Author's Note:
The lyrics used in this story are from Taylor Swift's "Long Live" and belong to her, and the characters used are from the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. The only part I can claim to own is the characters I made up, but even they would not exist without the geniuses credited above.
Long Live
Bracken couldn't stop smiling as he left the shrine to the Fairy Queen at Fablehaven. It wasn't an over-excited, kid-on-Christmas-morning, uncontrollable grin, because he rarely showed that much emotion, but nonetheless, he was happy. It was the first time in almost three months he had returned from the Fairy Realm to see Kendra. He was absolutely sick of the stiff and proper atmosphere that pervaded the Fairy Realm. His centuries in the dungeon at Living Mirage had changed him, exposed him to the intense emotions that humanity experiences, so much that the peaceful life of a unicorn almost bored him.
He stepped into the silver canoe at the edge of the pond that always awaited him when he visited. It didn't wobble at all when he trusted his weight to it, courtesy of the naiads. Though they didn't worship unicorns like fairies did, they felt a grudging admiration for them and respected them. The canoe seemed to float of its own accord to the other side of the pond. When they reached the far shore, Bracken exited the canoe and whispered, "Thank you," in the fairy language to the still water. A flurry of giggles erupted beneath the surface, but was quickly stifled.
Bracken walked up the path to the main house. Peaceful forest sounds filled the air around him – a pair of dwarfs heading home after a day's work, a group of satyrs playing football. As he walked, a brave fairy flitted up to him, showing off her new rose-petal dress. He nodded his approval and the fairy flushed with joy. Slowly, a crowd of fairies gathered around him, following him when he continued walking.
About halfway to the house, he spied Kendra on the trail ahead. The fairies noticed, too, and flew away, sulking.
"Hey," he called, walking toward her.
"Hi," she replied with a smile.
They usually met in the middle like this, both too anxious to wait for the other. Bracken slowed as he reached her, surprised when she hesitated. She appeared to have something on her mind.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" he suggested. He suspected that whatever she wanted to say would be best said away from the crowded house.
"Sure," Kendra agreed, smiling again. They turned on a different path, heading toward a relatively safe part of the preserve.
"You seem nervous," Bracken said kindly. "What's on your mind?"
Kendra swallowed uncomfortably. "I wanted to ask you something, but I was worried it was a little personal."
"Go ahead, it's fine," he assured her.
"I was wondering… what it was like… when you were in the dungeon, at Living Mirage," she said hesitantly.
I said, "Remember this moment"
In the back of my mind
Bracken breathed in sharply as memories bubbled to the surface, already disturbed by his thoughts from earlier. It was a very personal question, but Kendra couldn't have guessed how deeply his time spent there had affected him.
The time we stood with our shaking hands
The crowds in stands went wild
A certain time period came to mind. Just a few short years, but unquestionably the best time he had in the dungeon.
A specific event:
He stood in what would later become the dungeon rec center, but was at the time only known as the largest room in the dungeon. It was the only place those who were known as the leaders of the revolution could fit comfortably. Against his wishes, Bracken was considered one of the leaders. He had only been in the dungeon for a few years, but something about him caused the others to follow him. He was also considered the voice of wisdom on the unofficial "council," and the others looked to him for advice.
This particular night, though, Marilyn had the stage, and Bracken was mainly there for moral support. She was trying to drum up support for a revolt. Ever since Old John, the prisoner who had been in the dungeon the longest, had told them about the last big revolt, nearly fifty years ago, she had been determined to do something about their terrible situation. She couldn't seem to accept that it was nonnegotiable. There was no way out; imprisonment for life. But she seemed ready to die trying. He desperately wished that she would settle for something less drastic.
We were the kings and the queens
And they read off our names
"But who could lead us?" challenged a burly man named Gardner.
"Bracken, of course," piped up Anna. She was young, far too young to be in a dungeon, only thirteen. Marilyn had taken her under her wing and now she was their strongest supporter.
"Would you be willing to lead us?" William asked Bracken directly. He knew that Bracken resented the position of authority that rested on his shoulders, and he wanted to ensure that Bracken had at least the illusion of choice in the matter.
Bracken nodded solemnly. "Of course."
The night you danced like you
Knew our lives would never be the same
That night, the prisoners celebrated in their quiet, subdued way. They couldn't assemble in large groups or speak too loudly, but if two people passed each other in the cramped corridors, they would pause and exchange hushed words of excitement: finally, they were going to be doing something worthwhile! Benny dug up a violin from who-knows-where and played short tunes when no guards were around.
