"Are you crazy?" Briar's voice echoed through the room. "I'm not going to steal a magic book from a witch. Stealing from a witch is like signing your death contract."

Lilliana sighed deeply as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Then forget about breaking the curse."

"There has to be another way," Briar insisted. She glanced around the room, hoping for support.

"Like what?" Lilliana placed a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"We can ask the witch to give us the book," Briar suggested.

Leon chuckled. "You must have misheard. It's a witch, Briar, not a kind old lady who bakes cookies. Not all witches are as nice as your friend Lavonna."

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Briar said. "Lavonna would probably forgive someone who stole something from her, but maybe this witch is dangerous. We need to handle this carefully."

"Well," Evalina began hesitantly, her wings fluttering slightly. "I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with stealing in this context."

"What?" Briar's jaw dropped in disbelief. She had always seen Evalina as the most level-headed and sensible of the fairies. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you."

"I mean," Evalina continued, a touch of pink coloring her cheeks. "Stealing is bad, of course. But in this case, you're stealing for a noble cause. The book doesn't even belong to the witch. She has no rightful claim to it."

Briar shook her head, her curls bouncing with the motion. "Listen, the best way—or should I say the safest way, the way that won't get us all killed—is to go to the witch and talk to her."

"Talk to her about what?" Lilliana's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe we can negotiate a deal," Briar suggested. "Witches love trading. Maybe we can trade something with her for the book."

"Trading with a witch? Are you serious?" Evalina's voice was laced with astonishment.

"Why not?" Lilliana's voice dripped with sarcasm as she shot Briar a knowing look. "If you're willing to trade a part of your body, half your age, or maybe even your whole life. Or worse things you can't even imagine. I've got plenty of horror stories about trading with witches."

"Include ours," Viviana added, her voice somber. "Mother had to give the witch the Ancient Book of Spells. You can't win against a witch."

Briar bit her lip, the fairies' words weighing heavily on her. Deep down, she knew they were right. The tales of witches and their dark bargains were enough to make anyone think twice.

"Look, stealing is not that difficult," Leon said, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous light. "We'll break into her house, get the book, and leave. No problem. No trading our lives or anything." It was clear that he was with the fairies on this one. Leon always chose the side where there was trouble.

"Princess, do you want to save your kingdom or not?" Lilliana asked.

"Of course, I do," Briar replied. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect my kingdom."

"Except get a book from a witch," Leon taunted.

Briar felt a surge of anger, Leon's words hitting her like a punch to the gut. "I'm not scared," she shot back.

"Yeah, we can see that," Leon said, a smirk playing on his lips. "I don't know about you, but I will get that book."

"You know what? Let's vote," Lilliana suggested, raising her hand high. "I'm in favor of breaking into the witch's house and taking what belongs to us."

Leon eagerly raised his hand, not missing a beat. "I agree."

Lilliana turned to Evalina. "What about you?"

Evalina hesitated, glancing between her sisters and Briar. "Well," she said slowly, raising her hand. "It's the right thing to do. Steal the book."

Briar felt a pang of disappointment at Evalina's response. She had hoped for support, but Evalina's vote made it clear where she stood. Briar turned to Viviana.

Viviana bit her lip, her eyes darting nervously around the room. After a moment of hesitation, she raised her hand. "Steal the book," she whispered.

Leon's face lit up with excitement. "You lost," he said triumphantly, looking at Briar. "You have to do it."

Briar shook her head, her mind racing. "I don't know if we should..."

Leon's face darkened, and he turned to the fairies. "Take me to the witch's house. I'll steal the book."

Briar's heart pounded in her chest. She knew Leon was a magnet for trouble. The thought of him inside a witch's house, meddling with magic and danger, made her shudder.

"Alright," she said, letting out a deep sigh of resignation. "No need to be so dramatic. We'll steal the book."

Lilliana flashed a confident grin at Briar. "I know you're brave."

"Hold on," Briar interjected, a wave of dread washing over her. "What if the witch catches us stealing?"

Lilliana's grin widened, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "She won't. Luckily for us, the witch is currently absent from her home."

Briar's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "How can you be so sure?"

"She happens to be our neighbor," Lilliana explained, leaning in as if to share a juicy secret. "And I enjoy keeping a watchful eye on her. During this season, she goes far away to gather potion ingredients. This is when she's weakest and most vulnerable."

Evalina and Viviana stared at their sister in astonishment.

"Lilliana?" Viviana's voice was laced with accusation. "Have you forgotten what mother warned us about? No snooping around the witch."

Lilliana shrugged nonchalantly, brushing off Viviana's concern. "Relax, Vivi," she said. "Rules are meant to be broken, right?"

"You can't just break the rules," Evalina said.

"You're overreacting, sis," Lilliana replied with a dismissive wave. "I just keep an eye on things from afar, that's all." She turned back to Briar and Leon, her expression brightening. "It's the perfect opportunity for you two, isn't it? It's like fate wants you to have the book."

Briar had a feeling the fairies were pleased with the idea of stealing the book. Yes, the sisters wanted to help Briar, but getting the book from the witch would give them some other kind of satisfaction.

"You can trust me and my research," Lilliana assured, placing a hand on Briar's shoulder.

Briar looked into Lilliana's eyes. "I trust you," she said. The fairies had risked everything, even banishment from their home, just to help her.

"So, our path is clear," Leon said.

"Actually, not so clear," Evalina interrupted, holding up a small, worn leather sack that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She extended it towards Leon, her eyes serious. "Offer this at the witch's door, and it will open for you."

