Suddenly, a golden key materialized in Viatrix's hand. The key seemed to radiate a soft, golden glow, casting a warm shimmer across the room. The fairy queen stared at the key.

"Mother," Evalina said softly, stepping forward. She extended her hand toward the key.

Viatrix's face was unfathomable as she placed the key in Evalina's hand without uttering a single word.

Evalina's face broke into a wide grin. "Thank you, mother," she said. Her fingers closed around the key, holding it as if it were a precious gem. Viviana smiled too, her cheeks wet with the remnants of tears, wiping them away with the back of her hand.

The room erupted into cheers and applause. All except for Rex, who stood apart, his arms crossed and his face set in a scowl.

"I'll be right back," Evalina said, nodding at Briar with a broad smile. She turned and quickly exited the room.

Leon turned to Briar with a wide grin. "Finally!" he exclaimed. "For a minute there, I thought we were doomed."

"Me too," Briar admitted. She felt an overwhelming sense of happiness welling up inside her. It was as if she had walked to the very edge of despair and then been pulled back into the light.

After what seemed like an eternity, Evalina returned, carrying an enormous book with a dark velvet cover. The book was ancient, its surface adorned with mysterious symbols and inscriptions in a language Briar didn't recognize. The dark velvet seemed to absorb the light, giving the book an aura of gravity.

Evalina approached Viatrix and handed the book over to her. Viatrix took it with a trembling hand, her eyes reflecting a flurry of emotions. Her fingers traced the contours of the symbols.

Briar's heart pounded in her chest. She prayed silently, her fingers digging into her palms. Please, don't change your mind. The fate of my kingdom rests in your hands.

Finally, Viatrix tore her gaze away from the book. Her eyes met Briar's, and for a moment, they seemed to soften. She took a step forward and handed the book to Briar.

"I hope you remember this help," Viatrix said, her voice firm.

Briar clutched the book to her chest. "I will. I promise," she said.

With a nod, Viatrix turned and left the room, her footsteps echoing softly. Rex shot them a final sneer, his face twisted in disdain before he followed his mother.

Lilliana and Viviana hugged each other tightly, their faces lighting up with happiness.

"At last, mother has made the correct choice," Lilliana said. She looked as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Mother is not heartless," Evalina said. "She may have turned cold, but she is not evil."

Briar turned to the three sisters, her eyes filled with tears of gratitude. "Thank you," she said. "If it were not for all of you, I wouldn't have gotten the book."

Lilliana smiled warmly at Briar. "You deserve it," she said.

Viviana clapped her hands together. "Well, are you going to look at the ritual or just stare at the book?" she asked playfully.

Briar felt a rush of excitement as she looked down at the ancient book in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she opened the book. She gasped. The silver pages of the book were empty. "There is nothing written here."

The fairies exchanged knowing glances before bursting into laughter.

"The rituals are right here, but as a human, you cannot see them," Evalina explained.

She took the book from Briar and tapped it gently with her wand. Instantly, crimson letters began to materialize on the previously blank pages, swirling and twisting into intricate patterns and symbols. The room seemed to hum with a faint, mystical energy as the ancient magic awakened.

Evalina flipped through the pages, her fingers gliding over the delicate parchment until she found what she was looking for. "The ritual for breaking the Curse of Thorns," she announced.

Briar leaned in to get a closer look. The page was filled with strange markings and cryptic runes that looked more like art than any language she could comprehend. The symbols seemed to dance on the page, their meaning just out of reach.

Viviana nervously bit her lip as she peered at the book. Her eyes darted back and forth. "What is written in it?" she asked.

Evalina began to read aloud. "To break the Curse of Thorns, one must embark on a quest to gather four essential magical items. The first item is the Ancient Book of Spells, a tome written by the ancient fairies themselves. The second item required for the ritual is the precious gold of a dragon. The third item is the mermaid flower, a delicate blossom that can only be found in the depths of the ocean. And finally, the last and most crucial item is a vial filled with the blood of a fairy godmother." She paused, looking up at the group, her eyes grave. "Once you have gathered these magical items, bring them to the sacred fairy shrine. It is there, under the moon's gentle rays, that the sacred circle will be illuminated with a divine energy. Arrange the items in the center. Place your hand on top. From the depths of your heart, you must summon the magic. As you do so, a powerful surge of energy will emanate from the items, ultimately breaking the curse," Evalina finished, closing the book with a soft thud.

