Chapter 2

Mischief and Friendship

Spiros looked around the large room that was dining hall, for a kid used to eating all his meals next to a campfire. This was a big shift from the norm. Merida was trying to get her three brothers (Harris, Hubert and Hamish) to sit down so that the family could eat in peace. King Fergus and Queen Elinor were conversing about various developments involving the other three clans. The young traveler wasn't very concerned about that, he was too busy looking at Merida.

She seemed like a very nice energetic girl, although there was something about her eyes that showed him who she really was. She was independent, fiercely loyal, adventurous and someone who was not afraid to speak her mind. Apart from a similarity or two, they were polar opposites. He was cautious, shy and could only be brave under extreme circumstances. Although he hadn't always been like that...but those days were over. He had the curse to prove it.

He quickly realized he had been staring at the princess for at least a minute if not more some decided to socialize with his hosts.

"You guys have an awful lot of wood carvings." He said.

Merida chuckled and the King and Queen grinned.

"Funny story about that..." The Princess said sheepishly.

Then a group of servants entered the room, carrying trays of food.

They served everyone before retreating into various areas of the castle to do chores.

The family and their guest ate mostly in silence, asking an occasional question before returning to enjoying their meal.

"Do you like the haggis, lad?" Fergus asked Spiros.

"Yeah, it tastes like cattle." He replied with a smile.

"Well actually, it's a boiled sheep stomach." Merida explained.

"Interesting..." The traveler replied.

"Merida, I almost forgot. The boys are going log sledding today. I was wondering if you could go with them, since your father took them last time." The Queen asked her daughter.

"Sounds like fun, would you care to join us Spiros?" The Princess asked.

"Sure, I've never been log sledding before." He replied.

"I did it all the time when I was a young man, it's definitely a way to get some hair on your chest." Fergus explained.

"Well since all of you have are done with breakfast, you're excused." Elinor told the five children.

They all got up and made their way out the door. After going to leave his shield with his Griffin, Spiros rejoined Merida and The Triplets. The hiked through the forest in relative silence, observing various birds and other wildlife.

"So what's your story, Princess?" Spiros asked his newfound friend.

"Not much to tell really, I'm next in line to become queen, my brothers...well we're not exactly sure how that's gonna work. I've lived here all my life, and I love archery and my horse Angus." She explained.

"Becoming a Queen, no pressure." He said nonchalantly.

"Ugh, you have no idea." She grumbled.

"So I'm guessing you've found Mr. Right by now." He said, glancing at her.

"No, not yet." She replied.

"What, are you kidding me?" He asked.

"No I'm not, why?" She mumbled.

"You're beautiful! How could someone not want to win your heart!" He exclaimed.

"Did he really just call me...beautiful? Funny, I didn't exactly put on my Sunday best this morning." She thought.

"Well there was this one guy, but he broke up with me a few months ago. He never really said why, it doesn't matter though. Even though he said he loved me, I don't think he meant it." She said, a little crestfallen.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, unsure of what else he could say.

"Meh, it's alright. I'm pretty much over him now, I've got my eye on someone new." She told him.

"Oh, that's good." He replied, sounding a little disappointed. Although the Princess failed to notice this.

"However...there is one wee problem." She grumbled.

"What's that?" He asked.

"This boy, he's my ex's best friend." She murmured.

"Whoa, that stinks." He said, casting his gaze downwards.

"Haha yeah, they'll be here in a day or two with the rest of the clans for the annual Shadow Seeker Competition." She told him.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Every year, the Clan Elders seal off a section of these woods and then stock the Sacred Grounds with monsters and traps. It's all just a vivid illusion though, no one is really sure how they do it." She began to explain.

"So what happens if someone gets hurt or killed?" He interrupted.

"You get knocked out, then you wake up back in medicine room at the Castle." She replied.

"Ok, creepy. Anyways, you were saying." He said with a nod.

"Right, the object of the competition is to make it into the temple and go down into the catacombs to slay the creature that guards the clan banners, which are all placed there weeks in advance, and claim your clan banner and bring it back to the assembly area. First team back wins." She told him.

