A Grim Fairy Tale

Chapter Forty-Three

"And that's the whole story." Moxxie finished. "For two weeks we searched and asked around but no one claimed you and no one seemed to know anything about you or where you came from. We had no choice but to assume that you were an orphan."

"I managed to convince M and M over here, to at least try to find a human family that would take you in but..." Blitzo added, but then he adjusted his tone to be more kind. "They...Well...Don't take it so hard but, they kind of didn't want you. You know how humans are about appearances, and to them you looked like...Well their exact words were, the devil's child."

"But your looks didn't matter one bit to us." Millie said to Alastor with a tone full of love. "To Moxxie and myself, you were a little miracle. We had always wanted to start a family but as you know, alps can't have natural offspring. Still we prayed and prayed, and then out of no where a little boy with no family and no home just appeared. It was almost like you were meant for us."

"So we adopted you." Moxxie said. "And you've never given us a momen'ts regret."

"Speak for yourself." Blitzo said.

"Oh be quiet!" Millie scoffed. "You know, you like him. Don't forget, you were the first of us to act in saving him from Striker."

"That just proves I have standards."

"I'm very grateful to you all for saving my life and taking care of me all these years." Alastor said. "I promise I'll find someway to repay you for all you've done, you're the only family I can remember knowing."

"Nonsense." Millie said. "You never have to repay us. We love you and we wanted to take care of you."

"I appreciate that more than you'll ever know. And I know you've all given so much, but I still have to ask something of you." Alastor said. "Please allow Charlotte to stay here. She won't be any trouble and she won't be a burden, and I'll look after her."

"And just what happens when her witch of a stepmother comes here looking for her?" Blitzo said. "The old hag will probably turn us all into pond frogs for aiding her, or worse."

"You don't have to worry about that." Charlotte said, having finished her bath, dried off, and dressed into the warm clothes Millie had left for her.  "She doesn't know where I am."

"Maybe not yet but she will. She knows everything." Blitzo said. "I've heard countless rumors about her having a way of finding out things."

"But she'll never find me here." Charlotte insisted. "Her spies never go this far into the forest. Besides, she probably thinks I'm dead by now. Why would she come looking for me?"

"You don't think she'd want to make sure that you're dead? She wouldn't suspect that you somehow escaped?"

"I don't think so. She always thought that I was too stupid and weak to accomplish anything. She would never think that I would be smart and resourceful enough to escape a predator. And I want stay here for free, I'll pay you."

"Pay?!" Blitzo said getting excited. "Okay, I might be willing to offer hospitality for the right price. What are we talking here?"

"Well the royal family has an endless supply of riches. For your kindness, I could pay you enough gold to where you would never have to work again."

"Oh no! No! No! No gold!"  

"No gold?"

"We're extremely vulnerable to gold." Moxxie said. "It's just like with sliver and werewolves. One touch, and it burns us like the fires of Hell."

"Oh...Then I'll pay you in jewels."

"How much?" Blitzo said.

"As much as you'd like."