We wasted no time getting ready and leaving the Kingdom of Adzuki behind. It wasn't because we wanted to get out of there; we had a schedule to keep and he feared that he wouldn't get the alliances he needed before his time was up and he lost everything. His biggest concern was that he wouldn't get the alliance with Glabella since we were told that they were booked for a while. If it goes over his time limit or pushes it too close, he can't get the alliance. That's just common sense at this point. We decided to take the safe route and avoid Lacuna as much as possible; even though the travel will be a bit longer, better to be safe than get attacked by Ogres. Just remembering those things chasing after us gave me chills, and I didn't want to meet one face-to-face any time soon. The land we were going through was called Brobdingnagia. It was a grassy plain that seemed to go on forever. There were no trees in this area; the only vegetation was grass. A perpetual grassland…well, not perpetual, but it felt like it.

Concern flickered through me when I felt the ground tremble under my feet. I looked at the map and scanned the landmass that was Brobdingnagia and my concern was confirmed. I folded the map again and Peasley was watching me in confusion.

"There are no fault lines here." I informed. "Why are we feeling tremors?"

The vibrations became more and more violent. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the area around me. It was harder to do now because I was trying to stay standing but I soon felt a large presence behind me. I turned slightly and told Peasley to keep going. We continued like nothing happened, and it was a few minutes later that the tremors started again. I turned slightly again and saw a rather large tree.

Wait…a tree?

"Has that thing been following us?" I asked.

Peasley looked at me. "Fiamo…it's a tree."

"I'm serious." I faced him. "The only trees we have seen were when we left Adzuki. The last one I saw was by Lacuna. Look around; there is absolutely nothing here except a giant tree. I don't remember passing it; we are being followed by a tree."

"…you're losing it. Did you get sleep last night?"

"Yes, and I am convinced we are being followed by a tree."

"Trees don't move, Fi."

"Apparently this one does, and it has been following us since we left Lacuna."

He sighed and continued forward. I followed silently. I still wasn't convinced that we were safe. We walked for probably another hour and I turned to grab my water when suddenly a branch broke the ground in front of us and grabbed Peasley's ankle. He shouted as the root raised him in the air, leaving him dangling upside-down and defenseless (his sword fell to the ground). I grabbed his sword and made a decent cut in the trunk of the tree, and it screamed as it released Peasley. I caught him, and he thanked me as I handed him his sword.

"No fight." It spoke.

"I told you we were being followed by a tree." I told Peasley.

He rolled his eyes.

"Ent friends, not trees." It spoke again.

"You're an ent?" Peasley asked perplexed. "Wow… I've never met an Ent before. Can I see your face so I know who you are?"

The giant tree-like thing rested his hand on the ground, and Peasley jumped up on it. He pulled me up as well, and we were both lifted high into the sky and saw a human-like face among the leaves. Peasley stood up and shouted hello at him and asked if he could hear him. I would have said something, but the thought that this was a walking tree that could talk to us frightened me a little.

"Alder hear tiny human fine." It answered. "Too loud?"

"A tad." Peasley answered. "And I am a Bean. My name is Prince Peasley."

"What bring Bean to Brobdingnagia? Who friend? Friend hurt Alder."

"His name is Fiamo; he thought you were attacking me. We are just walking through to get to Glabella."

"We didn't want to risk getting close to Lacuna." I added shouting.

"Ogres mean. Why Glabella? Long way."

"I am on the Trial of Kings; a quest which requires me to go to different locations close to my Kingdom to offer and establish alliances. We were headed to Glabella so I could offer an alliance to them."

"Alliance?"

"Friendship." I answered.

"Paulownia speak to you." Alder spoke. "Alder take Bean and friend to Paulownia. Offer alliance to Paulownia."

Peasley blinked in surprise. I pulled him down so that the wind from traveling wouldn't blow him off. The last thing I needed was for him to fall to his death…not a pleasant thought to me in the least. Alder used a long jumping stride, and I had to hold on to his pinky finger in order to not fly off myself. He was courteous to us and had cupped his hand so that the wind wouldn't knock us out. Peasley and I were speaking to one another until we saw the forests that surrounded Lacuna. A wave of fear entered me and I felt it shake Peasley a little.

