A/N: Everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling. Whatever you don't belongs to me. Especially Alexander.
The Second Realm
Chapter Four: Letters to Pansy
Alexander sighed and looked at the clouds in the sky. He could not have been happier with Katie, but there was a guilty feeling pricking the back of his conscience. It was not right to leave Julian and Draco all alone in a cabin, having nothing to do.
"Alexander? Are you all right?" Katie asked gently, breaking his thoughts. Alexander lowered his head to see that Katie was looking at him worriedly.
"Yes, I'm all right, but I can't help thinking how bored Julian and Draco must be," he said. "I'd hate to be stuck in a cabin all alone."
"I would too," Katie agreed. "Perhaps we can drop by for a visit without anyone noticing," she added, a mischievous smile growing on her face.
"That's not a bad idea," Alexander remarked. "Let's do it." He stood and turned around to help Katie to her feet. Then they were off to the small brown cabin in which their friends had been imprisoned. Alexander knocked on the cabin's door, but there was no reply. In fact, there was not even a bit of noise that they could hear which could be identified as Draco or Julian.
"Odd. They might be asleep," Katie said, "but it's the middle of the afternoon." Puzzled, she tried the door handle and twisted it. To their surprise, the door opened to reveal…nothing. No one was in the cabin. Alexander walked in and looked around.
"They're not here," he said incredulously. "I don't believe it." Katie rushed in and saw that he was right. She walked closer to the middle of the room and saw an opening that led to a forest.
"Alexander," she breathed. He came to her side and stared at the forest.
"What is that? It must be a portal of some kind…" Alexander drifted off and stepped closer to investigate, but Katie stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Be careful," she pleaded. "We don't know if the forest is safe or not. I don't want you to die." Alexander opened his mouth to speak, but could not get past the syllable "Ah." Katie quickly pecked him on the cheek and held his hand.
"Shall we?" she asked, smiling at him. He did not seem to be able to speak, as he was in shock.
"Er, yes," he croaked. "But I do not see- why did you- I am not that special," he ended weakly. Katie's eyes glimmered brightly.
"Yes you are," she said softly. "You care." Alexander was confused, but he did not press the issue further. He inhaled deeply and came to the portal so closely that his nose barely touched it. With many doubts clouding his mind, he and Katie walked forward into the unknown.
Bright sunlight shone straight into Alexander's eyes, so he had to shield them with his hand in order to see where they were. Tall, burly trees stood around them, trying to reach the puffy white clouds that danced in the sky. He glanced at the ground, only to see moss, leaves, and dirt. They were in a forest. (Obviously.) Katie gasped.
"I know where we are," she breathed. Alexander gaped at her.
"You do? How is that possible?" he asked curiously.
"It's rather embarrassing, really, but since we are here…I've been here in my dreams," Katie explained, blushing slightly. "I believe this is the Moonlight Forest, near the land of Imbrix."
"Nice name," Alexander commented. "What is Imbrix like? We may want to go there for shelter, and to look for Julian and Draco... This is almost too impossible to believe."
"Quite impossible. We definitely should go to Imbrix, as it is a land governed by fairies, and it might be the place where Julian and Draco have gone. I must say that the capital city is quite beautiful," Katie sighed. "Especially the palace."
"Let's waste no time in getting there, then," Alexander said firmly. "Do you know the way? Since, after all, you've been here before." Katie turned a light shade of pink as Alexander looked at her expectantly.
"Yes, I think I do. Just follow me," Katie said, embarrassed, and started to walk north, not unlike the way Saffron had led Julian and Draco. Alexander followed her closely, painfully aware of the emotions that were rampaging through his brain.
"One…two…three," Draco gasped. Push-ups are nasty things, and dreadfully hard to do, he thought bitterly. Julian, on the other hand, had already done fifteen, and was not looking too worn out. Nas T. Vole stood near them, staring menacingly at Draco.
"Faster, runt!" he barked. "I do not tolerate such slowness."
