Once Upon A Time (The Bubbly Version)

Bored with the adult conversation, eight-year-old Trey Day got up from the table to wander out of the hotel restaurant. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his shadow, six-year-old Kordell Dawkins, scramble to follow him. Although they only saw each other once or twice a year, Kordell always seemed to fall in as Trey’s sidekick, which felt fitting as their fathers had been longtime close friends.

So, with Kordell munching on a giant croissant, Trey led them out to the lobby. Almost immediately, a small group in front of one of the large picture windows facing the hotel entrance caught his attention. Recognizing the pretty and funny blonde woman from last night, Trey felt comfortable walking over to join the nearly dozen children gathered around her. The other kids appeared to be in the range of four years old to Trey’s age.

“Sweet Christmas! Doesn’t it look beautiful with a capital B?”

“Looks like Frozen!” a six-year-old girl with freckles responded.

Next to her, a five-year-old girl with blue glasses nodded eagerly in agreement. Her older sister, two years older and wearing brown glasses, merely shrugged at the comparison. A boy, the same age as Blue Glasses, turned from having his face smashed against the window to look back with a "Really? Wow!"

“Shut the front door! You’re superduper right,” Chastity Kupp agreed; her exuberance caused most of the young kids to giggle.

“I don’t know. Our dad says that we’re trapped here,” Brown Glasses revealed. Her statement caused a four-year-old girl to gasp in fright.

“Momma said it’s daggerius outside,” Freckles announced. Breathless Boy shouted another excited wow as he pressed his face more firmly against the window as if searching for the danger. Nearby, Frightened Girl moved closer to an eight-year-old with pigtails.

Continuing to munch on his croissant, Kordell wandered over near Breathless Boy to peer out the window. Turning back, he shrugged at Trey as if to say it didn’t look like a big deal to him. That’s when Kordell recognized a few of the other kids and gave them a wave. One boy from his class stopped while wiping his nose with his hand to return the wave.

“It’s pronounced dangerous, dummy,” an eight-year-old boy with two missing front teeth corrected with a sneer.

“Like you know how to spell it,” Pigtails replied, shooting Missing Front Teeth a warning glare. Feeling safe with backup, Freckles stuck out her tongue at the older boy.

“Are we going to die?” Frightened Girl queried.

Breathless Boy looked back again with a “Cool!”

"Goodness gracious! There's nothing to be scared of, little one," Chastity reassured, kneeling to comfort the upset girl. "It's just ice. Once the–"

“Once the sun comes out, it will melt the ice off the roads. It’s a perfectly normal occurrence. The temperature on the pavement just needs to warm up over freezing,” Pigtails interrupted to explain. “You’ll be going home in no time.”

“Holy mackerel, that was a great explanation,” Chastity praised.

“Can’t you use your powers to make it go away now? I’m scared,” Frightened Girl admitted.

“My powers?!” Chastity repeated in confusion.

“You don’t need to pretend. We know you’re Elsa,” Freckles whispered.

“Elsa? Me?” the flabbergasted blonde questioned.

“You’re wearing her colors,” Frightened Girl pointed out, referring to Chastity’s ice-blue sweater and light-colored jeans. After she said that, Freckles and Blue Glasses began to softly sing “Let It Go” to the older blonde’s amazement.

“You think I’m Elsa?” the bubbly blonde queried. She appeared surprised and almost flattered at the suggestion.

Freckles, Frightened Girl, Blue Glasses, and Nosewiper nodded. Kordell shrugged while Breathless Boy appeared fascinated. However, the older kids attempted to put cold water on the idea. Missing Front Teeth scoffed that Elsa wasn't real.

“She can’t be Elsa as she was Cinderella last night,” Brown Glasses stated.

“She can be both!” Freckles retorted. “After midnight, she turned back to Elsa from Cinderella.”

“What about your carriage? Did the pumpkins die in the ice?” Frightened Girl questioned, glancing over to the hotel’s driveway.

“Nope. She still has her two pumpkins,” Missing Front Teeth cracked, holding his hands out in front of his chest.

"Just do yourself a favor and shut up," Pigtails responded while handing over a tissue to Nosewiper. Most other kids besides Trey didn't appear to understand what Missing Front Teeth meant.

“Can you help us build Olaf, Miss Elsa?” Breathless Boy asked, politely pointing outside.

“You want me to help build a magical snowman? Gee willikers, I’d love to!” the cheery receptionist replied with her hand over her heart. “But, we can’t, as it’s ice, not snow outside.”

“Oh, no! Elsa lost control of her powers!” Frightened Girl exclaimed, immediately biting her fingernail with worry.

“Oh, come on! She doesn’t have any magical powers, you nitwit,” Missing Front Teeth mocked.

“Don’t start,” Pigtails warned him again. This time, she added a menacing finger point.

Trey watched the exchange with fascination. The girl with pigtails reminded him a little of his twin cousins.

