As dawn began to peek through the canopy of the woods, droplets of water hopped from leaf to leaf until they landed on Lance’s unsuspecting face. With his head now dampened he shot up in surprise to be greeted with the percussion of a rain shower. Normally this would have been a recipe for a terrible morning, but Lance was grateful for the moisture on his skin after days of wearing the same clothes and no bathing. His fingers combed through his tousled mane to pry out the unwanted tangles and twigs.

He stood up, still partially in a daze, to find a tree with which to conceal himself while taking a morning leak. As he walked towards his destination he caught a glimpse of Bael, who appeared all too comfortable in his natural element. His long white hair was let free from its usual hair tie and reached down to the middle of his backside. Under one arm he carried their once dirty clothes which now appeared freshly scrubbed free of the bloody stains. In his other hand he clutched his spear sporting a pair of fish skewered by the point.

Lance’s gaze averted when he grew closer and Lance noticed just how underdressed he was. Stripped down even further from the pants he wore previously Bael was now parading around in a loincloth fashioned out of one of their shirts. The only clothing he managed to keep on otherwise was the glove he always wore on his right hand. Beforehand it didn’t seem out of place, but choosing to wear only that when otherwise essentially nude struck Lance as odd.

Whatever, he had to pee. Bael would tell him in time; the walls between them were coming down. Lance was optimistic about this fact.

Upon his return from relieving himself he was greeted with the tantalizing aroma of roasting fish. His mouth salivated in anticipation of eating something that wasn’t just nuts or fruit for the first time in a few days. On his bed from the previous night his outfit was displayed neatly folded and awaiting his return.

“Good morning,” Bael greeted from his position of squatting next to the stoked fire, protecting it from the rain with a wide leaf.

“How long have you been awake?” Lance asked while busy getting dressed in the still partly damp clothes.

“Hm, a few hours maybe. I don’t sleep much, don’t worry about me.”

Lance recalled a conversation from a forgotten time that echoed the same sentiment. He frowned, but pressed no further on the matter.

“Is that typically how you dress when you’re on your own?”

Bael looked down at his lap then back up with a perked eyebrow. “My apologies, is the visage of a man in peak physical condition too much for your young eyes?” He sneered with a cocky smile.

Lance clicked his tongue. “More so that you look like someone robbed you of your pants.”

“I didn’t want to get my pants wet, alright? Normally I would just go without but I didn’t want to offend your gentlemanly sensibilities,” Bael retorted before sticking out his tongue.

“My sensibilities and I thank you, Lord Bael,” Lance countered in the most proper accent he could muster.

They held a stiff silence between them before both erupted into uproarious laughter. This persisted for nearly a minute before they were interrupted by a new and unexpected voice.

“Pardon me, Master Bael? And, um-”

Both turned to see that it was none other than Prince Juji walking towards their camp. The young prince was dressed in a dark-colored floral outfit that was in stark contrast to all the outfits he’d seen the royals wear previously. It could only be assumed this was typical mourning attire.

Lance noticed Juji’s eyes linger on him when he attempted to greet him. He smiled kindly in return. “My name is Lance, Your Highness.”

Prince Juji nodded graciously. “I came to express my gratitude for what you did for me. If it weren’t for you both I wouldn’t be standing here today.”

The three smiled in that distant, wistful sort of way. When there was plenty to be grateful for but the lurking knowledge of something terrible prevented any expression of joy from reaching the eyes. An empty silence aside from the gentle pitter-patter of rain filled the space between them. Despite it all, the world kept turning.

“My brother had a warrior’s spirit, you know.” Prince Juji broke the silence as he stared off into the forest depths. “He was as strong as any of our soldiers, and the idea of death in combat appealed to him.”

Prince Juji shook his head, the ornaments dangling from his head jingling pleasantly in contrast to the atmosphere. “It doesn’t make it any more right that he’s gone, but wherever he is now he’s proud of his choices. That’s what I like to believe.”

He turned to look at them both with his eyes partially closed and his snout twisted to hold back his misery. “None of us blame you, Master Bael. I hope you’ll continue being a friend to my mother and I.”

Bael nodded slowly, his face unable to move from staring at the small deku. He was barely larger than a human child but spoke with a heartfelt eloquence that touched Lance deeply.

The young prince turned his back to them and lifted his head up to the sky, allowing the moisture to cascade down his face. “A lovely day for rain, isn’t it? I must be off, the funeral will begin soon. Take care Master Bael, Lance. I don’t know what sort of journey you’re on but I’m certain it’s for the sake of us all.”

