- Underground on the outskirts of Freiburg, Germany -
Holly didn't know what to say. It was disconcerting, really, because she was thinking she should offer Artemis sympathy, or pity, and neither seemed to jive with the thought of Artemis Fowl the Second.
He was currently sitting curled up into a ball, head buried in his arms, across the room from Kip - Narda - Chix's daughter. He had given her one last kiss, smoothed the hair away from her forehead, and stood with an air of calmness that was immediately proven false when he walked across the room, hands in his pockets, and kicked the wall viciously, collapsing against it with tears streaming down his cheeks. And he hadn't moved since.
Butler, being a bodyguard, was not supposed to have any emotional attachment to anything, be it animal, vegetal, or mineral, and he was certainly not supposed to show the emotion that was attached. So, at the moment, he was having a hard time being detached when all he wanted to do was cry as well, or comfort Artemis, but there were two problems with this last bit: one, that would definitely lead to outward sign of grief, and two, Artemis usually wanted to be left alone when the situation looked this terrible.
Root took a deep breath. "Wow," he said simply.
"I'll say," Foaly said softly, casting a glance at the Mud Men to make sure he was being too quiet for them to hear him. "She almost had me believing her."
"She saved us," Holly said reverently, looking to where Chix was bending over his daughter with a look of something akin to wonder on his face. "She didn't have to do any of that, but she did, and now . . ."
"Oh, really?" Root said gruffly. "Didn't have to save the world, now, did she?"
"Stop it," Foaly cautioned, casting another nervous glance at Artemis.
"All I'm saying is, she didn't have much of a choice," the commander continued, albeit in a softer voice.
"Does it really matter? I mean, the outcome . . ." Holly sighed. "What do we do now?" she continued in a dejected tone.
No one had time to answer before Chix went flying across the room.
* * *
Of course, "flying" might be the wrong verb, as it implies Chix used his wings and made the trip under his own power. Perhaps "was flung across the room" would be a more appropriate expression of the way he crashed into the wall and fell painfully to the floor, bad wing crumpled under him.
This might also be a good time to mention the fact that, as proven by the exploding translator incident, Kip's magic grows back. Sort of like hair: when it's long, you don't notice it growing, but, if you shave your head, it seems to sprout back faster than imaginable. This growth was not apparent at first because the poison's damage was internal and Kip was under a sort of healing trance. However, upon being strong enough to do so, she opened her eyes and reflexively beat the man - the fairy - leaning over her, as she had done to Mulch.
Therefore, instead of rushing to see if Chix was hurt, most of the beings in the room held themselves back as Artemis went to her. "Narda," he whispered, noticing the look of pain on her face and gathering her in his arms as she sat up.
"That may not have been the smartest thing for me to do," she whispered, wincing and doubling up, yet at the same time clutching him to her.
"My god, you're alive." Artemis brushed away the renegade tears on his cheeks.
"It was too lonely without you," she said softly, pulling back, pain easing slightly as her magic continued to grow and be used up immediately in her healing. "You were supposed to laugh."
He managed to smile at that, though she noticed a fresh glisten in his eyes. "We have plenty of time to laugh later."
She understood, leaning in for a gentle kiss.
- Aboveground on the outskirts of Freiburg, Germany -
Root was not exactly in a good mood, seeing as how every fairy in existence was aboveground and it wasn't even a full moon for three more days. "Cool it, Julius," Foaly said cheerfully, watching his commander chew with a passion on the stub of his cigar. "There's no one here to see us."
The response was an unintelligible grumble, which only made Foaly laugh.
Kip, resting under a tree and secure under the gazes of both Artemis and Butler, was looking wearily at her father. Chix did not seem to be feeling any of the tension and was babbling away about some complete nonsense. Holly came to her rescue. "So. You're the one who finally got Mud Boy to stop drooling over computers."
Artemis wasn't sure whether or not to be offended by that, but Kip laughed, taking his hand and pulling him down next to her. "I had to get rid of the computer; I was getting jealous."
