IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS WAS WRITTEN BY NOT-WORTH-A-BEAN ON TUMBLR!

Kendra was running. The cave she was in was getting more and more narrow the farther she went, and sharp, scraggly rocks kept scraping at her clothes and her face, and her hair was falling out of its ponytail, and Dougan was dead outside and Mara was hanging off a ledge and Warren was injured at the bottom of the knapsack and all of the people she cared about were in danger. To top it off, there was a boy she didn't want to face following her. She heard his voice stutter after her, echoing off the walls. "K-Kendra, wait up!"

She moaned, swallowing back bile. Her eyes burned. Dead end. The cave ended with a dead end. The gray rock was unforgiving, and she flailed against it. He laughed, closer. "And S-Seth said you liked me. How do you like me now?"

He was a foot away. Kendra couldn't breathe. She struck the rock again and again with her fists until the bright red of her blood smeared against it. But it didn't cave.

"Come on, Kendra. It's okay. You can trust me. Turn around."

Kendra was shaking. Teary-eyed, she turned around. And it wasn't Gavin she saw. Standing, tall, bright, and cold, was Bracken. His silver hair glowed, despite the darkness of the tunnel. "There, that's better, isn't it?" And then his hand was on her shoulder, shaking her. "Kendra! Kendra!"

"Kendra!" said Seth, shaking her awake. Kendra opened her eyes. "Are you alright?" asked her brother. "You were… kind of crying."

Kendra blinked. "I'm fine, Seth. What time is it?"

"Like, seven thirty."

"Did I wake you up?"

"Nah, I was up at seven. I'm going to help Dale negotiate with some of the darker creatures down by the stables. Are you sure you're alright?"

Kendra realized she was still clutching her comforter. She dropped it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You excited then?"

Kendra rolled her eyes. "For what, Seth?" She started getting up out of bed. She wiped her eyes and raked through her hair.

"Your boyfriend's coming to visit."

"He's not my boyfriend. Bracken's just-"

"Just a friend. Yeah right. You should just kiss him and be done with it." Kendra froze and looked down. Seth had given her that piece of wisdom before. Seth grimaced. "Oh. Right."

Kendra snorted. "Glad I didn't take your advice the first time."

"Right. Then you might've kissed the demon prince." Seth laughed. He rose his voice up. "Oh, Navarog, you've swept me right off my feet."

"Would I say that before or after he ate Dougan?" Kendra said. Seth scowled at her.

"Way to ruin the joke, Kendra."

"It was already ruined when he literally Maddox's brother and threw Mara off a cliff!"

"You just hate humor. Don't you know laughter's the best medicine?"

Kendra ran a brush through her hair. "I'm going to go down for breakfast. Have fun with Dale and whatever evil creature you're going to talk to."

Seth finger-gunned at her. "You say that like it's a bad thing. Enjoy your day with your boyfriend." He ran past her and out of the attic.

"He's not my boyfriend," sighed Kendra. And she followed him out.

Grandma set down a bowl of oatmeal in front of Kendra. "You excited to see Bracken today?"

"Yeah, of course," said Kendra. Kendra's mother sat down across from her and began poking at her bowl of oatmeal. "You should try it with the preserve the brownies made. It's delicious!"

Kendra's mom closed her eyes and nodded. "Of course."

Grandma smiled at Kendra. "He finally got some time away from the rebuilding?"

"Yeah. The Fairy Queen's keeping him really busy. He can barely leave her side!"

"But he leaves it to spend time with you."

Kendra blushed. "It's just for a few hours. We're just going to go for a walk around the preserve."

"It sounds like a date," said Kendra's mom. "You're going on a date with a unicorn." Her eyes drifted off into the distance.

"It's not a date. We're probably going to talk about rescuing fairies and other light creatures from collectors." Kendra swept her hair back. "It's not a big deal."

"At least you're not talking about dragons," muttered Grandma. Kendra took a bite of her oatmeal, pretending not to hear.

"I'm going to go for a swim before Bracken gets here. I'll be in the pool."

"Alright. Just make sure you put sunscreen on."

"Kendra put her bowl in the sink and filled it with water. "Yes, Grandma."

Kendra cut through the water with ease. She had had Vanessa show her how to swim better, and was now practicing her breaststroke. Getting the timing right was challenging. She had to leave her arms out long enough for her kick to the finish, holding her breath the entire time. She tried not to think about her dream. How long had it been since Wyrmroost? Months and she still wasn't able to get Gavin out of her mind. Navarog. She swam to the wall and hoisted herself out. Logically, she knew Bracken wasn't some demon prince or evil turncoat. But then why did he show up in her dream?

She positioned herself to dive back in. "Kendra! Hello!" She fell gracelessly into the water, her goggles falling off. She swam back to the surface, sputtering.

"Bracken, hey! Hey is for horses. I mean, nevermind. Nevermind. Hi." She wanted to facepalm. "You're early."

Bracken's smile fell. "Too early? Arabella told me I was too early, but-"

"No! Of course not! You could never be too early. I just wasn't expecting you so soon. I'm just swimming." Kendra put her elbow on the wall of the pool to look up at Bracken, squinting her eyes against the sun.

