I don’t like that my wife goes in secret to visit her fairy godmother. Wizard kings have a standing feud with fairy queens who insist on conducting themselves in secret.

When I want something, I don’t make any bones about it. I turn myself into an eagle and soar over my country. I see everything that is happening on the ground, and if I like what I see, I take it.

The Wizard King in The Wizard King, Yellow Fairy Book. Illustration by H.J. Ford.