I really can't emphasise how much i went off track writing this :) it's a story about Kendall and James, but I just twisted it into being all about Kendall and logan by mistake, lol oh well :D i just loved writing about them living in their little home and stuff. Enjoy!

4. The Lost Prince - Etain and Midir (lol totally converted)

Kendall was always a very happy child. He loved to play in the woods and swim in the sea a few miles away. He loved listening to the wind calling his name, "Kendall — Kendall." But most of all Kendall loved his dreams. They were always similar, and he'd been having them for years. He always dreamed of a land where no one ever grew old, a place full of peace and joy. Then when he got older, the dreams began to change. He started to dream of a tall prince with dark hair and hazel eyes coming on a white horse to take him to that land of youth.

"You and your silly fantasies, dreamer," his older brother Logan said both fondly and disapprovingly every time Kendall spoke of his dreams.

Kendall and Logan's father had died in a fight when Kendall was only a baby, and their mother had become ill and passed away when Logan was eleven and Kendall was eight. Logan took over as the parent of the family from there.

They lived in a little cottage a couple miles from the village. They kept pigs and chickens there and sold them on market days. Some they kept to eat in the winter, but there was one pig whose mother had died shortly after its birth that Kendall insisted was his pet, and named it Muck when it was only a few months old, threatening that Logan would have to deal with him if he wanted to try and sell or eat him. Logan didn't bother arguing with him, and Muck was now three years old and followed Kendall everywhere he went. Except the house; Logan was adamant that he slept in the pen with the other pigs.

Logan did a lot of work indoors; he would cook the meals and clean the cottage. Kendall stayed outside, from dawn until dusk some days, looking after the animals and the garden, fetching water or just walking around aimlessly.

"You spoil those beasts," Logan scolded one day when he went out to see Kendall on his knees in the grassy pig pen, stroking two of the pigs' backs and humming a little tune.

"They're going to end up on someone's dinner table," came Kendall's stubborn reply. "And they're going to be treated like kings before it happens."

Kendall would dance around the little cottage they lived in, doing his evening chores and singing happily. Logan would scoff at his behaviour, but when Kendall would grab him by the hand and spin him around, he happily joined in. Logan was always so proper that Kendall's aloof attitude was always a little surprise for him. But he secretly didn't mind it at all; he made every day brighter.

One day Kendall was outside, picking the potatoes from the earth of their little garden and putting them in his basket for storage, singing to himself when a man on a tall black horse came trotting down the path. He didn't pay any attention to him until the man spoke up and said, "Sorry to bother you, but could you point me in the direction of the village where Lord Midir lives?"

"Um . . ." Kendall straightened up, wiping his dirty hands off his shirt. "Yes. It's just a couple of miles down that way, and then you take the right when you come to the fork in the road. Another half-mile and you should see it."

"Thank you," he replied with a smile.

Kendall eyed his sweaty black hair and tan skin, and his horse, which was panting faintly on that hot summer day. "Would you like to come inside, have a drink?" he asked suddenly. "It's a terrible day for travelling, and your horse looks exhausted. You should give it a break."

"Oh. Alright, thank you." The man rode over towards the cottage and dismounted, leading the horse over. Kendall took hold of its reins and led it over to post he often used for Muck, and tied him to it. "I'm Kendall, by the way. Follow me," Kendall said to the stranger, and opened the front door of the cottage, leading him inside. "Logan, we have a visitor!" Kendall said cheerfully as they went inside.

Logan looked up from his place by the dresser, cutting up carrots and turnips for the dinner. "Oh? Who is it?"

"I'm Carlos," the man said for Kendall.

"He's on his way to the village," Kendall added. "I just offered him a drink and a little rest, it's so hot outside." He turned to Carlos. "This is my brother, Logan."

"It's nice to meet you," Carlos said with a smile, as Logan went and filled a cup with water and set it on the table for him. Carlos sat down, gesturing for Logan to sit down too.

"I'll be out tending to your horse," Kendall said, leaving them to it. He grabbed the bucket and left the cottage, walking the distance to the well over by the trees. He went and filled a tin bucket with water and put it down for the horse, then took a cloth, dampened it and began gently cleaning the sweat and dirt off the horse's hair as it gulped the water down. Where he was standing, Kendall could hear everything they were saying inside the cottage, through the little square window.

"He seems very willing to work," Carlos was saying, sounding amused.

