Chapter Text
It was the stroke of midnight. Most Londoners were asleep in their beds, and lights all across the city were going out, one-by-one. In one particular home, a baby began crying in his cot. The baby’s mother entered the room to sing him a lullaby, calming her newborn and tucking him back in. As she planted a kiss on her baby’s head, the baby laughed. It was the first laugh in that baby’s life.
The mother turned out the light and left the room, oblivious to the fact that, as her baby laughed, a new life had just been born. The laugh was carried out of a nearby window, and drifted along the sky, guided by the wind. It flew higher, swaying through the night sky towards two twinkling stars. It left the mainland, continuing towards the Second Star and reaching a place hidden from humans, a land where time never moves, and its inhabitants never age. A land where mermaids sing, where pirates hide treasure, and where fairies prepare the changing of the seasons. A land known as Neverland.
The laugh began to move down, now beginning to take shape into something more alive. It now resembled something like fluff from a dandelion, and as it approached the island, it made its way towards Pixie Hollow, the home of the fairies. A sudden gust of wind knocked it into a tree, where it snagged onto a branch. Another gust of wind knocked it loose, and it continued on its way, descending towards the ground.
“Whoa, careful now!” A fairy with long, black hair, wearing a tan-coloured dress, approached the laugh, and provided a gentle breeze to lift it up. The fairy smiled as the laugh bounced back into the air, and then she followed it to the end of its journey. The laugh arrived at the centre of Pixie Hollow, where fairies and sparrowmen had gathered to witness the arrival of their new friend.
The tan-clad fairy bowed before Queen Clarion, the ruler of Pixie Hollow. “There was a small incident, Your Highness. The new arrival almost landed too early, but I managed to keep it in the air until it arrived.”
Queen Clarion nodded. “Thank you, Luna.” Clarion turned her attention to the laugh, which was now landing at the centre of the gathering. Luna approached, and coated it with a sprinkling of pixie dust. The laugh began to glow, and then it took the shape of a young man, wearing a white robe. His hair was brown, and ran down to his shoulders, and his curious, green eyes traced over those gathered around him.
“Hello?” he asked.
“Welcome,” Queen Clarion said, her warm smiling easing the nerves of the new sparrowman. “My name is Queen Clarion. You have travelled far, and I am glad that you were able to arrive safe. Although it seems there was a minor hiccup along the way.”
“I don’t have hiccups,” he said, his tone reflecting his confusion. That drew some laughs.
“That’s good to hear,” Queen Clarion said, herself chuckling. “How about the rest of you? Do you feel fine?”
The sparrowman rose to his feet, looking down over his body. He spread his wings and gave them a small flutter. “I feel fine,” he said with a smile.
Queen Clarion came closer, flying around behind the sparrowman. She sprinkled pixie dust onto his wings, and they began to glow with a beautiful golden shine. She circled back around, and offered her hand to the new arrival.
Taking the Queen’s hand, the sparrowman found himself being lifted gently into the air. She guided him gently as he flew for the first time, and then released his hand so that he could try it alone. “I’m flying!” he said excitedly.
Queen Clarion nodded, and the new arrival’s captive audience clapped as he landed on his feet, completing his first ever flight. “Now, step forward.” Clarion motioned to a small object sitting before her. It was a pouch of pixie dust. “It is time to discover what your Talent is.”
“Talent?” The sparrowman noticed more objects to either side of the pouch, and more still, forming a circle around him. The items floated in the air above small pedestals. There was a hammer, a spear, a sunflower seed, a trowel, a cooking pot… So many different types of items that seemed unrelated to each other.
“Every fairy has a Talent,” she explained to him. “Approach one, and see if any of them call out to you.”
The sparrowman nodded. He looked around, and his eyes landed on a lute. It looked cool, he thought. He took the instrument and the fairies gathered before it all gasped in excitement, but as he started playing, those excited faces were replaced with tortured ones as they covered their ears and begged him to stop.
As he put the lute back, it fell onto the pedestal, losing its glow. “Sorry hun. Guess you’re not a Music Talent,” one of the fairies said.
