Chapter 11: Responsibilities and careless actions
Authors note: Sorry for not updating sooner, I was having a small or should I say BIG break from fanfiction as it was getting a little stressful. But I'm back now! Ok this chapter gets a bit more interesting! And we see a lot more of Pansy and Boris in this chapter! Enjoy!
Today was officially going to be a big day for both gardens in Verona drive! Both gardens were having new leaders as the older ones were retiring! This put a lot of pressure on Blueberry and Redbrick as they had to be prepared for the parties the other gnomes were hosting in honour of their new leaders. They both had to prepare a special speech which was no walk in the park to prepare. And they both had to take final orders from their parents before they handed over the new responsibilities to their children. This was not going to be easy for either of them! And certain gnomes in particular were not helping matters.
"Now I want you to prepare well for this Blueberry!" Lady Bluebell explained wagging her finger at her daughter who sighed pretending to be interested when she really wasn't "I am finally seeing my little girl become leader! And I want today to be special for you and me!"
"Yes mother!" Blueberry replied rolling her eyes a little as her mother smiled softly. Lady Bluebell grabbed Blueberry's chin and examined her face a little before biting her lip softly.
"It just seems like yesterday that you were being picked up by your father and carted off around the garden like a mad frog set on fire by a barbeque!" Lady Bluebell reminisced which made Blueberry smirk at the thought. "If only he would have stayed to watch you grow up to be such a beautiful young lady! But the cretin left and abandoned everything for his stupid fairytale fantasy world! I am so glad you didn't do the same! It would have broken me into a million pieces if you did that to me!"
"Mother! You know I would never do anything like that!" Blueberry reassured but frowned a little at what she had just said. To think she almost DID do that! She almost ran away with Redbrick! 'NO! Don't think about him! Not today! That's the last thing I bloody want!' Blueberry told herself before smiling again, as usual. Her life was a lie wasn't it? She always smiled even to cover up her being sad!
"I know! I guess I am just superstitious in my old age! Now be a dear and go tell Wisteria and Toadstool that we are setting up for this party! I have some gifts to give you later! Something which may be a use to you when you're a leader!" Lady Bluebell replied with a hint of eagerness in her voice.
"Ok… bye," Blueberry raised an eyebrow before walking off to find her friend. Confusion and curiosity were now getting the better of Blueberry and she wasn't that type of gnome. But she would find out soon enough! Like they say… 'Patience in a virtue'.
…
Meanwhile in the red garden Redbrick was preparing the last few sentences of his speech. He had been working on this for the past few days and he was still at a loss for some decent words to use for it. He was no good at speeches! But anyway who was?
"And I thank you all for coming and so forth and I hope you except me as a decent and responsible leader! We won't take anything from the blues lightly and we will seek revenge for their dispicuable behaviour!" Redbrick read off of his sheet. He didn't realise he had made a mistake in his spelling, but someone certainly did.
"It's 'despicable' you illiterate ass!" Pansy snapped walking by Redbrick to go to the garden shed. She had been very moody and very jealous of him lately! But it was expected of her! She was after all witnessing her brother becoming the title of 'leader'. The same title she was once promised! Well… until her little brother was born! And now look where she was!
"I don't need you calling me illiterate thank you! And stop being so moody Pansy! You can have your fun and attention after I become leader! Perhaps I will name the wishing well after you!" Redbrick smirked as Pansy clenched her fists and her face began to glow red with frustration.
"SHUT UP! I may have to be nice to you today, but if you push me too far Redbrick you will be wearing that grin at the top of your hat! Do I make myself clear?" Pansy fumed acting as if she were in charge. To keep the peace Redbrick decided to quit while he was ahead.
"Perfectly! Now save the arguing for another day Pansy! Or even better, make good use of it on the blues! I'm sure a certain 'Lady Blueberry' would love to be welcomed by your sarcastic comments and crude jokes after she also becomes leader!" Redbrick spat before walking away. He didn't want to argue with Pansy, especially today! His parents were relying on him to keep the peace so he could at least become leader without a massive row!
…
As Blueberry made her way to the other end of the garden to alert Wisteria she noticed many gnomes were setting up and getting in the party spirit. She was greeted by many gnomes as she walked by and she smiled and waved at them. Today was going to be a big day and Blueberry would probably be exhausted after all of this.
When Blueberry got close to Wisteria's pad she heard a very familiar song being played from Wisteria's record player. This particular song made Blueberry put her head in her hands. It was one of the many songs that reminded Blueberry of the gnome she would rather not even think of anymore! What a way to ruin her perfectly good mood! The last time Blueberry had heard this song was the day when Wisteria had her hat sheered off by Pansy! And none of that day was a good memory! And now Wisteria was playing 'The age of Aquarius' by 'Fifth dimension' yet again! Didn't she realize the situation? Knowing Wisteria, she probably wouldn't.
And then the penny dropped and Blueberry's patience suddenly vanished. It was now worse that Wisteria actually began to sing the blasted song!
When the moon is in the Seventh House,
And Jupiter aligns with Mars,
Then peace will guide the planets,
And love will steer the stars,
This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius,
The Age of Aquarius
Aquarius! Aquarius!
Harmony and understanding,
Sympathy and trust abounding,
No more falsehoods or derisions,
Golden living dreams of visions,
Mystic crystal revelation,
And the mind's true liberation,
Aquarius! Aquari—
Wisteria was suddenly stopped from singing when her record suddenly turned off. Wisteria looked up from what she was doing and noticed Blueberry at the front of her pad grabbing the record from the record player and looking at it in disgust before trying to snap it in half. Wisteria was taken aback by all of this! She had never seen Blueberry this frustrated in all her life!
"You stupid song you! You should go rot in hell!" Blueberry said angrily as she bent the record in an attempt to break it. Wisteria rushed over to try and get a hold of Blueberry.
