Disclaimer: I do not own Pair of Kings or Disney XD.

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all

-Emily Dickinson

"I'm just saying. Those tarantula people were in the light side. I think that maybe they're starting to go against the laws of the island," Brady insisted. Coato furrowed his eyebrows, his frown becoming more prominent. Brady came to know this as his deep concentration look, and knew it would be best to give him some time to think alone.

Brady and Coato had been walking for miles now, both sharing their thoughts on the prophecy and the tarantula people. Their feet were sore and their muscles ached, but they pushed through the exhaustion and continued on. Brady didn't exactly know where they were going, but he trusted Coato enough to not question him.

Brady found himself wondering about Mikayla and Boomer for what seemed like the millionth time. He was curious as to where they were, and if they were okay. As much as he missed them deeply, there was a part of him that held some guilt and shame. He had run away like a coward, unable to face Mikayla's words of truth.

Brady understood now, he knew that Mikayla did not mean her words to be spiteful, but rather to vent about his responsibilities as king. In fact, he found himself agreeing with her. He had been immature, using his privileges as king to do as he wished, as fun as it may had been with Boomer.

Brady felt a pang of sadness hit his heart at the thought of Boomer. His twin brother, the one who had been his partner in crime, was back at the castle without him. He wondered if Boomer was angry with him, or if he understood Brady's actions.

A sound of thunder rolling up into the sky shook both Brady and Coato from their thoughts. They looked up with a sense of foreboding, hoping that the ominous and grey clouds would spare the island from its rain. A drop of water proceeded to fall from the sky, and landed straight onto Brady's cheek. More drops continued to fall, until soon it all came down in a pouring rain.

Cursing their luck, they hurried along the jungle terrain, their footprints easier to spot in the dirt-turned-mud. Not long after it started, the rain soaked the king to the bone, his teeth chattering and arms shaking. The exercise of walking heated their core enough so they didn't freeze, but the dangers of hypothermia were looming over them.

"We need to find shelter, now," Coato urged. Brady quickly nodded his head, eyes already scanning for a cave to stay in. Just as Brady saw a few promising rocks that could lead to a cave in the distance, Coato suddenly stopped in his tracks. The king almost ran right into him, but managed to avoid the collision.

"What the-," Brady was cut off by Coato, who covered the king's mouth with his hand. With a surprising force of strength, Coato shoved Brady towards a thick tree and hid them both behind it. His look to Brady was clear. Don't make a sound. Brady gulped and nodded curtly to Coato to show he understood. Coato seemed to relax a little, now that he deemed Brady trustworthy, and peeked a look around the tree.

Brady then heard what Coato did just moments before; there were several pairs of distinct footsteps sounding purposefully light coming from a distance. Coato returned back to his hiding position next to Brady, both of them crouching low on their heels. His heart racing wildly, he turned to Coato and mouthed, Tarantula people?

Coato shrugged, indicating he didn't know. Brady's eyes hardened in determination, and he reached inside his pocket to find his knife. He grasped it tightly in his hands, and rose to his feet. Ignoring Coato's fierce shake of the head, Brady held his head high as he stepped out from behind the tree. Well, perhaps he charged out, with his knife held high and a menacing look on his face.

He heard the footsteps get closer, and he rushed to duck under a nearby bush. He waited for a minute, focusing on the footsteps that were definitely getting closer.

Just as the footsteps were about to pass him, he jumped from his hidden position and blindly tackled the unsuspecting person to the ground. Him and the stranger rolled around a few times, and he heard the stranger let out a few feminine sounding grunts. Brady tried to get a good look at him (her?), but both the rain and movement blurred his vision.

They were both trying desperately to get the upper hand, when finally Brady used his heavier weight as an advantage and managed to stop their tumbling with him on top. He pinned the person's wrists down above their head and pressed his knife into their neck. Just as he was about to demand who they were, the person shook their head side to side to remove the hair from their face. Brady felt his mouth open in shock,

"Mikayla?" She looked just as astonished as he, and it took a few seconds for her to find words.

"Brady," she breathed, and it sounded like she was bursting with relief, like she just found her end but was just beginning. They were oblivious to the other guards and Coato standing a few feet away, looking on with confusion.

Mikayla seemed to realize the position they were in, and she looked down at the knife at her throat and back at Brady with a brow raised. Brady immediately let go of her wrists and moved off of her to let her breathe. He stood with shaky legs and held out a hand for Mikayla to help her up. She accepted, bringing her own two feet to the muddy ground.

Before he could say anything, Mikayla threw her arms around Brady in a tight hug, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. Brady didn't move for a moment, too surprised that she was actually here, no less hugging him, but after coming to his senses he wrapped his arms around her, feeling more happy than he had in a long time. She still smelt as he remembered; of fresh flowers and ripe strawberries.

He heard Mikayla letting out a breathless laugh, before pulling himself away and staring into her shining eyes. Brady then realized that they were not alone, and he glanced around to see the guards and Coato already staring back at him and Mikayla.

Everyone was quiet, not quite sure what to say, which was odd because usually Brady always had something coming out of his mouth. But he was silent, looking from Mikayla to Coato, unsure if he should introduce them. Before he could begin, Coato stepped forward and beat him to it,

"My name is Coato. I'm guessing you two already know each other?" He looked between Mikayla and Brady, obviously curious about them. Mikayla regained her composure, and straightened her shoulders.