“Guess not,” the sparrowman agreed with a sheepish laugh. The next item that he tried was a hammer, and he found fairies and sparrowmen dressed in green watching with bated breaths. One fairy with blonde hair seemed particularly excited, but as he touched the hammer and it fell, she frowned. “What Talent was this?” he asked.
“Tinker Talent,” the blonde fairy said, blowing her bangs out of her face.
“Sorry.”
“It’s alright,” Queen Clarion assured him, and motioned for him to try another.
After trying a few more items, the sparrowman felt something. He stopped and turned, facing a spear that was floating above a pedestal behind him. “If you feel any item calling out to you, you should answer its call,” Queen Clarion advised.
The spear began to glow as he neared it, and he looked up to Queen Clarion. She only gave a simple, reassuring nod, and the sparrowman reached out. As he grasped the spear, a bright light filled the area.
Queen Clarion clapped, and the fairies and sparrowmen around her joined, celebrating the birth of a new Scout Talent sparrowman. “Congratulations, you have found your Talent.” She hovered across the clearing to the bewildered sparrowman, who was staring at the spear with a look of awe. “Now, would you like to introduce yourself for the first time?”
The sparrowman nodded. When the light filled the clearing, a certain word entered his mind. He knew what that word meant. It was his name. Looking around, the sparrowman took a breath. “I’m Lance… It’s nice to meet you all.”
“Everyone, please join me in welcoming our new friend Lance to Pixie Hollow.”
Cheers erupted. Fairies and sparrowmen flooded into the clearing, surrounding Lance so that they could welcome him. The Scout Talents that were sat behind the spear asked everybody to give Lance some room as they approached him. All of them were wearing the same uniform; a black-and-grey stripped top with long sleeves, beneath a brownish set of overalls that almost looked like they were made of tree bark. The overalls had an image of a leaf on the chest. They also wore green sashes across their waists, and boots that matched their tops.
The one at the front, a fairy with long, curly blonde hair, stopped as she reached him. “Fly with you! I’m Kite!” Her blue eyes shined like diamonds, almost as bright as the large smile on her face.
“Fly with you,” Lance returned, extending his hand only to remember he was still holding the spear.
“Whoa!” Kite laughed as she gently nudged the spear away. “Easy there. Don’t wanna have an accident on your first day!” Lance’s face turned red, and he tried to laugh it off with the other Scouts. “Hey, don’t sweat it! Once we reach the barracks, Commander Nyx will shape you into a top-notch Scout in no time, she will!”
“Commander Nyx?”
“Yup! Just as it sounds, she leads all the Scout Talents in Pixie Hollow. Well, ‘cept the Winter lot of course. She’d have been here to greet ya, but bein’ Commander’s a lot of work.” Kite extended her hand. “Anyway, enough of that! Lemme give you the grand tour of this place!”
One of the Scouts relieved Lance of his spear, and he took Kite’s hand as she began to fly. “Waaaaaaait!” A fairy flew towards the two of them. She had long, black hair and wore a tan dress. “At least let him get his first ration of Pixie Dust before you start flying him all over Pixie Hollow.”
“Oh, guess you’re right!” Kite laughed. “Got a little excited there.”
“Fly with you,” the new fairy said to Lance. “I’m Luna.”
“I’m-”
“Lance,” Luna finished, smiling. “I heard. I was actually watching you the whole time. I’m the one who turned you from a laugh to a fairy.”
“Really? I guess I owe you one then.” Luna applied a ration of Pixie Dust on Lance’s wings, and he could feel the magic making him lighter. “Or two.”
Luna shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. This is Pixie Hollow. Everyone helps everyone here, without expecting anything in return.”
“Except maybe for Vidia,” Kite said, glancing to the side, where a purple-clad fairy was watching from a distance, leaning against the bark of a tree. She gave an indignant huff and flew away. “I’d keep my distance from that one if I were you. She’s so bitter she even lives in a sour plum tree.”
“Anyway, I was really only doing my job,” Luna continued. “I’m a Dust Keeper. We nurture, maintain, and distribute Pixie Dust across all of Pixie Hollow.”
“That sounds cool. Can I see?”
Luna shrugged. “I’d be happy to give you a tour of the depot, but uh, I think Kite had her own tour planned.”
