Much awaited chapter here. :)

Chapter 18: Agreement

Kendra,

I'm so proud of you. Congratulations on your graduation. You'll always be my best girl (don't tell your mother I said that).

Love,

Dad

P.S. As far as choices go, I guess he's okay. Don't tell your mother I said that, either.

P.P.S. I will never verbally acknowledge what I've revealed in this note beyond the whole "I'm proud of you and I love you" part, so don't even ask.

Kendra laughed a little as she placed the note from her father next to her on the bed. Her mother had given her a small box in private and said that her father had wanted to give it to her today. After taking the package from her mother, Kendra had ducked into the hotel room they were sharing so that she could be alone for a few minutes while she opened it.

Today had been her graduation day. Her entire family and Bracken had turned out for the ceremony, and she had been happy to show them around the town she'd spent the past four years living in afterward. She felt a clear sense of accomplishment and couldn't stop smiling as she crossed the platform to receive her degree and shake hands with the dean.

A few of her college friends – including her roommate, Julie – had organized a trip to the river after the ceremony and intended to stay the night. Kendra's mother had wanted to tag along – "I promise I won't follow you around everywhere; it just sounds peaceful," she'd said – and so they were now staying in a hotel room with a view of the Stillwater River, not far from her school's campus. The rest of her family and Bracken had left for Fablehaven after they'd all had dinner together at a nice restaurant in town.

Evening was falling and stars were making their appearance in the sky as Kendra sat on the bed she'd claimed and opened the gift from her father. Inside was a thin, white gold bracelet with dark pink tourmaline stones embedded in the metal – her birthstone. She smiled as she put the bracelet on and admired it. He really knew her.

She missed him dearly and thought about him every day. It'd been a little over two months since she'd been woken up and rushed to the hospital and her heart still hurt, but she was no longer angry. Some days were harder to get through than others, true, but together with her family she was starting to move forward.

Kendra allowed herself a few minutes to dry her eyes and hide the note from her father somewhere it'd be safe – she never wanted to lose it. Once she was ready to join her friends at the fire pit they'd said they were going to light, she shrugged on a light coat and opened the door to her hotel room.

Before she stepped outside the room, she noticed that a rose was lying on the doormat with a note attached to the stem. She thought it was odd and looked around to see if there was anyone who may have dropped it, but didn't see anyone. Bending down to pick up the rose, she decided to read the note.

All it said was Front Desk. She quirked an eyebrow upward, then decided to stop by the front desk and see if they could shed some light on why she'd received a flower with such a weird note.

As she opened the door to the main lobby of the hotel, the concierge smiled at her and said, "I have your next clue right here." He stepped around the main desk and gave her another rose, which had another note tied to it.

"I think these are for someone else," Kendra said.

"No, they're definitely for you," he responded. She looked confused.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The concierge shrugged his shoulders and continued grinning. "My advice to you is to play along and find out."

"Okay then," she answered skeptically. Despite her tone of voice, butterflies started to fill her stomach. The next note read, Car.

She walked to where her mom's car was parked and found another rose resting on the windshield. This one read, Dock. She turned her head around and found a boat dock nearby. Once she arrived there, she found another rose lying on top of one of the boats that was tethered to the dock. The next note held the word, Elevator. Kendra rolled her eyes as she realized that the only elevator she knew of in the immediate vicinity was back inside the lobby.

As she re-entered the lobby, the concierge again smiled at her. She pressed the button for the elevator and waited a minute before the doors opened. Inside the elevator was a fifth rose and a note that said, Roof. She pressed the button on the panel that would take her to the roof and as the doors closed she wondered idly what could possibly be at the end of the rose trail, then froze as she wondered if Kyle – one of her classmates who had expressed interest in her repeatedly over the past couple of years and had done so again earlier that day – was behind this. She crossed her fingers and hoped that that wasn't the case; otherwise she'd have an awkward conversation to look forward to.

The elevator doors opened and as Kendra stepped out onto the roof, she found a short table with room for two people to eat at and soft cushions to sit on. It was set with a deep red table cloth, two plates and silverware, two champagne glasses, and several candles as well as a vase with more roses in it.