"Well, he's an animal lover. Always has been. And he is a hard worker, though he's just a child, really. He just turned sixteen."

I'm not a child, Kendall wanted to yell through the window, knowing full well they were talking about him. But he stayed silent, gently cleaning the horse's neck, smiling to himself.

"And you live here alone, the two of you?" Carlos asked Logan.

"Yes, we do. We have for a good few years now. But we don't mind it; we have each other."

Kendall decided this conversation was dull and not worth listening to. He tuned out and started humming again as he finished cleaning the horse off. He gave it a quick pat on the back went back inside the cottage. "Don't mind me," he said to the two sitting at the table, who both smiled at him. "I'm just getting the food for the pigs and chickens." He grabbed the bucket filled with all the little leftover bits of food, and the small sack of grain and left again.

"Muck!" he called, whistling as he went to the back of the cottage where they kept the animals. He heard the animal squeal in greeting, long snout sticking out through one of the gaps in the fence. Kendall reached inside the bag, scattering a fistful of grain over the ground for the chickens, who'd just emerged from the little hut at the sound of his whistle. He scattered some more for them and opened the gate to the pig pen. Muck came trotting out, snorting in content as Kendall walked inside. The pen was large, full of grass and little plants that the pigs ate. He emptied out the bucket of leftovers into the trough for the five pigs, and they all hurried over, burying their snouts in it immediately.

Kendall took the apple he'd been saving for Muck and held it out for him. His snout sniffed at it loudly and he gobbled it up out of Kendall's hand, grunting loudly. Kendall scratched his head fondly and then pushed him over towards the food trough. "I'll see you later, piggy."

He shut the gate of the pen after him and walked off, humming. He could easily find himself drifting away to the dream he had the night before. The handsome prince with the hazel eyes had come again and taken him down to the sea. The last thing he could remember was the prince's white horse coming galloping in over the waves as . . .

"Thank you for caring for my horse. I'll be on my way now."

Kendall snapped out of his daydream to see Carlos standing in front of him, smiling. Kendall smiled back. "You're welcome. Don't forget the directions I gave you."

"I won't." Carlos seemed to look at him a lot longer than the little blonde thought necessary, but eventually he said, "Goodbye, Kendall," and turned around, untying his horse. Within a few minutes he had disappeared down the road. Once he was gone, Kendall dashed inside the cottage where Logan was waiting for him.

"Did you see the fine clothes he was wearing?" Logan said excitedly once Kendall had the door shut. "Who do you think he is? A duke, maybe? Or a lord?"

"Maybe he's a knight," Kendall said, just as excited. "Knights are wealthy, aren't they?"

"Yes, I suppose. Hmm, I wonder."

Kendall laughed, twirling around with his hands in the air. "Imagine, a nobleman in our little home! This could be the start of something, Logie!"

"You're dreaming again, Kenny," Logan replied with a roll of his eyes.

"We'll see, Logan. We'll see."

The next morning the weather was slightly cooler, and it was much easier to see outside, working. Kendall picked up another egg and carefully placed it in his basket. Then another; the rest he would leave to hatch. As he was leaving the hut, he tripped over a stone or something, stumbling a little on the long damp grass. As he turned around to see what had tripped him, he almost lost his balance again and ended up crashing into something as he turned back around. He squealed in fright, jumping backwards. Then he realised who it was.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't see you there . . ."

Carlos was now holding the basket, smiling. "It's fine."

"Are they ok?" Kendall asked as Carlos handed him back the basket.

"I think one of them is cracked. Sorry."

"Oh, that's alright," Kendall replied breezy, walking over to the pig pen and opening the gate. Muck came hurrying out and Kendall gently dropped the egg on the ground for him to eat. "What are you doing back here?" he asked, looking back at Carlos.

"Well, I'm on my way home from the village, and I just thought I'd stop and say hello," Carlos replied, smiling.

"Oh. Well, hello." Kendall smiled, walking back around to the front of the cottage with the eggs. Carlos watched with amusement as Muck followed him, occasionally nuzzling off his legs.

"Do you ever wear shoes?" Carlos asked suddenly, following him and sitting on the large flat stone outside the cottage door.

Kendall gave him a slightly puzzled look. "Well, in the winter I do. I don't see any other use for them."

Carlos smiled at him. "Well, you are extraordinary."

Kendall bit his lip, confused. "Um, thank you . . .?"

