Rudistan had a nice sorcery workshop- one Greylock particularly enjoyed. And thankfully so, considering how he'd spent many hours of each day inside of it throughout the years he had served the king. It did get rather dark at night when no candles were lighting the space.

The wooden workshop door creaked open after Garo twisted the knob. He cringed at the noise and stopped moving the door for a moment. After hearing nothing around him, the man extended his arm quickly to finish opening the door. A louder but much shorter creak came from this. Greylock had always meant to fix the issue of the creaking door hinges but never got around to it, always distracted by other things that required his attention.

Garo wouldn't let that be him. He was focused, and would not allow himself to get distracted in the space, as easy as it often was. Of course, like Greylock, he knew the space like the back of his hand. A bookshelf was present to his right, and attached to its wooden side was an intricate hook holding a magical bag. He liked that bag in particular as it was infinite. He would be able to hold whatever he desired inside of the bag, however large the quantity. It would be perfect for gathering materials to take over the kingdom.

Despite the low limitations, there wasn't much already inside of the bag. Garo opted not to double-check and remove things, instead taking the bag off the hook on the shelf and bringing it over to the polished table. It was across from the shelf and against the wall.

The sorcerer took out Cedric's family wand from his sleeve and pointed it at the end of the room with a large, shaded window. He wordlessly cast a spell to open the curtains, noticing how the moonlight shined into the room and across the wooden floor. The workshop had him closer to the stars, he felt like. And while the height of the workshop was inferior compared to the height of the stars, it was always a delight to stargaze at night. There was a small balcony past the large windows if they were open, and Greylock had oftentimes gone out at night to observe them.

"Oh, I'm getting all distracted," Garo grumbled. Admiration for details was something he shared with Greylock, among most other things, but he refused to let this get in the way.

His most used spellbooks were often left out in the corner of his desk, so Garo opted to grab all three on the table. They were hastily pushed into the bag. His favorite quill and magical invisibility ink were left out on the desk, as well. It was a funny thing, the way the words would disappear until prompted to show up by the writer with a simple spell. He scanned the desk to see if anything else would be of use to him but chose to leave the rest, tossing the quill and ink into the bag.

There was a wooden crate shaped like a treasure chest on the floor just right of the desk. Greylock liked to keep his new potions and trickster gadgets inside the chest. Garo opened the crate and grabbed all he wished to take, knowing the uses of each one, placing all items of interest into the bag. An invisibility potion, along with a few magic transportation smoke bombs, were last to go in the bag. The smoke bombs could not travel too long of distances, but they would certainly come in handy.

Garo only felt it necessary to gather a few more miscellaneous items before leaving the workshop. He closed up the bag and dealt with the squeaky door again, cringing at its loud sound in the quiet outside hall. He released a sigh as he closed the door. The hall was significantly brighter than the workshop had been, lit by candles on the walls and elegant chandeliers rather than moonlight and memory.

"Is someone there?" Garo heard someone ask. The voice was an unrecognizable one and came from only a short distance away. Garo gulped and hurried forward, pressing his back along the hallway wall across from his workshop door. He inched closer to the corner and carefully peered over, seeing a man with short, ginger hair with gentle curls. Garo did not recognize this man- could he be the new steward? Merlin forbid the castle had a new sorcerer to replace him so casually.

He didn't look like a sorcerer. He was well-dressed in a dark brown suit vest and beige dress shirt. He wore lime pants and a droopy, yellow necktie. As he observed, the stranger noticed him. Garo's eyes widened and he looked away. He looked to his right and considered running. What good would that do him? If the other person happened to not recognize him, surely that would only be more suspicious. He sighed and straightened himself out, briefly pulling out Cedric's family wand to cast his bag away. It disappeared in his hand with a flick of his wand. Garo put the wand away and walked around the corner. The other man was already far closer than he had been.

"Who are you?" The stranger asked.

"I should ask you the same thing," Garo replied.

"I'm Landyn, the steward of this castle," He informed, seeming slightly pleased with the title. He put a finger up. "I'm not only a servant, despite the rumors- although, I suppose King Magnus sees us all as the same these days," He added with an unhappy chuckle.

