On a peaceful summers day, Kendra Sorenson stood in the attic she had called home for many years, staring at herself in a full-length mirror. She frowned as she smoothed the white dress over her sides. Her wedding was tomorrow and she found herself constantly trying on her dress over the weeks following up to it, making sure everything still looked perfect for the big day. She realized that she was overthinking it, of course. Her fiancé loved her and wouldn't miss a single opportunity to compliment on how beautiful she was.
She smiled fondly as she thought of Bracken. He seemed more excited to get married than she did, which Kendra thought strange. She had wanted to marry him almost immediately after her eighteenth birthday, but Bracken suggested that they wait a few more years. At the time, he and Kendra's brother Seth were tasked by the fairy queen to reestablish the three monarchs that were destroyed during the dragon war with Celebrant.
After the crowns were destroyed, a massive power struggle ensued between the giants, dragons, and demons, each one fighting for the right to be the leader of their respective race. Another war was imminent, so the fairy queen stepped in and after many hard years, order was restored and each race had a new monarch to rule them. At last, Bracken returned and proposed to Kendra. Now, at the age of twenty-three, she would finally marry him.
Kendra jumped as her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the attic door. "Kendra, dear!" Grandma Sorenson called. "Breakfast is ready."
"Be there in a minute!" Kendra replied. She hurriedly stripped out of her dress and hung it up in the closet. She hopped in the shower and began to get ready for the day. Today was supposed to be stressful, she knew. So much preparation had to be done for the wedding and it seemed like too much work. Kendra was grateful to have her friends and family to help her. At the moment, Bracken, Seth, Warren, Tanu, Vanessa, Dale, and her parents were all in the fairy realm setting up the decorations, tables, and chairs along with the creatures who dwelled there. It would be the first time in history that the fairy realm would host a wedding for humans.
Kendra got out of the shower and quickly threw on some comfortable clothes. She raced down the stairs and into the dining room to find her Grandma and Grandpa already eating. "We laid a plate out for you, dear." Grandma said.
"Thanks." Kendra said. She sat down next to Grandpa and started to pick at her food.
Grandpa glanced at Kendra as she eyed her eggs suspiciously. "Not feeling hungry today, are we?" He mused.
"I don't know. I'm too nervous, or excited, or even scared." She paused as she tried to describe the way she felt to them. "All of the above, I guess."
Grandma chuckled. "Thats completely normal. You should have seen me the day before my wedding. I was a mess!"
"She really was." Grandpa muttered.
Grandma playfully hit Grandpa on his shoulder. "You should know, your grandfather here couldn't bother himself with being stressed out. For him, it seemed to be just like any other day."
"Not true!" Grandpa huffed as he rubbed his shoulder. "I just knew everything was going to work out after all was said and done, and it did." He swiveled in his seat to face Kendra. "Look, I'm sure Bracken has everything under control. You're getting married in the fairy realm for crying out loud! Everything there is perfect. You're stressing out for no good reason."
Kendra sighed. "I've been telling myself that, you know. I wish it was as easy to do it as it is to say it."
Grandma shook her head in wonder. "A human marriage in the fairy realm. I can't imagine anything more honorable. The fairy queen seems to trust you more than anyone, Kendra."
Kendra shrugged. "I have a great relationship with the old fairy queen. I haven't really done anything for the Alderfairy to gain her favor." Years ago, When Kendra first came to Fablehaven, she had petitioned the fairy queen for help when the preserve was on the brink of collapse. In her kindness, the fairy queen built an army of giant fairies to help Kendra save Fablehaven, and after the victory, Kendra was given power directly from the fairy queen, transforming here into fairykind. Since then, Kendra has helped the fairy queen and the the fairy queen has helped her. But at the end of the war with Celebrant, the Alderfairy returned after being trapped for centuries and took back her rightful place as the fairy queen. Now, the old fairy queen was the guardian of the Source.
Grandpa shook his head "You're wrong. Even though Molea isn't the fairy queen anymore, You've still done wonders for all of fairydom. It doesn't matter who the fairy queen is, those acts of service you've done will be appreciated by all fairy queens and kings to come."