"Mudblood," Draco muttered under his breath. Although Vole was a fairy, Draco felt such rage that he resorted to shoddy insults. Vole kicked him painfully hard, and Draco cringed as he pushed himself up from his seventh push-up.
"Quicken the pace, do you hear me?" Vole screamed. "All of you! Faster!" Just to show how tough he was, he kicked Draco in the leg harder than before. Draco bit his lip, trying desperately not to become teary. Vole walked away from him to inspect the other males. Burning with anger, Draco let it all loose.
"That stupid git! Bloody a--hole! 'Faster, faster,' he says, but I'm not going to do it!" Draco hissed, and abruptly stood up. He had completed twenty push-ups, which was fine by him. In fact, even twenty was torture. Julian noticed that Draco was not doing anything, so he decided to stop too.
"I can't take it anymore," Julian muttered to him. "This is horrible."
"I'm surprised, I thought you liked it," Draco said sourly. "Forty-eight!" Draco glared at Julian, who suddenly became angry.
"Shut up. Just because I did more doesn't mean I like it," Julian snapped. "I'd rather be doing something -anything- else!" Draco, so weary from his hard workout, was not able to come up with a sharp retort, so he was silent. Some of the males around them also noticed that they were not doing push-ups, and stopped as well. One fairy in particular stood up, panting and wheezing gaped at them, astounded.
"I can't believe you did that," he said. "You're remarkably brave."
"It's nothing," Julian replied.
"That git Vole has tortured us for an hour," Draco said. "That's plenty for me."
"Well, he can get away with it," the fairy remarked. "He's the captain."
"STOP!" Vole barked suddenly, and everyone dropped to the ground tiredly. "Now, you will do ten laps around the field! Now!" Vole screamed. There were choruses of groans, but the soldiers in training started to jog around the edges of the field, Draco and Julian included.
"By the way, my name is Nave Macca," the fairy panted. "Who're you?"
"Draco Malfoy," Draco said. "He's Julian Earlingston."
"Oh. Neat," Nave gasped. "You must be fairly new recruits, since I haven't seen you before." Julian nodded enthusiastically as he inhaled deeply, trying to obtain some air. "You know, after I finish my time in the army, I want to marry my girlfriend Quennifer Callide and have a couple of children."
"Callide? As in Saffron Callide?" Julian asked. Nave looked somewhat surprised.
"Yes, how did you know?" Nave wondered. Julian blushed redder than he already was, making his face scarlet.
"I've met Saffron," Julian said quickly. "She's quite pretty."
"Ha! I knew you fancied her!" Draco exclaimed. Julian looked furious with himself.
"Shut up, Draco," Julian grumbled.
"Well, Quennifer is much prettier than her sister," Nave declared. "If you think Saffron is great, she's nothing compared to Quen." Draco snickered.
"Oh really?" Draco smirked. "I'm sure she's pretty, in your opinion." Nave's eyes narrowed in anger.
"Don't mind Draco," Julian commented. "He's just jealous because he doesn't have a girlfriend." Draco scoffed.
"Of course I have one," he snapped. "A rich, pretty one too," he added.
"Really? What's her name?" Nave asked curiously. I do not know why he cares, Draco thought exasperatedly.
"Pansy Parkinson," Draco muttered, thinking of the first girl that came to his mind. Julian scoffed.
"That's a ridiculous name," he laughed. Draco had to admit that he was right. Nevertheless, he had already admitted that she was his girlfriend, so now he was stuck with that fact.
"Fine, don't believe me. It's not as if I actually consider you friends," Draco glared at Nave and Julian, who had hurt looks on their faces.
"Where did that come from?" Julian asked in disbelief. "We are talking about girls, not whom you consider to be your friends. That was really non sequiter."
"Very random indeed," Nave commented.
"I suppose," Draco sighed.
"Write to her," Nave blurted. Draco stared at him.
"What?"
"You know, write her a letter," Nave said. "I'm sure she wants to hear from you." Draco scoffed. Pansy wanted him to write her a letter for the last four years, and he was sure that if he did send her a letter, she would faint with shock. It was not that Draco hated her, (in fact, she could be considered a friend) but it was that his father approved of her…which annoyed him. Perhaps it was the teenage rebel in him, but he would rather do what his father disapproved of…most of the time. Lucius's punishments were harsh and cruel, and Draco despised every one of them.