As quickly as he came he departed, leaving a heavy cloud of gloom in his wake.

They finished their meal quickly in relative silence as the rain persisted. Once finished with his fish, Lance stood up to tend to Oberon. After he was watered at the nearby pond he began tacking up his horse in between the frequent pats to his side and words of encouragement.

Lance turned his head to find Bael was now fully dressed and ensuring the fire was completely snuffed out. Perfect timing, if he were to say so himself. “Since we investigated the Woodfall Temple and dealt with Odolwa, I was hoping now you might help me with what I originally came to the woods to get.”

“You’re after the King’s Bane toadstools, I believe I remember you bringing it up,” Bael replied as he tied his hair into a loose ponytail.

“That’s what they’re called? Regardless, yes I’m looking for them and you’re the only person I know that can help me.”

“Maybe another time. We need to be on our way back to the grove while I try to figure out where we go next,” Bael dismissed as he began to walk in Lance’s direction.

“Wait, go back there? Bael, my family hasn’t seen me in three days and they have no idea if I’m alive. At the very least I need to go back there and tell them, not to mention a shower and fresh clothes would do the both of us a world of good,” Lance huffed with his eyebrows furrowing in irritation.

“I said we’re going back. It’s not up for debate, Lance,” Bael ordered as he attempted to reach for Oberon’s reins but Lance snatched them away beforehand.

Lance quickly swung his leg up into the stirrups and mounted his horse in a smooth motion. Bael was glaring up at him with a hostile stare. As he directed Oberon to turn around and move in the other direction Bael was moving towards the horse’s side in a hurried attempt to climb up the saddle.

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Lance barked as he tried to shake Bael’s grasps at his leg.

“What am I doing? What are you doing?”

While Lance had the upper hand of already being mounted in the saddle he was once again at the mercy of Bael’s unrelenting strength. Luckily due to the rain slickening every surface his attempts at seeking purchase with his hands were becoming futile.

“Bael, let him go!” Nyx shouted, surprising the both of them into stillness.

The noise however had the opposite effect on Oberon who was already tense from the struggle between the two of them. Instinctively the horse began to buck and kick, which nearly unseated Lance and knocked Bael off entirely.

As Bael picked himself up out of the muck, Lance had already taken off on the frightened Oberon.

“Wait! You can’t leave me!” Bael’s cry echoed on the rock walls as he sped out of the Southern Swamp, heading in the direction of Termina Field.

At first Lance was puzzled by the sorrow in Bael’s voice, but once he noticed that Nyx was flying alongside him as he fled he understood the pain the other man felt at that moment. It didn’t stop either of them as they wordlessly rounded the corner to see the walls of Clock Town rising on the horizon. Bael would be in hot pursuit, of that he had no doubt.

Lance made an abrupt decision to divert his course from Clock Town to head westward in the direction of Milk Road. Once he felt they were out of sight from the open field and there was no indication of anyone trailing behind, Lance slowed the horse’s gait to a trot. He allowed himself to unclench his jaw that he’d unknowingly been holding tight as his body slowly relaxed.

“Why are we going this way?” Nyx asked between pants, having exerted herself to keep up with Oberon’s gallop.

“He’s going to find me very quickly if I just go home, so I’m stopping by to see a friend. Better question, why did you follow me to begin with?”

Nyx persisted in silence for a long moment. “I think you’re both acting incredibly stupid, but Bael is the worst of you two right now. He understands actions more than he has ever understood words. Besides, I want to keep an eye on you just as much as he does.”

“Why am I stupid? He’s the one commanding me like a child. It’s well within my right to leave and see my family,” Lance huffed.

He couldn’t see her face because of the luminescence surrounding her body, but the indignant sound she made when she spun around said all he needed to hear of her irritation with him.

“Typical men,” she stated with finality.

Lance’s nose crinkled and his eyebrows furrowed at her, but he only responded with an exasperated sigh. They were passing under the archway leading to Romani Ranch and there was no time to debate intelligence and stereotypes with a supernatural being.

Unlike the time he was here before (except that time no longer existed in this reality) the farmers working were not tending to the typical chores one would expect to see. Many of the employees were busy making repairs to all the stables and coops while others were sharpening tools. Lance recalled them doing this every year near the time of the carnival; this was another confirmation of its impending arrival.

