Hello! This story was one I'd originally started on the kink-meme a looong time ago and never got around to finishing (hell, I didn't get very far in the first place. =A=;;), but I had so many ideas for it and decided I'd give it another go, now that I'm older and (perhaps) wiser with a little more understanding that planning is very neccessary. xD It may be slow going, but I have known and enjoyed many fics that follow that route so my hope is that you, dear reader, will hang in there and enjoy this too. Another reason I am posting here is for feedback- I would be ever so appreciative of any reviews, comments, and suggestions to help me improve.

With that, I better get on and let you read this, hadn't I?


- Prologue -

Feet pounded against the soft earth as the two boys ran through the forest, ignoring the burning protest of their smoke-filled lungs, their breathing coming short and sharp against the back of their throats. Dodging low-hanging tree branches and creeping undergrowth, they tried not to drift too far from each other as they fled their pursuers. Separation in this forest while they weren't paying attention would no doubt be the end of them both.

The sound of the horses had slowly come to a halt and the older of the two knew they were now past the border, far enough into the darker depths of the wood that animals from outside feared to tread any further. Still, he dragged his cousin on, not doubting the persistence of the men on horseback.

The younger had begun to stumble every so often after a few more minutes of panicked flight, the muscles in his legs straining against the prolonged over-exertion and he pleaded with the other boy for rest, the hunters would not find their unmarked path now. The older nodded, pointing ahead to the gap in the trees which showed the lake glittering in the moonlight, the mountains on either side cast in shadow.

Shaky, relieved sighs escaped them when their feet touched the cool water, though there were no smiles. Too much had been lost tonight for there to be any cheer when the soft glow from the water brightened and the water faeries rose to dance around them in welcome. Their voices turning into a soothing melody as the pair rested and waited.

They climbed into the small boat that eventually drifted over, slumping down onto the straw-padded seat, and looked back to the way they had come, watching the thick tendrils of smoke curl their way up in the sky. The dirty grey highlighted from below by the fire even now consuming their village.

Their choked sobs filled the air as the faeries flitted around them, washing their dirtied and burned skin, offering water to drink, petting their tear-stained faces and singed hair as the boat slowly made its way across the water, the fey-lantern hanging from the front guiding its way.

Exhaustion quickly caught up with the pair and they drifted off with the help of the faeries' soothing gestures and wishes for a dreamless sleep, and the boys woke up a few hours later to find they had passed between the mountains and arrived on the far bank.

Green eyes flicked worriedly to dark blue before gazing to the forest entrance, faint balls of light hovered through the trees, beckoning them in.

"It's like the wood was waiting for us, Leif..." There was a hint of wonder in the younger's voice. He had never been so far across the border before. The other boy's mouth twisted ever so slightly into a wry, bitter smile.

"So it would appear, Arthur."


Leif = Norway