Free Grogoch [Bedtime Stories 2] by Joyee Flynn

perfect… Even the damn dog he’d talked me into keeping.
    That didn’t stop me from naming him Twit though. Okay, so we named him Thumper since the ground practically shook when the dog thumped his tail. But I still called him Twit when Finbar wasn’t listening. It was a nickname of love though because the big guy was growing on me. If only he’d stop slobbering on me though.
    The first day we had him we’d tried training him to poop on the crops so they’d grow crazy big. Except he trampled them in the process. Then we tried the fruit trees Finbar had on the back of the property. No such luck since Thumper didn’t like having to go on an angle. Fair enough, I guess. So we ended up throwing down an old blanket next to the barn and that was his spot. He went number two there and we collected it for our crops.
    After a couple of days it got to be where Finbar and I agreed that if we used any more of the pixie dust, our crops might overrun us. So instead we started bagging the stuff up to take to the castle next time I went. Gross, yes, but it’s not like it smelled and it was magic after all so it seemed wrong to waste it. Pun intended. And with the amount of food
Thumper ate there was a lot of it. That dog could eat !
    I was returning home from Margaret’s where I dropped off a bunch of fruit in the hopes she’d turn it into pies for us. I was disheartened when I saw how bad her health had gotten in less than a week and talked her into calling a doctor. Worst case, I knew I could talk to the king about having her moved to the infirmary they had in the castle. Normally it was reserved for those elderly of royal blood, but I knew the king would make an exception for me.
    When I popped back I made sure to go by the barn, figuring Finbar would be there. Sure enough, he was and I raced right into his arms. “Cuidi, what’s wrong?” he asked me gently as he held me tight. “Margaret,” I sniffled, clutching onto him as if the only solid thing I
    had in this world. “I think she’s dying, Finbar. She’s been hiding it from me but today I saw it’s bad. She let me call the doctor and he’s there with her now but I’m scared it’s her time.”
    “I’m so sorry, my love.” He kissed my hair and comforted me. I was so wrapped up in my grief that I didn’t realize someone else was there until I heard a throat clear. I turned around quickly, connecting my head with Finbar’s. Ouch! “We have company.”
    “Kelvin? What are you doing here?” The captain of the guard was sitting on a bench in the barn, watching us as if he was seeing a ghost.
“H–He called y–you Cuidi,” he stuttered and I understood now. I’d been having this problem all week with people freaked out that I didn’t look like they saw me before. He stood up slowly as if scared to move too fast.
“I am Cuidi, my old friend.” I walked over to him and away from Finbar, making sure to move slowly so I didn’t add to his being freaked out. “I fell in love and have a human body now. But you can see my eyes and hear my voice, which have not changed.”
Kelvin nodded and studied me. “No tail, huh?” I shook my head, smiling at him. “I’m going to miss the tail but you’re really fucking hot, Cuidi.”
“I said the same thing,” Finbar admitted with a snicker. What a couple of characters I had here, I swear.
I realized something then. I’d never seen Kelvin outside of the castle and it worried me that he was here now. “Kelvin, why are you here? Is the king okay?”
“It’s the queen,” he admitted sadly. “I’ve been riding all night to find you. Luckily I saw Barry and he told me where you were now. The queen is gravely ill, Cuidi, and the king begs you come at once.”
“Of course but I can’t prevent death, Kelvin,” I said gently. It wasn’t the first time someone asked it of me though. There just wasn’t a damn thing I could do. If I could, I would still be at Margaret’s.
“The king can explain what’s