The First Summer

Disclaimer: I do not own Tinker Bell or any of the characters here within, they are copyright of Disney's Fairy Franchise.

Queen Clarion clasped her hands before her again as she looked out over the congregation of fairies dressed in their summer wear in preparation to bring summer the mainland. The queen smiled.

"With those words, I wish you a warm and happy summer."

Hundreds of fairies began to stir from their various positions around the base of the Home Tree. After the queen's speech, all that remained was a final check that all the proper gear was loaded, stowed, and secured. It was a long flight to the mainland. All the birds were saddled and lined, waiting for their guides to direct them to the many fairy camps situated amid the bluffs and hills of the spring seasoned mainland. However, the fairies did not get far before the queen made a final announcement.

"Vidia! If I could have a word?"

The purple-clad, fast-flying fairy stopped short at about mid-height of the Home Tree. Every eye of Pixie Hollow turned to look up at Vidia.

Even at this distance, the fast-flier could hear the chuckles and murmurings below her.

-"What has she done now?"

-"In trouble already? We haven't even left yet!"

-"Probably grounded because she missed a few Sprinting Thistles…"

Vidia clenched her fists and cast an ugly glare at the fairies that watched her, though a few others turned their gaze to watch the queen drift upward. The dark-haired fairy made no move to join the queen in her ascent, but then Clarion did not oblige to join Vidia either—leaving the young fairy to follow her to the royal chambers.

The young fairy ground her teeth before launching in the altered direction.

Vidia shot ahead of Queen Clarion, stirring the queen's glittering gown as she went. The fair-haired monarch only sighed once before she reached the royal chambers herself, unsurprised to find Vidia lounging boredly on one of her, the queen's, finer pieces of furniture. Clarion's aides were throwing the reclining fairy ugly looks even as they went about their duties folding dresses and refilling vases.

"Way to spark new rumors, Your Highness." The fast-flying fairy said with a sugary venom for all around her to hear, spinning a tiny cyclone on her fingertip.

"I wouldn't have called on you before the gathering if you weren't always in such a hurry to leave them." The queen returned with an unperturbed smile. Vidia frowned and the small whirlwind whipping about her fingers dissipated.

Queen Clarion turned to her aides and messengers when they clamored for her attention to their pressing concerns.

What sort of flowers did she want in her chambers this month? Which gown did she wish to change into to see the summer-working fairies off in? The Minister of Summer still needed approval on a cadmium pigment for butterfly painting.

Queen Clarion had an answer for each, but Vidia was growing impatient. The dark-haired fairy pushed herself up to a sitting position and loudly cleared her throat.

"I have a schedule to keep myself, you know."

The bustle of the room slowed as again, all eyes looked over to Vidia. Even the queen's lips pressed into a thin line at this insubordination. But Queen Clarion quickly recovered with a gracious but meaningful gaze across the fairies flitting about her rooms before her cerulean eyes settled on a fuming Vidia.

"My fairies, if you would excuse us." The queen folded her hands before her. The surrounding aides and others glanced at each other and quietly filed out of the queen's chambers. The queen's bright blue eyes followed the last fairy out, before turning on Vidia again. She inhaled and drifted over to her vanity, delicately placing items from the desk to the drawer.

"I've a task for you, Vidia."

Vidia's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Like what?"

Queen Clarion paused over her small needle-point brush before slowly depositing the object into the drawer. Vidia's narrowed eyes blinked once. The queen drew a breath.

"Well, this is Tinker Bell's first summer on the mainla—"

"Ooooh no. No, no, no, NO!" Vidia was suddenly in the air, her wings buzzing to match her frustration. "I am NOT babysitting that hot-headed, stubborn tinker bra—"

"Vidia!" the queen admonished before the fast-flier could finish her sentence.

The purple-clad fairy's lips pursed and the full-bodied cyclone that lashed about the queen's chambers dispelled, leaving the queen's furniture a quarter turn around from where they sat a moment ago. Queen Clarion steadily curled a loosened golden tendril behind one ear and fixed her blue gaze on the young fairy.

"Tinker Bell will need your guidance and watchful eye, particularly regarding her…ahem…disposition for human machines." The queen ignored Vidia's agonized groan. "She may need reminding that fairies are not to go near human domiciles."

"And the others can't do this because?" Vidia asked with her eyebrows raised, incredulous. Queen Clarion righted a vase that the fast-flier's temperamental gale had knocked over. She distractedly rearranged the flowers.

"To put it bluntly, you're the fastest means of retrieving Tinker Bell should she find herself in trouble."

"She can get herself out of her own trouble." Vidia sneered and began to fly toward the door when it snapped shut in her face. Vidia glanced back over her shoulder in a mixture of frustration and anxiety. No other fairy would dare address the queen with such sharp words, but then no other fairy shared a relationship similar to that of Vidia and Queen Clarion.

Then again, Vidia knew the parameters of their association and she had just crossed a line. Her slowly beating wings lowered her to the ground.