"Maybe I will," Draco said, considering the option. He would like to see how she would reply.
"How do you send a letter here?" Julian asked.
"By dragonfly," Nave replied. "They're quite reliable and swift. I've got one in my tent that you could use."
"Gear," Julian breathed.
"Thanks," Draco said, only realizing afterwards what he had said. Thanking somebody? He groaned inwardly. He was becoming too soft for his own good.
"You're welcome," Nave replied.
"You know, that reminds me…" Julian began. "I should write a letter to Ron saying hi and all that rubbish." Nave nodded as if he knew what Julian was talking about. By this time, they had finished seven laps, so they still needed to do three more. The rest of their exercises passed by slowly, but when they were done, all of the soldiers were allowed a thirty-minute break. Draco, Julian, and Nave strolled the short distance to Nave's tent, which he shared with two other fairies. They crawled in the tent and Nave got out a jar with a holed lid, which he showed to Draco and Julian. A blue bottled, sparkling dragonfly was inside, buzzing happily.
"I call him Moss," Nave said. "Don't ask me why." Moss buzzed nonchalantly, making Julian smile. Draco nodded at the dragonfly.
"Do you have parchment and a quill?" Draco asked flatly. He had no idea what to write to Pansy, and it would be even worse because his two companions would probably be looking over his shoulder. Nave nodded, and pulled out a short quill and a piece of parchment from his bag.
"Here you go," Nave replied, and handed them to Draco, who nodded his thanks. Draco started to write.
Pansy,
How is your summer going? Mine could be better. I am in a military camp, or more specifically, a magical land called Imbrix. It sounds strange, but don't say anything. I want you to keep this absolutely to yourself. In case you are wondering, dragonflies are the only method of communication this pathetic land has. Write back as soon as possible, I'm bored.
Draco Malfoy
Draco signed his name with a flourish. At least this might keep him entertained for a while. He grinned roguishly, folded the piece of parchment until it was a tiny square, and handed it to Nave. Nave opened the dragonfly's jar, and Moss flew out, hovering over the ground. The fairy opened his hand so that the dragonfly could grab the letter, which it did immediately.
"Give this to Pansy," Draco said and the dragonfly flew out the tent. "Do you think he understood me?" he added as he gazed outside.
"Of course he did," Nave responded. "Smartest dragonfly ever."
"I hope so," Draco muttered.
The rest of the day progressed remarkably quickly, and Draco was overjoyed to find that it was dinnertime. He trudged to the Dining Hall, where he had to stand in line to receive his food. 'Actually, the food does not look that grotesque,' Draco admitted to himself. After the hard exercise he had had, he would have eaten anything. He sat down at a table with Julian, Nave, and some other people to eat, which reminded him of his happy time eating with Julian and Alexander. Although he had only been in the army one day, he hated it already. Sadly, he had no other choice. Why does life have to be so hard sometimes? Draco thought sadly. I want to be with my father. An annoying buzzing in his ear interrupted his thoughts and his meal. He glanced at his shoulder and saw that the dragonfly had returned. That quickly? He reached over and took the tiny piece of parchment that the dragonfly carried on its back. Unfolding it, he read:
Dear Draco,
Thank you for your letter. What suddenly made you send something now, after all this time? Never mind that. My summer is going quite well, though I'm sorry to read that your summer is not. How could you have traveled into a magical land like Imbrix? I did some reading (don't worry, I'm not going to become like Mudblood Granger) and saw that Imbrix, or the fairies in it, are at war with the Traskin trolls over a long-term grudge. Oh no! Draco, you're going to have to fight the trolls (if you're in a military camp) over the Moonshadow Sceptre! I can't believe this…you cannot! You mustn't! The Traskin trolls are known to rip the skin off their victims and eat their hearts. Gross…it gives me shivers just thinking about it. Write back as soon as possible.