Carlos chuckled. "Yes, that was a compliment."

"Well, um, thank you." Kendall blushed slightly. "Well, it's nice seeing you again, but I should probably go—"

"Am I really that boring to talk to?" Carlos teased.

"No, of course not! It's just . . ."

"You can't even spare a minute to talk to me?"

"Um . . ." Kendall laughed. "Alright then." He sat down next to Carlos, Muck immediately flopping down on the grass by his feet. "What were you doing in the village?" he asked.

"I had some business with the Lord," Carlos replied nonchalantly. "It's quite a small place, isn't it? It's nice."

"Yes, I suppose it is," Kendall said with a shrug. "I've never known anything besides it, really, so I can't compare it to anything."

Carlos smiled sweetly. "Well, maybe some day you'll leave here, and you'll see more."

"I doubt that. But it's a nice thought," Kendall said dreamily, stroking Muck's ears.

The door of the cottage opened an Logan appeared. "Oh. Hello, Carlos!" he said cheerfully. "How was the village?"

"Very quiet; I quite liked it," Carlos said with a small smile.

They sat outside, chatting until the sun began to set and Carlos had to start heading home. Carlos visited them often from then on. Twice a week or more he would show up at their cottage, chatting to them, or just stopping by. Logan and Kendall got to know him a lot better, and they became very good friends. It was over a month since they'd first met, and autumn was approaching. One day Carlos and Logan were sitting inside, talking, when something crossed Carlos's mind.

"We're really close, you know?" Logan chuckled. "Sometimes I feel a little like his parent more than his brother."

"Logan, there was something I wondered about . . ."

"He just means so much to me, and I can't help feeling protective of him. He is my little brother, after all." Logan paused. "What were you saying?"

"Well, actually, it's not important. Never mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Carlos said firmly.

The next afternoon Kendall was filling a bucket with turf to bring inside for the colder days when he heard the familiar clopping of horse's hooves on the road. He turned around, grinning up at the tanned man with black hair sitting on the black horse. Carlos dismounted and handed the horse's reins to Kendall, who tied him to the post like he always did. "Hello, Kendall."

"Hello, Carlos," Kendall greeted cheerfully, walking inside with him. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm alright," Carlos replied with a smile. "Hello, Logan," he added with a grin.

Logan smiled back, sitting down at the table. Carlos sat with him, nervously twiddling his thumbs. "Is something wrong?" Logan asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'm . . . nothing really." Carlos looked at Logan. "I guess I've known both of you for a while now. You both mean a lot to me. And, er . . ."

"Is this going somewhere?"

"What I wanted to ask . . . will you marry me?"

Kendall squealed, clapping his hands as Logan's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. There was silence for a second, then Logan smiled and said, "Yes."

Carlos grinned, pulling him into his arms immediately. Kendall watched them with a gigantic grin on his face. "You have no idea how happy I am right now," Carlos said sweetly. "You're exactly who I need with me, ruling the country."

"Hold on, what?" Logan's eyes widened again, as did Kendall's. "What are you talking about?"

"King Carlos of Munster, at your service," Carlos said with a wink, giving a little bow.

"You're the king?" Kendall gaped at him. "What . . . why didn't you say something before?"

"Well, I didn't want your opinion of me to change. Or your brother's decision to be influenced by it." Carlos smiled at Logan, who smiled back sweetly.

"I have a question," Kendall said curiously. "How can you have so much spare time to see us of you're the king?"

"I had my head advisor Kelly take over for me. It was thinking of doing this for a while, and wanted to get to know you both better." Carlos turned back to Logan. "So, you'll come live in my castle with me, and rule with me."

"Yes, of course!" Logan said happily. "But, I have one request."

"Of course, anything."

"Kendall is my only family, and he's coming with us too."

So it was settled. Carlos left with the news that a carriage would come to pick them up the next day. So there was some organising to do; the animals had to be given away, the food had to be given away too so it wouldn't rot. Every thing was going well, but one thing that Logan was very irritated about what was that Kendall was pleading to be allowed bring Muck to the castle with him.

"Kendall, there are plenty of pigs at the castle—"

Kendall's arm had wrapped around the pig's neck in response, a stricken look on his face. "But I don't want another pig. It wouldn't be the same! It would be like you going off and picking out a random boy as your new brother!"

"Kendall, that's completely different."

"No it's not!"

