I do not own Pair of Kings or any of it's characters unfortunately hehe
Light Brady/Mikayla pairing
enjoy!(:
Brady sighed contently with his eyes closed for a moment as he enjoyed the warmth of the sun. The gentle breeze brushed by, weaving silently through the grass and up to his room.
He sat on his bed up against the wall on top of the sheets. The sun had just come up over the horizon and the birds sang a morning song amongst the trees.
Boomer had been gone all week visiting Chicago and taking care of a few things there so the room was unusually tidy and calm.
Brady moved near the balcony now, playing around with a soft melody on his guitar as his face was kissed by the warm wind.
A hot shower then refreshed his mind and body, the hot steam caressing the sun rays.
After drying off, he put on jeans and a long sleeve tight black t-shirt.
"Brady?", called a couple voices. He heard the door as he exited the bathroom, still drying his hair with a towel in one hand.
"Good morning your majesty! Since you missed training yesterday, your assignment is to hike Mount Hinkai. We would go with you but we have to patrol the border near the tarantula people territory.", said Mason.
"Yeah so, have fun with that!", said Mikayla with a chuckle as they left.
The truth was that Brady had simply lost track of time, but he knew they'd never believe that and didn't feel like fighting back anyways.
Going into his closet he grabbed some boots he hoped were the hiking kind, and a thin black windbreaker. Normally it was very warm on the island but at high altitudes it could get chilly.
After breakfast Brady headed toward his destination.
Hinkai was only about a quarter of a mile behind the castle, standing at a little over 1,500 feet. About eight miles roundtrip. The mountain didn't have too clear of a trail so Brady just picked a spot and started walking.
A mile in, Brady was actually enjoying himself. The scenery was breathtaking and the air felt fresh on his lungs. He took his time looking at the majestic landscape and ever moving ecosystem that surrounded him.
A few more hours passed as he was about halfway up the mountain. The sun lined up with the tree tops while the island grew drowsy. His internal clock worried slightly of the time, but he was quickly distracted by a native red butterfly that the child inside him wanted to chase.
A while later he'd finally reached the top with an unfamiliar sense of accomplishment. The light blue sky became dim as Brady sat, looking out at the tropical countryside.
He had a habit of getting lost in the day, finding the morning had seeped into the late evening. And that was something he never minded.
Soon enough the sleepy sunset descended below the skyline, taking the hazy orange and red clouds with it.
Brady watched the light fade away into the distance as small drops of rain kissed the mountain top.
He looked up with a smile as he allowed the rain to fall on his face freely. He hadn't felt or even seen rain since Chicago, he didn't realize how much he missed it.
Snapping back to reality, Brady realized it was definitely time to go.
Suddenly the idyllic dream-like atmosphere turned into a pitch black summit of unknowns.
Carefully making his way down the mountain, the inscecent raindrops now poured from the sky like a waterfall. It was hard to find footing and the trail was somewhat steep.
Brady shivered under his soaked clothes, and his sopping hair kept falling in front of his eyes. He was unsuspecting as the ground beneath him fell apart giving way to a mudslide.
He had no control as his body surfed over the landscape. Rocks scraped by underneath him as he prayed for it all to stop.
Suddenly it slowed as Brady choked on the wet earth, desperately trying to find his breath.
Finally he relaxed, deciding to lay there for a while. His whole body ached and the scrapes on his back felt painful and deep. Not to mention the cold and the fear that clouded his thoughts.
Staring up at the sky, Brady watched the stars for a while. Although they were a little blurry do to how hard he shivered, he'd never noticed till now how many there were. Or how many they could see that is. Back home you cant see any stars, especially in the city.
Lost in thought, Brady suddenly heard something next to him. A strange sound. He realized right away it had to be an animal as he searched blindly through the mud.
Finally he felt something moving slightly. He pulled it out finding it to be a small creature. By the sound and what he felt it had to be a little kitten. His heart broke as he tried to wipe away it's eyes and mouth.
There were many stray cats that wandered the island so he wasn't surprised to find this little soul. The quiet cries were something that not only wrenched his heart but something he felt he could relate to at the moment.
"Come on buddy, we'll make it down together. I've got you.", said Brady aloud.
His body screamed as he got up off the ground finding it hard to find a place that didn't hurt.
Holding the small creature close to his chest he pulled it into his sleeve in attempt to warm the kitten.
Slowly, Brady took careful steps as they made their way down the mountain side.
"Okay the village is secure. They should be okay until the rain is over.", reported Mikayla to Mason as they entered the castle.
"The north village as well. I just hope the crops can handle all this rain.", replied Mason.
Mikayla nodded in response. "We should let King Brady know.", said Mikayla.
"I agree. Where is he? I haven't seen him all day.", replied Mason.
Mikayla paused before answering. "Last I saw him he was leaving for Mount Hinkai. You don't think...", she started.
"I hope not. Let's check the castle.", Mason replied.
Brady continued to numbly trudge along, vaguely wondering how he was still moving.
He figured if it werent for the sake of his new little friend, his body would've given up miles ago.
Brady felt the kitten shivering even worse than he was, bringing him up to his mouth he blew hot air onto his wet fur.
Every step sent jolts of agony through his back where the rocks sharp edges had been. Why was that the only part of his body that wasn't numbed by the cold?
The scrapes on his face were stung by the freezing rain drops and his whole body felt stiff and weak.
He didn't have any idea how long he'd been walking or if they were even close to the bottom. His mind was too foggy to think about it. He prayed at the very least that by moving, maybe his blood would provide some warmth.
