Disclaimer: Teen Titans isn't mine

For some reason I forgot that the Titans had real names so I inserted them into the last chapter, with the exception of Raven and Jinx.

"Speech"

Thoughts


Garfield's eyes shifted around nervously as he entered the empty castle-cathedral like building. There was something about the place that seemed very off-putting. Maybe it was the fact that everything inside was black, despite its many towers being quite colorful outside, or maybe it was the strange shadows cast by the pale, colored moonlight streaming through the windows. Or maybe it was the fact that...

"There's nobody around!"

Jinx shrugged. "That a problem?"

"Yeah. The only people who live alone like this in the wild are like... hags. Or hermits. Or sorceresses."

"And do I look like any of those to you?"

"Yeah. You look like a hag - hey! Ow! Come on, I was just joking!"

Jinx was tempted to punch him in the face again, but refrained. "No dinner for you," she grumbled.

"Aww. Please? I'm sorry." He stared at her with puppy eyes.

The pinkette snickered. "You know, if you want to be a knight, you really gotta work on how you act. You know, like all manly and brave and stuff."

"Yeah, not my thing. So, dinner..?"

Jinx sighed. "You didn't really think I was serious, did you?"

They arrived at a door and Jinx opened it, revealing the dining room. "Mmm, smells good."

She walked in, noticing that it was already fully set for two people. That was odd. Usually Raven would ask the servants to begin preparing dinner since she ate at very irregular times. And it was also odd that all the food was gathered at one end of the table - usually there was a bit set for her at one end, then more for Jinx would be set at the other. And it was also really strange that there was no meat today. Hmm...

But then again, Raven did say that they would be having a visitor sometime, so maybe she had also known when he would come and who he was. Her power of foresight was not her strongest, but it was sometimes quite clear.

"Sit," Jinx beckoned.

"Thanks," Garfield said as he came in, taking off his metal gloves. His eyes widened as he saw all the food, stomach rumbling eagerly. He turned to her. "You know, I find it hard to believe that you live here alone. Like, there's no way you would have all this food randomly set out for yourself, right? "

"Of course not, silly. There are servants who do that for me."

"Servants? You're a noble?"

"Um, yeah. Couldn't you tell?"

He squinted at her, frowning. "No."

Jinx glared at him, pretending to be angry. "Well now you know. Eat, before it gets cold."

The green skinned man shrugged. He wasn't one to question food that was set out for him. They ate in silence for a while, until at last both of them were full and the servants came to clear the table, bringing a bottle of wine with them.

"That for us?"

Jinx nodded. "Thought a little drink wouldn't hurt."

She poured some wine into a glass for him, then some for herself and sipped at it. As she suspected, he didn't know how to drink properly and gulped it down quickly, as if it were ale and not wine, and a small smirk crossed her face. This should get him to loosen up a bit. She poured some more wine for him.

"So," she said slowly. "Tell me for real. What are you doing here, Sir Garfield, the Beast? Surely you don't expect the Titans to accept you so easily without any proof that you are a true knight."

"Nonsense. Once they see how great I am, they'll be sure to accept me. I am - 'hiccup' - the very best warrior you shall ever - 'hiccup' - see in your life." He hiccupped again.

"But there has to be something," she pressed further. "You have to make a name for yourself before you can approach them. Ya know, do something great and all that."

He squinted at her. "And?"

She poured more wine for him. "You weren't just passing through here randomly, were you? Nobody just randomly goes into these marshes. Locals say they're cursed and stuff."

"Bah, they're just peasants. What do they know?"

"What is it that you seek? I know you're looking for something in this area."

He drank another glass of wine, hiccupped again, then looked at her. "Don'tcha go tellin' someone else 'bout my quest now, 'kay?" His words slurred together a little.

Jinx nodded. "I promise."

He smiled. "Legends say dat dere's a dragon somewhere 'n dis place. Ol' village woman says it's been eatin' lots of cows 'round here. If I can fin' the beast 'n kill it, Tit'ns will surely let me join 'em."

There was a slight pause. Then, the pinkette burst out laughing. "You? Kill a dragon?"

His eyes narrowed, vision blurring slightly. "Don'tcha underestimate me-"

Jinx held her stomach, trying to stop herself, but it wasn't until her insides began clenching up and her amusement turned to pain that she could finally stop. She wiped the tears from her eyes, face flushed. "Sorry, but that's not happening. You, kill a dragon?"

