Feldspar hurried behind Tweek as they exited the temple. The sky was already darkening, an entire day wasted on a half-successful training. There were only three days left until Douchebag's strike, and there was no time to waste. The rest of their party sat just outside the doors, attempting to entertain themselves as they waited. The moment the two emerged, questions began to fly.
"There you guys are!" Token exclaimed, leaping up. "It's been hours, we were getting worried! How did everything go?"
"We miscalculated how much time we had," Tweek whispered coldly, still upset with himself for nearly jeopardizing their mission. "We better get moving before it's too late… that's even if we have a chance to start with."
"Tweek, what the f-f-fuck," Jimmy muttered as everyone stood up, equally confused. "What happened in there?"
"We only completed partial training," Feldspar tried to explain. Tweek was rushing down the hill towards their horses and supplies now, and they had no choice but to follow after him. "Tweek had a minor incident-"
"I FUCKED UP!" Tweek shouted back, clearly trying to hide tears as he rushed further down the hill, creating distance.
"…either way, we both know the Nagasaki, we just didn't have as much practice time as planned." Feldspar hoped the explanation would suffice; he didn't want to embarrass Tweek any further. "It's going to be fine; he just got a little panicked. There's a lot of stress."
"I don't understand why he's in such a huff about it," Wendy sighed, watching the barbarian descend. "It was just a little error; it's not the end of the world."
"You don't know Tweek then," Feldspar said softly. "He tends to beat himself up when things don't go as planned. He's too hard on himself, but I guess I understand why. I'd just let him be for a while, okay? Try not to talk about it unless you want an arrow in your face while you sleep." Everyone grimaced at the imagery, but agreed to try and stay away from it.
Once down the hill, they headed back to Harry and Elise's house to gather their supplies. It was a bit of a rushed stop, everyone feeling the pressure as the sun set before their eyes. With another thank you, a borrowed carrier raven and a promise to come and visit, the questers waved goodbye and moved towards the entrance of the village where their horses had been camped.
"Ahhh, Stripe, I've never been happier to see you," Feldspar whispered to their horse, petting the bridge of her nose. "You ready to go home, girl?"
Tweek swung a bag of supplies onto the horse, unable to help cracking a smile. "I think we're all ready to go home." There was an unusual nervousness in his voice that Feldspar couldn't help but pick up on.
"Tweeeeeeek," he sing-songed, giving him a look.
"Craaaaaaaaig," the barbarian echoed back.
"Come here, you asshole," Feldspar laughed, holding out his arms. "One last kiss before we hit the road?" He had a feeling Tweek really needed some affection right now with how short they were cut off at the temple.
"Fine," Tweek grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I swear, you're so needy." He trudged forward and kissed him before he more-or-less collapsed into Feldspar's arms, forehead buried in his chest. "Hug me before I punch you."
"That's an interesting way of asking for affection. First you kiss me, then you call me needy, then you insult me!" Feldspar chuckled, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. The barbarian sure had some odd ways of saying 'I love you'. He squeezed him tightly, kissing the top of his head. "You alright? You don't seem like yourself. You're being…uh… aggressive. More than usual, I mean." He didn't want to mention how shaky he seemed, knowing Tweek would subconsciously take that as an insult to weakness.
"Just… frustrated, I guess," Tweek muttered, face still smushed into Feldspar. "I really, really –ngh-fucked up back there."
"Nah, you did fine. I think your Nagasaki was stronger than mine, I could feel it. You've got it down," Feldspar said in his most soothing voice. "We've got nothing to worry about." He didn't really know about that, but he wasn't about to let his boyfriend down.
"You don't have to lie to me."
"I'm being completely serious, asshole," Feldspar teased, ruffling his hair before pulling away. "Look at me. Is this the face of a liar?"
"No," Tweek sighed, admitting defeat. "Its fine, I promise. Once we get on the road I'll just pout for a while and get it out of my system. I'm sure after we make camp I'll be out like a light, and tomorrow morning we can get a fresh start."
