Chapter 16--Second Place Is For Losers

Myrielle hurried through the palace's royal gardens, following the direction of the orange trees to a sunny terrace up ahead.

It hadn't been that long ago that she'd stood in front of the town square's bookshop, thinking about Cinderella's story and how it just might change her life. While she hadn't gotten the chance to read the famous book, she was only nine contestants away from marrying the prince. It all seemed great on paper, but between the lines she not only lacked the womanly wiles needed to attract the prince...but he'd openly compared her to a pig.

So why would he want a piggish girl as a candidate for a wife? None of it made sense, and the judges must've noticed the discrepancy too, as Fairy Godmother had summoned her to the garden in the middle of the day.

The sun shone brightly in a turquoise sky, making it hard to believe this might be the day when they revoke her top ten status and toss her back into the village.

She approached an empty table and glanced around but no one was there. While she'd refused a servant escort so she wouldn't run into Fredrick, she'd been given precise directions by his second in command. Either she'd taken a wrong turn at the orange trees or Fairy Godmother was late.

She took a seat and fidgeted nervously, hoping this would all be over soon.

Fairy Godmother emerged through the trees a few seconds later, lumbering towards the table before plopping into her seat.

Myrielle was unexpectedly captivated by her presence. "Fairy Godmother..." she marveled, her nervousness over-powered by the rareness of this close-up encounter. As she watched Fairy Godmother struggle to catch her breath, she realized she'd never seen her fly, or float around, or do anything magical at all. She was curious to find out why but it was a terrible time to ask.

"Good of you to come," Fairy Godmother said, not yet sounding slurred which was a rare occurrence. She waved her magic wand in the air with a flourish. "Tea!"

Myrielle pre-emptively gasped at the many ways that the tea might magically appear. Out of thin air? In a shower of glitter? Poured straight from the wand?

Reality turned out to be nothing more than a servant walking towards them with a tray of tea.

Fairy Godmother noticed Myrielle studying her wand and stuffed it into her cloak. "He had no tray of tea before I said that," she said. "It just...appeared!"

Myrielle nodded slowly as the servant poured the tea; she should've been relieved that it wasn't Fredrick, but if this meeting was truly the decision to revoke her status...she felt a sudden longing to see him for a final time, a feeling she only seemed to have when it was already too late.

"You're probably wondering why I asked you here," Fairy Godmother said, sipping the tea and then wincing since it wasn't a cup of booze.

"I do have some idea," she replied, squinting through the trees to try and spot the king's guard. They were likely awaiting the signal to take her away, dressed in some high-quality orange-tree camouflage that kept them hidden from view.

"I'm surprised that you figured it out," Fairy Godmother admitted.

Myrielle lowered her head. "It isn't too hard to understand that I don't fit in here."

Fairy Godmother smirked. "To be fair, none of you belong here. But that's not what this is about." She grinned. "You're here because I see your potential!"

Myrielle slowly raised her head. "My what?"

"Sit up straight," Fairy Godmother instructed. Myrielle straightened her shoulders. "Now brush that hair away from your face." She obeyed. "Now sip your tea like a lady." She did that too and Fairy Godmother nodded. "You see? With a little help from me you'll win that crown in no time!"

Myrielle choked on her tea. "Win? As in...me?"

"Yes you," she said flatly. "Because believe me I would never bet on a loser."

Myrielle was more confused than ever. "Bet?"

Fairy Godmother burst into laughter at a non-existent joke. She'd almost stepped in it by revealing her true agenda, and in times like these she wished Gianni would appear to stop her from speaking out of turn. "It's an expression dear," she explained. "You know...to bet on...as in...to have faith in."

Myrielled nodded. "I see." A moment later she was confused again. "But where does this faith even come from? Last night the prince compared me to a pig." As she said the words the blood rushed straight to her ears.

"Nonsense!" said Fairy Godmother. "I mean technically yes, the comparison was made, but there's plenty of time still left in this contest and plenty of ways to sway the prince. You just need to have a winning attitude!"

Fairy Godmother could see that her pep talk wasn't working, so it was almost a relief to see Fredrick approaching with a tray of fresh-baked biscuits.

"Fredrick!" she exclaimed. "What is that delicious smell?"

As Myrielle heard his name and watched him draw nearer, she couldn't deny how nice it was to see his friendly face.