"Blueberry what the heck are you trying to do?" Wisteria suddenly tackled Blueberry and grabbed her record to try and save it from being damaged.
"Don't you realize?" Blueberry asked acting a little surprised.
"Realize what?" Wisteria asked clutching onto her record keeping it away from her friend.
"Realize how much this song hurts! What this song reminds me of?" Blueberry snapped and Wisteria shook her head confused "Remember the last time this song was played Wisteria?" Blueberry pointed out and suddenly Wisteria froze and looked down whilst placing a shaky hand to feel her re-glued hat.
"The day Pansy smashed your hat! The day me and Redbrick were last happy together! And you still insist on playing this wretched song!" Blueberry explained trying but failing to restrain her anger.
"This song reminds you of Redbrick? Is that all?" Wisteria placed her record down and looked Blueberry into her eyes. Wisteria's blue eyes stared deep into Blueberry's and she could see everything! She could still see the truth!
"DON'T! Don't even mention that man!" Blueberry put a hand over her eyes and Wisteria put a hand on her shoulder.
"You still love him don't you?" Wisteria's voice sounded deep and deadly serious. Blueberry looked at Wisteria and gave her a glance that she had never seen before in her entire life. Her eyes weren't full of joy or sadness. They were full of hate! Pure hate!
"NO! I hate him! Just like Pansy!" Blueberry said much calmer than before "He and I were never meant to be and I now see why! I now see the REAL side to him. He's an arrogant selfish gnome at heart who tries to pretend he cares for other people's emotions! Well I can tell you now, he has messed with mine and he will never touch them again as long as I live!" Blueberry then sighed and sat down and Wisteria followed her but she remain stood up.
"Are you sure about that Blueberry? Are you really sure?" Wisteria asked softly and Blueberry glanced up at her or should we say, glared.
"Of course I'm sure Wisteria! Why are you so bothered about me and Redbrick being together? Ever since I told you I ended things with him you seem to be really bothered about it! Now tell me why!" Blueberry demanded awaiting Wisteria's reply. Wisteria turned and faced the entrance to her pad and glanced outside before replying to Blueberry's question. She was going to be truthful! Even if it upset Blueberry! She had to know what Wisteria was thinking! Wisteria had told Redbrick, yet he didn't listen, and perhaps it would be the same with Blueberry. But she knew that one day they would be eating those words and she would prove them wrong! She just knew it!
"Ok… ok! You want to know why I care?" Wisteria began using a lot of emotion. Blueberry nodded before Wisteria continued, "I know that deep down you two still love each other! Yet you two are too blind to see it! I guess I'm the only one who actually knows you two care about each other and even though you deny it I know you two still wish to be together! Yet like everyone else you hide it with this stupid feud! And you somehow think that having a relationship with Gnorman will heal you? Well I know otherwise! I know what your emotions are telling you! You're pretending to fall in love with someone else to heal the wounds that Redbrick left you! I want you to be happy Blueberry! But I don't feel that Gnorman will make you happy! I only care for your emotional wellbeing Blueberry!" Wisteria explained and Blueberry remained silent for several moments before standing up to face Wisteria.
"Wisteria… I really see you care for my emotional wellbeing! Why can't you just see that it is hopeless between me and Redbrick! He has his life and I have mine! I would have it no other way! And why can't you see that Gnorman has made me happy! He has made me feel a hundred times better than I ever felt with Redbrick and yet you say I still love Redbrick? Why can't you let me make my own decisions? You're just like my mother! I thought you were my friend!" Blueberry argued back feeling ashamed of her friend for the first time ever! This was their first official argument for the first time in their entire lives!
"Blueberry… I know I shouldn't get involved, but you must know that I care! And I have a feeling in my heart that tells me one day you and Redbrick will be together! And when that day comes… well… you may just thank me!" Wisteria then looked to the floor and then back at Blueberry who was gob smacked and had a loss for words. Wisteria then began to make her way towards the door silently before speaking in a murmured tone "Well if you'll excuse me, I have to help some gnomes prepare for this so called party of yours! I should wish you luck I guess! Good luck Blueberry! And I wish you the best! I now feel that you should no longer take my advice and make your own decisions which you judge to be right! Like a good leader should!" Wisteria then turned and patted her lap to get Toadstool to follow her "Come along Toadstool!" And with that, Wisteria was gone.
…
Redbrick continued to work on his speech whilst everyone else in the garden bustled about trying to get this party ready. Pansy offered no help to anyone and continued to sulk on her pedestal while Boris tried to talk to her. Redbrick had to give a little credit to Boris; he really did care about Pansy. He was about the only one who truly did!
Redbrick didn't notice someone sneak up behind him and he didn't expect it. Redbrick jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice interrupt his thoughts.
"Need any help?" Redbrick turned around to see June smiling at him. Redbrick dropped his pen in shock and clasped a hand to his chest while June bent down and picked up his pen.
"June! Don't do that! I'm a bag of nerves already! I don't need you making me worse!" Redbrick snapped a little and June frowned slightly by his slight rudeness.
"What's to be so nervous about? It's only a party! And you only have to deliver a short speech! How hard can it be? I mean, you must have delivered plenty of speeches before right?" June asked and Redbrick lowered his head muttering something.
"No…" Redbrick muttered so quietly that June was unable to hear him.
"What was that?" June pressed on.
"I SAID NO!" Redbrick stressed as June took a few steps back from him. He was obviously showing his nerves and anger today, June wasn't that much of a help either. "Look June, I'm sorry! I just have never done this kind of thing before! I'm becoming leader of the red garden today and I am about to have the biggest responsibility a gnome could have! I don't expect you to understand what I'm going through, but I really need to get this right!" Redbrick said much gentler than before and June smiled again.
"Look if your going to stress about it like a ninny at least let me help!" June offered putting out her hand to try and grab the piece of paper that had Redbrick's speech written on.
