I`ve been having major writers block as of late, but I really like this one and I hope you do too!
"Kendra and Bracken sittin' in tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"
"I have a compound bow and enough arrows to make you two look like pincushions. Consider your next words very carefully." Kendra shot Warren and Seth a dark look from over her shoulder and Warren almost laughed, but stopped himself just in time. Kendra could be terrifying when she wanted to be.
"Stop messing around." Trask scolded them, giving Warren`s shoulder a shove, stepping up next to him as Seth ran ahead with Kendra.
"You`re an adult. Could you please start acting like it?" Trask hissed to Warren, disapproval obvious in his voice.
"What? You aren't curious-"Warren slammed his mouth shut as Trask glared pointedly at him, taking that as a sign that Kendra was listening. Sighing, the group continued on through the dense forest.
The mission had been simple enough, running an errand for the Fairy Queen in order to reopen her shrine at Living Mirage. Kendra had been asked to go as an ambassador from the Knights of the Dawn to the fairies and the rest of them were simply tagging along. But, the most interesting part of their day came when a group of tall dryads stepped out of the woods, inquiring about their presence. The lead dryad had spoken in English, thoroughly embarrassing Kendra when she had hinted at Bracken, the son of the Fairy Queen being her betrothed.
Warren knew, of course that his little cousin and Bracken had something, but a little flirting at the end of the world and an actual relationship were two drastically different things. Upon hearing that Kendra and Bracken might be more than friends, Seth had launched into teasing his sister, and Warren couldn't help but join in.
"We`re here." Kendra`s quiet words stopped them all in their tracks as they gazed at the bronze dome in the distance. Luckily, Agad had showed them a path that avoided most of the dangerous obstacles so the trip had been quiet, much more than his previous one had.
"Alright. We`ll wait here. Kendra, Warren, head on down. If something happens, make sure to radio." Trask took charge, giving orders like he was accustomed to doing.
Warren hurried to catch up with Kendra who didn't look at him, just kept walking. After a few moments of awkward silence, Warren spoke up.
"Hey, you know I`m just kidding right? I didn't mean to embarrass you." Kendra rolled her eyes, finally looking up at him.
"Well you did." Kendra mumbled. It was strange though, she didn't seem too embarrassed anymore, there was something else in her tone that Warren couldn't decipher.
"I`m sorry Kens, it won`t happen again." Warren stopped. "Wanna hug it out?" He asked, spreading his arms wide. He grinned as Kendra rolled her eyes again, this time, a smile tugging on the edge of her lips.
"No, it`s like 100 degrees out here." Warren once again caught up with Kendra, grinning, the tension between them dissipated. But still… the tension in Kendra`s shoulders told him that something was wrong.
"Kendra-"Warren was about to continue, but Kendra interrupted him.
"Do you remember the last time we were here?" The tone of her voice was not one that Warren had heard in a while. It was one of wistfulness and pain.
"Of course I do. I seem to remember a lot more running and hiding then." Kendra laughed softly.
"And the fruit trees?" Warren smiled. It had been a terrible, terrible day, but was one that now, they looked back on in amusement.
"That was the first time I punched Bracken in face." Kendra giggled, stepping over a root that interrupted the path they walked on.
Warren cast a look at Kendra, able to see her face better now. She looked happier than she had before, but her eyes were still sad and dark.
"Come on kid, why the trip down memory lane?" Kendra was quiet for a moment.
"Did you know that Bracken was here for four hundred years?" She gazed up at the Great Pyramid that Warren knew covered a giant, sprawling dungeon, one that he, Kendra and Bracken had been residents of once. "Because he was."
"I assume this new revelation has something to do with what that dryad said?" Warren kept his voice quiet and unassuming, knowing that the best way to help Kendra was to let her talk.
"What she said, about me and Bracken… it might be true." Catching the look Warren gave her, she hurried, "Nothing like that. We`re still just friends, but," Kendra shook her head frustrated. "Things move so fast for them. For the fairies. Everyone else is so sure about me and Bracken and I`m not sure of anything." Kendra stopped, turning back to Warren, distressed.
"That dryad didn't call me Kendra, or the Queen`s handmaiden, she called me Princess. As in a princess of the fairy kingdom! They all do now. And I`ve only been there five times! I`ve only known about this world for four years!"
"Kendra, Kendra, stop, stop." Warren took Kendra by the shoulders, rubbing circles on them, trying to calm her down. "If you don`t want to be with Bracken, than that`s alright. You shouldn't let them force you into a relationship with him."
