The Royal Christening

[rix_scaedu]

This is my response to Day 13 of http://aldersprig.livejournal.com/'s 30 Days of Flash Fiction, the list for which can be found at http://aldersprig.livejournal.com/221684.html?view=1245940#t1245940

The evil fairy and the bad fairy weren’t on the list of invitees to the princess’ christening but they turned up anyway.

The evil fairy was peeved. She’d gotten used to being left off the invitation list to this sort of event so it no longer drove her to incandescent rage, just annoyance. She had a job to do after all and this sort of behaviour did not help her organise her diary.

The bad fairy thought she was somewhere else entirely.

The three good fairies had already bestowed their gifts when the other two arrived. The usual trio for princesses: beauty; every one will love her; and wealth. It was expected. It was what the queen had received from the three good fairies herself at her christening.

The bad fairy stumbled up to the cradle: mussy multi-coloured hair; ripped stockings; short tulle skirt; and swigging from a bottle of the king’s best champagne. “Thish is not a mosh pit,” she announced to the room at large, then seeing the baby she said, “It’sh a baby. ‘M a fairy, gotta give her a preshent.” She paused, then, “She’ll always be able to pick the good ones and the good stuff,” came out quite clearly. The bad fairy may have winked at the evil fairy as she moved away from the cradle, swigging champagne.

The evil fairy looked at the alert infant inside the cradle. The royal parents cringed and the chancellor prepared to take notes. They always remembered the needle thing, didn’t they? She’d had a migraine that day. “Commonsense,” she said and left.

Twenty eight years later when Princess Regent Auriole paused her campaign of continental conquest to give birth for the first time, the evil fairy and the bad fairy were at the top of the invitation list.