"Yes. We are here to bring the king back to the castle," Mikayla stated with polite confidence. Brady's happiness was short-lived, instead it was replaced by a cold feeling in his chest. He shifted uncomfortably, and Mikayla looked over at him in question.

"Mikayla…," Brady trailed off, unsure how to explain to her. He wanted to go back with her. God, he wanted to so badly it almost hurt. But he had a duty to the island, to fulfill the prophecy Coato had foretold him of. He didn't do that back at the castle...right? At least that's what Coato had told him.

Mikayla scrunched her eyebrows together, an expression he would have thought cute had it been under different circumstances.

"What's going on, Brady? You seem...different," Mikayla noted, but she didn't say it in a connotated way. She was right, of course. Because he was different. Maybe it was the fact that his eyes looked straight at her, whereas before he would glance away every second because he used to be intimidated. Or maybe it was simply his appearance; ripped shirt, muddy shorts, a sheen of sweat covering his skin along with wetness from the rain. He looked stronger, too. He held himself tall, not hunched over. It was a big difference, one that Mikayla took great notice too.

"I can't go back, at least not yet," Brady explained as forcefully as he could, trying to show Mikayla how serious he was. He walked over to stand by Coato's side, and he looked pleadingly at the old man to help him out.

"But, Brady...The castle needs you. Our people need you!" Mikayla looked at Brady with a familiar determined fire in her eye that he knew meant trouble if he didn't see it her way. Mikayla took a step closer, "We can't live without you, Brady. You need to come back with us, with me." Her eyes changed to something less fierce, and more desperate. Coato took a step forward as well,

"The King of Legend prophecy is coming to pass. We need him to complete it before he is to return to the throne." Mikayla seemed to immediately understand, as well as the other guards. Brady wasn't surprised at their lack of knowledge; most of Kinkowian's were rehearsed in all the prophecies foretold by the elders or oracles. Mikayla looked at Brady, then back at Coato.

"I thought that prophecy wasn't going to happen until years from now. We have to begin preparing back at the castle," Mikayla inquired, her mind already planning, "But you're saying Brady is the king in the prophecy?" Coato nodded,

"I am sure." The conviction in his voice was enough to convince Mikayla, so she nodded believingly. But she still looked confused, obviously wondering why Brady couldn't go back to the castle. Right when she was about to ask, Coato suddenly stumbled forward, clutching his head in his hands.

"Coato!" Brady exclaimed, worried for the old man. He tried stepping up to help him, but Coato waved him off. He looked at Brady with wide eyes,

"I just had a feeling. There's been a change in the prophecy. We need to get you back at the castle, now," Coato commanded. Everyone stared at him in concern, unmoving. Coato let out a heavy breath, and stared at Brady earnestly,

"You know that I get these...feelings." Brady nodded, urging him to continue. Coato visibly gulped, for once not seeming in control. "You once wondered how I knew so much about the island, and of this prophecy." Coato paused again, trying to explain comprehensively, "This is because I am the one who foretold of the prophecy."

Brady and Mikayla looked at him in shock at this new piece of information. Coato continued,

"I am what is known as a seer. I see glimpses of the future, or rather I feel a push or pull in my mind, warning me of trouble beforehand. The tarantula people know of me, they want to use me and my power. Somehow, those four tarantula people managed to block my mind when they attacked us. That is how I didn't see them coming."

Everything started to make sense. It explained how Coato appeared seemingly out of nowhere when Brady was running away, how he knew so much about the prophecy , and the feelings he got every time something went wrong. Except for the tarantula attack. Somehow, they managed to sneak up on them without Coato knowing. It was an unnerving thought.

Brady placed a hand on Coato's shoulder,

"Alright. Let's go back to the castle then." Mikayla smiled brightly at that, and Brady felt a little lighter; like some of the burden on his shoulders had been lifted.

And that was it. The guards led the way, with Coato right behind them. Brady and Mikayla walked a few feet behind them, both enjoying the companionable silence that had settled between them. After a few minutes, Mikayla discreetly slipped her hand into Brady's and squeezed. He looked over at her, but she stared ahead, a small smile splayed on her lips. Without looking at him, she said,

"I'm glad I found you." Brady chuckled,

"Actually, I think I'm the one that found you." Mikayla scoffed, and used her free hand to slap him lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey, you know I can still break your neck if I wanted to," she teased. Brady looked over at her again, and this time she stared right back at him. Her hair was soaked through, the strands plastered to her face. Her clothes were just as muddy as his, and he could tell by her eyes that she was exhausted. Even with these factors, he still thought she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. He shook his head, pushing those kind of thoughts from his mind.

"Yeah, I know."

Unbeknownst to them, Coato was looking back at them, a knowing smile on his face. He watched their interlocked hands swing back and forth, and listened to them banter back and forth.

This time, when a feeling pushed and pulled through his mind, it was a pleasant one. And he saw glimpses of the future containing both the king of legend and the brave guard at his side. Hope fluttered like a bird, its wings spreading through him like a comforting embrace.

And that's when he knew.

Kinkow definitely had a chance.

TBC...

A/N: This is un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine. Thanks for reading!