Here I am, back again with a two part one-shot! I was recently reading a wonderful story but PointlesslyPoetic, called We Thought It Was Over (you should all definitely go read it!) and was inspired to write this. For those of you who haven't read Dragonwatch, first of all, you should and secondly this will spoil the first few chapters for you. So, this is my official spoiler warning!
DO NOT READ ANYTHING BELONG THIS LINE OF TEXT IF YOU DON'T WANT THE END OF THE FABLEHAVEN SERIES OR THE BEGINNGING OF DRAGONWATCH TO BE SPOILED FOR YOU!
Basically, in Dragonwatch, Bracken brings Kendra to visit the fairy realm, and is of course, written from Kendra`s point of view. I`ve always been curious about the perspectives of other characters in the Fablehaven universe, so I basically took the third and fourth chapters of Dragonwatch and rewrote them from Bracken`s point of view! Of course, Brandon Mull did write Fablehaven and all of these lines of dialogue, but I did put my own spin on it!
Hope you enjoy!
Bracken wasn't sure if he had ever felt this nervous before. He often felt fear, of course, but he hardly remembered what it was like to feel nervous because of the girl sitting across from him. Bracken kept his eyes on Kendra as he rowed them across the pond. Kendra sat on the wooden bench of the row boat, looking around at the beautiful meadow around her. That was one of the things he cherished about her, even with all that Kendra had experienced in the last few years, there was still a quiet wonder and awe when it came to the fairy world. As the boat scraped against the shore of the island, Kendra focused her attention on him.
"Are you sure this is all right?" She asked nervously.
Bracken smiled at her reassuringly. Ever since he had officially invited Kendra to visit the realm, she was still unsure if she should be going at all.
"I told you my mother granted permission. That is the definition of "all right" in the fairy realm." Ever since his mother had mentioned inviting Kendra to visit the realm, he had worked in quiet anticipation of when he could finally reveal to Kendra what he and so many others were working so hard on. Even though the realm was far from perfect, Bracken wanted Kendra to be a part of his world.
"No humans have ever been there?" Kendra checked.
"Never," Bracken replied. "You`re setting a new precedent. Mother kept it closed off to the outside world, especially after Gorgrog captured Father."
Kendra gave a slow nod, her eyes filling with dread as she recalled the battle at Zzyxx. It had only been a few months since, she, Bracken, Seth and a few others had journeyed to the island of Zzyxx and fought the demons. During the battle, largely due to both Kendra and Seth, the world had been saved, and his father rescued from imprisonment.
"How is your father?" Kendra asked quietly, sadness in her voice. Kendra knew as well as he did the toll that Zzyxx had taken on his Father`s mind. Bracken found it hard to keep looking at Kendra`s sad eyes, so he lowered his eyes to settle on the beetle crawling on the edge of the canoe.
"Not much has changed since we found him. His body is whole, but he keeps to himself and hardly speaks. Others still have to feed him, though at times he will wander on his own." Bracken felt a pang in his heart as he spoke. The father he had grown up with was gone, replaced with a shell of man who was dependent on others, something so unlike his father. But, there were times when he would have moments of clarity and Bracken felt like a child again, looking with admiration as his father, who told him stories and gave the best advice. His mother had hope, that over time, his father would recover, something that Bracken was still waiting for.
"I`m so sorry." Bracken could sense the regret in Kendra`s voice, the guilt and sorrow he knew that Kendra still carried with her. Kendra was so young, yet held a quiet wisdom and darkness, indicative of the awful things she had gone through.
Bracken looked up at her, brightening for her sake. "It`s not your fault. Kendra, you saved him. Most of us figured he was dead. I wish we had known! I would have mounted a rescue. Mother warned me his recovery would take time. After all, he was dragged around inside Zzyxx for centuries, chained to the Demon King. It`s a miracle he survived."
"I can`t imagine how horrible that would have been." Kendra admitted, her voice haunted with the awful memories Bracken knew she had acquired that day.
"We`re lucky to have him back." Bracken vaulted out of the canoe, hoping to change the subject to something that was less horrible. As he got out he teetered on the sandy beach, almost sliding down due to the wet sand. Kendra followed, stepping out of the canoe carefully and much more gracefully than him. Bracken could feel a smile growing on his face as he took her hand.
Then suddenly, three heads popped up from the pond, smiled gleaming in the afternoon sun.
"Hi Bracken!" The first naiad, named Chiatra called out to him.
"Pretty day," The second one, Zolie said coyly.
"Care for a swim?" The third and final naiad, Ulline, proposed innocently.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kendra`s frown at the appearance of the naiads. There was no love lost between Kendra and these naiads, but even so, he was a prince and some appearances needed to be upheld.