"Firstly, I am no ninny! And secondly what help could you possibly give me?" Redbrick asked crossing his arms.
"If you let me read your speech that may help!" June said as Redbrick gave a defeated sigh and handed his speech to June who took her time to read it carefully.
"Well?" Redbrick exclaimed feeling a tense atmosphere begin to rise.
"I'm impressed!" June finally let out handing the sheet of paper back to Redbrick whose eyes widened.
"Really?" Redbrick asked astonished she didn't find any faults with it.
"Yeah! I don't see why you're so nervous! It's all written down! It's as if you're afraid of crowds or some-!" June began but stopped when she noticed Redbrick's head held low once again. He looked both embarrassed and sad, both at the same time! "You are aren't you?" June asked putting a hand on Redbrick's shoulder.
"I'm not afraid of the crowd! I'm just afraid everyone will laugh at me! Especially my sister!" Redbrick said not even facing June. He was afraid that she would start laughing at how ridiculous the idea was. That would have made it even worse for him.
"Aw! Poor Redbrick! Trust me Redbrick it won't be that bad! No one will laugh at you! And I think your sister is too jealous to even think about laughing at you." June explained smiling as Redbrick raised his head a little.
"But what if I mess up? She will probably make a fool of me and I will look like a stupid idiot in front of the entire garden!" Redbrick exclaimed feeling unenthusiastic once again.
"You won't mess up Redbrick!" June replied.
"You don't know that!" Redbrick said and June sighed and thought a few minutes. She then suddenly came up with a good idea that may help Redbrick out a hell of a lot.
"Ok, tell you what! When you make your speech just focus on me! Imagine no one else is there! Just imagine that I am the only one standing in front of you! You'll see!" June reassured.
"You won't laugh?" Redbrick asked cautiously feeling a little more optimistic than he did a few moments ago.
"No of course not! You have my word for it!" June put her hand out and Redbrick grasped it confidently.
"Thanks June! That should help get me through this!" Redbrick grinned and looked at his piece of paper with a confident smile.
"You're welcome Redbrick! I'm glad I could be of assistance! Now I must go and help everyone else for your leader's party! See you later!" And with that June left Redbrick alone again.
"Bye!" Redbrick whispered and waved before turning back to his sheet.
…
"Wisteria have you seen Blueberry around?" Gnorman asked as Wisteria walked past him with her trusty helper Toadstool.
"Yeah she's in my pad!" Wisteria said bitterly and Gnorman's eyebrows rose suspiciously.
"Is something wrong Wisteria?" Gnorman asked and Wisteria shook her head.
"No! Nothing is wrong! Why don't you go ask your girlfriend?" Wisteria said through gritted teeth. Gnorman was actually surprised by Wisteria's sudden mood. Wasn't she meant to be a cool and quiet gnome? Weren't all hippies peaceful? Well it was obviously a sign that the hippy era was over! But Wisteria still remained the hippy she was back in the 70's even though they were now in the 1980's era. Gnorman blinked for a second before Wisteria then walked off and Gnorman watched her leave. Toadstool on the other hand stayed behind and looked up at the handsome gnome and shrugged his little shoulders before going off to follow his loyal companion. Gnorman also shrugged his shoulders before going off to find Blueberry.
Blueberry made her way outside Wisteria's pad and slowly made her way back to a decent place so she could practice her speech. Gnorman soon found her standing nearby Wisteria's pad with a small sheet of paper reciting lines from it as if it were a play rehearsal. But this wasn't a play rehearsal! It was her speech that she was going to address the garden with. Gorman approached her cautiously and Blueberry then stopped reciting her speech and smiled at Gnorman as if nothing was wrong. But judging by Wisteria's strange behavior and the way Blueberry was trying to cover something up with that smile of hers, Gnorman was growing more suspicious.
"Hello Gnorman! Can I do anything for you?" Blueberry asked politely not even noticing Gnorman's suspicions.
"Save the leader mode for later Blueberry! What have you said to Wisteria?" Gnorman went straight to the point and Blueberry put her paper down as her eyes blinked in surprise.
"What?" Blueberry asked still trying to give Gnorman the impression nothing was wrong.
"I just walked past Wisteria and asked where you were and she said 'She's in my pad. Why don't you ask your girlfriend?' and it was in such a tone that I wouldn't expect from her. Now it's obvious that you two have had a disagreement! What did you say to her?" Gnorman explained and Blueberry sighed. She didn't need this. Not today!
"Listen Gnorman we had a little disagreement! Now can we please drop it! I have enough to stress about here without you putting more on the pile!" Blueberry exclaimed trying to ditch the subject. Gnorman on the other hand had a different idea.
"What were you disagreeing about?" Gnorman pressed on trying to squeeze the truth out of Blueberry some how.
"If you must know, she didn't think I was able to make the right choice about something that happened in the past but I know I was right and she has to get over my decision! Now can we please drop the subject before I collapse of nervous exhaustion?" Blueberry explained sitting down.
"I'm sorry Blueberry! I just like to know the truth as all! I'm sure you did make the right decision, what ever it was, and I am sure Wisteria will eventually see it too!" Gorman replied sitting next to Blueberry.
"Just think, in about an hour I will be leader of this garden!" Blueberry looked around her in amazement and took in a big breath of air.
"And a very good one at that!" Gnorman reassured.
"Thanks but you don't mean that!" Blueberry smiled turning to Gnorman.
"On the contrary I actually do!" Gnorman replied also smiling at Blueberry.
"Well I'm not going to know my speech if we just sit here and talk am I?" Blueberry then stood up and looked at her piece of paper for a few minutes. Blueberry then looked up and noticed Gnorman was still standing there with a dumfounded smile plastered on his face, Blueberry blushed as she noticed he was in fact staring at her. "Is there anything else Gnorman?"
