Adam looked up to the mysterious woman as she offered him her hand. He lifted his hand to hold her own, but stopped himself. How did this woman know his name and was she a friend or a foe?

"Who are you?" Adam asked as he didn't dare to look away from her yellow eyes. "How do you know my name?"

"Right, I suppose that you would be apprehensive when a Fablefolk woman in the middle of the forest shows up and calls you by your name," Hekapoo surmised. "Especially after the day you've had... My name is Hekapoo. I am not your enemy, in fact I've known you since the day you were born."

Hekapoo's hand remained in front of Adam, who reluctantly took the hand. She helped him to his feet before giving him a look over. She was only three inches shorter than him but still saw him like an old friend. Despite his dirty clothes she could see all the more that was under it all. However, the sentiment was not entirely mutual Adam reached for his ax but for some reason didn't feel threatened by the demoness. He couldn't help but think of her as some kind of cat, looking at a mouse or some other critter that had caught her attention. If she wanted to do something to him she would've done so already, so he waited. Suddenly, Hekapoo placed a hand on Adam's right arm. But it wasn't hard by any means but instead like she was examining him.

"You've grown so much, and grown quite handsome," Hekapoo said with what sounded like pride, "I still remember when you were no bigger than a loaf of bread."

Adam pulled back from Hekapoo's grasp, wanting to get answers from her.

"Um- thank you for the compliment, Ms. Hekapoo. But could you please tell me what is going on and how do you know me?" Adam asked.

"Right, right, sorry got a little caught up in seeing you up close like this," Hekapoo said with a smile. "And you can just call me Hekapoo, honey. Your mother told you about how you were born in this very forest, right?"

"Yes," Adam replied as an idea of testing her popped into his head. "She said that she gave birth to me with only my father, a doctor and a nurse to help her."

"Nice try, but it was only a sweet midwife that was passing by," Hekapoo corrected. "She wore a red cloak and wrapped you in a red scarf. The same one you're wearing on your neck."

Adam reached for his scarf and then looked at Hekapoo, surprised by that knowledge.

"How do you know that?" Adam asked.

After those words left his mouth, Adam saw with his own eyed as Hekapoo began to change. Her skin turned tanned, her horns disappeared, and her eyes resembled those of a human.

"How do I look like?" Hekapoo asked before making a quick twirl. "I put this together at the spot. And ever since then, I've been looking after you from the shadows. Just like earlier today."

"Why did you help my mother back then? And why look after me?" Adam asked, now listening to every word that Hekapoo said. "I thought Fablefolk hated humans."

"Some do, but I like humans. As for what happens next, that's a bit complicated," Hekapoo said, with her eyes looking down. "Word of what happened in Echo Creek is already spreading as we speak I'm afraid."

Her tone had shifted. The happy and flirty voice turned sad and almost sad and regretful.

"I can't tell you much, but I'm allowed to tell you six things," Hekapoo began with a sombre tone. "One, your actions have set certain events into motion that had long been predicted. So you aren't to blame for what happens. The sins of the forefathers are not placed upon the sons."

"Forefathers?" Adam asked as Hekapoo continued.

"Two, beware the weakness of a pure heart as it will open the gate to darkness," Hekapoo continued as she glanced at Star. "Three, look for the true story in the highest peak where eclipse and the door reside," she continued as she was engulfed in flames. "Four, for Adam Lakestone to succeed in this endeavor you must die and through death become what he was always meant to be. Five, a king's old weapon must be reclaimed. Six, for you to save those you love you must cut out the city's heart of darkness."

As soon as Hekapoo finished her words, the fire that surrounded her vanished along with her.

Adam stood there in the middle of the woods, wondering what had happened. A beautiful Fablefolk demigoddess had just revealed that she'd been looking out for him since his birth. And now he was meant to go on a quest of some kind. What had she meant with he had to die and become what he was always meant to be? Her words had little meaning to Adam, but he did knew that he had to find a place to hunker down for the night.

A grunt made him turn to see Star, the source all all his problems, wake up.

"Ow, what hit me in the head?" Star groaned while rubbing the back of her head.

"An iron bucket," Adam said before helping her get to her feet. "You're welcomed for getting you out of the city."

"I could've done that on my own," Star snapped back.

"Like how you could've remained hidden if you hadn't started causing chaos through the city!?" Adam asked. "Now, the truce has been broken and it'll only be a matter of time before war breaks out!"

"Yeah, and we'll win," Star replied. "Just like Glossaryck said in the ancient Book of Spells!"

"No one is going to win! People -both human and Fablefolk- have been twisting Glossaryck's words to start conflicts," Adam snapped back. "We need to show what's really going on. Yes there are atrocities committed on both sides but we can fix these things."