Kendra stood up and and placed her dishes in the sink. "Well, speaking of the fairy realm, I should head there now. I need to make sure everything is going smoothly."
"Alright, dear. We'll be there shortly." Grandma said.
Kendra opened the back door and stepped outside. She basked in the freshness of the morning sun as she walked to the pond, letting it warm her skin and calm her nerves. The garden just outside the house seemed to be brimming with fairies more than usual. She watched as the small, winged women zoomed around her, revitalizing any flower they could get their tiny hands on. She saw a beautiful yellow fairy streak past a dead rose bush. Beams of brilliant light shot from the fairy's palm, and vibrant roses sprang up again with new life.
Kendra smiled as she entered the woods. She loved Fablehaven. It had already been decided that she and Bracken would take over management of the magical preserve as her grandparents got older, and she couldn't be happier. At the time, she had worried that her brother Seth would try to throw in the hat for himself to be caretaker of the preserve. She was relieved when Seth congratulated Kendra on the inheritance. He said he was already busy enough with being the champion of the Alderfairy, and only asked that he would be able to live and help out around the preserve, which Kendra enthusiastically agreed to.
Kendra skipped through the woods and after a few minutes, she arrived at the pond. The pond itself was surrounded by twelve gazebos that were connected by a wooden board walk. The grass looked freshly clipped and the hedges appeared to always be groomed. Usually, she would see all different kinds of creatures here, but today she assumed most have gathered in the fairy realm.
She walked to the edge of the water where a small boat was waiting for her. She stepped in and carefully sat down. After a moment, the boat started moving. Kendra glanced at the water beside the boat and saw the hands of the naiads reluctantly guiding her towards the shrine of the fairy queen. She knew that the naiads would much rather tip the boat and drown her, but they had special orders from the fairy queen to help all human guests enter the shrine , and they were not permitted to harm them. Kendra listened closely to hear if the naiads were grumbling about their predicament, but surprisingly, they were silent.
The boat softly bumped against the shore, and Kendra jumped up and walked straight to where the small statue of a fairy resided. She awkwardly knelt down and spoke to it. "Your highness, I am ready to enter the fairy realm, please grant me access." She always felt weird when she talked to the tiny fairy statue. For some reason, she never expected a response, but she always got one. Warm feelings of love, kindness, and happiness suddenly entered Kendra's mind. Before she knew it, Kendra was kneeling in a grassy field that overlooked a magnificent kingdom.
The fairy realm was the definition of beauty. Glorious fields of flowers surrounded magnificent white structures that created the kingdom. Clear lakes glimmered under the bright sun. Fluffy white clouds dotted the sky and provided the perfect amount of cover. Off in the distance, Kendra noticed giant, healthy trees that made up a beautiful forest. She took a deep breath and smelled honey, vanilla, and lavender. She looked towards the main kingdom and saw dryads, satyrs, fairies, hamadryads, and all manner of creatures busy at work with the preparations. She noticed, although, that most of the satyrs were chasing around and flirting with the hamadryads instead of working.
Kendra searched across the many different creatures, hoping to find one of her friends or family members. Her search was interrupted by a voice behind her. "Good to see you Kendra! Welcome back!" She whirled around to find Newel and Doren standing proudly before her.
"How did you sneak up on me like that?" She asked.
"Well, you see, us satyrs can be very sneaky if we want to." Newel crossed his furry red arms and nodded knowingly. "Its what makes us the greatest warriors of fairydom."
"Oh, I bet." Kendra replied teasingly.
"You may joke now, Kendra. But remember, we were rewarded for our valor in battle." Doren said.
"And on numerous occasions." Newel added. He batted Doren on the back. "Though we must remain humble. After all, if it weren't for you and Seth, we'd be toast."
"We wouldn't have been able to watch TV anymore." Doren said. "How tragic would that be!"
"Speaking of Seth, where is he?" Kendra asked. She glanced past them in hopes that they might be together.
"Seth is working on getting seating arranged with your lover boy." Newel said.
"He's with Bracken?" Kendra asked.
Newel gave Doren a mischievous glance. "Oh no, I'm talking about Verl. He's very excited for tomorrow."