"Oh! Yeah I just came to wish you luck! You'll do fine up there! Goodbye!" Gnorman explained before walking off shyly. Blueberry sighed and rolled her eyes a little before chuckling to herself. Today was sure going to be interesting!
…
"Today is going to be a day of extraordinary significance!" Lord Redbury said proudly surveying the area where Redbrick was going to make his speech. In front of him was a bunch of seats being laid out by gnomes for them all to sit in when the party began.
"Where do you want these chairs putting Lord Redbury?" Boris asked with a handful of chairs in arms. Lord Redbury turned to the heavy built gnome and smiled.
"Just put them over there!" Lord Redbury commanded and Boris did as he was instructed.
"Right I'll be off then!" Boris explained turning around to leave.
"Boris wait!" Lord Redbury called after him causing the gnome to stop in his tracks and turn to face his old leader. "Take care of Pansy! Especially today! I feel that today she may feel worse than usual with her younger brother taking her place as leader and all that. I am putting her in your capable hands because she seems to trust you more than anyone else in this entire garden!" Lord Rebury said and Boris nodded "Take care of my daughter Boris!"
"I will Lord Redbury! I promise you that Pansy will be safe in my capable hands!" Boris bowed a little and Lord Redbury nodded before Boris turned and headed back to what he was originally going to do.
Meanwhile Redbrick was doing a quick check on his speech while he got ready. June had came back to help him run through it with her pretending to be his audience. She was a big help to him in this particular crisis.
"Ok you wanna take it from the top once more?" June asked.
"No, I think I got it! We have run through this five times now and I don't think I can handle doing it another time!" Redbrick sighed whilst looking in the mirror at himself "Now how do I look? Do I look presentable?" Redbrick asked and June started to laugh which caused him to frown a little.
"You look fine Redbrick! Now stop fretting! You'll do fine!" June punched him lightly on the shoulder encouragingly and Redbrick smiled nervously.
"I hope so! I keep worrying that something bad is going to happen," Redbrick replied sounding a bit on-edge.
"What on earth could happen to ruin your big day?" June said patting him on the shoulder. Redbrick smiled a little more at June. She was so optimistic that everything was going to go fine! And what was Redbrick worrying about anyway? Perhaps it's time he trusted June a lot more than he was currently. It's such a shame Pansy waltzed up to them and began bursting him bubble… as usual!
"Well, let's see… the garden could set on fire! Or the cake could explode! Or someone dies of a heart attack whilst Redbrick makes his long boring speech! Or; my favourite one… Redbrick could screw up his speech and make himself look like a complete nutter in front of the entire garden!" Pansy said smugly and June rolled her eyes at her. Redbrick on the other hand just began to turn a slight shade of green as he was beginning to panic. June almost immediately noticed his behaviour and tried to calm him down. She glared back at Pansy before speaking.
"Can't you leave him alone for one second? Can't you see how nervous your brother is? He has to make a speech in front of the entire garden and you're most definitely not helping matters!" June snapped putting a comforting hand around Redbrick's shoulders to try and calm him down. Pansy just restrained a few chuckles and smirked at the new gnome.
"I can see your working your magic huh June?" Pansy put her hand on her hip and June turned away from Redbrick and faced Pansy with an 'I don't know what you're talking about' look on her face.
"What are you implying?" June asked pretending to not know what Pansy was talking about, but she had some idea that this conversation was going to get VERY awkward, VERY fast!
"Well… your helping my brother are you not? But by your interpretation of helping means that you are actually flirting. Am I right?" Pansy replied smirking smugly as her brother and June both stared at her blankly, neither knowing what to say next.
"Pansy, me and Redbrick are just friends!" June replied and Redbrick nodded.
"Friends? Yeah right! Don't take me for a fool you silly girl! I know my fathers plans for you two!" Pansy snarled and June's eyes widened. What was she on about? Why was she being so nasty to June? She hadn't said anything about Redbrick to Lord Redbury! What plans were they making?
"What plans?" June asked and Pansy began to laugh like an evil super villain which made both June and Redbrick feel a slight bit sick.
"And they haven't even told you!" Pansy continued to laugh carelessly.
"What plans Pansy?" Redbrick demanded and Pansy immediately stopped laughing and began to glare at them both.
"Why just I heard the other day that mum and dad were talking about you two! They were discussing your future!" Pansy snapped. Redbrick and June glanced at each other, both confused but soon coming to the same conclusion. It wasn't until Pansy spoke again, that their suspicions were then correct. "Apparently you two are gonna get married!"
"Now look Pansy…" Redbrick tried to get his sister off his case but she wouldn't give in. She was about to give him a piece of her mind and really put him down! This was all he needed, especially today of all days!
"Don't you 'Now look Pansy' me! It's bad enough that you're becoming leader, but marrying HER! This garden would be led by a bunch of idiots! I DESERVE TO BE LEADER! I ALWAYS HAVE! I was promised it! And then you showed up! Dad and mum thought you were the better choice! They thought you were special! They thought you were polite and caring to others! They paid you all their love and attention and what did I get for it? A stupid pedestal and a worthless family and a worthless life! Mum told me to come and wish you luck for today! But I'm not gonna do that! Instead I'm gonna hope to hell that you mess it up and everybody realises you're the worst choice for a leader! So you can take your speech and shove it up your butt hole! And you can officially declare yourselves 'Husband and Wife!' GOOD DAY!" Pansy screeched at both June and Redbrick before swiftly turning around and storming off. June was still getting over what had just happened while Redbrick walked over to a nearby rock and sat on it while putting his head in his hands. June noticed his behaviour when he sighed heavily and June went over to him and comforted him in anyway she could.
"Well that's set back my nerves by another seven hundred miles!" Redbrick muttered sounding depressed.
