No sooner then the girls left then the shadowy figure made a move. Clive was too occupied by his worries for the group going through his head to sense the figure moving. "Blast it!, Should have slept!" He thought. "As the figure exited the brush Clive instinctively drew his sword. The man mentioned the prince's name and he froze for a second. The man was covered in dirt and looked a bit beaten up which would have made his next few words believable if not for the fact that he was almost positive he was the person that was following them. At the mans last words Clive suddenly recognized him but quickly rubbed his temple at the notion of his secret being let out. And just like that Altair got over excited with the news and let it out a little too loudly. Clive measured up the man standing across the plain from him. From what he knew the man's name was Braith and he was fairly skilled in fighting, as well as many other things. Why would a man that worked in Arwen's castle be in a place like this in the middle of nowhere. Clive had no idea what Braith was thinking telling such a bold lie but the prince decided to go with it. "Why are you here?" He said, still not lowering his sword. As much as Clive wanted to convince Altair to keep his secret he knew that the things Braith was doing didn't make much sense.

Viola stopped short just before they crossed the line that was "out of the town" and swore. "I totally forgot to buy a mirror. We'll need it eventually.." She turned, warily glancing back at the town and sighed. "Alright, follow me again. I would tell you to stay but with the-" She stopped short, eyeing a few men and a woman who were traveling out of town with a horse carrying their bags. She waited until they were out of earshot once more before continuing. "With how things are, I don't trust these people to behave themselves. Especially with two young girls." She was well aware that she was a young girl, but she could also take care of herself. Rowas, with her knives, could probably do some damage if she had used them before, but Carina could only do so much at close range with her weapon.

She turned on the heel of her boot and thrust herself back into the crowds. They passed a bakery and some smithing shops and baubble makers as they made their way. A mirror was easier to find than a bow here.** Once she had the small hand mirror, she lead them out of the town before she tapped the glass surface thrice. She kept the mirror at eye level so she could see when the princess would appear.

[[**Lets just pretend I had made it difficult because I had intended to, but at the time I was writing, I had completely forgotten about it]]

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Braith's smile was uneven, almost childish as he shrugged. "To help the princess, of course." He eyed the sword that was still raised to him and tilted his head. "What else would I be doing here? I mean besides being attacked. That obviously wasn't a part of the plan. Do you have anything to eat?"

[at this point the times are different. It would've taken the girls much longer to find the things than for the boys to converse so I think--even with Braith--they should continue on to get Altair's medicine]

Clive shrugged and pointed towards the remaining food. He trusted Braith based on what he knew of him when he worked in the castle but the things he had said so far didn't add up. He threw out his senses until he could read Braith's every move just in case the boy made a move that seemed hostile. Once he was ready for anything Braith could throw at him he sheathed his sword and knelt down to eye level with Altair. "I will not lie to you Altair, I am the prince but I need you to do me a few favors. First I need you to not tell anyone else. He paused to let the seriousness take effect then continued. The second is for you to stay close to me until we get back to your sister. Think you can do that for me?" He asked. Clive waited for Altair to nod in agreement before he turned back towards Braith. He sensed him go towards the leftover food before seeing it. The man didn't seem hostile as of yet but Clive still had several questions he needed to answer before he could trust him. He spoke towards Braith. "Hurry though," He said. "We need to get this little guy some medicine." He pointed towards Altair. He turned away from where Braith ate and walked towards the tree line with Altair in tow. The prince tapped the mirror and waited for the princess to appear. He quickly told her of the situation and his thoughts about Braith and Clives suspicions of the mans teleporting to them. He wanted to know what she thought of the whole situation before they rushed off into danger together. He could defend himself pretty well but when it came to protecting others it didn't help to be fighting enemies from both outside and inside your own ranks. (I'll post more frequently to push it up quicker. I don't think we should 100% rush through the small bits but I agree we're not going fast enough)

Braith nodded, his dark eyes following the prince's finger to the food. Thankfully, the fishs' sticks were all thrust into the ground so they wouldn't be dirtied by the wet earth. he took one and took a bite. It was... well fishy, but the last meal he had eaten had been the night before so he was actually hungry and not just feigning it. He did hurry. He wasn't the most good natured person, but preventing a child from care it needed was a level of evil he reserved for his master. He liked to think he retained some of his morals. He finished, tossed the stick and bones towards the bushes behind him, washed his hands in the nearby stream, and then followed Clive and the little boy--Altair. "Lead the way, Prince Clive. I don't have to remind you that I have barely left the grounds of the castle in my life so this is whole new terrain for me." Wasn't a lie, which made it easy to tell.