Garo raised a brow. The steward cleared his throat and held his hands behind his back. "What are you doing by the old sorcerer's workshop?" He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You're not a thief, are you?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Garo said, "I can assure you, that's the least of your worries."

The steward felt unsettled by the strange remark. "...Remind me of your name?" He insisted again.

"Garo," The sorcerer said, "There's nothing to fuss over here, so you can go back to doing your job," He dismissed.

Landyn hummed. "Well, that's a funny thing," He commented, "You look a whole lot like the old sorcerer. What was his name? Gorlock? Gerald-?"

"Greylock," Garo said, growing impatient with the steward's questioning.

Landyn gave a snap of his fingers and smiled at the other. "Right, that was it! Greylock!" He said, his smile fading a bit as he said this. "Wow, you really look like him. Stone cold, the king says he was," He muttered.

The kingdom will be far more focused on me to even think about him, Garo thought. He did catch on to that last bit the steward added. He didn't much care about sweetening the reputation King Magnus spewed about Greylock considering how Garo intended on keeping that bad reputation for himself. What enticed him was the specific wording Landyn used to describe this. It suddenly had him thinking about the Medusa stones and the power they could wield.

Garo knew the tales about them all too well. A part of him remembered the way this power felt to possess- a shared experience, like many of his other memories. Getting his hands on a Medusa stone felt like a sudden top priority to him.

If I had a magical stone such as that in my possession, there would be no question of my reigning over the kingdom, Garo thought to himself.

"I'd say Grimtrix is the truly stone-cold one," The sorcerer claimed. "Where, pray tell, did he end up after that whole Order Of the Wand fiasco?" He asked.

Landyn hummed, rubbing his chin in thought. "If memory serves, I believe he wound up in Enchancia's dungeon," He informed.

Garo's eyebrows raised slightly at the information. The odds of Grimtrix being in the same kingdom (and castle) as his duplicate could work in his favor. Cedric's intelligence didn't pose as much of a threat to him, either. Those two would be far too busy with their own shenanigans to even notice Garo. Until he wanted to be seen, he figured it would be a walk in the park staying under the radar. Garo needed no more information and left the steward.

Landyn, looking down at the floor, pondered the information he gave out. "Or was it Wei-Ling?" He asked himself, looking up "Well, it was one of the tri-kingdom areas, but I-" He continued before stopping, looking around to find himself alone. "Garo?"

The sorcerer was long gone, having rushed around a corner further down the hallway. He conjured his bag of magic and opened it up, sticking his arm inside to retrieve a transportation smoke bomb. By no means could the magic get him to Enchancia by itself, but it would give him a perfect start. Garo shut the bag and tossed the bomb to the floor, disappearing from sight.

The outside weather this time of year proved itself to be relatively pleasant in Enchancia. Despite the light chill in the air, it did not phase the sorcerers who were accustomed to warm layers.

It was dark outside, but the temperature in the air did not interfere with any plans as it was hardly noticeable. The weather was agreeable, making it a pleasant environment, if anything else. Cedric and Greylock were outside late at night after Cedric was reminded of some plants in the royal garden he regularly used in potions that would soon be going out of season.

The cool air was relieving after all the stress from inside the tower earlier that same evening. They couldn't have known the trouble under their noses during that time, how Garo was growing closer, just as they couldn't have known a less dangerous but all more troubling enigma- not until it was right in front of them.

"My father has never been too confident in my sorcery skills," Cedric had been explaining in the workshop as their restocking tasks were almost complete. The last few ingredient bottles, now refilled and secured, were being placed back into their correct spots in the drawer. The two had gone back and fourth with talking during the majority of the time they worked, not so keen on silence when they could be catching up with one another.

"We have this... family wand," Cedric continued, shutting the drawer before sitting down on the seat beside the workshop's table. "My father refused to pass it down to me for years," He added, more gloomy. "He would have given it to Cordelia ages ago if that wouldn't go against its tradition, I'm sure of it!"

"It only applies to the men of the family, then?" Greylock questioned.

Cedric gave a short nod in response, although he didn't seem particularly pleased. "My father's side has usually been rather... old-fashioned," He informed.