"Listen Redbrick… she's angry and upset! She'll come round!" June tried to be optimistic, but she really couldn't. She had only been in the red garden for a few weeks and she wasn't exactly familiar with Pansy or her actions. The first time she came into the garden, she actually thought she was in fact nice. It wasn't until recently that she found out otherwise. She now thought she was the nastiest gnome on the entire planet!
"You don't know what my sister is capable of June! She'll probably make this speech ten times harder to deliver! It's hopeless!" Redbrick gave in and June stood up shaking her head.
"Now don't you go giving up now! She won't do anything wrong to distract you as long as you pay your attention to me! If you look at her, THEN she will do something to put you off! But if you just imagine that I'm the only one you're delivering the speech too, THEN I will help you in any way I can!" June reassured him.
"Do you mind?" Redbrick asked looking up at her. June smiled down at the distressed gnome and put out her hand.
"Consider it a favour! Now come along! We have a speech to deliver!" June signified as Redbrick grabbed her hand and leapt to his feet. June took her arm in his and they both walked arm in arm to the party, both grinning and feeling confident.
…
"Well it's now or later!" Blueberry muttered to herself as she watched her friend help carry some chairs to their correct places. Blueberry was about to apologise to Wisteria before she was due to deliver her speech. And she knew it would be difficult because Wisteria wasn't exactly in the right type of mood to speak to Blueberry at that particular moment.
"Where do you want all of these chairs putting Earl?" Wisteria called out to an elderly gnome who was directing the gnomes who were setting up the party area.
"Oh just put them over there Wisteria! Thank you!" Earl replied and Wisteria did as instructed. Blueberry then saw her chance to go out there and talk to Wisteria, she walked out confidently and everyone suddenly stopped working and turned to face their new soon to be leader. Wisteria noticed everyone's attentions were diverted from their tasks and soon followed their gazes. She was not impressed when she saw Blueberry walking towards her.
"Wisteria, may I have a word with you?" Blueberry began feeling a little edgy with all the attentions of every gnome in the area still attached to her.
"We have nothing to discuss right now!" Wisteria huffed and began stacking chairs once again. Blueberry rolled her eyes; Wisteria had never been this stubborn! She was never the stubborn type!
"Listen Wisteria I just want to say, I'm sorry for what happened earlier!" Blueberry blurted out loud and suddenly Wisteria stopped what she was doing, she slowly turned around and put her hand on her hip. Blueberry felt the air go tense as all the blue gnomes continued to stare at her and Wisteria. Blueberry had just about enough of them making her feel uncomfortable so she decided to address all of the other gnomes "Hey! Don't you have some jobs to do?" and with that the other gnomes left the area leaving Wisteria and Blueberry alone.
"You're sorry?" Wisteria began sounding a little stunned.
"Yes! I'm sorry for what I said, but you must understand that I can make my own decisions! I don't need you to tell me who I love and who I am! But you are my best friend and I don't want a small argument getting in the way of our friendship!" Blueberry explained as Wisteria just stood there and watched her apologise. When she was finished, Blueberry awaited a reply from Wisteria, and she eventually got one!
"Of course it doesn't!" Wisteria said cheerfully "I have been thinking it over and I thought my behaviour to you and Gnorman was childish and uncalled for! I realise I have been holding you back and I guess I should just keep some of my opinions to myself! Can you forgive me Blueberry?" Blueberry then smiled reassuringly at her friend and then she placed her hand on her shoulder.
"There's nothing to forgive!" Blueberry grinned and then held out her hand "Friends?"
"BEST FRIENDS!" Wisteria replied grabbing her friend into a tight hug before speaking again "And don't you have something to do? Get ready perhaps?"
"I'm already ready Wistie!" Blueberry explained pointing at her dress while laughing.
"Oh right…" Wisteria then began to laugh along with Blueberry and they continued to do so before they both felt an arm on each of their shoulders. Both Blueberry and Wisteria turned to see Gnorman smiling that charming smile he always wore.
"I see you two are friends again!" Gnorman said happily and Blueberry and Wisteria nodded.
"Listen Gnorman, I'm sorry!" Wisteria explained and Gnorman smiled at her.
"There's nothing to forgive!" Gnorman replied before getting a hard hit on the shoulder by Blueberry.
"You stole my line!" Blueberry accused him jokingly.
"Did not!" Gnorman shouted back at Blueberry smirking.
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Alright! Alright, I give up! I stole your line ok? Now don't we have a certain leader's party to go to?" Gnorman offered both Blueberry and Wisteria his arms and they gladly accepted them. All three gnomes headed towards a crowd of blue gnomes at the side of the garden where the party was being hosted. All wearing smiles on their faces the gnomes entered the party, today was going to be a special one, not just for Blueberry, but for the entire blue garden.
…
"How much longer do we have to keep this act up?" Redbrick forced a smile at several gnomes he walked past and then grimacing when he was sure they were out of sight. He was still arm in arm with June who hadn't left his side since the party began. She was there to support him and help him stay well clear from his sister who stood at the far end of the garden with Boris and her other trouble making gnome friends of hers.
"It can't be much longer now; you'll soon have to make your speech!" June whispered back to him clutching his arm tightly.
"Don't remind me!" Redbrick face palmed himself and grimaced. The entire garden was going to witness his dreaded speech!
"Just remember everything I told you and you'll be fine!" June stopped walking and turned to face Redbrick "I believe in you!" June then kissed Redbrick's cheek for good luck and he looked at her startled, she blushed but their moment wasn't seen by anyone because everyone else's attentions were now fixed on Lord Redbury who stood on top of the front stage and looked down at the crowd of gnomes who had gathered to see what was about to happen. June realised what was about to happen and smiled at Redbrick "This is it! Good luck!" June then walked away leaving Redbrick alone in the growing crowd who were now taking seats nearby the stage.
