Even though both Dale and Warren had been raised in Fablehaven, Dale thought that the magical preserve was no place for a child. It was really dangerous, both for the curious kids who were often far too excited about magic to be cautious about it, and for the creatures who weren't used to humans going out of their way to mess with them.
Warren had been a handful as a kid, but he hadn't caused all that much trouble. For the most part, Warren followed the guidelines that were given to him. Warren had been smart enough to know that he wasn't smart enough to sneak around Dale, Lena, and the Sorensons. If they told him he couldn't do something, he fought and argued, but ultimately did as he was told...for the most part.
Dale had gotten so used to Warren, that having any other child around Fablehaven just felt unnatural. It didn't happen very often, but Stan and Ruth occasionally invited their grandchildren to the preserve. They never stayed for longer than a few days, but it was still hard. It had been one thing to keep the magic of the preserve a secret when Scott, Sophie, and Carl had come to visit, because at that time they'd all been older teenagers who had outgrown their child-like curiosity and desire to explore. They had barely ever left the house, let alone the yard.
Stan and Ruth's children had been easy to handle, but their grandchildren, who were younger, more curious, and more prone to getting bored, were a challenge.
Dale had felt awkward around all of the grandchildren because keeping secrets while keeping the children safe from danger that they didn't know about was exhausting. However, that was nothing compared to the chaos and headache that came when the latest grandchildren, Seth and Kendra, learned about Fablehaven's secrets and then decided that they wanted to know everything.
They were good kids, and complete naturals at being part of this world, but they were far too young to be as reckless as they were. Sometimes Dale thought that Seth and Kendra were too eager about all of this magic business. They reminded him a bit of how Warren had been these past couple of years, after he'd gotten himself involved with the Knights of the Dawn. Warren's eagerness for adventure had landed him in a lot of trouble that they were still trying to figure out. And unlike the children, Warren had had years of training and experience.
Kendra seemed to have a better head on her shoulders than her brother did. She was more cautious, and she actually seemed to think about the consequences of the actions of her and those around her.
Seth was just excited. There wasn't necessarily anything wrong with that, but it did get old sometimes. After all the excitement with Muriel and the demon Bahumet, they'd all wanted nothing more than to take a day, or a week, off from all work. Unfortunately, not all of them could afford to take that much needed break.
After the disastrous festival night, there was a very good chance that Muriel hadn't been the only one that had taken the opportunity to cause trouble. Stan had to go around Fablehaven and make sure that there wasn't any trouble that was going to sneak up on them. With Lena gone, Ruth took up the responsibility of fixing up the yard and making sure that Seth and Kendra stayed out of trouble.
Dale would have normally helped either Stan or Ruth, but he had a bigger priority to worry about. He hadn't been able to spend as much time with Warren as he would have liked to lately, because Stan had wanted another set of eyes keeping an eye on Kendra and Seth while they were there. Dale had only put the bare minimum into taking care of his brother, because he couldn't afford to do more.
Dale didn't like leaving his brother to his own devices, but he'd told himself that it was just temporary and Warren would be okay. However, there was a big difference between just seeing Warren for a few minutes at a time, just a few times a day, and not seeing Warren at all. Dale knew that the cabin should be secure and safe, but the main house should be as well, even on festival nights. Dale didn't want to just assume that Warren was safe. So as soon as he knew that all of the Sorensons were okay, he'd immediately headed to the cabin.
Warren ended up being just fine. Dale could tell that he was really scared, and considering that Dale hadn't been by in a full day, he knew he had to be hungry. However, Dale had seen Warren in worse condition. He could handle fear and hunger.
Dale would love to stay at Warren's side for the next few weeks, at the very least, but he had other things he had to do. Dale gave himself a full day with Warren before he figured that he should return to the main house, just to make sure that Stan and Ruth had everything under control.
Dale got back to the main house in the mid morning. At Fablehaven it was a time of day when the house would normally be quiet, too late for breakfast, and too late for lunch. However when Dale arrived he saw Stan, Ruth, and Seth all sitting at the table eating a late breakfast. Stan and Ruth looked as exhausted as Dale felt. Only Seth seemed to have recovered completely from all the excitement.
