Elam was asleep by the time Arslan got back. He hadn't been gone long, there was a small stream nearby with barely more than a trickle in it where he managed to fill the waterskin, and collecting wood hadn't taken more than ten minutes.

He smiled softly at Elam's sleeping form. The boy must have been more tired than he led Arslan to believe. He seemed to be breathing easier, and when Arslan felt his forehead it was cooler, the skin not as clammy as it had been.

Arslan set to making a fire. With no flint and steel to ignite the fire it would be difficult, and rubbing two sticks together was harder than it looked.

He managed to get a fire going, his hands nearly raw by the time the first spark caught the kindling. He made it a reasonable size before turning to Elam.

"Elam." He gently shook the boy. "You need to move closer to the fire, and you should have some water before you sleep again."

"Don't want to." Elam mumbled, half asleep. He pulled the cloak over his head in protest.

Arslan shook him again to wake him up more. "Come on Elam, just a bit of water and then you can go back to sleep, I promise."

Slowly the cloak slipped off Elam's head and he reached out for the waterskin. His hands were trembling slightly as he raised the water to his mouth, but somehow he managed to keep the water from dribbling out of his mouth.

Arslan took the water back when he was finished, taking a few sips before closing it. Elam might need more during the night, and Arslan didn't want to go back into the woods until dawn if he didn't have to.

Elam had drifted back to sleep before Arslan could convince him to move closer to the fire. He debated about waking the boy up again, but decided against it, settling for gently pushing him over from a sitting position onto his side. Arslan lay between the fire and Elam, struggling to pull the cloak away from Elam long enough for him to lay it back over the both of them evenly.

He curled up next to Elam; the boy having fallen asleep before he could move towards the fire to keep warm. Despite the slight shivering from the lingering cold, Elam was still rather warm. Arslan only hoped that in the morning Elam would be well enough to help search for the camp.


Elam was the first to wake. Arslan's arm was wrapped around his waist, holding him close. He greedily took in the feeling of being held for a moment before gently shuffling out from under the prince's arm and the cloak.

The fire had died down at some point in the night, but the cave still managed to retain the heat, and Elam found it to be comfortable. His cold was getting better, he could tell already; the day before had been the worst day. He hadn't told his companions but he had been feeling ill for a few days before he passed out. He hadn't thought he'd been quite that sick.

He took a small drink from the water skin, leaving a little bit left for Arslan when he woke up. A small smile graced his lips. It still felt wrong to call the prince by his given name, or even to consider themselves friends, but he kind of liked the feeling of it being forbidden, even if Arslan himself told Elam that it was alright.

Elam jumped when Arslan grunted, the prince rolling over to look at Elam with bleary eyes. "How are you feeling this morning?" Arslan asked, sitting up with a yawn and stretched.

Elam chuckled softly at Arslan's rumpled appearance. "I'm feeling much better this morning. Thank you."

Arslan smiled. "Good." He pulled the cloak off himself and passed it to Elam. "You should wear this, we don't want you getting sick again."

Elam wanted to protest. It was a fine cloak, something made to fit Arslan exactly and made from the finest fabrics. But Arslan looked determined to get Elam to wear it, and it was very soft. Elam reached out carefully, taking the cloak from Arslan and fastening the clasp around his throat with great care. It wouldn't be good if he were to scratch any part of Arslan's cloak, not when he so graciously lent it to Elam.

Smoothing the cloak around his shoulders, Elam sighed softly before speaking. "We should get going. We don't have any food here, and the camp could be far away."

Arslan silently agreed and stood up, holding out a hand and helping Elam do the same.

Together they left the cave, searching for a way back to camp. Elam knew that the reason Arslan was going so slow was to make sure he didn't exert himself. To be honest, he was grateful; he wasn't back to full health, and any exercise made him a little tired.

"How are you feeling?" Arslan asked after a while. Elam was breathing heavily, and Arslan was worried he was pushing the boy too much.

"I'm fine." Elam gave a strained smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm tired, but the sooner we find the camp the better."

"Let me know if you need to stop."

They continued on; the sun was high in the sky before they stopped for a break. Elam had insisted that they continue on without a break, but Arslan convinced him when Elam broke into a coughing fit.

"If you push yourself too much we'll have a harder time finding the camp." Arslan said, offering the water skin to Elam and monitoring how much he drank to make sure he had his full share.

"If we don't keep looking we won't get back to the camp before dark, and we'll be forced to spend another night in the woods. I'm fairly certain there won't be another cozy cave for us to sleep in." Elam argued. He passed the water to Arslan, who took a few sips before closing the lid.

"But if we-"

"No." Elam cut Arslan off. "We need to keep moving; we can't spend another night away from the group. It's not safe for either of us."

"Would you stop being so damn stubborn?" Arslan cried out, getting fed up with Elam's bullheadedness. His outburst made Elam jump.

"Keep your voice down." He hissed back. "We don't want to draw attention to enemies!"

"It's too late for that, I'm afraid." A voice from behind them boomed. It made both of them jump, Arslan struggling to get his sword out to protect them.

"Now, now. There's no need for that." Another voice joined, teasing them.

Turning around to face the newcomers, Arslan nearly wept with relief and dropped his

sword. "Narsus! Daryun!"

Daryun brushed past Narsus, concern evident on his face but Arslan could tell that the knight was angry with him. "Your Highness, what on Earth were you thinking?" He bent down to be face to face with Arslan, gripping his shoulders hard enough to bruise.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to help." Arslan apologized. "Elam was in trouble."

"Don't blame Arslan." Elam interrupted. Narsus held him tight, looking like Elam might disappear again if he let go. "I was sick, I knew that for days before this happened. I should have taken someone with me, I was sicker than I thought. This is my fault, he was just trying to be a good friend."

"You were sick?" Narsus jerked back slightly so he could look Elam in the eye. He still held on to Elam, and the boy winced a bit in his grasp.

"I'm getting better now." Elam said.

Narsus frowned at him. "You should have told me. I was worried when you didn't return."

"I'm sorry." Elam looked down at the ground. "I didn't want to bother anyone. We've got a long way to go with so little time. My being sick would only delay us. I guess passing out in the woods also delays us."

"You passed out?" Narsus asked frantically.

"I told you, I'm better now. Arslan found me." Elam quickly reassured.

Narsus sighed, pulling Elam in closer to his chest and closing his eyes. "I'm just glad you're safe. Don't go off on your own again."

"I won't." Elam promised, hugging Narsus back.

Daryun watched the scene with a small smile on his face before turning to Arslan. "I guess I can't blame you too much." He said.

Arslan laughed and scratched his head. "I'm still sorry. We made you both worry. I couldn't stay at the camp and wait, my friend was in trouble."

Daryun chuckled and ruffled the prince's hair. "Anyone would have done the same. I'm sorry for making you stay at the camp." He turned back to Elam and Narsus, the pair just beginning to pull away from their hug. "We should get back, everyone else is still waiting, and we need to keep going as soon as possible."


A/N: Just one more chapter to go! Sorry this took so long to post, I blame 95% on my procrastination and 5% on real life.