AN: Nope, nobody got Black Star! Whilst some of your suggestions are completely awesome, I did warn you that Black Star is more of a stock character, didn't I? And as for the reviewer who asked for clarification, Soul is based off the German "Two Brothers" story, not the Egyptian one. And he is only very loosely inspired by it; I'm using a lot of artistic license.

Disclaimer: Do I own Soul Eater? Can pigs fly?

The two travellers- three if you count the cat- had been together for little over a week. They would explore the forest by day and converse by night. Soul found himself caught up in Maka's hardcore training schedule, ruthless and demanding. Maka, on the other hand, was constantly learning about the world beyond the trees, wide-eyed at just how little she actually knew

And he was shocked by just how little he was actually telling her.

To be fair, she had not questioned much on the topic of Wes. No, it was the Wolf she seemed more interested in. The teenage girl seemed intent of knowing every little fact, from what the effects rising taxes were having on citizens to the trade routes.

One time, she got more than she bargained for.

"And what is the Wolf doing to small villages? Taxing them the same, or are they separate?"

Soul's face took on a serious look. Maka's innocent question was forcing him to break sinister news. He closed his crimson eyes and breathed deeply. "Well, he's not really doing anything… something else is."

"Eh?" Maka asked, tilting her head to the side. Soul sighed, unwilling to recount to her the most unprecedented developments of the past few years.

"Every few months or so," Soul started, "A village is found dead. Massacred, all of them, with no apparent cause. Even the children." And then he turned away, not wanting to see her face.

Maka was quiet and solemn for the rest of that day.

Two days later and the pair (Blair was up to her usual hunting) were wandering the forest, searching.

"There has to be a river somewhere nearby…" Maka mumbled, looking around as though she would magically find a spring. "Any idea, Soul?"

Her companion shrugged. "I dunno. Where's Blair? I swear she should be around here… Maka?" The young man called out, for Maka had disappeared into thin air in the space of what seemed to be two seconds. He cursed under his breath, old superstitions coming to mind of all the terrible things that lurked off the path. He yelled again, more frantic, before reaching for the pistol at his belt.

"Maka, this isn't funny." He said sternly. But the girl failed to appear, so swore once again and set off to find her. Panic was rising, because he became suddenly aware that he was wandering around a vast landscape with almost no direction- no path, no nothing. Here, where the dense foliage only let through dancing flecks of light, he was defenceless. Maka was batshit crazy, but she knew the forest. Around her, it seemed almost safe.

But now she was gone and he was back to seeing the forest the way he used to- as a scary, forbidden place.

Stopping for a moment, Soul shook his head. Was panicking going to help? Was being an uncool, terrified kid going to save Maka?

"We're making our own path for others to tread."

And so Soul did what he always did when he began to lose his cool- he shut his mouth and brainwashed himself into being Wes. And presto, it worked like always. He felt lighter, stronger, as though he could take on anything.

Checking that his pistol was loaded, he grinned, yelled for Maka to watch out, and confidently strode across the forest floor to begin his search. Whatever had snatched her up had another thing coming.

Twenty minutes later, he had found nothing but her red cloak hanging from a tree branch like a limp scarlet ghost, lifeless without breeze to give it spirit. Now that Soul was inspecting it closely, he saw just how ragged and faded it was- the colour, which was probably once bright, was grubby, dusky rust red. It was torn and scraggy at the end, with one particularly prominent rip.

Somehow, Maka was wearing said cloak, and he failed to notice this. She had such unrivalled confidence, skill and direction that it appeared graceful.

Plucking it off the branches, he stroked the fabric with his thumb. He had to be-

"Haha! Looks like you have fallen right into my trap!" A voice declared. Instinctively, Soul looked down to see that he was standing on a net. But nothing had happened.

There was an awkward silence. Turned around, the albino boy saw another man roughly his age; a familiar face. He was torn between grinning and facepalming.

The other man, however, did not recognize him. He tilted his head to the side, pondering on how his 'ingenious plan' could fail before looking up and yelling. "You were supposed to pull the rope!"

"And you thought I was going too?" A voice shot back, one that was irritated and feminine and undoubtedly Maka. Following the other man's gaze, Soul noticed her- she was perched on a tree branch. Her dress was torn, hair a mess and she looked as though she would quite happily murder puppies, but she was safe from what he could see. "You grab me, lug me around the treetops, dump me and then expect me to help you capture my friend?"

Her captor folded his arms. "Jeez, you're so ungrateful! I saved you!"

Maka snorted. "Saved me from what, having to walk? No thank you, I prefer a smooth ride over you dragging me along."

"Are all princesses this bitchy?"

"What the-"

The pair's bickering was cut off when Soul burst into hysterics, cackling loudly as he held his stomach. "Maka? A princess? Honestly, Black Star, how dumb can you get!"

The other teen stared at him blankly before a grin stretched out across his face. "Soul! I knew I recognized ya! How's it go-"

Maka took the opportunity to cuff him around the head.

The three sat in a circle; Maka was attempting to tame her knotted hair back into pigtails whilst Soul and Black Star conversed.

"So, how's it going?" Black Star asked. "Haven't seen you in ages!"

Soul grinned. "Eh, nothing much really."

"Still looking for Wes?"