“There’ll be time for that once you’re settled in,” Kite said, taking Lance’s hand once more. “Thanks, Luna! See ya!”
Lance felt himself being pulled into the air as Kite began to fly, and he quickly waved goodbye to Luna. “I’ll come by sometime for that tour!”
“Sounds good! I’ll be waiting!” Luna called back.
As they left the clearing, Lance straightened himself out and flew alongside Kite. “You’ve made a friend already,” Kite said. “That’s great! Friends are about the most important thing in the world, I reckon.”
During the tour, Kite gave a brief overview of every location in Pixie Hollow, stopping at only a few key locations to give some finer details. The Home Tree was a no-brainer; it was the home of the most important figures in Pixie Hollow, including Queen Clarion herself, and where everybody gathered in the morning and evening, before and after their duties. A sort of communal area, as it were.
After that, they visited the Dust Depot, at the base of the Pixie Dust Tree. As they were still hard at work preparing the day's rations, they couldn't really go inside, and Luna seemed to be nowhere around. "If you wanna come meet with Luna here later, you'll have to make sure it's after hours," she told him.
They then visited the border to the Winter Woods, where it snowed all year round. There was a station for crossing, with two Frost fairies standing on the Winter side. "It used to be forbidden to cross, but a breakthrough made it possible! If you want to go over to Winter, you have to cross here. Make sure you dress warm, and no crossing too early or too late. The Frost fairies have lives too, y'know."
"Got it."
The next location they visited was Havendish Stream. It wasn't anywhere particularly special, Kite just said that it was her favourite spot for picnics. It was kind of nice, Lance thought, but the fast-moving current of the river bothered him. If somebody fell in, it would be no laughing matter.
“Those are your Scouting instincts kickin’ in!” Kite told him as he voiced his concerns.
After visiting a few more locations, Kite seemed to be finished with her tour. "Well, guess the only place left to show you now is the barracks." The two arrived at a large tree sitting just on the edge of Pixie Hollow. "This is the Scout Talent barracks! This is where you'll be staying."
Looking around, Lance noticed Scout Talents walking and flying about everywhere. Some stopped to wave as he entered, whilst others were too busy with their duties to take any notice. "We live together?" Lance asked.
"Yep! Because of our job, it's important we're all ready ta moveout at a moment's notice. One home, one unit." Kite pointed to a door down the hall. "That's the Commander's office. Let's go say 'hi'!"
"You sure she's not busy right now?"
"Probably, but it'll be fine. She'll wanna see the new recruit anyways, and it's not like this'll be the first time I've popped in unannounced."
"And every time, you get scolded," said a new sparrowman, suddenly standing in Kite's way. This sparrowman had shoulder-length, unkempt hair that was charcoal-black, and purple eyes that were just barely visible through his bangs. "When are you going to learn?"
"Never!" Kite declared proudly.
The sparrowman sighed. "You must be the new guy," he said to Lance, and then paused for a moment. "Sorry Kite was the one who picked you up."
"Hey!" Kite punched the sparrowman in the arm. He didn't seem to care.
"Doesn't look like you've settled in yet," he said, noting that Lance was still wearing the white robes that every new arrival was born in. "What, were you just gonna introduce him to Nyx looking like that?"
"Why not? I think he looks cute!" Kite turned to Lance. "Oh, let me introduce you: this is Buck! He's my brothe-"
"Not her brother," Buck quickly interjected.
Kite pouted. "Awww, why're ya so against it?! We were born on the same day an' all!"
"We still came from two separate laughs. Ergo, not related."
"Yeah but, you know how rare it is that a laugh becomes a Never Fairy? Let alone two at the same time?"
"Becoming a Never Fairy is rare?" Lance asked.
"Yeppers! Of all the types of fairies and sparrowmen to be born, we're the rarest lot! It's because Neverland always knows what it needs, when it needs it, and it never takes more than that."
Lance felt himself smiling and tried to slyly hide it with his hand. "Huh, so you're saying I was needed."
"Easy there. It doesn't mean you're some chosen one or anythin'," Buck said. "Been a while since we got a new Scout Talent, so we were just due for one is all."