You held your head like a hero
On a history book page
Bracken and Marilyn sat in one of the infrequently-used passageways, near Bracken's cell, as alone as one could get in the dungeon. Though it was hours until mealtime, the only time guards usually came this deep in the dungeon, they spoke quietly to avoid detection.
"You don't have to do this, you know," Marilyn whispered.
"I do," Bracken replied emphatically. He had been thinking about it for the past few hours. "The Sphinx views the prisoners as disposable. Since most of us are threats to him, he'll kill us with the slightest excuse. But it's very hard to kill a unicorn, and I think he wants me alive. I can't let the others go off alone."
Marilyn leaned against him. "I thought you'd say that."
It was the end of a decade
But the start of an age
She sighed contentedly. "Finally – we're going to do something about this. It's inhumane."
Bracken sighed, too, but he didn't force the argument they'd had many times previously.
She still knew what he meant. "Don't give me that. I think that maybe, just maybe, if we can get a big enough riot going, the Sphinx might listen to reason." Sensing that he was about to say something, she put her finger to his lips. "And even if we don't succeed, it feels good to be doing something other than tunneling all day."
Bracken tried to put his thoughts together so she would understand his point of view. "I know what you mean, in a way. When they told us about the revolts, I thought the same. But then I thought about all the other things they said… People die, Marilyn. The Sphinx always wins. There's no hope."
He thought Marilyn seemed a little smug. "We'll see."
Long live the walls we crashed through
How the kingdom lights shined
Just for me and you
I was screaming, "Long live
All the magic we made"
And bring on all the pretenders
One day, we will be remembered
Bracken thought back to everything that had led up to the eventual riot. Nearly every night the council had met to discuss plans, and these plans spread like wildfire. Whenever he passed someone in the hallway, they would cheerfully salute him. He smiled sadly, remembering how much faith they had had in the revolt.
Marilyn had been saluted, too, because everyone had known it had been her idea. Every time someone had done so, she had grown even more excited. When she and Bracken were alone, he had helped her compose invigorating speeches. She had told the people that they may not win, but everything they did against the Sphinx made their time in the dungeon worthwhile. They would, she had encouraged, go down in history as the bravest prisoners in the dungeon.
Sometimes, though, she had let a solemn, often wise thought escape her bright façade.
I said, "Remember this feeling"
I passed the pictures around
Of all the years that we
Stood there on the sidelines
Wishing for right now
Even when they weren't preparing for the rebellion, Bracken and Marilyn spent most of their time together. Oftentimes, they just sat and talked. Marilyn always wanted to know about what Bracken had done before coming to Living Mirage, and he asked her about her time in the wild as a researcher. This time, however, Marilyn brought up the impending revolt.
"You should remember this for the rest of your life," she said seriously.
"Why?" Bracken asked. "I'm not being sarcastic, since if I ever get out of this dungeon I will remember all the sacrifices that were made here, but I'm curious to know why you think I should."
"You hit the nail on the head," Marilyn replied. "People made sacrifices. I know I've seen a fair few people who would have given anything to be doing what we're doing now, but they were silenced before they could really speak out. Think of them three days from now, when we're doing what they hoped to do. And when you get out of here, even if it's a thousand years from now, think about all of us who would have given everything to be with you, the ones who didn't survive."
"I will," Bracken promised.
We are the kings and the queens
You traded your baseball cap for a crown
The final three days passed in a blur. The plan was to rebel at mealtime, and the council met a few hours before then to discuss what they would do.
"We have elected Bracken as our leader," stated William. "He will be one of the designated attackers. Am I correct in assuming that you would also like to lead the assault, Marilyn?"
She nodded confidently, but Bracken, who was holding her hand, detected uncertainty and hesitation.
"Don't worry," he whispered encouragingly.
When they gave us our trophies
And we held them up for our town
"In order to take out the guards, you'll need a weapon," growled Gardner. From his pocket he pulled two knives. The hilts were stone, recognizable of the same stone that formed the walls of the dungeon, but the blades were actually metal. Sharp metal, by the look of it. The council members gasped as one. It had been many years since any of them had seen a real weapon.
"Where did you get them?" breathed John.
"Smuggled the blades in when I was captured," Gardner explained gruffly. "Been saving 'em for a special occasion."
Waves of revulsion flowed off of Marilyn at the thought of having to hurt or kill someone, but she quickly brought them in check. Bracken squeezed her hand comfortingly. Gardner handed one knife to each of them.
