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The thunder punctuated Kendra's impact to the ground. She barely had a second to protect her head before she was gasping for breath—the ground had knocked the wind out of her.

A dozen thoughts whizzed around her head, dazing her like the tilt of her gaze. She could've just been struck by lightning. She could've been dead. No second chances. Zip. Zilch. Dead.

Her last moments could have been riding on a horse with Garreth. Warm and content. Not too bad in the grand scheme of her life's moments. Nonetheless, the lightning hadn't hit her.

Instead, it had split the tree in front of her.

Glory's neigh rang through the atmosphere, mimicking the roar of the sky. It was a familiar call soured melancholy as Glory raced into the brush. A deep tug in Kendra's gut longed to call for her horse, but she was still trying to catch her breath.

Wood creaked and the tree that was struck began to fall. No, no, no, no. Leaves rustled as each piece of bark began to break away. Panic overtook her breathing, and it shredded her throat like a knife.

She rolled to the side, the mud slurping against her dress. She didn't roll far enough before one of the thick boughs of the tree crashed onto her leg.

The crash deafened her ears—but still wasn't as loud as her limb's pained screams. The heaves of her body scratched herself against the huge tree.

Once her vision sharpened, she found a plant next to her. With her eyes locked on the sapling mounted in the mud, she managed to wrangle her breathing to somewhat normal. Raindrops slid off its two leaves.

What a tiny seedling. Did it rejoice for the other tree's departure? Surely it must enjoy the greater sunlight and nutrients to reap. Unless the joy of more resources didn't trump the mourning of a fellow tree. Kendra would agree; greed didn't defeat grief. Her golden crown nonetheless came from blood.

"Kendra!"

"Garreth," she whispered. His voice was a lifeline.  After a moment, she swallowed. "Garreth!"

She pulled herself into a sitting position and pulled her leg out from under the tree bough, nearly blacking out from the movement's agony.

Great. She wasn't just bruised and battered, something was actually wrong.

Kendra grasped at her skirt. Whether her skirt was wet from blood or rain, she didn't know. What she did know was that her shin was a bloody mess. The red mixed with the clear rain, forming a river into the dirt and her dark-colored skirt.

Her clammy hand closed over her leg with a whimper behind clenched teeth. She closed her eyes and barely pushed out the incantation for "life."

Once she uttered the sounds, the hum of life and nature all around her strengthened. With concentration, Kendra pulled the surrounding energy into her leg.

The agony in her leg hurt less, but she had nowhere near the strong stream of magic she needed to pull to fix it. Pulling that amount was made difficult by the constant thunder and wet clothes and pounding headache. Besides, that amount of energy would cause her to pass out on a bad day. Which this definitely was.

"Kendra! Are you okay?" Garreth's voice made her slip her skirt back over her leg.

Her wound was closed but Kendra wasn't medically skilled enough to know if that was enough. She wished Tanu had come to Terrabelle so he could have helped her. Maybe Vanessa's veterinary knowledge would transfer. Terrabelle probably had a court physician, but Kendra wasn't keen to let their royal court know she had an injury.

"Yes, I'm fine," Kendra raised her voice. "Where are you?"

A figure appeared in the brush. Kendra internally winced as he crushed the sapling that had pulled her out of her panic earlier. He stopped before her and looked around, his sopping coils swishing with the movement of his head. "Did Glory run off?"

"Yeah," Kendra glanced at the bushes flattened from Glory's speedy departure. "We can't make it back to the city on foot."

"No," Garreth bent down and held a hand out for her. "But I have a treehouse around here."

"A treehouse?" Kendra raised an eyebrow as she took his hand. She offset her leg by using her upper body to pull up. It hurt, but she could manage.

He pulled her up to his chest. She hadn't noticed the green flecks in his eyes before. "For me and Eve. When we were younger. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure." Kendra dropped his gaze and took a step back, placing all her weight on her good leg. She also placed all her emotional weight on getting back to Terrabelle and not the way his hand felt in hers. Or the way his concern shined in his eyes and warmed her heart. "Lead the way."

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She stuck her tongue between her teeth to stop the chattering only minutes in. Fortunately, it wasn't long before a wooden structure came into view. It was hard to tell where the treehouse began and the tree ended, years of overgrowth mingling the two.

It wasn't much, but Kendra had frozen like a popsicle under all the wind and rain; a warm, dry space sounded amazing.