"Kendall—"

"If Muck's not going, I'm got going," Kendall said stubbornly.

Logan sighed in frustration. "Oh, fine!Bring that damned pig with you. But the others are being sold, end of discussion!"

Kendall was happy with that, and the next morning they were taken to Carlos's castle. Logan and Carlos married in the palace garden that afternoon. Then Logan and Kendall were left to explore their new home. It was incredible, and so different to what they were used to; the floors were covered with carpets and the walls with beautiful paintings. And it was massive. They found themselves getting lost more than once in its vastness. But they were both happy, very happy.

One thing that bothered Logan was that suitors were beginning to show up at the castle, seeking Kendall's affections and possibly his hand in marriage. Logan managed to scare some of them away before they even met Kendall, others were more stubborn and difficult to chase off. Like that Dak. Logan had resorted to putting a family of rats in his bedroom, and told him quite nonchalantly the castle was always like this and if he wanted to marry Kendall he'd have to deal with it. He didn't stick around. Then there was Wally, who'd had the cook's wild cat set on him in the middle of the night. "This is Kendall's pet!" Logan had said innocently. "They're simply inseparable."

And then Jett. Well . . . that was too horrific to speak of. "I'm so confused, Logie," Kendall sighed as he watched Jett gallop away on his horse fast as the wind. "I thought he liked me. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not," Logan said reassuringly, hiding his triumphant smile. "He's not worth bothering about anyway."

Despite these odd incidents that he couldn't make sense of, Kendall was happy in the castle. Though he mostly stayed outside in the gardens, or in the little farmyard where the animals were kept. He had everything he could ever want and need. Except a husband. But nobody who came to see him seemed interested, and he could put up with that. It wasn't such a big deal.

Then one night Gustavo the storyteller started telling them of the land of Tír na nÓg, a land where no one ever grew old. He told of the handsome, noble prince called James who ruled the land with his mother Brooke. He told of James's husband, the prince Kendall. He said that James had been engaged to a woman named Rachael when he met Kendall, and instantly fell for his beauty and kind heart. He said that Rachael had cried with rage and sworn revenge the day Kendall and James married. Only a week later, Kendall disappeared without a trace from Tír na nÓg.

Kendall suddenly remembered his dreams. Memories were starting to unravel in his brain. Yes, he remembered. He started to realise it; he was the prince who disappeared from Tír na nÓg. He was so confused; this had to be real, it had to be true. If it wasn't, how could he have been dreaming about it all this time? He needed to find out.

So the next morning, he went to find Gustavo and explained what he wanted. "Your story just interested me last night," he said. "I'd like to know more about it, about Tír na nÓg."

"Oh. Well, follow me, Kendall," Gustavo said politely, which was what Kendall insisted on being called by everyone in the castle. He led Kendall down to the library. "I think there's something along here," Gustavo said thoughtfully, pointing at a small shelf of dusty books. "All the stories I tell, though I simplified them a little."

When he left, Kendall looked through the shelf until he found a likely book, titled Land of Youth. He sat in a chair and opened it, flicking through the title chapters until something caught his eye.

The Lost Prince or Tír na nÓg

With a slightly unsteady heart, Kendall began to read.

Prince James of Tír na nÓg was engaged to a kindly woman named Rachael for three months at this time. It is said that the marriage was his mother Queen Brooke's idea, because her son had failed to find a partner for so long. James was riding through the kingdom's largest village when he met a young farm boy named Kendall, singing and walking along the road. He immediately caught the eye of the prince and James began to speak to him, and since then made every excuse to go to the village and spend time with Kendall. James had fallen in love with him and an affair began, and almost a year after their meeting, James announced their engagement to the kingdom.

Rachael was jealous and angry, and seven days after James and Kendall married, she snuck into the castle in the middle of the night when everyone was sleeping. She cast a spell on Kendall and turned him into a moth. She then took the moth in her hands and brought it down to the sea, where she created a gust of wind to carry it away across the sea, away from Tír na nÓg. Once James realised Kendall was missing, he was heartbroken and began to search the entire country for him. A rumour tells of the moth being blown across the sea to Ireland. The tiny moth eventually landed in a glass of wine, which it is said to have been drank by an Irishwoman, who became pregnant a month after. According to the legend, Kendall was reborn over a thousand Irish years after his first birth.