"Vidia, we look after our own. There is no every fairy for herself, especially on the field. Need I remind you of the Sprinting Thistle incident Tinker Bell helped you correct when the punishment was yours to carry out?" The fast-flier's wingtips curled as she grimaced. Yes, Tinker Bell had helped—with that dangerously unstable device she threw together to net rampaging Sprinting Thistles in the fields. Still, the device did manage to get the job done. Vidia cracked open one eye to see the queen approaching her from across the chamber. "You may not believe it, but Tinker Bell looks up to you. All I ask is that you return Tinker Bell the favor by watching out for her."

"You're asking for the impossible, Your Highness." Vidia crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "I can't do all my duties and babysit the tinker all summer. I have a lot of warm systems to move up from the south, push cold fronts to the north, orchestrate summer breezes. And Tinker Bell will go all rogue fairy when she sees all the…things humans make. It can't be done."

Queen Clarion stopped before her. Vidia could feel those blue eyes studying her every twitch and tell of trepidation at this unwanted responsibility. The fast-flier willed the random flutter of her wings to be still as she gripped hard to her forearms. Vidia's eyes only strayed once to Clarion's before glancing sharply away again. She did not like the resolution she saw there one bit.

"Vidia," the queen began softly, "I am entrusting this duty to you because I know you are capable of keeping Tinker Bell safe. I want you to call on the others should you need their assistance, but I trust in your abilities. Your sense of timing and judgment have served you well in the past. I needn't remind you of your swift journey to harvest edelweiss for a dying fairy." Now it was Vidia's turn to look Clarion in the eye while the queen dropped her gaze. Vidia's hunched shoulders relaxed a bit, but her arms remained crossed. Queen Clarion's golden monarch wings resettled and she stood regally once more. "I feel your judgment will serve here as well." She paused and seemed to lose her train of thought. "That is all. You may go."

Vidia watched as Queen Clarion turned and silently glided to her mirror, her vanity conter empty of items to store. There was the faintest knit in Clarion's brow in her reflection. Vidia's arms slipped from their knot over her chest.

Silence reigned in the chamber.

"Vidia." The queen murmured and it was only then the fast-flier saw Clarion's golden crown resting in the queen's hands. Her eyes shut. "Faith, trust…"

"…and Pixie dust." Vidia finished in a whisper before flitting out of the royal chambers.

A moment later the purple-clad fairy landed before the lineup of birds. The final checks had all gone through and the crowd of fairies was cleared to take off. Vidia took a brief stock of the preparations herself. She blinked at a single hammer forgotten beside one saddled dove; the dove that held the tinker's equipment.

"Tinker Bell," Vidia shouted, "missing something?"

The tinker fairy spun to look at Vidia then to what the fast-flier was pointing at. She fluttered down from her group of friends to retrieve the hammer, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Oops. Thanks Vidia." Tinker Bell grinned as she deposited the tool back into the saddlebag, conveniently missing the roll of Vidia's eyes. "I was just so excited you know, I could hardly focus on packing. My first summer on the mainland, wow."

"Uh huh. Be more careful with your tools next ti—"

"I can hardly wait, can you Vidia?"

"Yes. I can. Now remember the ground rules—stay away from huma—"

"It's all I've been thinking about for the last two weeks!" Tinker Bell fidgeted, suddenly shy. "And when I heard you and I would be at the same camp, well, I was just—"

"Hey Tinker Bell, get over here!" Silvermist called and the tinker fairy shrugged and laughed, flying off to join her friends. A muted thunk assaulted the dark-haired fairy's ears. Vidia's head turned a fraction toward the ground to see the hammer sitting in a cloud of dirt. Vidia groaned and stooped to hurl the hammer back into the saddlebag, yanking the reeds shut. She threw a glare up at the Home Tree.

This was going to be the start of a very long summer.

Author's Note: I was so excited to get a movie that centered around Vidia in 'The Great Fairy Rescue,' but I must admit I'm a tad disappointed at how soft Vidia had become. I loved her in the first movie where she was snarky and entitled and conniving. I'm pleased to see she has leadership qualities too, but I do feel that the development of her relationship with Tinker Bell was a little too fast for my tastes. And there was no hide nor hair of Clarion in this movie! Gah! Overall though, I was happy with the flick and I harangued my family into watching it with me. Bwahahaha!

Anyway, in answer to my personal dilemma and Vidia's dogged, almost tasked warnings toward Tinker Bell, I led myself to believe that Queen Clarion called on Vidia to keep the tinker fairy in line. I actually started with Clarion threatening Vidia with dust suspension, but then I thought Clarion was better than that and would allude to some history between them instead. (I already 'wrote' their story in my mind, believe me.) I hope I played their relationship off right. I really love the both of them.

And YES! I totally referenced one of my other Tinker Bell fics in this one! BWAhahaha!

I hope you all enjoyed, returning and new readers!, and will please leave a review!

Blackfire 18