She stopped at the ladder and relished the end of her step by step pain.

Garreth gestured to the rungs. "You go up first, so I can catch you if you fall."

The wooden ladder was nailed to the tree bark, disappearing into the foliage. Kendra wasn't sure if her frosted fingers would even close around the rungs. Or if she could drag her leg up without hurting herself too much. Her shoulders slumped.

As with every challenge, she took it moment by moment. She overcame each rung and was soon at the top.

The treehouse was small. A few papers sat in the corner. But most importantly, it was dry. She brought herself to the farthest corner and imagined a young Garreth and his sister sharing the space. She wondered how long it had been since childish laughter had brightened the place.

Kendra ghosted her fingers over the pile of papers. What was it doing here?

"Don't touch that, please."

Kendra looked up to see Garreth make his way inside. "Okay. Why not?"

"They're drawings from when I was a little kid. They're embarrassing." He folded his legs opposite her corner, his hands rubbing his neck.

"You're an artist?" What would've caught a young Garreth's attention enough to draw it? Kendra herself wasn't much of an artist. After her parents died, she was ushered into political and magical teachings even more so than before. She kind of skipped over the whole childhood thing.

"I was an artist as a kid. Royal duties and politics take up most of my time now."

Kendra ruefully smiled. "Nothing like trying to figure out if someone is withholding information, misleading you, or lying to take up your time." She shifted into the corner, careful of the drawings, to allow him more space to sit. "I hate playing politics."

"Me too." His eyes landed on the pile as he shifted into a more comfortable position. "You can...you can check them out if you want."

Kendra smiled at his bashfulness.

The papers were brittle in her hands. Water mottled the corners and the edges were torn. What wasn't ruined, however, was the four stick figures.

It was silent as Kendra ran her fingers over the divets of the color. "Is this your family?"

Garreth scooted to sit beside her and to see the paper. "Yeah." His finger followed the crowns on their heads. "Me, my sister. My dad, and, uh, my mom. Before—well—she—"

Kendra laid her hand on his shoulder. A little boy caught up in his family didn't seem too different from the one she knew today. "I love the artistry here."

Garreth breathlessly laughed as his fingers brushed over the wax. "I even gave her the earrings she used to wear."

Kendra smiled. "My mom always wore these elaborate, heavy earrings with jewels and stuff. Whenever I tried even one on, my entire head tilted sideways."

Garreth smiled. "Sounds like you were quite fashionable, I see."

"Sure," Kendra picked up another drawing. It showed the family again. This time with a—was that a dog or a misshapen mailbox? Hard to tell. "Common subjects, huh?"

"I adored my family. I, uh, still do. It's just different without my mom. She was the one that pulled everyone together. But I was just a kid when I lost her, so it's not much different."

Kendra nodded. "The first morning I woke up without my parents was the weirdest thing. It was like everything was slightly different. Wrong. Everything was inverted."

"The sun doesn't shine quite as bright." Garreth leaned against the wall, his arm brushing her. "Or feel as warm."

Kendra nodded as she managed the waves of emotion rising. It had been a while since she'd truly allowed herself to think of her parents' death. The rain provided a curtain between the tree house and the rest of the world. Maybe that was why Kendra indulged in vulnerability foreign to her.

"My life would be so much easier with them, I think," Kendra confessed. She released a breath. "If I just had a minute," her voice cracked and she stopped.

If she had a minute, what would she even say? Would they be proud of her? Scared of her? Disappointed?

Their little girl without a kingdom, imbued with danger every which way.

Her eyes burned and she knew her next blink would leave a river down her face. Show strength, her grandparents would say.

"We should start a dead parent club." Garreth mused amidst Kendra's choked laughter.

"It would be a bit depressing with the rain." Her fingers wiped the wetness from her face.

"Ah, but you see, that only adds atmosphere. Who's going to talk about death on sunny days?"

Kendra drew her legs closer, her laughter turning into a hiss after a shock of pain. She had almost forgotten about her leg.

Garreth sat up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kendra said, her body tight like a coil.

"I'm not inclined to believe you, honestly."

Kendra raised her eyebrows as an answer.

"Seriously, are you okay?"

Kendra looked at his face, ready to lie, but the sincerity in his eyes stole the words out of her mouth. "I—My leg hurts a bit, I guess."

Garreth stood up quickly, the warmth leaving her side.

