"You still have Dragon-Witches!?" Roman demanded, his voice sounding very similar as to when he had asked Virgil about the dragon. The other prince rolled his eyes, obviously, they still had Dragon-Witches, this was obviously a Dragon-Witch common sense Roman, use it!

"My, my, Prince Roman," The Dragon-Witch said as she slowly moved in front of them, "I've heard the Light Realm was not kind to its magical users but you'd think a prince with such a close relationship to a wizard would be a little more accepting."

"I'm fine with magic. Just not this type of magic" Roman said as he glared at the Dragon-Witch.

"Yes, your laws seem to mirror that belief" Once again, the Dark Realm did seem to hold another point in the 'Acceptance' competition when it came to Dragon-Witches. While it was looked down upon in the Dark-Realm, it was at least legal, whereas practicing any of the forbidden magics in the Light-Realm was like asking for a death sentence. They didn't have many people breaking that law however, then again magic was slightly more uncommon in the Light Realm than in the more accepting kingdoms. And part of the whole Dragon Relocation program idea had been about subtly relocating Dragon-Witches as well, after all, if the dragons leave then the Dragon-Witches will be forced to follow.

The Dragon-Witches eyes drifted over to Virgil who glared at the woman, one hand at his sword and the other prepared to launch a spell. "Oh," the witch said with a laugh, "I've heard rumors about you, Prince Virgil. Is it true you were born with defective magic?"

Virgil's gaze only hardened as he gave no answer, behind them Logan smashed himself up against the magical barrier once again, still trying to get free and assist his friends. Roman took a step forward, "Ann get behind me, the plan has changed" Roman said as he drew his sword, "Alright Lady, let my friends go or else,"

"Or else what?" The Dragon-Witch asked with a smirk, "You'll kill me? You'll attack me? I hate to break it to you Prince Roman, but you're not the first person to come in here and demand something from me. Now, stop trying to play hero, nobody's going anywhere"

Roman sighed, "Take care of the barrier Ann," he said before lunging forward with his sword and beginning to attack the witch. She jumped away from each attack easily with a smile before lashing back out at him with different sorts of spells.

Virgil turned back to the barrier and resumed trying to bring it down again. Logan had stopped throwing himself against it and he had stopped trying to speak as he realized that the witch had put a spell on him. Now all he did was stare helplessly at the two princes and try and silently communicate to them to just leave.

Virgil's brow furrowed in concentration as he attempted the spell to bring down the magic cage. Virgil sighed in disappointment with himself when the spell was refusing to work. He pulled his bag in front of him and pulled out one of the books. 'I'll get you out, I just need a moment' he signed quickly before returning to his book and flipping through it quickly. Logan's eyes flew between both princes, making sure both were okay each time they landed on them.

Virgil found the spell he was looking for and began to read how to perform it and his hands started to glow as the spell began to work. He smiled as the barrier also began to glow and it slowly came down. It was only about two feet down from the high stone ceiling when Logan suddenly start throwing himself against the barrier again. Virgil looked up at him, confused, with a question on his face when he heard Roman shout, "Ann duck!"

Virgil didn't stop to ask or look over his shoulder he just dropped to his stomach rolled to the side. A blast of blue light smashed into the now regenerated barrier right where Virgil had been a moment before. Virgil's eyes widened as he scrambled to stand and draw his sword, Roman was behind the Dragon- Witch, struggling to his feet as well. "Do you really think you'll be able to fend us both off?" Roman asked her when both princes had their swords drawn and were ready to attack again, "Cause I don't think you can,"

"A human that's barely a man and a boy with poor magic? Stronger fools than you have been bested by me."

"Well, lucky for us-" Roman was interrupted when Virgil rolled his eyes, tired of the back and forth, and lunged forward with his word. The Dragon-Witch gasped as she barely dodged his attack, not having been ready for it before Virgil attacked again. She stared at the prince in shock as again she found herself barely missing the edge of the blade. She honestly wasn't expecting the Dark Realm prince to be so fast or skilled with a sword, she was expecting him to be like most of the other witches she had met and only rely on his magic to protect him.

