Kendra skipped through the woods of Fablehaven. Her feet and heart felt light and the sun was shining high above the treetops. It was the type of day that she would often spend by the pool, reading a book, and soaking up the warm rays of the sun. Although today was a little different. The day made her heart jittery and excited, but at the same time absolutely, terribly nervous. Today was the day she would train in the fairy realm.
She thought back to the day Bracken had come to Fablehaven about a week ago. At first they played games with Seth, like they usually did when he came to visit, but when it was time for him to go home he had pulled Kendra aside. Kendra's hand still got sweaty when she thought of his hand in hers. Kendra could still distinctly remember his soft voice as he held her hand and talked to her on their way to the shrine. She was floating on air. He told her about how his mother, the fairy queen, wanted to see her in the fairy realm. She had asked him what for and he simply answered by saying, "She thinks it best if you were to come to the Fairy Realm to learn some combat skills. After all, you are her handmaiden, and you tend to get in difficult situations, and she doesn't want anything to happen to you. Besides we have some of the best warriors in our realm and she wants to personally supervise your progress."
At that moment Kendra was pulled out of her daze and was ricochete into a cacophony of thoughts. Although the Fairy Queen had expressed her gratitude towards Kendra, for what she did at the Battle of Zzyzzx many times, that didn't mean Kendra wasn't any less nervous around her. After all, she was the Fairy Queen. The fear of humiliating herself in front of Fairy Realm was overwhelming. Whether Bracken had read her thoughts through their hands or just because he knew her so well, he stopped in the middle of the path and turned to look at Kendra with compassion and understanding in his eyes.
"You shouldn't be worried about this, the Queen values you very highly. You are her first handmaiden in centuries, and you have done so much for her. After all, you have saved my father, me, and many Astrids. You also killed the demon king and saved the entire world by doing so. She simply wants to make sure you will be safe."
Kendra looked at the ground at his praise; she could feel the blood rush to her face as she blushed. The two began walking again and Bracken told her about all the different people who would be training her. Kendra quickly found herself being entertained by his stories and could feel the anxious edge she had dissolving. However, all her fears came crashing down again when they had finally made it to the crystal clear pond. Bracken left her by telling her the Queen wished to meet her on Friday at noon.
She was pulled back into the present when she started walking up to the pond that held the fairy shrine. The water glistened in the sunshine; the island in the middle of it stood as a perfect oasis. The water was perfectly still and pristine, it looked like a perfect place to take a dip; though, Kendra knew better than to swim with naiads. She noticed a canoe resting at the end of the pearly white dock. Clearly the queen had told the naiads to hold off on the jokes for the day. Kendra gingerly sat down in the large canoe. Right as she sat down the skiff began to drift away from the dock in an orderly fashion towards the small island. Although the queen had asked the naiads to refrain from trying to drown Kendra, that didn't mean they couldn't harass her with their words. Kendra heard many of them whispering to each other,
Look how young and stupid she is.
I still don't understand why the queen would ever choose a girl like her.
Cackles of laughter joined the whispers along with an occasional comment such as, She's so pathetic, look how nervous she is.
Kendra tried to ignore their taunting words and the glares she could see under the clear water. She tried to remind herself that it was just the naiads nature to do this, and that they would do it to anyone. Though it still didn't help, her fears and insecurities came to mind as she tried to take deep breaths to calm her nervous stomach. A light smile glanced at her features, though, as she reminded herself of all the benefits to this new adventure. She had always felt useless on the trips she and her family used to take, as if she was only in the background. She had never had much instruction in combat. When they came into trouble Kendra always felt like she was holding everyone back and was just a sitting duck. She was excited at the prospect of being able to protect the people she loved. She was excited to be able to make more of a difference.
Kendra wrung her sweaty hands together as the boat drifted closer to the island.
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