"How many kids to a team?" He asked.

"Just two, one team for every clan that enters. Winner gets to sit at the head of the table at the Victory Feast, and a favor from each of the clan leaders which can be used at anytime. That's great and all but the best thing is you get bragging rights." She said with a grin.

"So I'm guessing your competing then, huh?" He asked.

"No, I don't have a partner. Your not allowed to compete alone, and all the other boys in the village don't want to be put on the Princess's team." She grumbled.

Then she looked over at him, a grin spreading across her face.

"Spiros, are you any good with that sword?" She asked.

"I can hold my own." He replied.

"I know this a lot to ask of someone who I've just met today but...would you be my partner for the competition?" She asked, giving him a innocent look that would of made any guy's heart melt.

"You guys have agreed to feed me for as long as I'm here, it would be the least I could do to repay that. Not to mention that I'm always up for helping a friend." He replied.

"You consider me a friend?" She asked.

"What else would I consider you?" He replied with a shrug.

Just then they arrived at their destination. They were at the top of a large steep muddy hill that flattened out just a few feet away from a lake. A few chunks of wood jutted up from the ground. Merida pulled the two taller ones out of the earth while The Triplets pulled up a shorter one that was nearby.

"Ok so this is how log sledding works. Boys, show him." She instructed her brothers.

The Triplets all lifted the hunk of wood over their heads and backed up a couple feet. They than ran forward at top speed and then at the last second threw the log out in front of them and jumped on as it raced down the hill. They screeched with joy as they leaned left and right to avoid obstacles such as small rocks and potholes before they reached the bottom of the hill. They all leaned back and put their right foot out and drug it along the grass. The log slid to a halt inches from the lake. They quickly picked their 'sled' up and cleared out, giving their sister and Spiros a clear path.

"You get a running start and then lean to steer. We however use the lake to stop ourselves, the boys can't though. Dad is still teaching them how to swim." Merida explained walking behind a bush.

When she emerged she was dressed differently, instead of a emerald dress she was dressed in a white swimsuit of sorts that was a simple tunic that wrapped around her torso, leaving her arms, shoulders and legs exposed.

"This ought to be more suited for the lake, don't you think?" She asked.

"Um sure..." Spiros replied, scratching the back of his head and doing his best not to stare. He then glared at one of The Triplets (Harris) was mocking him by making smooching noises, upon seeing the suggestion that his brother was making, Hubert reached into the lake and pulled out a fish promptly smacking his brother in the face with it before releasing the fish back into the lake. Hamish on the other hand glared at Spiros as if he were a Roman coming to besiege their castle.

When he turned his gaze back to Merida, she was already half way down the hill and gaining speed as she approached the lake. There was a good sized splash when she went in. She resurfaced secconds latter, teeth chattering and her hair covering most of her face but smiling none the less.

"Cccome onnn iin...the water is...not thatt ccold." She shouted.

Spiros simply set his log down and walked back the way they came.

"Yyou big BABY!" Merida shouted.

Then sprinting out of the treeline, Spiros emerged (shirtless) and jumped onto his log. Except he was riding it while standing up as opposed to Merida and The Triplets who stayed on their knees. Towards the bottom of the hill was a rock that Merida and her brothers usually avoided. Spiros however sped right towards it, he hit the rock just right and used it as a ramp to send himself flying over Merida's head and into the lake creating a splash that managed to get The Triplets a little wet.

When he surfaced Merida clapped briefly and The Triplets gave him a nod of respect.

"You're gonna have to teach me to sled like that someday before you leave. Except that wasn't sledding per say, it was more like..." She paused trying to think of the right word to say.

"Mud surfing?" He asked.

"Yeah, mud surfing!" She replied.

The rest of the day consisted of various trips up and down that hill before Merida concluded that nightfall was upon them. The group made their way back to the Castle for supper. After eating a delicious meal consisting of lamb chops and various vegetables, Spiros thanked the family for their hospitality and then retired to the stables for the evening. He found his Griffin curled up next to a bale of hay and a lantern.