June made sure she got to the front row so it would be easier for Redbrick to turn his attentions to her when he made his speech. But unfortunately for June, Pansy and Boris took seats next to her. Pansy crossed her arms and sulked like a child having a tantrum while Boris slouched back casually. They were quite a pair. He was short and fat while she was thin and tall. June did all she could to ignore the pair and surprisingly enough they sat quietly while Lord Redbury was about to speak.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! As you know today my son Redbrick Capulet is about to become leader of this garden while me and my wife retire. We thank you all for coming to this joyous event and my son would like to present a small speech before I give him his gift! May I present my son Redbrick!" Lord Redbury announced as everybody but Pansy and Boris clapped and cheered for Redbrick as he clutched his piece of paper nervously. June cheered louder than everyone else to try and encourage Redbrick to boost his confidence a little. And it seemed to be working!
Redbrick unfolded his paper that had his speech written on it. He glanced into the crowd as the cheers began to die down. He saw his mother and father smiling at him proudly, his sister and Boris glaring at him, and his gaze finally landed on June who smiled and winked at him reassuringly. Redbrick inhaled a deep breath before proceeding. It was either now or never!
"Eh… well I would like to thank you all for coming! It's a great honour being here and I am thrilled to-" Redbrick began but was cut off by a sudden voice from the crowd. A familiar voice in fact that everyone glared at her in annoyance.
"Just get on with it!" Pansy snapped rudely, receiving glares from nearly every single gnome in the entire garden. Redbrick wasn't glaring at Pansy, he was too nervous to even think about glaring at the time. Soon everyone's attentions turned from Pansy back to Redbrick who gulped before continuing.
"Well… uh… anyway!" Redbrick began and then realised what he was doing 'Just look at June! She's the only person here! Trust her!' Redbrick told himself and surprisingly enough it worked. When Redbrick fixed his focus just on June he felt a sudden rush of confidence hit his brain. Within seconds Redbrick turned back to his speech and then began confidently reading it aloud. "Well becoming leader is a very hard and crucial responsibility! And in the past I didn't think that I could do it! But today I look upon you and realise I can do it! I can do anything if I want to, but the thing is you need to believe you can do that task to achieve it! I also learned that you need to believe not only in yourself, but others too! For teamwork is just as good as being independent! I would like to thank my mother and father for believing in me from the very beginning! I would like to thank June, for believing in me and helping me ever since she arrived! She will most certainly help me when I become leader! And I thank you all for coming and so forth and I hope you except me as a decent and responsible leader! We won't take anything from the blues lightly and we will seek revenge for their despicable behaviour! Thank you once again and well… thank you!" Redbrick finished as he then bowed and everyone applauded.
"Ladies and gentlemen let's here is for our new leader Lord Redbrick!" Lord Redbury stood up and urged the crowed to cheer even more.
Meanwhile while everyone stood up to cheer Redbrick on for his speech, Pansy had just about enough of it. She suddenly stood up and stormed off out of the crowd. June couldn't have been happier to see her go but Boris on the other hand decided to go after her. He did really care about Pansy and he did promise Lord Redbury he would do what he could to look after her.
"Pansy! Where are you going?" Boris called out running after her. Pansy made her way towards the garden gate but realised that it was locked.
"Away from here!" Pansy shouted sounding very upset. When she finally decided to give up kicking the gate down she turned around to reveal to Boris that she was indeed crying. Tears of rage, tears of sadness. She knew today was going to be bad, but she hadn't realised how bad it was until the day actually arrived.
"Pansy, calm down and we can talk this over!" Boris replied trying to calm her down.
"Talk? I'm sick of talking! I get nothing out of it! No one listens to what I have to say!" Pansy wiped her eyes as tears continued to flow from her eyes. Boris hadn't seen Pansy in this state for a VERY long time. It was a change to see her upset like this.
"Pansy, you know I care about you! I will listen to what you have to say!" Boris exclaimed stepping very close to Pansy who looked at him and smiled a little.
"Yeah, you're the only one who will! You're the only one who really cares for me like no other!" Pansy touched Boris's waist and then he grabbed her and hugged her.
"Go on! Cry! Let your anger and sadness out!" Boris cooed and Pansy then continued to cry.
"Boris, don't leave me! Stay here with me! Be with me!" Pansy then let go of Boris and he got every single word of that.
"I would have it no other way!" Boris then pulled Pansy close and kissed her for the first time ever. Something would happen between them tonight that would change the future for the reds and the blues forever. And it was only between Pansy and Boris. But what could be between two gnomes could have an affect on many other gnomes!
…
Meanwhile in the blue garden Blueberry was preparing to make her speech. Both Wisteria and Gnorman sat at the front row cheering Blueberry on while Blueberry stood on the stage awaiting her speech to be delivered while her mother prepared to make an announcement to all of the blue gnomes in the garden.
Like Redbrick, Blueberry was nervous. But she had more knowledge and experience of speeches which made it much easier for Blueberry to deliver hers. And she also didn't have a pathetic sister to contradict her every five seconds which made life a hell of a lot easier for Blueberry. Everyone in this garden liked Blueberry and they would most certainly respect her a great deal when she became leader. But first she would have to deliver her speech, which she was about to do.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls! I would like to sadly announce that from this day onwards, I will no longer be your leader! As you know I am handing my responsibilities to my daughter Blueberry who has been a treasure to me since the day she was born. I will later on be giving her some gifts that may prove useful to her when she is leader… So without further ado, my I present my daughter Blueberry who will be delivering her speech!" Lady Bluebell announced and began to clap as her daughter brought out her piece of paper with her words on. The crowd clapped and cheered and Wisteria and Gnorman could be heard over the rest as they were cheering the loudest. As the applause calmed down Blueberry then began to make her speech.