On the fifth swing Virgil managed to actually cut the witch a little and her silencing spell on Logan was released. As soon as the nerd realized it he began yelling again, "Roman help him!" he shouted.

The older prince jumped, "Right," he said as he joined in the fight. The Dragon witch scowled as she now was being forced to dodge two blades while also having to send spells at each of the boys.

"If this continues any longer I will be forced to call upon a friend for help," the Dragon-Witch threatened. She was surprised when neither prince backed down or even hesitated to keep attacking her. They worked well together as sword fighters and seemed to balance each other out on weaknesses. Where Roman was slow and slightly more reckless Virgil was fast and precise. Where Virgil was hesitant to do any damage that could do anything more than injure the witch Roman wasn't afraid to aim for the weaker areas that Virgil stayed away from. When Roman was flailing to avoid spells Virgil was always there to take the brunt of the fighting till he could make his come back. When Virgil made a movement too drastic that would send pain from his injuries rocketing through his body Roman was there to force the younger behind him until he was ready to join them again. There was very little communication between them and it was mostly as if they were reading each other's minds. The Dragon-Witch glared at them as the princes began to tilt the scales in their favor and win the battle, "Fine then, you've forced my hand"

For a moment nothing happened and the princes continued to fight with mild confusion. After a few seconds though they both saw Logan scramble away from the barrier, trip over Patton's body, and fall right back to the ground as two words left his mouth, "It's awake!"

Immediately both princes stopped what they were doing and stared in horror as the dragon woke up with a growl and began to rise. Though it was only for a second it was long enough for the Dragon-Witch to use a spell that knocked both princes back several feet. Both groaned as they sat up, the Dragon-Witch seemed to be trying to catch her breath as well. Roman quickly surveyed the room before sighing, "I'll take the dragon, you take the witch. Remember to watch for my signal in case you need to retreat," he said as he stood up and offered his hand to help Virgil as well. The younger prince gave him a look as though he was crazy, which to be completely fair was a reasonable reaction to someone deciding to take a dragon on by themselves, but nodded as he took Roman's hand and allowed Roman to help him up. "Alright, good luck"

'You too' Virgil signed quickly before both princes hurried away from each other to face their opponents. Logan was yelling at them for each taking on the dragon and Dragon-Witch alone but the witch took his voice again and in an instant, he fell silent again. Virgil once again took on the Dragon-With, sword moving forward and trying to do some damage, or at least back her into a corner. She glared at him as she avoided attacks and tried to throw spells at him, one or two hitting him occasionally and making him bite his lip and hold back a cry.

While Virgil fought off the Dragon-Witch Roman was busy dodging pillars of fire that were shot from the dragon's mouth. He weaved in between swipes of claws, swings of tails, snaps of teeth, and shots of fire. The Dragon was not fully grown and so its movements were slower and it was easier to fight than a normal dragon would be. Every once in a while he'd have to warn Virgil to duck to avoid getting decapitated by a roaming tail but other than that the cave was large enough for them to avoid the fights from clashing.

Logan watched them from the inside of the small circle of space. With his body bound and his hands injured, there was little he could do to cause any damage towards the magic wall. His eyes were wide as he watched the prince's battle, if either of the princes got anymore hurt than they already were this trip could take a turn for the worst. They couldn't afford any more setbacks, and Logan didn't need his friends getting hurt.

They had been in the market square, Patton had heard a group of teenagers talking about Janus and Remus. He had gotten excited at hearing them saying so many positive things about one of his sons and had joined in the conversation. The Dragon-Witch had passed them and much like Patton had overheard the conversation. She seemed to have some very strong opinions about the dating princes, and while at first Patton and Logan had tried to hold their tongues it couldn't last forever and soon both boys found themselves defending the brothers of their traveling companions. The witch hadn't been very happy about that and had attacked them, Patton was able to get the teens away safely while Logan did his best to counter each spell but eventually they had to flee. It hadn't worked, obviously, and now they were here.