Neither boys noticed, but it was at this point that Maka paused, stopping to listen out of curiosity.

"Yeah…" Soul said, trailing off. "So, when did you start kidnapping teenage girls?"

"It's my new job, okay?"

Soul chuckled. "What are you now, a p-"

"A professional princess saver!" Black Star cried, posing as dramatically as he could.

There was a long silence before his two companions reacted- Maka choked on her spit and started giggling and coughing at the same time whilst Soul was fighting very, very hard to try and keep a straight face: he was losing the battle, but fighting valiantly nonetheless.

Black Star didn't get it. "What's so funny? I'm Prince Charming, the best princess saver in the land!"

Soul wiped a tear from his eye. "Honestly, I thought you were mad enough when you pranced around saying you were 'The Chosen One'. But a princess saver!"

The blue haired dunce took the opportunity to leap up and announce his godliness whilst the two other teenagers laughed until it hurt, hiccupping as they held their sides, trying to keep themselves from suffocating.

Maka managed to compose herself first. "Honestly, how many princesses are there that need saving?" She asked with mirth.

Black Star looked at her for a moment before settling down again, reaching into his bag and pulling out a tattered map. He had obviously drawn it himself, and as a result it was clumsy and out of proportion. "Actually, there is one!"

The pigtailed girl raised an eyebrow whilst her albino friend finally managed to return to a normal breathing pattern. "And that would be…?"

"The princess of Camellia, duh!"

At this, Maka frowned and tilted her head to the side. "Isn't that just a nursery rhyme? I think I remember…" She cleared her throat and began to recite the verse.

"Camellia girl, scentless flower

Why stay up 'til this late hour?

Prick your finger, fall asleep

Into a slumber oh-so-deep!

What on earth could solve this?

Nothing else but true love's kiss!"

Black Star shook a head. "No. I did some research-"

"-You talked to some drunk dude?"

"No! Well… yes, but still! The rhyme's based off real life- I think. The princess of Camellia apparently fell into a coma-ish sleep about a hundred years ago."

Soul raised an eyebrow. "And you think she's still alive? That's a century, Black Star."

"I dunno, it was magic!"

Maka was still sceptical. "And the kingdom of Camellia?"

"Well, it was all alone in the forest, so I've been looking for it." Black Star replied. "It's quite close, so when I saw Soul with you, I thought somebody else had got to the princess first."

"So you decided to kidnap me?"

"Yeah."

She folded her arms. "You're glad that I didn't decide to axe you up. I was considering it."

"Oh yeah, tiny-tits?"

Maka's face darkened as she stood up. "Why you-"

"Black Star, you're screwed." Soul said grimly, remembering the first time he had insulted the teenage girl's chest size. It hadn't been pretty.

The girl turned to her albino friend, calming down slightly. She shot a glare at Black Star. "Say that again and I'll pulverize you."

"Devil woman… hey, you can help me!"

The girl stopped. "Help you with what?"

"Rescuing the princess, duh!"

Soul frowned. "Isn't it supposed to be cursed or something?"

The blue haired boy waved a hand dismissively. "Pah, nonsense. Besides, I'm so awesome that I can't be cursed."

"Every other person who's gone there never came back."

"Which is why I need you two! It's best to go in a group, so we can sacrifice pigtails if the worst comes to worst!"

Maka was glaring daggers, but spoke anyway, her voice projecting obvious annoyance. "Sure, we'll help you. On one condition."

"And that is?"

She stared straight at him, deadly serious. "I have a score to settle with a certain Wolf. If I help you get this princess, then you will help me in my quest."

"So, basically, you're out to kill the Wolf and want my help?"

Maka nodded swiftly, to which he pumped a fist in the air.

"Obviously anybody wanting to beat him will need me- so it's a deal!"

And then the duo shook hands, the deal made and a bond formed.

The next morning, four people left for the lost kingdom of Camellia. A talking cat, a boy on a quest, a girl seeking revenge and an idiotic, delusional dunce.

None of them were expecting the path to Camellia to be easy, and they all knew that the path from thereon would be even more perilous.

But they were a team, and that was that.

AN: This chapter's actually quite short for me. I tried to incorporate some humour since the story is overall quite dark and serious. It took forever to write, but we're finally onto our first proper story arc! Hallelujah! *throws confetti*

As usual, hugs and cookies go to LittleMissSophie, beta reader extraordinaire.

~Meg

B/R: Oh man, it's been a while. It's been a LOONNNGG while. Like, so long, I kind of forgot parts of the story line for later! :$ Whoops. Real life + Ditzy Blonde Asian = Not good. But... what do I usually type here? Oh yeah, I beg for reviews, cause I'm shameless like that (H) I'm so cool. But no, I will not beg for reviews. So, I will hold a special contest, or something. (It's super easy)

Answer this question, my lovely readers: Who is the princess of Camellia, what fairy tale is she based off of? Answer correctly, and I'll... uuhhhh... GIVE YOU THE COOKIES THAT MEG GAVE ME ;D (Y) Yeah. Virtual Cookies to whomever guesses her identity and backstory correctly. YAY FOR COOKIES! :3 Om nom nom nom. Deliciousness. Oh, and I'll announce whomever got it right in the next B/R (Y) So... yeah. Bye-nii! :3