"Why... can't I?" He seemed to sway a little in his seat.

"Because, even if they are real, you've heard the stories about how strong they are. How they can even kill a hundred knights at once. Just one would barely tickle it, if it's real."

Garfield squinted again. "Dats not dat hard. I c'n take 'em."

"Oh please. It probably isn't even real. You're wasting your time looking for it."

"Gotta... try..." He fell out of his seat, darkness slowly overtaking his vision. "Mmmm too much... ta drink..."

Jinx rolled her eyes. "That drunk already?" She sighed.

The servants emerged a moment later, hearing the thud of him hitting the floor, she supposed, and looked at her. "Put him in that guest room on the first floor. And be ready to help him if he happens to wake up. I don't want him wandering around here randomly."

"Yes, mistress."

The servants dragged him out of the room and Jinx's gaze turned to the single window on the other side of the room. "Soup?"

A raven flew in. "Perhaps later," it morphed into a petite woman, dressed in black, a hood shadowing her face. Raven looked up. "He was not lying about the dragon."

Jinx blinked. "Wait what? It's real? But I thought-"

"Not many still exist. But there are still some that lurk in mountains, rarely coming in contact with humans. This one seems to be an exception."

"The fool's gonna get himself killed," the pink haired girl muttered. "I wonder if he'll heed my warning."

"He won't have to," Raven said softly. "I mean to find this beast before he does."

"What? But why?"

The sorceress shrugged. "Nothing better to do. For my own amusement, I suppose."

"But... eh. Whatever you say, my lady."

Raven said nothing and morphed back into a raven, flying back out through the window into the moonlit sky.


Garfield woke up in the middle of the night, feeling the onset of a massive headache brewing. He got up, stumbling about in the dark, holding a hand to his head. Where am I? He tripped over something and crashed to the floor, only just then noticing that he was no longer wearing his armor. A moment later, the door opened and someone walked in. Whoever it was helped him to his feet and back to his bed.

"How are you feeling?" A low, female voice spoke.

"Headache," he mumbled. "Let me go outside, the cold might help me clear my head."

He felt an arm around him, his own stretched over a pair of rather thin shoulders and they began walking. He was surprised at how much of his weight she could support - though he was not really a big man, he was probably at least a full head taller than her and maybe, judging by her slight form, at least two stone heavier than she was... maybe more. And she was supporting most of his weight.

The cold air hit him as the door opened, and he felt slightly more refreshed. It's weird. Even if that castle thing seems really weird, the air here is really nice. I've never felt anything like it before. It feels like it's healing my headache, and not the cold numbing it.

He opened his eyes. "Thanks -" there was nobody beside him. He scratched his head. Where'd she go?

There was a soft cry, not that of a human, but perhaps a bird. He frowned. For some reason, though, the sound of it reminded him of a human, even though its tone and pitch definitely could not be from a person. He looked around.

A raven, above him, stared down with glowing red eyes, emitting soft sounds from its beak, forming some sort of melancholic song. He stared at it for a few moments, enraptured, then jumped as two more flew down to join it, their own voices harmonizing with the original's. More, and more, and more gathered about, flying up into the air, a chorus of feminine bird sounds crying out, as if in muted sadness. Flying about in giant circles in the sky, their bodies shadowy, smooth in the moonlight, the ravens continued singing, spiraling above the trees around the castle-cathedral, eyes glowing with an unnerving, pure crimson light. They flew off further, deeper into the woods - he followed them, running after them, but not threateningly, following in a trance, eyes slightly glazed over.

The moonlight flitted through the trees, casting shadows about him, the shadows of bird figures from the ravens above, only something seemed off about the reflections cast upon the ground. No, no matter how he looked at it, he could not shake off the feeling that the ravens were not real... that they were just imaginary, or perhaps the byproduct of some sort of forgotten magic, or maybe even souls, taken the form of birds instead of human figures. Circling again, directly above him, singing as to him, they led him further and further into the forest. They paused again, around a tall black tree, where the moonlight was pale against its dark bark, shining through its leafless branches.

He sensed that it was alive, yes, it had to be, for its branches were pliable in the wind, flowing smoothly and easily unlike those of a dead tree. Why did it look so odd, then?

