By nightfall, the group ventured further into the forest without any issues. The calm melody of animal noises faded, making them question if they were on the right track, but after checking the map, Axel confirmed they were. They sat around the campfire; not long after eating a vegetable stew, Cilv kept making faces during each bite and swore she would hunt the next day. Evanna and Ger sat next to each other against one of the trees near the fire, while Ronan sat next to Cilv, and Axel had Nesrin putting his beard into small plaits.

Evanna could not help but laugh at watching the little fairy plait his brown beard, making the giant of a man who always looked fierce with an axe and a shield, sitting patiently while his beard was being styled. By the end of it, though, they found that it suited him except for the daisy's she used to keep the plait together.

As the evening wore on, the temperature began to drop again, leaving Evanna to pull her mask up, covering her nose and mouth. She also scooted closer to Ger against the tree, who sat there smoking from his pipe. The heat from his body would soon transfer onto her; he put his free arm around her and started rubbing her shoulder to warm her up. Smiling, she leant into him, comfortable to be sitting with her best friend in one of the strangest places she had ever been to. She was grateful to have Ger by her side. She honestly would not know how far she would have come if she left on this venture by herself.

"Thank you", She said. He puffed out from the pipe and glanced at her.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? Your mouth is covered," His eyes shone in amusement at how frozen she looked, with her hood up and mask covering her face. If he didn't know it was her, he would have said she looked like a bandit.

She smacked him lightly, knowing too well that her voice was not muffled, and they were too close for him not to hear her. Glancing back to the fire, she could not help but notice Ronan staring her way. He raked his hand through his curled hair as his jaw ticked, she wondered what he was thinking, but he looked away before announcing he was going to bed.

Evanna then glanced at the floor after some movement caught her attention. Cilv was lying on the floor again and had shifted while she looked up at the sky. Her body was ridiculously close to the fire, but she was spread out so that all of her body would stay heated from the flames. Evanna's gaze then went back to the fire in front of her. The sounds and the waves of the flames started to put her into a trance. She began to feel her eyelids get heavy as she continued to watch the fire, and for the first time since entering the forest, she fell soundlessly asleep.

Ger glanced down at Evanna, who by now dropped her head onto his shoulder, her eyes closed. He shook his head at her; there was a perfectly usable tent she could sleep in. But as he continued to look at her, he could not help but feel warm from their closeness. A small smile spread on his lips, his eyes softening.

Was he physically warm because they were huddled together? He frowned after realising a warm and tingly feeling was coming from his stomach. His eyes widened as he slightly tensed. Did he have romantic feelings towards his best friend? Shit, he thought, that was not good, she was a princess, and he was a peasant.

~ You are a noble, Ger. There is nothing wrong with having feelings ~ Nesrin's voice popped into his head. He glanced up and saw that the little creature was sitting on Axel's shoulder, who was also watching him.

~ Does she.. feel.. ~

~ I cannot tell you that ~

~ You can read people's minds. I am sure you can ~ He retorted

~ I will not reveal her private thoughts. And you should not ask me of that. The least of your concerns right now is if your friend likes you more or not. You are in Direwood forest, and you have a mission to complete. ~ Nesrin's voice was for once very stern, and she sounded as though she was scolding a child.

He sighed before putting his pipe away. He glanced back down at Evanna to see her chest rise and fall rhythmically, the sign that she was in a deep sleep. Slowly, he shifted and put his arm behind her back and the other under her legs; he stood up with her in his arms, glancing again to see that she was still asleep. He tutted to himself; she really did sleep deeply when she wanted to. He only knew from the many times she was running late to meet him in the servant's quarters, and Maggie would tell him how hard she needed to shake her to get up.

Once inside the tent, Ger laid her down gently onto the mat she left earlier and placed the blanket over her. He moved a strand of raven hair from her face and set it to the side, staring at how beautiful she was. Even with a mask covering most of her face, anyone could tell she was a looker. He then stood back up abruptly, shocked at what he did. He quickly backed away and out of the tent, announcing to Axel that he should take first watch; he knew he would not sleep well because of his swirling thoughts and emotions.

