When Kendra stepped into the fairy realm she saw a large white castle with lots of winding stairwells, bridges and towers.
"Whoa!" Kendra exclaimed. "That castle is as big as the whole Fablehaven preserve."
"Well it is meant to accommodate all of the inhabitants of the realm." Bracken said.
"How many people are in the realm?" Kendra asked.
"You'll find out soon." Bracken said. "Now to get you to where you'll be staying."
Bracken held out his hand and Kendra took it and lead her away from the castle.
"I'm not going to the castle?" Kendra asked.
"Unfortunately it's tradition that only the royal family stay in the castle." Bracken said. "But you'll be allowed access anytime you ask the guards."
"Oh. Where will I stay?"
"At your own living quarters. You'll have a maid, tailor and chef."
"Why?"
"You're a handmaiden of the queen. You deserve the best."
Kendra couldn't help but recall a documentary on how ancient people had treated women like queens only to throw them in volcanoes or cut out their hearts as sacrifices.
"Don't worry I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Bracken assured her.
Kendra blushed and remembered he could see her thoughts while she held his hand.
When Bracken stopped they were in front of a white two-story house twice the size of the house at Fablehaven that had four balconies, a garden with six fountains that had blue fairies zipping through them, two diamond sculptures of unicorns rearing on their hind legs.
"This is were I'm staying?" Kendra said in awe.
"It's too small isn't it?" Bracken asked sadly. "It's only that the bigger manors are still under construction."
"No I was just expecting an apartment or something not a mansion."
"Well once you look inside I'm sure you'll find it perfect."
Bracken led Kendra through the foyer and into the kitchen, dining room, living room, study, library, rumpus room, balconies, guest rooms, bathrooms, closets and finally stopped at her bedroom door. where three people waited outside.
"Hello everyone this is Kendra." Bracken said.
They all bowed and rose.
"Kendra this is Walt, Balik and Pisi." Bracken said.
Walt was a medium built man with shoulder-length, lilac hair and the legs of a frog. Balik was a girl with knee length braided black hair and a dress that looked like scales. Pisi was a girl with cat-like eyes and orange skin and hair but when Kendra looked closely she saw that her skin looked like short fur.
"Walt will be your cook, Balik will be your maid and Pisi will be your tailor." Bracken said. "Now can we get into her room."
The three of them walked away but not before Walt managed to trip over his own webbed feet.
"They will be eager to help if you need anything." Bracken said.
"Umm." Kendra said not knowing how to phrase what she wanted to ask. "What kind of creatures are they."
"Walt is a Gandharva, Balik is a mermaid and Pisi is a werecat." Bracken said. "And please refrain from calling people creatures, it's offensive to some."
"Sorry. What do I say?"
"I'd just wait until later and look them up in the library."
"Alright."
"Back to the tour." Bracken said leading her into her room.
The room had white walls, a circular bed with pink and white blanketing, a bay window with lots of throw pillows, a door to a balcony and two plush chairs with a table in the middle of them.
"This is where you'll stay." Bracken told her.
"It's beautiful." Kendra said.
Kendra noticed how anxious Bracken looked.
"What's wrong?" Kendra asked.
"I'm a bit late for a meeting and I have to go." Bracken said.
"Already?" Kendra asked.
"I lost track of time."
"It's fine."
"I promise I'll be back before tonight." Bracken said. "Tomorrow I won't have anything to do so maybe I can take you to see some sights or show you around the castle. You have two days before you start training."
"That sounds great."
"Good. I'll be back soon." Bracken said and he turned around to leave.
"Bye." Kendra said.
An hour later Kendra got tired of being in her room and staring out of the bay window at the fairies darting around outside and went downstairs where she found Walt trying to pull his leg out of a door.
"Do you need help?" Kendra asked rushing to him.
"No. I've got it." Walt said.
He tugged his leg three times and it came out but he fell on a nearby table and broke a vase.
"Oh no." Walt said and went to get a broom to clean up the mess.
"Are you alright?" Kendra asked helping him pick up the table.
"Yes I'm just really clumsy." Walt said. "Oh what am I thinking! Would you like a meal? Water apple pancakes, Pasta, Phoenix?"
"No thank you" Kendra said. "But your leg looks like it was run over by a steamroller."
"It's fine." Walt said.
"No you should lay down." Kendra said.
"I can walk it off."
"No you really shouldn't be walking."
"Well if you insist." Walt said as he walked to the couch and sat down. Kendra followed him and sat down on the couch opposite him.
"Um...If you don't mind me asking why do you look so sad?" Walt asked.
"Sad? I'm not sad." Kendra lied.
"Okay but if you want to talk about it you can talk to me." Walt said.
Kendra sighed and told him about how she hurt Seth and came to the fairy realm at the queen's request so she could learn not to make sure it never happened again.
"You got an invitation from the Fairy Queen herself!" Walt exclaimed. "That is so cool! I've never even seen her in person, and I'm five hundred years old!"
"Yeah." Kendra said.
"Oh and sorry about your brother I couldn't imagine how you feel right now." Walt said obviously embarrassed about how he hadn't said that first.
"Can I ask you something now?" Kendra asked.
"Anything." Walt said.
"What is it like here?" Kendra asked."
"What is the fairy realm like." Walt clarified.
Kendra nodded.
"Well it's peaceful and we like it here." Walt said.
"When I was going through the portal with Bracken I saw fields and oceans and giants in snow." Kendra said. "Where is all that?"
"The fields were either the Centuar's Grasslands or the Kissiae Meadows, the oceans were most likely The Mermaid Waters and the mountains are the Frost Giant's Prominence, which you don't want to go to, but we're only in the fairy realm."
"How big is this place?" Kendra asked.
"As big as the Human's South and North America combined maybe even with Austcalium." Walt estimated.
"Australia you mean." Kendra said.
"Yeah."
"Wow." Kendra said.
Kendra and Walt spent the next Hour and a half talking and laughing only interrupted when Pisi came in chasing a ball of yarn to which Walt said wasn't weird for werecats.
That's the end and sorry if this has any crazy bits but I couldn't sleep and I decided might as well write myself to sleep.
Definitions
Pisi-Turkish for kitty
Balik-Turkish for fish
Gandharva-Male half animal half humans