There was flash of bright light and both Knights ducked out of the way.

The evil wizard laughed maniacally and grew closer to Peter. He held out his hand, "Give me the bottle," he hissed, a twisted smile plastered to his face.

Peter frowned and tucked the bottle safely into his tunic, "Never!"

Alfred slammed into the wizard and knocked him over with a growl.

"Bronwyn! How do we get out of here?" He yelled as he helped his friend stand.

The faerie appeared, "Follow!" She flitted off into the woods and the knights ran after.

They ducked as they ran, forced to dodge the shots of red that blasted trees apart and showered them with the dirt and splintered wood.

Just before they reached the portal to the mortal world, Ivan appeared before them and blew them back. Alfred flew to the left, while Peter flew to the right.

The evil Wizard walked slowly towards the younger of the two, charging a ball of red energy in his hands.

"I will take your cure and use it for myself. It will give me power beyond belief, beyond imagination," he laughed childishly. "Then I will find your family and kill them."

Peter stared at the man in a daze, unable to move or see straight.

Ivan reached him and moved his hand to throw the energy.

"Peter!"

In a span of seconds, several things happened.

Alfred used the last of his energy to pull out his sword and stab the bastard through the heart, but not before he released he energy in his hands. It hit the older knight hard and slammed him into a tree. He coughed blood on impact as the air was forced from his lungs.

Ivan reached a desperate hand to Peter, giving a garbled cry and collapsed dead to the ground.

Peter sat frozen his eyes wide in shock and fear. His hands and shoulders trembled an tears welled in his eyes.

"Peter? Peter are you alright?!" Bronwyn cried flitting back and forth.

Peter ignored her and scrambled to his feet. He stumbled as he hurried to get to Alfred. He collapsed to his knees by the fallen knights sighed and sobbed.

"Al-Alfred?" He asked shakily.

The Captain of the Guard coughed wetly, blood dribbling down his chin. Peter felt like his whole world was narrowing into this one moment.

"You 'kay?" Alfred gasped out.

Peter nodded and grabbed the older man's hand. "I-I'm fine thanks to you, and Ivan...he," Peter glanced back at the body, "He's dead. You saved me Alfred! You can't just die!" Peter sobbed.

Alfred smiled and squeezed his hand, "Hey, it'll... be... 'kay," his voice seemed to be fading away. Alfred felt it growing harder and harder to stay awake as darkness danced around his vision. He accepted that he was going to die, but he only wished he could see his love again.

In a cottage not far away Arthur the magician sat alone, pouring over his tomes and scrolls. Something in his mind flickered and he glanced at the yellow crystal and back to the scrolls.

Wait.

He looked again and felt his heart stop. His eyes widened and he stood up quickly, knocking the chair back. He stepped over to the crystal and gently, reverently placed his hands on it.

"No," he whispered.

The flickering yellow crystal was loosing heat and the rhythm of the heart it was connected too was fading.

"Alfred?" He whispered into the silence of the room. "Take me to him," he commanded of the crystal. There was a burst of light and he was suddenly in a forrest.

The young boy that had visited him with Alfred sat sobbing into the chest of the older man, who was laying against a tree.

"Alfred!" Arthur cried, startling the boy and causing him to draw his sword. The boy's eyes landed on him and he seemed to pause.

"I-I'm sorry," he whispered and collapsed into tears.

Arthur ignored him and went straight for his lover. He knelt down and placed his hands over the most obvious wound, the one on his chest.

He frowned in concentration and felt his power building. Something was blocking him from healing the other man, though. Magic far more powerful and dangerous than his own had caused this wound and prevented him from healing.

He growled in frustration and pushed himself harder. He couldn't just let Alfred die, not like this. Anything but this.

All of the time he could have spent with the knight, wasted. He ignored his lover because he foolishly assumed he would always be there. Always. Now though, he was dying and there was not a damn thing Arthur could do to stop it.

"Alfred," he sobbed, the impact of what was happening hit him fully. He fell into himself and collapsed on the bloody chest of his warrior.

"Hey...d'nt cry," Alfred said softly through gasps and blood.

Arthur looked up and kissed Alfred's forehead. He sobbed and ran a shaky hand through his lover's hair and the hand came to rest on the pale cheeks.

"You can't do this to me Alfred. I love you, you can't leave me, please," Arthur whispered. His lips trembling and his voice quivering.

"'M s'rry," Alfred whispered with the last of his breath. His body trembled for a moment then relaxed, and with a final sigh he was still.

There was a moment of utter stillness and silence that was shattered by a heart broken wail. An explosion of green magical energy shot from Arthur and up into the sky, lighting the forrest and the clouds as it began to rain.

Peter sat in shock of the emotional turmoil he had just lay witness to. Pain welled in his heart, he would have to go back and explain to his parents that their best friend had died because of him. All because he sacrificed his life for the younger knight.

Finally understanding what had happened, tears welled in his eyes and he squinted to try to keep them in. He failed. The waterfall of tears streamed down his face and he hid in his hands.

"You have your cure, now go," a deadly calm voice spoke.

Peter looked up from his hands and stared at the young wizard, but did not move.

"I-I don't-"

Arthur spun on him, his eyes a dangerous red. "Leave! Return to your home! To your happy family, but leave me and mine!" Arthur's voice was a deadly level of rage.

Peter felt his own anger and pain well and he did not care if it could get him killed. He stood up and matched and surpassed the wizard in height. He stared down at him.

"He was my Uncle! You have no right to banish me like this!" His hands balled into fists, "I know of you! I know of how you pushed Alfred away and ignored him," his voice grew quiet and sad, "He would come home, in tears, but still smiling. He always insisted you still loved him, despite how much you hurt him. How dare you mourn him like you cared."

Arthur's eyes burned and for a moment, Peter thought that this was where he was going to die, but instead of unleashing hell, the Wizard's fire cooled and he collapsed into himself.

"I-I know...," he whispered wretchedly, "I deserve this pain. I was afraid of this, I knew Alfred was a knight, and so I thought that by distancing myself, I would be spared this," he looked away, his eyes dead, "I was wrong. I should have loved him as he did me. I never deserved him or his love and he deserved the world."

"Yes he did and no you didn't but life is life," Peter whipped away the tears from his eyes, his stare blazing and determined. He suddenly felt a hundred years old. This must be what being a man was like. Feeling the weight of life and the crushing death upon your shoulders.

"I am going to return this to my father and hope I am not to late. I will not let Alfred sacrifice be in vain," He gathered himself and turned to leave, "You may come if you wish," he added and began his long journey home. He did not turn back, but he knew he could feel the eyes of the crushed wizard on his back and he wondered what would become of him.

After a moment, he realized that he didn't really care.