Sorry for the slight cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter! I hope this one makes up for it. :) Not everything will be resolved here, but the biggest plot points will be. The others will resolve themselves in the future.
Chapter 15: Love
Kendra stood on the left side of the King, with the Queen on his right side. He was as still as a board, aside from the soft rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Other than the clean robes he wore, he really didn't look any different than how Kendra remembered him. She reflected on his long years of imprisonment – easily a million times worse than Bracken's had been. It was no wonder he was non-responsive. In the back of her head, she wondered if he was even aware that he was no longer being held captive.
"He is under the influence of a very strong curse," the Queen quietly told Kendra. "That is the only explanation we can come up with for why he hasn't woken up. He shows no outward signs of being cursed, but his mind – that must be where it's affecting him. I believe I was close to finding out what type of curse it was before my strength fled me before." She gently caressed his face with an unreadable expression on her face. "It's not surprising that he's been cursed, of course, especially considering who he is and where he was for so long." She bowed her head. "If I'd known he was alive… If I'd known what fate he would face… I wouldn't have rested until he was reclaimed. I was so engrossed in the direct ramifications of his fall…"
"He is right here, right now," Kendra replied, equally quietly. "The past can't be changed. He's suffered enough – and I don't know him, but I'm assuming he wouldn't want you to suffer any more than you already have, either."
The Queen nodded her head and grasped his right hand in hers. "Wise words."
There was silence for a moment, then the Queen looked directly at Kendra and continued to speak. "You and I will need to be in physical contact with each other," she began. "You will also need to be in physical contact with my horn." She paused for a moment and turned her sight back to her husband. "Kendra, I do not know what type of curse has enveloped him so deeply. The possible ramifications of approaching such a curse are unknown. You must follow my instructions."
"Absolutely, I will," Kendra promised.
"If I tell you to release me, you must obey."
Kendra muttered her assent again.
"Bracken will have insight into what we are battling, through the communicator necklace you are wearing. Please try to keep your mind open. It is important for him to be able to witness what is happening, so that he can forcibly remove you if you are unable to do so yourself. We will take no chances with your life."
"What about yours? Who will save you, if it comes to it?" Kendra asked in concern.
The Queen placed her hand on Kendra's shoulder affectionately. "My daughter Coral will step in and attempt to intervene." She inclined her head toward the tall, stoic-looking woman who stood about 20 feet away. Kendra thought she looked like she could be a supermodel, with the exception of her severe expression. Bracken stood to the right of Coral, appearing almost the opposite of his sister – relaxed and happy.
Kendra nodded her head and asked, "When would you like to begin?"
The Queen lowered her hand to her waist and removed her horn from the belt that held it in place. She handled it with almost a sort of reverence as she lifted it to her lips and gently kissed the tip of it. "Momentarily. Bracken, Coral – to your places, please."
Bracken moved to stand next to Kendra and Coral stood next to her mother. "Kendra, grasp my hand," the Queen instructed. The young woman obeyed. Thank you again, Kendra heard the Queen's voice in her head. Using her left hand, the Queen held out her horn and rested it on her husband's forehead. "Kendra, help hold it steady."
Kendra's right hand grasped the Queen's horn, and the hair on her body stood up in reaction. She suddenly felt like she was full of an electrical charge. Bracken's eyes widened dramatically while Coral's serious expression took on a hint of surprise. "You glowed like a lighthouse before," Bracken said in awe. "Now you're shining like the sun."
"Do not touch her," the Queen said to Bracken, her voice soft and affectionate. "She is already channeling most of the energy that I was able to access before. I am optimistic about this venture."
Gazing at Kendra, the Queen said, "We begin now."
Kendra closed her eyes. When she opened them again she saw nothing but white, with occasional brilliant light patterns fluctuating in a rainbow of faded colors. The room they inhabited was no longer there; the King wasn't there; Bracken and Coral were nowhere to be found. She and the Queen were the only ones that existed.