I will not lie to you Altair, I am the prince but I need you to do me a few favors. First I need you to not tell anyone else. The second is for you to stay close to me until we get back to your sister. Think you can do that for me? Clive said to Altair. Altair nodded listening closely to Clive, but he knew he wanted to rub Carina's face in the fact that he was right, but he decided to talk to Clive about that later. Altair followed Clive as they started to move on. As they began walking Altair muffled a cough not trying to show that the lack of medicine was starting to take effect. He stayed close to Clive but kept stopping to cough trying to keep it hidden.

As Clive led the way to the healer he could hear Altair attempt to stifle coughs the whole way. He was getting worse but they weren't far from their destination. The prince kept track of every breath Braith made. If he was going to do something to them it seemed like he would wait for an opening. There was always the possibility that Clive was wrong but he wasn't about to chance it. As they walked Clive continued to make a mental map of every inch of ground they walked. It would be useful later if something were to happen. It wasn't long until the trio reached their destination and they seemed to be in luck. The healer himself, an old merc of a man with white hair and yellowed teeth. From the stories Clive had heard he was a great combat medic who decided to live a more simple life as a herbalist after the wars. The prince had met this man twice but had never introduced himself as royalty. Before they began to converse with the healer the prince pulled Braith to the side. "I need you to tell no one who I am!" The prince said in a serious tone. He wasn't sure how to handle Braith at the moment but he was sure he'd listen if the prince asked in earnest. He didn't explain, instead he walked up to the old man. "Rodney," he said. "I'm afraid I need your help again my friend." He said while holding out his hand for a shake. Rodney's eyes lit up at the princes words. "Why, if it isn't Clive! I'm surprised you're still alive with all the stupid stunts you used to pull." He said with a chuckle as he shook the princes hand. He gestured the trio inside and they all followed his lead. After about ten minutes of questions for Altair and an hours wait on the medicine Clive could hear the girls coming back from their shopping trip. It seemed like Rodney was about done with the medicine so Clive took Altair outside to meet up with his sister and the rest of the group.

As the girls approached the medic Carina saw Clive and Altair walk outside. Altairs eyes lit up when he saw Carina and he ran towards her. "Carina!" he shouted as he ran to hug her. Carina hugged him back glad to see he was safe. She looked up towards Clive and nodded her head to thank him for keeping Altair safe. As Altair pulled away from her he began to cough. Carina knelt down next to him and looked him over. His face was pale and he was sweating a lot, the signs of his heart straining. Carina looked up at Clive with panic in her eyes. "Where's the medicine? Did you get it? He needs it. Now!" she said in a panic. She looked back down at her brother to see he was starting to have trouble breathing. She looked back at him. "Breathe Altair. Take deep breaths. Breathe slowly. You need to keep breath..-" She started to say but was cut of by her brother falling into her arms. "Altair!" she yelled catching him in her lap. She looked at her brother who was luckily still conscious. "Look at me baby. Just breathe. The medicine is coming." She said as he made eye contact with her. He slowly reached over and pointed to the pocket that had the stone in it. Carina looked down and pulled the shard out and held it in front of him. He smiled slightly and put his hand to the shard. As his hand reached the shard tears started to run from Carina's eyes as the stone started to brighten up. "Come on Altair. Breathe for me okay?" she said trying to hold her tears back.

Arwen had heard the edge to Clive's voice and saw the set of his jaw as he talked to the new arrival to the party. His reaction made her heart quicken and with a small tap, she disappeared into the mirrored hallway. She heard tapping in the distance and appeared quickly. Viola's face seemed to take up the entire surface of the mirror and Arwen gasped. "Too Close, Viola, move it back." Raising a dark eyebrow, Viola did as she was asked. "What's up Arwen? You seem.. panicked?" Viola asked as she lead the girls back towards camp. "Someone new joined the guys and he seems to make Clive uneasy. Please hurry back, Viola!" She cried before disappearing back down the hallway and appeared before Clive once more. He seemed to be on edge, but much calmer. They were at the medicine shop now and there seemed to be no trouble. Maybe Clive was wrong? No, there was still an edge to his demeanor even while talking to.. is that Rodney? She smiled a little. Then there was a tug at her chest, sharp enough to cause her to hiss in pain. Something was happening to her body. Something.. Not good.

