They had split up into pairs, Ariel with Abe while Red was with Johann. They walked through the bustling market, no one giving them a second glance which was a novelty to them. Ariel was speaking with a stall holder acting like she was spreading the latest gossip about the attack at the auction house, using it to glean information from people while Abe scouted ahead.

Abe paused starring at a woman descending some stairs, his eyes drawn to her bracelet with bared a familiar tree upon it.

"The royal seal." Abe breathed out. The woman too noticed that her bracelet was showing and covered it up glancing around to see is anyone else had noticed it, her eyes falling to Abe who tried to look inconspicuous. Once she had moved on Abe activated his comm.

"Red, do you read me?" Abe called out.

"Yes, I read you Blue, but I'm watching Sherlock work at work. I'll get back to you." Red replied looking to Johann who was trying to politely get people to stop and talk to him.

"Excuse me ... Excuse me ... May I ask a ..." Johan let out a frustrated sigh before spotting a fae getting a shave and walked over. "Excuse me, gentlemen. Have you seen anyone purchasing this type of toothfairy?"

"No one sells them down here, pal." The customer replied as he looked over the picture Johan showed him.

"Over in Jersey maybe." The barber added.

"What about this? Do you recognize this seal?" Johann showed them the royal seal.

"Make him go away!" The child growth cried.

"No, we don't!" The customer replied.

"Please dear sir?" Johann tried.

"You better go!" The customer snapped. "Now!"

"We'll make it worth your while." Johann offered.

"Do not waste your time!" The barber roared pushing Johann away. "We do not talk."

"What are you doing?!" Johann questioned Red as he walked up to the Barber.

Are you absolutely sure about that?" HB said getting in the barbers face.

"Absolutely." The barber replied.

"You're not talking?" Red questioned.

"Never." The barber said.

"Never?" Red echoed.

"Never ever ever!" The barber replied right before Red's stone fist struck again sending the barber back into a pot filled with boiling liquid.

Ariel glanced over to the writhing being as she and Abe followed the woman with the bracelet. She kept her veil up constantly glancing around herself, but Ariel managed to keep them out of her sight.

"Feeling a little chattier now?" Red asked after a round of slapping the customer's head back and forth.

"We'll never talk." The baby replied and Red pulled back for another hit.

"Yes, yes, wait a minute." The customer stopped him. "Just don't hit me anymore."

"Chicken!" The baby mocked.

"Who bought the toothfairies?"

"Prince Nuada." The customer replied, shocking Red. "They say Prince Nuada broke the truce, and now there is talk of war. A war in human world."

"Sorry, kid." Red said patting the kid on the head.

"That's all right." The baby replied.

"Nice baby." Johann patted the top of the child's head.

"I'm not a baby, I'm a tumor." The tumor replied snuggling against the customer.

"Sis, Blue, what do you got?" Red activated his comm.

"Yes. Red. We're following the lead right now." Abe said.

"May turn out to be nothing but we'll let you know soon enough." Ariel added as they followed the woman up to a book store of some kind. Abe and Ariel walked up to the door being as silent as possible.

"What do you want?" The shop owner demanded of the woman. "Tell me your name." She held up her wrist showing him her bracelet. "Follow me." He led her to the back out of the sight of Abe and Ariel.

"You go in and I'll keep watch out here, I have this horrible feeling that we are not the only ones following this woman." Ariel said as Abe nodded.

"Be careful." Abe said kissing her cheek before slipping into the shop.

"Your father left you this map. In it he said lays the secret to the location of the Golden Army." The shop owner said then noticed Abe coming into the store. "Move away, quickly Your Highness." He walked up to him. "Can I help with something?"

"No, thank you, I'm just looking." Abe replied moving past him.

"You cannot go in there." The shop owner tried to stop him as he came upon the princess.

"Sir? Why are you following me?" The princess demanded. "And where is the woman who was with you earlier?"

"I was just hoping to find an old map..." Abe tried.

"Why are you following me?" She demanded again.

"I am not." Abe tried.

"Did my brother sent you, to steal the crown piece?" The princess questioned.

"Your brother? You're solely mistaken. I assure you…" Abe walked up to her only for her to pull a knife holding it to his throat.

"Then answer me truthfully, why were you following me?" The princess ordered.

"My name is Abraham Sapien…" Abe replied.

"There is no such name." The princess cut him off.

"I don't like it either, but…" Abe replied.

"Enough! Give me your hand." The princess ordered though Abe hesitated. "Your hand." Abe placed his hand against hers. "You are an agent…from the bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. And your name is...oh…"

"Horrible, I know." Abe said.

"I am Nuala, Princess Nuala." Nuala said removing her knife.

