Red and golden leaves crunched under Kendra's boots. A chilly wind tugged at her hair, and she tightened her scarf.

The gravel path she was on led through a forest, currently breathtaking with the colors of autumn, in the deep reaches of one of the five secret sanctuaries. Kendra was on a very important mission.

She slid the sleeves of her coat down just a little bit more so they'd cover her hands, then tightened her grip on her bag. It had a strap, but her thin shoulders made it all too easy for bags to slide off if she didn't hold on to them. Holding the bag allowed her to speed up her walking pace.

So far, Kendra hadn't seen any sort of destination along this path, but she wanted to get there as quickly as she could. Besides the fact that it was a little colder than comfortable outside, she was anxious to get to the place she was going, a little restaurant of sorts, for another reason: she was going to see her brother today for the first time in years.

Many years ago, when she was much younger, Kendra had accepted an extremely important position. She'd chosen to become an Eternal, one of five people who were linked to the demon prison. As long as the Eternals lived, the demon prison could not be opened, and the Eternals could not be killed by any regular means. It made the security of the demon prison so much tighter when part of the key to unlock it was multiple living humans trying their best to avoid detection.

Kendra's brother, Seth, was another one of the five Eternals. That had made Kendra's decision so much easier; she was infinitely glad that she would not be alone in this. She wouldn't have been able to do this if she had to leave her whole family behind. And not that she would ever tell him, but Seth was one of Kendra's favorite people.

Although, in a sense, it had been leaving him behind anyway. The Eternals couldn't live near each other- that would make them far too easy a target. The whole purpose was for them to spread out and effectively disappear. No matter what, at least one must survive to keep the prison closed. If any were found, it could be perilous for them to stay near each other. Which was why Kendra and Seth hadn't seen each other in years.

The wind was starting to sting. Kendra thought her face might go numb. She tried not to scowl and pulled her scarf up to cover her mouth.

She really hoped she was getting close.

Kendra wondered about what would happen when she got there. Was Seth there already? Or would she get there first? Would Seth look different when she saw him? Well, probably not, since Eternals stayed the same. Still, she hadn't seen him in so long it felt like it would be weird. She was a little nervous but mostly excited. She couldn't wait to get there.

To Kendra's relief, it took only a few more minutes of walking before she finally arrived. It looked like a little cottage, with no sign announcing its name. The only way she knew this was really a rest spot for adventurers in otherwise wild and dangerous territory was by what she'd heard of it beforehand. The only way to find it was to find the path out in the middle of nowhere and follow it until the first building. The path was protected, as was the building itself. Kendra really appreciated the idea of a break for those bold and foolish enough to be out here for anything else.

The cottage really was cute- it reminded Kendra of the one the dwarves lived in in Snow White. She wouldn't mind living in one like this.

The arched wooden door was heavy, but it opened when Kendra pulled the handle- a vertical black strip curled at the ends. Inside, yellow lantern light illuminated a room bigger than what the outside would suggest. Cozy was the first thought Kendra had to describe it.

She let the door shut behind her with a light thud and looked around, both taking in the room and searching the faces for her brother.

Round tables, most occupied by every species of magical creature, took up most of the space of the room, and the right wall was half open to show that there was a kitchen behind it. A woman on the other side of the counter waved at Kendra. "Welcome," she said. "Feel free to sit down wherever you'd like."

Kendra waved back with a small smile and a nod. The noise was a little overwhelming, but the place really did seem very friendly. She moved to the side of the door so she wasn't blocking it and started scanning the tables more carefully.

Before she got very far, she realized someone was coming towards her from somewhere she couldn't even try to guess with all the tables. She knew it was Seth even before she looked.

Seth stopped in front of her with a huge smile on his face. "Hey-" he started, but Kendra cut him off with a tackle hug. Seth staggered a little, caught himself, and returned the hug just as forcefully, laughing.

Kendra wanted to say something but wasn't sure what. She made a little squealy noise and tightened her grip on her brother, shoving her face into his shoulder. Her eyes stung with tears.

When the hug finally ended, Kendra could see tears in Seth's eyes too. He still wore a big grin, and Kendra knew it matched her own. Her face was going to be so sore after this.

Kendra surveyed her brother. He was still about half a foot taller than she was (and she was still mad about it). Same big smile and bright eyes. But the scar on his face- that was new. It covered half Seth's face, from one eyebrow down to almost his chin, though he seemed to be seeing out of that eye fine. "Looks like you've been busy," was all she could say, reaching up to tap the scar. "How'd that happen?"

"It's a long story," Seth said, turning to walk back to wherever he'd been sitting with a wave for Kendra to follow.

"Of course it is," she laughed, thinking back to her assumption that he wouldn't look different this time. Seth always did have a way of proving her wrong.