"Anyway, enough of that! Let's go meet the Commander-"
"Let's go show him to his room," Buck interrupted, taking Lance's wrist from Kite. "So he can make himself more presentable before meeting her."
Kite huffed, crossing her arms. "Like I said, I think he looks cute! Maybe we should make this our new uniform."
"Yeah, no." Buck led Lance down the hall, past the many Scout Talents that seemed to be taking a break from their duties. They all greeted him as they passed, and Lance greeted them back. "Don't worry about Kite. She's a bit of a spazz, but she gets her work done."
"You know it!" Kite replied, following behind the two. "And don't worry about Buck, either. He's a wet blanket, but he cares deep-down!"
"I'll have you know that when I'm off duty, I'm a lot of fun."
"His idea of fun is staying up past 'is bedtime readin' novels," Kite whispered to Lance.
"And your idea of fun involves seeing how far you can push your luck before Nyx snaps."
"Huh," Lance said, "You two really do feel like brother-and-sister."
Kite cheered, whilst Buck groaned. "We do not," he argued.
"Do so!" Kite argued back.
"Do no-" Buck stopped himself. "Nope, not taking the bait. Anyway, here’s your room.”
Lance entered the room. It was small, but it had all the essentials that he needed; a bed, with a cozy-looking quilt, a desk for writing at, a wardrobe, and an adjoining bathroom. Looking inside the wardrobe, Lance could see several copies of the uniform he would now be wearing. Not much variety, but he did think that it looked sharp.
Changing out of the white robe he was born in and putting on the new uniform, Lance already felt like he had taken a big step in the world. He looked at himself in the mirror. Though the uniform indeed looked sharp, his long, unkempt hair did not. Not only did he look like he had just jumped out of bed after having overslept, he worried that it would be a detriment in the field. A hawk could grab him by the hair and drag him off, or it could get tangled in some bushes. If it got in his eyes, it could cause him to fly right into something, or miss an attack.
Looking around the room some more, Lance found some bobbles in one of the drawers on his desk. He used one to tie his hair into a ponytail. Well, it wouldn't get in the way now, but it still looked kind of messy. What else could he do, though? He wasn't a Makeover Talent after all.
"Hey, you almost done in there?" Buck asked from outside. There wasn't enough time to do anything else, so Lance just licked his hand patted down his hair, getting it as neat as possible.
"Good enough," he said as he looked at himself once more in the mirror. With a nod of approval, he turned to leave. As he left, he didn't realise that the hairs he had patted down were already starting to stick back out.
Kite smiled as she saw Lance emerge from his room. "You look great! Like a proper Scout Talent!"
"Like a Scout Talent who's been through an electrical storm," Buck corrected, smirking at Lance's dishevelled hair. "You're gonna greet the Commander like that?"
Lance felt his hair, frowning. "Darn it. I thought I got it all to stay down."
Buck removed his acorn hat, revealing his own messy hair underneath. "Here, you can use this. Don't need to tidy a mess if you can just hide it."
"That sounds like an irresponsible thing to be teaching the new guy," Kite said. Buck simply shrugged. “Anyway, let’s go-”
“Nyx is outside,” Buck said, stopping Kite as she turned to march back towards Nyx’s office.
“That she is!” Kite about-faced and took Lance’s hand. “Right, this way to the courtyard!”
Lance followed Buck and Kite out to the courtyard, where he saw many Scout Talents practising their moves. Some were fighting dummies, while others were running rescue drills, and others still were revising how to treat wounds.
"Commander Nyx!" Kite called, waving over to a fairy who was observing the Scouts running an obstacle course. Emphasis on the ‘running’, as they all moved with their wings bound! "Oooh, that's the advanced course there! The best-of-the-best! The ones you call to deal with Kyto himself!"
"Kyto?" Lance asked.
"He's the dragon that sleeps on Torth Mountain," Buck explained. "Don't worry about it, though. He's trapped, and there's no way he's getting out again."
"Oh, that's good to hear." Lance watched as Nyx flew towards them. "Wait, 'again'?"
"You must be the newcomer," Nyx said, stopping before Lance to examine him. "Hm. Not much yet, but we'll whip you into shape."
