Based on characters from Fablehaven© by Brandon Mull. The original characters and plot details are my property. No copyright infringement intended.
Raxtus was very excited about the mysterious spell and the possibilities that it stirred in his imagination. His father had no idea if it would work.
He wanted to ask what Bracken thought about the spell. If anyone knew about the origins of the spell, it would be his friend Bracken or his mother, who happened to be the Fairy Queen.
Raxtus started his search for Bracken in the slippery narrow access between the Fairy Queen's Realm and the portals to her earthly shrines. He entered and listened. Sometimes he could hear others also traveling through the portals but he usually was going somewhere himself and didn't stay long in the access. His special ability to use the access to get to the different portals without going into the Fairy Queen's realm was unique to him. He had a suspicion that the Queen herself was responsible for teaching him about it when he was quite young but he couldn't remember. He was just happy to have the freedom it gave him; it had saved his little dragon butt a few times.
Bracken had been very busy lately and his current activities took him through the portal frequently. Raxtus was very lucky he only had to wait about an hour before he heard Bracken enter the portal from the Fairy realm headed for Fablehaven.
Wrapped in his usual cover of invisibility Raxtus followed him through the portal.
Bracken stood on the shore of the island and called for a boat. The water naiads tugged a boat from the boathouse across the lake and he stepped in. He rowed back to the boathouse across the lake unaware of his invisible stalker.
The portal entrance to Fablehaven was a small pool on an island in the middle of a small lake. Bracken had a way of exiting the pool without the added trouble of ridding himself of the water. Raxtus had no spell to keep him dry.
Bracken was already in the boat on his way across the lake and didn't see water inexplicably flying out of the pond. When Raxtus exited the portal he flew high and shook off the water clinging to his scales.
After Bracken crossed the lake and stepped off the wooden pier on to the gravel walkway, Raxtus suddenly appeared next to him. The little dragon was too excited and didn't think about warning him that he was there. Even as small (a relative term, like a private jet is small compared to a jumbo jet) and friendly as Raxtus was, it was shocking to be suddenly standing next to a dragon.
Bracken nearly jumped out of his skin. The beautiful place where he was standing was very serene. But serenity wasn't on his mind as he looked into the bright eyes of his friend. He was a slightly irritated with the dragon for his thoughtlessness.
"Hi Bracken," Raxtus chortled excitedly.
"Hi Raxtus," Bracken laughed, it was hard to stay mad at the cheerful little dragon. He was like a friendly puppy. His whole body shook with excitement over something.
"Are you in a hurry? I just wanted to ask you a couple questions," Raxtus whispered conspiratorially and suddenly went still.
"Um. No, I'm not in a big rush. What's on your mind?" Bracken answered wondering what he was going to ask.
"Bracken, what if I could erase my avatar and start over?" he asked in an excited whisper. His shoulder was the height of Bracken's head and his head on his long neck snaked around so that he was almost face to face with him.
"What do you mean?" Bracken whispered back, looking him in the eye, slightly cringing at Raxtus' sharp teeth so close to his head.
"We found a spell that allows a dragon to invoke a new avatar. A different one!
"Seth found a bunch of dragon magic stuff on one of his adventures. His grandmother called Agad and I helped bring it back to Wyrmroost. I was curious and he let me help when he was going through everything. He found a scroll hidden in a secret compartment. My avatar pulled it free and was first to read the scroll. There was a description of a strange and unknown ritual that erases your current avatar and lets you start again. What if I could erase mine and start fresh? I might have more control over what I should look like now that I'm older and sort of know what I am doing," Raxtus continued to whisper, his teeth clicking next to Bracken ear.
"You don't know that. What if you made it worse?" Bracken laughed uneasily through his whispered words. He didn't know why Raxtus didn't like his avatar. He always thought Raxtus' avatar was unique and wonderful, like him. He couldn't imagine going through an unknown ritual just to change it.
"Pssht-humph," he snorted. "How could anything be worse than what I have right now? This may be a way to repair that part of me. Make me normal," he whispered almost in awe at the thought. "I'll always be a small dragon but if I could have a normal avatar that would be tremendous.
"My new avatar could be a real fairy or a normal human," he mused.
"But a normal dragon avatar is human not fairy," Bracken said, continuing to whisper, slightly confused at the topic. "I thought you said you might have more control over what you become. Why even consider a fairy avatar?"
"I don't care if I'm a fairy as long as it is the right size. I'd gladly be a normal fairy if it will keep the fairies from giggling at me," he said, as if he only deserved his second choice.
