Escaping from the guards wasn’t half as difficult as Zelo expected.  He had dealt with far more ruthless groups in the past year since he’d joined Jaeseop’s group and though the guards were thorough in their inspection of the surrounding area, they weren’t particularly creative when it came to searching unusual hiding places.  Unhindered by heavy armor prone to rusting at the mere mention of rain, water and mud were Zelo’s best friends, providing effective camouflage that let him watch them undetected.

                It wasn’t perhaps the most comfortable experience and he’d long since ditched the horse which left a trail a blind man could follow, but he remained free and near the castle.  From his vantage in the tree he nimbly scaled, covered in leaves and debris that stuck to the mud, he could still actually see the structure in the distance.

                Zelo stifled a sigh and laid his head back on the branch, the majority of his lengthy body crammed into the supportive juncture point of several limbs which helped to hide him from the ground.  The foliage below added further layers of obstruction and unlike his pursuers, he wasn’t wearing a suit of shiny, eye catching armor.  “Stupid metal heads,” he grumbled, smarting from having to retreat earlier and his inability to help the rest of his companions.

                Impatiently, he kept his ears open and waited until he couldn’t hear them below him anymore, the sound of clanking armor, snorting mounts, and heavy hooves fading into the distance as the day grew late.  He was going to have to find some sort of shelter soon and definitely clean off the worst of the muck on his person.  The caked on mud over his face was cracking and it itched terribly…

                With infinite care, he made his way down the tree, making sure each branch was sturdy enough to hold his weight before he moved to the next one.  The last thing he needed now was an accident or to risk breaking something, like his neck.  His sword wasn’t particularly helpful either, catching randomly on leaves and smaller branches when he thought he was clear.

                There was absolutely nothing to prepare him for when he heard a very calm voice speak directly next to him, something that should have been impossible with the ground still several feet below him.

                “You have more skill than I would have given you credit for.”

                In a flash of panic, Zelo twisted to look over his shoulder and glimpsed the Valkyr from the battlefield floating next to him.  “Yah!” he yelped, hands and feet slipping from the supports he was holding too.  He didn’t fall more than a few inches before he felt a very solid gauntleted hand grip his wrist, halting his descent.

                “Or not,” the Valkyr chuckled lightly, a smile actually gracing his features as he finished lowering the younger male to the ground, following suit to stand beside him, obviously shorter when compared next to each other.

                Too startled and confused to really catch the meaning behind the comment, Zelo almost wiped at his eyes before he remembered he was caked with mud and settled for staring.  “Are you going to kill me too?” he finally asked, body tense in the warm air.

                The Valkyr tilted his head to the side, furrowed brow mostly hidden behind the helmet that obstructed part of his face.  “No.”

                “But you killed the Princess,” he stated forcefully, remembering very clearly that part of the battle.

                “I killed the monster the Princess had become.  Nothing more.  Nothing less,” he explained solemnly.  “Her soul remains unharmed and is here with me,” he further elaborated, pressing his hand to his armored chest.  “See?” he gestured, drawing his limb away from his body, a small glowing orb emerging from his person only to float in front of Zelo, materializing into an opaque version of Princess Amber.

                “Your Highness!” he gasped, clearly surprised.

                Amber smiled at him warmly, suddenly shy now that she was face to face with the one who had been helping her, or at least trying to.  She remembered that much anyway before everything had gone crazy.  “Please,” she shook her head, shifting from foot to foot, only belatedly realizing she was actually standing on solid ground again.  “Just Amber,” she nodded, taking a breath to help her focus her thoughts.  It was weird acknowledging she wasn’t a princess anymore…

                She was interrupted by Daehyun who spoke directly at the younger male again, “What do you plan to do now, Zelo?”

                Still wary and not entirely convinced the Valkyr wasn’t going to kill him, Zelo responded hesitantly, “I’m going to get to the bottom of this so I can clear my name and get my Captain out of there.”  Carefully, he sidestepped the Valkyr, gaze traveling to Amber as the thought crossed his mind that he had probably fallen from the tree and was making things up in his head as he lay dying on the ground…

                “Not yet,” the Valkyr winked at him, making the younger boy jerk in surprise.

