"G-Grand Wizard?" The timid paladin opened the door to the castle, calling in. He really hated confronting the king without any warning, as it usually lead to unfavorable circumstances, but he felt that this was urgent.

The king was not in the main room of the castle as he had hoped. With a small sigh, and still dreading the news he would have to share, the paladin pushed onward, searching around until he heard noise in one of the castle's many chambers. When he pushed open the door, the Grand Wizard was found resting at a table.

"Butters, why the fuck are you here? You're supposed to be patrolling!" he shouted, slamming a fist on the table. "This had better be good, or there will be consequences-"

"P-please, your highness," he interrupted, still trembling a little, "you know how I'm s-supposed to…uh…tell you if there's any tresspassin' near the castle?"

The king froze, looking at him with peaked curiosity. "Go on."

He hated to betray the kind travelers, but rules were rules. "There were four people who came through earlier. Two of 'em stood out to me, kinda suspicious fellas. One of them had pointy ears- he's an elf I think, and the other was a barbarian. He really didn't look like one though, he had a funny lookin' face, the others don't have that kinda face-"

Eric raised his hand, signaling him to stop. "I've heard enough of that, you don't need to continue. Tell me, did he have a black crown on his head?"

"A wreath sir, yes."

"Hmm." He laughed under his breath, a smile coming to his face. "This just got interesting. What did they want?"

"They wanted to ask me about…uh…" The paladin pressed his hands together, taking a deep breath. "They wanted information about the Stick, sir. Said they were lookin' to find out about it so they can set Zaron right, or somethin' along those lines…And then they went on about how they were gonna try to talk to your niece next, but then they decided it was best to stay far away from you." he trailed off, biting his lip. The king would not like that.

"They were right about that- if they went anywhere near the princess, there would be death. I don't care if they're part of my kingdom or not. Any clue where they were heading?" The king was still relatively calm.

"I sent Scott out to patrol the wall- I followed them for a bit and I overheard them say that they were gonna head into the elven kingdom." The paladin bowed his head. "I believe that they can be captured if this is the case."

"No, let them cross," the king said suddenly, a strange look on his face. "If they enter the elven part of Zaron, they will be trespassing, and I am sure one of their scouts will catch them. My old friend Kyle will surely execute them for me. No need to get my hands dirty if I don't have to, eh?" He moved to stand, then stopped. "On second thought, let all the humans pass, but capture the elf. I want to kill that scum myself. He'll survive if he makes it back home."

Butters nodded, hands still clasped tightly together. "Should I send word to Scott by carrier raven?"

"Yes," he said, nodding back, "but we are forgetting an important part of this situation we need to address."

"A-and what's that?"

"The barbarian king is in cahoots with one of my enemies. I've had an agreement with his people for years, far back before the war- we both will leave each other alone and stay on neutral grounds. However…the so-called king has broken that promise by assisting an elf. I think we need to teach his kind a little lesson, don't you?"

"Are we getting close to the wall?"

It was nearing night again, and the four were determined to press on until they had safely arrived across the wall before setting up camp. Jimmy had assured them it was the safest bet. Camping near the wall on the human side was clearly more dangerous after having spoken with the paladin.

"We're nearing it, y-yes," Jimmy said, scanning ahead. "Are you sure you're ready to cross? This is going to be very difficult, not to mention illegal for all the rest of you."

"I'm prepared to cross if it means we get one step closer to the Stick," Tweek grumbled. He'd been in a horrible mood ever since leaving the paladin's quarters. He was frustrated with all the travel and just how long this was taking. He had told his most trusted warriors that he might not be back for a while when he left following the necklace a few nights ago, but being away from his village was giving him anxiety. Barbarians relied heavily on a king to guide them; they worked best as a team with a strong leader. Without him there, if something went wrong, there ran the risk of disaster.

He didn't want to think about what that might mean.

"W-well good, because look." Jimmy pointed ahead. The wall was finally coming into view. "We're here. K-keep low, and watch your s-step. We don't know who might be g-guarding it."

The others nodded silently, taking slow steps with Jimmy still in the lead. Feldspar fell into step beside Tweek, quietly taking his hand. Tweek said nothing, just giving a small squeeze of recognition and acceptance. It made him feel a little better.

