Finding the Queen of Old

Epilogue: Part 1

"Papa, please tell me the story again!"

A girl with curly brown hair gazed up at her father, pleading for the  words of a story she had grown to love. She had been brought in by him six years ago after being abandoned by her mother, left out in the cold to freeze as a baby, and while her father had told her of how she became his daughter, she still wished he was her actual father, though he was the best dad she could ask for.

Her father ruffled her hair, though his thoughts were elsewhere, a thoughtful sigh escaping him. "Perhaps tomorrow, dear. I've had such a long day today I need to rest. I also have to be into the office early tomorrow."

"Please?" The girl pleaded, eyes growing wide.

"Okay, but just a little bit of it." Her father sighed and fixed the scarf that was wrapped around his neck. "The story starts in a place much like this, where the land of Spare Oom and War Drobe are quite similar to our Finchley and England respectively. Four children, in their attempts to hide after breaking a vase, crawl into a wardrobe-"

The little girl shook her head. "You skipped the part where the littlest goes into the land first!"

"I told you, I can only tell a little of it tonight. I have to work in the morning." 

"But papa!" The girl grabbed his hand, "She's my favorite character!"

"Mine too..." The man trailed off for a moment, his thoughts swimming in memories of a bright eyed girl grinning at him and swinging his hand when they shook. Then, abruptly, he began the story again.

"The littlest of the children had found a land in this wardrobe, one filled with ice and snow. She had met a faun there, and he... for his safety he had thought it best to report that she was in the land, as it was rare for humans to enter. But he grew regretful, hated himself for it, and instead brought the girl back to the safety of her home, which got him arrested."

"But he does get free!" The little girl grinned.

"Yes, he does..." The iced metal cuffs on the faun's legs left marks that would last, but his daughter needed a happy story, not one of complete truths. Still, he rolled his ankle, the ghost of the chains weighing them down.

"Papa, skip to the happy parts if you can only tell some!"

Her father nodded. "Okay. The four children saved the land and sent away the winter that had plagued it due to the evil witch. They saved their friends and happily ruled the land until they were accidentally sent back to their home land-"

"And then they go back a year later but it was a thousand years there, and the oldest girl falls in love with the new prince but they can't be together in that world and when they go home the oldest girl forgets but the prince doesn't so he comes to her world and with the help of her family he makes her remember his world and the good parts and they go back and live happily ever after!" The little girl grinned. "You were taking too long for saying you only had a little time, so I finished it for you!"

Her father chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I think you tell it better than me."

"Oh no! You tell it the best!" The girl grinned. "You do different voices when you talk as them. Your Prince voice is  my favorite! It's so silly!"

"What, you think this voice is silly?" He used his prince voice, causing his daughter to burst into giggles. Granted, the voice was not at all close to the prince's actual voice, but he was trying. 

The two were still laughing when there was a knock on their door. 

"I've got it!" the girl jumped up and raced towards the door, pulling it open. 

"Hello!"

The man at the door nodded at her. "Hello little one. Is your father at home?"

Her father had come into the hallway as the man at the door asked.

"And you are?" The father approached the door, telling his daughter to go up to her room.

"It's probably best we speak in private." The man in the door motioned for him to step out the door.

The father stepped outside, unsure of what was going on.

"You are Thomas Fawn, correct?" The man spoke, turning towards him quickly.

"I am." Thomas replied. "What is this about?"

"And the girl, she is your daughter? Sophie Fawn?"

"Who else would she be?" Thomas crossed his arms. It was only known to him and Sophie she was not his actual daughter. Many believed the mother had run off or died and left Thomas with the girl, and he had not spoken against these rumors. 

The man that had knocked sighed and rubbed his temples. "Mr. Fawn... you know as well as I that you are two months behind on rent... I hate to do this, but I am from the bank, and I must inform you that your house is being repossessed."

"You can't be serious!"

"I am. You have until the end of the week to have your items out, and should you be unable to find suitable new housing... your daughter will be placed with a family until your debts are paid."

"No..." It was a whisper, a plea.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fawn." The man turned and left.

Thomas stood still, froze in place, until a small voice from behind him rang out.

"We don't really have to leave each other, do we?"

"Sophie, I told you to wait inside." Thomas scolded slightly, his voice still quiet and shock still in his features. 

"I did but the man was talking so quiet I couldn't hear him and- Do we really have to say goodbye, Papa?" her eyes were watering, tears about to fall. 

"Of course we don't. We'll figure something out." He picked her up and held her.

Sophie rested her head on her father's shoulder. "I won't let them take me. I'll run away from the-Papa, stop pinching me!"

"I'm not- Sophie! Stop that!" 

"I'm not doing anything! You're the one pinching me!"

"No I'm-" The words were cut off as everything before them changed.