Clutching Briar by the neck, the ogress hoisted her off the ground effortlessly. Briar's feet dangled in the air, her breath coming in shallow gasps. One wrong move and Briar felt certain that Marigold could snap her neck like a twig.

"Marigold, please," Theodore pleaded, stepping forward with his hands raised. "Let Briar go. She has nothing to do with this."

"No, healer!" Marigold bellowed. "Make me beautiful. And then I'll release her."

"Wait, what?" Briar sputtered, her voice strained as she stopped struggling for a moment. "You want him to make you beautiful?"

Briar had initially thought the ogress must be suffering from some kind of illness. Now she understood why Theodore had faced such difficulties in treating Marigold. The ogress's request was far more complex than a simple healing.

"Yes," Marigold growled, her grip tightening around Briar's throat. "Healer, I give you two days. Make my potion, or the girl stays with me."

"But why do you want to be beautiful?" Briar asked, her voice barely a whisper as the pressure on her neck increased.

"Who doesn't want to be beautiful?" Marigold snapped back. "Everyone desires beauty."

The ogress had a point, Briar realized, albeit a bitter one. She had always believed that the obsession with beauty was a distinctly human trait. It seemed, however, that this desire transcended species and boundaries.

"Besides," Marigold continued, "if I am beautiful, I will marry the prince and become the queen. And I don't have much time. The prince is hosting a ball to find a wife, and I can't go like this. He will not choose me. So, healer, make my potion, and I will release her."

"You can't take Briar!" Leon shouted.

Marigold turned her menacing gaze on Leon. "Do you wish to join the girl in my dungeon? We give our prisoners stones to crush, and every day, they receive a rat and a cup of water for their lunch."

"I'd rather die than eat rats!" Briar yelled, her stomach churning at the thought. The image of gnawing on a filthy rat flashed in her mind, making her feel nauseous.

"You will have to if the healer does not make my potion," the ogress said, a sinister smile creeping across her face. She then turned to Theodore, her voice taking on a deceptively sweet tone. "See you in two days." With Briar still in her grasp, Marigold began to turn away.

"Wait!" Leon shouted, leaping forward to block Marigold's path.

Marigold growled, her patience thinning. "You are beginning to irritate me, boy. Move, or I will take you both."

"You can't take Briar," Leon insisted. "If you want the potion."

"What do you mean?" Marigold asked, squinting at Leon with suspicion.

"Theodore can't make the potion without Briar," Leon said quickly. He turned to Theodore, who looked confused. "Isn't that right, Theodore?"

"Yes, yes!" Theodore nodded frantically, catching on to Leon's plan. "Briar's involvement is crucial. Without her, I cannot make the potion you need."

Briar, still suspended in Marigold's iron grip, felt a surge of panic. The boys were likely to get her killed faster with their plan.

Marigold looked between Briar and Theodore, her eyes narrowing. "Why is she so important?"

"Because... because," Theodore stammered, clearly struggling to fabricate a believable story. He looked at Leon for support.

"Because Briar is the head beauty healer!" Leon shouted, his voice rising in an attempt to sound authoritative. "She's incredibly talented and knows more about beauty than anyone else."

Everyone turned to Leon, their expressions a mix of surprise and skepticism.

"Is she?" Marigold asked, her grip on Briar loosening slightly.

"Am I?" Briar asked.

"Yes," Leon said, nodding vigorously. He shot Briar a look that said, 'Just go along with it.'

Briar's eyes met Leon's, silently pleading for him to stop. She had no idea where he was going with this, and it seemed like they were only digging her deeper into trouble.

"Why should I believe you?" Marigold demanded, her eyes narrowing further as she scrutinized Leon.

"Do you know about Sleeping Beauty?" Leon asked. "She is renowned as the most beautiful princess in all the lands. After sleeping for a hundred years, she awoke to find that the years had taken their toll on her beauty. She turned to her knowledge of magic and, with the help of fairies, developed her potions, beauty tips, and tricks. Now, she is the foremost expert in beauty magic."

"The best beautician." Marigold's eyes widened with a mixture of awe and hope.

"And Briar is Sleeping Beauty," Leon declared.

Marigold's gaze turned to Briar, scanning her from head to toe with renewed interest. "You do look beautiful," she mused. "Is what the boy says true?"

"Yes," Briar said, swallowing her fear. "I'm Sleeping Beauty." At least that part of the story was true.

