vapid Prince Charming, I understand why it happens. That's the story. My destiny, as yours, is inescapable," she said. She did not look exactly sad, but she did look less angry and more resigned. "And this is unacceptable," she snapped.
"Wait, so you trying to win is just fine, but us coming into rescue Maryann isn't?" Nora retorted. "What's the difference? You're trying to go off-script. We actually did."
"'Off-script?'" the fairy repeated, looking confused.
"Or off-dialogue, or off-story, or whatever. You get the idea," Isabella explained.
"Oh, yes, I do. How ever am I supposed to win if I don't try to go off-script, as you put it?" she asked.
"And why should we let you win by going along with a story we didn't ask to be part of?" Nora shot back. "We're not princesses. She's not a princess just because she has a crown. There is no Prince Charming. And believe me, there's no guaranteed happily ever after either. There's just real life and real work and a lot of heartache."
The fairy blinked her purple-black eyes in surprise.
"Look, we're not even wearing princess shoes," Maryann offered, showing off her battered sneakers.
"We were working at the place you opened the door," Isabella said. "This isn't a fairytale for us."
"No!" she screeched. "No, no, no! This is the story. There is a princess. There is a prince. And there is the evil fairy, and that is me. If there is no princess and no prince and no story, then there is no evil fairy!"
Spiders fell from the ceiling and scurried away quickly. The band stumbled back a few steps without even meaning to, although this seemed to gratify the fairy.
"Do what I say," Isabella whispered to the others as she reached into her purse.
The fairy regained her composure. "Your world has gone strange. You tell the stories, and I have seen them retold in many different ways, and yet you don't believe them. You don't understand their power. Even now, when you can clearly see the elements of the story before you, that is, the princess," she said, gesturing at Maryann, "and the wicked fairy, you try to deny this. Although I must say, this presents me with a slight problem. She obviously must go back in the cage to await rescue, but you three shouldn't be here in the first place."
"Maybe we're stand-ins for the good fairies," Leah quipped.
The crystal on the staff flashed. "Good fairies," she almost spat. "There is little practical difference between us; only our roles in the story. Good fairies would warn monarchs not to anger me with their pettiness. Good fairies would gift the princesses with intelligence or common sense so they wouldn't stumble into curses and open doorways to other realms."
"You wanted me to trip!" Maryann huffed.
"Good fairies would actually let the humans stand on their own accord instead of arming the princes with enchanted swords and armor and showing them the way to the castle. Good fairies might even teach the princess how to fight and give her enchanted items so she never gets captured or cursed in the first place. Good fairies would confront me directly instead of manipulating stupid humans to do their mischief. Good fairies would tell the truth to humans instead of perpetuating the myth of 'true love' and allowing the foolish to walk into great danger underprepared." she snapped. "Oh, dear children, do not be fooled. There are no good fairies or bad fairies, although I call myself a bad fairy. There are only fairies, and our roles in the stories, and none of our kind are to be trusted. You should not liken yourselves to them, or to me." The fairy gestured to the cage and the door opened. "Now, Princess, we finish the story."
"Wait, wait, look, the story is changing," Maryann said. "I mean, I'm not the kind of princess you're used to. We don't have to do this. If I don't have to be the princess, you don't have to be the evil fairy."
The fairy seemed to think about this for a moment. "Perhaps." She stared at the group and smiled, showing pointed teeth. "But perhaps I like being the bad fairy."
Isabella had pulled a piece of paper out of her purse. She took two steps towards the fairy and stuck a piece of paper to her forehead. "Run!" she yelled.
The crystal topping the fairy's staff flared purple but she seemed unable to move.
The band picked up their skirts and ran for the doorway which remained open. They turned into the passage and kept going.
"Which way is out?" Maryann puffed.
"Just keep turning left!" Isabella shouted back.
"What about that-that fairy?" Leah asked.
They heard a terrible screech behind them.
"My charm just wore off," Isabella said. "Just run!"
They heard the sound of skittering, insect-like legs running up behind them. Leah, who was the shortest and had the shortest stride and therefore the slowest runner, risked a look behind her. "My God," she yelped in Spanish.