"Yes, I know." Abe said much to her surprise. "Forgive me, Your Highness, as you were learning about me, I could not help but learn a little about you myself. I know that you need our help."

"I am afraid it's the other way round." Nuala replied.

-0-

Ariel was leaning casually against the wall beside the door to the book shop her arms crossed and her eyes surveying the crowd, that's when she saw it making its way toward her. He was a troll of massive size with a metal hand snarling as he moved to go into the store, but Ariel stepped in front of him.

"Sorry buddy, stores closed right now try back later." Ariel said starring up at the massive beast, her pupils turning into slits. The troll replied in his native language with a fierce growl. "Not moving no matter who you work for." He growled again. "What do I care about some Prince Nuada?...wait, Nuada, I know that name…holy crap!" Her eyes lit up with the memory from her past. "Now I'm really not moving so you can just take a flying leap."

The troll reared back his fist then sent it flying for her head, but a quick flip to the side saved her. He punched into the wall leaving a huge hole and Ariel drew her guns only for the troll to back swing at her knocking the guns far out of her reach.

"Hey! Those were my favorite guns!" Ariel snapped drawing her swords starting her attack and got in a few good hits before she was back handed through the door and into the book shop with a resounding crash. "Owie!"

"The window, out now! I'll take care of this!" Ariel heard Abe order the princess who rushed out of the store as he rushed over to Ariel. "Ariel, are you ok?"

"Fine, just had my breath knocked out of me." Ariel said as she tried to breath without pain.

"Oh, dear ..." Abe said as he spotted the troll coming toward them and took a stand in front of Ariel only to be grabbed by his head and thrown out the store window after a severe beating. Ariel painfully got to her feet and retrieved her swords.

"Hey! That was my boyfriend you ugly toad!" Ariel growled as she started her attack again, this time aiming a powerful kick that sent the troll stumbling back out of the store landing on its back on the ground. Ariel grabbed her guns slipping them into her holster and taking hold of her swords.

Ariel ran out of the store in time to see the troll baring down on Abe who was pulling off some impressive moves using the water on the ground to aid in his movements, but the troll towered over Abe about to strike again. A series of shots rang out hitting the trolls metal hand forcing him back. HB stood gun in hand lighting a cigar with the princess behind him.

"Get out of here, Blue." HB ordered as he and Ariel ran up to him. "Ariel stay with them."

"Yes, come with us, your Highness." Abe took the princess away, Ariel following them with her swords in hand.

"You ..." HB started as he stared the troll down. "Let me put this as delicately as I can ..." The trolls fist shot out on a long chain hitting HB in the face sending him to the ground, his cigar falling from his mouth into the water much to his horror. "It was Cuban!" HB shot back to his feet. "Now you pissed me off."

They descended into hand to hand combat, HB unable to get a shot in. A powerful hit sent HB sailing through the air back into the main body of the market landing amongst the thick crowd. The troll followed up smacking HB's gun from his hand and HB returned the hit with a slam to the trolls face with his stone fist.

HB sent punch after punch into the trolls gut making the troll laugh before punching him then kicking him back. This went on for a while longer until HB rammed into the troll forcing him back into a series of columns. The troll hit him in the back then another punch sent HB into a cart full of bones. He scrambled to his feet meeting the troll in another series of blows until their fists met, HB's stone fist destroying the trolls metal one.

HB took the chance to really bring the troll down the pinned him landing blow after blow to the trolls face leaving him in a painful daze.

"And stay down!" HB ordered getting off the troll. HB shook his head a couple of times then moved his jaw around reaching into his mouth and pulling out his tooth. The troll clambered to his feet behind HB. "Damn!" The troll roared at him gesturing to his broken hand as HB held up his tooth. "A tooth. Happy?" HB threw his tooth hitting the troll who reared back his broken fist. "Give it up, pal. It's over. I wouldn't do that, if I were you." The troll shot his fist out and HB side stepped it allowing it to go into a grinder, the chain that connected his fist to his body pulling him in. HB reached out touching the taunt chain before looking back at the troll. "Wow, told you."

The troll was pulled into the grinder which left nothing but slop behind. HB relit his cigar taking a deep drag before letting the smoke out.

"What have you done, agent Hellboy?" Johan demanded as he came up with Ariel, Abe, and the princess. "Look at this. Now we have to leave."

"Red, this is princesses Nuala." Abe introduced Nuala, while Ariel eyed the bubbles that appeared in Abe's apparatus suspiciously, but pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Lady." HB nodded.

"We should leave now." Ariel said taking Abe's hand and pulling him along.

"Now!" Johan ordered.

"Let's go." HB said casually as he led them out.