"You know the consequences of lying to me," Marigold threatened, her eyes narrowing further into slits as she glared at them, her grip tightening once more around Briar's neck.

"It's true!" Theodore exclaimed, stepping forward earnestly. "I was sent to escort Briar to Fairyland. Marigold, I was going to tell her about you after we finished our business with the fairies."

Marigold stared at him, her eyes filled with suspicion but also a glimmer of hope. She loosened her grip on Briar, allowing her to take a shaky breath.

"Trust me, Marigold. I'm not lying," Theodore insisted. "I truly want to help you. But I can't do it alone." He glanced at Briar, seeking her support. "If you give me a second, I'll explain your problem to Briar. Together, we might find a solution for you."

Marigold's enormous eyes shifted from Theodore to Briar, weighing their sincerity. "Very well," Marigold said, her voice a low growl. "But if you are lying, you will all pay dearly." She released Briar, who stumbled but quickly regained her footing, massaging her sore neck.

"Thank you, Marigold. We won't let you down," Leon said.

"Can I be as beautiful as you?" Marigold's voice trembled with a mix of hope and desperation as she gazed at Briar with an almost childlike admiration.

Briar managed a warm smile. "More beautiful than me, Marigold. I promise you that."

Marigold's face lit up with glee, and she began to hop up and down, her massive frame shaking the ground. "Tell me how to be beautiful!" she demanded eagerly.

"We will," Leon interjected, stepping forward.

"Don't interrupt me!" Marigold snapped, her voice booming. "And who are you?"

"Prince Leon," he responded, his posture regal despite the fear in his eyes.

"A prince?" Marigold said. Her eyes narrowed as she appraised him with newfound curiosity. "Do you have a big, rich kingdom? When will you get the throne?"

Leon's face paled, and he darted behind Briar. "Never," he blurted out. "I have twenty-five siblings. I'm the least favorite child and last in line for the throne. My parents despise me. I'm poor and to support myself, I work for princess Sleeping Beauty."

Marigold wrinkled her nose in disdain. "I don't like poor princes," she declared dismissively.

"Marigold, please give us a few moments to discuss your problem," Theodore said gently. "Can we have a bit of privacy?"

"Talk in front of me," Marigold demanded.

"Well... we can't discuss a patient's needs in front of them," Theodore explained.

"Fine," Marigold huffed. "But only a few minutes."

The trio walked a short distance away.

"Why did you lie?" Briar hissed, punching Leon's arm.

"If I hadn't, you'd be locked in a dungeon eating rats by now," Leon whispered back, rubbing his arm.

Briar turned to Theodore, her eyes wide with worry. "Can you really make her beautiful?"

"I can't change her appearance," Theodore admitted. "Ogres are naturally ugly, and it's not something a simple potion can fix. It's just the way they are, how nature made them."

"Then why promise her that?" Briar asked.

"The ogres had some medicinal stones that I needed," Theodore explained. "Marigold gave me some, and in return, she asked to be made beautiful. I thought she wanted minor changes, not to look like a fairy."

"You get caught every time you go for medicine?" Leon questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Is my potion ready?" Marigold's voice thundered from behind them.

"Have patience!" Briar snapped, turning to face the ogress.

"I can't!" Marigold roared. "My prince is dancing with other girls. What if he chooses one of them as his wife?"

"You could always eat the wife," Briar suggested dryly.

"Not a bad idea," Marigold said, a smug smile spreading across her face.

Briar shot her a disgusted look and turned back to Theodore. "She wants an instant solution."

Theodore looked troubled. "Briar, we need to convince her that beauty can't be instant. It takes time and effort."

Briar's mind raced for a solution as she felt Marigold's massive hand settle on her shoulder, perilously close to her neck. Goosebumps prickled her skin.

"Where is my potion?" Marigold asked, her voice filled with impatience. "I've waited long enough."

Briar took a deep breath. "Marigold, I see you have a rare problem," she began slowly. "You want to become something you're not, but we have a solution for that, too. Have you ever heard of inner beauty?"

"Is that a potion?" Marigold asked, her eyes widening. "Will it transform me?"

"In a way, yes," Briar answered, trying to sound convincing.

"Tell me about it!" Marigold urged excitedly.

"Well," Briar began, "you need to feel beautiful on the inside. Outer beauty is just a reflection of your inner beauty. And remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"I don't want to hear this!" Marigold interrupted, her voice rising in frustration. "I just want a potion!"

