Mrs. Bartlebee's Garden

Ways

    The cloudy deep purple skies passed by the three as they quickly flew forward. Wind rushed through hair, blue fireflies flew higher than physically possible along with the albino koi fish. The blonde slowly let go of her broomstick and pulled out her ukulele from her hair. The trio gently glided as she leaned back slightly, strumming the instrument, music filled the air as the boys watched her.
    "Is this safe?" Rocket meekly asked as he peered down, his head was quickly forced back up by the vampire. He gulped as he forced himself to stare up at the clouds, understanding why he wasn't allowed to look. The witch nodded with a smile on her face before she began to sing, her voice resonated in the boy's ears, hauntingly beautiful. The older boy stared at her, his eyes showed sadness while his mouth showed a smile.
    "It's been a while, eh?" King venus asked with a faint chuckle. He looked back at the mountains fading away into the distance, how they passed by everything with no thought. He exhaled as worry about the badlands filled his brain. "One hundred years.." He reminded himself, a whisper under his own breath, it hurt even him to say it. The sound of the ukulele began to slow, and the singing eventually stopped. She turned to stare at the vampire.
    "People at the time just didn't understand you! Maybe things changed,, maybe they won't hurt you if you find an alternative to their blood." Rocket suggested positively, listening closely to the music, feeling the broomstick swaying with the wind. "... What was it like? Being trapped for a hundred years?" The tan boy hesitated, nervously glancing to his friends who remained silent for a bitterly long time.
    "Very lonely." The king replied, floating above the others. He smiled, hiding his anxiety and melancholia. "I know she was only trying to protect me but,, it was really hard. I'd starve there a lot, so my butler would have to hunt for me. He was a lot better at it, he told me all about what he saw and who he met when he'd get back." Venus explained, thinking about the bat monster, appreciating the creature. "People came up to my island a lot after it happened, trying to get in to... Well... Kill me, but they could never get in thanks to that spell.. Sometimes I wished they could though.."
    "At the time I was too scared to tell you what they were doing to all vampires before they went after you.." The blonde murmured, staring up at the boy with her large blue eyes. She thought quietly, ceasing her playing and placing the small instrument back inside her own hair. "They were hunting them all, a-and I didn't know what to do! I was the city's adventurer! I was seen as the hero- I-I helped everybody with everything! I couldn't just... T-Turn on them!"
    "Mrs. Bartlebee,, I knew, and you should have never been put in that situation.." Venus said calmly, sighing as he looked up at the stars, watching a giant fish gently swim above them. The girl frowned and shook her head, turning forward and holding onto the broom again, taking control. Rocket shifted his gaze to her and slowly frowned, he then attempted to look down again and the vampire quickly picked his head up once more, smiling down at him.
    "It was you who should have never been put in that situation. It's just what you eat it's not your fault- I was so focused on my own reputation I'm so sor-" Mrs. Bartlebee began before being gently interrupted by the forgiving vampire. Rocket watched the skies above, fading out of the conversation, realizing it wasn't his place anymore. He sighed, content yet wishing for his mother's embrace. Imagining seeing her again, getting her free and healthy. He shut his eyes, running a hand through his tangled hair and rubbing dirt off his dark face. He stared at his skin, a light chocolate, he then looked to the vampire again.
    "Hey,, it's okay! I get it now! I thought it was pretty brave of you.. Arcade would have been proud of you." Venus reassured, resting his hand on her shoulder. She gasped at the sound of his name, falling into a silence. "Oh shit! I-I'm sorry,, too much?!" He asked frantically, pulling his hand away and frowning, showing his fangs slightly in fear.
    "It was just enough,, thank you, Venus.." The blonde hushed with a gentle laugh, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away and continued driving through the sky.
    "Who is Arcade?" Rocket suddenly asked as he returned to reality, staring at the witch who had her back turned to him. She waited several minutes, looking down and then shutting her eyes. The vampire shook his head to the human, frowning and mouthing "bad move."
    "He was my husband! But,, he died saving many people from a rogue officer,, and his law enforcement dragon..." Eleanor briefly explained, feeling more tears prick her eyes. She continued to wipe them away and force herself to look ahead. "The officer snapped I guess,, and attacked the city with his powerful dragon. Those things are like dogs,, they bond with their masters... Even if they're evil. The dragon was only obeying orders but a lot of people were killed, buildings were destroyed... Then my husband,, who dedicated his life to helping the city as much as he could," She began before pausing for a long while, sniffling once. "He was an officer at the time, but he was a ground officer and was going to be promoted to air officer soon... He single-handedly slayed the rogue dragon and arrested it's handler, but... His injuries were so bad that.. It killed him on the scene." The witch finished quietly.
    "I'm sorry.." Rocket replied, remaining silent and still before hugging the blonde, watching her slowly hunch forward and cry quietly. The vampire watched for several seconds before joining the hug, glancing to the human with a sad look.
    "Well,, we're almost there! Look!" Mrs. Bartlebee exclaimed as she wiped the fluids off her face and sat strait. The two boys let go of her and watched from a slight distance. "...Thank you guys, it means a lot that you care about silly things like this..." she added as she looked to the desert area approaching in the distance.
    "It's not silly if you changed your whole way of living and your views because of that.." King Venus reminded, hugging the blonde again before letting go and continuing to float beside her.
    "You hush!" Mrs. Bartlebee smirked as her tears left her, the desert approaching fast. She looked to the human and smiles sincerely. "This is it." She nodded to him as he nodded back, growing a worried yet determined look on his face.
    "We need to be careful when we get there. The badlands can seriously mess us all up. Its filled with black magic, negative spirits, and sad souls. It drives people crazy... Rocket,, maybe you should-" Venus began before being interrupted by the frantic boy, who looked determined yet excited.
    "Nono! I need to get my mom! I need to be there for her!" The human exclaimed, waving his arms up. He then leaned back and dropped, falling out of the sky, screaming in terror as he plummeted. The king quickly dropped with him, trying desperately to grab the boy. Mrs. Bartlebee shot herself down, her broom going maximum speeds as she chased the human. Venus grabbed him by the ankle and held him in the air, struggling to carry the child slightly. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god-"
    "Are you okay!?" The witch called out, stopping her broom next to the two and wrapping her arms around them tightly. The trio shook as they hugged, the blonde gently planted a kiss on the human's forehead. "Rocketship, are you hurt!?" Mrs. Bartlebee cried out, feeling more tears pricking at her eyes before the boy slowly nodded at her, his wide eyes darted everywhere. She placed him back on the broom, yet this time made Venus sit behind him. They quickly flew onwards again, this time much slower.
    "Let's go get my mom..." Rocket mumbled as he continued to shake, adrenalin pumping, the thought of seeing his mom raced through his mom. Never had he realized how much he missed her and needed her until now...