Chapter 38: Looking Forward

A considerable length of time had passed whilst the group from Fablehaven proceeded to speak with Chief Williams. Without going into an extensive amount of detail, they told Chief Williams about the world of magic and mythical creatures that co-existed alongside the mortal world. They also spoke about Fablehaven, and how it was one of the many preserves throughout the world that served as a sanctuary for magical creatures.

"You know something," said Chief Williams, "I think my mind has officially been blown. Part of me still doesn't want to believe that anything you just told me about could actually be true. However, after everything I've seen lately, I don''t see how it could possibly be false."

"We're not joking here," said Seth. "All of it is absolutely real."

"I'm not calling anyone here a liar. But, even after everything that Dominera put me through, it still seems hard to believe. And now with her out of the picture, everything feels like it's back to normal. Like it was just some bad dream that I had."

Grandpa sighed. "That wasn't a dream, if you can believe it."

"I see," said Chief Williams. "But, why have you even been telling me all this? This magnitude of information sounds like the kind of thing that I'd never want to tell to another living soul if I actually knew about it."

"I'm not entirely sure. However, I wouldn't feel right leaving you in the dark."

"Then do you mind telling me how you managed to stop Dominera?"

"We're not at liberty to say," said Warren. "We'd prefer to not rock the boat, so to speak."

"We probably shouldn't be telling you everything," said Ingrid.

"Besides, who's to say you won't run around telling everyone about us?" asked Seth.

"I swear to you," said Chief Williams, holding up one hand, while placing the other over his heart, "that I will not tell anyone about anything that has happened, or what we have discussed in this room. Except for my wife."

"Your wife?" asked Kendra.

"She got lassoed into this ordeal as well. But I assure you that she and I will keep all of this a secret between ourselves. Our two children won't even know. I'm prepared to lie to them just to keep all of this under wraps."

"That's quite all right," said Grandpa. "In fact, I feel kind of relieved right now."

"Why's that?" asked Ingrid.

"We just told a law official the truth about Fablehaven. And he's agreed to not tell anyone else about it. It feels like I don't have anything to hide anymore."

"You know what," said Chief Williams. "If you have ever have any more unusual problems, don't be afraid to reach out to me. I realize that I know nothing about magical creatures and everything. But I'd be willing to provide assistance, without letting the rest of the force realizing what's up."

"Thank you," said Grandpa. "I'll be sure to keep in touch with you. Maybe we can do dinner some time."

"At your place?"

Grandpa winced. "Let's not get too carried away."

Chief Williams sighed. "I understand. "It's just... I wish I could see another magical creature again. Not another dragon, though. Maybe something a bit... friendlier."

Suddenly, Bracken, Bright and Clover all appeared next to the table, now in their full-sized bodies.

Chief Williams was speechless. He gazed at the three fairy angels, his mouth dropped open in awe. Grandpa, however, turned his head towards the three of them and glared.

"Satisfied?" asked Clover, smirking with admiration.

"My goodness," said Chief Williams. "You're fairies! You're glowing! You have such... magnificent wings!"

"Wait..." said Seth. "How can you see the fairies?"

"This morning, I drank some of the milk that Dominera provided me with," said Chief Williams. "She said that I need to drink it every day in order to see herself, as well as other magical creatures. I still have one bottle leftover."

"Keep it," said Grandpa. "It will last a lot longer than normal milk. And maybe someday, in the near future, you might end up with some more."

"Thank you," said Chief Williams. "But I have so many questions. Not just about these fairies. But about everything."

"All in due time. I think you've been through a lot already. "But I'll keep in touch. I promise."

Chief Williams leaned forward from his seat and extended his hand. "Thank you for being honest with me."

"You're welcome," said Grandpa, as he accepted Chief Williams' outstretched hand and shook it.

By the time that the SUV came to a stop near the front of the house at Fablehaven, the sun had long since set. Exhausted from everything that had transpired that day, the family stumbled out of the vehicle and made their way back into the house, where they got ready for bed. Before much longer, both Kendra and Seth had retired to their beds, and the two siblings soon fell into a deep sleep.

