Fablehaven Rules and Order Quotes

Famous last words, Grandpa. Setting out rules for kids to follow might seem simple, but things are rarely that easy. Of course, it's a little odd that Grandpa's hoping the kids will think outside the box enough to taste the milk and thus be exposed to magic. But there's no rule against drinking milk, is there? Just exploring where they shouldn't be.

For every action, there is a consequence, and this is especially true when it comes to breaking the rules in Grandpa's household. He wants to confine the kids to their rooms for the rest of their stay, and in the end that might be safer for them—but Kendra manages to argue for a reduced punishment, saying that they'll follow the rules from then on. Do they?

Grandpa lays it out for Kendra and Seth: if humans follow the rules while interacting with magical beings, they should be safe. Emphasis on the should. As we see later in the book, there are ways to break rules without even realizing it (like when Seth captures a fairy, or when he opens the window on Midsummer Eve… hm, funny how Seth seems to be the one breaking all the rules around here).

Thanks, Grandpa, for giving us a glimpse into why the rules exist (hint: it's not just to annoy Seth). Apparently it's important to keep order where magical beings are involved, especially the "darker" ones. We're guessing he means darker as in more evil, not as in, like, skin tone—Grandpa doesn't strike us as racist.

And here we get another clue about why order is so important in Fablehaven. If you're gonna be strict all the time, like about the boundaries keeping magic critters to certain parts of the preserve, there needs to be a time of release and transgression to balance it out. There are still some rules in effect though, like the ones keeping the house safe for humans during that time (in theory).

Here Grandma explains why some of the rules of the preserve can be viewed in both a good and a bad light. A lot of not-so-nice magic creatures gain protection when they live on preserves, but it comes at the cost of following restrictive rules. From the perspective of the Society of the Evening Star though, this is not good at all, since it means the critters are basically locked up. Is it a fair trade to accept limitations in exchange for your survival?

Grandma is not keen to kill Muriel in order to protect the preserve from her, but she'll do it if she has to. Here she tells Kendra and Seth why killing someone is Serious Business—it's a violation of the rules, and it'd mean that Grandma would be vulnerable to attack from others unless she left.

Well isn't that cheery? Grandma knows that her husband has to still be alive, since he's kept all the rules governing Fablehaven. But what kind of condition he's in is another matter entirely—just because you can't be killed doesn't mean you can't be harmed. We're not sure if we'd like living under these rules.

Of all her family at Fablehaven, Kendra's the only one who's still kept all the rules, and as such can't be harmed by magic creatures. Grandpa is obviously hoping that she'll save herself, since it's not looking so good for the rest of them.

Kendra realizes the drawback to setting a plan in motion to save her family: it basically counts as doing magic. If not getting the tears from the statue, then making the elixir will do the trick, which'll leave her vulnerable. Having to neutralize Mendigo before he can get to her is a scary prospect, but Kendra is up to the challenge—it seems like she's not doing too badly for someone who normally follows the rules instead of breaking them.