                “You can read minds too?” he asked with wide eyes, the effect amusing with his complexion completely darkened by mud.

                “Only sometimes,” he responded with a shake of his head, the tone slightly sad.

                Zelo narrowed his eyes in disbelief but didn’t say anything further on the matter.  “Umm…  Sure.  I’m just… going to get cleaned off,” he muttered, backtracking towards the small stream he’d found with which to coat himself initially.  He felt them following him while he splashed into the water, leaving his sword at the side so he wouldn’t risk getting it wet, but by the time he had sluiced himself off enough to feel at least relatively clean, the pair was gone when he turned around.

                “I really am going crazy,” he muttered darkly, shaking off the worst of the water, much like a dog, and snagging his sword, slapping it to his back with haste.  He sighed heavily as he regarded the fading light and started moving, setting his path towards the castle once more.  He couldn’t do anything in the dark but at least he could get close.  “Crazy or not, you’ve got work to do,” he told himself determinedly, falling into the easy ground eating stride he’d learned in Jaeseop’s company.

                Back in Daehyun’s body and with no further control, Amber grumbled, “Why couldn’t we tell him what we think is going on?”

                “Because it’s against the rules,” Daehyun answered without hesitation, following along behind the younger male, unseen once more.

                “What rules?” she demanded, fairly certain she’d never heard of rules for something like that.

                “The rules laid down by Lord Odin,” he answered once more, shaking his head.  “Gods and those who serve them must limit their interactions with the mortals of Midgard.  We cannot interfere unless it is absolutely necessary, such as in your case,” he reminded her pointedly.

                “But what if he can’t do it by himself?” she tried again.

                “Then we will be there when he fails,” Daehyun stated, refusing to elaborate further.

                “That’s it?  No Valkyr to save the day?  What if Kranth is behind this though?  What if-?”

                “Hush, Amber,” he chided her simply, interrupting her next question before she could finish, well aware of her pouting at being silenced.  “Just be patient and watch.  Events have only just begun to unfold that started with your death but I think there is more to be seen.  Not everything will be revealed at one time,” he cautioned, fingers tapping against his leg thoughtfully as they continued to follow Zelo.  Only in stories were things ever that simple.

                The light of a lone campfire caught Zelo’s eye while he approached the castle after sunset.  He wasn’t sure who would be out by themselves in a time like this but the closer he got, the more he recognized the figure who sat gloomily staring into the flames, one arm cradled close to his body.  He was well off the main road, closer to the woods really, but Zelo was still nervous in approaching him, lest they be seen.  “Psst!” he hissed, lingering at the edge of the light from the flickering fire.

                Geng jumped and looked around in a panic, hastily grabbing for his longsword and fumbling slightly.  “Who’s there?” he demanded with wide eyes, getting to his feet for a better defensive vantage point.

                “Easy, Geng,” Zelo urged, cautiously making his way into his sight.  “It’s just me,” he waved, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed and presented no danger, though he was light on his feet and more than ready to reach for his weapon if need be.

                “Zelo?” he gasped as if he’d seen a ghost.  “Holy !  You did escape,” he breathed, awkwardly setting his sword aside and approaching the younger male in disbelief.

                “Yeah.  Captain helped me get out, but he wasn’t so lucky,” Zelo scowled, glaring at the lights of the castle reactively.  “But what about you?  How did you get out?  And aren’t you nervous they’ll find you out here?”  Once again, he cast about for any sign of approaching enemies, eyes narrowed intently.

                Geng shifted in place uncomfortably, turning to hide his left arm from plain sight, still holding it near his body.  “I uh…  I got out in the fighting.  Wasn’t that hard really,” he shrugged, not able to meet the younger’s gaze.

                “Geng?” Zelo asked, seeing that not everything was good with his companion.  “Did something else happen?  And what’s wrong with your arm?” he pointed, finally noticing the way he favored it.  With a guilty expression, Geng looked up to meet Zelo’s eyes and hurriedly glanced away, picking at the covering around his right hand.  “What is it?  You can tell me,” he explained again taking a step closer, though Geng moved back to keep the distance between them the same.