Bracken forced himself to skip ahead. He had no desire to relive the rest of that horrible night. He thought, instead, of what happened after the revolt.
And the cynics were outraged
Screaming, "This is absurd"
A few days after the failed rebellion, Bracken was summoned to the Sphinx's office. When a goblin guard came to escort him, he briefly considered resisting, but dismissed the idea as soon as he thought of it. All the fight had left him.
Soon he sat on one of the plush cushions that littered the ground of the Sphinx's study. The Sphinx sat on the floor opposite him. Once it would have unnerved him to see his enemy behaving in such a friendly manner, but by now he was used to it.
"I think you know why I brought you here," the Sphinx said gravely.
Bracken didn't answer.
The Sphinx sighed at his lack of response. He continued, "When the goblin brought me the news two nights ago, frankly, I was shocked. It seemed illogical. I knew you prisoners had organized yourselves enough to dig around a tad, but I never imagined you were capable of something like this. If you hadn't killed one of my most efficient guards and permanently lamed another, I might have been impressed." He smiled jokingly, but it didn't reach his eyes. Bracken didn't need to hold his hand to know that the Sphinx was dangerously angry.
'Cause for a moment a band of thieves
In ripped-up jeans got to rule the world
"I summoned you to deliver a warning," said the Sphinx. "I know you all are probably patting yourselves on the back for catching me off guard and for taking out a few goblins before your friend was disarmed. But you would do well to remember exactly who is in charge. Of course," he added maliciously. "I suspect last night's spectacle was enough that you won't forget."
Long live the walls we crashed through
How the kingdom lights shined
Just for me and you
Bracken returned to his cell feeling utterly defeated. It was like the Sphinx's last comment had broken something inside of him. But he dared not let it show. He could almost feel the others' eyes boring into him, their faces pressed up against their meal slots, watching him to see if he was all right. They would see their proud leader with his head held high. They would see that he believed that someday, some how, they would be free. He owed it to Marilyn to have them see this.
I was screaming, "Long live
All the magic we made"
And bring on all the pretenders
I'm not afraid
He wouldn't dwell on her last hours. He would think of how proud she would have been that he continued to lead, even when they had failed, since she knew it was something he had done reluctantly in the past. But she would have seen how he embraced that leadership now, how he made it his personal mission to accomplish everything she had wanted to do.
Long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life
Fighting dragons with you
From that day forth, whenever Bracken lacked motivation, he thought of what had driven Marilyn. She had refused to be set back by anything. Even though the Sphinx had collapsed some of their passageways, they could just tunnel through again like they always did. And if that didn't invigorate him, he thought of Marilyn alone. How happy she had seemed to be, even in their dismal situation. She had once said that her time in the dungeon was the highlight of her life. She said she had a purpose, a sense of belonging.
I was screaming, "Long live
That look on your face"
And bring on all the pretenders
One day, we will be remembered
Bracken took a deep breath after reliving these memories. It was like he had gone through that whole painful period all over again. And now, just like he had after he accepted the leadership, he thought he could remember the events of the revolt without being overcome by grief.
He knelt on the floor in front of the opening where his evening meal would be delivered. In his right hand he clutched the knife given to him by Gardner, in his left a small stone. He had to time this perfectly, or the riot would be over before it began.
Torchlight appeared at the end of the corridor. The goblin was coming. Bracken waited, his heart hammering, as the goblin delivered food to the other prisoners in the hallway. Soon it was two cells away. One cell. He had to act now.
Just as the goblin knelt in front of his cell to deliver the usual glop, Bracken flicked the pebble through the meal slot. It rattled across the floor, colliding with a pipe with a loud clang.
"Who's there?" rasped the goblin, looking around suspiciously. Just as Bracken had hoped, it twisted around, still on its knees, to scan for danger, leaving its waist unguarded. Bracken sliced at its belt with the knife. Steel cleaved through leather, and he caught the goblins key ring as it slid off the belt. The goblin, unable to locate the source of the noise, turned back to Bracken's cell. It slid the meal mat under the door and moved on to the next one.
Bracken couldn't believe his luck. He hoped Marilyn had been as fortunate, three floors above him. But now he needed to move quickly, since the goblin could realize its keys were missing at any moment. He rapidly found the key to his cell and removed it from the ring. Carefully, he slid it through the meal slot. He closed his eyes and willed the key to float off the ground and slide into the keyhole. Once this would have been as easy as walking down the street, but now it was barely within his capabilities. He cursed silently as the key slipped and scraped against the door to his cell. He tried to draw strength from his horns along the thin strands of power that connected them to him, but they were too far away. The key slipped again, and Bracken only regained control when it was just a few inches above the ground. He took a deep breath and tried again, steadily raising the key until it was level with the keyhole. He turned it experimentally, and the lock clicked.