Majority of the people ignored him as he made his way in. Nyx, at Lance’s abrupt request, hid herself within the locks of his hair to not draw unwanted questions. He was beginning to wonder if that was even necessary given the level of focus everyone was putting forth to prepare for Them.

As he arrived at the owner’s estate his eyes lit up when they deigned upon Aryn, who was assisting a farmhand while they reinforced the windows of the home. She didn’t notice him on his arrival, which urged Lance to quickly dismount and secure Oberon to a post to greet her in earnest.

Eventually his approaching footsteps alerted her to his presence and she spun around, long burgundy tresses framing her sun-kissed face. Her kind eyes widened as she quickly stepped into his awaiting arms, hugging her tight and threatening to never let go.

She giggled with her face burrowed into his chest, nuzzling into his embrace before pulling back to breathe. “I didn’t know you were coming by today or I would have made sure to be wearing something more presentable,” she said with a wry smile.

An unseen knife twisted in his back, his eyes screwing shut from the painful reminders of a lost memory. Tenderly he pressed a kiss to the top of her head that was damp from the rain. “I was overcome with the need to see you, Aryn. There’s something I need to tell you but it would best be done in privacy.”

She looked up at him, perplexed by his serious request but never one to deny her best friend. Pulling him by the wrist, she brought him into her home that reminded him of happier times in his life. Just as in the previous time, none of her family members paid them any mind as she escorted him up to her bedroom and closed the door behind them.

Quickly she began to undress from her work clothes and Lance silently averted his eyes. He excused himself to use her lavatory and returned shortly after drying off with a towel.

“I didn’t realize it before because of the rain, but Lance you look like shit,” she commented now outfitted in a simple white blouse paired with a long grass green skirt.

“And you smell like shit,” he returned while sticking out his tongue.

She returned the gesture in kind but soon her face became concerned once more. “You look like you’ve not been sleeping properly and your clothes have seen better days.”

Despite Bael having scrubbed them there were still faint traces of the stains that were once there. At the very least it wasn’t obviously blood anymore.

“That’s all pretty accurate actually, I’m afraid to say. I came here less to talk and more to hide, actually,” he admitted sheepishly.

Aryn’s eyes squinted in suspicion. “Did you fight with your dad again?”

“If only it were that simple. I’ve actually not been home for three days.”

Her eyes widened at this explanation. “Three days!? Where have you been?” Though Aryn had been seated previously she was now partially raised up on the balls of her feet leaning forward.

Lance had to concoct a lie and quickly, there was absolutely no way he could explain to her what was truly going on. This Aryn didn’t even know about the ‘dreams’ he’d been having, he couldn’t just spring that he was having a life changing adventure right now.

“I took off to travel the countryside as a sort of last hurrah to my youth, I suppose,” -he now moved to sit down at the nook alongside her window- “I’ve been traveling with someone I met recently.”

“Who?” What she was doing couldn’t be considered sitting anymore; her hands were now planted on her bedside table as she leaned forward staring him down intently.

“You don’t know him, and it doesn’t really matter. We had a fight this morning, if you can call it that. I just need to lie low here for a while since I’m sure he’s looking for me.”

“Oh my goodness. Lance, you can’t be serious.”

“What?”

“When were you going to tell me you had a boyfriend?” Her eyes were widened with excitement as her mouth spread into a delighted grin.

Lance’s head jerked backwards and he sputtered as he spoke, “Seriously Aryn? That’s the conclusion you’re going to jump to?”

“Oh come on you can’t tell me what you just said doesn’t sound like you had a fight with a boyfriend. Whose fault was it? Was it yours? Did you do that thing you always do where you overthink everything instead of just listening to what the other person is trying to say? Oh my gosh Lance you have to tell me everything this is like a dream come true for me.”

He shot her an unamused look, but she was not about to back down on the matter. “First of all, no, it was not my fault. It was his for being bossy.”

She clicked her tongue. “I would have taken you for being the type to like bossy.”

“Aryn, please,” he pleaded as his face fell into his hands.

“Okay, okay, so he’s a jackass it sounds like. Forgive me for getting excited about my best friend finally having a relationship I can talk to him about,” Aryn said with a pout as she returned to her seat on her bed.

“I promise you, when that day comes you’ll get sick of hearing me talk about it. This isn’t that time. He’s just a friend, I think,” Lance replied with uncertainty. He’d been so optimistic about Bael opening up to him just the previous night, but now it felt like they’d taken one step forward and a dozen backwards.