"That sounds like great fun. That's one of the things I missed while I was in prison," said Bracken. Kendra kept squinting at him, wondering if she should laugh.

It was quiet for a few seconds. Then Kendra hoisted herself out of the pool. She grabbed her towel. "Um, give me ten minutes and we can go for our walk."

Bracken nodded. "Of course."

They started walking back to the house. Kendra marveled at how much easier it was to talk to him before they'd confessed their mutual feelings.

"How's the fairy kingdom?" she asked, eying a deep red fairy who was preening on a rose bush. "Is rebuilding going alright?"

Bracken nodded. "It's going wonderfully. There are a few spots of true darkness and squalor left, but in a few years, those will be mostly faded."

"How's your father?" asked Kendra, quietly.

Bracken's smile faded. "It's… a challenge. To see him in the state he's in. But his spirit is strong. I know he'll persevere."

"Good, I'm glad. Your family deserves some peace after all this time," said Kendra. She grabbed his hand. "You deserve some peace after all this time."

Then she heard hooting from behind her. "Ooh, I knew he was your boyfriend."

Kendra flushed and dropped Bracken's hand. Bracken grinned. "Hello, Seth. How are you?"

"Not as good as Kendra, probably,' Seth laughed, running up from the treeline. "You know, I was doubting her taste there for a little bit, but at least you know how to take a joke. Unlike Gavin."

Kendra grit her teeth. "Shut up, Seth."

Bracken looked back and forth between the two siblings. "Whose Gavin?"

"The boy Kendra had a crush on for like, a year. Until he turned out to be-"

"Shut up, Seth. I'm warning you," said Kendra.

Seth rolled his eyes. "I don't get why you won't tell him. It's been months! Honestly, if I'd had a crush on the Navarog the Honorary Demon, I'd be joking about it all the time." Kendra and Bracken stared at Seth. "Oh. Whoops. Sorry, Kendra."

Kendra made a grab for him. "Seth! I'm going to-"

"Good talking to you. See you later, Bracken," shouted Seth, dashing towards the house. Kendra wanted to scream, chase after him. But Bracken was staring at her. Kendra shut her eyes and took ten deep breaths. When she opened them again, Bracken was still staring at her.

"I can explain. Gavin-"

"Was the name Navarog the Demon Prince took to seem unassuming until he could betray you and use your powers for his own good. He lied and manipulated you into liking him. Seth is right, you should joke about it, just to laugh at the demise of such an evil creature," said Bracken.

Kendra stared at him and felt her eyes water. "I'm going to shower. I'll see you in a few minutes." And she walked into the house.

In fresh clothes and with clean clothes, Kendra walked out to meet Bracken in the yard. He was surrounded by fairies, all giggling and fluttering around him. Kendra knelt down. "Hey."

Bracken immediately turned and grasped her hands, making the fairies around him pout. "Kendra, I'm sorry. I don't know what I said to upset you, but I deeply regret whatever it is it was. Please, forgive me."

Kendra smiled at him, small and sad. "Of course I forgive you, Bracken. I feel like I owe you an explanation, though." She stood up, taking Bracken with her. She walked them to the edge of the yard, and they crossed into the forest.

"You don't owe me anything."

"Then I want to give you an explanation. It isn't fair to hide things from the people you care about, right?" Kendra swallowed. "A little before I met you, I was in a relationship with a boy named Gavin. He was sweet, had a stutter, and was always brave. He sent me letters from obscure dragon sanctuaries filled with stories about his adventures for the Knights of the Dawn. He saved my life at the Lost Mesa Preserve, and I saved his."

Kendra sighed. They walked in silence until they reached the pond. They both sat down about five feet back from the water. Kendra hugged her knees. "I thought something might happen, especially when we went to Wyrmroost to get the key to the translocator vault. Seth even asked him while they had truth collars on if he was interested in me, and he said yes. But then he ate Dougan and tried to kill Mara. And me. And then he burned Warren in the knapsack. So Raxtus ate him."

Bracken laughed. "Good. I'm glad."

Kendra hid her head in her knees. "I'm… not." And at that, Bracken was silent. "I don't miss Navarog or the betrayal, but I miss… Gavin. He was a friend! I thought he liked me! But how can I grieve for him? How can I miss someone who wasn't real? That's the only relationship close to a romantic one that I've had. And I'm worried that…" Kendra dared a glance over at Bracken. "That our relationship will turn out that bad too."

The only sound Kendra could hear was the gentle rippling of the pond and the sounds of trees blowing in the wind. She shut her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said.

Then she felt his hand on hers. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. Not without knowing the full story."

'It's not your fault."

"And it's not yours either. But Kendra, know that I'll never betray you. I don't think I even could."

"Because you're a unicorn?"

"Because you're Kendra Sorenson, and I don't want to ever make you feel bad," said Bracken. Kendra slowly rested her head against his shoulder. "And I don't want to be eaten by Raxtus either. That would be… unpleasant." Kendra snorted. Bracken squeezed her hand. "But mostly because I never want to hurt you."

And the two just sat there, as the sun climbed higher in the sky and sparkled in the water. Kendra stared at the pure blue. Bracken wasn't Gavin. She could trust him. So she did.

A/N: AGAIN! This great fic was written by not-worth-a-bean on tumblr! Give them a bunch of love!