We are in his mind, the Queen's voice resounded. We are linked with him, mind to mind. Just ahead is what I saw when I probed last.
Kendra looked and saw what appeared to be a small dark hole in the vast expanse of white and muted colors. I'm assuming we need to approach it? Kendra asked.
Yes. Follow my lead. The Queen walked forward and Kendra kept an even pace with her. When they reached the black hole, the Queen examined it curiously. After a moment, she said, I am not familiar with this curse. Its purpose is not known to me. Based on the surface of what we see, I would brace for difficulty. Whatever you might see, Kendra, remember that it is not real; it is an illusion. You will control the situation with your mind.
What do you think will happen? she asked.
I'm unsure, the Queen responded. This is powerful dark magic, made stronger because of the number of years it has been left to fester and grow. Just remember – the way to control what happens here is to clearly picture what you want to be accomplished. Keep a level head and always remember that regardless of how real any of this feels, it is false. This curse is malevolent and will fight back in some way.
Kendra was undeniably nervous. Still, she set her face and nodded her head. Alright, she answered. Let's do this.
The Queen closed her eyes and a sword materialized in her hand. I suggest you arm yourself, if for no other reason than to help you feel more prepared. Kendra immediately thought of her best moment where she felt truly useful and purposeful – when she defeated Gorgrog. Vasilis appeared in her hand – not the real Vasilis, she understood, but a copy of the sword that had helped her to feel more courageous than she ever had before.
I'm ready, Kendra said. The Queen extended her sword and struck the black hole. Immediately, Kendra felt like a vacuum was pulling them into the hole and their surroundings darkened dramatically. They were in a forest at what appeared to be night time. The Queen let out a gasp and clenched her sword tightly in her hand. Do you recognize where we are? Kendra asked.
Yes, the Queen answered. What I don't understand is why.
She gave no further explanation, but walked forward instead. Kendra followed behind her, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. The path they walked on was narrow and the trees were dense. The absence of light caused the forest to take on an eerie atmosphere as thick branches reached far above their heads, blocking out any possible moon or starlight. Kendra couldn't see the sky at all. The place, quite frankly, gave her the creeps.
After a few moments of walking, the Queen ran forward and found what appeared to Kendra to be a sleeping astrid. He was in an odd position – almost like he'd just crumpled where he'd previously stood – and Kendra had to wonder if he had naturally fallen asleep that way, or if something had caused him to collapse. The Queen examined him quickly and told Kendra, He was poisoned. Kendra, this is a memory of mine. This will not be pleasant. She stood up and ran to the crest of a nearby hill. When Kendra caught up, she looked at the base of the hill and saw that the forest widened into a large meadow where a few tents had been pitched and a wide array of creatures of light were gathered. Some slept, others spoke quietly with one another. There were no other astrids in sight.
Where are they? The Queen asked herself, gazing about with eagle eyes.
"Your Majesty," a nearby fairy – a male fairy! – approached the Queen and bowed. The Queen's expression took on a look of surprise and Kendra sensed that she had not expected to be able to interact with her memory.
"Hello, Ardme," she responded.
"Evil is upon us," he stated quickly. "All around us. I can sense it."
"Have you seen the astrids?" the Queen asked, again casting her gaze around to try and find them.
"No, I haven't," he answered. "You've brought a human with you?"
Kendra gave the Queen a sidelong glance and then introduced herself. "My name is Kendra," she said.
"Very well," he responded, shrugging her off. "This is an urgent matter. We are surrounded. What are your orders?"
The Queen thought for a moment, then responded. "Wake all that are sleeping. Gather in the center of the meadow. If darkness will fall upon us, we will fight."
The fairy bowed his head and flew off to inform the others in the meadow.
"Kendra," the Queen said, "I don't fully understand why this is happening. This is a recreation of the night the King was captured and presumed dead. My speculation is that we need to prevent the same outcome from occurring in order to break this curse." She readied her stance with her sword. "I will summon my astrids. My children are in the largest tent and my husband is in the tent next to theirs. I was performing reconnaissance this night and was not here for the start of what is about to come. Protect them. I will do the same."