Kendra's glare shifted between the two of them. Verl was a boyish looking Satyr who fell completely and totally in love with Kendra. Ever since they first met, he had done the wildest things to win her affection. He wrote songs and poems about her, gave her countless fruit baskets. Painted pictures of her, and even carved a sculpture in her liking. But to his dismay, it was all in vain. "What did you tell him?" Kendra asked slowly, fearing the answer.
"Oh nothing serious." Doren began, struggling to contain his laughter. "Just that the entire wedding is a ruse, and that at the altar you'll jump up and officially proclaim your love for him!" Newel keeled over and Doren fell on the ground, both laughing hysterically.
Kendra didn't know if they were telling the truth or not. On one hand, they are known to be extreme pranksters, and she was smart enough to realize that they really would definitely stoop this low. On the other hand though, this was one of their more cruel jokes, and it being the day before her wedding, hoped that they wouldn't cause such mischief. She had to make sure.
"Where are they?" She inquired.
Doren got up and dusted himself off. Newel did the same and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Follow us, milady, Just this way." They trotted past her and headed for the main kingdom. Kendra sighed and reluctantly followed them. She really didn't want to deal with this today.
"You do realize How messed up this is, don't you?" Kendra chided. "I've had to break this poor guys heart too many times now. Why would you keep doing this?"
"Calm down, he'll be fine" Newel scoffed. "Honestly it's his fault for still believing it after all this time."
"At least you can always rely on Verl if Bracken leaves you." Doren suggested.
"Not cool." Kendra said flatly. They continued down a long stone path until they reached the great hall of the fairy realm, the place she would be getting married at. Kendra gasped as she saw it. The spacious room looked drastically different than the last time she was there. Before, it was a simple room meant for dining, and held three long, elegant, and white tables for feasting. The open roof provided brilliant natural light to show that the tables had been removed and in their place were dozens upon dozens of wooden pews lining the hall. The pews broke in the middle, allowing for an aisle in the center of the room to walk down. At the end of the aisle stood a lovely white arch with an intricate design. Luscious green leaves flowed smoothly down the sides of it, and to complete the picture, gorgeous blush pink drapes lined the ceiling edges of the great hall, falling just above the floor.
She walked reverently into the room. Almost hypnotized by this place that would become so special to her. As she stood there transfixed, she heard frantic whispering coming from the end of the room. She glanced over to see Seth and Verl straightening a pew. Seth looked frustrated as he spoke to Verl. She could barely make out what he was saying.
"Verl, I promise it's not true. This isn't the first time they've told you this. You gotta let it go." Seth pleaded.
Verl shook his head confidently. "You've always doubted me, Seth, but I think they're right this time! They explained to me each detail of her plan. I am almost positive that by this time tomorrow, Kendra will be mine."
"Do you really think that out of all the people she could possibly divulge this plan to, it would be Newel and Doren? Really?" Seth reasoned.
Verl shrugged. "Let me shower you with a little wisdom, son. When two people are in love with each other, it doesn't matter who the universe decides the messenger is, all that matters is that it gets delivered. Does that make sense?"
Seth stared blankly at Verl. "No. No, not at all."
Kendra decided now was the best time to break the news. She hesitantly walked forward to meet them. "Hey, Verl! Newel and Doren told me what they said and…" She glanced uncertainly at Seth, then looked back at Verl. "I'm sorry, Verl, it's just not true."
Verl's confidence didn't falter. "They told me you'd say that, you cheeky girl!" He teased. He took Kendra's hand and stroked it tenderly. "Don't worry, I won't take our love for granted ever again." He gave her hand a quick kiss.
"No, really," Kendra said as she gently pulled her hand away, "Newel and Doren are lying to you. I'm marrying Bracken and I'm going to stay married to him."
Verl looked behind Kendra at the two satyr, seeming to notice them for the first time. "Well?" He asked. "Was it a lie?"
Doren opened his mouth, looking like he was about to reassure Verl of his delusion, but once he saw the death glare Seth was giving him, he decided to choose his words more carefully. "Um, well, I guess, with all the stress of the wedding stuff coming up, Newel and I decided that, um, you know, we-
"What Doren is trying to say," Newel interrupted. "Is that yes, we were lying. Kendra doesn't like you. We thought it would be funny, and honestly, it was. You keep falling for the same trick every time. When will you learn, Verl?"
