A/N Hello Zander here. This is my very first Fanfic, been a fan for years and thought maybe it'd be a good idea to start. I wrote this because I just couldn't let the story end as it did in the book. I loved the series but it needed a little more. I originally planned for a short fluff but thought I should explain how it came to this so this chapter is more of a prologue or explanation. I'm new so please leave a review whether or not you liked the story, I'm open for both. To address me just call me Zander thanks hope you enjoy the story ;D
What to do about my hair? I had never thought I'd be asking myself this question, but I guess things change. I smiled as I ran my hand through my hair trying to push it to the side for a new look. "I wonder what Luxa would think?". Hmm, Luxa I silently whispered that name to myself letting the words roll off my tongue. I smiled once more thinking about our past and our future yet to come.
Future we actually had a future! Right after we had said our final goodbyes to all our friends and loved ones within the Underland my mother had been quick to try to get us all to pack and leave to Virginia to leave our old life behind. But as luck would have it, though could I really call it luck? my grandmother had come down with an illness. It was nothing serious a simple cold but as it is with the elderly even the common cold would prevent a prolonged trip. Keeping the family within New York if for a little while longer.
During that time Dad and I tried to make a final push to stay. Though at the time I had been on the wall about whether I should try to stay or leave, I realized as I spent the following week nursing my grandmother back to health I couldn't just run away from all of my friends and new found family within the Underland. I could no longer just leave everything that I had fought for behind, so I went to the more reasonable parent and pleaded with my father for his support. I had barely begun to say my rehearsed speech about how I couldn't leave family, I fought hard to attain peace within the Underland and couldn't leave the job half done, and how I might have started to have feelings for a certain Underland princess, but before I could he just raised his hand and said something I would've never expected.
"Son", my father began with a slight smile and that familiar twinkle in his eyes, "I've been waiting for you to say this, I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to leave. Especially after all you've been through down there." My father saw the surprise in my eyes knew I wouldn't be able to reply and continued, "Don't worry I know your mother may be a bit hysterical at the moment but she means well, she just wants what's best for you just let me talk to her and I'm sure it'll work out"
I looked at my father through fresh eyes I had thought of him as a hollow version of my father for quite a while. It wasn't too hard to guess why ever since He had fallen into the Underland and had been under the rat's hold for almost two years he had changed. When my father had left he had stood tall with a smile on his face, loved by all of his students, and seemed to have been able to take the world on by himself. When he returned he had become a completely different man, years of starvation and being kept in pitiful living conditions had robbed him of his health. He was pale, skinny, and prone to fitful sleep completely entrapped within nightmares. The man I saw before me was neither of the two, no longer was he the invincible dreamer but he was also no longer a walking corpse. he had begun to gain back his weight, his skin more than from the sun of the overland, he stood straighter than he had previously, though he still had a sadness in his eyes a slight flicker that took a sharp eye to see. He still had the pains of his past within him and would probably carry it for the rest of his life though he'd learned to live with it something that I could maybe learn from him.
"Thanks, dad", I mumbled softly, my eyes staring at my shoes which had suddenly become very interesting. I had lost the passion that I had mustered when I thought I'd have to fight for his support.
"You're welcome, son," he said his slight smile growing deeper.
The next few days went by surprisingly quick. My father kept to his word and spoke to my mother to loosen her up before I went to speak to her. I hadn't known exactly when he would decide to do it, but I had faith in my father and waited patiently.
I had hope that it'd work out in the end and maybe if I was lucky I'd be able to see her again. Though I had many loved ones within the Underland there was one that I wanted to see above the rest. The one that made my heart beat faster and my palms sweat just by thinking of her. The girl who even though when we had met I thought she was arrogant, stuck up, snob, I began to like her and as time went on I loved her. I began to love her confidence, her passion, her hope, her half smile, and maybe most of all her heart. It was her kindness that made me love her, even though she tried her best to hide it. Yes truly I had fallen in love with the future queen of the Underland and if I was lucky I'd see her again.
It was a quiet life until the night I awoke from a deep sleep with only slight nightmares by a shriek coming from downstairs. I quickly sat up my ranger senses at peak height I quickly ran to my bedroom door almost tripping across my scattered belongings when I paused at the door. I held my ranger side at bay I had a feeling I should wait before I left the room. The next yell came soon after I identified it as my mother's voice, though something was odd. The tone didn't suggest fear, at least not the fear someone has when they fear for their own safety. As I listened closely I could hear a fainter voice speaking in between my mother's screams, I listened closer and could make out my father's voice. Though I could not hear the exact words that he spoke I could tell that he was trying his best to speak in a calm reassuring voice while my mother went into hysterics.