Kendra sighed, turning out of his grip, running her hands through her hair, upsetting the bow on her back. "It`s not Bracken! He understands, he was the one who told that we needed to take it slow, and we are but… there`s so much I don't know." The pain in Kendra`s voice felt like a stab to the heart. As soon as Warren had met Kendra, he had seen how much she could deal with. He`d seen her go through heartbreak, betrayal, death, dangerous missions, even the end of the world and it had never gotten easier having to watch her feel that pain.
"There`s so much I don't know about this world, about Bracken, about the kingdom I`m supposed a princess of! And they all believe I`m something special, and I don`t!" Kendra whipped around to face Warren. "I don't know what to do about any of this! Even this mission! They`re all counting on me to be the one to have a solution if things go wrong but I don't know what to do!" Kendra put her face in her hands.
Warren walked over to her, pulling her into his arms. She wasn't crying, but Warren knew that she was doing her best to swallow down her tears. "My entire life, all I`ve wanted is to belong somewhere, to fit in, to be wanted and important, and I know that`s selfish, but now that I have all that-"Her voice faltered. "I`m afraid that I`ll disappoint everyone, and then I`ll go back to being the same old Kendra Sorenson that was all too dispensable."
With that, Kendra dropped her head onto his shoulder, and he knew without looking that she was crying softly.
"I can`t pretend that I personally understand everything you`re going through, so I`m not gonna try, but Kendra, I need you to know that you could never be a disappointment. Look-" Warren pulled away from Kendra, so he could see her face, her eyes were red, her lips wobbling and a single tear sliding down her cheek as she blinked.
"You have been tasked with so much, so young, but despite all of it, you`ve never failed to be kind and loving, and strong and responsible, and that`s what makes you, you!" Warren shook her shoulders a little, trying to get her to look at him.
"The truth is, Kendra, you are special. You are the first mortal fairykind in a thousand years, and there is a reason for that. There is a reason that they call you a princess and that they ask so much of you, and I know none of that`s fair, but it's because they`ve seen what you are and what you`re capable of."
"What if I fail? What if I can`t be everything they want me to be?" Kendra whispered, frightened eyes meeting his.
"Then you move on. You hold your head up and you keep going. You keep fighting and trying and failing, because that`s all any of us can do." Warren squeezed her shoulders. "It may not feel like it now, but you will figure it all out, and you don't have to do it alone."
Kendra took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. "I hate feeling like I`m failing."
Warren had to laugh a little at that. "I know Ken, I know. But it won`t feel like that forever. There will be a day where you`re just as sure about yourself as everyone else is."
Kendra rolled her eyes and Warren knew Kendra was back in focus, her mind calming. Warren reached out, playfully tapping her on the head. "Come on, you could do this mission alone, with your eyes closed and both hands tied behind your back. But you don't have to. You have me, and Seth and your family and all the rest of us weirdos living in the same world as you."
Kendra laughed. "Well let`s get on with it then. Agad promised us a hot lunch if we got back in time."
Warren smiled despite himself. The sadness that Kendra had let herself feel for a few moments was still inside her, and it would probably be a long time before it all went away, but Warren knew one thing, and it was that he was going to be by her side no matter what.
Suddenly, just as they got walking again, the radio in Warren`s pocket almost made him trip over a loose rock.
Trask`s voice crackled through the radio. "Everything okay, you two?" Warren looked up to see Kendra looking a little sad still, but as they met eyes, she set her jaw, lifting her chin and answered instead.
"Yeah. We`re on our way to the shrine to complete the mission." Kendra smiled at Warren as he clicked off the radio, putting it back in his pocket.
"And by the way, I know we were mostly kidding earlier about you and Bracken, but if I catch any K-I-S-S-I-N-G-"
"Warren!"
Warren chuckled, stepping over a fallen branch, "Yeah, yeah, you have enough arrows to make me a pincushion."
"Damn straight. And don't forget it either."
Warren smiled as the bronze dome came into view, several tall, stately women and men standing around it, apparently waiting for them. "Yes ma`am."
Kendra shot him a look over her shoulder, one that was still a little bit sad, but a smile now warming her eyes. "That`s princess to you."
And that`s it! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
Thank you to FairyGirl22, Jesus saved even me, Wolf Lover27, Phoenix1999 and more for the support, it means so much!
As per usual, if you have any prompts/ideas you`d like to give me, I`d love to hear them!
Happy Monday everyone!