pitcher of water,” she said. “The Queen’s small enough she can fit in there.”
Alfred set the Queen of the Water Sprites down on the table, and then he ran off.
Catherine came closer to the Queen. “How do you know?”
“I saw her,” said the Water Sprite Queen. “It’s a long story, but--”
“Tell me,” Catherine said sharply. “Tell me how you met my brother as well.”
“Yes, well…” The Queen began. And then she told Catherine the whole story.
While she was talking, Alfred arrived with the pitcher of water, and the Water Sprite Queen was put inside. But the Water Sprite kept her head above the water, and kept telling her story.
When she was finished, Catherine sat down in her chair. “Well,” she said slowly. “Carlyle was wise to send you. He must have thought that I wouldn’t have believed it if he had told it himself. And he was right. But the question is, do I believe you?”
“Why would I lie?” asked the Water Sprite Queen.
“Because you’re friends with Carlyle,” said Catherine.
“But if Ambrosia is back…” Alfred began.
“If Ambrosia is back, then it is a very lucky day for Carlyle,” said Catherine. “I run off and fight Ambrosia in the other dimension. Carlyle returns and regains control of Castle Tauna. Yes, it’s very good news for Carlyle. Poor Catherine sacrifices herself for the good of the Kingdom. King Carlyle returns and continues his reign.”
“But if Ambrosia is back,” Alfred persisted, “then what will you do?”
“If Ambrosia is back, then let her come to me,” said Catherine. “I’m not running into that other dimension to fight her. With Vivian’s magic sword and super speed, we’ve managed to defeat every monster that comes out of that portal door.” Catherine turned her head back to the Water Sprite Queen. “Now,” she said. “Where is Carlyle?”
“Catherine, you promised,” said Vivian.
“I’ll not harm him,” said Catherine. “But he’s not staying at this castle either. He can go back to sleeping on the forest floor.”
“He’s on the top of the castle tower,” said the Water Sprite Queen.
“Then let’s go and give him the bad news,” said Catherine. “Alfred, Vivian, you’re more than welcome to come along if you want to supervise me.”
They climbed up the stairs to the tower. King Carlyle and everyone else was waiting at the top.
Catherine at first addressed herself to Jacob the Frog. “Well, Carlyle,” she said, shouting at the frog.
“I’m over here,” said the Winged Lion.
Even though Carlyle’s form had been transformed, his voice remained the same. Catherine of course recognized the voice at once. “Ah, so you are,” she said. “I see you’ve gotten some help from someone. The fairies? They had enough sense not to try to undo my spell, I see. That was wise. Listen to me carefully Carlyle, because I’m going to give you some advice, and this advice is the last favor I’m ever going to do for you--do not try to get my spell reversed. I used an unusual variation of the spell--one that’s not even well known in this part of the forest. You’ll never be able to guess the correct spell. And as I’m sure the fairies already told you, if you try to reverse it with the wrong spell, you’ll end up with a terribly mutilated body.”
“What do you want from me?” asked King Carlyle.
“I don’t want you dead,” said Catherine. “Not any more. Your daughter has talked me out of it. You’re free to live out the rest of your days. But I don’t want anything more to do with you. Don’t ever ask me for any favors. And you are not welcome back into Castle Tauna. I am the rightful Queen of this castle, and you are banished.”
“Catherine, Ambrosia is back. The Water Sprite Queen saw her.”
“Yes, yes, she told me the whole story already,” said Catherine. “We’re handling the monster problem quite well at the moment, thank you. Your daughter and I have made quite the team.”
King Carlyle turned to address Vivian, but before he did, he was suddenly distracted by something else. “Alfred! Is that you? What are you doing here?”
“Greetings King Carlyle. I have returned,” said Alfred.
“But you haven’t aged a day since I last saw you,” said King Carlyle in amazement.
“It’s a long story,” said Alfred.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure it is. Another time, then,” said King Carlyle. King Carlyle then turned back to Vivian. “Vivian, darling, are you okay?”
“I’m doing well, father.”
“Has Catherine hurt you?”
“On the contrary, father. Aunt Catherine has been very kind to me. She’s been teaching me all about magic. I’ve been afraid to tell you for years, father, but I have the talent in me. I’ve always known it, but I never dared to talk about it.”
“You know I’ll always love you no matter what,” said King Carlyle. “You don’t have to be afraid of me. Midor said that you…” King Carlyle’s voice got raspy, and he stopped speaking.