Leon took the sack, his brow furrowing. "What's inside? It's heavy."

"Remember, only open it when you reach the door," Evalina said.

Leon nodded. "Alright."

"There's one more thing," Evalina added, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "You might encounter frightening sights near the witch's hut. Don't let them scare you. It's just the witch's illusions meant to ward off unwanted visitors."

"Sounds like the witch does not like company," Briar said.

Lilliana smirked, a playful glint in her eyes. "You have nothing to worry about. The witch is away, and she's not going to return anytime soon. Just be careful of her guardian."

"Guardian?" Briar's eyes widened in surprise. "Great, just what we need! As if a witch wasn't dangerous enough on her own, now we have to deal with a guardian too."

"Relax," Lilliana said, waving off Briar's concern. "Evalina has a solution for that as well."

Evalina extended her hand, and with a gentle flick of her wrist, a small pouch appeared, shimmering faintly. "If the guardian shows up, use this." She handed the pouch to Briar. "You'll be fine."

Briar took the pouch, feeling its soft, mysterious weight in her hand. She tucked it into her satchel, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts. Something about this plan gnawed at her, a persistent doubt that she couldn't shake. But if this was the only way to save her kingdom, she had to see it through.

"The book you're looking for has a red cover adorned with silver moons and stars," Viviana added. "I thought you should know the details to recognize it."

"Thank you, Viviana," Lilliana said. "Those details will help you find the book. Another way to identify it is that when you hold it, you'll feel a surge of magic."

Briar nodded, taking a mental note of every word. "And where exactly does this witch live?" she asked, trying to mask the nervousness in her voice.

"She lives here, in the Midnight Forest," Lilliana replied, pointing to a dark, dense area on the map. "We can show you the path. Go whenever you're ready."

Leon gave a determined nod. "We're ready," he said, turning to Briar for confirmation.

"Yes, we're ready," Briar said. She didn't want to waste any more time overthinking this plan, despite the anxiety gnawing at her insides.

Lilliana clapped her hands together, a spark of excitement in her eyes. "Then let's get going."

They said goodbye to Viviana, who decided to stay in her garden and left the fairy village with Evalina and Lilliana. The forest felt less intimidating with the fairies by their side.

The fairies led Briar and Leon through a maze of trees and underbrush. The forest became denser and more shadowy with each step. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl.

After what felt like an eternity of winding paths and looming shadows, Lilliana came to a sudden halt. "This is as far as we can go," she said. "Beyond this point lies the witch's territory. We can't go any further without breaching our border pact."

Briar glanced around, noticing the subtle shift in the atmosphere. The air felt heavier, charged with an unseen energy that sent a shiver down her spine. "This is the border?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Evalina nodded, pointing to a line of ancient gnarled trees that marked the boundary. "Yes, here our territory ends. We have an agreement to respect each other's borders."

Leon's eyes narrowed as he peered into the darkness beyond the border. "We can take it from here," he said.

Evalina gestured towards a narrow, barely visible trail that snaked through the dense underbrush. "Follow this path," she said. "It will lead you to her hut."

"Can't we just fly?" Leon asked. He seemed tempted to unfurl the carpet and take to the skies.

"No!" the fairies cried in unison.

"The magic carpet is our magic," Lilliana said. "If you fly, she will sense it. The witch is attuned to magic in her territory. You can use the carpet once you're clear of her land, but until then, you must remain on foot."

Leon sighed. "Fine, we'll walk."

"Thank you for all your help," Briar said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude. "You've disobeyed your mother to aid me, and I cannot express how much that means."

Lilliana gave a dismissive wave, though her eyes softened. "We're doing what is right," she said.

"Good luck, Princess," Evalina added, her voice warm. Then, with a flutter of wings, the fairies ascended gracefully into the air, their forms disappearing among the trees and leaving a faint trail of sparkling light in their wake.

As they departed, Briar and Leon turned towards the shadowy path ahead. "I can't wait to break into the witch's house," Leon said. Briar rolled her eyes at him. Sometimes the prince was unbelievable. Their life was in danger, and it was only an adventure for him.

They set off, following the direction Evalina had indicated. The trail was narrow and winding, hidden beneath a thick blanket of grass and fallen leaves. Before long, a thick mist began to swirl around them, its ghostly tendrils creeping through the trees and wrapping around their legs. It grew denser with every step, transforming the forest into a shadowy, ethereal maze. Visibility dropped to almost nothing, and they were forced to move slowly, feeling their way forward with outstretched hands.

"This mist is unnatural," Briar said, her voice muffled by the heavy fog. "It's as if the forest itself is trying to deter us."

"Don't worry," Leon said confidently. "We'll find the way."

After what felt like an eternity of wandering through the mist, it began to thin, revealing faint shapes and shadows in the distance. Gradually, the fog lifted, revealing a clearing bathed in an eerie, muted light. At the center of the clearing stood a hut.

"I think that's the witch's hut," Leon said. He pointed to the dark shape looming ahead, its outline gradually coming into focus as the last of the mist dissipated.

As the fog cleared completely, Briar's heart skipped a beat and a cold dread settled over her. The hut was unlike anything she had ever seen. It stood on top of two enormous chicken legs, which twitched and shifted as if the hut were alive. The structure itself was a twisted, ramshackle thing, with crooked walls and a sagging roof, its windows glowing with an unsettling, flickering light. Surrounding the hut was a fence, not of wood or stone, but of human bones and skulls, their empty eyes staring out at the forest with a macabre, eternal gaze.

"Oh no," Briar gasped. "The witch is Baba Yaga."

___