What Might Have Been (A Songs of War Fanfiction)

Part Three, Heritage. Chapter Five.

I do have a plan, I swear on the Nether's existence. (Is that a good thing to swear by?!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Denny still can't get his head round the whole Enderknight thing. It's overwhelming, frightening and kind of epic. Weird. Those things don't normally come in the same package.

Also in the deal: a crazy month-old fire breathing Ender Dragon. Yeah, Luna is absolutely nuts, and she has a tendency to try and turn Denny and his fellow Knights into Human marshmallows. He hasn't got burnt yet, but he figures it was only a matter of time before Luna loses it completely and goes on a rampage. Though, considering it, he probably shouldn't say that out loud.

Abbigail is their leader – and she's a seriously good fighter. She loves Luna (well, they all do), and she's fiercely protective of all her friends, which includes that insane little Ender Dragon. Denny does not want to be around if Abbigail blows a fuse. Like, if looks could kill, her death glare would probably slaughter everyone in a thousand-mile radius. She's cool most of the time, despite that, and has a brilliant sense of humour, unlike a certain Diamond Heights guy.

Allister is the worst. He's the fifth and newest addition to the group, and he's totally snobby. Coming from Diamond Heights that is kind of expected, but Denny has no idea how he had been chosen as an Enderknight. That floating Ender Eye that led them around is spooky and stupid. Definitely not Denny's next Halloween costume.

And, as for Allister McSnobbyBoots, he's rude, weird, and he doesn't get any of Denny's jokes. Also, he's so hitting on Abbigail. Which isn't fair. They're a team, not the newest season of Love Island. Denny figures he's trying to get on her good side, but the way he smiles so not-snobbishly at her makes him wonder. There should be a warning label on his teeth: Caution: Smile so blinding side effects could include blindness and/or the impulsive need to throw up.

There's a lot of pressure on Abbigail, to be honest. She's the only girl in the group, she and Allister are the only ones with Ender Dragons – which Denny found totally unfair – and she's their leader. No one really speaks about it, but they all follow her without question. Expect Allister, of course. Argh, Denny hates that stupid Diamond Heights... ugh, person. The other two guys are cool though.

Saxon is great. Man, he's Denny's age, he has a fantastic joke selection and he's a potion brewer. How can it get any better than that? Oh, wait – he's teaching Denny some epic sword moves. Yeah, it can get better.

Trevor is just as fun. Sense of humour level? A hundred per cent. Swordsmanship level? A hundred per cent. He's the dream Top Trumps card. Also, he's a novice enchanter. As soon as he introduced himself into the group, Denny was like, bam! Brand-new best friend. No, scrap that. He's got a new bro!

****************

The first time they all talked as a group, Denny almost punched Allister in the face.

It was early evening, a few hours after they had met Allister, and they were sitting round a campfire that Luna, actually being helpful for once, had lit. The Ender Eye had bobbed around the woods aimlessly for a while, then clattered to the ground. It was silent as they ate their dinner – warm soup, courtesy of Denny Pikolson and Mr. Pork Chops. Saxon was the first one to speak.

"So, this is it then? The whole team?" Abbigail shrugs.

"Probably," she guesses, holding up the Ender Eye, which seemed to have gone to sleep. "It's stopped completely."