Kendall stared at the book, heart pounding. He turned the page to see a colourful illustration, inked into the paper. There were two men, one with dark hair and a crown on his head. The other had golden hair, and a pair of brown moth wings growing from his back. They were holding hands. Kendall looked at them with wide eyes. It was true. He remembered now. He was from that land he'd been dreaming of. And the man in his dreams . . . that was James. His husband.

From then on Kendall was very unhappy. The dreams came back, and he longed for James to come and take him back to Tír na nÓg. But he was so torn; he loved Ireland, and being with James would mean leaving Logan. It drove him insane. He wouldn't eat, and often didn't sleep. Once again he could hear the voices in the wind calling his name. "Kendall — Kendall."

One night the wind was very strong and the voices were very loud. Kendall was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. He sat up in bed, throwing the blanket off with a sigh. He walked over to the window to see what the weather was like outside. Instead he saw a white horse coming over the hill. There was a man riding on it. A tall man with dark hair. Kendall gasped at the sight off him. He came closer to the castle, stopping only a few feet away. As if he sensed Kendall watching him, he looked up at the window, and gave him a huge smile.

"It's you," Kendall whispered, mostly to himself because he knew James couldn't hear him. "You found me."

"Who is that, approaching the castle?" Carlos said in another part of the castle, looking puzzled as he and Logan looked out the window. "A traveller? Or a messenger, maybe?"

Gustavo went and looked too. His eyes widened, and he gasped. "Well, I never . . . that's simply extraordinary."

"What? Who is it?" Carlos demanded.

"It's prince James of Tír na nÓg, of course," Gustavo said with a bemused smile. "He's come for Kendall."

"Why is that?" Logan asked sharply, turning towards him.

"Well, Kendall is his lost husband. Remember the story I told? Kendall was asking about it; he must have known for a while." Gustavo paused. "Did he ever speak of James, tell you of any dreams he had? He must have had some connection to him previously."

Carlos looked at Logan too, waiting for his answer. "No," Logan snapped, completely dishonest. "He never said anything." Logan turned and looked at James one more time, hatred building up inside him. "Gustavo, go fetch the lead guard Hawk, immediately."

"Sir, he's—"

"I don't care what he's doing! Go tell him I want him, and tell the guards to station themselves outside. Now!"

Kendall was still standing in his room watching James when Hawk came into his room with another guard. "Prince Kendall. I've been given orders to take you to the dungeon."

"What?" Kendall was pulled away from the window by the guard, who held him tightly by both arms. "Why? Who gave the order?"

"I'm not obliged to say," Hawk replied as the guard led the struggling Kendall down the corridor. "But I've been told it's because of the traveller outside."

Kendall struggled and argued with them all the way down the stone steps that led to the cold, dark dungeon. He was pushed into a cell and locked inside. "Let me out of here!" he yelled as they turned and left. He rested his head against the bars of the cell, eyes squeezed shut to hold in the tears. "James . . ." he whispered. "Where are you?"

He stood there at the bars for a while, shivering in the cold dampness. Then he heard footsteps on the steps. He looked up both hopefully and fearfully. Who was coming? Then Logan appeared around the corner, walking over to the cell.

"Logan!" Kendall said joyfully. Then he bit his lip. "Logan, what's going on? Someone told Hawk to lock me in here! Was it Carlos? What's happening?"

Logan sighed. "I gave the order, Kendall."

"What?" Kendall stared at him on horror. "Why?"

"To keep you safe," Logan replied bluntly. "There's a man outside, he wants to kidnap you."

"What? No, you don't understand! It's James. The man I was dreaming about! Remember?"

"No, Kendall. Your stupid daydreams are not real! This man is just trying to kidnap you, probably for ransom! You're imagining everything!"

"But Logan, I love him—"

"No you don't!" Logan shouted angrily, catching Kendall by surprise. "You're too young for that, you're only a child! And you've never even met him, he's a total stranger!"

"I am not too young, I'm sixteen years old!" Kendall protested. "And he isn't a stranger! Remember what Gustavo said—"

"It's rubbish, it's all nonsense! You're not from some fantasy land, you belong here! And he's not taking you away!" With that, Logan stormed away from the cell and towards the stairs.

"Logan, wait!" Kendall screamed as his brother disappeared from view. "Come back, please! LOGAN!"

Tears built up in his eyes as his voice weakened. "Logan . . ."

"Logan?"