The following day Evanna woke up earlier than usual. She was a little confused; the last thing she remembered was being with Ger and watching the fire. Yet here she was in her tent. She rose slowly into a seated position, her mind catching up with her as she realised Ger must have taken her to bed. Her cheeks heated at the thought; he must have carried her. Shaking her head, she decided to get up.

As she walked out of the tent, she saw Axel once again sleeping in a seated position near the extinguished fire, hugging his axe to his chest. Rolling her eyes, she then grinned after seeing Nesrin flying towards her. The fairy must have stayed with Axel last night. She really was becoming part of the family, she blinked, family? Where did that thought come from? She had not spent that long with these guys, and she was already calling them a family.

~ Because you are, you don't need to be blood-related to be a family. You look out for each other ~ Nesrin smiled up at her as she stood on her shoulder once again. Instead of responding to her, she changed the subject,

~ Where will you go from here, Nesrin? ~ Her departure was a looming presence in Evanna's mind, and she wished she would not go, but at the same time, she was happy that the fairy had her freedom.

~ Oh, I know my way from here. I can fly very quickly; it will not take me long to get home. ~

~ Where is home for you? ~

Instead of answering, Nesrin placed her hand on the princess's face, and images flashed before her eyes. There was a whole fairy village in a forest; their mini houses were set up in different parts of trees and red-spotted mushrooms. There was also a pond to the side of the little village where mini boats floated on the surface. She wondered why fairies would need a boat, but who was she to question the little creatures? Evanna, of course, had never seen anything like it. Nesrin then removed her hand, and the image dissolved, revealing the forest she stood in again.

"Beautiful," Evanna breathed; the fairy grinned back at her.

Before the princess could ask any more questions, her body tensed up as she felt a cold shiver go down the back of her spine. She narrowed her eyes and glanced at the trees.

~ It is not the trees ~

~ Do you know what- ~

~ I do not have your senses, princess. But the trees accepted you yesterday, so it is not the trees. ~

Evanna slowly spun on her heel as she assessed her surroundings. Cilv came out of their tent, her eyes were transformed into her cat eyes, and they darted from side to side as she walked cautiously towards the princess.

"Do you sense that, Cilv?" She asked in a low voice; Cilv shook her head.

"I heard something. It is coming this way quickly," She replied. At her words, Evanna grabbed her swords ready, and Cilv sprang up to the trees to gain a better viewpoint. Once she was at a good height, she leaned forwards, trying to check their surroundings.

"Axel! Ger! Ronan!" Evanna shouted.

Axel jumped on the spot, waving his axe forwards, then grunted when he saw nothing there. Ronan and Ger came rushing out towards Evanna.

"What-"

Evanna shushed Ronan as she held her hand up. Her senses were on high alert, and she turned to a spot behind her, where she felt the strongest pull. The men grabbed their weapons and spread out as they faced the same direction as Evanna. She tilted her head, straining her ears to listen; her feet then picked up a slight rumbling sound. She glanced behind her, "Do you hear that?" She asked the men. All three of them shook their heads.

"Guys! They are coming from all parts of the forest!" Cilv shouted from above.

The men turned on their spots, facing outwards. Evanna continued to look ahead of her, and Nesrin flew to a nearby branch. Her hands were glowing as tiny sparks flew from them as she readied herself.

"What's coming!?" Ronan shouted back, but he looked down to the ground when he felt the earth beneath his feet rumbling.

Evanna's back seemed to be getting colder, the hairs on her nape standing out, making her feel like the colder she got meant, the closer it was getting, whatever it was. The cold, tingling sensation rippled across her body, standing out on the back of her head and by her sides. That meant, whatever they were, they were coming from all angles. After feeling the strongest sensation pulling from the front, she stepped forwards, leaving the guys to take care of her back.

Evanna readied herself as the ground shook, the intensity gradually increasing. She abruptly jumped to the side after losing her footing as the ground beneath her feet exploded. A gaping hole made her fall into the ground where she saw multiple yellow, sharp legs attached to an elongated brownish body of a monster that crawled through the soil. The upper part of its body was now standing tall outside of the hole.