Verl looked properly heartbroken. "But you promised it wasn't a joke this time!"
Newel and Doren went on either side of Verl and dragged him away. "Don't take it too personally, pal, you already know Kendra is too good for you. She'd never date someone shorter than her."
"I'm not that short!"
Kendra cringed as she heard Verl's protests fade away. She hoped Newel and Doren would sort it out, but knowing them, they'd probably tell him another lie that would spiral out of control. She sighed hopelessly. She just wanted the next forty-eight hours to go smoothly, was that too much to ask? "Well good morning sunshine" Seth said, putting a halt to Kendra's intrusive thoughts. "I was wondering when you'd drag yourself here. This is your wedding, remember?"
Kendra hugged her brother, ignoring his teasing. It had been almost two months since she last saw him. The Alderfairy was never short on tasks for Seth to carry out on her behalf. She broke the hug and studied him. He was still the same height as he was when she last saw him, just under six foot. He wore his classic outfit of a simple t-shirt and camo pants, which seemed very dirty, like he had been wrestling in mud. Another thing she noticed was that he was in desperate need of a shave. He couldn't grow a full beard yet, but the slight scruff on his face was creeping down his neck and sat just too high on his cheeks. Other than that, the only thing that was really different about him was that he was a little more muscular than a couple of months ago.
"I missed you, Seth." Kendra said. "Also, happy belated birthday! How does it feel to be twenty-one?
Seth shrugged. "I guess I can drink now. Although, I don't know how the fairy queen would take to that."
"She definitely wouldn't want her prized champion doing anything like that." Kendra promised.
"Oh come on! That's just some stupid title. I'm not doing anything dangerous or crazy."
"Besides restoring order to the demons, dragons, and giants, right?"
Seth smiled. "Yes, besides that. It's actually not so bad. I spend a lot of time here in the fairy realm. I actually have my own room now! Isn't that awesome?"
Kendra raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wow! Do you think the fairy queen would let you live here permanently?"
Seth's face fell. He looked around suspiciously then leaned in closer to Kendra. "She actually asked me to, you know. She seems to think that since I have some of the rarest magical abilities in the world, it might put a target on my back. She wants me to live here to stay safe while I'm not on a mission."
Kendra's mouth fell open. "Are you kidding me? You didn't agree did you?"
Seth shook his head. "I told her that I would feel safest living at Fablehaven. I know she really wants me to reconsider. But I can't just leave my family."
Kendra hugged her brother again, tighter this time. "I want you to do what makes you happiest."
Seth patted his sister on the back. "Believe me, Fablehaven is where I'm happiest. I promise. The next few days belong to you and Bracken, don't let the minor stuff going on in my life get you wound up, okay?"
Kendra nodded while sheepishly wiping a tear from her eye. "Wait a minute, I'm fairykind, doesn't that put a target on my back too?"
Seth shrugged. "I guess shadow healers are more unique than fairykind, sorry."
Suddenly, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist. She turned to see Bracken beaming at her. "Good morning, gorgeous!" He planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "How is my love feeling today?"
She jumped into his arms and kissed him deeply, unaware that Seth was gagging behind her. "I'm doing great now that you're here! How is everything going with the preparations?"
Bracken smiled warmly back at her. "almost finished. The only thing left is the food, and that's not something we have to worry about." The food was going to be prepared by the best cooks in the fairy realm, and was said to have the power to revitalize anyone who ate it.
"Now thats what I'm looking forward to." Seth chimed in.
An Astrid flew into the room from the open roof and landed next to the group. "Greetings, Kendra Sorenson." He bowed his head slightly towards her. "Pardon the intrusion. Seth, the fairy queen wishes to speak with you."
Seth nodded then turned to his sister and soon to be brother-in-law. "I better go see what's up. You guys enjoy this last day you have of not being married. Who knows, you might miss it." He winked at them and walked away.
"Very funny, Seth!" Kendra called after him. She wondered if she really would end up regretting marriage, but then she looked back at Bracken and knew everything would be just perfect.