**A:N: Introducing two new characters**

Chapter 3

Hardly any sunlight was allowed to pass through the thick canopy of leaves. Birds sang on the branches until they were frightened away as Captain thundered pass, breaking twigs in his haste and leaping over fallen logs. His breath steamed in the chilly crisp air before coming to a complete stop, the brush becoming too thick for him to continue. He whinnied loudly, snorting and pawing the ground and Alfred turned him around and waited in silence. Noticing the horses ears swivel forwards as he stared intently on ahead, Alfred quietly drew his bow, sheathing an arrow from the quiver and notching it. Pulling the string back so that a feather of the arrow just lightly touched his cheek as he inhale deeply closing an eye in concentration. He could hear the bush rustle as something large was heading his way. Before he knew it, the head of a large grey mare appeared from out of the dense brush he white mane tangled and full of twigs and leaves.

"Go back now or I will shoot you," Alfred growled through his clenched teeth, still aiming his bow ahead now at the hooded figure on the horse. Although the figure didn't seem threatening, and actually seemed quite odd on the horse, like it was struggling to stay on. The moment Alfred spoke, the figure let off a startled squeak of a sound, something that was all too familiar to him.

"Don't shoot Alfred. I d-didn't come to stop you," the figure said as it drew back its hood.

"Matthew?" Alfred was shocked. Matthew was the last person he would figure to go and follow him. "Matthew are you insane? This is dangerous! Why are you following me."

"Well first off, I am your personal servant. And secondly, it cannot be any more dangerous than having to deal with your mother when she finds you missing in the next hour. And with my track record, she will come to me first and demand to know where you are and I will be in a whole hell of a lot of trouble. And I will probably be on the street. So as your servant I was told to help you and that is what I have full intentions on doing. I'm only doing what I'm expected to eh? Now can you lower that bow? It's beginning to scare me." Matthew said, his defiant voice wavering out at the end as he let out a loud sigh of relief when Alfred lowered the bow and returned the arrow to its quiver. Alfred never seen such a defiant look from Matthew, most of the time he tended to just follow along to what people wanted him to do. Alfred grinned from ear to ear.

"Of course you can come. But you better not slow me down ok? Or I'm dumping you at the nearest town." He teased before going quiet as he looked around, a look of confusion on his face.

"If you're wondering where the trail is its over there," Matthew pointed to the left of him before steering the horse awkwardly back through the bushes, Alfred following along behind him. "See, already you would be in trouble if I didn't show up."

"Oh come off it. I would have found my way out. And besides, I wouldn't have gone this way if someone wasn't following me." He blurted slightly embarrassed realizing that Matthew had a point. Once they reached the trail it was much easier on the both of them. Their faces were littered with small scratches from the branches that clawed at them during the chase but now it was a cleared path through the trees that the party was traveling on. They continued on for a couple of hours, their horses walking along until finally more and more light was filtering through the canopy. The trees around them thinned out and before they knew it they were back to a wide open field with rolling hills alongside them. The sun was nearing its peak when suddenly Alfred's stomach rumbled loudly.

"I'm taking you didn't even eat before you left? You did pack something right Al?" It was the first thing Matthew had said the entire time since the incident in the bushes and Alfred's ears turned red as he realized he completely forgotten to take any provisions. Matthew sighed loudly shaking his head. "Well luckily at least one of us had thought about it." He reached into one of the side pouches that was strapped onto the mare's saddle and pulled out a cloth. Unwrapping it, he broke off half of the small loaf of bread and handed it over to Alfred before wrapping it again and putting it back. "Of course I don't have a lot so we will have to ration it. Perhaps we can stop some traveling merchants and buy some off of them. They frequent these trails often." Alfred nodded chewing the bread staring on ahead. It took a few more hours before they could hear the sound of chimes echoing along the wind.

"What's that?" Alfred asked steering his horse to the left of the trail going off it to follow the sound.

"Probably a merchant. They probably set up camp at the base of the hill. Might be a good idea to ask them if they know anything about the mist. And to maybe pay for a meal." Once they were at the top of the hill they noticed a brightly coloured caravan at the base with two horses, one black and the other brown with white splatters on its butt, nibbling the grass around the trees they were tethered at. One of the horses looked up and whinnied loudly as they began their way down the hill and to the caravan. The taller man wearing a heavy black coat and a small hat looked up, a white and red ribbon trailing from the hat as he placed down an armful of wood into a pile by the crackling fire. The smaller one who was stirring a pot over the fire looked up as well and enthusiastically waved over at them.

"Salut, how may we help you?" The taller one came forward once they had reached the caravan. Both Matthew and Alfred jumped off their horses.