"Do you think we'll make it home by tomorrow night?" Feldspar asked, letting go of him and beginning to mount their horse.
"With any luck, nothing will hold us up. We've had a lot of unconventional delays the last few nights, that's for sure. If we make good time through the woods and Ike is on time to pick us up from that carrier raven Chris is sending out, we'll be back in Zaron before sunset." Tweek checked that the bags were secure before climbing up after him, taking their usual positions.
"To think we can turn our three day trek into a little over one just shows how much the universe hates us," Feldspar laughed. Everyone was ready to go now, and there was no time to waste. With a quick pull on the reigns, away they went, speeding away from the village and the monks.
The sun finally disappeared from sight as the travelers dashed through the woods, the moon casting dark shadows from the trees above them. With nothing but a lantern at the front of the party, the group moved in twilight. There wasn't much chatter this time around as they focused on the journey ahead, ensuring that this time, nothing would stop them in their tracks. About two hours after setting out, the found a spot they deemed safe enough to camp for the night. A quick fire was built, some food and fresh water passed around, and everyone quickly prepared for rest.
"We're going to need to head out bright and early," Chris instructed. "Try to sleep the best you can, but prepare for a swift departure in the morning."
"Thanks, captain obvious," Stan muttered, laying out a blanket onto the ground of the clearing. Like the nights before, he and Wendy were sharing a bed.
"Cut him some slack, it's not his fault he's stupid," Wendy joked, giving Stan a nudge.
"I'm so glad this trip is almost over," Chris sighed, rubbing his head. "I need some time alone. Preferably with the king and the other royal knights... You know… sane people."
Tweek couldn't help but giggle, laying out his own blankets for him and Feldspar. As everyone else began to lie down, he held out his arms to his boyfriend, beckoning him closer. "You heard what Chris said, rest up."
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," the thief whispered back, sitting down on the blanket and whipping off his cape. "One cape blanket, coming up."
Tweek giggled, a hand pressed over his mouth as they snuggled up under it. "Remember the first time we slept like this?"
"You mean like… that kind of sleep or-"
Tweek punched him hard in the gut. "No, dumbass, keep it in your pants, I'm trying to be romantic!"
Feldspar only laughed, eliciting a "Shut up and go to sleep!" from Chris.
Tweek dropped his voice to a whisper, close to Feldspar's ear. "No, really, I mean when like… we first met. When Jimmy was leading us through the woods and we set up camp. I've been thinking about that."
"How come? It was just us in the dirty woods on the cold ground. I wouldn't exactly call it romantic."
Tweek rolled his eyes. "You just don't get it. Like… what you said to me. We had just shared some stories around the campfire, and I began to talk about…about me being the king and all. You remember that?"
"Yeah," Feldspar breathed, eyes starting to droop with exhaustion.
"Well… all I can remember is when we laid down together, you told me that whatever happened, you thought I was brave and…and strong. Did you mean that?" Tweek shifted so their foreheads touched, listening to nothing but their breathing and the crackling of the fire.
"Of course I did," Feldspar said, giving him another gentle kiss. "I promise, no matter what happens, you'll always be the smartest, bravest, strongest person I ever met."
Tweek smiled softly, relaxing. "I love you, Craig."
"I love you too, Tweek."
With that, the two of them began to drift to sleep in the happiest mood possible when impending doom was just around the corner.
He promised himself he would only stay until the candles burned out, but he couldn't tear himself away. Not tonight. There were only three days left until Douchebag would return, and what then?
"Kyle?"
The new voice made the king jump, looking up towards the door. He had been so distracted he never sensed his counterpart coming down the hall. "Yeah?"
The wizard slowly slid into the room, looking concerned. "How's he doing?"