                “If I had known what was going to happen, I never would have agreed to help that dirt bag,” he muttered darkly.  “Never mind he paid me extremely well,” he added, as if that made it any better.

                Zelo’s expression darkened and he stiffened tensely.  “What did you do?” he demanded in a firm but even tone, not bothering to beat around the bush.

                “The only thing I was supposed to do was tag Bertram in combat.  He gave me a package and told me to wipe my blade down before I faced off against him and then I’d get the rest of my money,” he spoke quickly, gesturing with his good hand in short, agitated motions.  “No one was supposed to get hurt and the Princess was definitely not supposed to die!” he growled, pacing in place.

                “Wait a minute.  Who told you to do that?  Wait!  This is your fault?!” he yelped, closing the distance between them with long strides before he snagged Geng’s shirt and yanked him close.  “You’re the reason all of this happened?  Why the Captain’s captured now?!”

                Panicked, Geng grasped Zelo’s wrist with his good hand and tried to back away, “I swear I didn’t know!  The Chancellor didn’t tell me it would hurt her or do this to my hand,” he hissed, shoving his left hand in front of the younger male’s face so that the covering fell away, revealing a much reduced version of what Amber’s hand had transformed into.  The flesh was dark in coloration and his nails had elongated into a semblance of claws with the size being slightly larger than normal.

                “Yah!” Zelo gasped as he jerked away reactively, staring at it in morbid fascination.  “What in Nifleheim did he give you?”

                “I don’t know!” Geng retorted, yanking himself free and turning around to hide his hand again.  “I don’t know anything anymore,” he stated in a slightly calmer tone of voice, obviously pissed off at himself.  “He let me go.  It was my reward for doing what he asked,” he spat, kicking at the ground with his foot uselessly.  “Bastard.”

                “So Kranth set you up for all of this?” Zelo spoke to clarify what he thought he’d been told.  “The King’s Chancellor?”

                Geng sighed heavily, shoulders slumping as even he knew how ridiculous that sounded.  “Yes.”  He looked up after a moment when he didn’t hear a response and saw the focused expression on his companion’s face.  “What are you thinking?” he asked curiously, turning to look at the taller boy with interest.

                Zelo frowned at him, debating whether he should give him any sort of answer or not.  After a brief pause, he rolled his eyes and explained, “I’m trying to think of a way to get us all out of this mess.  I need to clear my name because right now, the King still thinks I killed his daughter.”

                “You mean you didn’t?” he asked in confusion.

                “Of course not!” Zelo retorted quickly, looking at Geng as if he was crazy.

                The silence lengthened between them until the elder was brave enough to ask another question.  “If you didn’t… then who did?”

                “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he shook his head and turned away from the light of the fire, setting his focus on the castle.  If the Chancellor had orchestrated all of this, that was a considerably larger task than he’d imagined.  He wasn’t much good at politics and no one would believe him, currently a wanted criminal and little more than a kid anyway, if he told them what Geng had stated.  They’d promptly haul him off for execution if not kill him on the spot…  His face scrunched up at the unpleasant thought and he scratched his messy hair in annoyance.

                Geng looked at his covered hand thoughtfully and shrugged.  “Try me.”

                Zelo snorted and shook his head in amusement.  What would it hurt to tell him though?  Likely he’d just laugh as expected and leave it at that.  “A Valkyr.”  Instead, a rather unexpected silence greeted him, forcing him to look back in curiosity.

                “Seriously?” he asked with wide eyes.  “You saw the Valkyr?” he asked again, eyes drifting around Zelo, apparently trying to see the figure too.

                “What?”

                “Man…” Geng sighed, shaking his head.  “That’s tough.”

                “What is?” Zelo asked, very much confused.

                “According to all the stories, you’re only supposed to be able to see the Valkyr when you’re going to die,” he explained, gesturing with his hand again and shrugging helplessly.  “Sorry kid.”

                Zelo glared at him and snapped back, “Well he told me he wasn’t going to kill me.”

                Geng’s mouth dropped open as he stared back at him.  “You spoke to him?!”