They approached the wall, nothing having disturbed them. "Looks like this may be easier than we thought," Token whispered, looking up. "If nobody attacks us, then the most difficult part is going to be the actual climb up."

"Don't l-let your guard down," Jimmy scolded, running a hand along the rough bricks. "It may l-look clear, but I a-assure you- there is always s-someone w…wai…waiting."

There was a moment of stillness, the four of them listening carefully.

"I hear nothing," Tweek sighed, a bit too loudly. "Can we please just get going?"

"Quiet," Feldspar chided, gritting his teeth. "You heard him, someone might-" He couldn't even finish before there was the sound of a yell somewhere behind them. He turned quickly on his heels, staring at a figure emerging from the shadows.

"Travelers, you may not cross this wall!" The voice was nasally with a lisp, making it a little hard to understand. "I will only spare you if you leave the elf behind!"

They all exchanged glances, hearts pounding in their chests. "Before any of you even dare say it, no, we are not leaving Jimmy behind," Token hissed. "We are going to get over this wall though. I did not come all this way to get captured before seeing the elven kingdom, got it?"

"F-Feldspar, you have climbed this wall before, h-haven't you?" Jimmy said quietly, staring down the shadowed figure. "Let me climb on your b-back. We will be f-faster if you do."

"But then I'll be slower!"

"Feldspar, do you want to fucking live or not?!" Tweek gasped. "Put the bard on your back and climb the damn wall before I throw you at the threatening guy over there and make a run for it!"

"I am awaiting your decision! I do not have all day!" the voice shouted, stepping forward. "Give me the elf or face certain death!"

Feldspar gulped, biting his lip. "Okay, on three, Jimmy get on my back and I'll dash as fast as I can. You two gotta hurry as well, okay?"

The three silently accepted it, prepared to move on his mark.

"One…two…THREE!"

The plan flew into action. Jimmy threw himself onto Feldspar, clinging to his back with his arms around his neck and legs around his waist. Tweek and Token grabbed the wall, making quick progress as they scaled the side. Shortly after them came Feldspar, slightly weighed down by Jimmy but making quick progress nonetheless.

The shadowed figure moved forward, running as fast as he could. "Stop! You…you can't do that! You're gonna die now, I warned you!"

They ignored him, halfway up the wall now. Feldspar was struggling with his footholds, hands slipping in his sweaty gloves.

"Push on, F-Feldspar, you're doing good," Jimmy gasped, looking down behind them. "He's staring up the w-wall but he's slow!"

The encouragement helped the climbers keep their energy, pushing until they could grasp the top of the wall and pull themselves up. At the top, they spent no time beginning their decent. Even if the person hesitated to follow them over, it wasn't worth the risk. Before they knew it, they had reached the bottom safely, the curses of the threat on the other side.

"We did it," Feldspar gasped, out of breath. "God damn…" Jimmy slid off of his back, adjusting his crutches back under his arms.

"Thank you f-for the help," he said, smiling. "The first time I c-crossed, it took me quite a w-while. I knew I w-would not make it."

"No problem," he grumbled, rubbing at his back. "Can we set up camp now? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, let's get a fire going," Token seconded. "It's damn cold and getting dark. We don't want to venture too far into this place when it's dark. Who knows who's waiting out there?"

"Not to mention three out of four of us have never been here," Tweek added. "We're going to want light to travel by."

"Fine, f-fine…let's head this way a bit, a-away from the wall." Jimmy waved them in the direction he wanted to travel. "I'm sure there's a c-clearing near here."

They followed behind him. It was a familiar pattern now- Jimmy would lead, with Token just behind him and Feldspar and Tweek a little behind from there. They traveled in their formation for only about 10 minutes before finding a good place to camp. They set up quickly, making a fire and sitting around it.

"I'm honestly nervous to be over here," Token said once they had settled in. "This place is…unfamiliar."

"And illegal," Feldspar chimed in.

"Yeah, there's that."

It didn't take long for them to start to doze off. Jimmy and Token lay off to one side of the fire, Feldspar and Tweek resuming their closeness from the night before.

"Craig?" came the king's soft whisper.

"I find it funny you keep using that name," he replied. "Nobody has called me that for many, many years."