"I will," Kendra agreed, then rushed down into the meadow toward the specified tents. When she arrived at the largest one, she quickly ran inside and found a young Bracken sitting at a desk holding a quill in one hand and looking up at her with a puzzled expression. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice slightly higher pitched than how she remembered him. The quill in his hand dripped ink onto the paper below it as he held it poised in the air.
"My name is Kendra," she said. "Your mother has sent me to prepare you. We are about to be ambushed."
Bracken instantly stood up and moved to a group of four obviously young unicorns – presumably his sisters – who were sleeping peacefully. He appeared to be about 15 years old per Kendra's calendar. "Wake up," he said, shaking them until they began to stir. The girls huddled together nervously as Bracken told the three youngest to stay in the tent. "Coral, you keep watch over them," he stated to the one who changed into her human avatar upon noticing Bracken's serious expression and tone of voice. She nodded her understanding and transformed her horn into a sword, immediately adopting a protective stance. Bracken then turned to Kendra. "You and I will aid in the fight."
Kendra wordlessly followed Bracken outside the tent. As he hurried over to his father's tent, the night suddenly erupted into deafening noise and chaos as creatures of light rushed to assemble themselves in the center of the meadow and demons came out from the cover of the trees. Bracken quickly entered his father's tent and emerged only moments later in time to witness several white stags with golden horns fall to the blades of the nearest demons. Human-sized fairies rose up to meet their enemies. The battle had begun.
Bracken ran to meet the oncoming demons, and the Fairy Queen suddenly appeared at Kendra's side. "The astrids were negligent," she said. Kendra could feel simmering anger emanating from the Queen. "They have been reprimanded and will arrive momentarily. The wizards will likewise be here very soon. This was the last battle prior to the demons' initial imprisonment, and it was not long lived."
Kendra then realized that they were located on Shoreless Isle – she recognized the shape of the land, although the face of it had changed dramatically in the years since the events portrayed in this memory had taken place. They were standing near where the shrine to the Fairy Queen would eventually be constructed. And the large, dark hill in the distance – that must be where Zzyzx was apparently about to be located. Apparently the island had once been populated by dense forest.
A large shout from the creatures of light sounded, and Kendra watched as astrids began to pour into the demon ranks. The dark host started to retreat under the strength of the Fairy King's guard, until the loudest roar anyone had heard so far brought most of the skirmish to a sudden halt as all watched the massive form of Gorgrog the Demon King leaping across the land to join the fight.
The cover of night obviously strengthened the Demon King – he was larger and much more frightening than Kendra remembered him. Gorgrog slammed into the meadow and made a beeline for the Fairy Queen, who leapt to meet him with her sword. "Protect my husband!" she called out before she took flight.
The Fairy King emerged from his tent wearing armor and wielding a spear. A bow was slung across his chest and a quiver of arrows rested against his back. He was a handsome man and appeared to be a proud warrior. In the back of her head, Kendra idly thought that his facial features were similar to Bracken's. The King ran to his wife's aid as Kendra cried out for him to stop.
"You can't help her!" she called out, running forward to try and meet his stride. "Stop – you could die!"
He turned around abruptly to face Kendra. "Cowardice is unthinkable. I will not abandon my wife."
"Stop – I will help her! You need to stay safe!" she called as he turned around and continued to hurry toward the fray.
Kendra heard a scream and saw the Queen falling to the ground, hard and fast. Her heart stopped beating as she seemingly witnessed the scene in slow motion. Shock filled her system as she willed her sword to come to life as it had in her own recent history. She witnessed Bracken make his way toward his mother as the King called out to his wife and picked up his pace. Gorgrog roared in triumph and drew his arm back to deliver the finishing blow to the Queen just as Kendra arrived on the scene with her magnificently shining sword. "You will not harm them!" she yelled before she leapt into the air and engaged the Demon King. As Gorgrog turned his sights on Kendra, a wicked grin split over his face and the entire scene suddenly disappeared. Kendra looked around in confusion and located the Queen who was laying on the ground about ten feet away. The Queen rolled onto her side and curled in on herself.