"Yes, what is it?" Logan asked impatiently. His back was turned to Carlos as he stared out the window at James. The prince was just sitting there on his horse, having been pushed back by the guards.

"You locked your younger brother up in the dungeon," Carlos said numbly. "Why did you do it?"

"I have to protect him."

"Are you sure that's what you're trying to do?"

"Yes! I'm not letting that imposter down there take him away! He's my brother and he's staying with me!" Logan paused and bit his lip. "I need him."

There was an awkward silence for a second or two.

"You shouldn't let your own feelings and selfishness come before the happiness of people you care about," Carlos said softly. "I didn't."

Logan spun around to face him, eyes wide with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Carlos sighed. "I just . . . I always told myself I wouldn't tell you this, but here goes. That day, when you spoke of how protective you were of Kendall, the day before I proposed to you, remember I was going to ask you something, and I changed my mind? Well . . ." Carlos bit his lip.

Then Logan realised. "Oh my God," he said quietly. "You were going to ask me about Kendall. You were going to ask Kendall to marry you instead of me."

Carlos nodded sadly. "I wish I could deny it, but that would make me a liar. The truth is, I realised he really isn't my type. He's so young, and naive, and so different from me. But you weren't. And that's why I fell in love with you."

"Good to know," Logan said sarcastically, arms folded.

"Logan, I love you. I do. I didn't love Kendall. I liked him a little, but I never loved him. And I cared too much about the way you felt about him to try and take him away from you either way. I swear on all I own, as well as my heart that I'm telling the truth."

Logan gave a small sigh. "Well, I suppose you're right in a way, but . . . how can I ever let him go?"

Kendall was crying softly as he sat curled up on the little stone bench in his cell. His hands were clasped together tightly, "Please, James, come and save me," he prayed quietly.

The wind outside picked up, and he heard one long loud whisper of his name. Then a little light appeared in the corner of is cell. Kendall spun around in fright only to see James emerge from the darkness, walking towards him. Kendall stood up with wide eyes. "Um . . . h-hi," he said, so shocked at seeing his husband there that he really didn't know what else to say.

James smiled at him, his hazel eyes lighting up. "Do you remember me?" he asked, stepping closer to him.

"I . . . Yes. Of course I do." Kendall stared up at him with wide eyes. "Not a lot, but I remember enough."

James looked around the dark, dreary cell for a moment. "What are you doing down here? Did you commit a crime?"

"No. My . . . my brother locked me in here, to keep me away from you," Kendall replied shyly.

"Your brother? That's terrible." James looked so devastated, and the expression looked so familiar that Kendall couldn't help giggling to himself.

"What is it?" James asked him.

"Nothing, really." Kendall bit his lip, smiling. "It's just, you look like Muck when it's raining and he gets wet . . ."

"Muck?" James looked puzzled.

"He's my pig. I mean . . . sorry," Kendall murmured, cheeks turning dark red. "I guess I'm nothing like you expected."

James shook his head, wrapping Kendall in his arms. "You're better than I expected. You haven't really changed at all."

"How long has it been for you?" Kendall asked quietly.

"Not very long, in a literal sense. A couple of years. Time is very different, much slower in Tír na nÓg; that's how we all stay so young."

"Oh." Kendall really didn't know what else to say to that.

"It felt like forever," James added, smiling so lovingly at him it almost brought tears to his eyes. "Every day was agony without you."

Kendall looked up at him, smiling in slight awe. "I just . . . James, are you here to take me home?"

"Of course. Is that a problem?"

"I . . . I don't know." Kendall couldn't help himself; he rested his head on James's shoulder, sighing mournfully. "I mean, I want to go with you, but my brother is here, and I don't want to leave him." He looked up at James, wishing he didn't have tears in his eyes. "James, I know what you're thinking, but . . . what should I do?"

For a second James just stared at him. Then he leaned forward a little. Kendall's breath hitched in his throat as the brunette's lips touched his. He'd never kissed anyone before, but somehow it felt right, and he felt at ease. He cautiously wrapped his arm around James's neck, hand tangling in his soft hair. James was holding him so gently . . . and he knew that if he lost James again, he wouldn't be able bear it.

Kendall barely heard the footsteps making their way back down to the dungeon. Kissing James sent little electric shocks down his spine and made his head spin at the same time.