"Fly with you, my name's La-"
"Did I ask you for your name? Rule number one of being a Scout: speak only when spoken to. I run a tight ship around here, and I won't hesitate to dish our punishments for those who step out of line."
"Uh, sor-" Buck nudged Lance with his elbow, and Lance got the message. He stopped his apology short.
Nyx smiled. "That's better. Now, what's your name?"
"... It's uh, Lance."
"Fly with you. My name is Nyx, as you've probably heard, though you'll refer to me as Commander Nyx." Nyx turned to glare at Kite. "And certainly not 'Nyxie'." She turned back to Lance. "Buck will run you through the basic exercises, see where you stand already, and then I'll assign you your first real task tomorrow. As a fair warning, our job is particularly dangerous; we fight to protect Pixie Hollow from the dangers of the outside. Hawks, pirates, calamities, you name it. The last thing I need is a Scout who cowers and runs at a crucial moment, so tell me in advanced if you don't think you can handle it. Am I clear?"
"Yeah..."
Buck nudged Lance again, and whispered, "Commanding officer."
"Oh. Yes, sir." Nobody said anything for a few seconds, and then Lance realised he should probably salute, so he did.
"So far, you seem to be lacking basic Scouting instincts, but we'll see how good you are soon enough. Buck, let me know if there's any trouble."
"Yes, sir," Buck answered with a strong salute. "C'mon," he said to Lance, and then flew away towards another part of the courtyard.
Lance began to follow him, but then stopped to ask Kite, "Are you coming?"
"Sorry, I've got my own training to do," she said. She then followed Nyx over to the advanced course, where she proceeded to join the fairies there in binding her wings and running laps.
"She's impressive, huh?" Buck asked, motioning for Lance to keep moving. "Despite how she acts, she's one of the top Scouts in Pixie Hollow. She could beat a hawk with one hand tied behind her back."
"Wow, I never would've thought. So how about you? Are you that good?"
Buck murmured something under his voice. "... I'm more of a reconnaissance-type, than a fighting-type."
"So in other words, she's on a whole other level than you."
"And you're still a greenhorn. Show some respect towards your superiors, Rookie."
"Sir, yes, sir, Captain Buck, sir!" Lance laughed.
Buck was less amused. The two landed at an archery range. "Here's your first task: try to hit the bullseye. You've got ten arrows."
Lance picked up the bow and examined it. Even though he had never seen a bow before, he still knew what it was, and he felt a familiar feeling holding it. Somehow, he knew exactly how to load an arrow onto it, exactly how to stand when aiming it, and exactly how to read and predict his arrow's trajectory. He made a few adjustments to his aim, and then fired. Bullseye!
"You took too long," Buck said. "If that was an enemy, you could be dead. Or they could've taken the chance to run away." Buck pulled out a pocket watch. "Three seconds per arrow. That's all I'm allowing."
Lance nodded, and readied his next arrow. He wasn't sure of his aim, but the fact he was now timed pressured him into firing anyway. He hit a bit right of the centre. For his next arrow, he tried to adjust his aim, but worrying about the time made him adjust too much, and he missed completely. "This is hard."
"You're thinking too late. By the time you've loaded your arrow, you don't have time to adjust your aim. You have to start planning your shot before you ready it. From the second you've got a target in your sights, you should already be calculating how to hit it."
Lance nodded. He reached for his next arrow.
"Keep your eyes on the target!"
Lance hadn't even realised it, but every time he reached for an arrow, his eyes were moving to the side. He was tracking his arrow's movement at all times, rather than focussing on what he was trying to hit with it. His next shot scraped the border of the target. Keeping his eyes on the target, Lance reached behind himself for his next arrow. Even though he wasn't looking, he found that he could load it with ease, almost as if he could see it in his mind.
The entire time he was loading the arrow, he focussed on the target. The distance, and weight of the arrow, the power of the bow, the speed and direction of the wind, all of these things came together in his mind as he readied his shot, and he found that he didn't need to make any adjustments this time; the arrow was going to land. He released the bowstring, the arrow flew, and then it hit the bullseye.
"Yes!"