"Fairy or human they would giggle at you anyway. You don't know fairies very well if you think that," Bracken laughed aloud. He knew Raxtus was worthy of his first choice.
"Well then they would be giggling for a real reason instead of because I'm a freak," he said annoyed.
Finally, he gave up whispering, he knew Bracken's shield would keep anyone from hearing their conversation. "See if you can find out if it is a real possibility that the scroll is real. My father and Agad have no idea if the ritual would work. They didn't know it existed and they typically know all dragon history. But it's supposed to be a secret so don't spread it around."
"I'll ask mother. She remembers everything, even if there was any rumor of it she will know. If she doesn't I'll check around discreetly," Bracken replied, willing to help.
Bracken wanted to help his friend but he was worried about Raxtus' reluctance in choosing a human avatar. Did he think it was it too much to hope for a human avatar? Was it that he didn't want to be disappointed if it didn't work out?
As soon as their conversation was over fairies begun to crowd around them, giggling at their two favorite Fairydom stars.
"Shoo!" Raxtus fussed at them. They scattered as he spread his wings and lifted off. They chased him as he flew back to the shrine. Diving into the crystal water he disappeared.
Surrounded by giggling and chattering fairies Bracken continued on his reason for being in Fablehaven, a long overdue and unexpected visit to Kendra.
When Bracken returned home he began to ask innocent questions about the difference between fairy and dragon magic. If it was possible for Bracken to help his friend he wanted to do it. He needed to know if the two types of magic could co-habit one creature and got no real answer.
Raxtus was unique. Using Raxtus as his only example, all he could do was conjecture that the two types of magic couldn't work at the same time in a dragon. Because of how the fairies used their magic on Raxtus to quicken his emergence from his egg, Bracken conjectured that it suppressed his innate dragon magic. The fairy magic would always trump the dragon magic in Raxtus making him an outcast, if only in his own eyes.
His unique power to become invisible could be either dragon or fairy. Both fairy magic and dragon magic could invoke an avatar so there was no way to pinpoint if he had both types of magic in him.
Another one of Raxtus concerns was his 'breath weapon'. He had none. His breath made things, like flowers, trees and human hair, grow. His breath could also heal wounds, not as well as a unicorn's horn but well enough to be a real asset at times. Both abilities were fairy magic traits.
Bracken's research found out that breath 'weapons' and the casting of spells were an intrinsic part of dragon magic so Raxtus would never be a proper dragon as long as he was imbued with fairy magic. Bracken determined that Raxtus needed his natural dragon magic to emerge and make him a true dragon. Although he would always be a small dragon he would at least be an acceptable dragon.
Bracken started studying how to remove fairy magic and hit a dead end.
When he was able to talk with his mother about the strange spell she remembered it. Two thousand years ago an ancient wizard created the spell in an attempt to have a new young avatar. She remembered it because the wizard needed her permission to use a certain woodcarver who moved to her realm and rarely left.
The spell required the wizard to revert back to his dragon state to invoke a new avatar. The wizard had renounced his original dragon form and couldn't go back to it. He was so old he forgot that he couldn't, so the spell didn't work. The wizard died in the attempt. He was a very intelligent and inventive wizard though and it probably would have worked if he hadn't renounced his dragon form and should work on a dragon like Raxtus.
Bracken's mother also told him that there was a way to remove or drain fairy magic from any creature. It was dark and terrible magic and a heavily guarded secret. Not something to take lightly or easily accomplished because of the very rare essential components. The spell required three rare ingredients: a unicorn in possession of two of their horns and a Fairykind. The spell had always been a well guarded secret but even more so now.
Kendra was the first human to become Fairykind in over a thousand years. Someone who was Fairykind was a unique human being enhanced with rare fairy magic and wielding tremendous power. Kendra had little clue as to her true scope of powers and few had knowledge of Kendra's special status.
Bracken was convinced that Raxtus needed to be free of the fairy magic to become what he truly was. Originally used to protect him and save his life, he didn't need it now. Even though he sometimes resented the fairy magic he would cling to it since it was part of his being and all he had known his entire life. Bracken knew that the little dragon would never give up the magic willingly.
Bracken developed a plan with his mother to give the wonderful little dragon his best shot at being a true dragon. Raxtus was going to have to embrace his dragon magic whether he wanted it or not. It was Bracken's opinion, and his mother agreed, that Raxtus wouldn't be able to change his avatar unless he totally changed. He would never be considered a proper dragon if his avatar was a fairy, he needed to have a human avatar.
Bracken also knew that it was important that they cast one spell immediately before they cast the other spell for Raxtus to get full benefit of either spell.