"I like it. I think it makes our conversations more…personal." The king snuggled closer, smiling at him. "I can't believe a few days ago I wanted to kill you. Now look at me." He tugged at his hair. "I'm getting cozy with you and calling you by secret names."

"That makes this situation sound a lot better than it actually is," Feldspar sighed, but smiling all the same.

"Between you and me, it's honestly really great." He closed his eyes, preparing himself. "Would you like to…um. Take a walk with me? I'm not ready for bed yet."

"S-sure," he stuttered, blushing. The two stood up and took hands, wandering into the deeper forest.

Once he felt comfortable and alone, Tweek began to speak. "You know…I've always been lonely. All my life. My parents died when I was little, my adoptive mother was killed. I never really fit in. But then you come along, you fucking thief…and you turn everything around."

"I can say the same for you," Feldspar laughed. "Here I was, a kid who got recruited to the dark kingdom. I forced myself to train hard, I become the Dark Lord's favorite soldier, I get appointed head thief. I go on a mission for him and I expect nothing but success. I was blinded by loyalty until you stared at me with those intense eyes in that cart. All the sudden…I didn't think that my original mission was so important anymore."

They stopped walking, eyes meeting in the dark twilight.

"Craig," Tweek said slowly. "I trust you, and you trust me. I've been in doubt this entire time about what this means to me." He grabbed at the necklace, holding it between his fingertips. "I didn't want to admit it, I wanted to be stubborn."

"Just like any barbarian would," Feldspar said, a strange feeling filling his chest.

"Yeah," he grinned, tilting his head. "Now I realize that your drunk ass was right. This necklace was leading me to you, not because I needed you on this quest. I just…I needed you."

Feldspar was a blushing mess, trying not to let out a squeak. "Y-you mean that?"

"Yeah. And I'm gonna prove it." He slowly lifted the necklace off his head, holding it out. "I'm giving this to you, as a sign of trust. I know you'll stay with me, because you feel the same way, right?"

Feldspar lowered his head, allowing Tweek to place it around his neck. The necklace glowed brightly, more intense than it had ever been before it faded out. "I…I think…"

"Shh." Tweek leaned a little closer, heart fluttering. "I love you too."

All at once, the world stood still as their lips collided. Feldspars hands immediately went to the other's shoulders, pulling him close. It was the moment he had been waiting for all along, ever since he had first laid sight on his face. They both pulled back, blushing and breathless, before bursting out into happy giggles. Everything seemed right in the world.

It didn't last.

Before they could head back to camp, the sound of war cries could be heard from somewhere above. The two jumped, clinging to each other and glancing around. Their happy faces turned to fear.

"Run," Tweek whispered, heart pounding, "Craig, fucking RUN!"

Feldspar didn't hesitate as he grabbed Tweek's hand, making a mad dash for the camp. The sounds were getting louder. He only hoped Jimmy and Token were alright. Before he could even think too hard on it, the familiar sound of whizzing arrows graced his eyes.

"They're shooting at us!" he cried, Tweek managing to get a bit ahead of him. Their hands were still clasped tightly as they began to search for camp. "We need to hide, now!"

"No time!" Tweek shouted, leading them left and right to avoid the ambush. "You can't hide from arrows like this, there are too many! We need to keep moving and only hope that the other two are already running!"

Feldspar tried not to scream, silently agreeing as they hurried along. "GUYS! GUYS! RUN!" he called, hoping it was enough of a warning.

The stumbled into the camp, looking around before their eyes fell on Jimmy, standing alone.

"Jimmy!" Tweek gasped. "We need to run, there's-"

"Elves." He stood still, a blank expression on his face. "I'm s-sorry."

His strange words made them both freeze, panic seizing their bodies. Before they could make another decision, a strange net was suddenly upon them, trapping them down. They grabbed for each other, letting out cries and struggling to break free.

"Jimmy, please," Feldspar pleaded as the bard walked forward. "What's going on?"

"I have to obey my king's o-orders," he said unhappily. "I was to successfully b-bring you here, and I've done my j-job." He closed his eyes, raising one of his crutches towards them. "Use the m-magic, let's get them to the castle."

"NO!" Tweek screamed before a group of elves were upon them, and everything went black.