"May we spend the night with you? And perhaps pay for a meal if that is possible." Matthew stated waiting for a reply before doing anything.

"Of course," the smaller one who looked to be no older than ten chimed in. "We were just beginning dinner weren't we brother?" He happily looked over at his brother who nodded.

"Company is always welcomed. I am Vladimir, but please call me Vlad. And this is my younger brother Demetri." The older man named Vlad added before shaking hands with both Matthew and Alfred. Once the horses were tethered Alfred sat by the fire as Matthew pulled out a tent from the other pack that was on his horse, another thing that Alfred didn't pack.

"So what brings you along this way? I really wouldn't recommend going the way we came. The mist is becoming quite a nuisance for travelers. There's some pretty spooky stories circulating." Vlad said as he watched his younger brother cook their meal.

"Actually, that's why we were coming this way. I'm going to lift the curse of the mist and return the land to normal." Alfred said determined to follow through on his quest. Vlad chuckled and started to scoop up some of the homemade soup they had made into bowls and handed one to Alfred.

"It's always good to see some determination nowadays. A lot of people just give up hope. Its one of the reasons why the mist is so powerful now I assume. It dwindles away all the spirit and hope in one and does some pretty horrible stuff to what remains of a person." Vlad finished, handing a bowl to Matthew before pouring some for his brother and then taking his own and sitting down.

"Well if you know anything about it or have an idea on how to stop it or where to go even, that would be awfully helpful." Matthew said before eating a spoonful and cringing as it burnt his tongue.

"I can't remember anything off the top of my head," Vlad muttered tapping his bottom lip in thought before his younger brother looked up and piqued up.

"There's that one legend, remember?"

"Oh? "Vlad looked down, tilting his head in confusion. "There's a lot of legends, you may have to be a bit more specific da?"

"The one about the Dagger of the King. Remember! It was said that it could break the curse." Demetri answered his brother's question with his usual childish enthusiasm. Alfred perked up at the mention before looking at Matthew with hopeful eyes.

"A dagger?" Matthew questioned looking back at Alfred, putting down his empty bowl. "That sounds a bit," he paused trying to come up with a good word to describe it.

"Odd? Da, it does doesn't it. But that's what they say at least so I can't judge." Vlad said, taking off a boot dumping some small pebbles that found their way into them.

"Man if we had that, I'm sure we could stop this stupid mist. After all I am the bravest of the land." Alfred struck a pose excited by the idea of an object that could help.

"Well then today's your lucky day," Vlad got up and dissapeared into the caravan coming back with a bundle before handing it over to Alfred. "We actually found this in some ruins back when the mist first began to take over the land. Although, it is in some really bad shape." He rubbed the back of his head looking away. Alfred, excitedly opened the bundle and pulled out a strange obsidian dagger, a milky rock that glittered all the colours of the rainbow at the base of the hilt. The only problem was the fact that it had a large crack in the blade and that it was so dull that it seemed like it had never been sharp in its life.

"When the Dagger of the King which received a Blessing as Sweet as Honey and taken a Kin's Last Breath is then bathed into the mixture of Dragon's Blood and Siren's tears mix which dissolved the Golden Thread. When the blade is mixed with a Poison so Foul and then cooled in the Dew of the Ice Rose. Then and only then may evil be slain by the kindest and bravest of hearts." Demetri recited the legend as Alfred turned the dull and broken blade around in his hand. "I guess you have to do all of that to make it sharp again."

"You can have it. Really, if you do manage to get rid of the mist that would be a whole lot better for business then that broken dagger could be. Besides, no one will really buy something that broken from us anyways. They say that whoever breaks the curse will be in the King's eternal debt. So when you are buddies with a King, don't forget us kay?" Vlad winked stoking the fire. "But it's getting late so we should all get some rest." He stretched as the two parties bided each other good night as Vlad and Demetri retreated to their caravan for the night leaving Alfred and Matthew still sitting by the fire. They sat in silence as the fire crackled and popped, sending a rain of embers when a log fell no longer supported by the one under it.

"Think it's going to work?" Matthew looked over at Alfred from the corner of his violet eyes.

"I think it will. I've never seen a dagger like it before. So let's give it a chance." Matthew nodded and got up.

"We should probably go to bed as well. I don't know where to start with this crazy and absurd goosechase this legend will take us on. So we should probably get as much rest as possible and ask Vlad if he has an idea where to find a damned dragon." Matthew retreated to the tent, his footsteps snapping the occasional twig along the way. Alfred sat in silence alone looking at the dagger before bringing it up. It seemed to absorb the moonlight and sparkle like the night sky and for a split second he swore he saw a shooting star in the dagger. Wrapping it up and putting it in his pocket he followed suit after Matthew falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.