Faetality |✓|

Epilogue, Part Two - Ordinary People

"Well... I must say I am thoroughly taken aback by the current circumstances."

Titania stood in the center of the room, barefoot, and dressed in one of the white, monogrammed robes of the hotel, with a towel piled high on top of her head. One hand rested on the slender hollow at the base of her neck, while the other hand she used to self-consciously pat the towel.

"How in the world did you manage to get into my room?"

Nonchalantly, I reached up and removed the butterfly, waggling it in my fingers with a small, secret smile. Before she could make a move I tossed it into the fireplace. As soon as it met the fire, it gave a few, animalistic squeals before succumbing to the flames and quickly turning to ash.

Titania looked from me to the fireplace and back again, but she didn't appear shocked or angry. If anything she looked proud. I could understand why, but it didn't make me feel good.

"Are you done?" she asked pleasantly.

Coolly, I shrugged.

"My darling, I'm afraid this is a most inconvenient surprise..."

"Are you kidding me?" I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest, albeit gingerly. I still held the Blade of Woe in one hand. "This is inconvenient for you? I'll tell you what's inconvenient - you are. You've known I was in the Human world all along, Titania. And what do you do? You lie about it and pretend not to know, you send a member of your Court to not only spy on me but to kill my boyfriend and a bunch of other people, you let your sister invade my family, attack my mom and almost kill me twice, and as if that wasn't enough you send your Slaugh after me. You have turned my life upside down and the worst I've done is interrupt your stupid bubble bath."

Titania looked away, scratching at the hair beneath her towel, and haughtily sniffed.

"Well, killing your boyfriend wasn't my idea - it was Ellara's. And if you must know - I was perfectly fine abandoning you to the Human Realm. But then you turned sixteen and that silly little spell protecting you broke and Westley intervened so I had no choice but to get involved -"

"Look, whatever, I'm not here to talk logistics. I'm here to make a deal."

"Oh?" she said, a delicious smile spreading across her lips. "And just what would you propose? And is it as good as the yummy goo you call 'toothpaste'?"

"Are you seriously eating - look... whatever. Yes, okay? I want to make a deal - more specifically, a trade."

"Go on, I'm listening," said Titania, walking towards the silver tray and lifting the largest, round lid to reveal an entire block of blue Jell-O. She stuck a finger in it and removed a large glop, slurping it from her finger like an overgrown child.

"I will, but first I need to know something... Did you kill my mother?"