Princess in Disguise by E. D. Baker Page A

wasn’t surprised to see that he was sound asleep. However, she did think there was something odd about the tree. Its branches looked different and …
    The high, thin voices of tiny fairies brought Annie fully awake. She closed her eyes until they were no more than slits, and lay there without moving. Peering between her nearly closed lids, she saw that in the short time that she had been asleep, the branches had grown down, creating what looked like a birdcage around her and Liam. Four tiny fairies were perched on the top of the cage, talking.
    â€œI tell you, it’s them,” said a fairy in a mossy cap. When the fairy turned her head, Annie could see that she was odd looking, with a long nose and the feet of a duck. “You saw how Daisy’s sleep-long spell bounced off her.” The fairies glanced down at another fairy, curled up at the base of the cage, snoring softly. “The princess is the only one we know who can resist our magic.”
    â€œAt least we can cast spells on things around her. We hadn’t thought of that!” added a male fairy wearing a bluebell cap. At first Annie thought the fairy might have the same rash as the royal ladies at home, but his spots were multicolored and didn’t move.
    Suddenly Annie recognized the fairies. They had all tried to cast spells on her once. The spells had backfired, doing to them what they had planned to do to her.
    The fairy dressed all in bark kicked her foot against the cage. “That can’t be the princess. It’s a boy. Look at his clothes!”
    â€œIt’s a girl wearing boy’s clothes,” said the fairy with duck feet. “Don’t you recognize the princess’s face? And this other one is definitely the prince. I never got a good look at him before, but he fits the description like a seed in a thistle.”
    â€œAre we ready?” said the fourth fairy. She was the prettiest of them all, with softly curling hair and large, dark eyes. Her dress was made of fern leaves; Annie remembered that she was named Fern. “She said to call her as soon as we had the cage made. She’s going to be mad that it took us this long.”
    â€œIt would have been faster if her spy eyes had worked better,” said the fairy in the bluebell cap. “A couple of little rocks and they disappeared for good. If it had been me, I would have thrown the rocks right back at him!”
    â€œEnough chatter!” said the fairy with the moss cap. “Voracia! We’re ready for you!”
    Annie tried not to react when she heard the fairy’s name. It was the same fairy who had cursed her sister, Gwendolyn, at her christening. Annie had dealt with the evil fairy only once when she was trying to find a way to break the spell without waiting one hundred years. She hadn’t liked her then and had hoped she’d never see her again.
    When Voracia didn’t appear right away, the tiny fairies became impatient. “What’s keeping her? She was the one who said we had to hurry,” said the bark-clad fairy. “If she doesn’t come soon, I’m going to try outsome of my spells on them. I’ve thought of a few good ones. We can turn the grass into prickers and fill them full of fleas!”
    â€œYou know, we can still cast spells on the prince,” said the boy fairy. “I have a few I’d like to try.”
    Annie held her breath. Moving as quietly as she could, she pushed her hand through the tall grass until the tips of her fingers touched Liam’s side. She couldn’t believe that the fairies thought she was still asleep after they had talked for so long, but she’d take advantage of it as long as she could.
    Annie kept her fingers pressed against Liam as the fairy flew between the bars. Aiming his wand at Liam, he made a flicking gesture and silver sparks shot out of the tip. Because Annie was touching Liam, the sparks bounced off him and shot back at the fairy,