The Land Never Lost

Chapter 11

Trinkett flew up to the front steps. Peter dropped down and immediately started running around the porch taking in all that he could. He leaned over the railing. The tree house was so high up, the forest ground wasn't visible. Colorful birds rested in branches of the many trees. Peter recognized the birds but was positive their plumage wasn't supposed to be those colors. Forest animals the boy could also recognize were painted just as weirdly as the fowl. A squirrel with blue fur ran along a tree branch then leaped onto another one. A small pink chipmunk was eating nuts. Peter felt confirmation, this place was really like a dream.

The boy continued running around letting out excited "oohs" and "ahs". Trinkett was looking out into the woods. After a few contemplative seconds, she turned back towards the house. As she approached the big fairy, he bowed respectfully. "Now my friend. No need for formalities. Here, we are equals." she placed a hand on his burly shoulder. When he straightened up, Trinkett had to crane her neck far back to make eye contact with the big guy. When he smiled at Trinkett his eyes were lost in his plump cheeks.

"Is everyone gathered inside?" Trinkett asked.

"All but one. Although, we are expecting him soon. He was called back to the castle." The fairy placed a hand on the two doors and gently pushed them open.

"Peter!" Trinkett called out. Peter came from around a corner with a huge smile on his face. "Ready to meet everyone?"

The inside of the tree house was hard to describe. The second level of the tree house was a semi circle track that covered three sides of the house. Six circular doors were evenly placed along the track. Each door was decorated with a different flower. From right to left were doors with gladioli, yarrow, blue lotus, lilies, violets, and roses covering each one respectively. Artifacts were displayed around the main room. Books and scrolls lined the walls. A round table with intricate designs stood in the center of the room. Depicted in the grain of the table was exactly what Peter saw when they came from the sky. It was an overhead shot of the landscape. There were ornate, masterfully crafted chairs and furniture throughout the room. Peter stood wide eyed. He was tempted to run around exploring every nook and cranny.

Before he could explode with energy, Trinkett turned to him. "I'll introduce you to everyone and then we will introduce you to our plan. Just need to call the Fallen." Trinkett said.

"Fallen? That sounds terrifying to be honest." Peter said, half sarcastically and half sincerely.

Trinkett laughed, "It's an inside joke. It's what people say about us behind "closed doors". We decided to wear it as a badge of honor." Trinkett walked to a large potted plant in a corner of the room. It was the only thing in that corner of the room. The stem was as big as Trinkett was. It curved down at the top. A single huge purple bell-flower hung off the stem. The flower was the size of Peter's head. When Trinkett reached a hand out, the flower shook with life. The bell-flower opened up and a blue cord dropped down. She grabbed the chord and pulled down twice. Two loud deep bell sounds rang from the plant.

The giant fairy stood around the table. His breastplate was placed up against a wall. He still stood with his arms crossed. Only his face was a lot more warm and welcoming than when he was standing guard. Peter looked up at him and noticed his eyes were a bright green. A green similar to when Trinkett used her powers. He had blonde curly hair that tucked behind his long pointed ears. Other than his size. Nothing about this fairy's appearance was intimidating.

The first door to open on the second level was the one decorated with the gladiolus flower. Out walked a short fairy. This one was even shorter than Peter. He had red shaggy hair. His cheeks had a red hue to them. The tips of his ears were red as well, so they blended in with his hair. His eyes looked like a sunset. A very deep orange. The boy looked wild with sharp features. He wore a red muscle shirt, black track bottoms with a single red stripe on each leg, and red gym shoes. The fairy jumped over the railing and landed in front of the table.

The door with the yarrow opened next. Out walked a taller fairy. Peter noticed he was around James' height. Maybe six feet tall. His eyes were a bright orange that looked almost yellow. His red hair was cut short like a soldier. He was handsome in a movie star way. He wore a clean white t-shirt tucked neatly into khaki cargo pants and the same red gym shoes as the short fairy. When Peter saw the shoes, he realized they weren't the only thing the two fairies had in common. They looked identical, except this guy was the taller, more muscular, and cleaner version of the short guy. He walked down the steps and to the table.

The next door to open was the one with the blue lotuses. When Peter saw the fairy that came out the doorway he almost said "wow" out loud. She was beautiful. Intimidatingly so. She had white wavy hair. Silver eyes shone from behind round wood framed glasses. Her long flowing blue summer dress made her look like royalty. When she saw Trinkett, she broke into a big smile and ran to her. They hugged each other for a long time.

Peter waited for another door to open. Nothing. Which kind of made sense because the big fairy and Trinkett were already around the table, but one door was still unaccounted for. The fairies all stood patiently at the round table. If they noticed a random human boy standing in their tree house, they would give no impression. The big guy never moved from his spot. "He's here, '' the large fairy said.

In a dark corner of the room, stood a willowy fairy dressed in all black. He wore a black hood under a black bomber jacket. Black jeans were tucked in black leather boots. When he removed his hood, Peter thought he looked more intimidating than the big guy. Straight hair, so black it looked blue, was pulled tightly back into a long ponytail. On the lapel of his jacket was a single rose, identical to the ones on the last door on level two. His eyes were a dull green. A sharp and harsh seriousness enveloped his face. He walked to the table slowly. When he passed Trinkett, he bowed respectfully and said, "Princess."

Peter must have misheard. He could've sworn the fairy called Trinkett, princess. Trinkett turned to Peter and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I guess I forgot to mention that part didn't I?"

"How did you forget to mention that you are a fairy princess?" Peter asked, shocked.

Trinkett replied, "Everything happened so fast. I've never had a reason to announce myself as such."

Peter shrugged as if that answer explained everything. He returned his attention back to the five fairies now all present in the main room. "Well, I'll introduce myself properly, just in case Tink here forgets to. My name is Peter."