Aryn pursed her lips before sighing. “Fine. Regardless, you should probably go home soon so everyone knows you’re safe.”

“I’m going to, but he knows where I live. This is the only place I knew to come to.”

She smiled softly at him in that way she always had since they were little kids. “You can stay here as long as you like. Wedding or not this is always your home too so long as I’m around.”

He returned her smile and was opening his mouth to thank her before they were interrupted by the sound of a loud bang that echoed across the farm.

It sounded like a shotgun blast from somewhere near the house.

Aryn yelped before shuffling backwards on her bed until her back pressed against the wall. Lance peered outside the window he was sitting in front of to try and get a glimpse of what was causing the ruckus. Out in the distance Lance could see that it was Mr. Romani, Aryn’s father, holding the shotgun. He breathed a sigh of relief then immediately sucked the air back in with a gasp as he saw the object of Mr. Romani’s anger.

It was Bael, who was sprinting headlong across the field swinging his head from side to side all too clearly searching for something. At first Lance pulled away to hide, but he became too worried that Bael was going to wind up getting shot to pull his eyes away from the sight. With his focus on Bael, Lance watched as he ran into the large barn close by that housed many of the farm’s cows.

The farmers ran in after him and Lance was unable to see what was happening. This heightened his worries for the other man to a fever pitch.

“What’s going on, Lance?” Aryn whispered, having not moved an inch from the wall she pressed against.

“Your dad is trying to kill my friend,” he responded flatly, unable to peel his focus away to respond properly.

“He’s what?” Aryn sprang up from her bed to push him over enough so that she could also watch out the window.

“They went into the barn- oh! He’s climbing out of the window from the hay loft,” Lance pointed, happy to see Bael seemed unscathed.

“It looks like he’s running towards the house now,” Aryn commented, having been drawn into the excitement of the moment.

“Oh no.” Lance had forgotten to conceal himself in all the commotion. It didn’t take very long as Bael approached the house for him to look up at the window they were watching out of. He locked eyes with Lance before mouthing words they could not hear.

It looked like something to the effect of “I found you, you son of a bitch.”

In an instant Lance was recoiling from the window and running towards the bathroom. In his frantic state he ended up tripping on a discarded piece of clothing and tumbled to the ground in a heap. The sounds of Bael climbing up the side of the house sent him into a panicked state.

“Lance, what do I do? He-he’s climbing up to the window,” Aryn commented as she was still looking out the window, unshaken by Bael’s ferocity.

“Let him in, otherwise your father is going to shoot him if he sees him,” Lance replied with a defeated sigh. Resolute to his fate, he rolled over and sat up on the floor to await the argument that was sure to follow.

Aryn quickly opened the window and swung it open. Without a word Bael clambered in as she latched it behind him.

His blue eyes stared down at him with furious intent.

Lance met his gaze with his attempt at equal intensity. As a passive person it was difficult to maintain, but he was adamant on standing his ground.

Still yet Bael said nothing to him, which only made Lance’s heart race faster as the anticipation built up to however he would lash out at him.

Bael stepped forward, water dripping from his clothes all over the floor. His entire body was covered in the remnants of mud that he was dropped in when Oberon flung him off. Mirroring Lance, he sat down on the floor in front of him with their crossed legs mere inches from contact. His breathing was heavy; Lance could only imagine how long he had been running all over the place looking for him.

Lance’s eyes closed tight, ready to accept whatever reprimand was coming his way. He was surprised when it was something he felt rather than heard.

With a sharp thwap Bael flicked him in the forehead so hard it stung. Lance’s eyes flew open as his hand reached up to press his palm onto the irritated skin.

“Stupid, why’d you run off like that?” Bael’s face was one of perplexion, not of rage.

“Why do you think? You were being a jerk and I wanted to go home,” Lance answered with a wince.

“You didn’t even go home. I found you here hanging out with some girl.”

“Aryn, her name is Aryn. She’s not just some girl, she’s my best friend. I hid here because you know where I live and I was trying to get away from you.”

Bael shifted uncomfortably but the intensity of his eyes locking with Lance’s never let up for a moment. “Well it didn’t work and now I found you. We’re going back now so stop fighting me.”

Aryn by this point had returned to sitting on her bed with her focus split between the two men. “Easy now, you won’t ever sort out your differences if you aren’t able to hear each other out.”

“This isn’t your concern, so kindly butt out of it will ya?” Bael snarled with his eyes still locked on Lance.