Logan had seriously been hoping that Virgil and Roman wouldn't be stupid enough to follow a dragon and at least one of them would recognize the signs of a Dragon-Witch. Well, he was wrong, wasn't he? He really wasn't surprised about Roman, because as brave and talented as Roman was he could make some pretty stupid decisions. But honestly, he had had some hope for Virgil. Virgil was a smart person, he thought ahead and his anxiety even often had him jump to the worst possible scenario, so he had really hoped he'd be able to drag Roman away from this. But of course, that hadn't happened.

Why did he have to have a crush on such an idiot? Maybe he should rethink this crush? Try and find someone a little more rational? It wasn't like he had a chance with them anyway. It didn't matter, he shouldn't be worried about this right now, he had other things to be thinking about. Like how they could get out of here, or if there was some way to help Roman and Virgil. Logan struggled against the golden coils around him, still trying to perform magic with his injured hands simultaneously, it wasn't working very well though and he uselessly allowed himself to slide to the ground and lean back against the wall.

He was honestly exhausted, he had used a lot of energy running and defending himself and Patton earlier. Not to mention the witch had performed magic on both him and Patton. He wondered if Virgil knew how to perform a healing spell, Patton was definitely going to need one and while not super necessary Logan would benefit from one as well. Especially since this Dragon-Witch had a little more up her sleeve than controlling dragons.

Logan's mind was beginning to wonder, injuries and exhaustion catching up to him as he leaned his head back on the wall of the cave and tried to focus on his breathing and the fight to keep himself awake. Patton was still unconscious, his body taking up most of the small space. He groaned quietly as something in his sleep began to bother them, Logan hoped they weren't in to much pain. He'd never forgive himself if anybody got hurt because he couldn't fight this Dragon-Witch off himself.

Virgil suddenly being slammed into the barrier made him flinch and jump upward, his attention returning to the fight. Virgil was struggling to breathe through the pain as he stood up again, his breaths leaving him in heavy gasps as he tightened his grip on the sword. "Ann," Roman said cautiously from where he barely avoided becoming dragon chow, he was obviously getting tired as well. Virgil glanced over at him, "You good?"

Virgil glanced at their imprisoned friends and nodded. Apparently, it was the wrong answer because Roman shook his head, "Get out of here Ann, go back to the camp, if we're not back by morning... tell Remus I'm sorry, and that I love him"

Virgil's eyes widened in surprise as he jumped away from a spell from the Dragon-Witch who was laughing at them now. He shook his head at Roman but the older prince gave him a determined look, "Our brothers need you more, leave." Virgil stared at him before finally nodding in submission before trying to run past the Dragon-Witch and escape the cave

He managed to get past her, avoiding two spells from the witch and a jet of fire from the dragon but before he could escape the cave a barrier appeared at the exit, trapping them all inside. "No one is going anywhere," The Dragon-Witch said with an evil grin. Virgil turned back to her, ready to continue the fight again but before he could even blink she was on him, a spell forcing him to his knees before the witch grabbed Virgil by the collar of his shirt and began to drag him deeper into the cave and closer to the magical cage.

"Virgil!" Roman shouted as he attempted to leave the dragon and help the other before getting slammed into the stone wall by the dragon's tail. He groaned in pain as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Both princes were now without their swords and staring at what they thought was certain doom.

The Dragon-Witch laughed, "I've heard Ira is looking for you little prince," she said to Virgil who was struggling against her while she pushed him against the barrier Logan was behind. A pained whimper was all that left him, "Do you think her and the Kings will reward me if I bring you to them? Two princes, that would complete their set wouldn't it?" she asked them with a grin. "Of course, I think I'll keep the other two for myself. They have good blood, it'll help with my magic don't you think?"