"Well that is your opinion," Star replied causing Adam to facepalm himself.

"If there's a war then the people and everything you love might be killed," Adam clarified before an idea popped into his head. "Besides I'm sure your queen would love to find out that one of her own caused all this because she jumped to conclusions and was messing around where she wasn't supposed to."

"Ha, you wouldn't even get close to her!" Star laughed. "She'd have you beheaded before you even reached the royal throne room. If you were even able of find where the castle is in the first place."

Adam was about to remark at the lack of empathy of the princess when he heard a horse whine coming closer. He turned to the source of the noise when he spotted lit torches coming closer towards them.

"Oh no," Adam said before he rushed towards Star.

"He-hey!" Star exclaimed as Adam lifted her up.

Adam picked her up and flung her over his shoulder once more before he ran deeper into the forest before leaning back against a tree.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Star asked. "I know that I'm hot and all but you should know that I've got standards."

"Quiet," Adam hushed.

"Oh you do not get to tell me to shush after flinging me around like a rag doll the whole day," Star replied. "And one more-"

Adam placed a hand on top of Star's mouth as the the horses and their riders got closer to where they were. He glanced around the tree and saw just who their persecutors were. His eyes went wide as he saw three Warriors of the Sun riding horses with torches in their hands. They were clearly looking for him and Star to kill them. If they made a noise they would be found out.

"There's no trace of the traitor nor the Fablefolk monster. We should keep looking," one of the knights said. "Are you sure you saw something here?"

"I swear, I saw light in here," another one of the knights responded.

"It doesn't matter, what has happened in Echo Creek will be answered for," the third knight mentioned. "The other human cities are being informed as we speak. We'll make them all pay for attacking our home."

Adam pressed himself against the tree, hoping that the torch light wouldn't discover him. He could feel Star fighting against his hand and giving him punches and kicks to get him off of him. They weren't that strong but they were causing Adam some pain. He turned to her and shot her a glare before pointing to the knights. She followed his finger causing her to stop her struggle against his hand. They lowered themselves until the dark green bushes and shrubs covered them.

Just then, a twig snapped next to Adam's feet getting the attention of the knights.

"What was that?" one of the knights asked.

"It sounded close," replied another.

"Look around," added the third knight as the first knight dismounted his horse and pulled out his sword.

Adam shrunk himself as much as he cloud as the knight stepped towards where they were hiding. He could feel the heat of the torch coming closer. Sweat began to drip from his forehead and course down his neck.

If they moved they would be spotted.

If he called out they would be spotted for sure.

And if they stood where they were, they'd also be spotted.

Adam didn't dare to move a muscle.

However, that wasn't a problem for Star. She at first tried to use her magic to blast the knights, but Adam swatted away her hand. She then begrudgingly rolled her eyes and picked up a rock. She then flung the rock far away from where they were, catching the attention of the knights.

"I heard something over there!" one of the knights said.

"Let's go!" replied the second knight.

The third knight quickly got back on his horse and all three of them rode towards the source of the noise.

Adam and Star took this chance to run away deep into the night.

"I hope this means you'll help me fix this mess," Adam said as he pulled Star along.

"Nah, more like I just don't want to get put in the dungeon of some crappy human kingdom or be executed," Star replied in a nonchalant manner much to Adam's cringe as they ran to find refuge in the forest.


Back in the Butterfly castle, both Moon and River sat on their thrones waiting for news of their daughter. River was worried and only a few minutes away to call for his hounds to look his daughter.

"They should've found her by now," River said. "Where could she possibly have gone?"

"River, calm down," Moon said placing a hand on his shoulder. "Star is just throwing another one of her tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. She'll come around soon enough."

Moon felt rather annoyed by Star's disappearing acts. She pinched the bridge of her nose knowing fully well that Star was as hard to straighten out as it was for her to hug iron. She had tried to be a fair mother, but whenever she tried to use discipline on her she'd just fight her tooth and nail. It was as if she was always doing whatever she wanted for no other reason but to cause chaos.

"Moonpie, you know that I have to worry about her," River said trying to calm his wife. "She's a young woman and is still a long way from assuming responsibilities. I just want her to think before doing something rash."

Moon smiled at her husband, knowing that River meant well.

Just then the door of the throne room was slammed open. The two rulers turned to see a messenger satyr running towards them. He had the legs of a goat, horns on his forehead and wood-like armor covering his chest and thighs with the symbol of the Butterfly dynasty on his chest. He knelt before them short of breath with a scroll in his hand.

"Your majesties, I come bringing terrible news," the satyr said.

"What news do you bring?" Moon asked looking at the Fablefolk catching his breath.