“Hey, you don’t get to talk to her like that you insufferable child,” Lance returned with enough venom to match Bael’s. Being rude to him was one thing, but Aryn was another matter entirely.

“Lance, it’s fine, really,” Aryn pleaded. She was visibly shaken by his aggression and doing a poor job of hiding it.

“I’m the insufferable child? Look who's talking! For the first time in your life you probably have someone who isn’t bowing to your whims or kissing your ass, so what happens the first time you get into a disagreement? You run away. Yeah, real mature.”

“Bael! Shut up, just shut up already!”

Nyx finally revealed herself from her hiding place. Her voice was a tiny, harsh whisper, yet still it managed to cow Bael into immediate silence.

“You were so excited to finally have someone befriend you, but you have a terrible understanding of how human friendship works,” Nyx reprimanded, all the while bashing her body aggressively into Bael’s head. “Just tell him why you’re so insistent on going home, you stupid, stupid man.”

Bael’s head turned downward as he quietly accepted Nyx’s rage. Eventually she tired of being angry and allowed herself to rest atop his head.

“Is something bad going to happen? Is that why you want to go back?” Guilt sank like a rock into the pit of Lance’s stomach. He would feel terrible for the rest of his days if his running away caused Bael to be unable to protect his home.

“No,” Bael answered bluntly. His eyes warily shifted to the side in the direction of Aryn before returning to Lance. “I don’t want to talk about it here. If I tell you, will you go back with me?” Bael’s face shifted from shame to one of vulnerability.

Lance dryly swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable with the desperation in his voice. Aryn’s words from earlier rang out in his mind; reminding him that he did overthink things without considering the other side. His desire for Bael’s camaraderie rekindled. He may just have to be the bigger person for a time until Bael fully opened up to him.

“Of course I will. That’s what friends are for, right?”

Bael smiled with eyes widened in admiration, causing Lance’s heart to skip a beat.

Lance had to pull himself out of the fog filling his head to look over at Aryn who was staring at them with pure wonderment. “Aryn, do you have something I can put over him to sneak him out of here? Oh, and can you distract your family downstairs too?”

“Huh, what? Oh!” She sprang up immediately and marched over to her closet to dig around for a suitable article of clothing. Eventually she pulled out a large green cloak and held it up for approval. It would do just fine.

Lance stood up to see her out the door while Bael occupied himself with getting the cloak on properly. Before opening the door she turned to look up at Lance with a concerned expression.

“Are you going to be okay?” she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

“I think I’ll be alright now. He’s a bit, well, immature to say the least. But he’s also a good person, that much I do know,” Lance added, just as much for her as it was for himself.

Aryn nodded. “If that changes don’t ever hesitate to tell me. Papa doesn’t miss twice with his shotgun, I’ll have you know.”

They shared a chuckle and a brief hug before Aryn disappeared out the door.

Lance turned around to face Bael who was comically shrouded by the vast size of the cloak. He had to stifle a laugh just looking at him. “While she’s busy distracting them, can you tell me now what’s on your mind?”

Bael shuffled uneasily, which as he was dressed now just made him appear to sway from side to side. “It will make more sense when I show you, otherwise I don’t think you’ll believe me.”

“After everything so far? Try me.”

“There’s something imprisoned in the grove that I am the guardian of. It’s the reason why I try to divert your attention away from the King’s Bane. It’s not the cure you’re looking for.”

“You’re the third person to tell me that but no one will ever explain why. It’s infuriating, to say the least. Until I find a better alternative, it’s my only chance of helping my mother.”

“I will explain in due time, I promise you that.”

Their discussion ended after that. Lance peered out of the cracked doorway to see that Aryn had lured her family away to another portion of the house and the path to the doorway was unoccupied. Quietly he ushered Bael through the house and outside the door to Oberon who looked up expectantly when Lance approached.

Off in the distance near the barn he could see that the hunt for Bael was still on as the search party fanned out in a multitude of directions. To avoid crossing paths with one of them Lance spurred Oberon into a gallop once they were comfortably seated in the saddle. Much to Lance’s dismay, Bael was seated in front of him with Lance’s chin pressed on top of his head due to how closely they were pressed together. It was all in the effort of masking Bael’s getaway, he repeatedly reminded himself as the heat from Bael’s body seeped into his skin.

With Romani Ranch only a memory behind them and the skies clear and blue, they sped off in the heat of day towards the Southern Swamp. Lance shuddered with anticipation at the thought of what he might learn once they returned to the woods.