"I think he's harmless," Andrew said, patting the wolf on the head.
Alexandria held out her hand apprehensively, then smiled when the wolf nuzzled her hand, then licked it. "You're right, he is quite friendly. I wonder whom he belongs to. I'm pretty sure I've seen him before."
At exactly half past twelve, the sky above turned almost as bright as day, as glimmering, crystalline snowflakes rained down through the branches of the old oak tree above the gazebo. The sweet sounds of flutes, harps, and violins filled the night air.
The scene unfolding around Alexandria was surreal; it was almost impossible to take it all in. Magical people that she had only ever dreamed about, all dressed in simple white attire and adorned with a kaleidoscope of wildflowers, the heavenly music wafting through the branches above, and the beautiful girl who now would never fall in love. As beautiful as it all was, and it truly was, Alexandria could not help but feel sad. The sound of Aunt Mindy's voice pulled her from her reverie.
"These are the representatives for the Rivenfell Clan," Aunt Mindy said looking skyward, a little smile playing on her lips.
"Where?" Alexandria asked, her eyes darting around in all directions.
"Up there," she said, motioning with her hand towards the snowflakes settling on the ground all around the gazebo.
"I can't see anyone," she whispered, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Neither can I," Andrew whispered back.
Seconds later, one after the other, like a bag of popcorn popping in a microwave, the fallen snowflakes erupted into blinding white pillars of light surrounding the gazebo. The pillars collapsed into shimmering piles of white dust on the ground, revealing twenty hooded figures completely dressed in white.
"They like to make an entrance that's hard to forget," Nina said, to which Alexandria replied, "There is nothing about this day that I will forget."
One by one, each hooded figure walked up the stairs onto the gazebo. Each removed their hood, took a wildflower from the wreath crowning their head, and placed it on Matilda, then blessed her with a kiss.
"They're all women," Alexandria said.
"This is women's business," Aunty Mindy replied.
After the last Rivenfell ancestor had offered her blessings, the forest gentry gathered around, making their acquaintances and catching up with old friends, signalling the beginning of the celebrations. Food and drink was passed around. Glasses were raised, toasts were made; the forest gentry certainly did know how to celebrate such an occasion.
Andrew made friends with a funny little elf, who taught him an Irish drinking game. Needless to say, the elf won, and Andrew would most certainly wake up with a hangover in the morning. Luckily for him, though, Aunt Mindy had a marvellous hangover remedy, which although it smelled of dirty socks, tasted like red cordial.
Alexandria was more than taken aback when she had her hair braided with wildflowers by her childhood friend, Fern, a sprite, who was still exactly the same height as she'd been when Alexandria had been just a child. Fern confessed that it was she who had flown in her bedroom window, keeping Alexandria's room clean, knowing that she would return one day.
"Dear Alexandria," a cheerful man's voice behind her said, and she spun around, to be caught in a bear hug by Billy Bob and his dainty wife, Violet, from the Newsagency in town.
"You're here," she said, shaking her head. "How?"
"Car's out the front," he said, pulling up his trousers, then snatching his spectacles off his nose to clean them on his shirtsleeve. "An old man can still drive a car, Princess. Wouldn't trust the missus though," he said, giving Violet a little nudge with his elbow, which earned him a sharp slap on the arm. They were both dressed in white. Violet looked exceptionally pretty, with her hair swept up on her head with masses of flowers.
"No, I mean, how did you know about this?" she said, motioning around with her arms.
He pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and put his arm around Violet. "We're elves, dear. Violet and I fell in love out there in those woods," he said, grinning and nodding towards the woods at the back of Witchwood while hitching up his trousers again with his free hand. "We elves love to gossip. Nothing much happens around Ferntree Falls without us finding out about it first."
Nina disappeared without a word, back into the house, knowing that her kind unnerved many of the forest gentry. They did not approve of her choices when it came to her eating habits.
The most beautiful of the Rivenfell witches, who appeared to hover fractionally above the ground rather than walking on it, greeted Mindy with a warm embrace. "It has been too long, my friend."