"I know what that means," Nora said.
"If you don't like spiders, and I mean really don't like spiders, don't look back," she said, feeling a stitch in her side but trying to speed up.
They said nothing else as they followed the spiral pathway out of the castle to the final door. Isabella yanked the door open and ripped the piece of paper off. The other three barrelled through and Isabella followed as the entire corridor behind them seemed to be filled with spiders. She slammed the door shut. The other three expected it to burst open, but it did not.
"Is that it? Is it over? Is she coming through?" Maryann stuttered.
Isabella shook her head. "No. The door to the other realm is now closed." She pulled another piece of paper out of her purse and stuck it to the door. It glowed a moment, then fell off. She crumpled it up and stuffed it back into her purse. "Come on, I'll talk more outside. We should get out of here before someone asks what's going on."
"We don't want that," Leah agreed and they quickly made their way back outside and piled into the van. "So, what the hell just happened?" she asked when they were on their way.
"Exactly what you think happened," Maryann said. "Isabella, is she going to be able to come through again?"
"I don't know. I sealed the door, but if she's powerful enough she can break it. I don't think that was a natural door, so it probably wouldn't be very easy to do, even if she wanted to."
"But why this Fairytale Ball? Why not all the others?"
The blonde shrugged. "The others didn't have a real princess, at least not according to her definition of one."
"So is this going to be a thing?" Leah asked. "I mean, a murder mystery dinner theater going wrong is something I kind of get. Not expect, or like, but I kind of get it. That seems like the kind of thing that could get us mixed up in weird stuff. But this was just a job. Just an ordinary job."
"Just an ordinary Ren Fair too," Nora sighed.
They were silent until they reached Maryann's house.
"You know," Maryann said.
The others looked at her.
"There is a nice thing about fairytales. We know how they end. But like Isabella said, this is real life. We don't know how it ends. But I just thought of something else too. In fairytales, we know why things are the way they are. We know why the princess gets cursed or captured. We know why the prince goes to save her. We know why the fairy is evil. The story says so," she said. "So that's the thing."
"What's the thing?" Nora asked a touch harshly.
"About tonight. We don't know how our story ends because it's not a fairytale, but because it's a fairytale we also don't know why we're there. We aren't princesses, no matter what she says. Our dads didn't insult a bad fairy and get us cursed. We don't have wicked stepmothers trying to kill us for being too pretty or making us slaves to our stepsisters. We don't have fairy godmothers. Leah, you asked if this was going to happen again. Well, that's the answer. I don't know. This isn't a fairytale. We don't know our roles. I don't know why this happens to me, or to you, or to Nora or Isabella," she said anxiously. "The answer is I don't have an answer."
"I know you don't," Leah si
ghed. "It's just kind of frustrating to have things happen like that. I don't know what to do. I'm glad Isabella knew what to do."
"You did know what to do," Maryann said. "You got our shoes. I wouldn't have thought of that. You guys?" she asked Nora and Isabella.
"No, not until I twisted my ankle," Nora admitted.
"Me neither. I was too focused on the magic part of it."
"I guess that was helpful."
Maryann brightened up. "So we'll figure this out. Somehow."
Nora and Leah exchanged skeptical looks, and both unconsciously touched their religious necklaces.
"If we're together, we can do anything!"
The other three just stared at her a moment.
"Are you sure you're not a fairytale princess?" Leah asked dryly.
Maryann pouted, but the other two laughed, so they put the evening's strangeness behind them to focus on the more pressing matter of unloading their gear and getting some well-deserved sleep.
The Lyrics:
Fairies are mischievous and nice
Or so ignorant people say
They forget about the dark ones
Who are nice as Morgan le Fey.
A wicked, evil fairy
Is anything but light and airy
Wearing darkness like a dress
She is beyond merely scary.
Refrain: When good wins because the story says it must
Let us fight for an ending that's more just
Let us side with the villianious fey
And hope victory will be hers one dark day.
But there's more to the story;
With a wish and a wave
Good fairies are