"Are you alright!?" Kendra cried as she ran to the Queen.
"I will be fine," she answered through gritted teeth. "Be careful. This curse is not through yet. I can sense that we've made a deep cut into it." She gripped Kendra's arm. "I've instructed Coral and Bracken to stand down. They nearly interfered. Your strength is lasting exceedingly well. The magic of my horn is also remaining steady. My own energy is beginning to wane; I've been taking the brunt of the curse. I have been weakened."
"Should we withdraw? Try again another day?" Kendra asked, frantically looking over the Queen to make sure she wasn't physically wounded.
"No!" the Queen responded fervently. "I will not allow this curse to continue to course through the King's body any longer than it absolutely must. I must press on while there is any force left in me. Kendra, you are still at full strength – I can feel it. My horn is able to maintain our balance for quite a while longer. Please – I wish to continue. I fear that if we abandon him now, we will have to restart our efforts over again during the next attempt."
"I'm worried about you," Kendra answered. "You don't look well."
"I have been trying to control the flow of energy out of me, but that memory was obviously brought forth to attack me directly."
"I didn't rescue the King," Kendra answered. "Everything disappeared before I had the chance to finish."
"It's coming back," the Queen said, opening her eyes. "Prepare yourself."
Kendra stood up and watched as the darkness grew and eventually enveloped them again. This time, however, was different – she saw faces. People that she recognized spun through the air as memory after memory was played out in front of her in quick succession. She witnessed Lena holding a precious pebble in her hand and diving toward a mangled tree , dying as the pebble touched the black nail protruding from the tree. She saw Neil, the "skinwalker" from Lost Mesa, dying as his body brushed against one of the poisonous pods their group had had to crawl through. Vincent, from Obsidian Waste, drowning under a thick layer of ice. All of the Eternals she had met and fought for. Marcus' death at the hands of Torina. Civia's death as she tried to flee on a motorcycle. Roon, burnt to a crisp in the fortress he'd once called home. Other heart-wrenching memories surfaced; when everyone had assumed Seth had been truly devoured by Olloch the Glutton; when Warren had been gored by the peryton; those heart-wrenching moments when Bracken had been attacked by Torina and Seth had turned into a gaseous version of himself in order to avoid dying from a mortal wound. The scenes that flashed in front of her brought tears to her eyes as the emotions she'd buried long ago resurfaced. Regret. Depression. Fear. Loathing. Niko the tiger dissolving into dust and drifting away with the wind. Tammy being flung over the edge of a cliff by a magical rain dancer. Laura becoming a zombie in her goal to buy Kendra's group time to recover the translocator. Dougan being devoured by Navarog. Despair. Loneliness. Betrayal. The Sphinx. Gavin.
Anger and hurt coursed through her body when she saw his face. Traitor. And she'd been so stupid, so blind, so trusting. Too trusting.
Sidestep Cleft formed itself around her. A storm raged overhead; lightning cracked, thunder rumbled and violent wind whistled through the pathetic shelter where she stood. A dark, human shape approached her from the distance.
Kendra knew where she was. She would never forget this place. Treachery at the hands of the boy who had been able to get too close to her. Never again. She envisioned a sword like Bracken's in her hand and it appeared immediately.
"That little sword won't do you much good," Gavin said.
"It'll do plenty well against someone who's already dead," Kendra spat out.
"You've gotten feisty," Gavin said in an approving tone. "Such a change from 'Dear Gavin, I think you're awesome. And your st-st-stutter is so cute! XOXO.' I think I like you even more this way."
"Oh please," she answered. "I've dealt with monsters far worse than you."