"I'm glad you were able to follow the clues alright," a voice said to her left. She turned her head and noticed Bracken, who was holding an ice bucket that had a bottle of something in it.

Relief flooded her body as she realized Kyle was not the one who had orchestrated all of this.

"What are you doing here?" Kendra asked, smiling at her boyfriend in surprise.

"I wanted to spend a special evening with you," he responded. "It's not every day that you graduate from college, you know." He put the ice bucket down on the ground next to the table and then walked over to where she was, grasping both of her hands in his. "You've accomplished a lot. Tonight is for you." He kissed her softly, then led her over to the table and motioned for her to have a seat on one of the plush cushions. A soft breeze drifted lazily through the air as Kendra made herself comfortable and looked around at everything Bracken had set up. He was so good to her – she felt lucky to have him in her life.

"This is beautiful," she said, motioning at the table setting. "We had dinner earlier, though. Are you still hungry?"

Bracken chuckled. "This is dessert," he replied. "You arrived a couple of minutes before I expected you to – please bear with me while I finish getting ready."

Kendra smiled cheerfully as she watched him briefly bustle about. He turned on some soft piano music from the CD player he had apparently borrowed from the hotel – their logo was emblazoned on the side of it – then retrieved a silver platter that had a matching silver lid over the top of it and brought it to the table. As he removed the lid, he revealed a couple of fruit tarts underneath and placed one on each of the plates on the table.

"There we go," he said as he pulled the empty silver platter and lid away from the table and deposited them neatly on the ground near the CD player. He then took a seat across from Kendra and grinned playfully at her, to which she couldn't help but laugh a little.

Bracken reached for the bottle in the ice bucket and Kendra saw that it was carbonated apple cider – "fake champagne" as he'd called it once. He pulled off the cap on the bottle and poured some into each of their glasses, then replaced the bottle into the bucket to keep it chilled. Lifting his glass, he motioned for her to pick hers up as well. "Congratulations, Kendra," he said. "Here's to a huge accomplishment made and a future of others to come." They clinked their glasses together as she replied, "Thank you… for all of this."

"I love this kind of stuff," he said, waving his hand around. "You should know that by now."

She did know that. He'd made it clear over the years that he enjoyed doting on her and making her feel special. His frequent outward expressions of affection always wound up ultimately providing more fuel to the ever-growing fire of her love for him. She enjoyed returning his signs of affection as well; finding ways to make him happy had become a hobby of hers, whether it was by telling him funny stories or taking him to fun places for dates, or even baking something for him to try out.

"I'm allowed to say thank you," she stated as she picked up her fork and cut into the tart in front of her. It was delicious – a soft crust filled with sweet vanilla custard and topped with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Marla had made one a couple of years ago and ever since Bracken had tasted it, he'd determined that this was his favorite dessert; while he didn't often eat it, it made sense to her why he'd choose it for a special evening. She liked them too, at any rate.

"Kendra, I have to deter to a quick moment of business," Bracken stated after several minutes of idle banter and talk.

She was all ears as she looked at him expectantly. "What is it?" she asked.

"Mother would like to speak with you again the next time you're at Fablehaven," he answered, grinning. "She said she wants to give you a graduation gift as well."

Kendra put her fork down and responded, "She doesn't have to give me anything."

"Yes, I know, but she loves you."

"The last time I spoke with her, she gave me the ability to see auras," Kendra answered. "What is she planning on this time?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

"I just don't want her to spend too much energy on me. I know it weakens her to continuously give me new abilities."

Bracken quirked an eyebrow. "The aura thing wasn't a new ability," he answered. "She just helped unlock what you already had in you. Trust me – the largest amount of energy she will ever expound on you has already been done."

"I just worry about her," Kendra responded. "How's your father doing?"

"He shows signs of improvement steadily," Bracken answered. "He still hasn't woken up, but the healers aren't worried. Plus, several more male imps have reverted back into fairies. None of them have fully woken after going through the transition, but Mother says the sheer fact that more male fairies are emerging is a positive sign of Father's pending recovery."