"You practice blood magic too?" Roman asked from where he was being death stared by a dragon, "If you were in the Light Realm there'd be an ax hanging over your head"

The witch continued to smile as she tightened her grip on Virgil, "I think Prince Roman is suggesting you change your laws."

Virgil didn't give any sort of response as he watched the witch.

"I've always have wondered, Prince Virgil," she began again, "You are the son of a very powerful witch, she could have killed your father herself if she wanted to. And your brother, from what I've heard from Ira, is a very talented wizard himself. He's apparently an expert in many offensive spells," she briefly turned to Roman, "Do you think he's been using those skills to protect that troll you call a brother?" Roman attempted to dash forward at the comment only for the dragon to shove him back into the wall with one of his paws.

The Dragon-Witch only hummed and turned back to Virgil, "Such a shame that such a talented witch could only pass down her skill to one son, don't you think? How disgraced must your mother feel, to have given birth to a son with-" The Dragon-Witch said with a grin only to look down at Virgil in confusion when she saw him smirking and holding back a laugh. "And what are you smiling at?" Virgil smiled even wider before motioning to his right hand with his head. It was down by his hip, a glowing purple orb growing in it. The same spell he had used on the night of the attack, except slightly more volatile due to it being performed wrong. The perks of being bad at magic he supposed.

The witch stared at it with confusion before looking back at him. Virgil's smile grew one more time before his hand grabbed at the Dragon-Witch's face. She screamed in pain as the purple began to spread, Virgil lifted his legs and kicked her away from him. He pulled his hand away and dug into his bag till he found the yellow pouch of powder he took a small handful of it and threw it at the witch. She tried to brush it away but it was to late, she was already falling to the ground unconscious.

"That's all you had to do? Seriously you couldn't have done that before?" Roman asked him with a raised eyebrow.

'You need help with the dragon or no?' Virgil asked as he took a step forward.

Roman shook his head, "No, I'm good. You're not the only one that should've just gone with the easy way out."

'You sure?'

"Just get our friends unkidnapped and I'll handle the dragon, okay?" Roman said to him. Virgil gave a shrug in response and bent over to start undoing the barrier again, and was honestly expecting he'd have to help Roman with the dragon as well. As Virgil began to try to perform the spell that would bring the barrier down Roman began trying to 'handle' the dragon.

"So," Roman began, "You're a dragon huh? That's cool. You're a pretty handsome dude you know that?"

Virgil looked over at him as though he was crazy 'Are you talking to it?'

Roman paid him no attention, "Oh! You're a girl dragon! Ann, it's a girl dragon. Well, can I just say that I'm really sorry about the whole trying to kill you thing. If it makes you feel any better, I threw Ann in prison and you have no idea how many times I've gotten Patton and Logan in near-death experiences. Also, like a ton of people wanna kill me so it's like, kinda fair and-" Roman was interrupted by the dragon roaring loudly at him. "I know I look like a tasty snack but you can't eat me, you see I'm on a quest to save a bunch of people and reunite with my twin brother, he's kinda wack in the head but it's been two years so maybe that's changed," Roman said with a shrug, slowly sneaking away from the wall.

'He's the wack?'

"Look, how about this. If you don't eat us, we won't tell the Dragon-Witch you ran away. I know what it's like you know, feeling controlled. I'm a prince, my whole life has been laid out for me on a silver platter." Roman said, still trying to speak to the dragon as he reached for his sword. The dragon roared at him and Roman dropped it, "Oh come on, my brother gave me this sword I'm not gonna leave it here. Don't you have any siblings or anything, wouldn't you do just about anything to save them?" There was a break between talking as Roman picked up his sword, "Oh." he said bluntly "Hey Ann, did you know that dragons have to fight their siblings to the death? Not all of them, just like one of them, but like still. Kinda sick you know? Like in a bad way, not the good way. Remus would definitely do that, you know? He used to make me spar with him, and then it started to get real, and then whenever I started thinking, 'oh my gosh he's actually going to kill me' he would start laughing like a maniac and walk away. Like seriously what kind of brother does that?"