"Right," he laughed darkly. "Yet I'm the one who continues to haunt you."
"You were a mistake. A gross error in judgment."
"You're forgetting I'm also a master deceiver."
"We should have let you die when Siletta poisoned you," Kendra said, still poised and ready to defend herself should he attack.
"Yes, you should have," he answered, appearing disinterested with the conversation. "But you didn't. Instead, you saved me. And this time, my dear, there will be no invisible dragon to save you."
"You're right," Kendra said. "It's just you and me." She closed her eyes and concentrated inward, focusing on the energy she knew was welled up within her being. When she reopened her eyes only moments later, they glowed like white fire and her sword did likewise.
Gavin's own eyes widened. "What are you doing?" he asked, moving his left hand up to partially block the light emanating from Kendra. The raging storm seemed to calm – or, at least, Kendra no longer heard any of the noise coming from it.
"You are the embodiment of everything bad that has ever happened to me," she said. "You must have had some nerve to pick on a defenseless fifteen-year-old girl. I'm not defenseless anymore. And you? You are pathetic. Look at you, cowering before my light. I don't need a dragon to eat you – I will deal with you myself, once and for all."
Kendra, a voice in her head sounded. She shrugged it off and started to move toward the boy, who began to take steps backward.
"I have thought about this moment many times," Kendra began. "You had me cornered. Weaponless. You trapped Warren in the knapsack. Your betrayal cut me so deeply that I have struggled to trust everyone I meet." She continued advancing toward him, a lethal glower on her face. "You were supposed to be my friend. To be different, like me. Instead, you turned out to be a complete fraud."
Kendra, the curse is feeding off of your hate, the voice chimed in again.
"You and those like you are the filth of the earth. You think you can take anything you want, use anyone you want, do anything you want. Destruction is all that comes from you."
Kendra, stop!
She hesitated as her conscience registered that the voice belonged to Bracken. What was he doing here?
Gavin took that opportunity to strike. He lunged forward with his sword – Warren's sword – but Kendra recovered quickly and blocked his attack.
"Well done," Gavin commented. "Next time you won't be so lucky."
"Kendra," she heard from her left side. The Fairy Queen. She sounded incredibly weak. "This will destroy you. Don't let that happen."
Gavin's attention switched from Kendra to the Queen. He quickly ran over in her direction, and alarm rang through Kendra's mind. "Navarog!" Kendra shouted, throwing her sword at him. It struck the ground immediately in front of him and halted his progress. "Your issue is with me, not her."
He grinned wickedly, and Kendra glowered at him. Suddenly, warm memories flooded her subconscious – the giant stuffed clown fish, her brother placing ridiculous noisemakers around the house, she and Bracken snuggling up on the Ferris wheel, waltzing the night away in a beautiful blue dress, playing volleyball with the satyrs, kissing Bracken in the snow, feeling affection from the Fairy Queen.
And it registered within Kendra that this was not real. That she was interacting with a curse. And Bracken and the Queen were trying to warn her that the curse would win if she kept reacting with anger.
Her outward glow diminished as she let go of what she was feeling and started putting things into their proper perspective. "You hate me," Gavin said, as though understanding the situation and trying to provoke her. "And you have good reason."
Kendra didn't respond to his words.
"Remember what you lost? What the Society gained as a result of your losses?"
Silence.
"You and your brother were taken advantage of. Multiple times. All in an effort to advance the Society's agenda and thwart the efforts of the Knights." He walked toward Kendra, still holding his sword at his side. She stood before him, unafraid and unresponsive. "And you – you personally. I was your friend. I even liked you. And I know you liked me."
Kendra closed her eyes.
"Pay attention to me," he demanded.
"I've paid you enough attention," Kendra responded as calmly as she could, using all the patience she could muster. "And I control this situation. What I picture, happens. And I've had enough of listening to you."
She opened her eyes and said softly, "I'm done. Completely. You are, too."