They sat at a table towards the back of the room, right by a window with a beautiful view of a creek running between colorful trees. Kendra couldn't help noticing some of the magical beings at the tables giving them strange looks as they passed. It made sense- they could sense Seth's darkness and her light. They were strange enough in power alone, but such contrast together? Practically unheard of. She wondered what stories the observers might make up as to why they kept this company. It made her smile more to think that none of those stories could compare to the real one.

"It's a funny story," Seth began, snapping Kendra out of her thoughts.

"Of course it is," she repeated, laughing when he made a face at her. "Well?"

"I was minding my own business, you know."

"I'm sure you were."

"Well, I was searching for a lost relic, as you do. There were guardians, obviously-"

"Sounds like you were intruding in their house," Kendra observed, leaning her head on her hand.

"Well, maybe. But it was my own business! It's not my fault they didn't want me to take it! If they didn't want me getting past them, they should've tried not guarding a priceless artifact." Seth sat back and crossed his arms.

Kendra laughed. "Let me guess," she said. Yep. Her face was already starting to hurt from smiling too much. "You defeated all of them and got the artifact with no problem, but one got in a cheap shot on your face. That it?"

"Close," Seth laughed. "But no. See, these guardians were some kinda ghost guys with swords, right? There was a whole army. I thought I was done for." He was getting animated now, starting to use his hands. That was a sign that this story was going to be good.

"And then what?" Kendra asked, encouraging him.

"Well, then I tried to fight them. But like I said, there was a whole army! Even I can't fight a whole army by myself. I did try, though. They all ganged up on me. Tons of them, one of me, and they were all trying to attack me at the same time. They got a couple good hits in. That's what happened here." He pointed at the scar.

Kendra nodded, wincing. That must've really hurt. "How did you get out of there?" She asked, intrigued. "I assume you didn't get the artifact."

"I'm getting there," Seth assured her. "I was fighting all these guys, and I didn't think I'd be able to get out at all. They were all over the place, and there were so many of them, I almost started to panic. But then I realized something." He stopped talking and sat forward, obviously waiting for Kendra to ask what.

So she did. "What?"

"They were ghosts!" Seth slapped the table and leaned back. "Well, I'm not entirely sure if they were ghosts specifically, but they were some sort of undead, and that was all that mattered."

"Oh!" Kendra exclaimed. Only now did she remember him mentioning that at the start of the story. "And since you're a shadow charmer…"

"Yep," Seth agreed. "Once I got ahold of myself, I realized I could make them stop, and then it was that easy. Smooth sailing from there."

"That's great!" Kendra exclaimed. "And that would mean you did get the artifact then. Of course you did." She couldn't resist a proud smile. "Can I ask what it was?"

"You can," Seth said, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to answer."

At some point during the story, a server had come over, and they'd just ordered drinks. The same server returned now with root beer for Kendra and a Dr. Pepper for Seth, asking if they were ready to order.

"Oh, I'm sorry, not yet," Kendra said, having completely forgotten she was at a restaurant while she was listening to Seth tell his story. "Just another minute please."

Both siblings picked up menus from the back of the table. "You didn't get anything before I got here?" Kendra asked Seth. She would've expected her little brother to be pretty hungry.

"Nope," he said. "I wasn't here very long before you got here." She would've expected her little brother to be pretty hungry.

Once they'd ordered their food, the conversation turned back to what they'd been talking about before. "What did you do with the artifact?" Kendra asked, trying a different topic. She wasn't going to make him tell her if he didn't want to. Talk about artifacts reminded her of when they'd had to find the five artifacts that helped keep the demon prison closed along with the Eternals.

"I brought you something," Seth said instead, reaching into a bag Kendra hadn't noticed at his feet.

"What is it?" Kendra asked, wondering what this had to do with anything. No way did he bring whatever artifact with him. He wasn't that stupid- or maybe he was. Kendra never knew when it came to Seth.

Seth held up a stuffed fox, a proud smile on his face. Kendra reached across the table and took it carefully, a smile starting to grow on her own face. She loved stuffed animals. "Where did you get this?"

"From the gift shop. Where do you think I got it?"

"This isn't … no way is this what you got a scar on your face for?"

"This one? No way!" Seth laughed. "That fox only caused this one." He showed her a long-ish scratch on his arm, more recent than the scar on his face.

Kendra almost laughed, but she didn't think he was joking. "Why?" She asked.

"Turned out this guy was guarded too." Seth nodded towards the fox.

"It … why? What does it do?" It struck Kendra that maybe she should worry that it was cursed or something. She wouldn't be surprised.

"It's got an enchantment on it that repels nightmares. I heard of something like that and instantly decided I had to get it for you, and I didn't even know it was a stuffed animal at first! Crazy how that works, huh?"

Kendra stared. "I … thank you," she finally said. She suddenly thought she might cry. She got up and went around the table to give Seth a hug.

"You're welcome," Seth said. "This is why I'm your favorite brother."

Kendra laughed as she settled back into her seat. She really had missed him.

life is different now and that's okay with me

i moved away and you started a family

but deep inside you and i are still the same kids

cause you're my brother and that won't ever change

even though everything changes