The following morning, after eating a scrumptious breakfast consisting of homemade cinnamon waffles, Kendra slipped out of the house by herself. Walking along one of the pathways that crossed through the woods, Kendra soon found herself standing in front of the old manor. Although Kendra did not usually travel to the manor without a given cause, in the back of her mind, she knew that this was where she needed to come.

Kendra unlocked the front door and entered the spacious foyer, where she made her way up two flights of stairs to the third floor. From there, she passed through a set of double doors that faced towards the rear side of the manor. On the other side of the doors was the manor's spacious master bedroom, now well-furnished with a large Persian carpet, as well as a king-size canopy bed, the head of which stood against the wall to Kendra's left. Kendra walked towards the large set of glass double doors that overlooked the forest behind the house and pushed them open, then stepped out onto a balcony.

With the morning sun rising to her right in the east, Kendra gazed out at the wall of foliage that stood before her, made up of a blend of autumn leaves and evergreen branches.

Now that enough time had passed, Kendra was beginning to have her doubts about the decision that she had made yesterday. While she did not feel comfortable holding onto her horn, she had consequently given up an incredible power. She literally had the opportunity to wish for anything that she could ever want! And it was rightfully hers, too. Right now, Kendra felt more empty than she ever had in her entire life.

"Kendra!" came Seth's voice from off to one side. Startled, Kendra turned her head and saw Skyfrost, who was in the midst of hovering off to the side of the balcony. Seated on his backside were Seth and Ingrid.

"Whoa," said Kendra. "You scared me. What are you guys doing here, anyway?"

"We should be the ones asking you that," said Ingrid, as Skyfrost came down for a landing on the balcony next to Kendra.

"Look, I came to give myself some space," said Kendra, as Seth and Ingrid climbed down from Skyfrost's backside. "Now who are you trying to fool? Clearly you followed me here."

"Are you okay, Kendra?" asked Skyfrost.

"Why should I be okay? I just forfeited my horn!"

"We know that," said Ingrid. "And we kind of wanted to talk to you about that."

"Why?"

"Are you kidding?" asked Seth. "That horn could fix everything! I get that you don't want to get involved with anything that might be too controversial, but there are some things that you could've done easily that wouldn't hurt anybody."

"You'd be helping people, not hurting them," said Ingrid.

"I know. And it's been on my mind all morning."

"Why can't you get your horn back?" asked Skyfrost. "Is something stopping you?"

Kendra stopped to think for a moment. Although she had entrusted her horn to the Fairy Queen for safekeeping, there was technically nothing she could think of that was preventing her from reclaiming it.

"I guess there isn't anything that's actually stopping me," said Kendra. "I'll just tell the Fairy Queen that I want it back. Simple as that. Bracken!"

There was a flash of white light, and Bracken suddenly materialized in front of Kendra. He bore a worried look on his face.

"Kendra," said Bracken, looking down at the fairykind girl, whose shoulder he placed a hand upon. "What is it?"

"Bracken, I need you to bring me back my horn," said Kendra.

"What?"

"Please. I gave it up prematurely. I'm asking to have it back. Just for a little while."

"Kendra, I can't exactly do that."

Kendra began to experience the feeling of her heart sinking down into her stomach.

"Why not?" exclaimed Seth. "It's her horn. Just head over to the Fairy Kingdom, pick it up and bring it back here."

Bracken shook his head. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ingrid.

"My mother agreed with Kendra to store her horn in a very safe place. It's in a special vault. One that's been magically linked to Kendra's soul."

"So what? asked Skyfrost. "Just open the vault."

"We... can't," said Bracken, shaking his head. "It's a magical lock. After the trouble we had with Oblivion and the instruments of eternal power, we've taken measures to increase our security. The vault can only be opened by Queen Kendra."

Kendra's jaw dropped. "Did you just call me a queen?"

"No. You haven't changed or anything. But in order to open the vault, you would need to bear the title of Fairy Queen."