"I hate things that involve blood," Viviana muttered, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Especially a fairy's blood," added Lilliana, her face contorting with a look of distaste.

Evalina, however, remained unfazed. "Anyway, princess," she said, turning to Briar with a reassuring smile, "you just have to collect four magical objects. Nothing you can't handle."

Briar's face fell. "And I don't even know what most of these magical items are," she admitted. She had believed that obtaining the ritual would solve her problems, but it appeared that her journey had only just begun. Time was running out—she had only three days left before her birthday, the deadline for breaking the curse.

Briar turned to Leon, hoping to find a reassuring smile or a spark of confidence in his eyes. But she saw only uncertainty. The prince scratched his head. "I'm just as clueless as you are," Leon admitted. "But I can help with the dragon."

"Why do you think we're here?" Lilliana grinned, her wings fluttering gently behind her. She took the book from Evalina's hands and began to scan the pages, her eyes flashing over the intricate script. "So, the first thing you need is the Ancient Book of Spells, which can be found here. The second magical item is the dragon's gold. That might be a bit more challenging," she said, her tone becoming serious.

Viviana nodded in agreement, her eyes wide with concern. "Dragons are obsessed with gold and treasure," she explained. "They hoard it in their lairs, deep within the caves of mountains. They guard their treasures with immense power, and many brave warriors have lost their lives trying to retrieve even a single coin."

Briar's heart sank at Viviana's words. "So, can't we get the gold?" she asked. The last thing she needed was for one of the essential items to be impossible to obtain.

"You can," Lilliana said. "My sister is just making it sound more complicated than it is."

Leon's eyes lit up with excitement. "I love fighting dragons!" he exclaimed, his enthusiasm causing Briar to glance at him in alarm.

Evalina shook her head, her expression stern. "Don't make that mistake. No matter how powerful you think you are, avoid dueling with dragons," she warned. "Dragons are wise and mystical creatures. They possess ancient knowledge and immense strength. But if you approach them with respect and ask them nicely, they might just help you."

"Mark that, Leon," Briar said. She turned back to the fairies. "But where can we find a dragon and his gold?"

"A dragon lives at the peak of the highest mountain in the forest," Lilliana said, pointing towards the east.

"Which mountain?" Leon asked. "This forest is full of mountains."

"I could point it out if only I had a map," Lilliana replied, looking over at Viviana.

"I have one," Leon said, pulling the rolled-up parchment from his pocket and handing it to Lilliana.

"That's perfect," Lilliana said, studying the map. Her finger traced a path through the forest until it stopped at the largest mountain on the eastern side. "There. This is the dragon's mountain," she said, tapping the peak.

Leon sighed. "And we have one problem," he said. "It's going to take us days to climb that mountain on foot. Even if I had my horse, it would take more than four days to reach the peak."

Evalina nodded in agreement. "Even with a horse, the journey would be long and arduous. The terrain is treacherous, and the higher you go, the colder it gets."

Briar's face fell. "What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry," Lilliana said with a mischievous grin. She waved her wand, and a red carpet with golden tassels materialized in the air, hovering just above the ground. The carpet shuddered as if waking from a deep slumber, then suddenly sprang to life, zooming around the room with a burst of energy. It knocked over a vase of flowers and sent a stack of books tumbling to the floor, causing everyone to duck in surprise.

Lilliana's hand shot up, and she grabbed the carpet. "This is my magic carpet. It can take you anywhere you want to go," she said, stepping onto the carpet with a flourish. "Fly," she commanded.

Instantly, the carpet rose into the air, gliding around the room with a smooth, almost playful grace. It circled the chandelier and swooped low over the table, sending papers fluttering in its wake. "Land," Lilliana said, and the carpet obediently descended to the ground, coming to rest gently at her feet. "This is how you use it."