"Wait," Kendra frowned.

"Miss me already?" Garreth turned around, flashing a smile.

"No." Kendra upturned her nose and studied the planks to her left. She could almost make out faces in the curves of the wood's grain. "Never."

Garreth laughed. "I have medical supplies around here somewhere."

Kendra surveyed the empty room, disbelief leaking into her voice "Are you sure?"

He crouched in the corner and pulled up a latch. His hand went into the hole and came out with a bag. Victorious, he smiled.

"Okay, maybe you do."

"Where's the injury?"

Kendra folded her skirts up to reveal her shin. He crossed the room to her leg.

An expletive Kendra never thought would come out of the prince's mouth graced her ears. "You walked on that?"

"It's not that bad."

"You're actually insane," he muttered. He knelt next to the wound.

Kendra shivered as his fingers traced the cut and purpled bruising.

Garreth took the cloth out of the kit. He walked over to the ladder opening and leaned the cloth into the rain. His white shirt was stuck to his chest, its billowed sleeves now accentuating his physique. Not that Kendra noticed, of course.

Kendra took the moment to shed her furry coat. It was now muddy and disgusting, but it had served its purpose well.

Garreth returned to his kneel and gently cleaned the wound with his washcloth. "How many nights of refuge are you going to ask my father for this evening?"

The rag stung and pulled on Kendra's skin, but she focused on his words. The reminder of his relation to the King made her frown. "Indefinitely, hopefully. But at least a week. I want to receive correspondence from my grandparents before we set out on our next destination."

"Well," Garreth brushed his sopping hair out of his eyes as he looked at her. "You can't leave without letting me show you Terrabelle's theater. Elise—you know Elise?"

Kendra shook her head with a smile. His curly hair looked like he had been licked by a dog.

"Elise is this great musician. She's currently doing the music for a play there for the next few days. I haven't seen it yet." A cold, oily substance shocked the wound. Kendra stilled as he spread it.

"What's the play about?"

"Star-crossed lovers and," Garreth smiled and paused to do jazz hands. "Magic."

Small laughter warmed Kendra's cheeks. "Do they get a happy ending?"

"No," Garreth rummaged in the sack for bandages. "They get a cathartic ending."

Kendra frowned. "That sounds like a sad ending."

"It's not about the ending," Garreth stuck out his leg to elevate Kendra's leg so he could begin wrapping. "It's about the journey."

"What's the point of having a journey if it ends in sadness?"

"I'm not a scholar who could answer your question, but it's always better to try. Otherwise," Garreth shrugged. "There can be no successful journeys without failures."

Rain pattered against the wooden roof. Kendra's voice quietened when she spoke up again. "I'd love to watch it with you."

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The rain hadn't stopped yet but the two had taken the time to ring the water out of most of their clothes. It made for a more comfortable seat as they traded stories.

"If this doesn't let up," Kendra's shoulder touched Garreth's. Not on purpose, of course, they had just kind of drifted closer. "We can always try to brave walking back."

"I'm afraid you're going to hurt yourself if we do that."

"Your fears are unfounded."

Garreth pointedly looked at the bandages covering the purple and blue darkening her skin. Her skirt was still hiked up so as to not dampen the gauze. "Somehow I don't think they are."

"What, so a branch hit me? I must have passed a thousand branches between here and the waterfall. What's one divided by a thousand? A minuscule probability that you do not need to worry about," Kendra crossed her arms, knocking his elbows in the process. "I assure you."

"Now who taught you math?" Garreth teased. "I sense a witch."

A little too on the nose, Kendra thought, as she rolled his joke away with her eyes. "If we don't leave, we'll be stuck here."

"I'm sure the knights will find us eventually."

"Eventually."

"Eventually," Garreth placated. "I'd usually use the sun to tell time but the sky is completely gray."

"Well, we can't stay here forever."

"No," Garreth sighed. "Especially with your leg."

She had conceded that it was slightly serious. That branch had got her good. The bruises that peeked out of the bandage promised pain. Once she got back to Terrabelle, she could begin some sweet, sweet healing rituals. The grimoire had a whole section dedicated to healing.

However, at the moment, returning to the castle didn't seem enticing. Once she got back, she would have to deal with the king and their meeting. It was so frustrating to negotiate with that man. Maybe she could bring Seth if he agreed to not be too abrasive. He could be helpful.

Thankfully, she didn't have to ponder that yet.