Yours truly,
Pansy
Draco was in shock. They were going to fight over a stupid stick? Even worse, they were going to fight trolls?
"What does the letter say?" Julian whispered.
"Nothing," Draco replied shortly.
"It must say something worth reading about," Nave muttered. "You're looking at it as if it might burst into flames."
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Draco said cruelly. "It only says that we're going to fight trolls for a stupid sceptre." Nave nodded. "You knew that? You knew and didn't tell us?" Draco exploded and Nave stared innocently at him.
"I thought you already knew," Nave said simply.
"I don't believe this," Julian groaned.
"Neither do I," Draco remarked, sighing. "Bloody trolls." Just then, Julian took the letter from Draco's hands and peered at it. Draco was distraught with worry so he did not notice. He did hear Julian's gasp, however, and turned his head to look at him.
"It sounds like Pansy cares about you," Julian chuckled. "It is sweet. 'You mustn't!' she says," he gave the letter back to Draco and continued stuffing broccoli in his mouth.
"I'd rather you not look at my private mail, thank you very much," Draco said stiffly.
"Sorry," Julian said thickly, his mouth crammed with broccoli.
"I should write her back," Draco muttered to himself. Nave immediately took out a quill from his pocket. "What the-?" Draco gasped.
"Thought you would write your girlfriend back," Nave said. Draco grinned and began to write on the back of Pansy's letter.
Pansy,
Thank you for your information. Bloody trolls…I don't believe it. They could attack at any moment, I've heard. Right now I am eating, and just got your letter. I have to fight; otherwise, they will kill me. The king said so himself. Personally, I would rather leave, but they might catch me, and who knows what will happen then?
Draco
PS. Yours truly? Are you serious?
Julian looked at the letter Draco had just finished writing, and shook his head.
"That's too cold," he muttered. Draco threw down his quill.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You should add more nice things," Julian replied. "Mush. Girls adore that, or at least, I know my mother does."
"I do not write…mush," Draco said delicately.
"I'll help you," Julian suggested eagerly.
"No," Draco shook his head.
"Yes," Julian said. "If you don't let me, I will punch you in the face." Draco sighed. He has simplistic threats. He went back over his letter and Julian pointed out things he could affix or modify. The letter now looked like this:
Dear darling Pansy,
Thank you for your information, I really loved you doing that for me. Bloody Those trolls…I don't believe it. They could attack at any moment, I've heard. I cannot help but be frightened. Right now I'm eating, and I just got your letter. Don't worry about me, Pansy, I will be fine. I have to fight; otherwise, they will kill me. The king said so himself. Personally, I'd rather leave, but they might catch me, and who knows what will happen then? I can't bear to think of it. Write to me every day. I cannot survive without your letters.
Love,
Draco
PS. Yours truly? Are you serious? I think of you constantly, dear Pansy.
"What the hell have you done?" Draco read it over again angrily. "It sounds like a bloody love note!"
"That was the point," Julian said quietly. Draco groaned.
"God, I'm not that pathetic," Draco scoffed. "It sounds like a girl wrote it…except for the fighting part."
"Excuse me for trying to help your love life along," Julian spat. "I won't do it again."
"That would be good," Draco said sourly and was about to crumple the sickeningly sweet note when Moss the dragonfly snatched it and flew away. Draco swore loudly.
"Oh, no," Julian muttered.
"My reputation will be ruined," Draco groaned and his head fell on the table with a thump. "She'll never look at me the same way again."
"Don't worry, Draco," Julian said. "It might be good for you. You can have snogging sessions underneath the moon…ah, so romantic." Draco gagged.
"Why would I want to snog a girl now?" Draco wondered, mostly to himself.
"Heck, I'd snog any good looking girl," Julian remarked. "It's a bonus that she cares for you deeply. That means extra chances of kissing her." However, I don't want to kiss her, Draco thought glumly, but didn't say anything to Julian.
"Draco, you will be thanking Julian one day," Nave said. "Trust me."
"Right," Draco said in disbelief. "Of course."
