Culmination | A Tinkerbell Fanfiction

Chapter 14: Dead Men Tell No Tales

"No way!" Scarab yelled, seizing Bobble's arm and yanking him back behind her once again. His heart was thumping furiously in his chest as he let the older Protector take the lead. "That is not a fair trade, Kyto! You can't just take a fairy like that, like some kind of treasure!"

"Hmmm," Kyto huffed again. He was unusually calm and collected for a dragon who was supposed to be deadly when he didn't get his way, and it seemed like Scarab had also picked up on this. The drake rose once more to his full height, his wings becoming visible as he unfolded and resettled them against his sides, his talons appearing even bigger now that he was upright and bearing down on them. "I see. I can't say that I am not...disappointed. However, I suppose I should have expected nothing less. Fairies are nothing if not loyal things. Loyal and trusting, sometimes too much so. So, tell me, little Protector," His eyes swived back to Bobble, "if you were to have this power, and if what all you have told me about this tiny ring is true, what would you desire to do with such strength? Ravage and destroy? Perhaps burn a few worlds to ashes? You could do that, you know. With your power, there would be no one who could stop you. You could even be king. Do fairies have kings? They should. Now that's something that could be interesting to see."

"I...I don't want to be a king," Bobble spluttered, Scarab's grip on his arm growing tighter as she braced for the looming attack. "I...I have the power to rule the world, but I don't want it. I just want to protect my friends and I can't do that if I burn somethin' every time I get scared or angry. I...I just can't." All he could see were the stories from old, of the human's tales of war and death, all in the effort for someone to take the power that another so rightfully owned for themselves. To be king, he'd have to confront Queen Clarion, the fairy who trained him, the fairy who truly cared about him, the one who had given him his name. It would be wrong. 

It's something that Shade would have done.

"We are still willing to make a deal with you," Scarab interjected, "but not at the cost of ourselves or of anyone else who lives at the Hollow. We do not bargain with lives, Kyto."

"Pffft," the dragon snorted, heaving a plume of smoke that nearly bowled over both Protectors.  "Quite an odd statement, coming from a fairy like you. I seem to recall you having a very different opinion of things a long time ago, when the world was much younger and exciting."

Scarab's hands clenched. "But it was exactly that, a long time ago. I'm not the same brash fairy that I was when I first met you. I've grown up since then. I..." she glanced in Bobble's direction. "I've learned the value of friendship and kindness. Those were things that I did not possess before, not after Shade. I...I didn't think I would ever be capable of caring about another and I was scared." 

She was no longer speaking to the dragon. She turned to face her younger counterpart, regret fully evident in her eyes as she did so. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice dropping to faintly more than a whisper. "Sorry for everything. Sorry for being a jerk to you when you asked for my help, sorry that I was too afraid to face Shade, sorry that I left you to defend the Hollow on your own when you had no idea what you were up against. I'm sorry that I pushed you to feel like you had to be the hero all on your own. You weren't trained and I sent you onto the battlefield with no kind of protection whatsoever. You could have died and that would have been on me. I am the head of the guild. It is my duty to prepare you for the dangers that come with the job. I didn't do that and I don't think I could ever apologize enough for my mistake."