"Hey, Dale," Seth greeted him with way too much energy. "Where've you been? I was beginning to think you had been carried off by the fairies like Lena was." Seth's tone was friendly enough, but after nearly two years of dealing with Warren and his condition, Dale had gotten pretty good at reading subtle glances. He could see the lingering fear and relief in Seth's eyes. The boy had been genuinely worried about him.
"I was with my brother," Dale said.
"How is he?" Stan asked. "Any trouble?"
"None," Dale shook his head. "It didn't look like any creature had even stepped past the garden."
Stan's expression darkened with annoyance. "Everybody was too busy trespassing the home to think twice about your brother." That was true, but Dale thought that at least part of what had happened was that none of the creatures dared to step close to Warren. They were all still too scared of Warren's condition.
Seth looked towards Ruth. "You said that Warren was catatonic. What happened to him?"
Dale grimaced. Thinking about Warren made him feel terrible, no matter how much time had passed. "We don't know. You could say that he was cursed."
Seth blinked. Dale could practically see the gears turning in his head. He didn't know what was on the boy's mind, but it was a lot. Seth looked at all of them, and he seemed to be confused or curious about something. "If he was cursed, couldn't the fairies have helped him the way they helped all of us?"
Dale froze. His body seemed to react before his mind fully processed just what Seth had said. Dale felt the air leave his body with so much force it was like he was hit by a truck. He felt nauseous like he was going to be sick. The blood rushed from his face so quickly it left him feeling slightly dizzy. And then Dale realized just what Seth had said.
"He...he could have.." Dale felt like he couldn't breath. Ruth got up from her chair and hurried to Dale's side. She laid a hand on Dale's arm and gently pulled him over to a chair. Dale all but collapsed into the chair. He closed his eyes brought a fist to his mouth and bit down until he could taste a hint of iron. He had broken the skin, and he couldn't bring himself to care.
"Dale, honey, it's okay," Ruth said soothingly. She seemed hesitant to touch him. It was clear that she didn't know how to help Dale. It wasn't like him to freak out like this., and he knew he should feel embarrassed, but he couldn't feel anything but horrified at the thought of Warren and what they hadn't done for him.
"It's not okay," Seth said in a quiet tone that Dale hadn't heard from the boy before. Dale blinked in shock as he felt a cold, wet touch on his fingers. Dale opened his eyes and saw Seth pressing an ice cube against his hand. Seth gave him a gentle smile. "Try biting this instead." It might help."
Moving on autopilot, Dale accepted the ice cube and bit down on it until it broke in two pieces. Dale then started to chew on the ice. By the time he had chewed the ice to bites, Seth was right there with another cube, which he immediately handed to him.
Dale alternated between biting and sucking on the ice. It took him a few ice cubes, but he was finally able to begin calming down enough to talk. "I-I'm okay now,"
Seth looked unconvinced, but he didn't call him out, which Dale appreciated. Ruth seemed to want to say something, but Stan seemed to tell that just because Dale was up for speaking words didn't mean that he was ready to really talk. Stan turned to Seth. "Where did you learn that trick?"
"School," Seth said somewhat sheepishly, like he was reluctant to admit that he had remembered something that they'd tried to drill into him at school. "There was a bit of a self-harm issue a couple of towns over, so a bunch of people came to our school and gave assemblies about it. They talked a little bit about what exactly qualifies as self-harm," At this Seth paused and gave Dale's bleeding knuckles a meaningful look. "But they mostly gave us alternatives to it. I actually completely forgot about the ice thing until I saw what you were doing."
"Well, thanks," Dale said. He hadn't meant to hurt himself, he'd just been trying to ground himself. He hadn't meant to get carried away.
Seth frowned and slid a cup that was full of ice to Dale. "I'm really sorry about your brother. I can't even imagine what that feels like."
"Sometimes, I even have a hard time imagining it myself, and I'm living it," Dale said. There were some mornings when he was just half awake and thought that all of this was just a terrible nightmare. The rude-awakening he always ended up getting a few moments later left him feeling slightly ill and terrible for the rest of the day.
"Well, I'm sorry about bringing it up," Seth apologized. "I didn't really think it through, I was just curious. Sorry."
"It's fine, I just…" Dale grimaced as he remembered just what he'd gotten so upset about. They'd had fairies come by and cure them from all sorts of terrible curses. The fairies had even been able to take imps and turn them back into regular fairies, which none of them thought had been possible. Dale didn't have a doubt in his mind that the fairies would have been more than capable of curing Warren, but he hadn't been there.