I stood up, and fought a little bit for my balance. Once I got it, I withdrew Angelica and an arrow. Getting a general idea of what I was doing, Peasley reached over and held my ankles, pinning them to Alder's hand as hard ha It was harder to do now because I was in motion and the fear of me flying off my platform was large. None the less, I soon felt the presence of an Ogre walking slowly towards us. Taking the wind into account, I shot off an arrow way off target. The momentum of the wind curved my arrow and it hit the Ogre.

"Alder flatten hand?" he asked.

"A little, but not all the way." I shouted. He uncurled his hands a little and even placed his thumb on Peasley's back gently so he wouldn't go flying away. "Thank you!"

I was always really good at hitting my targets, but when there was an extreme wind like the one I am in right now, my skills go down the drain. Thankfully, we didn't run into too much trouble and shot about ten enemies using fifteen arrows. Alder slowed his run and returned to a gentle walk. He released Peasley, and the Prince pulled me down to make sure I was okay. He checked my hands to make sure I didn't cut myself.

The area we just entered was very quiet and peaceful. Peasley dug out our map and found out that we were deep within the forest; he guessed that we were in the thickest part between Adzuki and Glabella. Despite it being late morning, it was pretty dark. We were brought to what looked like a Throne Room, and another Ent was sitting on the Throne. Alder approached her and explained that we were looking for an alliance; a friendship. Peasley stood up and turned to help me up as well.

"Are you Paulownia?" Peasley asked softly. The tree nodded. "I am Prince Peasley of the Beanbean Kingdom. I am on the Trial of Kings; a quest which requires me to go to different locations close to my Kingdom to offer and establish alliances."

"Are you here to ask for an alliance?" she asked.

"Well, not really; my Guardian and I were headed to Glabella and Alder found us. He suggested we talk to you about it."

"Going through Brobdingnagia." Alder added. "Wanted to avoid Ogres. Silly humans."

"As the voice for our Kingdom, I am not interested in an alliance at this time. But if you need our help, we would be more than happy to." Paulownia reached out to us, shook her hand and a small wooden whistle fell in Peasley's hands. "Use this to call us; even if you think we can't hear it we will. Since it is a part of my wood, I can tell when you are using it and where you are."

"Thank you," Peasley bowed. "Is there a way we can get an escort to Glabella?"

"Alder take tiny humans." He answered.

The Queen nodded, and we were taken away from the scene. Alder lifted us to his face and told us that we could sit on his shoulders if we wanted. Peasley thanked him and we both got off his hand. We were told to hang on, and Alder went into his full stride again. I watched as the world around us went passed me at an alarming speed, and soon the white walls of Glabella greeted us. We were about a good mile away before Alder slowed down to a steady stop and let us go. Peasley thanked him, and the Ent went back to his home in Brobdingnagia.

The guards greeted us and made a comment about our entrance, and Peasley laughed lightly as he thanked them. We walked through the castle square and we held hands to make sure we didn't lose one another in the crowd. After exploring the wares and things the Kingdom had to offer (Peasley likes to do a little research), we made our way towards the Castle. Its white walls were gleaming against the afternoon sun like diamonds and the blue roofs and railing around the windows gave the accents of a homey place.

"Peasley? Fiamo?" we turned and Owen was with a guard.

"Good afternoon, Prince Owen." I bowed to him.

"It's so good to see you two!" he embraced us. "How has the Trial been treating you?"

"I mean, I'm alive." Peasley answered. "I'm actually here to discuss a possible alliance meeting; I know that you are busy around this time."

"My parents are, yes." He answered pulling a small book out of his pocket. "I can see if we can fit you in. How long do you have left?"

"Little over a month; not a whole lot of time."

Owen thumbed through the small book and the guards looked at us in suspicion. A few minutes passed and his face turned sour. Peasley was about to say something, but the guard tapped Owen's shoulder and whispered in his ear. After a short nod and a blink of confusion, he glanced up at me. His eyes told me that he was searching me. I tilted my head in concern and it dawned on me what he was looking at. I gently handed my things to Peasley, and I gently removed my vest. I undid a few of the buttons and folded my shirt out so it would stay, exposing my Mark. Owen's eyes opened slightly in shock, and I removed Peasley's cloak and undid one of the buttons in the back, letting him pull his tunic down a little and show his Mark as well. I fixed his uniform and put my vest back on.

"Mirda's own Champions. Why does this not surprise me?" Owen smiled and looked at the book again. "I can probably get you in an appointment at 2 in the afternoon on the 27th; the King would love to meet you."

"Sounds fantastic." Peasley answered looking at his schedule book.