He almost laughed with delight. For the first time in years, he was free!
Hold on to spinning around
Confetti falls to the ground
He pushed open the door to his cell and stepped into the hallway outside. He had the keys, and he itched to free the prisoners, but first he had to get rid of the goblin. As quietly as possible, he crept up behind it. As it bent over to deliver food to the next prisoner, he stabbed it with his knife. The goblin cried out and opened its mouth to call for guards, but Bracken slit its throat. The goblin collapsed to the ground. Its torch fell from its lifeless grip and went out.
Bracken turned to the cell in front of him. He examined the keys until he found the one that would fit the lock. He released the prisoner, a young man named Louis. Louis broke into a grin as he stepped into the passageway. Bracken removed half of the keys from the ring and handed them to him. "Move quickly," he instructed. "Try not to make noise unless you have to."
Within minutes they had assembled a large group of prisoners. Louis had risked a trip to the next floor above, but the goblin's keys only worked on this floor. It was fewer people than Bracken had hoped, but it would have to do. When they combined with the prisoners Marilyn had hopefully freed, at least, they would be a sizable group.
At no particular signal, the prisoners surged forward, heading for the staircase that led to the upper levels of the dungeon. Bracken soon found several people between him and the front of the group. He pushed past people, trying to reach the front lines. Those who led the group would bear the brunt of the attack. Humans were so fragile, and couldn't heal as quickly as he could. He had to shield them from the worst.
When they reached the fifth level beneath the Great Ziggurat, four floors above where they had started, they caught up with Marilyn's group. Bracken ran to join Marilyn at the head of the pack. She was breathless from excitement and exertion, her cheeks flushed pink, but she broke into a run, pushing the pace.
May these memories break our fall
On the fourth level beneath the pyramid, Bracken saw a light ahead.
"Torches," he warned. Marilyn nodded in acknowledgement and started to draw her knife, but Bracken stopped her. "If they catch you with a weapon, they'll kill you."
They rounded a corner and saw four figures ahead. Two, shorter than the others, were clearly goblins. Bracken recognized the third as the Sphinx. He had never seen the fourth, an old man with wrinkled, bronze-colored skin and a long, white beard. The old man raised his arm and chanted something in an unfamiliar language (which was impressive, because Bracken knew many languages), and Bracken suddenly felt like he was moving through syrup. The prisoners around him had slowed, too. His vision grew foggy and it became difficult to concentrate. Wasn't he doing something important? But it would be so much easier to give in to the darkness. The last thing Bracken remembered before blacking out was the sight of a straight, spiraling cone. He knew this was significant, but there was nothing he could do about it, and darkness closed over him.
Bracken felt like he was swimming deep in an ocean of blackness. He knew he had to reach the surface, to return to the waking world, but the light remained far above him. Eventually, he gave in and decided to wait for consciousness to return.
He reviewed the events of the riot. The old man had clearly been a wizard, and had cast a spell to put the prisoners in an enchanted sleep, making them easy to recapture. It was powerful magic, and even a wizard would have needed something to amplify his powers… the unicorn horn, Bracken realized. It was his second horn, which the Sphinx had taken from him when he was captured. If only been able to reclaim his horn! The revolt may have succeeded.
The light above him became brighter, penetrating the darkness. Blurred shapes formed before his eyes.
Someone was calling his name.
"Bracken! Wake up!"
Can you take a moment
Promise me this
"Marilyn?" He blinked and everything came into focus. Marilyn was bending over him, her concern plain on her face. They were alone in a cell, not unlike his own cell (all the cells were of the same design, of course), but not one he had been in before. Judging by the newer-looking stone walls, it was on one of the upper levels.
When she saw that he was awake, Marilyn looked relieved for a second, but her relief was quickly replaced by worry. "The Sphinx will come for us at any moment, but first I need to tell you something," she said in a rush.
That you'll stand by me forever
But if, God forbid, fate should step in
"I'm going to die today," Marilyn whispered. "They blame you for the rebellion, but they hope to break your spirit rather than execute you, because you're a valuable prisoner." Bracken tried to interrupt, but she plowed on. "I want you to know that I love you, that I have loved you since the first day you were brought to this dungeon. I don't know if you feel the same, but I had to let you know before I die."