"This was taken from a human messenger going west near our borders," the satyr explained before unrolling the scroll. "'The city of Echo Creek has been attacked by a Fablefolk princess. She caused chaos and harm to people of the church and some of the city knights. This has been taken as an act of war. I call upon the other human cities to aid us in a response to this attack. Signed Mina Loveberry.'"

"A Fablefolk princess attacking a human city? No princess would ever be foolish enough to do so!" River replied. "It must be a hoax."

However, this made perfect sense for Queen Moon. There was only one person that could do such a thing.

"Does the message include a description of the attacker?" Queen Moon urged.

"Yes, my queen," the satyr replied before looking going back to the scroll. "'The Fablefolk has been identified as one of the monarchs of the Fablefolk by her heart shaped cheek marks, and long blond hair. She avoided capture by the aid of a human male that may have charmed into betraying his kind'."

"Oh Star, what have you done?" Moon sighed in disappointment.

"My baby girl is with a man?!" River screamed. "We must find them immediately!"

The situation was not good. If the other messengers arrived at their destinations then this would escalate quickly.

"My love, we must find Star but we must also prepare for the inevitable," Moon said calming her husband. "I'll gather our armies, and I need you by my side."

"In that case, I'll call upon my best hound," River said before getting off his throne. "KELLY! I CALL UPON YOU, MY HOUND!"

As the call echoed through the room, a figure entered the room. The figure was female with sharp defined curves. She wore armored gauntlets, black leather boots, an armored purple short skirt, a blue colored shirt underneath a dark vest, and a brown belt on top that was used to hold her large sword on her back. She had bandages wrapped on her forearms that slightly covered her caramel colored skin. There were a pair of glasses on her round face, just underneath a red headband. The only other aspect that made her stand out was her long bush-like green hair that reached to her ankles.

Kelly stepped up to the two royals and bowed before them.

"You've called upon me, my liege," Kelly said with great respect. "I am at your services."

"Kelly, you are my strongest, most faithful, and most effective hound. I need you to find my daughter and bring her back here, alive," River instructed.

"I understand my Lord of the Hunt," Kelly said, rising to her feet. "Is there anything else?"

"There is a human man with her," River added, making Kelly's eyes grow wide. "Kill him."

Kelly nodded in understanding before rushing back out into the forest.

The two rulers were left to think about their next move.

"Are you sure this man deserves death, River?" Moon asked.

"You're always the one saying that I need a firm hand, I am the Lord of the Hunt for corn's sake," River replied. "Besides, any man that even thinks about touching my sweet girl without my approval will meet her end at the end of my battle ax."

"Very well, but just consider that Star may have charmed him and hasn't got the foggiest idea of what he's doing," Moon said. "Now we must call upon our forces. War is coming. What a time you picked to disappear, Eclipsa."


The sun began to rise once more in the forest. The sound of the birds, animals and other creatures waking up from their slumber accompanied the sun as it rose. The smell of fresh dew on grass engulfed the forest, cleansing it from any foul smells that would've appeared the day before. The light of the sun illuminated the forest, waking every one of its residents and its newest additions.

Deep inside the forest, under a large tree, Adam laid against it with his ax in hand. After running for hours the night before, he and Star decided to sleep on the tree in hopes of getting some rest. He slowly opened his eyes before letting out a loud and tiered yawn. A part of him hoped that all that had happened was nothing more than a strange fevered dream. But a quick look around told him that it wasn't. Adam let out a tiered sigh, seeing his situation. He moved his head until he heard a crack.

"That was the worst night of my life," Adam sighed before noticing that his shirt and pants felt wet.

Adam looked down and saw Star drooling on top of him.

"Oh, come on," Adam groaned before putting his hand on top of Star's head and pushing her off of him. "Now, I have to wash this off."

Star then began to wakeup with a groan. She looked around almost unsure as to where she was.

"Where am I?" Star asked as Adam got back to his feet.

"We are in the forest north of Echo Creek," Adam replied getting Star's attention.

"Oh, you're still around, I thought you'd have gone on your own way by now," Star said. "Isn't there a town or anything around here?"

"We should be about... I have no idea," Adam said as he looked for anything that could give him a direction. "I don't suppose you have a map."

"Nooooooo... but I do know the forest like the back of my hand," Star answered. "I should be able to find my way back home in record time. Got anything to eat around here?"

Adam couldn't help but roll his eyes at the princess' self assured ego. But his mind quickly went back to the previous night's events. His conversation with Hekapoo had left him with many questions. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that a Fablefolk demigoddess had been looking over him, and that had warned him about some sort of quest he had to go on. Her words rattled inside his head through the entire night and he had yet to make heads or tails of them. He had always wanted to find adventure out there, but he never thought that the adventure he wanted so badly was like this. Adam sighed as he tried to clear his mind, but his stomach began to rumble.