"Well thanks to all of you who have made this day possible! I would say I have had my fair share of responsibilities, but by far this will be my biggest challenge yet! All you good people deserve a responsible and kind natured leader and I will do my best to be that kind of leader! I would like to thank several people for helping me through my life; to begin with I would like to thank my mother! If it wasn't for her, well I would have probably never realised that you have to take your duties seriously no matter what. And I would also like to thank Wisteria! She has been my best friend for many years and I have considered her to be more like a sister than a friend. And also I would like to thank Gnorman! He has showed me true friendship and helped me over the past couple of weeks. And lastly, thank you all! I would not be here today without you! I am proud to be the leader of the blue garden and I will make sure that we don't take any flack from the reds! If they do something to us, then we will want revenge! And I will make sure we give them just that and more! Thank you all! And have a nice time tonight!" Blueberry finished before everyone began to clap once again. Lady Bluebell smiled proudly as her daughter made her way off the stage.
"Everyone lets hear it for my daughter and our new leader Lady Blueberry!" Lady Bluebell applauded and then walked up to her daughter and whispered "I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks mother!" Blueberry replied giving her mother a tight embrace before allowing her to continue to speak to the crowd.
"Well enjoy the rest of the party everyone! I will be giving Lady Blueberry her gifts later on!" Lady Bluebell said finally before making her way off of the stage.
"You were great!" Wisteria hugged Blueberry as she made her way back to Gnorman and Wisteria.
"Thanks!" Blueberry smiled gratefully "I was afraid I would mess up!"
"Mess up? No you're a natural!" Gnorman explained patting Blueberry on the back.
"I am aren't I?" Blueberry smirked before grabbing Gnorman into a hug as well.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm starved! Let's see what food they have!" Wisteria then ran off towards the food table and Blueberry and Gnorman smiled before following.
"After you my lady!" Gnorman offered for Blueberry to go first. Blueberry punched him lightly and laughed.
"'My lady?' HA! But now that you mention it, thanks! I get the food first!" Blueberry then ran off to the food table ditching Gnorman.
"Oh no you don't!" Gnorman laughed running after Blueberry and Wisteria.
…
"Redbrick my boy! There you are!" Lord Redbury called out among the crowd of gnomes at the party. He approached June and Redbrick proudly and Redbrick rolled his eyes a little.
"So much for peace and quiet!" Redbrick muttered and June chuckled.
"Just go along with what he has to say!" June urged as Lord Redbury stood in front of them smiling.
"I hope you both are enjoying the party," Lord Redbury said looking at June; she smiled and bowed a little.
"Very much so Lord Redbury!" June replied.
"Oh no need to call me that anymore Miss June! Just address me as Redbury! It's my son you should address as 'Lord' from now on!" Lord Redbury pointed towards his son who stood waiting for his father to give his reasons for disturbing the pair.
"Father what would you like me to do now?" Redbrick asked trying to get straight to the point.
"Well… I wanted to give you my leader's gift for you!" Lord Redbury explained "Could we announce it to the garden?"
"Yes of course!" Redbrick replied as his father clasped his hands and made his way towards the stage again.
"I'll see later Redbrick!" June smiled before Redbrick nodded and went to follow his father to the stage.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! I will now be giving my son my gift to him! May it be an heirloom for us reds!" Lord Redbury announced as another gnome passed him a wrapped item from behind. Redbrick glanced curiously as his father was given the gift and the gnome sat back down.
"Redbrick, may I give you…" Lord Redbury then handed Redbrick the item which seemed a big stick or something. Redbrick slowly unwrapped the item and it revealed to be a stick. Wait… wasn't this the trusty staff his father carried around with him?
"Is this it father?" Redbrick asked looking a little disappointed towards his father whose proud smile slowly turned into a frown.
"Of course! What did you expect? Some big statue or something? But I do have another gift for you! Just my blessing to do what you see is right for the garden!" Lord Redbury said as Redbrick examined the staff. He then noticed a smile spread on his son's lips.
"Thanks father!" Redbrick smiled and his father then grabbed him and hugged him.
"Good luck son!" Lord Redbury then let go of his son and walked off of the stage. Redbrick then smiled at his audience and they bowed slightly before he too made his way off of the stage. Today would be a day to remember after all!
…
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would now like to present my daughter with two special gifts that will carry my legacy as she grows into a very strong leader!" Lady Bluebell announced as she pushed her daughter on to the stage. Blueberry tried to resist as she had gone through enough of her mother's speeches for one day, but she knew that her mother meant well, and hopefully this would be the last speech of the day. A bit hopefully! "Firstly I would like to give my daughter my trusty shovel, it helped me in many situations and I would like to pass it down to her as an heirloom of this garden!" Lady Bluebell then brought out her shovel and handed it to Blueberry who tried to look optimistic but was really grimacing inside.
"Thank you mother, I guess…" Blueberry muttered the last part as she didn't really know what to think. Lady Bluebell was unaware of this and continued to smile proudly.
"And onto the second gift!" Lady Bluebell announced happily.
Meanwhile in the audience Wisteria and Gnorman couldn't help but make fun of Lady Bluebell's first gift. The look on Blueberry's face said it all! She was completely and utterly stunned at how lame the first gift was. Gnorman wasn't helping matters at all; he kept throwing odd hints towards Lady Bluebell which made Wisteria restrain her laughter. When Lady Bluebell announced the second gift Blueberry grimaced a little while Gnorman passed a comment which made Wisteria double over in hysterics.
"What's the second gift? A bucket to go with that shovel?" Gnorman whispered and smirked. Meanwhile Wisteria, who was trying to stop herself from laughing suddenly let go of her mouth and burst out laughing. On the stage Lady Bluebell was about to reveal Blueberry's second gift when suddenly she jumped in mid air at the sound of what sounded like laughter from the audience. Everyone turned their attentions to Wisteria and Gnorman who had no idea that everyone's including Blueberry's attentions were fixed of them.