"What a day." He said with a sigh, plopping down in the hay.

"SQUAWK. " Visilis replied.

"Haha yes I did have fun." The youth replied, pulling out his journal and cataloging the day's events.

"SQUAWK?" The Griffin asked.

"Yes as a matter of fact, she is very cool. Not what you would expect from a princess." He explained.

"SQUAWK!" The Griffin screeched.

"No, no chance at all. She's got her eyes on some other native guy. It wouldn't work anyways, not with the Romans still after us. The last thing I want is another Constantinople." He replied.

The Griffin shuttered at the memory.

"Not to mention she's a princess, I'm not royalty. Just the orphan child of a fisherman and his wife. A drifter, going where the wind takes me...or where my steed decides to crash land." He grumbled.

The creature gently poked him in the side with it's beak.

"Well I guess I've always got you. Plus, I remember what you taught me when I was little. 'Girls are nothing but trouble, all they do is turn hearts to rubble.'

"Thats a little harsh don't you think?" Merida asked.

Spiros heard his Griffin make a noise that sounded like laughing as he turned to face the princess.

"How long were you standing there?" He asked her.

"Just got here, but don't change the subject. Boys can be just as bad as us girls." She chided.

"Yeah that's true, but still." He replied.

"Of course it is, anyways what are you up to?" She asked after sitting down next to him.

"Just filling in my journal." He replied, showing her pages upon pages of writing.

The Princess took the book from him and scowled at the writing before handing back to him.

"I can't read it." She grumbled.

"It's in Greek, that's probably why." He explained, before showing her the back pages which were various sketches of places he had been. She saw the Colosseum, The Pyramids of Giza, The Great Wall of China and she also saw sketches of monsters like the Cyclopes, a Wyvern, Sirens and the Chimera. He went on about his encounters with these creatures and how he and Vesailis had barely gotten away, he also told her about the people he had met, the places he had seen and other tales of his travels.

"That's incredible." She said at the end of it all.

"It's sounds great, but trust me it's not. I've hurt people, I've made mistakes, I don't even have a home. It's just one campsite after another." He explained.

"Well maybe it's time you found a place to call home." She told him.

"No, it's not safe. I'm endangering you all just by being here. Once I help you win the competition, I'll be long gone." He told her.

"I'm sorry to hear that...is there anything I can do to help?" She asked.

"No, I appreciate the offer though." He replied.

Although she looked disappointed, she accepted the answer.

"Well we've got training to do for the competition. Meet me by the gates at dawn." She instructed.

"Are you sure you'll be able to get up that early princess?" He asked.

"Don't worry about me, I'm tougher then I look." She replied.

"That's obvious." He said with a grin.

"Haha well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow...partner." She said, slugging him in the arm in a playful manner.

He flinched and groaned in pain.

"Oh come on, I didn't hit you that hard did I?" She asked.

"No, you just hit an old wound." He replied, still in pain.

"Oh, sorry." She grumbled.

"No worries, goodnight Merida." He said while rotating his wrist around.

"Goodnight." She replied, getting up and walking off.

Once she was out of sight. He pulled up his sleeve to inspect his burden.

The cursed steel chain was still there, constricting his entire arm and glowing with glyphs embedded into the steel that made it impossible to remove. That monster Tiberius had fused this thing into his arm. Ever since, he could not remove it until he unraveled the riddle the Roman Praetor had left him. Find what you have lost, and become what you were once again. The youth sighed, as long as this thing was still wrapped around his arm Tiberius could use his staff to find out exactly where he was and where Tiberius goes death follows him. Things were quite simple right now, resolve the curse and decimate Roman Legion that hunted him or surrender and be killed. Spiros had made his own option, run and run until the problem fades with time. It had worked so far, it was a great plan. It's funny though how things like Love could derail even the greatest plan. Spiros chuckled at the thought of this before pulling Vesailis' wing over himself like a blanket and drifting off to sleep.

A.N- Well I'm glad this has been so well received so far. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you did the previous one. Next chapter there will be some more backstory stuff along with some action. So stay tuned!

-Blu Wolf 23