"I see," Greylock said, noticing Cedric's unhappy demeanor over it all. He perked up slightly and put a hand on the Enchancian's shoulder. "Well, you have it now, don't you?"

"Well... yes, I do," Cedric replied.

"May I see it?" Greylock questioned, placing his hands back into his lap.

Cedric's expression noticeably changed. The other sorcerer could tell he was delighted by the question. "If you'd like to," Cedric said, standing up and reaching over his desk to retrieve it from the shelf. Greylock's face flushed after noticing the way his back arched. He hadn't intended to notice, but now that he had, he felt like he was burning up.

"I keep it right in here," Cedric said, placing the wand case on the table. He sat back down beside Greylock. The other sorcerer looked intently at the case. He had genuine interest, of course, but averting his gaze now would serve as a perk.

"This is very nice," Greylock commented, taking in the painted designs around the wooden case.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cedric agreed. "It was a Wassailia gift to me from Princess Sofia. She made it herself," He added.

Greylock was impressed by this. "Did she? My, what a considerate gift," He said.

Cedric smiled. "Yes, I thought so," He agreed, pulling it a bit closer toward them. Cedric lifted the lid and grabbed for the wand inside, only for his hand to grasp nothing. He moved his hands away and noticed the case was empty.

Greylock looked up at the sorcerer as Cedric exclaimed, "My wand! It's missing!"

"It couldn't have gone far," Greylock tried, looking around and under the desk. Cedric shoved his hand into his robe sleeve, then the other, the inside of the robe and its waist tie. He had no luck in finding the missing wand.

"How could this happen? I always put it away in its case!" Cedric whined, putting his hands on his head.

"I'm sure it will turn up soon," Greylock said, peering up at the shelf the case was typically stored on.

Cedric balled up fists by his sides. "It'd better!" He said, "You have no idea just how long I waited to get it," He added, distraught. "Oh, and just as I thought of getting to the garden," Cedric grumbled.

Greylock stopped looking for a wand and turned to Cedric. "The garden?"

"Yes, the castle garden has a lot of different plants I use for my potions," Cedric said, "With the seasons changing, I meant to get out there days ago and get them while I could. I'm afraid the trip had me behind on that task, and I don't know if there's time."

"Why don't we go now?" Greylock suggested.

Cedric's eyes widened at the suggestion. "Now? While my wand is missing?" He asked, turning to look at the window in his workshop. He sighed at seeing the darkness of the sky. He hadn't noticed it before. "And it's so late," He said, burying his face in his hands.

"We can always look for your wand in the morning," Greylock suggested. "Besides, if I'm not supposed to be seen, maybe now would be better," He added.

Cedric was easily persuaded by the final comment. "You're right, you can't be seen." He agreed, fidgeting nervously with his fingers. He sighed at the untimely circumstances. "Come along, Greylock," He said, gesturing him to follow as he opened the door to his workshop. Cedric clapped his hands together to rid of the tower's candlelight. Greylock shut the door behind himself and they descended the tower.

For the most part, the sorcerers walked in silence, keeping their tones at a low volume whenever one spoke. Even then, little was said. Greylock's thoughts kept him occupied.

Cedric was something else, really- someone charming, capricious, someone that drew him in. Greylock didn't exactly know why he felt so infatuated with Cedric since seeing him again. The man lit him with feelings that he hadn't felt in... some time. As those feelings proceeded to increase, maybe never- he wasn't sure anyone ever had him feeling quite like this.

In all, being around Cedric gave him a good feeling inside. He enjoyed being around him, undoubtedly, and looked forward to more opportunities where they could spend time together. Greylock's mind wanted nothing more than to work with him, to be by his side. He wondered if it was his heart, as well, that held similar desires. Such admiration and longing had to be the result of more than the factor of his own mind. Maybe it was Cedric's mind, too; that brilliant and determined mind of his, so helpful and endearing. Perhaps this all persuaded Greylock's heart, deepening his affections. Perhaps he was in love.

He frowned slightly. So far, he had seen nothing from Cedric that indicated hints that he may be having similar puzzling thoughts or feelings, a similar soft gaze. The more he thought about it, though, his enigma began to feel unquestionable. He had loved Cedric before when they were younger- He thought so. Maybe that feeling never truly left.