                “Yes.  He even recruited Princess Amber and she was with him the last time I spoke to him which was only a few hours ago,” he rattled off, pointing his finger at Geng, thoroughly unsettled by his talk of death and how it now applied to him.  It wasn’t exactly a foreign concept and as mercenaries they all expected it in every battle but this was different.  This wasn’t a contract negotiated by Jaeseop to give them the best chance of coming out on top with the least amount of casualties.

                 “Damn.  I don’t envy you one bit,” Geng shook his head, his good hand raised in surrender.  “Whether you’re going to die or not, you caught the eye of the Valkyr.  That just doesn’t happen, Zelo.  Mortals and the gods just don’t mix.”

                “Yeah, well the Valkyr isn’t a god,” he grumbled, arms crossed over his chest.

                “But he works for them which is pretty damn close.”

                When Geng continued to look at him, Zelo dropped his head and sighed.  “Either way, it doesn’t change anything.  I can’t just leave the Captain in there, especially if Kranth is behind this.  Someone has to hold him accountable!”

                “And that someone would be… you?” Geng asked, skeptical and somewhat amused.

                Zelo started to respond immediately, paused for a second, and then nodded decisively.  “Yes.”

                The other just blinked at him, one brow raised.  “And how exactly are you going to do that, kid?”

                “I…  I’ll think of something,” he muttered lamely, though he had absolutely no idea himself.  “And if I can’t think of anything, I’ll force a confession at sword point if I must,” he shrugged nonchalantly, reaching for one of the most absurd things he could think of.  That statement did make Geng laugh and Zelo wasn’t immune to the mental imagery either.

                “Sure kid,” he nodded, wiping at his eyes.  “Whatever you say.”  Still chuckling to himself, he returned to settle in front of the fire, good hand resting on his sword once more.  “So when will this plan start?”

                Zelo took a moment to approach the fire and settled next to his companion, looking like the nervous kid he was just then as he thought about it.  “In the morning I guess,” he shrugged.

                Geng nodded to himself and reached over to drag his pack closer with his right hand, fishing around before he pulled out a cloth wrapped package.  “Here.  Looks like you’re running light,” he stated, tossing it to Zelo who caught it with a mystified expression.  “I just figured you might be hungry,” he shrugged, looking away in moderate embarrassment.

                As if to remind him that he hadn’t eaten since the morning, Zelo’s stomach decided to growl at the mere mention of food, causing him to grin sheepishly.  “Thanks,” he nodded, opening the small package of dried meat, hard cheese, and a hunk of stale bread.

                “You’re probably going to need it more than me,” Geng shrugged, glancing down at his arm again.  He could only hope it would stop there but it had grown progressively worse since he’d held that stupid cloth and he had no idea if it was going to stop at all…

                Mouth already full of food, Zelo just smiled back in hesitant agreement.  He was going to need a crap ton of luck to get things sorted out tomorrow but at least he had a direction and not everyone had been captured.  He couldn’t say that he was thrilled his only companion turned out to be the one that had been the instrument for causing all of this mess, but at least he wasn’t a complete .  Not that he had liked him completely before this mess had happened either but he’d proven himself well on the fields in the past.  It counted for something now too, even after his treachery.

                “Get some rest, kid,” Geng nodded, pulling his sword across his lap as he settled in for the night.  “I’ll wake you when it’s your turn for watch.”

                “Mm,” Zelo nodded around another mouthful of food, chewing hastily as he considered letting his guard down fully around Geng.  While he was slightly uneasy, he needed sleep and the other mercenary was his only hope of a guard right now.  Plus, it didn’t make a great deal of sense to feed him if he was simply going to kill him during the night.  While it wasn’t quite enough to make him full, at least his stomach had stopped talking to him.

                Zelo curled on up on the ground in front of the fire with his sword resting in front of him, hands lightly holding to it as he drifted off to sleep.  As keyed up as he was, he might well wake up if Geng moved away from his spot anyway.  Besides that, whatever tomorrow was going to bring, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it tonight.

(a/n: Yay update!  Took me long enough.  Aish...  So not a great deal of progress but I wanted the banter between Zelo and Geng because if I'm correct, a fair bit is going to happen in the next update.  ;)  Thanks for being patient with me though and I hope you enjoyed the update.