"Not good," the elf king sighed, eyes drifting back to the young man lying in bed. His skin had a slight green tint to it as he lay in feverish sleep. "He still hasn't spoken a word, and he's looking sicker by the day. I'm… I'm afraid Douchebag has too strong of a hold on him now. He's just taunting us, he's…" He trailed off, eyes squeezing shut in an attempt to stop the tears threatening to form in his eyes. "This is a worse torment than being separated. To know my… our son…"
"…is right in front of us, and we can't do anything," Eric finished, a grim expression on his face. He grabbed the spare stool and dragged it closer to the bed, sitting beside the elf. "This is just a waiting game now, isn't it?"
"Waiting for the heroes, waiting for Douchebag to strike, it's never ending," Kyle said, biting his lip. "The worst feeling in the world is when your kingdom is crumbling before your eyes and you can't dare to move."
"Hey, come on, don't be so sad," the wizard grumbled, trying to hide his distress with his usual aloofness. "We made it through ten years of being broken, I think we can make it through a little more."
Kyle sighed, leaning forward and kissing his son on the forehead. As he adjusted his blankets he whispered a quiet prayer that he would rest peacefully tonight. "The stakes are just too high this time for me to be so sure."
Just as promised, the second the sun began to peer over the horizon, the group began to wake. Their moment of peace had come to an end- it was day five, and they were nearly home. If they arrived that night, that would leave them two days to plan and prepare for battle.
"Good morning, sleepy head," Tweek whispered, gently shaking Feldspar awake. "You'd better get up before Chris starts making me bang pots and pans."
Feldspar rolled over, hands pressed over his eyes. "Jeez, it's early…"
"We've got a long day of riding ahead. Unless you wanna fall off the horse, I suggest you wake the fuck up," the barbarian scoffed playfully, pressing a kiss to his nose. "Up you go, it's day five."
"Day five, damn," Feldspar mumbled, sitting up. He rubbed his eyes a bit and yawned, struggling to his feet. Everyone else was also waking up except for Chris, who was standing by his horse, ready to go.
"What a fucking show-off, can't you sleep like the rest of us for once?" Stan grumbled, giving Chris a shove as he wandered into the woods.
"Hurry up and take your piss so we can get on the road," Chris retorted. "At least I'm ready."
"Everyone sure is c-c-cranky this mo…morning," Jimmy commented, preparing his horse. "It's a-almost like we're all a-a-adventured out."
"I'd say," Tweek laughed, climbing up onto their horse. "Come on, Craig, up you go. We're trying to reach Ike's ship by the afternoon. Jimmy suspects that this time we'll be going with the flow of the water, so we'll get across faster."
"That's good news if I ever heard it," Feldspar sighed, a happy expression on his face. Once everyone was ready to go they set off, galloping through the trees.
"Aren't we coming up to sparkleclan soon?" Token asked, looking around. "Wendy, are you…uh… coming with us?"
Wendy sighed, shaking her head. "As much as I'd love to visit Zaron, I've got my own business to attend to. My camp needs me, ya know? Once we meet up with them, I'll be departing."
Stan was clearly hiding his unhappiness with a fake smile. He'd become rather attached to the other warrior. "You'll come and visit though, right?"
"If you open your gate, I'll gladly come chill in your territory," Wendy laughed, eliciting a glare from Chris. "We can duke it out with some swords- all in good fun though, no need for a to-the-death match… I mean, unless someone wanted to."
Everyone nervously chuckled, exchanging glances.
In no time at all they were back at the sparkleclan territory, greeted by dozens of cheering women.
"I guess this is where we part," Wendy said, giving a quick salute. "Good luck with Zaron. I've got your back if you ever come this way again, got it? Thanks for takin' me to the temple. I'm glad I got to see it for myself."
"Thanks for traveling with us," Tweek said, unable to help feeling a little disappointed to be parting ways. "You've really livened up the journey, that's for sure."
Everyone waved goodbye, ready to head back on their way after a quick rest stop under the clan's protection. It was nearing noon with how the sun was looming, and Ike was supposed to be waiting for them.
"Not much longer n-now," Jimmy said, pointing ahead. "I can sense they're pretty close to us."
