Wicked Ugly Bad (A Kinda Fairytale) (32 page)

Jana
stared at her.  “Damn… That’s a good speech, girl.”

“Told
ya.”  Marrok shrugged.  “She can talk people into anything.  It’s like a
super-power.”

“Oh,
fine
.”  Esmeralda sighed.  “Hell, I’m always up for starting a war. 
Let’s do this.”  She waved a hand over her face and glamored herself a
makeover, complete with fresh black lipstick and a dramatic cone-shaped hat. 
“But if we’re going on camera, I want to look my best when I tell all those
Good folk to kiss my shapely green ass.”

It’s trite
but true: There are no good Bad folk.

Psychiatric
case notes of Dr. Ramona Fae

It
happened so fast that Scarlett wasn’t sure exactly what to make of it.

The
speech she gave was basically a slightly polished version of what she’d told
Esmeralda.  About happy endings and freedom and stopping the oppression of Bad
folk.  Once she got started, it was surprisingly easy to list all the reasons
why Baddies deserved rights, too.  It was a subject close to Scarlett’s heart.

“I’m
not saying it will be easy, but we
have
to change the laws in the Four
Kingdoms.  We have to be counted and equal and
heard
.  Working together,
we can achieve that.  It’ll take time, but we can get it done.  And, in the
meantime, we’ve made a deal with the Jabberwocky.”

Behind
the camera Jana had rolled her eyes, but she hadn’t interfered.  Letty had
taken control of the family business and, even if she wasn’t totally onboard
with the new management initiatives that Letty had planned, Jana was still thrilled
to see her granddaughter taking command and inciting riots.

“As
of right now, the Enchanted Forest is a fifth kingdom.”  Letty had said
proudly.  “We’re free.  Bad folk and Good folk are welcomed here, but all of us
have the
same exact
rights and rules.  Anyone who doesn’t like that can
talk to the Jabberwocky’s Lollypop Guild Mafia and their sledge hammers.”

“They
can talk to all of us.”  Marrok had put in from beside her.

The
other members of the Tuesday share circle stood around them and they’d nodded,
too.

Scarlett
had smiled at them and kept going.  “So far, all we have is a whole lot of land
and work and ideas.  If that sounds good to you, you’re welcome to come join
us.  If you want to stay in the Four Kingdom, that’s fine, too.  I’m not going
to rest until
all
the lands welcome Bad folk, so you can wait it out and
I’ll get to you.”  She’d paused.  “Except for the Westlands.”

“Here
it comes.”  Esmeralda had drawled.

“Because,
Cinderella?”  Scarlett had stepped closer to the camera, her eyes intent.  “I
have the glass slipper and I
know
it doesn’t fit you.  You have no right
to that kingdom.  All this time you’ve been lying and I can prove it.”  She
held it up.  “Guess who this
does
belong to?”

“It
that thing really just
glass?
”  Avenant had rolled his eyes.  “Jesus,
for all this trouble, you’d think it’d at least be made of diamonds.”

Letty
had marched towards Dru, who was sleeping in Benji’s grasp.  “Let’s do a close-up
for the folks at home, grandma.  They can see who the
actual
princess is
and who’s been duplicitous bitch.”  She carefully lifted her sister’s limp toes
into her hand and slipped the shoe into place.  The glass effortlessly molded
to Drusilla’s foot.

Perfect
fit.

Jaws
had dropped all over the Four Kingdoms.

“Dru
is Charming’s bride.”  Benji had murmured.  “She really is.”

“Damn
right she is.”  Scarlett had flashed the camera a triumphant grin, imaging
Cinderella’s scream of rage.  “Too bad, Cindy.  The castle and tiara and the
handsome prince belong to my sister.  …And we’re going to take them all back.”

That
would have been a great and dramatic ending for her PSA.  But, of course,
Avenant couldn’t let someone else have the last word.

“We’re
also going to kill Belle.”  He tacked on as if Scarlett had just forgotten to
mention that step of the plan.