Holly smiled. "You've changed a lot, Artemis."
He smiled, arm around Kip. "Maybe I heeded that last bit of advice you gave me all those years ago."
The elf perked up. "Do you still have it?"
"The coin?"
"Yes."
He shook his head. "Nope."
Holly knew she really shouldn't be disappointed, but she was, just the same. "Oh."
"I do." Kip pulled it out from under her shirt where it hung on a black cord. "We decided it suited us better than an engagement ring."
Whatever Holly's response was to that, it was covered up by a rather large coughing fit from Butler. "You were supposed to see how long until he noticed!" Artemis hissed in a stage whisper, kissing her again to stop any protests.
Chix wrinkled his nose. "You're - you're going to be my son-in-law?"
"That's the general idea," Kip agreed. It only caused everyone to laugh when the sprite fell over in a dead faint.
- En Route to Ireland -
Kip looked unseeingly out the plane window. "D'you really think they're okay?"
"Who?" Artemis dragged himself out of daydreaming. About her, of course.
"Them." She gestured vaguely. "Holly, Foaly, Commander Root, my - Chix. They still had the Gremlins to take care of."
"They said they could do it," he pointed out. "And if they really needed our help, they'd say so."
"Mmm." She settled back in her seat, arms crossed. "Arty?"
"I'm here."
"I think we need to talk."
"About what?" He slid his arm around her, concerned that she was not meeting his eyes. "Narda, what is it?"
She hesitated. "Our wedding."
"Wedding?"
"You, me - getting married. Remember?" She pulled the coin out from her shirt. "That's what this is all about."
Artemis tensed. "Sweetie, what is it? What's bothering you?"
Kip shook her head. "You'll think it's silly."
"I won't. Or, at least, if I do, I won't say so. There." He lifted her chin. "That got a smile out of you."
She laughed, dropping her head onto his shoulder. "All right, all right. But it seems trivial."
"When it involves you? Never."
She kissed his cheek. "You always know the right thing to say."
Holly didn't know what to say. It was disconcerting, really, because she was thinking she should offer Artemis sympathy, or pity, and neither seemed to jive with the thought of Artemis Fowl the Second.
He was currently sitting curled up into a ball, head buried in his arms, across the room from Kip - Narda - Chix's daughter. He had given her one last kiss, smoothed the hair away from her forehead, and stood with an air of calmness that was immediately proven false when he walked across the room, hands in his pockets, and kicked the wall viciously, collapsing against it with tears streaming down his cheeks. And he hadn't moved since.
Butler, being a bodyguard, was not supposed to have any emotional attachment to anything, be it animal, vegetal, or mineral, and he was certainly not supposed to show the emotion that was attached. So, at the moment, he was having a hard time being detached when all he wanted to do was cry as well, or comfort Artemis, but there were two problems with this last bit: one, that would definitely lead to outward sign of grief, and two, Artemis usually wanted to be left alone when the situation looked this terrible.
Root took a deep breath. "Wow," he said simply.
"I'll say," Foaly said softly, casting a glance at the Mud Men to make sure he was being too quiet for them to hear him. "She almost had me believing her."
"She saved us," Holly said reverently, looking to where Chix was bending over his daughter with a look of something akin to wonder on his face. "She didn't have to do any of that, but she did, and now . . ."
"Oh, really?" Root said gruffly. "Didn't have to save the world, now, did she?"
"Stop it," Foaly cautioned, casting another nervous glance at Artemis.
"All I'm saying is, she didn't have much of a choice," the commander continued, albeit in a softer voice.
"Does it really matter? I mean, the outcome . . ." Holly sighed. "What do we do now?" she continued in a dejected tone.
No one had time to answer before Chix went flying across the room.
* * *
Of course, "flying" might be the wrong verb, as it implies Chix used his wings and made the trip under his own power. Perhaps "was flung across the room" would be a more appropriate expression of the way he crashed into the wall and fell painfully to the floor, bad wing crumpled under him.