And with those words, the scene around her faded away and Gavin was cut off mid-protest. The original scenery of white and refracted light of various colors returned – this time, however, the colors were more vibrant where they'd been very muted before.
She rushed to the Fairy Queen, who smiled at her. "I'm sorry," Kendra said. "I got caught up in everything. I should have known better – I lost track of what was happening and where I was."
"I understand," the Queen said. "We've accomplished much. It is time to leave – I am unable to probe any further, although I believe we've done enough. Take my hand," she instructed. Kendra obeyed. A few seconds later she found herself in the infirmary, still facing the King in the triangle formation with the Queen and her horn.
The Queen let go of Kendra's hand and began to lower herself to the floor, however her son interrupted her and helped her onto another nearby bed instead. He then pushed her bed next to the King's and Coral immediately started tending to her mother. Kendra stood still, registering where she was and piecing together what had just happened. The experiences she'd had felt so real, but now that she was back to normal she felt kind of like she'd been having out-of-body experiences.
Bracken approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders, directing her attention to him. He spoke slowly. "I will never betray you," he said before he embraced her tightly.
"You saw…?" she asked, tensing up.
"I kept watch through your necklace. I tried to pull you away when you were facing off against Navarog, to bring you out of it," he said. "You were glowing so brightly, you actually created a shield around yourself – I couldn't get within a foot of you. I had to mentally insert myself into your situation instead."
"I'm sorry I ignored you," she said. She still felt a bit numb to all emotion after everything that had happened.
"You didn't ignore me." He took a deep breath and then explained further. "I did something that I have very rarely done, because it is extremely invasive – your mind was open to attack. I used that opportunity, and our link through your necklace, to delve into your mind and pull up as many good memories of yours as I could easily locate." His voice was extremely apologetic. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do – I had to bring you back to your senses. The situation was dire – I would have lost you."
She blinked and to her surprise, tears started to fall. "I lost control," she cried. "You did the right thing. It made me remember where I was. That curse – that curse!" She took a few shuddering breaths. "If your father has been experiencing the same mind attacks that I witnessed the entire time since he was captured, it's no wonder why he's been in such a non-responsive state. Bracken, I'm so sorry!"
"Kendra, you have to allow yourself to grieve for those you have lost and for things that could have been," he said. When that failed to calm her, he said, "You're safe now. I won't let anything harm you."
He let her cry for a minute more before he said in her ear, "By the way, remind me to never make you angry. The amount of power coursing through your body was frightening."
She let out a choked laugh. "You'd have to do something worse than Navarog did," she said. "You'd better not."
"Never," he promised. He then looked to where his father laid in bed and stiffened. "Kendra," he said, obviously in shock.
"What's up?" she asked, wiping her eyes. She followed his gaze and saw the Fairy Queen holding her husband's right hand and smiling through tears. The King's face was full of peace as he breathed in and out. As she watched, a smile graced his features. Coral ceased her administrations to her mother and stared at her father, her eyes full of what Kendra could only assume was hope.
"Thank you," the Queen said as she stroked the King's face with her free hand. "He is at peace now."
"Will he wake up?" she asked.
"Not today. But I expect soon – much was accomplished today. I can never fully repay you for all you have done – however, before you leave this realm, please drink from the spring at the appropriate shrine."
"I sincerely hope the best for him," Kendra responded. "I can't even imagine the amount of suffering he has been through… he deserves peace and happiness."
"As do you," she responded. "Rest well, Kendra Sorenson. Bracken, please see her safely home."
Kendra had been exhausted by the time she made it home. Bracken had actually picked her up and carried her over the porch and into one of the guest bedrooms – since she had become of age, the protections of the attic no longer applied to her and she'd had to move downstairs. She was asleep before she was even laid on the bed; her mother had helped Bracken tuck her in, although she didn't remember any of that.
