Free The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine Page B

the sixth fairy, was flustered. She had planned to make Sonora the smartest person in the world, but that miserable Antonetta had stolen her gift. Now what could she give the baby? She could make the child beautiful. But no, Arabella had already used that one. Adalissia had done gracefulness. What was left? They were all looking at her. They were laughing behind their sympathetic faces, glad they had been at the head of the line.
    â€œEr . . .” Aurora waved her wand vaguely. Then she had it. It was so simple. It was much better than Antonetta’s. She leaned over the cradle and touched Sonora on the nose with her wand. “My gift is brilliance. Sonora is ten times as smart as any human in the world.” There.
    Sonora felt something happen again, a tickle and a little shake inside her head. Then—it was done. She closed her eyes to think, really think, for the first time. She listened to the noise the tall being was making. She remembered all the noises people had made with their mouths since she’d been born. Some of the noises sounded alike. Some of them always went together.
    Now the soft being was making noises. They were words! The noises were words. She was thanking the fairy for her gift. She was hoping that Sonora (that’s me! that’s me!) would use her extraordinary intelligence well.
    Sonora opened her eyes. The soft being was her mother. She was beautiful, with her big brown eyes and those lips that liked to smile at Sonora. Of course she loved her mother, since the fairy had just given her a loving heart. Sonora wondered why the fairy had done that. Didn’t she think Sonora might be naturally loving?
    The fairy Adrianna came forward to the cradle. “My gift—”
    The door to the royal nursery flew open. Adrianna gasped. The other fairies gasped. King Humphrey II gasped. Queen Hermione II gasped.
    Sonora heard the gasps, but she could see only the things right above her, such as the pink dragon-shaped balloon that hung over the cradle. She thought, Why couldn’t these fairies have given me something useful, like the ability to sit up and see what’s going on?
    A new fairy came in. She looked like all the others. Tall, with rubbery-looking wings, surrounded by a flickering rainbow of lights. Smiling like the others had been till a second ago.
    Queen Hermione II rushed to the newcomer. “Belladonna! We’re honored.” In her mind she shouted, Don’t hurt my baby! Don’t hurt Sonora!
    The fairy looked around the room. “Pretty nursery,” she cooed in an extra-sweet voice. “Cuddly stuffed unicorn. Handsome dollcastle.” She looked in the cradle. “Beautiful baby.”
    She looks angry, Sonora thought. You didn’t have to be a genius to see that.
    Belladonna continued. “You failed to invite me to the naming ceremony of your only child. I suppose you have a reason?”
    â€œWe didn’t invite you because we thought you . . .” The king stopped. He had been about to say they thought she was dead, but he couldn’t say that. “We . . . uh . . . thought you’d moved away. We’re so glad you could come.”
    â€œCan I get you some refreshment?” the queen asked. “We have some deli—”
    â€œI didn’t move. Nobody thinks I moved.” The fairy circled the cradle. “Some stupid people think I’m dead, but let me tell you, I’m very much alive.”
    â€œWe have some delicious—”
    â€œYou can’t buy me off with food. Maybe you figured the kid would get enough gifts from the seven of them.” Belladonna waved her wand at the other fairies.
    They drew back.
    Belladonna went on. “You thought you’d economize—only buy seven gold plates, seven gold forks, seven gold . . .”
    It’s true, King Humphrey II thought unhappily. We do only have seven gold place settings, but because we thought she was