A/N: Uhhhh...hi? Don't kill me? In my defense I have been very sick the past like year and also pretty depressed so I haven't felt like writing but here is a small little chapter to let you know that I'm back and sort of a holiday gift to you guys for making you wait so long. I won't be updating OFTEN, I can't promise that but I'll try to not make you guys wait another year. Without anymore blah blah bah blah, here we go!
As the group walked back through the cave, they encountered no trouble. They walked quickly and carefully, but with certainty, some speaking and some remaining silent. They continued on peacefully, or as peacefully as they could get in a hostile environment, up until the doorway that would lead them back to the mirror room was in sight. The group fell silent, and their sure footedness fell away as the gravity of the situation fell back on their shoulders. Many grew quiet, some sad, and most nervous. They walked through the door, pausing briefly as they noticed how tense the atmosphere grew. Elin even elbowed Luca to get him to stifle his pointless nervous babbling, throwing a pointed glance Kendra's way. Luca sobered quickly.
Kendra was neither blind nor stupid; she knew why everyone had gone stiff and awkward, unsure of their movements and their words. They were treading glass eggshells for her. Bracken's body was most likely somewhere in this room, and something would have to be done, but Kendra had no intention of seeing it. She drifted to the back of the group and kept her eye on the ground directly in front of her. Did she want to see her fallen love's body? Would the pain of not knowing plague her forever, or would the site of his lifeless body haunt her every moment from here on out? Kendra could see few other options for her future at this point. Her eyes glassed over with unshed tears, and she struggled not to blink and send them rolling down her cold cheeks.
What would life be like without her prince? Without his humor and laugh? His kindness? His soft eyes and the smile he saved just for her, when they were alone? Her whole future with him, gone, just like that. They'd never go on another date, she'd never see his home and kingdom restored with him by her side. She would never marry him, never know him like she had never known another. She would never raise children with him, fight with him again, fight alongside him again. She lost her battle, and the pools of tears spilled over.
Kendra was so lost in her thoughts she failed to notice that the group had stopped, and she slammed into Trask's wall-like back.
"Ow, Trask what even-" Kendra broke off, for when she looked up to glare at the big bodied man she locked eyes with a sight that she thought she would never see again.
Bracken. Alive and seemingly well, smiling at her radiantly. Kendra was frozen to the spot, unable to stop or wipe the tears still tracking softly down her cheeks.
"You know, from the scathing comments to you literally trying to kill me, a guy starts to think you don't like him, Vanessa." Bracken commented, eyes straying to the blix in question. This was turning out to be one of the few times Kendra had seen Vanessa speechless.
"Holy sh-" Warren started, then filtered himself. "Dude...you're.."
"Alive?" Bracken cocked his head to the side, and raised an exasperated eyebrow at Warren's disbelief. "You do realize that when I say Unicorns are nearly impossible to kill, I do mean it. Yeah, that stab you gave me hurt and put me out for a bit while my body worked on healing itself, but after about an hour, I woke up good as new."
"Dude!" Seth exclaimed, running to Bracken and giving him a hug that could more accurately be called a side-long tackle. "I totally thought you were a goner!" Bracken accepted the boy's hug with nary a grimace insight, hugging Seth back firmly, glowing smile never faltering.
"For what it's worth, Bracken, I am truly sorry." Vanessa said, shaking her head, walking up to the prince.
"I know," he smiled, and a brief second later his expression changed. "Wanna know how I am so sure?"
"How?"
"You called me by my actual name." Bracken shot her a shit eating grin and Vanessa fake punched his arm, hiding her genuine happiness the prince was alive by falling back into their routine of bickering. Meanwhile, Warren had sidled up to the unicorn and was circling around him.
"How do we know you're the real deal though?" He said, squinting at Bracken. Rolling his eyes, Bracken took out his second horn, aimed it at the wall and allowed a bright white light to shoot out of the horn and crash into the wall, bouncing around the room, nearly hitting a few people, before Bracken called it back to his horn.
"Okay, what did that prove?" Warren said, making sure his hair was still intact.
"That the horn that I have it the real thing so I can't be a phony." Bracken explained.
"Works for me." Warren said before throwing himself on the unicorn as well, ruffling the prince's silver hair. "You shithead, I cried over you! Actual tears!"