The five o'clock hour found Kendra laying awake and staring at the ceiling. At first she hadn't understood where she was; when it registered that she was at home, she breathed a sigh of relief. Reliving everything over again was beyond physically draining – it was mentally and emotionally so as well. She was back to feeling numb again as she reflected on the things "Gavin" had said. They'd lost so much. So many people had lost their lives. She'd witnessed so much death, destruction, hatred and hardship and had survived. Not for the first time, she wondered why she'd been the lucky one to live while others who were equally worthy of life had had it stolen from them.
She rolled onto her side and looked at the window in her room. The blinds were closed, but she could tell it was still very early morning. No sunlight filtered through them. She idly wondered what time the sun would rise, then decided that she would get up and watch it since she wasn't sleeping any longer.
After standing up, she realized she was still dressed in her clothes from the previous day but decided that she didn't care and would take a shower later. Right now she was feeling a little claustrophobic and needed to get away from her thoughts for a while. Shrugging on a thick winter coat, she found a hat and some boots and made her way to the front yard instead of the back yard for a change. The front of the house would have a better view of the sunrise anyway.
She did her best to quietly sneak out of the house so that she wouldn't disturb anyone else. It was still quite dark outside, and Kendra again wondered what time the sun was supposed to rise and whether she'd be sitting outside for hours or not.
Her breath swirled around her with every exhale. A thick layer of snow coated everything except the covered front porch. She started shivering a little after only having spent a few minutes in the cold, but she wasn't ready to go back inside quite yet.
The door opened behind her, and Kendra turned around to find her brother wearing thick pajama pants and a sweater. "I heard you sneak out. It was almost time for me to get up anyway to do my chores. What are you doing up so early?" he asked.
Kendra didn't answer; she just turned around again and tried to huddle in on herself for warmth.
Seth hesitated in the doorway as he debated going out into the cold. He quickly made up his mind and grabbed a random coat that was hanging up by the door, then walked outside and sat on the porch next to his sister.
"Bracken said you'd probably not be up to doing much for a while," he said.
"He was probably right," she answered.
Seth shuffled around where he sat, not quite able to get comfortable. "What happened?" he asked. "I mean, Bracken explained a lot, but I want to hear it from you."
She was silent for a while. "Being there, it just... stirred up a lot of bad memories."
"Like what?"
She hesitated before responding. "Everyone we've known who died. The curse on the Fairy King reenacted all of their deaths. And... I relived the whole Gavin betrayal thing." She blushed a little bit and tried to shrink her face farther into her coat. "I kind of flipped out a little. Bracken told me I needed to mourn."
"First off, if you didn't kick Gavin's butt then I think I might have to disown you," Seth said jokingly. "Second, everything did happen really fast. We didn't have much time to mourn anyone or anything while we were going through it all. And after everything was over, I think we just felt more relieved to finally rest than anything else."
Kendra felt a lump forming in her throat again. She tried to swallow it down, but it refused to budge. As she started sniffling, her brother put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and he rested his head against hers as she cried.
"What is wrong with me?" she asked. "I did this earlier. Why can't I stop?"
Seth didn't answer her, instead opting to remain quiet.
Sunrise found the siblings still huddled together, the tears gone from Kendra's face. The morning brought a quiet peace to their troubled minds as they communed in silence with each other. Kendra eventually drifted off to sleep again, and Seth let her rest until he decided he absolutely could not handle the cold anymore and woke her to shuffle them both inside. Back to the normal world. Back to their routine. But the two siblings couldn't help feeling a little lighter as the day went by; a burden had been shared and subsequently lightened.
Kendra would never replace her brother. And no matter how he might kid around sometimes, Seth would never replace his sister. Not in a million years.
There you go, some mature Seth for you all. :) He's growing.
Let me know what you think. I was nervous about posting this chapter. I won't be able to post another one for probably a few weeks, just FYI.
I may revisit the Gavin thing in a story separate from this one, but probably not. Sorry, I won't ever be bringing him back to life - he's been digested. Brandon Mull said so himself. ;)