The dream had been an old memory of happier days, easier times. He had been teaching his sister to swim, supporting her tiny body in the water, murmuring instruction and encouragement, smiling as she screwed up her face in frustration, hair tangled and wet and stuck to her cheeks. She stopped to catch her breath and clung to her big brother, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smoothed her hair from her face and smiled. "You're doing good. Well. You'll be so good at swimming soon even the mermaids will be jealous." The small girl shivered and puffed out her cheeks. "I want to be good now, brother. I want to be as good as you so we can beat the mermaids together." Logan laughed and slung his sister over his shoulder as he waded back to the shore of the lake. "These things take time. You have to want them, and work at them. Earn them. Nothing is free," He held her upside-down and tickled her stomach, making her shriek and wriggle, "not even for Princesses." Logan sat her on a rock and wrapped her in a soft yellow towel, waving away the attendant who stepped forward from the shade of a tree. He picked up the damp bundle and started back towards the palace. By the time he reached the steps she was asleep on his shoulder, and as he gently brushed a brown curl from her damp pink cheek, he swore he would do anything to keep his baby sister from harm. Anything.

Logan opened his eyes. A hand was smoothing the hair back from his forehead. He sat up. His sister was sitting on the edge of the bed. He scowled at her. "Sister, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Palace?" She puffed out her cheeks, so like the dream that his breath caught in his throat. "I wanted to see you. As a sister seeing her brother, not as a Queen seeing one of her Generals." She reached out tentatively and touched a fingertip to the scar above his lip. "This...is from Aurora isn't it. You never talked about it. You never told me any of it." She looked at him sadly, taking in the various other scars on his torso. "Why didn't you tell me anything, brother?"

Logan caught her hand and looked at it. It was worn and callused. She'd worked for everything she had. He'd taught her that. He looked at his baby sister, not quite grown up but ruling a kingdom anyway. "I just wanted you to be happy and safe." She smiled sadly at him. "Oh Logan, you big stupidhead." The childhood taunt brought a smile to his lips. Gods, how long had it been since he'd smiled? She reached for him and pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his neck. She whispered "don't you dare get killed today. We'll beat the Crawler together." Logan tentatively returned the embrace. "How can you have so much confidence in me, sister? After all I've done?" He felt her grin. "Because you're my big brother. Stupidhead." She hopped off the bed and tossed his sword belt into his lap, still grinning. "Now, get dressed. We have a kingdom to save."

...

Logan was exhausted. His men were exhausted. They'd been fighting for their lives and their kingdom for hours. The battle was raging all around him, smoke and bullets, and flying blood and shards of glass, apparitions in windows and over all of it the mocking voice of the Crawler telling him he'd fail, that the Queen would fall and he couldn't protect her. Logan payed it no heed, words were wind, and he could see the Queen up ahead revelling in the battle. He sliced and parried and fought his way to her side just as she stepped into a square and a wall of transparent shadow blocked the way behind her. He knew this type of barrier from the Temple, knew that all he could do was watch as the Crawler forced its way into Walter, using the man as a meat puppet to fight the Queen. Logan watched, his heart in his throat, as the Queen screamed her rage at the shadow-walter-crawler-thing. She was glowing, blue-white wings made of light unfurling from her shoulders and infusing her attacks with magical, Heroic strength. She was beautiful in her wrath and tears pricked Logan's eyes at the sight. It was only a matter of time before she had crushed the Crawler completely and the barrier dissipated, and all that was left of the invasion that threatened the kingdom was a battered but triumphant city, and a young woman cradling a dying man in her arms. She looked up at Logan's approach, tears and sweat mingling on her cheeks, brown curls tangled and sticking to her face.

"Logan...he...he's dead. I killed him."

Logan knelt next to his sister, and held her as she cried for the man who had died and the kingdom that had lived.