Kendra could not believe what she had just agreed to. A betrothal? To the Prince of Aldera for crying out loud. That imbecile was the snootiest, snobbiest guy she had ever heard of. She didn't even remember his name! And she just agreed to marry him. Yet, deep down Kendra knew she wouldn't regret it, knew she would choose her people over love a thousand times over. It was just hard to accept when your future would consist of a stuck-up brat.

The princess said her goodbyes to Seth and was led down a varying path to a pink door. One of the two servants guiding her relayed, "This is your new room, Your Highness. Necessities such as clothes and bathing quarters are found inside. We will leave you to get comfortable with your new surroundings." The Faeries turned and left Kendra to her own devices. She wondered if the pink door was a coincidence, or if they knew it was her favorite color.

She turned the handle and pushed the door open to find a massive room covered in pink. A pink king-sized bed, pink vanity, pink rugs, pink curtains, and pink vases filled with pink flowers. Kendra thought it got a little out of hand when she noticed that even the candles were pink. The princess crossed the threshold, closing the door behind her. She walked around the spacious quarters inspecting the items on the vanity and the clothes in the wardrobe. Kendra was happy to find that not every item of clothing was doused in pink, as she did enjoy some variety.

The moment she had completed the thought a few particular items, including the candles, switched colors. Some things turned white, some green, and some blue. Giving the room another glance she felt it was better than the pink explosion. She could get used to staying here, especially if she could redecorate at will! But that came at the cost of living with the prince. Ugh.

On that note, Kendra closed the wardrobe and started towards the door. She wanted to prolong their meeting as long as possible, and the queen had invited her to explore Aldera. It would also allow her to explore a foreign culture, something that always fascinated the princess. Killing two birds with one stone, she covered her not-pointed-ears with her hair and found her way out of the castle into a whole new world.

Bracken's POV

Well, shit. He had gotten himself into quite the entanglement. An embarrassing one, at that. He had successfully recovered the key to Vasilis and was on his way back when he realized his mother would never let him keep it. So Bracken landed in one of the castle gardens he frequented and started to hide the item in the nearest bush. He didn't think he'd get stuck, especially cause it was such a meager shrub.

The key was silver and about as big as his hand, so he figured if he shoved it far enough it would be out of sight, where he would then top it off with a weak distraction spell. Yet right as he was in the thick of the branches the plant grew thorns out of nowhere, entrapping him in place. The prince couldn't believe himself. He just hoped he'd manage to free himself before someone stumbled upon his unsightly predicament.

Kendra's POV

Instead of what she originally planned Kendra found herself in one of the many gardens surrounding the castle, astounded by their beauty. There were dancing daffodils, color-changing tulips, glass roses, and so many more enchanting plants. She found wonder and beauty everywhere as she stopped by each flower, basking in their heavy aromas.

As the princess was eying glittering diamonds growing on a tree a rustling noise to her right caught her attention. Kendra stopped in her tracks, listening intently for a sign of where the sound originated. And there it was again, but this time a grunt and a sharp "ow" in a male's voice followed it.

Curious, Kendra drew closer, navigating through trees and shrubs alike. There was more rustling and another disgruntled complaint, this time a few feet in front of her. There she saw a pair of legs sticking out of a bush, and the princess had to stop herself from laughing. No wonder she would find something like this in Fae territory.

Pitying the Faerie she called out, "Hello?", announcing her presence. Upon hearing it the man nearly jumped, but couldn't as he was still trapped.

"Who are you?" he asked, surprise lacing his voice.

"One of the neighbors," (ha. get it?) Kendra replied, "Who are you?"

"Uhh, doesn't matter. I, uh, hate to ask but… could you help me? I'm in quite a mess at the moment," he chuckled.

She couldn't help but giggle when she asked, "How did you end up here anyway?"

The boy paused for a moment before answering. "I thought I had seen something in the middle of the bush and got curious. But as I had dug my way through I found nothing of note while thorns suddenly grew out of every branch, keeping me here. Just my luck, right?" he said, laughing again.

"Well I suppose we don't want you to be here all day…" she decided.

The boy let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Kendra stepped closer, analyzing the situation. "If I lifted a couple of branches do you think you could wiggle yourself free?"

He paused, thinking. "Perchance."

"You can't just say perchance."

"What?"

"Never mind." And she moved to lift the branches near his head and arms. In the process, she got pricked and let out a sharp hiss.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a surprising amount of concern in his tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can you move now?"

The rustling started up again but this time progress was made. Bit by bit more of the Faerie was revealed, and the more Kendra could find herself staring. At first glance you could tell he was very fit, his tight shirt outlining his muscles. Muscles, yet not overly ripped either. But the real kicker was his face. As he pulled himself completely out of the bush she noted his strong jaw first. When he turned towards her she found soft lips and silvery blue eyes, his face framed by choppy silver hair. He was probably the most attractive guy the princess had ever laid eyes on.

The boy paused, looking at her while getting up off the ground, holding his hand out to her, his palm facing up. "Thank you, again. My name is Bracken, and yours is?" The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place from where.

"Kendra," the princess replied. She took his hand and was surprised when he held it up to his lips. Even worse, she could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks and a flutter in her stomach. Who knew the Fae could be so charming? If she had to marry one she would most definitely pick Bracken over the prince any day.