Scarlett
and Marrok turned to glower at him.

“Oh
for God’s sake…”  Esmeralda had snapped and, thanks to their subpar editing
skills, that’s where the video ended.  Still, it was certainly good enough work
to convince everyone watching that Cindy was a phony.

And
that the Enchanted Forest was a real up and coming neighborhood.

From
the moment their video hit the internet, people started arriving.  More people
that Scarlett had ever anticipated and she was an optimistic girl by nature.
More than the winged monkeys could ever hope to stop.  The flying apes beat a hasty
retreat as they were massively outnumbered.  Also, they might have realized
that Cindy wouldn’t be in a position to pay their salaries for much longer.

When
it was safe to go back to the surface, Jana led them through a network of
tunnels that brought them to a cheery glen where it was easy for the other
Baddies to find them.  Scarlett quickly saw that Marrok had been right.  The
Bad folk thought of her as their leader, now.  They shook her hand and gathered
around her and listed all the reasons why she was an inspiration.

But
it wasn’t really about
her
.

The
discontent had been simmering for so long that all they needed was a spark. 
Someone to tell them that it was time to stop the oppression.  Witches, trolls,
wolves, ogres, goblins, cats, and every other species ostracized and despised
for simply being different poured into the Enchanted Forest.  Baddies from all
over the Four Kingdoms listened to her message and… believed.

They
believed that she was going to lead them.

Scarlett
wasn’t sure what to make of that.  Hell, night was falling and she wasn’t even
sure where they were all going to sleep.

Unsure
of what to do in a kingdom with no houses, she’d put Avenant in charge of
setting up some sort of temporary shelter.  He was intimidating enough that he
somehow scared the new Baddies into digging up some Renaissance Faire-style tents. 
As per his exacting instructions they were now being set up in neat concentric
circles, while he stood with his arms crossed over his chest and snapped out
orders.

To
ensure that Avenant didn’t drive their citizens to a rebellion on the very
first day, Letty put Esmeralda in charge of protecting the new arrivals from
his “leadership.”  She’d put her grandmother and the Lollypop Guild in charge
of security.  And she put Benji in charge of watching Dru and of organizing
some dinner for the troops.  Thanks to Jana’s paranoia, they had supplies in
place to feed an army and plenty of blankets, but it was just the tip of the
iceberg.  They needed beds.  And a school for the kids.  And buildings with
roofs.  And some kind of store…

Letty
needed to start making plans.

First,
though, she needed to get rid of Cinderella.  Her stepsister would be out for
blood now, with or without her team of soaring simians.  If Scarlett didn’t do
something to stop her, Cindy would destroy them all.

Marrok
glanced down at her.  “You have that look on your face, again.”

“What
look?”

“The
same look you had right before you whacked Ramona with the chair.  The
‘I’ve-made-up-my-mind-to-do-something-crazy’ look.”

Scarlett
sighed.  The man really could read her thoughts.  She took his hand and led him
away from the others so they wouldn’t be overheard.  “I need to go to the
Westlands tonight.”

“No,
you don’t.”

She
wasn’t sure what to make of that.  “Yes, I
do
.  Cinderella is going to
come after us.  We’ve bought maybe a day or two, but she’ll want revenge.  I
just outed her to the world.  She’ll never take that lying down.”  Letty shook
her head.  “I have to stop her.”

Charming
had been kidnapped and his palace guards had done zilch to save him.  No other
volunteers were dashing to the front of the line, either.  Apparently, Scarlett
was the only one who would stand against Cindy and her army of rats.

“You’re
not just going to start walking towards the Westlands, Letty.”

“I
have
to.”  She turned to meet his brooding gaze.  “Why are you fighting
me on this?”

“Why
am I against the idea of my wife wandering into a trap?  Let’s start with all
the sex I won’t be having when you’re dead and work our way up to the fact that
organizing all this was
your
idea,” he waved a hand around the makeshift
camp, “so you need to be here and organize it.  You’re not leaving me with this
mess.”