"Unless you can do the 30th."

"Sooner the better; we can keep that date in case it goes over."

"Excellent; I'll just add you in and we are good to go!" Owen faced us again and I took Peasley's book. "I'm sorry we couldn't do it today."

"No, it's fine. I don't want to hold you up anymore; you look busy."

Owen laughed. "Well, I know you two are on the clock so I will see you then!"

He gestured to his guards, and they continued on their path. Peasley and I continued walking through the city. The afternoon was pleasant and refreshing, and we decided to grab a light lunch before exploring a little more. We finally decided on some fresh apples and cheeses (bread did not sound appetizing) along with water with fresh lemons. We walked through the market again, and I could tell that things were becoming uninteresting to him. I took his hand, and said that we should explore more of the outskirts of Glabella and see what else they had to offer. He nodded and we walked outside of the walls and out into the one of the grassy plains in the afternoon.

We held hands as we walked on one of the dirt paths. The sun was shining and the breeze was nice. We really didn't see any of the small villages on our walk; we went by them but never stopped in. He looked around a lot and mentioned that Glabella was a peaceful place. I agreed, and said that we didn't have to be as careful since Lacuna was more south. At that mention, Peasley faced me and I instantly recognized the adventurous look in his eyes. I sighed and he hugged me before dragging me into the forested area with him.

I was surprised to not see any Ents as we walked through the trees. Actually, what surprised me more is that we didn't see anything but trees. There was no trace of wildlife or anything. I tried to feel for any sort of movement, but all I got was vast emptiness other than the trees and Peasley. I faced him, and he had confusion in his eyes; I guess he had the same question I did. We continued forward and just looked at all the different kinds of plants and other odds and ends. I could tell that he was relieved that there were no people or sounds of a city near him. He was relaxed and taking his time navigating the terrain.

The mood was rather pleasant until I felt a presence to my left. Peasley saw my change in posture and stayed silent. I glanced over and I could see the shine of a blade. For safety precautions, I pulled out my dagger and kept it in my hands; I didn't want to waste an arrow on something that I didn't know. Keeping my mood low as possible, I cut a small path in front of us and started heading back towards Glabella. I stopped suddenly and I heard footsteps behind me. I spun around and deflected the rapier that was aimed for my neck. Peasley pulled his sword out and deflected another attack as I regained my balance. They locked swords and I noticed that the attacker was an Elf. His green eyes were deep and filled with determination and his hair was a deep grey. His outfit was a uniform of sorts and his weapon matched. He and Peasley exchanged attacks and defenses, but the thing was that Peasley made sounds of attack but the Elf gave no sound at all.

Peasley dislodged the sword from the Elf's hand, and it went flying behind him. I grabbed it and the Elf charged at me. It was a long shot, but I had an idea. I held my hand up, stopping both Peasley and the Elf. Sighing, I stuck his sword in the ground and held both hands out, still stopping them. I let my arms rest again then I let my hands hover over my eyes, not letting me see the Elf. I turned them out slowly and placed over my heart, my left hand under my right. Peasley knew what I was doing and I watched his eyes open slightly in interest. The Elf blinked at me, and did the same gesture I just did only with a questioning look on his face. I nodded, and his eyes filled with relief.

"He taught me that." I explained softly. "I am Fiamo; a friend of your brother's. He is Peasley," I gestured to the Prince, and the Elf turned slightly. "We mean no harm to you at all; we were just walking through."

He carefully removed a book from his pocket and a pen. He started writing in it and Peasley came up next to me. After a few seconds, he handed the book to us.

I'm glad to hear that Sileas is safe. It read. My name is Raphael. How did you meet him?

"I am on the Trial of Kings," Peasley answered. "It is a quest which requires me to go to different locations close to my Kingdom to offer and establish alliances. I was headed back home when we came across the Behemoth Mountains and stumbled in the Kingdom by complete accident. After asking around, we discovered that we could buy maps from him."

Raphael nodded and wrote in the book again.

Is he still with Owen? I nodded lightly. Good; I'm glad to hear that. He's a hard worker.

"Raphael." Peasley cut off his writing and he looked at him in interest. "Are you going to head home soon, or are you still captured?"

He smiled and shook his head as he continued writing. He showed us the book.

I was heading home when I came across you two; I got out finally. The night approaches fast; head back towards Glabella or a safe place. I'd hate to see you two captured like I was.