"Jeez, I can't wait to be home," Token sighed, looking longingly towards the sky. "I haven't seen the tavern or my wife in over a week. Once we get this battle over with I am out of here."
"I'm sure we'd all love to return to our normal lives," Feldspar sighed. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm really sick and tired of all this 'go do this, go do that, you're the chosen heroes' nonsense."
"Yeah," everyone echoed at once, causing a few giggles.
In what felt like no time, the ship was within sight as they exited the thick woods.
"Call me a terrible elf, but I've never been so happy to be away from fucking trees," Stan gasped, extending his arms towards the ocean. "Bless the sea…bless the ship…take me home…"
Chris, despite his usual aloofness, cracked a giggle. "Alright Stan, chill out. We're not 'out of the woods' quite yet…well I mean, we are out of the woods, but metaphorically, we still got long to go."
The closer they got to the ship, the better they could see the waving children from the deck. A welcoming party didn't sound too bad at that point.
"Hey, glad to see you didn't die!" Ike called out, slowly lowering the loading dock. "I half expected you get lost out there. You've gotta tell me all about it once you get up here, mates!"
The horses were loaded like their first boarding and taken down below. With no hesitation the ship started off, back into northern territory. Everyone on board released their tension, feeling a tad bit safer. There was nothing they could do now but enjoy the ride back to Zaron and hope it was still put together by the time they got there.
Tweek and Feldspar sat near the front of the ship just like the morning they had arrived on the southern side of the water, hands clasped tightly as they watched the water below them.
"This is nice," Tweek whispered, watching with a much more relaxed expression on his face. He had soothed his twitching back to his more confident state, hoping it would last.
"In a few days, it'll be back to just us, like you wanted. We can sit in the barbarian camp and just… you know, do calm, non-adventure stuff," Feldspar said. "Stuff like… like this!" He quickly smooched Tweek on the forehead, poking at his side.
"You're a dork," Tweek laughed, poking him back. His attention turned back to the water, watching as the ship disrupted the calmness into little ripples. "You're right though. Just you and me." The thought seemed so close and yet so far away.
A few hours passed before the heavy thunk of the ship hitting land signaled its passengers that it was time to go. The travelers unloaded and said goodbye, a hopeful feeling in their hearts as they began their way towards Zaron's gates. It wouldn't be long now until they'd be back in their home kingdom.
"Once we approach the gates into the Elven Forest, I'll signal for them to open for us," Chris said, an unusually cheery tone in his voice. "We'll ride right through towards the northern castle where the kings will be waiting for us. At this rate, we'll be there by nightfall."
"Thank the gods," Token muttered, but he seemed equally cheery. "I mean, when we get there we're going into battle, but at least we'll be home."
"At least we'll be home," Tweek echoed, nodding his head. He seemed almost distant, staring far beyond the road in front of them.
"You alright, b-barbarian?" Jimmy asked, almost mischievous.
"Keep your perception to yourself," Tweek snapped, shooting him a glance.
After a few more hours of riding, the group could see the large wall that surrounded Zaron's boarder. As promised, Chris began to signal, the large gate opening up for them. Cheering could be heard from the elves stationed at the top of the wall, waving arms and smiling faces peering over the edge. They rode right in, not even stopping as they continued their way towards the castle.
"This is the home stretch," Stan said, pointing ahead of them. "Just a bit longer; we need to cross the forest into the human faction." There was silence except for the sound of their horses' feet upon the ground for the next hour until they decided to take a quick rest in an open clearing. Everyone dismounted to stretch and eat and feed the horses.
"You're being awful quiet," Feldspar commented, watching as his boyfriend dug through their supplies. "Something up? I thought you said you were over your whole…issue."
Tweek glanced up, shaking his head. "Nah…just tired," he said. "This trip has me worn out. I need some stress relief." From the supplies he produced his quiver of arrows, holding them up. "You wanna come with me? I'm just gonna shoot at a few trees."
