Reign (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale 4.) 91% 17 csillagozás

One day her Prince will come and it will be her worst nightmare.

(első mondat)

Her mom couldn’t understand. It was the dreaded English presentation where she had to give an oral report on a famous author. All the students in her class had to pull a name out of a glass fishbowl. Nan had been ecstatic when she drew J.K. Rowling, and of course—because Mina’s epic unfortunate luck would have it—she pulled out the Brothers Grimm.

Convincing him the Fae really existed was tough. He got quiet a few times and had to get up and walk around the kitchen. Once, he even left the house and stood in the rain before he came back in to hear more of the impossible. The inner turmoil was evident. His mind struggled to come to grips with the reality of what happened versus the false memories implanted by the Story.

The summons from the Godmother’s Guild came by raven later that afternoon at Nan’s apartment.

In the few minutes she’d been gone, Mei the brownie had cleaned her room top to bottom. She could see her floor and the odd colored rug, her clothes were folded and put away—even the pictures and knickknacks had been dusted. If she hadn’t had known Mei was a brownie, she would surely have accused her of being a cleaning fairy.

Where had she ended up? When? Teeth chattering uncontrollably, Mina wondered how the whole time travel thing actually worked. Had she gone into a hyper sleep? Broken down into energy particles, beamed somewhere else, and rematerialized like on Star Trek? The sheer thought of it all scared her. She was just grateful to be alive and in one piece.

The Fates were waiting on the steps. Queen Maeve, her raven black hair sparkling like starlight, wore a dress of deepest blue which made her pale skin look even paler. A crown of silver rested upon her brow. Her delicate hand was entwined with her husband’s. King Lucian was dressed in the same blue, with gold suns embroidered along his sleeves, his crown golden. Where his wife was pale, he was tan, and his honey-wheat beard and hair seemed to soak up the rays of the sun. He honestly emitted a warm glow.

The thought of going back into the past terrified her. What if she messed up—stepped on a butterfly and the following chain of events destroyed the world?

Dinah yawned and rubbed her back. “I’m not sure, but I hope we’re done soon. There was a lump in my mattress, and I could barely sleep last night. I think I’m bruised.”
“Maybe there was a pea under your mattress,” Mina said, amused.
“Oh don’t be silly, Elle. Why would there be food under a mattress in the royal palace? It had to have been a rock.”
“Why would a rock be under the mattress? In fact, I’d think it was more likely for food to be under the mattress than a rock.”
“Fine—pea, rock, or elephant. It was awful. You wouldn’t want to switch rooms tonight, would you?”

“Well, depending on whether the heir is male or female, the choosing ceremony varies. If it’s a female then the princes of lesser kingdoms and first-born sons are tested on wit, honesty, and bravery. In the past they’ve been sent on quests to fight a dragon, steal a golden fleece, or travel to the ends of the known world. But the princess test is always kept a secret. I’m not altogether sure why, but it is always conducted within the palace. Usually the youngest and prettiest daughters—and other princesses—are the candidates. There was a rumor that Queen Maeve was selected because she spun straw into gold.”