Brady and Boomer were not known for their maturity. The whole of the island pretty much knew that the twin kings had a lot of growing up to do. However, the island's opinion of Brady and Boomer did not affect their actions. They were free to be as they were, and they liked having fun and going against the island's rules. Perhaps it was because of their entrusted friends and guides-Mason and his daughter Mikayla. They always remained loyal to the kings, and always believed in them to be the "kings of legend." No matter how deep Kinkow was in danger, the Makoola's remained to see the kings in a good light. Their faith in both Brady and Boomer gave the kings good moral support. So when Brady decided to eavesdrop on a conversation between Mikayla and her friend, he didn't think he'd hear doubt coming from Mikayla about his abilities as a possible love interest. He heard her say,

"He's still too immature…" He didn't bother to hear the rest. All he could pay attention to was the pounding of his heart, the blood rushing to his ears, and the hurt and rejection crawling through his veins. Didn't she believe in him like she and her father always have? If she thought he was too immature to be with her, then how could he be mature enough to rule a kingdom? He fled from the scene. He didn't think he'd run this fast in his whole life. He didn't think he was even capable of a jog longer than three minutes. Brady sped up the stairs of the castle, ignoring the stares he got from curious maids. He made it up to his room, breathing heavily. Thankfully his twin brother Boomer was out. He didn't think he would be able to face him with what he was about to do. What was he about to do? Without really thinking, he took off his ring and threw it across the room. He didn't want it anymore. It just felt wrong now. He wasn't "mature" enough. Maybe you need to leave and grow up. Brady tensed when the thought crossed his mind. Should he leave Kinkow? No, you wouldn't last a week without being close to Boomer. His conscious was right. He wouldn't, no couldn't, be that far away from his twin brother. So what was the other option?

Brady walked across his room and picked up his ring. He examined it's crystal. It was a ruby, yet it somehow glowed with an aura that showed it held some form of magical power. He looked around his room and saw his songbook next to his guitar. He picked the notebook up, and ripped out a piece of paper. He wrote,

I need to figure some things out about myself- as both a king of Kinkow and as a man. I withdraw my title as king until I decide I am ready to return. Don't try to find me. You won't succeed. I love you, Boom. Don't blame this on yourself. Same goes for both Mason and Mikayla. This is my choice. I want this. I need this.

-Brady

He read it a few times to make sure everything is spelt correctly and enough was said. Then, with a great sadness, he began to pack his things. Clothing, soap (he decided that was a step towards maturity), and survival tools. He stuffed it all in a backpack, and threw it over his shoulder. Brady then walked over to his bed and placed his note and ring on the covers. He wiped his wet eyes, and walked down one flight of stairs to go through a secret passage out of the castle that he discovered accidentally a couple of months ago when he tripped on air. He lifted up the torch, and automatically a tunnel was revealed. He took the torch and stepped through the entryway with caution. He knew the tunnel led to the jungle, but he still was cautious about what might pop out at him. After a few steps he heard the entryway close, and Brady knew then that there was no turning back.

The tunnel was long and tiresome, until finally Brady began to see light in the distance. He breathed out a sigh of relief, and remorse. The whole journey through gave him time to think about what he just did. Oh God, what did I just do? How could he just leave Boomer behind? Was this really for the best? The sound of a branch snapping broke Brady from his thoughts. He was so distracted that he didn't even realize that he had made it out of the tunnel and into the heart of the jungle, which was miles away from civilization. Brady quickly unzipped his backpack and took out a pocket knife, and held it out at arm's length to defend himself. More noises took place from a distance, and it sounded like someone, or something was coming towards him! The leaves in front of him rustled and an old man walked out from the dense brush. Brady exhaled and slouched from his defensive position. The old man looked at him curiously, and tilted his head with an interested look on his face.

"W-Who are you?" Brady stuttered. The old man walked closer and Brady took in his profile. He had olive toned skin that was wrinkled but his physique made it seem like he was in pretty good shape for someone who was of old age. He wore Kinkowian clothing, and held a staff that had multi-colored feathers sprouting from the top. He had blackish gray hair, with a long beard coming from his chin. He had deep green eyes, and they held a look of knowledge and wisdom. There was also this aura around him that could either scream "Danger" or "Helpful", but it just depended who you were to him. Brady was about to find out.

"The more important question is, who are you?" The old man had a deep yet light voice, and reminded Brady of Dumbledore from Harry Potter.

"Are you a wizard?" Brady blurted out without meaning to. The thought of Harry Potter just distracted him from the matter at hand. However, instead of feeling insulted, the old man merely just chuckled.

"I am Coato (COH-UH-TOW), and no, I am not a wizard," Coato replied. Brady ran a hand through his hair, and groaned out loud. The day had caught up to him and he was completely drained, both emotionally and physically. Coato, noticing this, smiled kindly at Brady,

"You've had a rough day. I know who you are. I can sense it. You are the former co-king of Kinkow, and for that I am honored to be in your presence. I was out looking for herbs, but you can stay in my home for the night, if you'd like." Brady immediately jumped at the offer. His instincts told him that Coato meant no harm, and he'd prefer not to stay in the jungle all alone. So he nodded, almost too enthusiastically, and followed Coato. The old man stopped along the way a few times to pick up certain greens that he said had "magical properties". Brady said nothing at this, although he did want to ask him how Coato could tell the difference between normal grass and the "magical grass". He did not say it aloud though, Brady simply followed Coato until night had fallen.

Just as Brady was about to lose his already low patience, a small hut appeared in a rather beautiful clearing. The ground was full of vegetables and flowers Brady had never seen before, and it almost looked like some flowers were glowing with moonlight. Although it was hard to see in the dark, Brady could make out a small waterfall and pond-like lake in the distance. However, what stood out the most was the smell. Instead of smelling like the rest of Kinkow, which smelt like the sun and musty rainwater, this place smelt a mix of many things that blended together to make the most amazingly wonderful smell Brady had ever smelt (and that's saying something, he's smelt Mikayla's hair.) It was a blend of freshly cut grass, lemons, pine, mint, lilies, and something similar to the smell of a forest after it rained. Brady took a moment to stand there and commit the smell to memory. Coato turned around and must've noticed the reason Brady had paused because he simply smiled in understanding.

"I found this place a few years ago; it stood out to me as the most precious of things," Coato stated as they both walked to the front of the hut. It was of normal size, though Brady wondered how such an old man could build something like this. It had a grass roof and bamboo walls, and when Brady entered it looked like it had two rooms. At least, there was a curtain made of grass that split the hut in half. On the right side it looked like a bedroom, since there was a cot made of wood and grass as bedding laying on the ground. Next to it was a wooden shelf full of ancient books that looked like they might fall apart from overuse. There was also a nightstand that held a candle and reading glasses. On the left side was a room that was mostly bare except a few bags of beans and rice and other herbs in piles of two.

"You could stay in the storage room, I'll go collect some grass for you to sleep on," Coato told Brady. Brady said an "okay" and he sauntered into the left half of the room, or the "storage room" as Coato called it, and sat down on the grass-covered ground. Within a few moments, Brady slumped to the ground, curled up into a ball and slept. Coato came back a couple of minutes later with hands full of grass only to find Brady already asleep. The old man smiled and placed the grass next to Brady, walked over to the right side of the hut, and followed Brady's example.

TBC…

Let me know if you like it! This is un-beta'd & my first fanfic ever so don't go too hard on me!

LONG LIVE BRAKAYLA & KING BRADY!