Kayley stumbled across the mossy ground as she carried Garrett's limp form through the forest. They'd left the living thorns behind along with Ruber and his monstrosities, but she didn't dare stop, not yet. Aidan kept flying ahead, vanishing in the foliage for a time before reappearing and chirping encouragingly. Kayley couldn't understand the falcon the way Garrett did, but she at least understood that it was telling her to follow it. Devon and Cornwall followed in her wake, their twin heads swinging from side to side uncertainly as they gauged their surroundings. Kayley pushed her way through a covering of branches to find Aidan sitting atop a small outcropping of rock with a recess at its base. She quickly went inside, laying Garrett down against the cool wall and examining his wound for the first time.

She'd never seen combat or the injuries it caused, but her father's stories of the wars before she was born now took on a far grimmer light as she saw Garrett's injury in full. The bolt had gone clear through his side and out his stomach, tearing flesh and bone easily and there was blood. A lot of blood.

"Garrett?" she whispered nervously. "Can you hear me?"

He opened his eyes, tilting his head weakly to the side.

"Oh thank God." she said. "Don't die, please don't die. I can't do this on my own."

He drew in a ragged breath, waving towards her pitiably.

Kayley scooted forwards. "What can I do? Tell me what needs to be done and I'll take care of it."

"Follow," Garrett panted through blood flecked lips. "Follow Aidan...he'll...he'll show you..."

"Show me what?" Kayley asked in confusion. "Garrett?" she shook him. "Garrett!"

She got no reply, she leaned in close and pressed her ear to his chest. He was breathing...barely. She turned to look at the silver winged falcon.

"Follow you where?" she pleaded. "Aidan, help me, he's dying!"

The falcon cocked its head to the side for a moment, and then chirped and leapt from its perch. Kayley scrambled to her feet and followed after it, shouting at Devon and Cornwall over her shoulder.

"Stay with him! Keep him safe!"

She didn't stay to see if the dragon listened to her, Aidan was moving too swiftly for that. She hurried after him, pressing through the branches in her attempt to keep up.

"Aidan!" she called. "Aidan wait!"

If he heard her, the falcon paid her no mind and continued flying. Kayley hurried after the heedless bird, trying not to think of Garrett slowly bleeding to death in the grotto behind her. She caught up to Aidan finally, the falcon was sitting in front of a strange blue leaved plant, pecking at the leaves insistently.

"Do you...do you want me to take some?" Kayley asked, touching the spade shaped leaves.

Aidan warbled and bobbed his head as Kayley grabbed a fistful of leaves and pulled them from their stems, a thick syrup covering her hands as she did so. She hurried back to where she'd left Garrett, Aidan following her from branch to branch. She found Devon and Cornwall curled around Garrett's body protectively, their yellow gazes fixed on her intently.

"We keep the name giver's mate safe." hummed Devon.

Kayley's face heated. "He's not...not now!"

She knelt down with the leaves and looked at Garrett's wound helplessly before looking at Aidan fearfully.

"What do I do? Is he supposed to eat them? Do I cover the wound? Help!"

"His pouch." her father's voice answered her.

Kayley's eyes widened in alarm and she sat there frozen for a moment, staring at Aidan in shock before shaking herself. She was hearing things. She knew she was. She went to Garrett and shifted him so that she could get at the travellers pouch at his waist. She found various odds and ends inside of it. A hunting knife, a needle and thread, and among all the other bits and pieces, there was a small mortar and pestle.

She removed this last item and stuffed it full of the leaves, grinding them vigorously and watching as the thick sap oozed out of the crushed leaves. When she'd reduced the leaves to a pulp, she held it up to Aidan who eyed it with a canted head.

"Now what?"

The falcon hopped forwards and pecked the mixture, smearing it on a small cut on Kayley's hand. She watched in awe as the blue syrup covered the wound and the cut vanished.

"Thank you!" she cried joyfully, turning to Garrett and lifting his shirt.

She felt her face heat as she stared at his bared stomach, he was well muscled...she supposed he'd have to be, living out here by himself.

"Stop it Kayley." she growled at herself in annoyance as she smeared the sap across Garrett's wounds.

Aidan hopped down and began picking at the injuries, causing him to moan. Kayley swatted at him indignantly.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!"

The falcon didn't stop though as he stuffed more and more of the thick sap into Garrett's wounds. Kayley gave up her attempts at stopping him and instead helped Aidan by spreading more of the syrup over Garrett's wounds. Seemingly satisfied with his work on one side, Aidan hopped over to the other side and began doing the same there. It took them several minutes to completely cover the gaping gashes in Garrett's sides but when they finally began to seal she let out a sigh of relief.

"He's going to be okay." she breathed in relief. "He's going to live!"

It was then that she realized just how exhausted she suddenly felt. She looked down at Excalibur's sheath, resting on the ground where she'd left it at Garrett's side. They had the scabbard...they just needed the sword...but right now, more than anything, she needed to rest. She dropped down against Devon and Cornwall's flank. Devon draped his neck around her as Cornwall did the same for Garrett.

"We will keep watch." Cornwall rumbled.

"Rest." insisted Devon as he nuzzled her affectionately.

Kayley did as she was told, feeling her lids grow heavy as she began to drift into sleep.

"Well done Kayley."

She clenched her eyes shut, forcing her father's voice from her mind. Was she losing her mind? Why did she keep hearing his voice? He was dead. Tears trickled out from beneath her clenched eyelids. Why was she being tortured with his voice?


Kayley woke with a start, finding herself curled up against the scaled flank of Devon and Cornwall, both heads were in her lap. She looked to the side, Garrett was nowhere to be seen. She jumped to her feet, throwing both Devon and Cornwall into a fit of alarm. She hurriedly quieted the pair before turning to look for Garrett.

"Garrett? Garrett where are you?"

"Here." his voice came from ahead of her.

She moved forwards to find Garrett standing beneath a trickle of water, his tunic removed and his torso laid bare as he washed himself beneath the icy water. Kayley's face flushed as she looked at his bared back and she turned away hurriedly.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine." he answered. "I...thank you Kayley, you saved my life."

"No." she replied, clenching her eyes shut. "I'm the one who got you injured. If I hadn't kept talking then this—"

"Shh." Garrett soothed as he came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't know, it isn't your fault."

She turned to look at him, unable to contain herself as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

"I was so scared." she said quickly. "I thought I was going to be alone...I thought you were going to die and I'd have to do this on my own!"

He put a hand on her head gently, surprising her by kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sure you'd have been fine."

She looked up at him. "Really?"

He nodded, his gentle smile filling her with warmth.

"I'm certain of it."

She stepped back from him, wiping her eyes.

"We should get going."

He nodded. "Yes, let's go."

She turned her back, letting him put his shirt back on. She tensed slightly as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded stiffly.

"Alright, come on, we've got an ogre to find."

Kayley turned to follow after him, calling for Devon and Cornwall who came crashing through the brush noisily as Aidan settled on Garrett's shoulder. She stared at the falcon for a longtime as they walked, wondering if she should mention hearing her father's voice to Garrett. She decided against it. The Forbidden Forest was supposed to play tricks on travelers after all...and she didn't want Garrett thinking her insane.