His thoughts were paused abruptly when Cedric stopped in his tracks, putting an arm out. Greylock stopped beside him, confused.

"What's going-"

"Shh," Cedric said.

"But why did you st-"

Cedric shushed Greylock again and smacked a hand over his mouth. The Enchancian looked nervous. Cedric removed his hand and gestured him away. He himself rushed over behind a large, intricate pillar near to a corner. Greylock briefly looked around himself before hurrying to follow.

Cedric, with his chest rising and falling fast, tried looking around the fancy pillar. A brief glance confirmed his suspicions of someone else being nearby. Of course, it couldn't have been just any someone. It had to be Baileywick. A soft whimper escaped Cedric as he quickly turned back.

"What?" Greylock whispered.

"It's Baileywick," Cedric whispered back.

"The steward?" Greylock repeated in a regular tone. He leaned across Cedric to try and spot him. Cedric cringed at the volume and fumed at the risky action. He pushed Greylock away before gripping the sides of his blue robe, leaning close to the other man with a scowl on his face.

"Are you trying to get us caught?" Cedric asked through clenched teeth.

Greylock blushed, although it went unnoticed with the minimal lighting. "N-No," He replied. A brief reply, compared to any of the other sarcastic or playfully suggestive comebacks he'd have typically replied with. Something felt odd about the way he didn't mind Cedric's aggression. He agreed with Cedric's reaction, although he couldn't take it quite as seriously as the other sorcerer would have hoped.

"Well, keep quiet, then." Cedric hissed.

Greylock wore a sheepish smile as he straightened out the slight wrinkling left behind from the other man's grasp. "Sorry," He apologized, leaning back beside him.

A second extra pair of footsteps could be heard as someone hurried down the hallway.

"Excuse me, sir,"

"Certainly, Violet," The steward assured, stopping to speak to the servant.

Violet turned toward him. "The postal room just got this report from Rudistan in the mail," She informed. She held a paper in her hand that had been previously folded to fit inside an envelope. Baileywick took the letter from her hands and skimmed through it.

"They say their old royal sorcerer escaped," Violet said while Baileywick read.

Greylock and Cedric shot looks at each other at the remark. Greylock looked even more worried now, biting down on his lip.

"Oh, my. That's no good at all," Baileywick commented. "But why would Rudistan send a letter about the issue to us?"

"It seems they're wondering if any of the Enchancian royals who just visited had something to do with it," Violet replied.

Baileywick put his hands on his hips. "I'm certain the royal family had no part in this," He stated. Looking down at the floor, he added, "Cedric, on the other hand, that's possible."

Cedric's eyes widened at the mention of his name. His expression turned to a scowl. Of course Baileywick would accuse him before anyone else. Did he have Greylock? Yes. Were his suspicions entirely correct? Also yes. For once, an accusation the castle made towards him was correct. But what he did wasn't irrational by any means- it's what any other traveling royal sorcerer would do for their other sorcerer friend. That was perfectly reasonable.

Baileywick placed a hand on his hip. "Well, it's far too late to inform the king of this news, now; it would disrupt his slumber," He stated.

The sorcerers shared a relieved sigh.

"I'll let him know first thing tomorrow morning," Baileywick decided.

Cedric scowled further while Greylock facepalmed. Of course.

"Alright, then. Good evening, sir," Violet said.

"Good evening, Violet," The steward affirmed, moving along on their separate ways. Cedric could hear one pair of footsteps leaving, and one growing closer. Merlin forbid whoever it was turned the corner. He took in a breath and shut his eyes, hoping the other person would pass without noticing them.

Greylock briefly looked over him and around the pillar, noticing another hallway almost directly behind them. He tapped on Cedric's shoulder, the other man opening one eye. Cedric looked over briefly to see that Baileywick had passed by them. He released his held breath and brought a hand to his face, squeezing his temple with his fingers.

"This is madness," He whispered.

"He's passed us," Greylock informed, also quiet.

Cedric let his hand fall, exasperated. "Lovely! I hadn't noticed because I can't see for myself," He spat.