"Will do." I handed Raphael his sword back. "Thanks for everything."

He scribbled in his book again

No, thank you.

He walked past us silently, and we waited a few minutes before heading out again. The sun was setting fast and I had remembered seeing a clearing on the map close to where we were. We both traveled silently and quickly until we found the clearing I had seen. It was a big space and the moon was full as it was beginning to rise. I mentioned something about Stars, and Peasley's eyes lit. I smiled and told him that we could camp out if he wanted. He nodded, saying that it had been too long since he had seen Stars.

It was routine to us now; I gathered a few pieces of firewood and Peasley set up the rest of our little campsite. He had a match and was waiting for me to set up everything. Once the match was lit and thrown in the small fire, I babied the flame until it grew to support itself. I sat down and let out a sigh of relief and exhaustion and I stretched out on my back. Before I could get comfortable, I felt him rest on top of me, his head on my chest. There was nothing sexual about it; he just wanted to rest on me I guess. I kissed the top of his head and he laughed. We stayed like that for a few minutes then I told him I was sitting up. He voiced his distaste as I moved and got up fully. He blinked drowsiness out of his eyes and watched me in interest. I reached into one of my bags and pulled out my violin case. As I opened it, I felt a smile grow on my face since there were no dents or scratches on the instrument. I pulled it out and tuned it softly. I sat down in front of him and started playing a small tune. I watched as he stood up and grabbed his violin as well. I smiled as I softened my song so he could tune his. We were both playing the same song only mine was an octave lower; we didn't really perform it, though. We just sat in front of each other and played the song as we lost ourselves in the music.

It felt really nice to just sit down and play violin for a few hours. Yes, hours; it started as a ballad but then we were soon serenading one another with different songs and having a good time. It made me really happy to see him relaxed like this; he had been under so much pressure about the time and the Trial that I was beginning to worry that he would lose it. I was playing a small song softly and was resting my back against his. He was watching the Stars and losing himself to the music I was creating for him.

I stopped abruptly when I heard a shout. Peasley heard it too, and he jumped up withdrawing his sword. I set my violin in the case and kicked it closed as I grabbed Angelica and an arrow. I closed my eyes and used my other senses.

"A wolf of sorts." I whispered. "…and a girl?"

"This can't be good." Peasley answered.

"Stay here."

I walked forward slowly and Peasley followed, saying that he isn't going to stay back and watch me get hurt. I smiled and thanked him. We got to the edge of the clearing and I could see a pair of green eyes staring at me. Not waiting, I fired off. The arrow hit home, and the dog's cry echoed through the forest. I put Angelica away and pulled out my dagger with the other hand. The green eyes stared at me again and I heard a deep growl. I took a few steps back and waited patiently. The wolf barked as he broke out of his security of the forest. I dodged his attack, and saw Peasley hold a small girl to his chest, shielding her with his cape as much as he could. I dodged the grey beast a few more times before a well-aimed arrow from me hit him again. He growled at me and ran, howling as he did.

"They travel in packs," I turned to Peasley, "We'll have more company soon."

"Hush." He snapped at me. He turned his attention to the girl in his arms. "Don't cry, you're safe now; that big scary dog is gone now."

The little girl looked at him and had big tears in her eyes and going down her face. A feeling of pain hit me as she hugged Peasley tighter. I waved lightly, and Peasley looked at me. I gestured to our campsite, and he nodded. He gently lifted her and walked to the fire.

"Are you hurt?" Peasley asked softly. The girl showed him her hand, which had a deep cut in it. "I'll bandage that up for you, how does that sound?"

The girl nodded and I handed him our small medical bag. He opened it and I handed him our water flask as well. He quietly cleaned and wrapped her hand. He tied a bow on the back of her hand with the two ends and she smiled lightly.

"What's your name?" Peasley asked lightly.

The girl sniffed before answering, "C-Cosette."

"Such a pretty name. I am Prince Peasley, and he is Fiamo. He's very nice; he's not as scary as he looks." I rolled my eyes and laughed lightly. "…how old are you?"

"Seven."

"Why are you out here at this hour? You should be in bed."

"I…I got lost. I was playing with my friend and slipped and fell. I've been trying to get back, but I don't know where I am. I…I want Eric." She started sobbing.

"Oh, don't cry." I knelt down to her. "We'll get you back safe and sound. Where do you live; it can't be too far away."

"…the Orphanage." She finally whimpered.