“Not so fast, Ava-bird. Happily-ever-afters, the real kind, almost never happen easily or without a few dragons getting in the way.” “I thought dragons weren’t real?” “Metaphorical dragons.” “What’s meta-forkful?” Serafina hides her laughter under a fake coughing fit. “Never mind. The point is, without a journey, without some struggle, a few challenges, and some metaphorical dragons—which Mummy will explain to you later—the happily-ever-after wouldn’t be so sweet.”