Greylock noticed the sarcasm and wore a false look of confusion in response. "Sure, you can," He replied.

Cedric stared at him for a moment, deadpan, before rolling his eyes. "You're such an idiot," He mumbled. Greylock smiled.

Cedric turned around and looked over the pillar, scanning both ways before gesturing the other man to follow. Baileywick was further down the hallway- far enough for them to move, he figured. Greylock followed behind him, keeping up with the Enchancian's quick pace.

From afar, Baileywick heard the light sound of footsteps in the midst of the typical hallway silence. Quick steps, at that. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look behind him. Baileywick briefly noticed a man hurrying along but did not get a good enough look at his face. He did notice the blue robe ends trailing slightly behind. The steward narrowed his eyes slightly with an unsure hum. Surely it hadn't been Cedric- that was an entirely different robe. He'd waited a moment before turning back around and continuing on his way.

So here they were, now, after getting away without being seen and finding their way. The sorcerers were in the royal garden to take some more ragweed before it went out of season. They had been out for a while and had collected a good bundle, they thought, figuring it best to collect what they could.

As their collecting went on, they couldn't ignore how the night fatigued them. Their eyelids were growing heavy while their minds felt like they were shutting down.

"Perhaps we should head back," Cedric suggested finally, placing a bundle of ragweed into a basket.

Greylock, who had been on the ground grabbing the ingredients at the bottom of the bush, nodded. "Perhaps," He agreed before yawning.

Cedric collected a few more bundles after that, wanting to properly fill the basket before he went inside. Once he thought he was finished, he stood up. Cedric noticed over the plant that there was another bundle on the other side. He slumped.

"I missed some," Cedric grumbled. He set his basket down and looked at Greylock's to notice it still had a bit of room left. "Can I borrow your basket?" He asked.

He was given no response to his question. Cedric kneeled down to look at him. "Greylock?" He called again, receiving more silence. It was then that he noticed the man was asleep. Cedric rubbed the other man's shoulder to wake him and grabbed his basket, calling his name again.

Greylock shook slightly and awoke, briefly looking around himself before noticing Cedric. He calmed at seeing him there and chuckled.

"Time to head back?" He asked, moving to sit up.

Cedric nodded slowly before rubbing his left eye. "Yes, in just a bit," He replied. "I noticed another patch that I must have missed- it's on the other side," He added.

"Oh, Roderick. You'll work yourself to death," Greylock pointed out.

"Believe me, you haven't seen me do that," Cedric said with a faint smile, standing up. It diminished as he realized the nickname. "And that's not my name." He stated.

Greylock smirked. "Humor me now and then, Cardtrick, I pray you," He replied, watching as the other sorcerer looked over the bush to reach the group of ragweed blossoms. A part of him wondered why Cedric leaned across the bush rather than walking a short enough distance to move to the other side. Not that he took any particular notice to this. And he couldn't complain, either- why would he? Whatever got the job done efficiently would do just fine.

Greylock's eyes, growing heavy once more, quickly gave up on his attempts to stay awake. He was out about as quickly as he had been woken up.

After some time, Cedric found the task to be getting rather tiring for himself. When he finally grabbed the last of the ragweed from the bush, he removed himself from the bush and sunk down to place them in the basket.

While being low to the ground, he noticed Greylock had fallen back asleep. Cedric sighed, placing the basket behind himself before leaning forward.

"Greylock, we can go now," He said, tapping the sorcerer on the arm. Unsurprisingly, it did not wake him.

Cedric lay down on the ground, getting to eye level with him. Was Greylock a deep sleeper? He couldn't tell for sure, but it certainly seemed like it. The weather was nice enough that his own eyelids started to fail him. Cedric reached an arm out to rub Greylock's again. "Grey," He said, looking at him in hopes that his attempts would wake him. The other sorcerer shifted slightly, but still he slept.

When he received no response, Cedric rested his head on his ground-leveled arm and pursed his lips. "I'll leave without you," He threatened, his speech coming out as more of a murmur. Still, there was nothing. Cedric put in one more weak attempt to wake up the other sorcerer before his body reluctantly gave into sleep.