"Well, Kendra," he started with a smile, lowering her hand, "may I ask what you were doing all the way out here?"

"Oh you know, I was just exploring the grounds. I've never seen such pretty flowers before!"

"What do you mean? These flowers are everywhere in Aldera."

Shit. How was she gonna get away with this? "Well I mean there's a few in here I haven't seen before," Kendra replied, laughing nervously.

"Okay… anyways, where are you headed?"

Oh, he's definitely suspicious. "Oh, just north, towards the castle a bit."

"Perfect! I'm headed in that direction myself. Care to walk with me? It's the least I can do after you saved me." He held out his arm in invitation and she took it. The princess could feel heat in her cheeks as they walked, arm in arm. Linking arms wasn't too bad, right? And it's not like she had met her betrothed yet. She could have fun while the moment lasted. Still, she wished the feeling could last forever.

Bracken's POV

Bracken looked to his right, where a beautiful girl held his arm. Of course, out of anyone that could have found him, it was a drop-dead gorgeous stranger. She didn't seem to be holding his embarrassing predicament against him though, which was a small relief. Especially because he couldn't help the swoop in his stomach whenever he looked at her. He struggled to stop staring at her wavy brown hair, covering her ears but not hiding her radiant emerald eyes, not hiding the freckles dotting her face. And most certainly not hiding her supple lips, colored a light pink. Those lips were doing their damndest to keep his gaze from straying.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts he realized Kendra was speaking, and he felt a blush creeping up out of embarrassment. "Sorry, come again?"

"I said 'So Bracken, what do you like to do for fun?'," she repeated.

"Oh! Well, I love to explore. Aldera is big, and I wish to see all of its wonders. I hate the feeling of being locked away inside. Instead, I like the feeling of sunlight on my skin and the whisper of wind on my wings. What about you?"

The girl paused before responding. "While I do enjoy the outdoors, I somewhat feel the opposite. I love to stay inside, making pastries, reading books, and painting."

"Well, if we cross paths again perhaps we could show each other our hobbies? We could make pastries together and I could take you to the lake?" Nerves racked him as he voiced his wishes. He ventured into the wilderness on his own daily, and yet this girl was what made him nervous.

She smiled at his words. Bracken decided at that moment that he would do anything to keep that smile from fading.

"I would like that a lot," replied Kendra.

The two of them continued to talk, and he managed to make her smile quite a few more times before they reached the castle gates.

"Well, this is me," the prince said, unable to help wanting to stay with her, wanting her company for hours on end.

A look of surprise graced the girl's face. "What is your business in the castle?" she asked.

Uh-oh. He did not want her to treat him differently, knowing he was a prince, as she clearly hadn't recognized him yet. "Oh, nothing important," Bracken drawled. Suspicion filled her eyes and her smile faded a bit. He hated to see that beautiful smile go. But he'd rather that than lose her familiarity altogether. She then smiled again, this one seeming less bright, less real.

"I'm actually headed to the castle as well," she stated. That lost him. She didn't seem like a servant, for he would have noticed her beauty and charm beforehand. And she would have recognized him the second he shimmied out of that bush. There was some event going on, visitors in the castle if he could just remember… Fablehaven. The royal family from Fablehaven was visiting. Feeling a slight panic, he glanced toward her ears. He found them covered by her luscious hair, as they had been their entire walk.

Bracken opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. "Where did you say you were from again?"

Kendra's eyes widened. "Oh, you know, around here."

Kendra. Now he remembered. That was the name of their princess. How could he be so stupid?! And how had she not recognized him? And she didn't seem like a snob? She was charming, nice even.

"I don't think Fablehaven is around here," he replied in an amused tone, despite the conflict of emotions within.

The girl's beautiful eyes narrowed. "How long have you known?"

"I just figured it out, princess," he said, making 'princess' sound more like a nickname rather than a title.

She stepped back, startled. "Prince Bracken. You're Prince Bracken." She put her hand to her mouth in shock and turned around. "We were not supposed to meet like this."

He furrowed his brow. "Why not?"

She turned to face him again, confusion written on her exquisite face. "Hasn't your mother told you?"

"Told me what?" The prince asked, growing more concerned by the second.

She blanched. "At least I got a choice..," she muttered to herself.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kendra looked him dead in the eye and said, "To save my kingdom from sickness I agreed to marry you. It seems you were not made aware that your mother was auctioning you off."

Bracken took a step back in disbelief. His mother wouldn't do that, would she? Or maybe she would, finally giving him a greater punishment. Despair and dread filled him. He was just crushing over this girl, but she was the princess of Fablehaven for crying out loud. And his mother didn't even consult him! But.. he did start to really like Kendra, he reasoned with himself. And he knew rumors could be nasty, forming all of his opinions of the princess. Maybe she wasn't so bad. After all, the girl had just said that she agreed to the betrothal to save her kingdom. For that sentiment alone she deserved better treatment from him. All he's done for his kingdom is explore it.

"I would like to confirm this with my mother," he finally answered, "Would you join me? Seen as you are supposedly my betrothed," he said, lips turning upwards.

Kendra nodded, showing no sign of the aloof girl from before, clasping her hands together instead of onto his arm, and started for the castle. Perhaps she had heard rumors about him as well. It was likely, due to the rivalry between kingdoms. Still, he wished she would look at him the way she did before, and brighten the world with that smile once more.