“That’s all I ever wanted to hear, father,” Vivian replied, before her own voice got choked up with tears.
King Carlyle nodded his acknowledgement. Then he turned back to Catherine. “I want to see Talon,” he said.
“Talon’s dead,” Catherine answered coldly.
“What? How?”
“The monsters killed him,” Catherine answered.
King Carlyle nodded. This was difficult news for him to take. In spite of all the betrayals, Talon had been a big part of his life for as long as he’d been king. But now was not the time to grieve. “Okay, then Catherine, I’ll need one more favor from you,” he said.
“Oh no. No more favors. You heard me. I want nothing more to do with you.”
“I’ll go in and fight Ambrosia myself,” said King Carlyle. “All I need is…”
Catherine laughed out loud. “You! Have you gone mad? What magical skills do you possess?”
“Come on Catherine, you can’t lose. If I defeat Ambrosia, then it’s a win for you. If Ambrosia kills me, then that’s even more of a win for you.”
Catherine looked at King Carlyle skeptically. “What do you want?” she said.
“I need to get in through the portal. The entrance to that room was hidden in an underground room. Talon collapsed the room so that it was buried under the ground. But it didn’t stop the monsters from emerging. I need you to make a path for me back to the entrance for the portal. Then I’ll go in and find Ambrosia myself.”
Catherine hesitated. “You know I don’t trust you Carlyle.”
King Carlyle, being still in his winged lion form, growled in frustration. “Come on Catherine! We’ve been over this. There’s no way this could possibly disadvantage you.”
“You don’t stand a chance at defeating Ambrosia. So you are either doing this as some sort of noble suicide, in which case I don’t see why I should help give you a hero’s death. If you want to die, I’d prefer you’d die ignobly in the forest. Or, or you’ve got some other sort of plan. I can’t quite figure it out at the moment. Are you planning on teaming up with Ambrosia? Are you planning on pushing me into the portal once I open up the room? I can’t figure it out at the moment, but you’re up to something.”
“I know there’s not much of a chance that I can defeat Ambrosia,” said King Carlyle. “There’s a 90% chance she’ll kill me before I even get close to her. But there’s still a 10% chance. If I can take her by surprise--if I can attack her before she sees me coming, then I can defeat her.”
“That strategy has worked well for you in the past,” said Catherine, her voice dripping with bitterness.
“I am the King of Castle Tauna. Or at least I was for several years. I ate the food of the castle and lived off of the goodness of the forest people. It’s my duty to do everything I can to defeat the monsters. I know there’s not much of a chance, but if there’s even a small chance, I want to take it.”
“You can save the noble speeches for someone else,” Catherine said. “You’re not fooling me, Carlyle. I don’t believe for one second that you’ve ever thought about anyone but yourself.” There was a brief silence, then Catherine continued. “I’ll open up the room for you,” she said. “On two conditions. First of all, once I help you in there, you don’t come out again until Ambrosia is defeated or dead. I don’t want you using that portal as some sort of shelter you can go in and out of while you plot mischief against me.”
“It’s agreed,” said Carlyle.
“Secondly, you take one of my men with you. I want someone who can keep an eye on you.”
“Fine,” said King Carlyle. “Send whoever you want.”
“Alright, we have a deal,” said Catherine. “Although how you hope to find your way around the land of the monsters is beyond me.”
King Carlyle was silent for a moment. Then he said, “You’re right. I’ll need Midor to help me.”
This produced a loud guffaw from Catherine. “You are going to ask Midor for help? Now this I’ve got to see!”
King Carlyle turned back to Vivian. “Can you ask Vivian to meet me outside the castle?” he asked.
“Certainly father,” said Vivian. “But promise me you’ll take good care of my Midor.”
“I’ll do you one more favor, Carlyle,” said Catherine. “I’ll permit you to stay inside the castle walls long enough for you to ask Midor for help. I want to see this for myself.”
“You’re too kind,” said King Carlyle dryly.
“Now, if there’s no further business,” said Catherine.
“We have one more favor, but it has nothing to do with me,” said King Carlyle. “This one is for John.”
“Who?”
“The young boy you shrunk down several weeks ago.”
John was trying to climb out of the basket. “Hello!” he called out in a friendly way. “Do you remember me?”
“I do,” said Catherine coldly. “What do you want?”