Garo's magic proved to work well enough when he appeared just outside the main doors of Rudistan's castle There was not much for lighting outside save for the occasional lit lamp pole along the pathways. The sorcerer reached for the stolen wand and summoned a gentle light coming from the tip. A beacon of light arose as result, and he aimed the wand down toward the ground in front of him, shining a light on the grass near to him.

Garo stopped suddenly when he heard someone from the bushes beside himself. He waved the wand, quickly extinguishing its short-lived light and looked over at the bushes. Above them was a familiar open window near to them.

"I feel like I've slept for days," The man said to himself. It sounded as though he stretched, although the sorcerer couldn't tell for sure. Soon after, Garo heard a shocked gasp- he wasn't sure why. He furrowed his brows a bit, confused with the scenario.

Deciding if he should either go another direction or approach had him standing still for a moment. Ultimately, he decided to approach the hidden stranger- perhaps he could be of use to him.

"Is someone there?" Garo asked aloud, slowly approaching. Of course there was, he knew that. It was their identity that puzzled him.

"Um.., yes," The voice replied, uneasy. "I'm afraid I'm not as decent as I'd prefer to be," He added, embarrassed.

Garo had already gotten to him, coming in through the bushes. The man was dressed in a tank top and undergarments and held a blanket in front of himself upon noticing him standing there.

The chauffeur looked at the other man for a moment, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Hold on, have I seen you somewhere before?" He asked.

"You've never seen me before in your life," Garo dismissed.

The man seemed puzzled by this. And what the sorcerer was doing standing here by him to begin with. "I suppose I haven't," The chauffeur said, "I did just get up from a long sleep. I could've been dreaming," He added.

"You must have," Garo agreed. "I haven't seen you around here before, what do you do?" He asked.

"I'm with the royal family of Enchancia," The chauffeur replied. "My job is to take them where they need to go, like home." He said.

Garo hummed as though he had bad news for the man, clasping his hands together. "I'm afraid the royals left you behind; they're long gone," He said.

The Enchancian asked, uneasy looked uneasy. "How long?" He asked.

"Long enough," Garo replied. He frowned. "That really is a shame how they left you here like this. Royals can be so selfish, can't they?" He added.

The chauffeur folded his arms. "I don't think that's the case," He stated, "If I'm remembering things correctly, this was sabotage."

"Sabotage?" Garo repeated with false astonishment. "What a terrible thing!"

The chauffeur sighed. "I think it was that excuse of a royal sorcerer," He stated, clenching the blanket harder.

Garo pursed his lips slightly at the derogatory comment, but he held his tongue.

"It was completely unpredictable. I'll have to figure out a way to get back," The stranger stated, placing one hand on his hip, "I'm just not sure how to go about it. I never thought I'd be stranded in an unfamiliar kingdom," He lamented.

Garo hummed. "Well, if it's Enchancia you're off to, I think I can help you on your way," He mused.

"You can? How?" The other man asked.

Garo revealed his stolen wand to the chauffeur. "With a bit of sorcery," He replied, letting his arm rest by his side.

If he did this for the stranger, he could demand in return that the Enchancian take him along with. Perhaps, though, he could manipulate that to have already been implied. The man didn't need to know he willingly wanted to get to Enchancia. Surely Garo could make it so the chauffeur would be indebted to him- that could certainly come in handy.

"Well, I thank you for volunteering to help," The man said. He looked far more relieved, now, at knowing there was someone so willing to lend a hand.

"Oh, certainly," Garo said dismissively. "But if I'm to come along and help you get back to Enchancia, I should believe it's only fair that you'd be indebted to me,"

The chauffeur folded his arms. "I guess I should have expected there would be a catch," He mumbled to himself before looking back at the sorcerer. "You don't need to worry about coming along, I can take myself back," He assured.

Garo did not seem pleased with the response. He scowled slightly. "If I stay here, however do you expect to repay my overtly kind act?" He questioned, giving the other man a look.

The Enchancian realized the error in his logic. "Oh," He muttered.

Garo moved closer to the other man, "You stay available if I ever need a hand myself, and in return, I'll duplicate a carriage and serve as your ticket out of here."