The ravens circled about it and a moment later, he noticed another one, atop the peak of the tree, so slim and slight that it might have been an oddly shaped branch if not for the gleaming sanguine eyes. It seemed different than all the others, a little more solid, yet more human than the rest of the ravens circling about it, its piercing eyes staring into him as if they really were watching him, studying him... they were not the lit crimson eyes of the others, but sparkled with flecks of violet, a deeper shade of near black beneath their surface, as if the eyes were merely covers for deep pools of unbound darkness. But then, it wasn't just darkness. Within the black beneath those eyes' surface, there were colors, spiraling about, but all muted by the void surrounding them, repressed, if that was any way to describe it.

The ravens gathered about the one near the top and all stared down at him, still singing, all save for the one with the odd eyes, the one that seemed like it was not a bird at all but a person. He watched and listened, spellbound, terrified but intrigued, utterly hypnotized.

And then there was a voice behind him.

"What are you doing all the way out here alone? Garfield?"

He shook his head slowly, turning. "You?"

"Yes, me."

"How did you find me? I-"

"It's not hard when you leave foot prints through the forest. All I have to do is follow them. Come on, go back to sleep."

"But the ravens-"

He fancied that she turned a shade paler, but it was hard to tell in the already nearly white moonlight. Jinx looked up.

"What ravens?"

He blinked, looking back. There was nothing. Even the black tree was gone. Did I imagine all of it?

"Come on," she pulled at his hand impatiently.

He got up and noticed that her eyes were glowing slightly in the darkness as well, shining with an eerie pink light not too unlike those of the ravens he remembered. But then again, she was just a girl, and a very slight, rather small one at that, garbed in only a thin white robe with no weapons on her. What did he have to be scared of?

They walked back quickly and every so often, he would look back into the distance. There was still nothing. It was empty. Sighing, he went back to his room and pulled the covers over his head, trying to forget everything and resting peacefully. Eventually, sleep overtook him and he faded into the oblivion of a dreamless repose, floating through pure void, without any thought at all.

When at last day broke and the reddish-orange sunlight of Avalon came through the window, he woke and sat up. His brows furrowed. A single black feather rested atop his blankets.


"Thanks for letting me stay the night, Lucky."

"Just don't get lost around this place again," Jinx replied, waving to Garfield as he waded back through the marshes. "The marshes usually don't treat strangers well."

"I'll keep that in mind," he waved back.

Eventually, he passed through the cloud of mist, finding the way back from which he came, and emerged back in the normal human world, the yellow sunlight replacing that of the rather odd dimmed light from Avalon. He looked back at the cloud of mist, scratching his head. Well, at least he'd have a good story to tell once he got to Camelot. Though, probably nobody would believe him. Like yeah, they'll think it's a joke, right? A pink haired noble lady living in the wild in a black church thingy, and weird ravens flying everywhere. I wonder if I just imagined the whole thing.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black feather, twirling it between his fingers. Nope, I didn't.

Shrugging, he stuck the feather back into his pocket, and continued on toward the nearest village, wondering how he would find that dragon. If I remember, Lucky said something about dragons living in mountains. And the only mountains nearby that I can think of are south, closer to Camelot. But that's pretty far from here. I wonder how fast dragons can fly... wouldn't it be kind of trouble some to come this far out into the country just to get a snack?

Suddenly he noticed a pillar of smoke in the distance, eastward, from about where he remembered some Lord's castle was. He hurried into the nearby village, bought a horse from the stables - wait, where did I get the money to do that? He put his hand back into his pocket, the one with the black feather in it, and felt a bunch of gold coins. His eyes widened. A magic feather! Sweet! I knew this thing would be good luck.

He mounted the horse and rode off toward the smoke, still fingering the feather in his pocket, wondering what else it could do.


It was already midday when he arrived at the burning castle, where there were many people scurrying about, tending to the wounded and putting out fires. He rode forward, past the gate, which had been completely destroyed, and dismounted at the stables. He noticed a wounded knight nearby and helped the man to his feet, half carrying him to a nearby bench and laying him down.

"What happened here?" His eyes scanned the man's body and wished he hadn't looked.

Most of his armor had been completely burnt through and one leg was bitten almost cleanly off, the bone showing through the torn muscles and tissue. It was a miracle that the man was not bleeding out. Bandaging the wound, knowing that it wouldn't do much, he looked around.

"Dragon..." the man coughed up some blood.

As I thought. "Shh, don't talk. I'll try to get someone to help you. You stay here. Err, well, doesn't really look like you can move by yourself. Um, yeah, I'll just go get someone to help you."