“I need you to return me to my normal size,” said John. “The fairies weren’t sure which spell you had used, so they…”
“I told Carlyle I’m through with favors,” said Catherine.
“Aunt Catherine, this is one of Robert’s friends, not one of father’s friends,” said Vivian. “He’s a harmless boy. We’d all very much like it if you would return him to his normal size.”
“I don’t have time for this,” said Catherine as she turned to walk away. “Vivian, you can return him to his old size if you wish. I used a standard shrinking spell on this one--nothing fancy. I think it was using the Northern runic dialect, if I remember correctly. Careful when you reverse it that you don’t forget the usual inversions.” Catherine turned back to Carlyle. “I’ll arrange for Midor to meet you in my throne room in one hour,” she said. And with that, Catherine disappeared down the stairs.
Vivian knelt down to talk to John. “Would you let me try to reverse your spell?” she asked.
“You can do magic?” asked John in a surprised voice.
“A lot has happened since you were last in the castle,” said Vivian. “I’ve learned quite a lot of magic since you saw me last. I think I can reverse the spell safely. Of course, I’m not as good as Catherine, so there is a small chance that something could go wrong, but…”
John closed his eyes. “Don’t tell me anything more,” he said. “Just try the spell before I lose my nerve.”
Vivian did her chants, and John was returned to his full size.
“Wow!” said John, examining his body. “Look at my hands! They’re big again. It’s been weeks since I have been my normal size. Everything looks so much smaller from up here.” John looked at his old friends. “Look at you Benjamin! I’d never realized how small you really were!” John said.
There was then the sound of crying coming.
Benjamin the Mouse spoke first. “John, ask her now.”
“Ask what?” said John.
“The lady who does the magic,” said Benjamin, nodding towards Vivian. “Ask her now. I know you’re thinking it. So just go ahead and ask it.”
John turned towards Vivian. “So, you can do magic now, right?”
Vivian nodded.
“If magic can make someone like me shrink down to a small size, can it make a small person enlarge to a big size?”
“Why are you asking?” asked Vivian.
“I’ve brought with me a friend,” said John. “She’s small, but I’d like for her to join me. Can you make her big like me?”
“John, what are you talking about?” said Vivian, confused.
John showed Vivian Kolet and Aurora. “They’re mushrooms,” he said. “But they come from the borderlands, where mushrooms can walk and talk. I’m in love with one of them.”
“Oh no!” said Vivian. “John, what are you doing? This is not going to…” Vivian stopped herself. “I can do it,” she said. “Aunt Catherine has taught me the magic. The spell will be different from your case, of course, because I’m not reversing an enchantment. So I can do a simple enlarging spell easily enough I think.” Vivian leaned down to talk to the mushrooms. “Is that what you want?” she asked. (Not knowing which one was which, Vivian spoke to both of them.)
“With all my heart,” answered Kolet.
“I will go where my mistress goes,” said Aurora.
“Very well,” answered Vivian. “I’ll do it. I don’t know what is going on here. I’m not sure you’re making the right choices. But if in the future you realize you’ve made a mistake, I can reverse the spell. This doesn’t need to be permanent.”
Vivian did her chanting and hand waving, and first Kolet and then Aurora became enlarged to the size of humans.
John and Kolet embraced at once. They both knew what this meant. “Now we can be together forever,” Kolet declared.
“Is this what you want?” asked John. “What about your home? What about your castle, and your father?”
“All I want is you,” Kolet answered.
Then Kolet turned to embrace Aurora. “How lovely that we can do this together,” she said. “I’m so glad you are here to support me.”
“My whole life is dedicated to you, my princess,” Aurora answered.
Vivian shrugged, not quite sure what to make of the whole scene. She turned, and saw that a tear was running down the face of the winged lion. “That must have been what it was like when you left me,” the lion said. “And ran off to join Midor.”
“I suppose it was something like that,” said Vivian. “But father, you are forgetting the end of the story. I came back to you. I turned my back on Midor for you.” But now it was Vivian’s turn to get teary-eyed. “I just wish you hadn’t forced me to make the choice,” she said.
“I’m going to take Midor away from you one last time,” said King Carlyle. “We are going to go into the other dimension together. But then, I promise, I will return him to you after this is all over.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, father,” Vivian said, trying not to burst into tears. “We both know the odds of you succeeding on this quest are…” Vivian’s voice got choked up by tears, and she couldn’t finish.
“I know,” said King Carlyle. “But we have to try.”
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