Adam placed his hand on his stomach.

"Guess we should have some breakfast," Adam said. "Thankfully, my dad managed to grab something before we got out of the city."

Adam turned around and saw that Star was munching down all their food.

"This isn't so bad," Star said before taking a bite out of a loaf of bread. "Don't you have any corn?"

"What are you doing?" Adam screamed before pulling the bag and the food away from Star.

Adam looked in the bag to see most of the food gone.

"This food was supposed to last me until I got to St. Tom Monastery," Adam shot the princess with a glare. "That's a three day trip."

"That was for a whole trip?" Star asked. "Oh, sorry."

Adam only growled at Star before reaching for the ax before walking away.

"You're the worst princess I've ever met!" Adam yelled as he walked away from her. "And you're the only princess I've ever met."

"Hey, you can't just leave me here like that," Star called back as she ran after him.

"Watch me," Adam added walking faster. "I'll figure this out on my own. Without your help!"

"Alright, that's it," Star said before she stopped herself. "You won't listen to me, then I'll make you."

Star raised her left hand as it began to glow bright pink. She aimed it at Adam before she began to chant a spell.

Adam turned around to see what Star was planning and grew pale at the sight.

"Rowdy soul that refuses to obey your master, I bound you to my whim and will. Super bonding red ribbon!" Star casted as a red whip shot out of Star's hand and fired at Adam.

"Wait, stop! You can't do this!" Adam begged before holding up his ax as his only form of defense.

The light of the red ribbon struck the iron blade of the ax before bouncing back to where it came from. Directly at Star Butterfly. The blast struck Star and sent her flying backwards.

Adam dropped the ax feeling a stinging pain. He pulled back his sleeve and looked at his right arm's wrist. The skin on his wrist had turned red as if it had been tattooed, and right in the middle was a marked heart.

"What the heck is this?" Adam asked before he started rubbing it but to no avail.

Adam then saw Star groaning and getting back up. Not wanting to waste time, he picked up the ax and rushed to Star's side.

"What was with that spell?" Star said before looking at the palm of her left hand to see a red tattooed heart inside a circle.

Star was confused at this but didn't get far as Adam held her up.

"What did you try to do to me?!" Adam demanded.

"Oh, I just used my own version of an old spell called the Super bonding red ribbon," Star explained. "Now you'll do everything I tell you. Now give me the rest of the food."

"Are you serious? No way I'm doing that!" Adam replied before walking away from her.

"Huh? It should've worked," Star said trying to follow and try again. "Bow down before me! Listen to me!"

"I won't do any of those things," Adam replied while looking at the strange mark on his wrist. "How do I get this thing off of me?"

"I won't get it off until you start listening me," Star said.

Adam and Star continued walking on their path while Star continued to demand Adam to do things for her. He ignored her for the most part, he was trying to get the tattoo off of him. He rubbed it but to no avail and was just about to give up before spotting a large body of water up ahead. He continued walking until he found himself in front of a large crystal blue lake that seemed untouched by man or beast.

"Finally," Adam said just as Star caught up to him.

"Why won't you listen to me?" Star asked as Adam got closer to the lake. "The spell's never failed me before."

"You use it often?" Adam asked as he knelt in front of the lake.

"Not that often. People listen to their princess," Star replied. "Isn't that what people do for royalty?"

"Not when they use magic to get what they want," Adam said as he submerged his hands on the lake he tried to rinse the tattoo but it didn't work.

"I don't see why. I've got the power, I should use it," Star argued.

"Don't Fablefolk usually use magic to help and not abuse it?" Adam asked as he rinsed. "I mean, you know, use power with responsibility."

"Seriously?! My mom always tells me that and she just keeps on stifling my creativity," Star groaned. " 'Don't slide down the stairs, Star!' 'Don't fight trolls, Star!' 'Don't ride wild warnicorns in the palace, Star!' Get a life, mom."

"She actually sounds like she might've had some good points there," Adam said as he turned to face Star.

"I'm weird, alright?!" Star replied.

"Yeah, but that doesn't give you the right to go on a rampage," Adam shot back.

As they began to talk and argue, a dark blue human-like hand with scales popped out of the water.

"You're just saying that because you don't know me," Star said glaring at Adam. "I'm a young! Young people are dumb!"

"That's not an excuse. You have to take responsibility for your actions before someone get hurt or worse-!" Adam said before being pulled into the river as Star reached for his hand.

"Human boy?" Star asked as she looked for Adam, but then another hand shot out of the water and dragger her into the lake.