“I’m
not leaving you, at all.”

“Oh,
so
I’m
invited on this suicide mission?”  He arched a brow.  “Thanks.”

She
blinked.  “You want me to go alone?”

“No,
I don’t want you to go, at all.  You don’t think Cinderella will be expecting
you to show up and try something crazy?  She’s met you, Red!  She’s going to
have her men scouring the Westlands for you.”

He
was probably right.  That didn’t make her feel any better.  “You’re supposed to
be on my side.”

“When
haven’t I been on your side? 
At
your side?”

“Right
now!”  She was hurt by his sudden change in attitude.  Marrok was usually the
one who pitched in and make all her plans possible.  “Are you regretting
becoming mixed up with this?”

“I’m
in love with you, Scarlett.”  He said simply.  “I will spend the rest of our lives
beside you, getting mixed-up in crazy shit and loving every minute of it.  But,
I’m thinking ‘the rest of our lives’ should last at least a week.  So, we’re
not going to the Westlands without some kind of strategy.”

“I
have a strategy:  I’m going to walk into the castle and kill that bitch.”

“I
meant a strategy with like with maps and stuff.”

“Did
I need a map to get us out of the WUB Club? 
No
.”

“We
had the element of surprise in there.  Here, you announced what you plan to do
all over the internet.”

“That
was your idea!”

“It
got rid of the monkeys, didn’t it?”

She
nodded.  “And next we’ll get rid of Cinderella.  Everything will be much more
peaceful when she’s gone.  I promise.”

“Around
you nothing will everything will be ‘peaceful,’ baby.”  He dipped his head
closer to hers, his hand coming up to caress her face.  “Seriously, if you want
to rescue Charming and save the kingdom, we’ll do.  I’d do anything for you, no
matter how embarrassingly noble.  But, we need to do it
right
.”

She
made an aggravated sound, her defenses crumbling under his touch and annoying
logic.  “I guess we could setup surveillance of the castle first, if it would
ease you mind.”

“It
really would.”  He kissed her.  “Now, hurry up and figure out how we can pull
this off without getting killed, so I can get you naked, again.”

Scarlett
let out a sigh.  God, he was just impossible to resist when he got all flirty and
gentle.  “You’re very hard to stay mad at.”

“Tell
that to my coach.  I’ve spent weeks at a time in a cage, because he found it so
simple to stay mad at me.”

“I’d
be glad to tell him.  Right after I shoot the bastard.”

Marrok
chuckled and kissed the top of her hair.  “God, you’re adorable.  I would help
Cinderella keep the Westlands forever before I risked losing you.”

She
dropped her forehead onto his shirtfront.  “Since I can’t very well go anywhere
without you, I don’t think it’ll come to that.”

“Well,
you
could
go.  I’d just have to follow you.”

“No,
I couldn’t.”  She lifted her gaze to his.  “None of my ideas would work without
you there to help me.  We’re partners.  It would be pointless to even try and
conquer the Westlands without you beside me.”  She hesitated.  “Actually, it
would be pointless to do anything without you beside me, Marrok.”

Topaz
eyes stared into hers, promising her everything.  “Now would be a good time to
tell me you love me.”  He murmured.

Letty
made a face, feeling awkward.  She’d never said those words to anybody before,
because it had never been true before.  “You already
know
I love you.”

“Tell
me anyway.  I like the words.”

Her
awkwardness faded at his dazzling smile.  “I love you.”  She said sincerely and
went up on tiptoes to brush her mouth against his.

He
kissed her deep.  “Again.”  He ordered hoarsely.

“I
love you.”  She nipped his lower lip.  “I’d have bludgeoned you to death with
my feelings journal long ago if I wasn’t totally smitten with you, Wolf. 
Instead, I just documented how much you irritated me in excruciating detail.”

He
looked delighted.  “My feelings journal is fifty-some pages of dirty limericks
and conjectural sketches of your naked body.  It’s a real work of art.”