The Old Queen and the New One

 Once there was a little girl who wandered into an enchanted forest. That's obvious. Of course she did. How else do you get into an enchanted forest? The interesting part is what happened when she got there. Which was this:

    She came upon an unkindness of ravens. They were singing. Naturally it was a dirge. That's the only thing a raven can sing. As it happens, they were the queen's ravens. 

    Which queen?

     The one who ruled over all the enchanted lands. Haven't you heard of her? She's testy. Aged. Bit of a handful, really. Likes her ravens. 

    The ravens liked the little girl better. They followed her instead. So... that made her queen.

    What happened to the other one? The testy one? 

    Well, this is a fairy tale, so I think you can guess.

    But you'd be wrong. 

    This is a new kind of fairy tale. One of those modern ones. Where the old women aren't nasty, poisonous old crones (well... not always). Where old women have a lovely, motherly side to them (...most of the time). The kind with all the edges and all the helpful hints (if you're lucky).

    So the old queen helped the new one.

    And they're getting along just fine.

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