Professional as he was, Fredrick only addressed Fairy Godmother. "I thought you might enjoy some fresh shortbread, your excellency. It's my grandmother's special recipe."

Fairy Godmother stared at the biscuits and shrugged, wishing they'd instead been served in a goblet and converted into liquid, purple liquid called wine to be exact. "Go ahead," she said, gesturing to Myrielle. "I'm sure it's better than whatever you had for breakfast."

Myrielle looked to Fredrick for approval, some sort of friendly signal that might dissolve the awkwardness of their last encounter.

He smiled and set the tray down in front of her. "I hope you enjoy them."

She eagerly grabbed a biscuit and took a bite. "Mmm!" She closed her eyes as the buttery goodness took hold.

Fredrick watched her devour every bite, and as the tray slowly emptied biscuit by biscuit, his face began to seem a little happier.

"Send your grandmother my regards!" she said joyously.

He instinctively frowned. "I'm afraid I can't as she's been dead for seven years."

Myrielle almost choked on her latest bite. "I'm so sorry," she said blushing.

He could see that he'd ruined the biscuit-emotional connection and scrambled for a way to save it. "Maybe though...the best way to honor is to eat all the biscuits!"

She looked at the tray and laughed. "There's still seven more; I'll be sick if I have them all!"

He slapped himself on the forehead as if suddenly he was remembering that she wasn't the gluttonous king. "Of course; at least two more then." He smiled. "Grandmother would insist."

She accepted Fredrick's offer with genuine excitement, because between these biscuits and the turkey leg from the day they'd met, he'd never made her feel like a pig.

Fredrick watched her now with a look of adoration, a look that Fairy Godmother's sober eyes immediately noticed. Fairy Godmother knew that if Myrielle returned that look by any measure, it would risk her chance of winning the contest and Fairy Godmother's chance to nab the bonus coin.

Fairy Godmother narrowed her eyes in his direction. "Aren't you late for his majesty's bath?"

"The king doesn't bathe until after dinner," said Fredrick, completely oblivious to her hidden intent.

"Well I'm sure there's someone in the castle that needs a bath." She clapped her hands. "Go on and scrub some royal skin then!" He looked at her quizzically. "Now!"

He immediately hurried down the stone walkaway, and by the time he realized he hadn't said goodbye he was already approaching the castle.

Myrielle sat motionless as she watched him go, her lips battered in shortbread crumbs while her insides turned into goo; she missed him.

Fairy Godmother could see that this was more than a temporary problem, and the only way to crush it was to give her a little extra...incentive.

"Returning to the topic of winning..." Fairy Godmother said, "I really do hope you succeed for the sake of your parents."

Myrielle snapped out of her gooey emotions. "What did you say about my parents?"

"The tailor shop," she said casually. "If you win then the shop will stay open."

It took a few seconds for Myrielle to decode her statement. "The shop is open?" She could barely believe it. "So my mother's working again..."

Fairy Godmother nodded proudly. "She's officially been hired to make every dress for the duration of the competition!"

Myrielle didn't even bother suppressing her grin. "So we're back in business!"

Fairy Godmother innocently stirred her tea. "Technically yes....but also...not really."

Myrielle frowned. "Technically but also not really?"

"It's just...if by chance you were eliminated, the kingdom couldn't possibly have the loser's mother designing dresses." She wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "It doesn't look good."

Myrielle slowly nodded. "I suppose that...makes sense."

Fairy Godmother was thrilled that Myrielle believed her explanation, since it was nothing more than a lie she'd just concocted on the spot. If only Gianni could see her now.

"I know it all seems daunting," Fairy Godmother added, "but think of the upside! If you win, your mother's shop will not only stay open to design your princess clothing, but it will also be the premier fashion house in the seven lands!"

Myrielle squealed in delight before hopping out of her chair to do a happy dance. Fairy Godmother joined her and they spun around to rejoice a victory that hadn't yet come. The end result was only a detail in Myrielle's renewed determination. She would figure out a way to marry the prince, and in doing so her family would never lose their business again...

[WRITER COMMENTARY: I will try to make my commentary "a bit" shorter now as we're getting in the thick of it and I don't want to accidentally spill any secrets hehe...but feel free to tell me your comments instead! ;-) ]