“How daintily the butterflyFlits to the spider's laceEntranced by glimm'ring silver stringsEntwined with glist'ning grace.How craftily the spider speaksAnd whispers, 'All is well,'Caresses it with poison'd feetAnd sucks it to a shell”

“It had been two weeks since they had last danced, and Azalea lay in bed, awake again. A dream hadn't roused her this time, but rather an odd tinny noise that had been clinking across the wooden floor of their room, under their beds and butting against the wainscot with a clinkety tap-tap. It sounded like ... well, quite honestly, it sounded like a spider dragging a spoon.Azalea knew it couldn't possibly be that (or, rather, she hoped it wasn't), but even so, she heaved herself from the bed and grasped one of Hollyhock's boots, strewn across the floor. The tapping now clinked from the fireplace, and Azalea caught a glint of silver among the soot. Raising the boot, she tiptoed to the unlit hearth.The fireplace in their room was massive - so large that Azalea could stand up in it and her skirts wouldn't brush the sides. The silver hopped. Azalea dove.In a puff of soot, Azalea found herself sitting in the hearth, and the silver bit skittering away like mad. Azalea grabbed at it and was rewarded with a very sharp, very familiar bite."You!" Azalea seethed, leaping up. Now she recognized the half-hopping half-skitter motion. The sugar teeth!”

“What did your mother do?" he said."Sir?""When it was time for bed," said the King. "Tell me."The girls exchanged nervous glances. He was talking about Mother."She used to help the girls with their prayers," said Azalea, hesitant. "And-sometimes she would read stories."The King set the sword on the table, next to the vase."Very well," he said as the girls whispered to one another. "I will read you a story."The whispering stopped.”

“I sort of......accidentally....tore it to pieces.And threw it in the fire. Well, he was mine after all.”

“I suppose he'll try to court and marry Az. He likes her best.""He arrives at the palace doors, on a fine black horse," Delphinium prompted, picking up Bramble's lost thread, and Eve spun her again, "silver flowers in his hand-""And the King opens the door-" squeaked Flora, who caught Azalea.And then,everyone stopped.Azalea's skirts twisted, then settled. It occurred to all of them what would happen next."And boxes Keeper straight in the face," Azalea finished.Everyone managed to giggle, though it as true. Azalea shook her head, smiling."Well," said Eve as they gathered the sleeping girls up from their cushions. "It would be odd if you married him anyway.""Aye," said Bramble. "Your children would be dsappearing all over the place.”

“He's around the twist,' said Azalea. 'Breaking all the windows? He's mad.''Ah, no,' said the King. 'It's only madness if you actually do it. If you want to break all the windows in the house and drown yourself in a bucket but don't actually do it, well, that's love.”

“Hush," he murmured. "There now. Hush." He traced his finger along her jaw. "That is a sweet thought," he whispered. "Except, my lady, I cannot die.”