The man closed his eyes and said nothing else, breathing shallowly. Garfield rushed up toward the keep of the castle and found a group of healers tending to some of the wounded near the keep doors, told one of them about the knight he had found, and then asked around about the dragon.

Most of them just looked up at him with traumatized eyes, but one of the healers, a rather youthful girl with fair hair, approached him and stared with wearied eyes.

"Why do you want to know about that thing?"

"I want to kill it."

She turned away. "You'll just die trying."

"I won't."

She closed her eyes. "I'm not sending another knight to his death. Just don't even try."

Garfield puffed out his chest. "I am Sir Garfield, the Beast. Do not fear, young wench, I shall save this country from this scourge that plagues it."

She turned back, glaring at him. "Who are you calling wench, dunce? I am the Lord Markov's daughter! These are my people to protect!"

"Oh."

He looked at her more closely, taking in her strong, determined eyes, her sparkling fair hair, her slim figure... he realized as she approached him that she was fairly tall, almost just as tall as he was.

She put a finger on his chest and pushed back. He continued staring. She sighed. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. You do not need to fear for my life-"

She rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "Fine. The dragon flies north every time it leaves. I'm guessing its lair is somewhere in the hills. If you're that hellbent on committing suicide, then go, be my guest-"

"I shall drive that best out of this country, in the name of my benefactor, the fair Lady... um... what's your name?"

She put a hand over her face. "No need to be so pompous either. My name is Terra Markov. Just Terra is fine, since you're helping me, Sir Garfield."

"Don't worry," he smiled at her, looking her in the eye seriously. "It'll all be better soon. I'll get rid of it."

"You keep telling yourself that."

"I will!"

"Whatever."


"Damn," Garfield cursed quietly to himself. "Why do all of the pretty girls seem to think that I'm an idiot? I mean, how could they turn down the affections of the handsome, strong, intelligent Sir Garfield? Oh well. Once I become a Titan, they'll be lining up to kiss me then."

He looked back at the Markov Castle, wondering how Terra would feel about him if he actually did beat the dragon. Heh, I know, I'm a sucker for pretty faces. I should've tried to impress that Lucky girl, she seemed fun. Well, Terra seems cool too. Maybe she'll actually be impressed with me and actually let me talk to her.

He looked forward again. Nearing the hills - they were tall hills, but not really mountains, which he had expected dragons to live in. But, it didn't make too much of a difference, he supposed. He tied his horse to a tree and began climbing.

After a while, he noticed an opening in the nearby slope and moved toward it, curving around a corner.

Whoa.

Now that he had gotten past the rocks obstructing his view, it rather surprised him how large the opening was. The dragon must've been enormous, its wingspan maybe even a hundred feet wide or more, judging by the size of its lair.

"Hmm." He frowned a little.

It really was not at all like those pictures in all the books, where a knight could easily reach up with his sword and slice off the dragon's head with a single clean stroke. Those were clearly a gross exaggeration. I wonder if I'm pushing my luck here... then he shrugged. Sir Garfield held no fear.

He marched into the darkness, brandishing his sword in front of him.

"Show yourself, foul beast! Show your face so that I can kill you!"

A pair of gleaming, blood-red eyes opened. "Foolish knight. You would fight a dragon one on one, when I have already defeated hundreds of you at a time?"

"Hah! I am no ordinary knight! Behold, your bane, Sir Garfield, the Beast! I have the strength of a hundred men and the courage of a thousand! You are no match for me!"

"We shall see."

The dragon lurched forward and suddenly he was thrown back, all the way to the entrance of its lair. The dragon flew into the light. Its massive, dark wings surrounded him, triangular head snapping forward, trying to bite him in half. Garfield dodged aside and his sword swung down, only to ring as it clashed with the tough, black coat of armor-like scales protecting the dragon's body. He gritted his teeth, dodged a stream of fire coming toward him and slashed forward again, slicing at the dragon's softer, purple underside.

It drew back, growled, and lashed out with its tail, knocking him back again. Garfield slammed heavily into one wall and slowly collapsed downward, feeling his bruised ribs cry out in pain. The dragon's eyes narrowed and it came forward, fire blasting toward him. He rolled, careful to let his arm take the brunt of the force, and ran toward it, dodging the fire, sword aimed for the dragon's belly, where it would be vulnerable.

