Heir to Light | Fablehaven AU

Garreth's postlude

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Wind whipped Garreth's face as the far distant ground passed in a blur of teeny tiny structures. One fairy had her arm hooked under his left armpit and the other had grabbed his waist as his right arm was painful to move. Together, they flew him through the air. The trees looked like toothpicks, and Garreth squinted to spot the rivers and towns they had previously passed through on their long trek north. It was one of those moments that Garreth knew he would never forget. He was untethered to the world and its expectations anymore, and it was incredibly freeing.

Inside the ziggurat, he had died. The last thing he had seen was the sword piercing his chest. All he had been able to think of was regret that he hadn't dodged that last icicle. But, then, miraculously he had awakened to the Sphinx lying dead and Kendra sobbing on his chest.

The wonder of that washed over Garreth. He had felt the terror of death and survived. He had known what it felt like to see the end and become it. Now, he was on borrowed time, and he intended to make use of it.

The original crew, the recovered Fablehaven court, and any other rescuee that had decided to come to Fablehaven had departed the temple soon after arriving as Warren wanted to utilize the Fairy Queen's blessing to recover Fablehaven. The army of fairy soldiers was like no other, and never ceased to impress.

Before they had taken to the skies, he had worried that it would take weeks of travel to reach Fablehaven. But then the fairies gained such rapid speed that Garreth had trouble focusing on any landmark before it disappeared. And when they reached a fever pitch of flight, a brilliant white flash blinded him.

Once his eyes readjusted, he saw grassy hills and blue, clear skies. The weather warmed him up in seconds, and his fur clothing saturated with sweat. Raxtus glittered in the ample sunlight, flipping and twirling through the air at the front of their vanguard with Kendra riding on top.

Huh. So that was what teleportation felt like. Leftover adrenaline tingled in his body.

Fast approaching was a citadel Garreth assumed was Fablehaven. Sandy-colored crumbled stone walls encircled a wasteland of broken wood and smoke. A tall, skinny castle sat on the highest hill and cast shadows over the town.

Like a swarm, masses of soldiers filled the surrounding hills. Even in the distance, Garreth could see mayhem erupt as scouts spotted the flying army. The soldiers looked like tiny ants scuttling around after someone stomped on their hill. Even the archers seemed to have forgotten their job, and their bows hung uselessly at their sides.

To be fair, most armies would look like that upon spotting dozens of flying, giant armored fairies led by a prismatic dragon.

Plus, the sunlight glinted off Raxtus's scales in a way that made Kendra look like she was glowing.

No, wait. Garreth blinked his eyes and focused again on Kendra. She was actually glowing.

Scents of new soil, flowers, and clear spring rain twirled through the air—the same aroma that Ronodin, Patton, Muriel, and Kendra had sworn was the Fairy Queen way back during their last strategy sessions. Now, it was familiar enough for Garreth to recognize it as well. All around them, the fairies sighed in happiness and fluttered their wings even faster.

"Citizens of Fablehaven," Kendra addressed. Her magnified speech carried the undercurrent of a deeper, older voice. Raxtus treaded the air, allowing Kendra to stand on his back. "The Fairy Queen stands with us. I have rescued King Stanley and Queen Ruth from the clutches of the Sphinx among others. I have now journeyed back with the help of the Fairy Queen's warriors."