“We need Anna! Where’s Anna?” Freckles asked, swinging her head around to search for Elsa’s sister.

“Yeah! Anna can help Elsa fix her powers and melt the ice,” Blue Glasses agreed.

“Anna is the best character,” her older sister stated.

“Anna? Hahahaha! Hans is the best character in that shitty movie,” Missing Front Teeth declared.

Several of the little kids gasped at his swear word and character choice. However, the oldest person in the gathering gasped the loudest.

“For Pete’s sake! No naughty language. None. Zip. Zilch. Got that?” Chastity challenged, placing her hands on her hips. “There are innocents here.”

“Hans is the meanest man, dummy!” Freckles yelled, her wagging finger simmered with her rage at his disrespect for one of her favorite movies.

“You’re the stupid one!” Missing Front Teeth insulted the younger girl.

He didn’t see the punch to his shoulder coming but heard the warning about another one.

“Call her that again, and I’ll knock out more of your teeth,” Pigtails threatened.

“Jiminy Cricket! No , no !” Chastity ordered, struggling to maintain order. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. “Holy smokes! Would you kiddies like to hear a story?”

“Storytime?” Blue Glasses asked, her face already showing excitement.

“Is it about your life?” Freckles asked.

“Sorry, no. But it’s about ice and a princess,” the bubbly blonde teased. “Wanna hear it?”

“Yay!” Breathless Boy cheered, bouncing over to join Freckles and Frightened Girl as they sat down on the floor. Glancing over at Trey, Kordell shrugged before sitting down as well. He offered part of his half-eaten croissant to Freckles.

“What’s the story called?” Pigtails asked. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay to listen but felt obligated to watch over the younger kids.

“Um, it’s called…The Princess and The Peasant,” Chastity announced, making up the name on the fly.

“Cool!”

“Yay!”

“Once upon a time, a kingdom of honey existed,” Chastity began as the smiling kids finished getting comfortable to listen in rapt attention.

“Like Honey Hollow?” Freckles asked while several more children sat down to join the audience.

"Yes, Honey Kingdom is similar to Honey Hollow, but it's a land of fantasy—uh, like a fairy tale," Chastity explained, garnering oohs and ahhs. "There were many small kingdoms and queendoms," she added, delighting several of the girls. "But this land was ruled by King Harald the Handsome."

“It’s going to be a love story,” Blue Glasses whispered, nudging her older sister.

"Sadly, King Harald had to raise his only child alone." Several gasps sounded at the implication of why. "Well, not entirely by himself, as King Harald's staff and servants rallied to the cause to help raise his daughter. Now, some grumpy and jealous people claimed that Princess Winter was bossy and stuck-up. That wasn't the opinion of those who really knew her. For the princess was the sweetest and nicest person in all of the kingdom. Winter could just…well, she could be a little impulsive and headstrong."

“Those make the best characters,” Freckles whispered to Frightened Girl.

“As Princess Winter grew up, she turned into possibly the most beautiful girl in the land,” Chastity revealed. “Men from the kingdom and many others flocked to the Honeylands to vie for the honor of marrying the princess. Many of these suitors were knights–”

“What’s a suitor?” one of the new arrivals asked, raising his hand.

“It’s like a courter in a courtship,” Blue Glasses explained. “It means you want to marry her.”

“Precisely!” Chastity praised. “Yes, many of these courters were a little older than Princess Winter and already had experienced many adventures. However, these courtships never lasted long. The princess might have kissed many suitors, yet she still hadn’t found her truelove.”

“Aww!” Freckles, Frightened Girl, and Blue Glasses sounded.

"Our story begins one day when the king held a special gathering at his lake castle," Chastity began. "Many important guests were in attendance. These included the land's highest judge, the academy's headmistress, an alchemist from a neighboring duchy, and the king's oldest friend. This friend brought along his courtesan, a woman whose beauty rivaled the princess'. Also, at the castle was a wicked witch and one of the best healers in any kingdom. This master healer, Brianna the Bold, brought along her son Sachie, the peasant of our tale."

"Um, excuse me, Miss Elsa?" Freckles interrupted, holding up her hand. She looked guilty for the interruption. "If he is the son of the master healer, then how is Sachie still a peasant?"

“Well, I never…Fiddlesticks! That’s a great question! Um, let’s carry on,” Chastity announced, moving past the complication in her storytelling. “Also in attendance was Orik, the False Face, Princess Winter’s latest suitor.”

“I don’t like the sound of him,” Breathless Boy proclaimed.

“Probably the best character,” Missing Front Teeth muttered.

Ignoring the comments, Chastity launched into an elaborate tale of the gathering's comings and goings. She mentioned how the king's party went to the fabled mists for rest and relaxation and how they shared memories of the parents' past. Then, she described how several squires showed up to court Winter's closest friends. The children oohed and ahhed as they heard how Sachie fought off one such squire to defend his friend, who happened to be a wizard's apprentice.

