The Land of Stories: Rewriting the narrative

Chapter 14: Otherworlder

When Aurelia woke up, she found a book at the end of her bed with the title
Alex Bailey's Life and Lies: The true story of the so-called Fairy Godmother.
Intrigued, Aurelia flipped to the first page.
Alexandra Bailey was born in a land known as the Otherworld to a non-magical mother. She grew up not knowing any magic and with few social skills. Her father, from whom she got her magical heritage, died when she was ten. Then, almost a year later, her grandmotber, the current fairy godmother, gave her a book which transported her and her brother, Connor, into our world.

Aurelia stopped reading. Three words had caught her attention. Her. Brother. Connor. Her brother?! Connor? Aurelia had an uncle? How had she never heard about him? She raised her finger and the book's pages started flipping, before settling on a page called Connor.

Little is known about Connor Bailey, twin brother of Alex. According to various sources, he helped her many times when she was younger, against the Evil Queen, the Enchantress and the Grand Armée. Allegedly he even saved her life in the Literary War and freed her from a curse which supposedly turned her evil. Some people think he was the key to Alex's success, leading to questions about the Fairy Godmother's legitimacy. One thing we know for sure about Connor Bailey is he returned to the Otherworld after the Literary War, and has stayed there for the past twenty years.

☆

Alex couldn't stop reading. That had always been her problem when she was younger, but this was different. She had gone inside to find a stack of leaflets on the Council desk, and before she knew what she was doing, she was reading them. All of them. Every doubt she'd ever had about herself, every reason she'd ever thought of about why she shouldn't be where she was, down in black and white. Alex Bailey came from a non-magical background. Alex Bailey would be dead and the fairytale world in smithereens were it not for her brother. Alex Bailey is an Otherworlder. Alex Bailey does not deserve to be Fairy Godmother. Alex Bailey does not deserve to be here at all.

By the time Alex had read them all, two hours had passed and she was sobbing. She wasn't the only one who doubted herself. There were people, people who she should be protecting, who hated her and, what was it? Questioned her legitimacy. Who was she kidding? She wasn't fit to be a fairy godmother! She wasn't even fit to be a mother! What kind of woman leaves her daughter behind whilst she goes away to fairytale castles to meet Cinderella, for goodness' sake? What kind of mother deprives her child of that?
It's not your fault. You have responsibilities. I mean, yes, you also have responsibilities to your child, but... oh, who are you kidding, lady? You're a failure.

☆

Hope unrolled the scroll and sighed.
"Mum, there's another one. From the Northern Kingdom."
"Oh, for Godmother's sake!" Cinderella, dressed in a stylish pale blue trousersuit and white belt, put down her quill. "What do they want?"
"A summit. With all the leaders, including the Fairy Council, and Alex and me." Hope replied.
"Why you?"
"Because she's my Fairy Godmother, I guess." Hope gave an elegant shrug.
"Honestly, twenty years and all it takes is some leaflets for the whole world to distrust poor Alex." Cinderella sighed.
"That's society for you."
"Could you write back to Snow and Chandler and tell them we'll have a summit on the fifteenth?" Cinderella tightened her trademark bun. "I think I'd better make a royal proclamation."

☆

Queen Red Riding Hood of the Centre Kingdom leaned back and let out a huge yawn.
"All I'm asking is, what does this have to do with me?"
She was dressed in a scarlet hooded ballgown on her oversized throne, fanning herself with a list of Alex Bailey's Misdeeds.
"Your majesty, people are doubting the Fairy Godmother." One courtier reminded her.
"And you know her so well." Another smiled.
"She needs you!" A third insisted.
"

Yes, yes, yes, but what do you want me to do?" Red asked.
"Your people will follow you."
"Tell them they need to trust Alex!"
"Remind them of all the good she's done." The same three courtiers pleaded.
"Honestly, can't she sort out her own problems?" Red huffed.

From the back of the courtroom, a cloaked figure, face hidden by a navy hood, began to walk towards the huge red-and-gold throne. Courtiers moved to let them pass. Red looked on boredly, barely even noticing them until they were practically touching.
"Look here." The figure snarled. "You supported Alex and Connor all the way through their journeys when they were younger, and they made you the Queen you are today! You have a responsibility to Alex as a Queen, you have a loyalty to Alex as a friend, and you have a duty to Alex because she is the Fairy Godmother and she needs you, and just because you're pushing fifty doesn't mean you can neglect that!"
The figure jabbed a finger at Red's face as she burst into tears.

"Who are you?"
"How dare you?"
"How did you get here?"
Red's three most loyal courtiers bombarded the stranger with questions as they made to leave the courtroom. The figure turned back to Red and lowered its hood, revealing a handsome boy with blonde hair and intelligent eyes. Red gave a sobbing gasp.
"I am a messenger. You can call me Hero."

☆

Alex was sitting on her bed, head in hands, when her daughter burst in.
"I demand an explanation!" Aurelia shouted, resisting the urge to fling the green-and-gold book down on the bed.
"Honey, please, now's not the time." Alex said without looking up. "I have a lot on my plate."
"What, because of some leaflets?" Aurelia scoffed.
"Yes, because of some 'leaflets'!" Alex thundered. "Because apparently I haven't done enough for this place. Leaving my old life behind to come here, saying goodbye to the one person whom I knew would always have my back so I could train to be a Fairy Godmother, so I could better this place, saving this place five times WASN'T ENOUGH! Because all it takes is a couple of leaflets and everyone hates me." Alex took a shuddering breath, tears streaming down her face. "I've done so much." She whispered. "Sacrificed so much. But all they can see is the times I failed, the times I didn't do what I was meant to or didn't do it quickly enough or, Council forbid, the times I made someone unhappy! I have done so much for the land of stories. Why did it take so little to break all that down? Why is everyone so ready to believe I'm a monster? I mean, the statues still haven't been fixed, leaflets are still raining down, Cinderella's issued a summit. Why will nothing I do ever be enough?"
Alex stared down at her lap, watching salty droplets land on her pristine silver-white dress. Before she knew it, she was enveloped in a bear hug from her daughter.
"We're gonna get through this together, Mum." A shaky voice promised. "Me, you... and the uncle you never told me I had."