But he heard a gasp and pulled back, looking outside the cell to see Logan, Carlos and Hawk standing there. Logan looked shocked and horrified. "How did you get in there?" he snarled at James. "You're an intruder!"

James didn't say anything, he just held Kendall tighter. Logan watched how Kendall held him back with angry eyes. "Logan, please don't be angry with me," Kendall said softly.

Logan sniffled, blinking rapidly to try and stop himself from crying. He didn't want this to happen. If he was honest, he'd always been dreading the day Kendall would grow up and find somebody. But he really hadn't expected it to be like this. He slowly signalled for Hawk to unlock the door. When he did, Kendall came out holding James's hand tightly.

"I'm not angry," Logan replied just as softly, a few tears beginning to slide down his cheeks. "I'm just . . . I hope you're not the one angry with me."

"N-no, I couldn't be, I . . ." Kendall swallowed, wiping at his eye with his free hand. "You're my brother. I love you."

Logan smiled at him. At the same time Kendall let go of James's hand, diving forward and throwing his arms around Logan, hugging him tightly. Logan was hugging him back, and they were both crying, huge salty tears falling as they held each other tightly. "Do you really have to go?" Logan whispered in his ear.

Kendall hugged him a little tighter, replying, "I belong with him. I love him, Logie."

Logan nodded. "I know." They both pulled back slightly. "I'm going to miss you, so much," he added miserably.

"I'll miss you too." Kendall gave a small smile in a futile attempt to lighten the mood. "Take care of Muck for me?"

The trip up to the front doors of the castle was agonising. Kendall and Logan couldn't let go of each other, and we're just struggling not to fall apart all over again. When they got outside, James's horse was waiting for them. He hopped up, then gave Kendall a hand up too. "Bye, Logie," he said one last time, giving a feeble wave.

Logan waved back from the ground, locked in Carlos's arms. "Bye, dreamer."

Logan watched the horse gallop away until it had disappeared from view. He found he couldn't control his sobs as Carlos led him back inside. His baby brother was gone. His whole family was gone. Logan spent the next few days curled up in bed, doing nothing but think of Kendall and cry. Kendall's first steps, which he'd witnessed at age three but could still remember so well. When their mother died and he'd had to explain it all to a little blonde boy with large sad green eyes. When Kendall had adopted that stupid pig . . .

When he eventually stood up again, Logan devoted all his time to looking after Muck. He was his last connection to Kendall and he couldn't bear to let him go. Every day he went down to that pen, hearing Muck's disappointed little grunts when he was it was Logan and not Kendall coming to see him. "You miss him too, don't you," Logan would say softly, trying to hold the tears in.

Muck didn't understand. He would keep grunting and nudging at Logan's legs, as if to demand where his owner was. "He's not here anymore," Logan whispered one day when the animal just wouldn't give in. "He's gone away. He left both of us." When Muck only snorted and nudged him a bit added, he turned on him, suddenly fuming. "He's gone, you stupid animal!" he screamed, angry tears sliding down his cheeks. "He's not coming back, he's gone forever! Just get over it!"

Only a year later Muck died of some illness, and Logan cried for three days. Every night he would dream of seeing his brother again. But he never did. Years passed, and the dreams kept coming, but Kendall never came. Logan didn't expect him to. He just grieved over it, sometimes with Carlos comforting him, other times alone. He grew weak as he got older, ill and de-motivated. It was a broken heart, the doctor said. He lost Carlos in a battle soon after, and at only sixty he found himself lying on his deathbed, ready to welcome the peace and quiet with opening arms.

It was almost midnight. And the pains in is chest were keeping him awake but disorientated. He heard his bedroom door open and little light footsteps approaching his bed. He recognised them immediately, and opens his eyes both eagerly and reluctantly.

And there he was. Still young. Pale and slim, looking not a day older than sixteen, a long cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He was crying softly as he watched Logan. "You came," Logan whispered, hand stretching out weakly.

Kendall took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Of course I did. I received news that you were . . ." He stopped, swallowing. "You don't have much time left."

"I know," Logan said weakly, already starting to feel himself slip away. He didn't mind; he would die happy now. "At least I got to see you."

Kendall smiled at him, wiping at his eye with his free hand. He gave Logan's hand a last gentle squeeze. "Goodnight, Logie. I love you."

"I love you too, Kenny," Logan whispered, before his eyes drifted shut and he slipped away.

Well, there you go. I got all emotional writing the end :( please review, it makes me happy!