"I'm glad," she answered. "It'll be interesting to see how the added dynamic of male fairies will change the females' attitudes once he's awake, don't you think?"

Bracken laughed. "I would prepare for a party," he answered. As the next song began, he stood up and pulled Kendra to her feet. "Dance with me?" he asked once she was standing, although by that time he'd already pulled her close and started leading her to the music.

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice in the matter," she grinned. "For the record, I wouldn't have turned you down."

"I know," he answered. "I'm too smooth for you to refuse."

"You've officially been hanging out with Seth too much," she responded coolly.

"Well, you haven't been home," he justified. "Seth is like the little brother I never had."

"It must have been hard for you, growing up with so many women around," Kendra teased and patted his back. "Poor baby."

He cocked his head to the side as if in thought. "It's probably why I'm such a die-hard romantic at heart," he answered. They both laughed at that one and he spun her around. As he pulled her back into his arms, he kissed her forehead.

When the song ended, they walked over to the edge of the roof and sat on the ledge there. The sky was lit up with stars and a bright moon. Kendra watched the sky as a satellite passed through her field of vision, then realized that Bracken was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Umm… Can I help you?" she asked.

"Sorry. I was spacing out there," he responded, shaking his head and smiling embarrassedly.

"I could tell. Penny for your thoughts?"

"I never understood that phrase," he answered. "Does it mean I have to pay you a penny in order for you to listen to me, or do you give me a penny in exchange for the knowledge of what I'm thinking about?"

"I've… never really thought about it," she said. "Does it really matter?"

"No. I was just stalling."

"Stalling what? Why?"

"I love you," Bracken answered. "And I want you to be with me forever." Kendra's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He pushed himself off of the ledge and back onto the roof, then pulled her to her feet and knelt down in front of her. "I'm beyond lucky to have ever met you. You've brought me so much joy and peace. And no matter how much you give, you always want to give more. You're selfless, you care about everyone around you, and you are virtuous to the core. Integrity, honesty and courage are your banners. I couldn't ask for someone more perfect for me, and trust me – I've spent many years looking. I'm so glad to have finally found you." He paused for a quick moment and continued. "I never thought anything good would come out of me being in a deep, dark prison for so many terrible years. But then you happened – Kendra, I would patiently relive all of those miserable years if it meant I could have you for the rest of my life. I want to marry you."

Kendra was speechless. She had not expected this, at least not tonight at any rate. Her thoughts raced at the speed of light as she gaped at him and had to fight back both the urge to burst into tears and simultaneously start laughing out of happy surprise.

Bracken grinned as he could feel her overwhelming emotions through his contact with her hands. He stood up and embraced her, holding her close. "I love you," he said as he kissed the top of her head. "Please say you'll be my bride."

Kendra couldn't decide what type of a reaction to have and before she knew it, she was laughing through tears. "Yes," she answered. "Yes, I'll marry you. Yes!"

He picked her up and spun her around, then kissed her regardless of her tears as he sat her back down. Bracken couldn't stop smiling. Pulling her away from him for a moment, he reached into his pocket and extracted a ring – a white gold band with a dark pink tourmaline stone as the elevated centerpiece and small diamonds all around it. Kendra gasped when she saw it – it matched the bracelet her father had given her perfectly.

"I talked to him at the beginning of the year," Bracken said, seemingly reading her mind as he pulled her close again once he'd slipped the ring on her finger. "I told him I planned to propose to you on your graduation day. Your mother was there, too."

Kendra couldn't respond – sheer emotion had overcome her ability to speak as she connected the dots.

P.S. As far as choices go, I guess he's okay. Don't tell your mother I said that, either.

P.P.S. I will never verbally acknowledge what I've revealed in this note beyond the whole "I'm proud of you and I love you" part, so don't even ask.

Her father had approved. That's all she could think – he had approved! She'd felt slightly torn between Bracken and her father for a very long time and relief flooded her to know that her father had actually been alright with Bracken, even if he never would have willingly admitted it.