"Sure, I got nothing else better to do," the thief replied, swiftly joining his boyfriend as they began to walk towards the edge of the clearing and into the trees. By habit their hands met and clasped tightly, walking side by side until Tweek stopped them.
"Alright, this seems like a good place." He let go of Feldspar's hand only to hold it out to him, fingers wiggling. "Can I borrow your knife?"
"Uh…I guess so. You making a target?" Feldspar quickly stooped to his knee, reaching into his boot where he kept the blade.
"Yeah, it helps to have somewhere to aim." Tweek took it from him, taking a few paces forward to a thick oak tree. With the tip of the knife he hacked at the wood, creating a perfect X in the center. There. With another deep breath, he began to walk backwards, eyes trained on his mark. Feldspar followed him, still right by his side. "Take the knife," the barbarian commanded, holding it back out to him. "I need both hands."
Feldspar nodded, taking the knife and watching intently. He could recall just a week ago standing in the barbarian village, watching Tweek perform this exact practice. "Don't hesitate," he whispered, glancing at him.
"I'm not," Tweek replied, voice almost hostile. He quickly pulled an arrow from the quiver, sliding it into position on his bow. "I'm not gonna let anyone down, not ever again." He stared at the mark, taking another deep breath. His body was tense with determination. "Douchebag has no hold on me. I know the Nagasaki now; I'm just as strong as he is."
"That's right," Feldspar echoed encouragingly.
"I am the king of the barbarians. I am…I am strong." His voice wavered slightly as he pulled back, almost glaring at the mark on the tree. "And…and I'm gonna shoot this arrow straight into the tree like I'm gonna shoot straight into his heart."
Feldspar's expression changed to worry. "You're stalling."
"No I'm not," Tweek breathed, fingers shaking as he pulled the arrow back. "I'm not stalling, I'm-"
The sound of yelling distracted him from his work. He quickly relaxed, aiming back towards the ground as he looked towards the clearing.
"Fuck," Feldspar breathed, grabbing his hand by instinct and pulling him towards the others.
"What was that?" Tweek asked, struggling to return his arrow into the quiver as they ran. Soon enough they were back in the clearing with the rest of the group. "Why are you yelling?"
"We've got a biiiiig problem approaching," Stan said, eyes focused into the distance. "Look."
Tweek's eyes darted towards where he was looking, mouth falling open. Before them stood a hoard of green, undead beings. "C-Craig, is…"
Feldspar squeezed his hand, trying to control himself. "I…I was r-right…he said he was going to attack and he is!" His legs were shaking now as they came closer, making impossibly fast progress.
"He's trying to fuck with us," Stan said, pulling his sword out. "Stand your ground; we might have to fight back."
"There's too many to fight!" Tweek gasped, pulling Feldspar close. He began to whisper to him, trying to calm him. "Come on, Craig, there was nothing you could have done about it, don't start freaking out! You're getting me all weirded out now too…"
"S-sorry," the thief whispered, trying to keep himself together.
"The barbarian is right," Chris said, taking a step back. "Everyone, get back on your horses."
"What?" Stan asked, looking back at him. "Are you fucking crazy?"
"No, I'm not!" Chris shouted back, taking another step. "Just listen to me, okay? If we get back on our horses and charge forward we have a better chance of surviving. Just weave around them and try to get through. We can't afford to lose anyone!"
"I second that," Token said quickly, running back towards his horse.
"Craig, let's go," Tweek whispered, pulling him along. Everyone seemed equally in favor of the plan, mounting their horses again.
"Follow me and try to stick together!" Chris shouted. "Keep your weapons ready!" With that they began to charge forward into the mass of green. The bodies were spread enough apart to weave through them as Chris had explained. Everyone began to dart this way and that, trying to stay close together.
"Just hold on tight, I'm gonna try to speed up," Tweek said, pulling Feldspar closer to him on their horse. He yanked at the reigns and yelled out, skillfully dodging a large mass of undead barreling towards them.