Mikayla and Mason met back up where they'd started, each reflecting bad news.
"Daddy if he was on his way down Hinkai when the rain started...", Mikayla with said with worry.
"I know, we have to find him. Let's go.", replied Mason as they headed out the castle doors.
They used shields as shelter from the rain as they arrived at the bottom of the mountain. The two of them squinted through the rain and dark night, looking for movement of any kind.
"I'm sure he's fine. He's probably in the village or somewhere in the castle that we didn't look.", said Mason.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe we should look around for a little bit longer though just in case.", replied Mikayla.
A few minutes later, the pair was about to leave when they saw a silhoutte growing closer.
"King Brady?", said Mason aloud.
"Brady is that you?", said Mikayla.
Suddenly they made out the shadowy figure as he approached. The light from the distant castle dimly showed the beaten and dripping wet king. His clothes hung heavy on his shivering bones with rain, mud, and blood. He walked slowly as he cradled his stomach weakly. A glassy look in eyes showed that he was unaware of his own intended destination.
"Brady!", said Mikayla shocked.
The pale king didn't seem to register the voices of the pair as he walked right past them.
They ran ahead as Mason went and stood in front of Brady saying his name.
Brady looked up slightly, not quite meeting the eyes of the person in front of him. He wore a face of confusion, pain and utter exhaustion.
His droopy eyes started to blink closed as he stumbled forward. Mason caught him by the chest as he started to fall forward.
Bradys body was completely limp as Mason swiftly picked him up, leaving the shield behind.
They were back at the almost empty castle in a matter of minutes. Everyone was either in the village or safe in their homes. Even the guards were sent to take shelter with the exception of Mason and Mikayla.
Mason laid Brady on his bed as Mikayla quickly got a wet towel, beginning to wipe away the blood and mud. It revealed scratches, bruises, and a face of pain.
The pair looked at each other with confusion and curiosity when they heard what sounded like a soft cry. Following the sound, Mason pulled the small, pitiful kitten poking out of Bradys sleeve.
Mason took the small creature to the bathroom, washing its muddy fur with warm water. With a couple of suds, the kitten was soon completely clean. Mason wrapped him in a warm towel and placed him by the already lit fireplace.
Mikayla removed Bradys wet clothing, quickly drying off the freezing rain from his icy cold skin. Only then did she find the injuries along his back from the rocks. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened and they prayed they weren't in over their heads.
Mikayla cleaned the wounds carefully with shaky hands. Her heart beat with worry every time his body unconsciously jerked from the pain.
After doing their best to treat the wounds, the next step was to warm him up as Mikayla grabbed light gray flannel pajama pants and an oversized navy blue sweatshirt from the closet.
She gently slipped them over his trembling form and dried his hair with a towel. Slowly his temperature rose as his quivering slowed to a less alarming rate.
It wasn't quite soon enough though as later in the night, Brady's lungs created an agonizing cough accompanying a fever.
It all looked hopeless as Mikayla and Mason did everything they could. Desperately they tried to prevent infection, bring down the fever, and lessen all other ailments. But his body was beaten and tired. The room was filled with anxiousness and Brady seemed worse every moment, losing the will to fight.
Any slight awareness Brady held, faded into a dark abyss with no visible way out. He distantly felt a sudden sense of inner isolation. It was like a confusing trap of claustrophobia inside his own mind. His reality was slipping into a deep nothingness, and he didn't have the strength to pull it back.
Warmth. An unknown sense of warmth. It ran up his spine, leaking onto his neck and face.
It was sunlight. He knew the touch of sunlight anywhere because it was his very favorite feeling.
A yawn traveled with a stretch as Brady was yet to open his eyes. Wherever he was, he knew he was more comfortable and content than he'd ever been. So he didn't attempt to recall any events as he nuzzled deeper into the soft sheets.
Suddenly, Brady felt something on his lower left leg. Four pressure points that pattered up to his stomach.
Opening his eyes, he saw the face of a very small furball. The small rascals fur lit up colors of light brown and dark red-ish orange spots against the sun.
Brady smiled seeing his new little friend was okay, and the kitten seemed happy to see him too.
It wobbly sauntered up to his chest as Brady brought his hand up to scratch and pet the playful runt. He chuckled as it played with his fingers, rolling on it's back and clawing playfully.
Mikayla stood watching silently in the doorway, a relieved and pleasant smile upon her face.
"You're awake.", she said softly as she entered.
Brady looked up surprised.
He opened his mouth to respond, finding a reluctant dry and sore throat.
"Here.", she said handing him a glass of water. He gulped it down greedily not realizing until now how thirsty he was.
As he stretched his arm to place the glass on the bedside table, he felt the tug of bandage wrapped around his whole torso.
"I don't remember much.", he said with a scratchy weakened voice.
"You will in time. For now though, just rest.", said Mikayla in a quiet calm tone he didn't recognize. But it was warm and she made him feel like everything was going to be okay.
Mikayla laid down next to him on top of the covers, petting the fluffy creature. The action only felt right as her head layed on his shoulder. Brady and Mikayla both chuckled softly at the kittens adorable and playful nature.
He looked at her with peacefulness and pure love in his eyes. She looked up at him as he tenderly kissed the top of her head and gently stroked a stray hair from her cheek.
Brady let out an untroubled sigh of content at the peacefulness of the morning.
Mikayla would fill in the blanks later and he would need more time to heal. But for now, in this moment, they just had to lay with each other in the sunkissed rooms solitude.