"Aw, Warren, you do care! I'm touched " Bracken beamed. The rest of the group had made their way over, voicing their relief that he was alive and well, all but Kendra.
Kendra hadn't been able to make her feet move, she couldn't think straight, could barely even see straight as her eyes were filled with tears yet again. He was alive, Bracken was alive. He was alive and breathing and laughing and looking at her and-
"Kendra?" Saying her name, he was saying her name. Everything seemed to stop as those two silver-blue eyes locked with hers and he stepped towards her.
"Bracken." Kendra half sobbed, finally getting her feet to move as she ran towards him as the tears in her eyes spilled over. Bracken caught her in her leaping hug, wrapping his arms around her, lifting her off her feet. "Oh my god, Bracken...I thought you were dead I thought you were dead."
"Shh. I'm okay, princess. I'm here now, I'm right here." Bracken whispered in her ear over her mindless babbling and crying. Kendra was vaguely aware of the rest of the group exiting the room to give them some privacy. When she was finally calm enough to talk coherently, Kendra pulled away.
"I'm gonna say something. I want you to just listen, just hear me out okay." Bracken gave her a questioning look but nodded. "I know you said you wanted to wait. Until we're ready, and our relationship is more solid and defined and all that, but-"
"Bracken." Kendra pulled back a few inches to gently but firmly grab the prince's head, running her thumbs gently over his soft jaw. "You said we should wait to start, well, whatever, when I was 16. It's been well over two years, almost three. I've spent the last few hours thinking you were dead, Bracken. Dead. Do you know how agonizing that was?" Bracken blinked away tears and Kendra's eyes grew wet with her own again. "I spent every damn second painfully regretting every day, every minute that I wasn't yours. That we didn't kiss or go on dates or do anything like that. I'm done waiting. We could die at any moment of our lives, and I'll be damned if I waste another not being with you."
Bracken moved his hands from around Kendra's back to cupping her face, taking a second to look deeply into her eyes before closing the gap between them. Kendra never bought into the idea of sparks, for which she was glad because they don't happen. What does happen, however, when your magical unicorn prince is kissing you like it's his job, is twice as magical. Kendra felt her stomach and heart melt away into a horde of butterflies. Her eyes had closed moments ago, but she was certain her fairy glow was lighting the mirror room up like a beacon. She felt weightless, like she could float into the stars if she tried.
Kendra sighed happily, smiling against Bracken's lips, and took the chance to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer to her. His mouth was impossibly soft. As she pressed closer, the leather scent of his armor and the faint smell of petrichor surrounded her. Kendra wasn't sure how long she stood there kissing Bracken, making up for lost time, their mouths and hands and bodies moving to a rhythm only they could hear, but soon, too soon, he broke the kiss, panting lightly.
"I would have waited for you forever, but damn was I getting impatient." Bracken whispered. "I wanted to make sure you wanted this and were ready. I was only waiting for you. But I'm afraid you are stuck with me now love, from dusk till dawn I'll be here." He said smiling at her softly.
"I wouldn't want it any other way." Kendra replied, struggling to catch her breath. Her selfish side wanted to stay here kissing Bracken forever, but her sensible side told her it was time to find the others and get the hell out.
Together they walked out of the mirror room and into the hallway that would eventually lead them to where the rest of the group was waiting for them, talking and laughing amongst themselves. The tension in the air long forgotten and left behind.
A/N: I know it is so short but it's short and sweet? DID Y'ALL REALLY THINK I WOULD KILL OFF MY BOY BRACKEN? ME? THE BIGGEST BRACKENDRA SHIPPER ALIVE? Also yes, reminder Kendra is 18 in this fic okay, it was mentioned briefly in the first (?) chapter if you want to go back and reread so before you me with "SHES A CHILD WAH WAH WAH" yes in the series she is, but also its a kiss...kids can kiss but still Kendra IS 18 so she is an adult and free to make her own decisions and BOY DID SHE MAKE ONE HERES TO MY GIRL MAKING THE FIRST MOVE.
Again I apologize for kinda abandoning this but here you go, I'll try to update soon, but it will probably not be until after the holidays are over sorry! xoxo