In the treehouse, she could just focus on how warm her shoulder was against Garreth's and the lullaby of rain.

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Kendra dreamt of floating—it was nice. Any dream is nice. Escaping into another world was a blessing. Especially in this half-awake sort of dream where she was aware of the shoulder's warmth she rested on. The contact sent giddy butterflies straight to her stomach.

She hadn't been floating in her dream for nearly long enough before Garreth woke her up. "Kendra? Are you awake? I can hear someone."

"Who?" Kendra lifted her head off his shoulder trying to hear the "someone". Faint voices broke through the slowing rain. "They're saying our names."

Garreth nodded and walked to the opening. "I'm pretty sure I recognize the loud voice as Lockland, one of my father's knights."

Kendra stood up next to him. A shout struck a chord of familiarity. "That's Seth."

"We should probably get down." Garreth crouched next to the ladder. "I'll go first. I can catch you if you fall."

"Go ahead," Kendra said. "But I won't fall."

Garreth smiled and disappeared down the rungs. Kendra soon followed and the two surveyed the forest. The rain had slowed to a drizzle.

"The voices are getting faint." Kendra's heart began to beat against her chest.

"They may be veering off."

"Seth!" Kendra's voice cracked. Swallowing, she tried again. "Seth!"

"Lockland!" Garreth then put his fingers to his lips and whistled.

The chorus continued to become more discernible until Seth broke through the brush. "Kendra?"

Kendra's shoes traversed the clearing and her arms tackled Seth. He stumbled but wrapped his arms back. "I'm glad you're okay, but you look like a drowned cat, Kendra."

Kendra broke from his hold and looked him up and down. "So do you. Why are you not wearing a rain cloak?"

Seth opened his mouth to answer, but his attention was caught by a figure in a hood walking past.

"Who's that?" Kendra asked. The cloak was obviously for the rain, but it had mostly stopped at this point. Plus, anyone who could grab Seth's attention ought to be interesting.

The figure removed their hood, revealing a coily head of hair, and hugged Garreth.

"Eve?" Kendra mouthed.

He nodded and they both walked over to the Terrabelle royalty.

"So, what? You bribed Lockland to come along?"

"He didn't realize it was me until halfway through," Eve shrugged. "What was he to do?"

"No help from your new friend though, huh?"

"None at all," Seth butted in. "Didn't see a thing."

Kendra outstretched her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Eve. I'm Kendra."

Eve shook her hand. "I'm glad you're alright. My brother has a knack for disastrous dates."

"Oh yeah," Garreth put up a finger. "Did you bring a medic?"

"I'm fine," Kendra stressed.

"What happened?" Seth grabbed and inspected her arms like they were going to explode or something. So dramatic.

Kendra tugged them away. "I got caught under a branch. I don't need a medic."

Garreth gave her a dubious look. She returned an exasperated one. She did not need Terrabelle's royalty and court to know she was even slightly hurt. Good thing she was already failing at that objective, Kendra thought.

"Glory, our horse," Garreth explained to Seth. "Got spooked and threw us off. Lightning struck a tree and it fell on Kendra's leg. We walked for quite a bit before ending up here."

Seth scrunched up his face. "Why were you both on Glory?"

"My horse got spooked, too."

"Sounds like a fun date," Eve said.

"Your graces." Kendra had never been more thankful for an interruption from a soldier. "Your carriage is waiting."

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Eve was a very interesting person. For someone so rarely seen out, she had this adventurous spirit bursting at the seams. There was no doubt in Kendra's mind that the full person had yet to be uncovered. 

The carriage ride wasn't unpleasant. Kendra and Seth faced Garreth and Eve. The majority of the time was spent watching the two youngsters narrate the dramatic tale of what they risked on their rescue.

At one point, Seth threw his hand to his forehead and melted onto Kendra. "So much rain! We didn't know if we'd make it out alive."

"It was truly terrible. If I wasn't such an amazing, humble sister, I wouldn't have gone." Eve agreed. "So, how did you all fare?"

Kendra looked at Garreth. "Not too bad."

"Not as harrowing as you two." The million-watt smile that had seemed so ingenuine on the night she arrived now just seemed perfect on Garreth's countenance. Even when worries pinned down her heart like a butterfly on display, that smile made them all go away.

Hopefully, she'll be able to see that smile tomorrow.

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thank you for reading!

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