When it was time for the party that evening, Elliot invited his brothers and sister and Cami and Tubs to come along. The Elves would be in charge of poofing everyone down there, so he knew it would be a smooth ride.
The clearing in the center of Burrowsville was spread with tables and picnic blankets and food wherever it fit. Hundreds of creatures from every corner of the Underworld had come. Elliot recognized many of them as the creatures who had been turned to stone in Kovol's cave. With the Shadow Men gone, their curse had been lifted.
Standing near the front was Agatha, back into her usual Hag form. Elliot ran to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you, Agatha," he said. "Nobody else but you could've healed everyone."
She patted his back. "And I knew no one but you could've saved the Underworld. Oh...oopsie."
Something wet and squishy plopped onto Elliot's head. Whatever it was, Agatha immediately picked it up and Elliot jumped back. Agatha had her hand pressed over her left eye.
"Eww!" he cried. "Did your eye just fall on my head?"
With a little pop, Agatha squeezed her eye back into place and laughed. "Don't be silly. Eyes don't just fall out." He reached up to check the top of his head for leftover eye parts, but she pushed his arm down. "I wouldn't do that. One moment, dear." She blinked, and he felt a breeze pass through his hair. "Yes, that's better now."
"What did--" Elliot stopped. "Never mind. I won't ask."
She smiled. "I am a Hag, and these words you must know. I'll always admire you, wherever you go."
Elliot grinned back at her. "Thanks, Agatha."
Mr. Willimaker ran up to Elliot. "Your Highness! Here's your crown!"
The crown was small enough that it would have fit better on Elliot's wrist than his head, but he put it on anyway. His family was given their choice of seats, and then Mr. Willimaker led Elliot up to his toadstool throne.
Fudd was already sitting beside Elliot's throne. He was facing backward and hopelessly trying to find his cup of Mushroom Surprise drink when Elliot sat down.
Gently, Elliot put a hand on Fudd's shoulder and steered him to the correct position. Then he handed Fudd his drink.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Fudd said.
Elliot picked up his own cup of Mushroom Surprise--his favorite of all Underworld foods--and clicked it against Fudd's cup. "Cheers!" he said.
"What should we toast to?" Fudd asked. "To a long reign for King Elliot, of course!"
"I think a better toast is a lifetime of happiness for all Underworld creatures," Elliot said.
"Yes, Your Highness." With that, Fudd pushed back his chair and stood. For once facing in the correct direction, he raised his cup to the crowd in front of him and said, "When Elliot was made our king, I was the last Brownie to cheer for him. So I want to be the first of all Underworld creatures to officially thank him for what he has done. In honor of Elliot Penster, king of the Brownies, may we toast to a lifetime of happiness for all creatures who helped bring peace to the Underworld. And a lifetime of happiness to the human, King Elliot, and his family and friends."
At once, the entire audience clicked their cups together and said, "To all, a lifetime of happiness."
With that, the dinner was served. Elliot ate very little of what was offered to him, in part because most of it wasn't food he really liked, but also because the only thing he really wanted to do was look over the crowd and try to memorize as many faces as he could.
When dinner was over, Mr. Willimaker nudged Elliot on the arm and asked, "Is there anything you want to say, Your Highness?"
There was. Elliot stood and the crowd went silent. "You've all said a lot of nice things about me ever since I became king," he began. "That's been really cool, but I think none of those things were true until I became the king. I was just an ordinary kid before. And the thing is, I'm still an ordinary kid. But I had to learn that even someone ordinary can do something extraordinary."
The creatures in the crowd looked at one another as if they wanted to clap for Elliot. But something in the way he spoke suggested he didn't want them to clap. He only wa
nted them to understand. So they nodded softly and waited for him to finish.
Elliot's smile widened. "When I first became king of the Brownies, they were ordinary too. But you all saw the way they fought yesterday. They might not have the strength of the Goblins, or the sneakiness of the Pixies, or the grace of the Elves. But you saw their bravery and loyalty in the fight against Kovol. They've learned to be extraordinary too." Then he looked down for a moment. "And because we both understand that, it's time for the Brownies to have a new king."
A gasp spread across the audience. Patches stood up from her seat and yelled out "No!" then ran up the aisle near him. When she got close, her father took her hand and held her back.
"You know it's time for this, and so do I." Elliot said it to everyone, but to his friends most of all. He would miss the Brownies and they would miss him, but they also deserved a ruler who could always be here in Burrowsville with them. And he was ready to just be Elliot Penster, ordinary eleven-year-old kid, again.
"What will we do without you?" Mr. Willimaker asked.
"You will be the chief royal advisor," Elliot said. "Any time the ruler of the Brownies needs help, you are the first person to talk to. No one gives better advice, and no one has served me with more loyalty."