"He had one condition – he wanted you to be able to wear his bracelet without you having the excuse to take it off because it clashed with your ring. Considering that I had been half expecting him to throw me out of the house instead of talk to me, I was more than happy to accommodate that wish of his. Apparently he'd given you a necklace before? He kept going on about how he didn't appreciate the one I gave you because you rarely wore his. Your mother kept telling him to shut up about it."

Kendra was a mess. The story Bracken told was making her laugh and simultaneously pulling at her heart strings.

"He loved you more than anything," Bracken stated. "I promised to do the same."

"I have – have never laughed and… cried at the same time," Kendra said through shuddering breaths. "It's like I don't know what to feel, so I'm feeling everything all at once."

"Good feelings though, right?" he asked, smiling at her.

"The best," she responded. She kissed him quickly and then they both returned to the ledge of the roof.

"A long time ago," Bracken began as they stood next to each other and looked out over the river, "I promised you that when I proposed, the whole world would know."

She looked at him quizzically, not understanding where this was going.

"I wasn't lying," he said. He grasped her left hand in his and responded, "This is the part where everyone finds out." He lifted her hand to his face, inhaled deeply, whispered "I choose her" in the secret fairy language and slowly exhaled across the ring on her finger.

Kendra's spine tingled. She could tell that he'd just done something magical, although she wasn't exactly sure what.

"By morning there won't be a single magical being who doesn't know that the son of the Fairy Queen has found his mate ," he announced proudly.

The next evening found Bracken in the courtyard outside of his family's quarters in the fairy kingdom. He was sitting on the ground and appeared to be deep in thought; his first horn was grasped in his left hand and his right hand cradled three small golden seeds.

"Bracken?"

He turned around and saw his mother walking toward him. As she drew close to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder. He stood up and faced her.

"What do you have in your hand?" she asked. He opened his right hand and showed her the seeds. She looked only mildly surprised to see them there. "Where did you find them?"

"Inside a mountain in Malaysia," he answered. "When I was helping Seth retrieve Jorak's Amulet. They were just laying on a shelf – I couldn't believe it."

"May I?" she asked, extending her hand. Bracken gave her the seeds and she examined them.

"They aren't cursed," she said after a short time. "Indeed, they are authentic." She gave them back to her son. "What do you intend to do with them?"

He held up his left hand, where his first horn was held.

"I see." The Queen looked off into the sunset for a long moment before speaking again. "You do understand this will effectively destroy your first horn, correct?"

"More like transform it into something else, but yes," Bracken replied seriously.

She returned her gaze to meet his and smiled at him as she reached out and placed her hand against the side of his face. "You have my blessing," she stated. "I'm proud of you."

"Do you think it will work?" Bracken asked.

The Queen nodded her head slowly as she turned around and began to walk away. "Perhaps more effectively than you understand at this time," she said in parting. "Your sacrifice could very well have more repercussions than you can see. Positive repercussions, I daresay."

Bracken watched as his mother left him alone again, then knelt to the ground. He stared at his first horn and then whispered a few unintelligible words to it before using it to dig a hole into the dirt. Once he had a hole that was deep enough to insert the entire horn and cover it by a good two or three inches, he muttered a few more words and deposited the horn into the ground along with the golden seeds and covered them back up with the soil he had piled to the side.

The unicorn then withdrew his second horn and drew a circle around the hole he had just covered up and concentrated. His horn glowed a soft greenish hue and a minute later when he opened his eyes, there was a small sprout protruding from the ground. Bracken smiled softly and reached for a bowl of water he had carried outside previously and slowly poured the water around the tiny plant.

I kept trying to fit in a comment from Kendra that had something to do with, "What, are you going to post a viral video to YouTube or something?" when Bracken was talking about telling the whole world, but I couldn't seem to make it jive with the rest of the passage so I left it out. Haha. :) Oh well... I'll have other opportunities to insert some of Kendra's dry humor.

I hope you enjoyed! More fluff to come soon in future chapters. :) I'm afraid the next chapter likely won't be up for a few weeks per my normal schedule.