Viola frowned at the empty mirror surface, wondering how, once the princess disappeared, it didn't reflect her face anymore. Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, there she was. She grimaced. She was filthy and her hair was a mess. No wonder the old man in the shop had been suspicious of them. Carina and Rowas were new enough to the adventure that they were more or less clean. There was a little dirt and mess from sleeping in a cave and traveling through a forest but it had no burns, sand, or grass stains from the adventures she and Clive had in the tower.

Rowas was quiet nearly the entire time. She prefered watching over talking. It was easier to read people that way. She silently, but gratefully accepted the throwing knives. Now she didn't feel as defenseless in case someone came up to her with weapons. She could use her fists and feet, but against a steel blade she was nothing.

As the girls returned to camp, she saw Altair, Clive, and a new person--A boy with pale skin and equally pale hair and dark eyes--come out of the cover of the trees. "Clive!" She called to him and practically ran towards him. She was happy to see him, that was obvious enough, but it wasn't because he was handsome (which he was) or she fancied him (which she didn't) he was just the most familiar and she trusted him the most out of the group. She was careful about her greeting though, she stopped just a foot away from him. If the princess and the boy had a thing (which it was obvious they did) she didn't want to get between them. "Who's the new kid?" She asked.

That's when Altair seemed to collapse. Viola hadn't paid much attention to Carina's frantic talk when it came to her brother because she was always treating the boy as if he was made of glass. She was screaming at them now and when she turned back, Altair was in his sisters arms. Not broken just... not breathing. She turned to Clive and held her hand out for the medicine. "I'll give it to him. Keep an eye out?"

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Far away in Hannivall, Lord Roderick Van Firth was up to no good, as most villains do.

This particular act of.. well evil involved the transferring of spirits. In this case, the soul of his lover to the body of the princess. If he wanted the stone then he would have to enact the next phase of his plan a little early. An heir. A magical heir. Once magic was restored, the princess's body would be inhabited and he would have a child-- or children whatever it took to get an heir who would be legitimate since his "wife" would be the princess, who he intended to marry not long after the ceremony. He wanted a big showy wedding. Not because he wanted the world to be jealous, but a big showy wedding meant witnesses. It was more believable and harder to negate if the whole kingdom had seen it. And without magic that would take time. That was fine with him. Let the princess's warriors hear her call and gather the pieces. It would be his soon anyway. Then the world would be his.

They were going to begin the ceremony soon. It involved a lot of ancient language he needed someone skilled to read, a lot of candles, and--unfortunately--a lot of blood. The marks were already being placed on the princess' "sleeping" form. It won't be long now he thought with a dark grin.

Clive quickly looked to Rodney. "Is it done yet!" He asked a bit rudely out of worry. He had promised to protect Altair however there was nothing more he could do against this enemy. It was solely in Rodney's capable hands. The medic just pointed inside. "On the workstation to the right. A blue liquid in a glass bottle. It should be the only blue one." Clive nodded in response and sprinted inside. He quickly ran towards the worktable and began moving around bottles frantically. It didn't take him long to find the blue bottle with a solid wooden cork. As he ran back he bit the cork with his teeth and spit it aside. He quickly handed the vile to Viola and waited to see what would happen. He realized he didn't have time to answer anyone's questions. For now they were all hoping the medicine would do it's job.

Carina took the vile of medicine from Viola and quickly gave it to Altair. "Please. Please be okay Altair." she said waiting to see if the medicine would work. After a few minutes of waiting Altair's breathing slowed down and he started to come to. He looked up at Carina and smiled slightly. "See? I told you I would be okay." he said half jokingly. Carina glared at him but then quickly hugged him. "Don't ever do that again!" she said hugging him tightly. Altair hugged back feeling bad for scaring his sister. Carina looked up at the others who were watching over "Thank you for saving him. We might need a few of those to go." she said turning to look at the medicine maker.