"Grace please…" My father begged, "...we can't just uproot him like this, he needs them as much as they need him.. maybe even more!"
"No..no...no! There's just no way I'm going to let him g back to that place!" My mother nearing tears as she screamed, "I'm not strong enough… I can't lose him again."
"Grace…" my father began his tone leaning towards begging now, "you're going to lose him if you don't. Don't you see it? The way he sits alone in the park...the way he barely talks to anyone outside of this family, not even his own friends! Most of all the way other people act around him! It's like they know he's different but just doesn't understand why he's an outsider now to the other kids. When you look into his eyes he has a longing in them… a longing to return to people who can actually at least begin to understand him! Please for his sake we have to try!" My father finished sitting back into the chair losing some of his calm as he sank further into desperation.
My mother stared at him for a moment then said with a bit of resentment in her voice "You think I don't see that… you think I'm blind to what he feels?!" My mother continued gaining fervor as picked up the pace, " I see it! By God, I see it! But no matter what I see.." Her voice beginning to crack as it gave way to tears "I still remember what I saw down there. I saw Monsters, war and most of all death! I still remember when I was first able to begin walking after I was starting to get better in the hospital. Yeah, they let me walk the halls just to begin to get my strength back, one thing they didn't expect me to do was to walk too far, to just happen to look into a hospital room. You know what I saw?! I saw my baby, my twelve-year-old baby, in a hospital bed. Head to toes bandages everywhere, barely clinging onto life as there were gaping claw marks across his chest!" By now she had completely broken down now burying her face into my dad's chest. "I just can't lose him again.".
My father stroked her hair and spoke calmly into her ear, even though he himself was fighting tears, "I know we have to protect him.. but we're going to lose him if we take him away"
They stayed there for a while each holding onto each other as they tried to make sense in a senseless world.
I slowly closed my door and crept into my bed, I had much to think about as I lay there staring at the ceiling. I had no idea how much my mother had suffered, I mean, of course, I had an idea I was there every day with her after my dad went missing. But it was different seeing her raw emotions like this. I made a decision then, that no matter what choice my mother made I would listen to her. As much as I didn't want to lose my friends and new found family in the Underland I couldn't tear apart my blood family for my own happiness.
With these thoughts in my mind, I had slowly drifted off to sleep.
Luckily for me, sleep had come quickly and the following morning came even quicker. My parents had apparently made a decision while I was sleeping. The family would stay.
I was overjoyed when I had heard this! It was great news my parents had announced their decision at breakfast at the table, as I looked around the table I could see that I was not alone in my joy. Lizzie and boots were also overjoyed at the news, Lizzie with a small but bright smile and Boots was basically jumping up and down with Joy as she heard the news. Both my parents looked a little nervous, my mother especially, but each had a smile when they saw our reactions.
My joy wasn't even hampered when they began to explain that there would be some rules. Like any place I could go to I would have a curfew 10 pm on a school night and 12 am on the weekends I could only stay over if I asked permission first. As they listed the other rules I began to zone out, try as I might to stay focused on what my parents were saying my thoughts began to wander to a princess. I now had something I didn't have before, hope. We could pick up where we left off, maybe even go on a... date? I began to blush slightly at the thought and my attention came back to the conversation.
My parents explained that most importantly there would be a trial period for one month, during this time I was not allowed to enter the Underland without one of my parents with me. My jaw nearly dropped at this. With both of my parents working full-time jobs now that both of them were well on their way to recovery, I would have very little time to actually visit if any!
My father saw the surprise on my face "Sorry son.",as he took my mother's hands in his, "this is the best we can allow right now, we're still very scared of the dangers and we need to make sure that you can follow our rules. You may be the warrior of the Underland but you're still our son, we just wanna make sure you'll be ok". I nodded at this an accepted all rules that they had laid out. I was in no position to make demands and frankly, I was overjoyed to be able to stay.
"But.." My father continued "That doesn't stop you from say… inviting a friend over". He emphasized the word friend in his sentence ever so slightly as he looked me in the eyes. I simply nodded and smiled trying to not seem too eager and let my growing blush show. My father knew exactly who I wanted to see and I was glad he approved, I couldn't wait to see her, the one I loved. The princess of the Underland herself Luxa.
Thus ends the first chapter, I probably will only make it a two-parter with the next chapter being the date. Please tell me any criticism you may have, I only want to get better. Hope you all have a good day! ;D