"That's so stupid!" exclaimed Ingrid. "Why does Kendra need to be a queen just to open some door?"

"We applied powerful magic to securely seal the vault. In order to ensure that it would not be opened wrongly, it had to be made so that only Kendra herself could open it. And only when she is ready to accept the responsibility. Consequently, Kendra herself needs to be of a greater status than she is right now."

"So, unless Kendra becomes the Fairy Queen, we can never open the vault?" asked Seth. "What if there's an emergency, or something awful happens to Kendra?"

"There is a failsafe that will enable a member of the royal fairy family to open the vault prematurely should one of those situations arise," said Bracken. "We're not that stupid. But for the moment, it is literally impossible for anyone to breach the vault."

"No," said Ingrid. "There's got to be a way! What if one of you warped yourself in, using the Translocator or something?"

"No good," said Bracken, shaking his head. "The protection is simply that good. Almost too good."

"It's not the end of the world, is it?" asked Skyfrost. "I mean, it's not like there's anything bad that needs to be resolved right now."

Ingrid sighed. "Kendra. Your horn can do anything. It brought Warren, along with everyone else who got killed, back to life. It was as though they had never... left-"

Unable to continue speaking, Ingrid began to sob. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Ingrid," said Kendra. "I'm sorry. I realize now the potential that my horn has. But I was scared. Scared I might majorly screw everything up!"

"Ingrid could've had her parents back," said Skyfrost. "I could've had mine back, too."

"I get it," said Kendra. "I could've brought a lot of folks back to life. Lena. Coulter. Vanessa. But I was so desperate to distance myself from my horn's uncontrollable power, I didn't even think of it while I still had possession of it."

"There were a lot of things you could have fixed," said Seth.

"Like what?" asked Kendra. "Giving you your own private amusement park?"

"No. But hold onto that idea. I meant things like Mom's asthma. You could've wished for it to go away. Same with my allergy to cucumbers. Or Warren's allergies to certain nuts. Or what about..."

"Okay!" shouted Bracken, now speaking in a booming voice. "This really isn't helping!"

Bracken then placed a hand upon Kendra's shoulder. "Look, I know how upset you all are," he said, now speaking at a normal volume. "My father is still recovering. It's been a while, but there have been subtle signs of improvement."

"Well, that's great for you," moaned Ingrid, wiping away her tears.

"What I'm saying is, Kendra's horn isn't gone forever," said Bracken. "One day Kendra will be ready to reclaim her horn. But berating Kendra over what she neglected to do while she did have the horn isn't going to help. What happened in regard to everyone else isn't even her fault."

Skyfrost let out a deep breath. "You're right, Bracken. Even though our true parents are gone, Firesquall and I are already more than thankful for the family we now have here at Fablehaven."

Ingrid continued to cry. "Coming to Fablehaven may have been the best thing that's ever happened to me. But at the same time, I miss my parents so much. The opportunity for them to actually come back... It was right there! And I missed it."

"Bracken," said Seth. "If Kendra were to become the Fairy Queen today, would she technically be able to open the vault?"

Bracken paused for a moment and rubbed his forehead. "In theory, yes. But Kendra would have to willingly accept the crown, and I don't believe that my mother..."

"No!" blurted Kendra. "I'm not ready for that! I don't want to become the Fairy Queen. I don't feel ready. I realize that all of you are anxious for me to reclaim my horn. But that's precisely the thing. It's my horn! If it weren't for me, this horn wouldn't even exist."

Ingrid wiped away the last of her tears. Without saying anything, Ingrid approached Kendra and threw her arms around her. "Kendra. I'm sorry. I shouldn't blame you for any of this. I don't care whether you're fairykind, a unicorn, or whatever. You're my sister. And I love you. I love my entire family here at Fablehaven."

Without saying a word, Seth embraced himself in a hug with Kendra and Ingrid, along with Bracken. Skyfrost went ahead and wrapped his wings around the entire group.