Leon clapped his hands in delight. "Incredible! This is even better than a horse," he said.

Lilliana carefully folded the carpet and presented it to Briar with a smile. "You can keep it until your quest is finished. It will get you to the mountaintop in no time."

"Thank you," Briar said. The prospect of facing the dragon seemed less daunting now that they had a means of reaching the mountain quickly.

"So, the next magical object is the mermaid flower," Evalina said. "A flower that grows deep in the ocean, in the gardens of the merfolk."

"Can the carpet also swim in the sea?" Leon asked, a note of excitement in his voice.

"You don't have to go under the sea," Evalina answered. "A mermaid brought the flower from the sea and planted it on an island in the Southern Sea."

Briar's gaze fixated on the map, where the Southern Sea sprawled across the southern region in a vast expanse of deep blue. Tiny brown dots peppered the map, representing countless islands scattered like freckles on the face of the sea. "There are so many islands," Briar said, feeling overwhelmed as she took in the multitude of landforms. "How will we ever find the right one?"

Evalina smiled, her eyes twinkling. "Just look for the islands covered with cherry blossoms," she said, her finger delicately tracing a path on the map. "You'll see them easily from the sky, a splash of pink in the endless green of the sea."

"How long will it take us to get there?" Briar asked, her heart pounding with anticipation.

Evalina glanced at the map again, her eyes darting from the dragon's mountain to the Southern Sea. She counted on her fingers, her lips moving silently as she made her calculations. "It should take you about four hours on the magic carpet to go from the mountain to the sea," she concluded.

Briar breathed a sigh of relief.

"What about the fairy godmother's blood?" Leon asked, his brow furrowing with concern. "Do you think she'll be willing to give it to us?"

Lilliana's face lit up with a knowing smile. "Yes, she's quite helpful, unlike my mother," she said.

Evalina shot her sister an angry look. "Lilliana, you know mother is not an awful fairy."

"Yeah, yeah. She has a good heart," Lilliana replied, rolling her eyes. "But what does it matter if we can't see what's inside her?"

Evalina's expression hardened, her lips pressing into a thin line.

"You know I'm just joking," Lilliana said, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Mother has been sulky ever since Mowena's betrayal. She has all of us, even that fool Rex, but she behaves like she's childless. I don't understand why all her favorite children turn out evil. Look at Rex!"

"And the fairy shrine," Briar asked, pulling the fairy's attention back to the ritual.

"The fairy shrine is in Fairyland. It's a sacred place for fairies and is well known. You won't have any trouble finding it." Lilliana closed the book with a decisive snap. "So, there you have it, princess. Your problem is solved."

Briar nodded, repeating the names of the magical items under her breath until they were etched into her memory. She needed the Ancient Book of Spells, dragon's gold, the mermaid flower, and the fairy godmother's blood. She glanced at Leon, who gave her an encouraging nod.

"And the Ancient Book of Spells," Briar said. "Will your mother give us the book?"

"I'll talk to her," Lilliana said, her voice brimming with confidence. "If she's opened the library, why not help you properly? She has a reputation to clear."

Evalina's expression turned somber. "Mother can't give you the book," she said.

"Why not?" Lilliana asked.

Evalina looked at her sister, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Did you forget mother traded the book with the witch for a place in the forest?"

Lilliana's eyes widened in shock. "She traded the Ancient Book of Spells? I thought she traded some dark magic book!"

"Mother didn't give the witch a dark magic book," Lilliana said. "Imagine the chaos that could have caused. The witch wanted the Ancient Book of Spells instead."

Lilliana's face twisted in anger. "How could mother trade such a powerful book with a witch?" she demanded, her voice rising.

Evalina tried to reason with her sister. "We needed a place to live," she explained.

"She could have given the witch something else," Lilliana argued, her voice trembling with frustration.

"The witch only wanted the book," Evalina replied.

"Still, mother shouldn't have done it," Lilliana said.

Viviana stepped between her sisters, her hands raised in a gesture of peace. "That's not our biggest concern right now," she said. "How are we going to get the book from the witch?"

"Simple," Lilliana said, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "You have to steal it."

___