"Jesus, that was close!" Feldspar gasped, clinging to him. "At this rate, we'll-"
Before he could finish their sentence, both of them went flying from their horse. A hoard of Douchebag's army had slammed into them, sending them rolling.
"CRAIG!" Tweek shouted, trying to steady himself as he flew upright. His bow was immediately in his hands, arrow loaded as he turned to aim at one of the creatures.
"TWEEK!" Feldspar yelled back, pulling his own weapon out of his boot. It was chaos as the beings were upon them, closing in.
The barbarian just stared at its sickly face, starting to tremble. No, not now, not now! His hands shook as he froze, unable to move. His emotions began to well up inside him as Feldspar continued to scream his name, almost begging him to fire.
"I-I'm s-sorry," he whispered, a single tear falling from his cheek. "I…I can't do it…"
"TWEEK! HELP!" Feldspar screamed again. All at once, Tweek snapped out of it, head jerking to where the sound had come from. A monster had grasped at each of Feldspar's limbs, knocking him to the ground.
"NO!" Tweek suddenly shouted, all of his strength returning to him. Not Feldspar, not today! He pulled back the arrow and fired it into the face of the undead in front of him. He then took off sprinting towards the thief, pulling arrows and firing them faster than he ever had before. Monsters were falling all around him until he reached the group attacking Feldspar. Bam, bam, bam, the arrows went flying right into their heads, knocking them aside.
"TWEEK!" Feldspar screamed again as he watched him mow them down, darting left and right and all around just as skillfully as he had prior to the moment that had instilled so much fear in him. The barbarian would not stop to even breathe, the instincts he had struggled to retain all rushing back to him.
"Get out of here, now!" he shouted, grabbing Feldspar off the ground and practically throwing him in the direction of the horse they had abandoned. "Retreat, tell them to retreat!" With that, he took off running towards the middle of the attackers.
"Tweek, Tweek wait," Feldspar gasped, stumbling to his feet as he watched him go. "Oh my fucking—TWEEK, YOU IDIOT, DON'T DO IT!" He scrambled backwards towards the horse, quickly mounting it and attempting to move backwards. He needed to get out of range despite his urge to run in after him. He began to shout to the others to move backwards, struggling to keep his eye on the barbarian as he weaved between the monsters, still shooting.
"What the FUCK is that dumbass doing now?!" Stan shouted, taking notice.
Tweek was struggling to breathe, his lungs feeling like they would give out at any second. As soon as he felt he was far enough away he let out a heave, stopping in his tracks. He knew the risk he was taking, but it was the only way. He wasn't going to give Douchebag the satisfaction of winning. He wasn't about to lose his friends. He wasn't about to lose Feldspar.
With a gasping breath and a few more tears rolling down his cheeks, he threw his arms up into the air, eyes towards the sky. A deep rumble emitted from the ground as he whispered a short prayer in barbaric. Just as quickly as it had started, he threw himself to one knee, an explosion of smoke filling the entire area. The men on horseback fell to the ground, the undead flying in all directions.
Everything went silent.
Feldspar slowly sat up from where the explosion had thrown him, feeling disoriented. As the smoke began to clear he realized what Tweek had done. The words of the monks came back to him- if you make a mistake, the magic will leave you too weak to flee. "TWEEK!" he screamed for what felt the millionth time, taking off running on wobbly feet towards where the blast had come from.
Bodies of stilled green monsters lay everywhere, returned to their dead state. He stumbled and leapt around them, trying to stay focused as tears began to run down his cheeks. "Please, please be okay, please," he begged silently, only stopping when he saw the barbarian laying on the ground in front of him, surrounded by bodies.
"Oh my god," Feldspar gasped, falling down beside him. "Tweek, hey, hey, I'm…I'm here," he whispered, pulling him into his arms.
Tweek weakly opened his eyes, looking up to meet Feldspar's blue. A small smile played across his lips, a look of satisfaction on his face. A shaking hand reached up to touch Feldspar's cheek.
"I did it," he breathed.