This might also be a good time to mention the fact that, as proven by the exploding translator incident, Kip's magic grows back. Sort of like hair: when it's long, you don't notice it growing, but, if you shave your head, it seems to sprout back faster than imaginable. This growth was not apparent at first because the poison's damage was internal and Kip was under a sort of healing trance. However, upon being strong enough to do so, she opened her eyes and reflexively beat the man - the fairy - leaning over her, as she had done to Mulch.
Therefore, instead of rushing to see if Chix was hurt, most of the beings in the room held themselves back as Artemis went to her. "Narda," he whispered, noticing the look of pain on her face and gathering her in his arms as she sat up.
"That may not have been the smartest thing for me to do," she whispered, wincing and doubling up, yet at the same time clutching him to her.
"My god, you're alive." Artemis brushed away the renegade tears on his cheeks.
"It was too lonely without you," she said softly, pulling back, pain easing slightly as her magic continued to grow and be used up immediately in her healing. "You were supposed to laugh."
He managed to smile at that, though she noticed a fresh glisten in his eyes. "We have plenty of time to laugh later."
She understood, leaning in for a gentle kiss.
- Aboveground on the outskirts of Freiburg, Germany -
Root was not exactly in a good mood, seeing as how every fairy in existence was aboveground and it wasn't even a full moon for three more days. "Cool it, Julius," Foaly said cheerfully, watching his commander chew with a passion on the stub of his cigar. "There's no one here to see us."
The response was an unintelligible grumble, which only made Foaly laugh.
Kip, resting under a tree and secure under the gazes of both Artemis and Butler, was looking wearily at her father. Chix did not seem to be feeling any of the tension and was babbling away about some complete nonsense. Holly came to her rescue. "So. You're the one who finally got Mud Boy to stop drooling over computers."
Artemis wasn't sure whether or not to be offended by that, but Kip laughed, taking his hand and pulling him down next to her. "I had to get rid of the computer; I was getting jealous."
Holly smiled. "You've changed a lot, Artemis."
He smiled, arm around Kip. "Maybe I heeded that last bit of advice you gave me all those years ago."
The elf perked up. "Do you still have it?"
"The coin?"
"Yes."
He shook his head. "Nope."
Holly knew she really shouldn't be disappointed, but she was, just the same. "Oh."
"I do." Kip pulled it out from under her shirt where it hung on a black cord. "We decided it suited us better than an engagement ring."
Whatever Holly's response was to that, it was covered up by a rather large coughing fit from Butler. "You were supposed to see how long until he noticed!" Artemis hissed in a stage whisper, kissing her again to stop any protests.
Chix wrinkled his nose. "You're - you're going to be my son-in-law?"
"That's the general idea," Kip agreed. It only caused everyone to laugh when the sprite fell over in a dead faint.
- En Route to Ireland -
Kip looked unseeingly out the plane window. "D'you really think they're okay?"
"Who?" Artemis dragged himself out of daydreaming. About her, of course.
"Them." She gestured vaguely. "Holly, Foaly, Commander Root, my - Chix. They still had the Gremlins to take care of."
"They said they could do it," he pointed out. "And if they really needed our help, they'd say so."
"Mmm." She settled back in her seat, arms crossed. "Arty?"
"I'm here."
"I think we need to talk."
"About what?" He slid his arm around her, concerned that she was not meeting his eyes. "Narda, what is it?"
She hesitated. "Our wedding."
"Wedding?"
"You, me - getting married. Remember?" She pulled the coin out from her shirt. "That's what this is all about."
Artemis tensed. "Sweetie, what is it? What's bothering you?"
Kip shook her head. "You'll think it's silly."
"I won't. Or, at least, if I do, I won't say so. There." He lifted her chin. "That got a smile out of you."
She laughed, dropping her head onto his shoulder. "All right, all right. But it seems trivial."
"When it involves you? Never."
She kissed his cheek. "You always know the right thing to say."