"Come on," said Kendra. "Let's go back home with the others. I'd like to spend some time with my family."

Kendra, Seth, Ingrid and Bracken all walked back through the woods towards the main house, while Skyfrost followed overhead. After returning home, they opted to take it easy throughout the day. Mrs. Sorenson and Warren had both cancelled their lessons for the next week, just so that everyone could take a well-deserved break.

Once dinner time had rolled around, the family made their way out into the backyard, where several tables had been set up. In addition to the Sorenson household, the dragons were also there, along with many other guests including Newel and Doren, Hugo, Mendigo, Stargleam, Windshear, Air Flair, Keenheart, the reindeer, numerous fairies and fairy angels, Tanu, the Larsens and more.

The family greeted their many guests, and everyone feasted themselves to a wonderful buffet, consisting of foods such as a variety of soups, salads, roast chicken, pastas, roast beef, pizza, baked fish, several varieties of potatoes, pilaf, steamed vegetables and more.

Once everyone was finished eating, Grandpa tapped his wine glass with a spoon, garnering the attention of everyone who was at the dinner.

"Thank you," said Grandpa, who was now being eyed by everyone in the room. "Tonight we are here not only to honor the valiant Knights of the Dawn. For we have another special surprise. Dragons, it's time."

"Okay," said Raxtus, as he reached over and picked up Vanessa, then set her down on top of the table that the dragon family was standing in front of.

The entire crowd began to sing Happy Birthday. As the singing commenced, a court of fairies began flying around in circles on the table in front of where Vanessa was standing. A large rectangular cake, coated entirely with purple frosting and pink trim, suddenly materialized on the table where the fairies had been flying. Consisting of only one layer, the cake had a single, alit candle on one side of the cake, right in front of Vanessa.

Vanessa stared at the cake that had appeared before her. She then looked around and saw that everyone else was staring at her.

"Go on, Vanessa," said Geminus. "Blow out the candle."

"And make a wish," said Raxtus. "They work for Kendra, at least."

"MAAA!" screamed Vanessa. "MAAA!"

"Vanessa, don't be scared!" cried Firesquall. "Blow out the candle!"

"Yeah, like this!" said Skyfrost, as he mouthed a blowing motion and let out a soft breath.

Vanessa watched as her brothers both pointed at the burning candle with their wings. She positioned her face in front of the candle and opened her mouth, but no breath came out from it. Instead, Vanessa grabbed the candle and plucked it out of the cake.

"Whoa..." said Grandma, as Vanessa swooshed the candle around in the air. She then placed her other claw against the flame, extinguishing it into a streak of smoke.

"WHOO!" cheered Warren, clapping his hands. Others members of the group joined in on the cheering as well.

"That's one way of blowing out a candle," said Mr. Sorenson.

"Thank god this wasn't a human child trying that," said Mrs. Sorenson.

Afterwards, the cake had been cut up, and everyone was served a slice. Afterwards everyone got up from their spot and began mingling with one another.

"Kendra!" exclaimed Warren, as he walked over towards Kendra, holding a plate with a slice of cake on it in one hand. Kendra figured that this slice wasn't Warren's first.

"What is it?" asked Kendra.

"It may be Vanessa's birthday, but I have something for you."

"It's not more cake, is it?"

Warren chuckled, as he set his plate down on a nearby table. "No. Kendra, I wanted to thank you for bringing me back. So I'm giving you my favor from the Fairy Queen."

"You're what?" asked Kendra, who couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I mean it. You used up your favor to become a unicorn again. And I don't know when you'll become Queen yourself. Anyway, Clover spoke to the Fairy Queen about it earlier, and the Fairy Queen agreed. So, congratulations, Kendra. It's yours now. As long as you can't access your horn, I figured why not?"

"Warren... Thank you. I don't know what to say."

"Whatever you do with it, enjoy yourself," said Warren, as he gave Kendra a hug.

Just after Warren walked away from Kendra, Bracken approached her. Kendra suddenly began to experience a tingling feeling inside herself. But she was unable to fathom why.