Buck clapped. "Nice. You got it in the first ten. Looks like we don't need to worry about your archery skills. Next, let's take a look at how you handle a spear."
Lance and Buck flew over to the next training area, where dummies shaped like fairies were setup with spears laid out nearby. Lance approached the spears and grabbed the first one that looked good to him. "Try it out on that dummy. Don't worry about damaging them; that's what they're for."
Lance held the spear in both hands, his left hand towards the base and his right towards the tip, and charged the dummy. He stabbed it a few times, and then slashed. He got ready to stab again, when the dummy suddenly lifted into the air. "What-"
"Keep going," Buck said. "Enemies won't just stand there while you stab 'em."
The dummy swayed back-and-forth, left-and-right. Lance studied its movements and noticed a pattern. He leapt and slashed the dummy as it moved to the left. The dummy began moving faster now, and more randomly. Lance studied it again, only this time, the dummy tried to attack him. He crouched, ready to jump.
"Don't dodge!"
Lance gasped, and thinking on his feet, he brought his spear up to defend himself. He parried the dummy's attack and then kicked it, pushing it away. He pressed the attack by stabbing the dummy one final time, and then it fell.
"Looks like you've got it," Buck said, clapping.
"Why did you tell me not to dodge?" Lance asked, exhausted.
"Hmm, looks like we'll need to work on your stamina," Buck noted. "Why did I tell you not to dodge? Well, it would've been fine to do so, but I wanted to test your ability to make quick decisions so I gave you that sudden command. I also wanted to make sure you could block, too. When you're fighting a hawk, dodging is rarely an option.”
“Why?”
“Because they’ll eat the fairy you were protecting.”
Lance nodded, and then put the spear away. “Right…” He went with Buck to continue his training. He had to run an obstacle course, not quite as intense as the one Kite was running, learn how to bandage a damaged wing, how to make hideaways in trees and in the ground, how to identify different animal tracks and noises, and how to properly handle nightshade.
So much in one day, but as with any other new fairy or sparrowman learning the ropes of their respective Talent, Lance found that most of it came naturally to him.
When the day was over, he and Buck reunited with Kite, who herself had been through a rigorous day of advanced training. "Whew, Nyxie really put me through the wringer today!" Buck was ready with a towel for Kite, and she used it to wipe the sweat from her face.
"Are you and Nyx close, or something?" Lance asked.
"Hardly," Buck answered. "Kite just likes to get overly familiar with fairies, and Nyx puts up with it 'cause she's one of her best Scouts."
"Talent comes with privilege," Kite said with a grin, before wringing out the sweat collected by her towel. "But also harder work. Buck's as good as me, but he hides it 'cause he likes to take things easy."
“I thought you said you were more of a reconnaissance-type?”
“And that will stay the official line,” Buck said, lowering his voice and motioning for Kite to do the same. "When pirates attack, you can go and get yourself captured, but that’s not for me. I'll be back here watching a game of wingball over Havendish Stream."
"So if Kite ever got captured, you wouldn't help rescue her?" Lance asked.
Kite's grin grew. "Yeah Buck, you wouldn't come to my rescue?"
Buck's face grew red and he turned away. "I... would probably consider it, for you, maybe."
"Hmmmm? Just consider it?" Kite threw the towel into a nearby basket and laughed. "Wow, I'm so flattered!" Lance couldn't help but laugh, too. "Anyway, we should get a move-on if we don't wanna be late."
"Late for what?"
"For tea time, of course. Every evening, after everyone's done working for the day, we all meet at the Home Tree to eat. Every fairy and sparrowman will be there. The Cooking Talents prepare the best treats, and there's always enough to go around."
"They might have forgotten the new guy, though," Buck said, receiving a nudge from Kite.
"He's just teasin'. The newcomers receive an extra-special helping on their first day, as a way to welcome them ta Pixie Hollow!"
Just the thought of food made Lance's stomach rumble. He hadn't realised how hungry his workout had made him. "I can't wait!"
"Well you'll have to," Buck said. "The Scouts always get there last."
"Why?" Buck raised his arm and pointed to his armpit. Lance looked down at his own and saw how sweaty it was. "Oh."