Dale had been looking for a way to help his brother for years, and now that he'd finally found something that might have done it, it was too late. They'd missed their chance with the fairies, and if this was the only chance they'd ever be given to help Warren...the thought made Dale feel sick, and furious, and absolutely hopeless.
Dale stood up suddenly, pushing his chair back. He felt the need to do something with himself. He may not be able to help Warren, but he had to do something with himself. He couldn't make his mind shut off, but if he was doing something with his body, then he wouldn't automatically turn to biting his fist, or punching a wall, which he also felt like doing.
"Is there any work for me to do?" Dale asked. He could normally find things to do for himself without any problem, but he couldn't focus on any thinking right now. He just wanted to work.
Ruth didn't look very eager to answer. Being around Seth and Kendra was bringing her maternal side to the forefront of her mind, and him freaking out like this was bringing that protective nature out. Dale could barely remember the last time he'd felt like he was being treated as a child. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
Stan had always been much more reasonable about what people could handle. He was just as protective as Ruth was, but he also knew that people shouldn't be babied. Especially not adults who were just having a vulnerable day. "The yard is still a big mess," Stan said. "Raking, trimming, it all needs to happen."
"I'll get started," Dale said. He was about to head back outside when Ruth pushed him back into the chair.
"Oh no you don't." Ruth said sternly. "If you think I'm letting you work yourself to death before getting a good breakfast first, you've got another thing coming."
Dale didn't want to waste any time, but Ruth's expression and tone made it clear that there was no room for argument. Dale had to give in. As Ruth pushed a warm plate of food in front of Dale, the excitement seemed to return to Seth's eyes.
"Hey, when you're done and begin working, can I help you?" Seth asked excitedly.
Dale eyed the boy suspiciously. He hadn't worked with help for years, not since before Warren had joined the Knights of the Dawn. Warren had always been eager to help. It had always been hard for Dale to say no to him. Dale was about to refuse Seth and tell him to find something else to do, but the look that he'd always seen in Warren's eyes, it was now in Seth's eyes.
The boy wasn't just looking for excitement or adventure. He didn't want to help Dale because there was a chance that he might meet a monster, he wanted to help because he wanted to be helpful, not to Fablehaven, but to Dale.
"...Okay," Dale agreed reluctantly. Seth lit up, and if he'd reminded Dale of Warren before, he looked just like him now. It was unnerving and a little painful, but it felt really nice as well. It was incredibly bittersweet. "But you have to understand, you're going to have to do exactly what I tell you. We're not going to be playing games or messing around. We're going to be working."
Seth nodded, no less eager than before. "I understand." And Dale thought that he really did get it. Seth wasn't scared at the idea of putting in hard work, he actually seemed a little excited about it. Dale couldn't say for sure, as it was far too early to tell, but he thought that while Seth maybe didn't have the mindset to be a caretaker, he may just have the drive to be a decent groundskeeper.
Dale quickly finished his late breakfast. He stood up again, and Seth was quick to follow his lead. Dale looked to the young boy. "Are you ready to get started?"
"Yeah," Seth said, looking determined. "Let's go,"
A/N: I definitely had to write about the moment where Dale realizes that Warren probably could have been cured by the fairies at the end of the first book if he'd been at the right place at the right time. I didn't mean for this chapter to have so much of Dale bonding a bit with Seth though. It kinda just happened that way. I like it though. I think that Seth really gets along with Dale, because at least in the first book (I would have to double check in the other ones) while everybody else is telling Seth what he can't do, Dale is going around showing him all the cool things he can do while still being safe. Dale's probably the one who got the closest to convincing Seth to not look out the window on festival night because he didn't lecture him about it, he explained exactly why those rules were in place, and why they should be followed.
And while I was writing this chapter, I realized that Seth would probably do much better as a groundskeeper like Dale than as a caretaker (even a co-caretaker). Groundskeepers would still have to deal with magical creatures, same as caretakers, but as far as I can tell they don't deal with the extremely sensitive stuff. I love Seth, but he's not really the best at preventing bad situations from happening. I don't know, it's just my thoughts. Obviously, Seth's a caretaker in the Dragonwatch books, I just thought I'd share my two cents.