"Marigold," Briar said, trying to keep calm, "not everyone cares about appearance."

The ogress scoffed. "If you think that, you haven't seen much of the world. Now, make me beautiful so I can marry the prince."

"Marigold," Briar tried again, "if the prince truly loves you, he'll marry you regardless of how you look. You have a unique beauty."

Briar looked to Leon and Theodore for support. Both nodded in agreement.

"True love," Leon added earnestly.

"Yes, exactly," Theodore echoed. "He'll love you for who you are, not how you look."

Marigold growled in frustration. "I don't want to hear that nonsense! I want to be beautiful!"

"Yes, we're getting to that part," Briar said quickly. "First, Marigold, promise to listen without interrupting."

Marigold nodded grudgingly. "I promise."

"So, in my quest for beauty, I learned something very important. Real beauty takes time and patience. If you want lasting beauty, not a quick magic fix that fades, you need to avoid hasty magical solutions. Magic can backfire, you know. Do you want everlasting beauty?"

Marigold's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Yes."

Briar sighed in relief. But the ogress's admiration could quickly turn to anger or, worse, hunger if she wasn't satisfied.

"So..." Briar continued, "you need a diet plan."

"A fight plan?" Marigold asked, confused.

"Not a fight plan," Briar corrected, shaking her head. "A diet plan—a way to change your eating habits and lifestyle. You see, we are what we eat. So, you need to start eating healthy foods."

"Healthy foods?" Marigold echoed. "What's that?"

"Good, green vegetables and fruits," Briar explained. "And no meat."

"No meat?" Marigold bellowed. "I'll die without meat!"

"For beauty, you must make sacrifices," Briar said firmly.

"If you want to marry a rich prince," Leon added.

"Yes, Marigold," Theodore said encouragingly.

Briar grabbed a parchment and quill from Theodore and quickly jotted down a list of healthy foods—mostly fruits and vegetables, with a few particularly bitter ones thrown in for good measure. She handed the parchment to Marigold.

"Follow this diet, and you'll be beautiful soon," Briar said.

Marigold's eyes sparkled as she clutched the parchment. "But where's the beauty potion?" she asked, still bouncing with joy.

Briar stifled a groan of frustration. They were back to square one.

Theodore stepped forward, trying to reason with the ogress. "But we—"

"We have the potion," Briar interjected, grabbing Theodore by the arm and pulling him aside.

"What are you doing?" Theodore whispered.

"Give her the beauty potion," Briar hissed back.

"But we don't have one!" he protested.

"Just give her any potion. We need to leave!" Briar demanded.

"What if it harms her?" Leon asked.

"Then you marry her and make her queen," Briar snapped.

"Leon is right," Theodore said, shaking his head. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Oh, Theodore," Briar sighed, "just give her a potion for good skin or health. We should have done that from the start instead of arguing with her."

Theodore rummaged through his satchel and pulled out a bottle filled with green liquid.

"Don't you have anything red?" Briar asked.

"I think so," Theodore replied, producing a red potion in a plain bottle.

"And put it in a fancy bottle," Briar instructed.

Theodore found a more decorative bottle, and Briar transferred the red potion into it. She then walked back to Marigold, holding up the bottle triumphantly.

"Here it is, the glow-up potion," Briar declared. "Take a sip each day after your special meals."

Marigold's eyes gleamed with excitement as she took the bottle. "Will I be beautiful by the last ball?"

"Think bigger, Marigold," Briar said. "Once you're beautiful, you can find any prince. A prince richer than the one hosting the ball. You won't have to worry about him choosing someone else."

Marigold's eyes widened as she considered this. "I never thought about that," she murmured. Then, with a sudden leap, she enveloped Briar in a crushing hug. The princes squealed in surprise. "Thank you! Not only for the potion but for easing my worries. Now I can marry any prince!"

"You're welcome," Briar wheezed, wriggling free from the hug. "Invite me to your wedding, okay?"

Marigold blushed and nodded. "I will."

"And please, release Knight," Briar said.

Marigold handed them a carrot. "Feed this to the horse, and he'll fly again."

Theodore quickly fed the carrot to Knight, who blinked open his eyes and stood up, shaking his mane.

"I'm in a terrible phase of my life," the horse groaned. "First a witch, now a deadly fall."

"Goodbye, Marigold," Theodore said.

The three of them quickly climbed onto Knight's back and took off before Marigold could demand them to make a prince fall in love with her.

___