"You having a good time, Kendra?" asked Bracken.

"I sure am!" exclaimed Kendra. "Did you hear what Warren just did?"

"I'm aware of it," said Bracken. "Now, it's not as impressive, but I'd like to give you something, too. You mind coming with me?"

"Sure," said Kendra, as she followed Bracken around the side of house.

"It's hard to believe that Vanessa is already one year old," said Bracken.

"I know. She was born very quickly for a dragon. But we think that's probably due to her being born a fairy dragon."

Soon Bracken and Kendra arrived at the front porch of the house. Bracken sat down on the porch swing and gestured for Kendra to sit beside him, so she complied.

"You said you wanted to give me something?" asked Kendra.

Without saying anything, Bracken puckered his lips and planted them upon Kendra's. Kendra experienced a feeling of total bliss as she felt energy flowing out of Bracken's lips, into her own, which continued to course throughout the rest of her body.

"Bracken," said Kendra, who still felt tingly even after backing her head away from her boyfriend. "I feel weird."

"Kendra, what's wrong?" asked Bracken.

Before she could respond, Kendra body began to rapidly transmogrify itself into her unicorn form. Due to her weight, the chains of the swing popped out of the porch ceiling that they had been bolted to, causing the seat to come crashing down to the floor with Kendra and Bracken still on it.

"BRACKEN!" screamed Kendra, still in a sitting position. "What happened? Why am I a unicorn again? What did you do?"

"I don't know!" exclaimed Bracken. "Look at you!"

"What are you talking about?"

Bracken waved his hand and conjured up a mirror, which he levitated in front of Kendra's face. Kendra could see that she was indeed in her unicorn form once again. However, she did not bear a horn on her forehead.

"My horn!" cried Kendra, as she got up onto her four hooved legs. She stepped away from the broken swing, which now sat on the floor of the porch. "Look at this mess!"

"Calm down," said Bracken softly, as he waved his hands around. Colorful sparkles flew out of Bracken's fingertips and onto the swing. The swing rose up into the air, while its chains reconnected themselves back into the sockets in the ceiling. From what Kendra could tell, it looked as though the swing had never been broken in the first place.

"That's amazing!" said Kendra. "But, how did I even become a unicorn? Or whatever a hornless unicorn is called. I don't know. Just change me back to normal, please."

Bracken hesitated for a moment. He then closed his eyes and proceeded to transform into his own unicorn form.

"What are you doing?" asked Kendra.

"Kendra, being a unicorn is perfectly natural for you," said Bracken, as he walked off the porch and onto the front lawn. "There's nothing to worry about. If anything, you should learn to accept it."

"Really?" asked Kendra, as she walked over to Bracken's side.

"Absolutely."

"Okay. But is that any reason to just up and transform me into a unicorn?"

Bracken shook his head. "It wasn't on purpose. Remember. You already are a unicorn, even if you don't have full control over your power. Your body was just reacting to my power when we kissed. If anything, you assuming your unicorn form was completely natural."

"I think I get it now," said Kendra. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you're happy," said Bracken. "I'll turn you back into a human now."

"No, wait!" cried Kendra. "Let me stay a unicorn a little while longer."

"You mean it?" asked Bracken.

"I might as well start getting used to it," said Kendra as she proceeded to walk into the woods with Bracken by her side.

"Kendra, be you a human or a unicorn, I love you just the way you are."

Kendra blushed. "Thank you, Bracken. "But, even when I do mature some more, how will I know if I'd be able to control my horn?"

"The vault confining your horn may be impenetrable, but we're still able to analyze your horn within it from outside. We're hoping that by studying your horn, you can later reclaim it and have a better understanding of how to control it."

Kendra was beginning to undergo a feeling of true bliss. "Bracken, you have no idea how happy I am right now. With Dominera out of the picture, and with my horn in safekeeping, do you think we'll ever experience any more hardships?"

Bracken shook his head. "Kendra, I think that for now, all of us can finally live in peace."

The End