It sensed his intent, flew back, and continued blasting fire at Garfield until it finally caught him, scorching the flesh of his left leg with the sheer heat, despite the fire itself not penetrating the armor. Gritting his teeth, the green knight limped around, dodging bite, blow, and fire, trying to find an opening to attack. But it was futile. The dragon was too fast, too resilient. Even when his sword had struck its underbelly, it had barely left a scratch, not even causing the dragon to bleed at all. And now he did not even have the agility to reach the dragon's vulnerable spot any longer.

Another vicious swipe with its claws, and Garfield's sword was sent flying into the darkness. He darted back and drew a dagger, which also was knocked away, and then tried to block with the wooden shield that he carried on his back, which merely shattered with a single blow.

"Anything else?"

Garfield looked around wildly. "Uh... give me a moment."

He stuck his hand into his pocket, pulled out the black feather, and pointed it at the dragon. "Ha! Die, you foul beast!"

The dragon was stunned for a moment, then it began laughing, snorting fire out as it howled. Garfield snickered, approached it, and tickled its belly with the feather, causing it to laugh even harder, spewing out fire in great gasps.

Great. Time to run. Garfield slipped the feather back into his pocket and tiptoed away, hoping the dragon was too consumed in laughter to notice him leaving. He approached the hillside entrance, stepped into the light, and-

A claw slammed down in front of him.

"You are amusing, for a human," the dragon's eyes narrowed at him, a strange grin on its face. "Perhaps I shall keep you as entertainment."

"Um, no thanks."

"Fine. Then I shall have you for dinner."

"Um, no thanks either."

"It is not your decision to make. Now, perish, fool!" The dragon's jaws snapped forward, but then it suddenly stopped, its head encased in black energy. "What sorcery-" Its eyes widened.

Suddenly, she was there… the pale angel of darkness, tiny even for a woman, dressed in all black, her hood covering her face. The darkness flowed around her, a natural extension of her body, covering everything save for her glimmering violet eyes and the bottom half of her face, where her thin lips were pursed into a slight grimace. She was not standing on the ground - instead, like some dark specter, she hovered a foot above it, lower body melding in with the darkness, barely visible.

Danger. The thought crossed both of their minds at the same time. She was dangerous. Even if she did not radiate immense power, they could both tell that she was much, much stronger than either of them. Tension filled the air, an immense weight pressing downward, forcing both of them to the ground, and then she turned, looking down at Garfield. Their eyes made contact... there was something vaguely familiar about her eyes, no, not just vaguely familiar. They were very familiar, something he should've recognized, but for some reason could not remember at the moment.

"Yo. What's up?" There was a voice behind the green skinned man, and he turned.

"Lucky?" His eyes widened.

She grinned. "The one and only. Though, I might've lied to you. My real name's Jinx."

"Wait, what? What're you doing here?"

"Watching you get your ass kicked, apparently. Told ya."

"That doesn't answer the question - hey! I was not getting my ass kicked."

"Were too."

"Was not."

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Anyway, mistress is here now, so might wanna get out of here."

"Love to, but," he pointed at his leg. "Got burned."

"Oh. Well, stay put. And don't say or do anything stupid."

"Don't need to tell me again."

Their eyes shifted to Raven, who was still facing the dragon, eyes glowing. Neither of them had said a word, seemingly locked in a staring contest, almost as if it were a battle of wills. The dragon's eyes suddenly narrowed and it rose up, breaking the black energy surrounding its head. It spewed out a massive wave of fire at her, engulfing everything, burning white hot, lighting up the entire cave with its intensity.

"Lady!"

"Relax, dimwit. She's not an idiot like you."

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Just watch."

The flames faded, revealing a bubble of black energy surrounding Raven, which faded after a moment. She brought her arms up and energy lanced out again, restraining the dragon's entire body, preventing any movement. It tried moving, but found itself completely immobilized, unable to do a thing. Raven approached it.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," she whispered in a low monotone.

The sheer emptiness in her voice struck Garfield, as if she were completely emotionless, or perhaps restraining her emotions, to the point that there was not even a hint of irritation.

"What do you want?" The dragon's voice came out muffled.

"You are an annoyance to these people, Malchior," her voice was quiet, but hard. "You slaughter their cattle, burn their crops, and now you are taking their lives. You must leave."

His eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?"

"I can see all that goes on within your mind. You cannot hide from me." She closed her eyes, her voice growing even quieter, a hint of empathy coming through. "Do not worry. I understand. You... require sustenance to live, just like any other creature. But the humans have cleared the land and claimed all of its creatures for themselves, leaving nothing for you. When you came out to feed, they looked at you like a monster, nothing more, and tried to fight you off. It is either fight them or starve."