"Good one Gnorman! HAHAHA!" Wisteria cackled before trying to calm down. By now Gnorman had realised it had all gone quiet and he felt uneasy when everyone's eyes were fixed on him and Wisteria. Gnorman put his hand on Wisteria's shoulder to get her attention and when she looked up she saw Gnorman's attention was on the other gnomes. She too felt extremely awkward when she too realised she was being watched by her fellow gnomes. "Oh! Uh, sorry… carry on!" Wisteria signified to a very shocked Lady Bluebell. It took her several moments to tear her gaze from Wisteria and to get back onto what she was about to say before she was interrupted by Wisteria's laughter.
"Uh… ok then, thank you Wisteria dear. Anyway Blueberry I would like to present you with your new gift or should I say gifts! May they be there for you when ever you need them and let's hope they help protect this garden against them wretched reds!" Lady Bluebell felt her fists clench at the word of them reds next door. After all that had happened over this last year, they could never be forgiven for what they had done. After a moments pause Lady Bluebell continued to speak "May I present you with your mascots! These bunnies!" Lady Bluebell then revealed a bunch of stone bunnies who hopped on stage. Many gnomes looked in awe at the small cute bunnies whilst some looked in shock. Blueberry was taken aback for a moment before deciding to speak to her mother who was awaiting a reply.
"Well… they are very…" Blueberry began but was cut off by her mother's eagerness.
"Cute? Useful? Wise?" Lady Bluebell pressed on excitedly.
"I was going to say the word small… but come to mention it they are very… intriguing! Yes that's the word! They are very intriguing!" Blueberry stumbled thinking of the right words to say.
"I'm so glad you like them! They will be your little followers and will keep you company when you get lonely! Also they can report back to you on what evil schemes the reds are planning!" Lady Bluebell explained rather proudly as her daughter still gave her very puzzled glances.
"Do they speak?" Blueberry asked pointing down at one of the approaching bunnies.
"Unfortunately… no, but they do communicate using their ears which impresses me a great deal if I am honest!" Lady Bluebell was now gaining smirks from the crowd as she carried on speaking. Did she have any idea that she was beginning to make a fool out of herself with her rambling? Well in truth Lady Bluebell wasn't exactly an aware kind of person, unlike her daughter who was now currently becoming a little embarrassed.
"Well how do you expect me to understand a word their saying if they communicate through their ears?" Blueberry raised an eyebrow in disbelief at her mother who just rolled her eyes.
"You'll surely think of something! What do I have to do? Write it out in stone? Anyway they are all of the gifts for today! So everyone enjoy the rest of the party and please feel free to talk to either me or your new leader about any problems you may have. Good day!" Lady Bluebell said finally before walking off of the stage whilst gaining a loud cheer from the crowd of blue gnomes.
Blueberry stayed on the stage for a few minuets glancing at her small shovel that was apparently passed down from generations of blue gnomes. Blueberry had no idea what was so special about it but she knew it would somehow come in use one day. Perhaps she could smack that spiteful Pansy across the face with it! That was a good idea to Blueberry's mind. Suddenly Blueberry wondered what Redbrick's ceremony had been like. Had he cracked under the pressure of delivering his speech? Did something go wrong? Or did it all go wonderful? Blueberry wondered this for several moments before she felt a sudden nudge on her dress. It was one of the small bunnies looking up at her curiously.
"What do you want, a carrot?" Blueberry asked looking down at the tiny bunny. The bunny shook its head and nudged her again. "Stop doing that! What do you want from me?" Blueberry continued to ask as some other little bunnies approached her curiously. The bunnies began to communicate by using their ears. Every tapping sound they made with their ears made Blueberry flinch. What was it about them that made them so annoying?
"Blueberry, Come over here!" Wisteria called out from across the garden signalling for her to come over to her. Blueberry gladly accepted and began to walk off stage towards Wisteria; little did she know that the bunnies had decided to follow her. When Blueberry turned round and saw them she sighed frustrated and continued to walk on trying to block out the ear popping sounds of bunnies ears clicking away like crickets. When Blueberry finally went over to Wisteria she smiled and hugged her friend happily.
"So how does it feel to be leader? You up for the challenge?" Wisteria winked knowing the answer already. Blueberry smirked and looked over towards the red garden with a rush of confidence spiralling down her body.
"Yes Wisteria! Indeed I am! And I can tell you something, them reds won't know what hit them if they try to mess with any blue gnome in this garden while I'm leader! They are going down big time!" Blueberry breathed contentedly and confidently as she knew this would be true.
Meanwhile Wisteria shook her head a little when Blueberry mentioned the reds. She knew who she was aiming those words to! And it wasn't Pansy, it was Redbrick! Wisteria now decided to keep her opinions to herself as she knew Blueberry would only object, and the last thing she wanted was to fall out with her friend like what happened earlier. Blueberry and Redbrick were destined to be together yet they denied it completely when the feud began. And no matter how much they cared for June and Gnorman, deep down they would eventually re-think their feelings. But by then, the feud would probably take its turn for the worst. Wisteria was no fortune teller but a gut feeling told her these! Their love was not over! But it would take a lot of time and drama to get them back to the way they started. As lovers.
Authors note: Ok I am deeply shocked by how I got carried away with this chapter! I started the majority of it ages ago but Kagnomehater4ever reminded me I need to update! Thanks once again for all of your help! And please be kind on the reviews for I am not particularly impressed with this chapter… The more interesting parts happen in the next chapter when Gnorman introduces Lawnmower racing and gets payback on Pansy for what she will do to the blue gardens fence. Also something will happen to Pansy in the next chapter which may change the fate of everything! But I won't spoil it for you! So I introduced the bunnies! They are the bunnies from the movie by the way in case anyone is wondering! Once again I am sorry for not updating for so long but life has been chaotic and I had a break from fanfiction. But I'm back now! Yay! So review! Thanks!