"Hi Chiatra! Good to see you Zolie! Hey Ulline," Bracken responded, "Sorry I can`t swim right now, I`m taking Kendra to the fairy realm."
The naiads turned their attention to Kendra, affixing their glare on her. "Did you need someone to sweep up the place?" Chiatra teased.
"Is she going to be sacrificed?" Zollie wondered.
"It`s part of our job to forbid the unworthy." Ulline pondered.
Bracken rolled his eyes at them, "Be nice, ladies. Your orders come from my mother. You know Kendra is coming with permission, as my guest."
Zollie and Ulline rolled their eyes in response and disappeared beneath the water, leaving ripples behind. Chiatra looked Kendra up and down, "I don't get it," before also disappearing underwater.
Kendra turned back to Bracken, looking disapproving. "Your fan club doesn't approve."
Bracken shook his head at her, squeezing her hand slightly, "Don't waste any thought on them. They`re silly and harmless." Bracken tried to reassure Kendra.
"Unless they drown me." Kendra replied, her tone full of cynicism.
Bracken furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to lead Kendra to the shrine in the center of the island. "I`ll talk to Mother. We ought to forbid that."
As Bracken and Kendra neared the fairy statue and bowl, he felt his nerves begin to return, this time in droves. What if Kendra hated the realm? What is she was unimpressed by all that had been done? There was certainly a lot to improve on, but he hoped that Kendra would be able to look past all of that.
"How do we cross over?" Kendra asked curiously.
"Simple." Bracken tried to inject some sort of confidence into his tone but fell flat.
"What?" Kendra turned to face Bracken, her eyes showing him that she had noticed his hesitation.
"There has been a lot of buildup to this. I don't want you to be disappointed."
"Why would I be disappointed?" Kendra asked, seeming to be genuinely confused.
Bracken winced, remembering the horrors that had been waiting for them inside the demon prison, "The splendor of the old fairy realm was unreal. We sacrificed all that to create a new prison for the demons. Zzyxx was a mess when Mother and the others claimed it and began to transform it. This new home is still developing."
Kendra`s eyes were sympathetic, "It makes me sad to think of the demons wrecking your old realm."
Bracken shrugged, "It`s what got them inside, in all their millennia of evil, none of them even saw the fairy realm. The chance to go there and spoil it was too had to resist. Especially when the alternative was to fight the dragons. Before they knew it, our old home had become their new prison." Bracken`s heart sank a little bit with those words. It had been so long, hundreds of years since he had seen his old home, and now, he would never be able to see it again.
"And their prison became your new home."
"It was available," Bracken replied, "Like our previous realm, the prison was a pocket dimension tied to you reality. The demons left the way open, and we were free to move in. There was lots of space. We`ve put in loads of work. Don't forget, Zzyxx held many of the most powerful demons in the world for thousands of years. It wasn't just a mess- it was horrifying. Nobody can purify like unicorns. And beautifying is what fairies do. But plenty of work remains."
"Can I help?" Kendra offered.
Bracken smiled at Kendra, "Who knows? Your fairykind status makes you a powerful source of magical energy." It was true. Though Bracken was now used to the radiance Kendra exuded, whenever he looked at her it was like looking at an angel, shrouded in light.
"I`d love to be your battery. I can`t wait to see your home." Kendra said sincerely.
"I`ll show you a lot. Mother won`t let anyone inside the palace yet. She refuses to accept anything short of perfection there." Bracken began to feel excited at the prospect of being able to show Kendra his home and for her to be more of a part of his life.
"Maybe I can drop be again." Kendra mused quietly.
"Once we set the precedent of you visiting, I expect Mother will keep having you back. It is very difficult to get to know my mother. I`m only beginning to understand her myself. But when you killed Gorgrog, you made a friend for life."
"I hope so. The Fairy Queen has always been good to me."
"She doesn't grant fairykind status to many. Mother liked you even before you freed her husband. After the battle at Zzyxx, I don't think she has more respect for any human." Bracken admitted.
Kendra`s eyes began to sparkle, "Do you think we`ll see your Mom?"
"She spends a lot of time in the palace with Father. If we run across her, she`ll probably be in horse shape. She likes to go for runs in that form."
Kendra smiled, nodding happily.
"Ready?" Bracken asked Kendra, noticing that the tiny fairy statue began to glimmer.
"What do I do?" A hint of nervousness crept into her voice.
Then suddenly, the familiar sensation of pulling and the whiteness around them took over them, and as Bracken took Kendra`s hand, Bracken and Kendra were going to the fairy realm.
Part two will be coming soon! This does take a long time to write, so please be patient with me! Thank you to PointlesslyPoetic and Wolf Lover27 for the reviews and feministkendra for the follow! It means so much! Wolf Lover27 wanted Bracken to be in the story, and so, here it is!