The Last Fairy

Chapter 3

After I left Annabella, I went back to the castle, looking for my nephew. "Lu, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Xander." I smiled down at my 10-year-old nephew. "Have you been behaving yourself Lucian?"

"I always do, cousin Xander."

"Good, because I have something amazing to tell you."

"Really Xander? What is it?"

"You wouldn't believe who I met in the forest today." I leaned over slowly, adding to Lucian's impatience. "The Faery Princess."

"You met the faery princess? The actual Faery Princess Annabella?"

"Yes Lucian, but I have a very important question for you. Do you believe in faeries?"

"Of course, Xander. I wouldn't have asked you for proof that Annabella existed if I didn't."

"Do you truly believe Lu, or do you need proof."

"I thought I needed proof but seeing you this way after knowing you've found her, the proof was unnecessary. I should have believed what I felt and not what my teachers taught. That's why I asked you to find her. My silly quest for you was to prove either the teachers right or my intuitions correct. By following my intuitions, which I know to trust now, I know you and Annabella are meant to unite the faeries and I realize now it's going to work because you are soul mates." I didn't want to blatantly come out and dash my nephew's hopes saying Annabella and I weren't soul mates, but the more I thought about it and realized that Lucian was right. Annabella was beautiful with her big sapphire eyes, and a smile that could light up the whole world with just a glance. Her blonde hair was beautiful and seemed to float rather than fall to her waist. Her skin was pale but it blended with her beautiful hair and eyes. The design on her wings was simple but beautiful. Annabella and I were soul mates. Soul mates weren't supposed to exist anymore, but then, neither were faeries. Lu broke my reverie. "Do you suppose I could meet Annabella?" he asked longingly. "I suppose you could. You can go with me tomorrow, and every day after until you meet her. She may be busy; you know she has lots of faery business to take care of since she's the only faery in the world."

"Alright Xander. I hope she's there tomorrow."

"We must be off to bed so we can get an early start tomorrow."

"Goodnight Xander."

Goodnight Lu."

Finally, all my faeries were counted. The total came out to 150 faeries and I had finally named them all. It had taken several days and I knew Xander had probably been coming to the woods everyday looking for me but I had to take of my faeries after all, I was their princess, first and foremost. I had hoped the queen would be revealed among them but Dust Hollow was being stubborn about that. With humans, it made sense that the princess became the queen, but with faeries, the faery dust picks our queen. As I was fussing over the problem, another laugh flew in. It floated to the faery dust and turned into the most petite and regal faery I had ever seen. I had named so many faeries that I had none left to give to this faery, but I knew Xander would have a name. I flew up to her. "Come with me I have somewhere I need to take you." She followed me without a thought and we flew to where Xander and I had first met. I knew I could count on the other faeries to do what they needed to do. It was their natural instinct. As I flew to the clearing, I saw not only Xander, but his nephew as well. "This is a pleasant surprise, meeting the young boy who restored faeries to the world. You must surely be Prince Lucian, are you not?" They both looked at me in awe. "What do you mean I'm the one who restored faeries?"

"Why Lucian your belief in faeries restored faery dust to its former power, allowing laughs to become faeries again."

"So the faery that's with you she's one of the faeries I helped restore?"

"Yes, Lucian, she is. I was hoping you could help me choose a name."

"What about... Adaline."

"What a perfect name." I turned to the unnamed faery and gave her the name. After she received her name, light ran through her and she glowed so bright, all of us in the clearing had to cover our eyes. When the glowing stopped, she was wearing the clothes I had been dressed in. when Xander and Lucian looked over at me their looks of awe for Victoria turned into full shock when they saw me. "What's with the looks?"

It's just that you look different, Annabella." This came from Xander. I flew over to a tree and made a mirror in the hollow. I looked at myself, they were right I had changed. My gown was more regal. My tiara had changed to a crown. The queen had finally been chosen and so had the new princess. I had never expected to be queen but I was happy because it meant I had the makings of a great queen. As I flew back, Victoria, going by her natural instinct, introduced me. "May I present to you the new faery queen, Queen Annabella." Everyone smiled at me and I smiled back. Then Xander did the most unexpected thing. He got down on one knee. "Annabella, I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I know you are my soul mate. Will you marry me?" I was about to decline to say we couldn't be soul mates, but it explained why I always wanted to see him so much and why I had thought to bring Victoria to him to name. I could no longer deny the natural connection between us, so the next words that came out of my mouth brought joy to everyone. "Yes, of course, I will marry you."