"So you would have me starve, then."

Her eyes opened again, and there was a softer look to them. "No, I would not have you starve. To them, you are just a monster. But perhaps you are merely just trying to survive, hmm? Part of it, however, is a little act of vengeance on your part."

" Why should I care about their petty lives when they would deny me mine? We dragons have lived for ages in peace, by ourselves. You do not see these forests burnt to the ground by our hunting, nor the land's animals depopulated by our feeding. No, we lived in balance with everything, like any other creature, until the humans came and claimed all for themselves. If they take everything and leave nothing, then what is there left for us?"

"I can give you a new home, provided that you trust me."

The dragon's eyes narrowed. "And if I don't? You are human too, sorceress."

Her eyes glimmered faintly red, and the dragon drew back, surprised. "It is not a matter of whether I am a human, Malchior. Come, you can be my pet. I shall treat you well."

Malchior stared at the dark lady, slightly intimidated by the red gleam in her eyes. He was silent for a few moments, contemplating his options.

"Very well, as you say... what shall I call you?"

"I am Raven. Of Avalon."

"Mistress Raven, then. I shall follow you."

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. She pulled out a book and wrote a few inscriptions on it. "It will be easier if we do these things this way. I shall bind your soul to this book. Think of it as your new host body. When we get back to Avalon, I can then recreate your old body and you can inhabit it at your own leisure."

Malchior frowned. "You are chaining me? That was not part of the-"

"No. You shall still be free to roam, but this shall make it easier to feed you. There is not much wildlife left on Avalon, but if your soul is bound to the book, I can provide you sustenance with my magic. You will no longer require food in the normal sense."

"Fine," the dark energy disappeared from around the dragon and he bent his head meekly.

Raven muttered a few incantations, then bright light appeared from the book, dissolving the dragon's body and implanting its soul within. And then it disappeared in a flash of darkness, stowed away for safekeeping. Raven turned.

Jinx smiled at her and patted Garfield on the head. "Looks like your lucky day, Sir Knight. You're getting a free trip back to town too!"

Garfield stared at Raven, wide eyed, for a few minutes, before looking back at Jinx. "Sorceresses?"

"Yep. What else would we be?"

He rubbed his eyes. "I don't believe it."

"Why not?"

"Because sorceresses are supposed to be old. And ugly. And evil-"

"Well, we're not so get over it."

"About that ugly part-"

Jinx slapped him. "You're pushing your luck. You know, we could just leave you here and with that burnt leg of yours, I doubt you'd get very far."

Garfield grinned cheekily. "Sorry, sorry. Mind helping me gather my things?"

"Already done," he found Raven looking at him, speaking in that unique, low voice of hers. "Do yourself a favor and refrain from telling anyone about us, Sir Garfield."

"Um... well..."

"You know that we are not evil. We have just done you and this country a service."

"I mean, I know that, but I mean, what do I say happened to the dragon?"

"You defeated it, obviously, dummmie," Jinx frowned. "Oh, that's right. You'll need some proof. Hmm, let's see..."

"But that would be lying! I mean, you guys did all the work, you should get the credit."

Both of them stared at him. He's an honest one. Jinx blushed faintly. I wonder how long it's been since someone's treated me like a normal person, even knowing that I'm a sorceress. The fact that we're supposed to be evil isn't fazing him at all.

"Fine," Raven said. "You had some help. But ultimately you were the one who led us here, so take some credit where it is due."

Garfield sighed. "Okay, okay, whatever. I'll just try to keep quiet about this whole thing. And yeah, I'll try not to tell anyone about you guys. Can't make any promises though- ugh. You know that Camelot hunts sorceresses, right?"

"Duh. Everyone hunts sorceresses. But they're not really a threat to us."

Garfield shrugged. "Okay. I just don't like lying, that's all." Awkward silence filled the air.

"So... about that trip back to town."

Raven blinked. "First, you have something of mine that I want back."

Garfield looked at her, confused, and then realized what she meant. "Oh, so it was you helping me? I was wondering..." He pulled out the black feather and then looked at her carefully. "Were you that raven..."

She took the feather back and it disappeared into her robes. "Some things are better left unanswered. Now, shall I take you back to the Markov Castle?"

He looked at her carefully for a moment, trying to discern her features from under her hood, but could see nothing. Naturally, he gave up. "Yes, please."