Most of the growing audience sat up straighter when Chastity built up to the big moment of the ice skating trip. Already, sides had been taken amongst the listeners about the girl who made the most sense for Sachie to end up with. Two of Winter's closest friends appeared to have gained a loyal following, although some older boys thought the courtesan sounded prettier.

“I know this story!” Trey blurted out of nowhere.

Heads immediately swung around to face him.

“You do?” Chastity questioned, cocking her head to the side.

“Um, yeah, I do,” Trey admitted, appearing sheepish at the sudden attention.

"And what's your name again?" the bubbly blonde inquired. A master at recalling names and faces, Chastity felt chastened by not knowing the boy. He looked somewhat familiar from last night, but she couldn't remember seeing him before then.

“I’m Theodore Day, the Third. But everyone calls me Trey!”

“Oh! You do know the story,” Chastity agreed, realizing who Trey’s aunt must be.

Since most of the children didn't know the out-of-town kid, they looked at him with new respect. Only Kordell threw his hands up as he looked over at the still-standing Trey as if to ask why he held out on him.

“Hello,” Pigtails said, moving around several other kids to stand next to Trey. She held her hand out. “I’m Abbott, Doris Joy Abbott. Everyone calls me DJ. I would like to hear your version of the story after she’s finished.”

“Um, okay?” Trey answered in confusion as he shook the girl’s hand.

“So where were we? Oh! Princess Winter had finally had it with Orik’s jealousy. So, while taking the high path back to the summer castle, she and Orik argued. It was a terrible argument.”

“No!” Frightened Girl gasped.

“Did Orik hit Winter?” Freckles questioned with trembling lips.

“My goodness, no!” Chastity swiftly batted that notion aside. “However, after Orik stormed off, an angry Winter did her own stomping down the path. Upset at wasting her time with another unworthy suitor, the princess kicked at a tree branch out of frustration. Only she missed and fell. And as she fell, Winter also rolled down the side of the embankment until she rolled straight off the cliff that overlooked Royal Lake.”

A few shrieks mixed in with a full round of gasps from the enchanted audience.

Several listeners grew emotional as they listened to how Princess Winter found herself stuck on ice in the middle of the frozen lake. Frightened Girl started to sob as she heard how Winter slipped under the icy waters while Sachie, after discovering the princess, risked his life by diving into the lake. Freckles' assurances to the younger girl proved correct as they heard how Sachie managed to pull Winter from the lake. However, DJ had to wrap her arms around another girl who sobbed at learning how Winter wasn't breathing. Her effort to comfort didn't last long as Missing Front Teeth pissed her off for the last time after he cheered at how Orik attacked Sachie.

“That’s it. You’re out of here!” DJ declared, grabbing the other boy’s hair to drag him to the hotel’s front doors.

Strangely, Trey found himself following DJ. He watched in fascination as she tossed Missing Front Teeth outside into the cold. Although she knew he’d come right back inside, she warned him not to return to the story circle. Assuming that Trey had followed to help, she nodded in appreciation at his help before grabbing his hand to pull him back to the rest of the kids.

There, they found the story circle about to descend into chaos.

“Of course, Princess Winter kissed Sachie as a reward, “ Blue Glasses insisted.

“And they lived happily ever after,” Freckles stated, assuming that’s how the story ended.

“I bet they did more than kiss. He probably made a baby in her,” one of the newcomers declared knowingly.

“He what? Eww!”

“Cheese and crackers,” Chastity fretted as she started to lose control of the story circle. “Please, I still need to finish the tale.”

“That’s not how babies are made!” one kid argued.

“Storks bring them!”

“What?!”

“That’s not what happens,” Brown Glasses attempted to explain but got drowned out.

“Babies are made from S-E-X.”

“Sex? Princess Winter and Sachie are going to have sex? But they aren’t married!”

“You don’t need to be married to have sex and make babies!”

“Elsa, do something?” Freckles begged Chastity.

“Holy flipping shuzzbutt,” the bubbly blonde mumbled to herself. “Please, this is a wholesome tale. Let’s not get dirty.”

“Sex uses holes!” a ten-year-old boy added, laughing at his own joke.

Desperately seeking a fun way to end her story, Chastity frantically searched for help. She peered around the children for anyone in the suddenly empty lobby. Finally, she spotted one such person, a short brunette.

“Anna! Look, Anna is here!” Chastity announced, gesturing to the woman walking toward them with her attention on her phone. “Let’s bring Anna over here.”

“Yay! Anna’s here to melt the ice!” Freckles cheered, rushing forward.

“And she’s going to fix Elsa’s powers!” Frightened Girl reminded, joining several other kids as they hurried toward the approaching brunette.

“Anna!”

Looking up from her phone, Tamsin abruptly stopped walking. Putting two and two together didn't take much deduction, not with Chastity pointing at her and several little kids rushing directly at her.

“Oh, crap.”

“Anna will help us finish the tale of The Princess and The Peasant,” Chastity proclaimed, clapping her hands in relief.