"Marilyn, I-" Bracken began. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know much about human emotions, but he knew it meant a lot to love someone. Even after thousands of years of wandering among humans, he had never truly experienced life the way they had until he came to the dungeon. There was so much anger and hate and resentment in the air that he had quickly become familiar with them. But love…
"I know," she interrupted. "You're unfamiliar with it. You could never love me back."
And force us into a goodbye
If you have children someday
"But someday," she went on, "someday, even if it's hundreds of years after I'm gone, you'll meet a girl, and you'll know how to love her. And when you do, you'll know who I love you."
"Marilyn, I'm sorry," he whispered. He wished with all his heart that he could return her affection, but he didn't know how. It didn't seem appropriate.
"You have nothing to apologize for," she said softly. "Just love her like I love you." She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.
Those were her last words to him.
When they point to the pictures
Please tell them my name
Bracken returned abruptly to the present. He glanced guiltily at Kendra. How much had he said aloud?
She seemed a little surprised, but not hurt. "Wow. I had no idea… I didn't know that it meant so much to you."
He realized that it did. "I mark those first few years as the beginning of my real life," he said, surprising himself. "I realized what it meant to be human."
"You mentioned a girl named Marilyn a few times," Kendra said. "Who was she?"
Tell them how the crowds went wild
Tell them how I hope they shine
"She was…" Bracken searched for words to describe her without giving Kendra the wrong impression. "She was my closest friend in the dungeon, even though she was only there for the first few years. She was also the main reason we had that rebellion, since she was determined to do something."
"If she was only there for the first few years, then did she… how did she…" Kendra didn't finish, but Bracken knew what she meant.
"The Sphinx tortured her and then killed her after we were caught," he said quietly.
"I'm so sorry," Kendra murmured.
Long live the walls we crashed through
I had the time of my life with you
"She always said her time in the dungeon was the best part of her life," Bracken said. "I thought so, too, no matter how much I hated being imprisoned. It was so different from anything I had experienced before. And then I met you, and I knew exactly what Marilyn was talking about before she died."
"I think I know how she felt," Kendra mused. "She wanted to do something important. She wanted her life to mean something."
Long, long live the walls we crashed through
How the kingdom lights shined
Just for me and you
I was screaming, "Long live
All the magic we made"
And bring on all the pretenders
I'm not afraid
"Not many people know what exactly went on in the dungeon," Bracken said. "So many years have passed, and even if the prisoners had lived full lives, most would have been forgotten anyway. Hardly anyone knows what a difference we made in each other's lives. I may not live forever, but I intend to treasure these memories for as long as I can, in honor of those that no one else will remember."
Singing long live
All the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life
Fighting dragons with you
And long, long live
The look on your face
And bring on all the pretenders
One day, we will be remembered
Author's Note:
I confess that when I first got Taylor Swift's album Speak Now, I didn't listen to this song very often, since it was the last one. One time, though, when I was at the end of the album and listening to this song, I wasn't really paying attention, until I realized, "Wait a minute, did she just say 'fighting dragons?'" Being as obsessed as I am with fantasy, I latched onto all the references to medieval times in this song and it was quickly added to my favorites list.
For a while now I've been planning to do a fanfiction about Bracken's time in the dungeon at Living Mirage, because I've noticed that whenever I see his name on a story, it's attached to Kendra's. I tried to get the gist of my thoughts out through this story. I always imagined that there would be a girl (of course) who would eventually be executed, but most of the ideas didn't really materialize until I started combining my thoughts with the lyrics of this song.
I apologize if this story seemed a little scrambled to you, because I had specific thoughts that fit with specific lyrics, and they didn't necessarily go in chronological order. That's why I chose to have it from the point of view of Bracken remembering the events, so I could put them in whatever order I wanted. The hardest part to work with was the chorus, because it basically repeated the same ideas three times, hence the large blocks of text at the end of the story.
One last comment I have about this fanfic (This is a long author's note, I know. Sorry xD) is that it got way more romantic than I meant for it to in the beginning. I'm still experimenting with love and such between Bracken and Kendra; hopefully this came out better than the first time I tried it out in my other Fablehaven story, Eternity.
I get the feeling that whenever I try to be philosophical or poetic, or try to express a great idea through writing, my thoughts don't come out coherently. Hopefully you can understand what I was trying to say throughout this story (and in some of my author's note, now that I think about it xD).
I hope you enjoyed it! All comments and critique are appreciated.