"Scouts hit the showers first, then eat," Kite told him. "Other Talents might need to only shower occasionally, but Scouts need to every day. It'd be rude to everyone else if we started stinkin' the place up."
Lance nodded. He hadn't noticed at first, but now that it had been pointed out to him, he could definitely smell it. The sweet aroma of baked goods would be ruined if an entire platoon of sweaty Scout fairies was there.
As they reached the bathing area though, he couldn’t help but notice that the fairies and the sparrowmen were entering together through the same door. “Wait, they’re mixed?!”
Kite laughed. “One home, one unit!”
[hr]
After their shower, Lance followed Kite and Buck to the Home Tree, where the smell of freshly-baked goods filled the air. Lance’s face beamed as he saw the grand dining hall, filled with fairies and sparrowmen sitting at tables and engaging in conversations, whilst the Cooking Talents brought out refreshments.
“Over here,” Kite said, ushering Lance over to a table where all the Scouts were taking their seats. Unlike the circular tables everyone else was sat at, the Scouts were seated at long, rectangular tables along the sides of the room. Nyx sat at the very end of their table, and to her side was another long table, with four vacant seats, and a throne at the centre. “We Scouts all sit here, so we can keep an eye on everyone and be ready to act if there’s an emergency.”
“What’s that table next to the Commander?” Lance asked.
“That where Queen Clarion and the Ministers sit,” Kite explained. “They’ll be here soon. Nyxie sits close to them, almost like an honorary member.”
As the three found their seats, Lance noticed Luna in the crowd. Her eyes met his, and he waved. She waved back. “I’m gonna go say hi,” he said, but he was stopped by Buck.
“Wait until after the feast begins,” he said. “You’ll get reprimanded if you’re not in your seat by the time Queen Clarion gets here.”
“Besides, you’d get in the Baking Talents’ ways,” Kite said, pointing out how the Baking Talents were flying all over the place, strategically moving between the tables and the kitchen whilst carrying lots of trays. “They always wait until most fairies have sat down before they start bringin’ out the food. Anyone who arrives late has to walk to their table.”
Lance nodded, taking his seat between Kite and Buck. There was a placemat and some shiny, silver cutlery, along with a napkin and an empty glass. Some baskets of bread were placed along the table, and Kite helped herself to a couple of rolls, eating them whole. Buck took only one, and ate it more-gracefully. Realising that the bread was okay to take, Lance helped himself to a roll, as well.
“A drink?” one of the Baking Talents asked, carrying two jugs as she hovered over the table. “I have lemonade or wine.”
“Wine for me!” Kite sang.
“Me, too,” Buck said.
Lance, not sure what to pick, simply followed suit. “Uh, me too, then.” The Baking Talent poured the drinks, and then moved down the table, offering the choices to the other Scouts further down. Lance brought the glass to his lips and took a sip… and then pulled it away quickly. “That’s… sweet.”
“Hmmm, you’re right,” Kite said as she put down her empty glass. “Guess they pulled out a special bottle to welcome the new guy.”
Queen Clarion arrived with the Four Ministers, taking their seats at the long table. As the Baking Talents began serving everybody their meals, the Queen stood, and all fell silent. “Everybody, thank you for another day of hard work. I am pleased to announce that we are well on-schedule for the changing of the seasons. Of course, that’s not the only news that we’re celebrating today. For today, a new life was born, and with it, a new friend to us all. Everybody, please welcome Lance, our newest Scout Talent.”
The room broke into applause, all eyes on Lance. Lance blushed, fidgeting in his seat. Perhaps sensing his discomfort, Queen Clarion continued speaking, bringing everybody’s eyes back onto her. “And now, without further ado, let us enjoy this wonderful meal that our Baking Talents have worked so hard to prepare.”
The room erupted into cheers as everybody dug into their meals, and conversations started anew. “Is it always this festive around here?” Lance asked, having to speak louder than normal for Kite and Buck to hear him.
“Oh yeah! Life in Pixie Hollow is great!” Kite told him. “We work hard, but we play way harder!”
Lance smiled. “I’m glad I was born a Never Fairy, then!” And with that, he joined his new friends in enjoying his first ever feast in Pixie Hollow.