The journey to the cave where the map directed them towards was an uneventful one. After what they had faced in the past two days, they were grateful for the silence and lack of action. The princess walked beside Tum, still thinking about the plans of the soldiers to get the boys immediately they got their hands on the sword.

She wanted to pull back on the plan, but she could not let herself. There were many things on her mind. If she told the group about the plan, they would see her as a betrayer. They would not wait to hear her own side of the story. She had been with them for some time and knew for a fact that the two hated her.

She was still angry with Tum, but she did not know if he was feigning his care like Alphonso said he was or if it was real. But the boy knight had jumped in front of the trolls for her. He had woken her up from the torture of a nightmare that she was having. It was as if he knew exactly what to do.

"Have you been here before?" she asked him as they walked along the trail. The mountain they were going towards was looming ahead of them. The mountains were on both sides of the trail with the vegetation providing cover for whoever could choose to spy on them from the top. Tum constantly turned towards their sides, scanning it carefully as if he was afraid of something coming towards them from there.

"No," Tum replied, turning to look into the princess' eyes.

The princess looked away, unable to keep his gaze. They both walked along in silences with Bonnie and Buckle bringing up the rear.

"The marks on my backside. What do you think they are?" she asked.

"The mark of the forest," Buckle answered from behind them. "The forest sends foes after you, and when it cannot get you, it marks you for the last guardian to notice your advance. I have been trying to tell you about it. If you follow us to the cave, we would be seen by the guardian of the crystal sword before we even make it close to the cave."

"And how did you know all these?"

"In the streets," Buckle said before he realized they had to still pretend.

"We walk the streets sometimes," Tum added hastily, although he did not realize the need to. He had already told her that he walked the street disguised as a commoner.

"How long did you stay in Mora that you already know all of these?" the princess asked. Alphonso was right, she realized. Greg was no nobleman. His servant, Buckle, was his friend. The way he barged into their conversations was all that she needed to see.

"She has to stay back," Buckle said, pulling at Tum's hand.

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"No," Tum said. He did not even need to think.

"I will stay back," Meredith said.

The trio was surprised. Buckle was more relieved than surprised.

"Why?" Tum asked. He was pleading with his eyes.

"It is okay," Meredith said. She had to stay back and away from them for the army to take them out. She was further enraged that Greg had continued lying to her. Is his name really Greg? She wondered. "I will be fine."

"Come on," Buckle said, walking past the two. Bonnie followed. She had been unusually silent since she woke up from her own nightmare.

Tum finally left the princess and went after his companions. He kept looking back till he could no longer see the princess who was resting under a tree.

Up the hill they went, coming closer to the cave till Buckle pulled them to a stop. He dragged them behind a boulder that was somewhere up the hill.

"Look," he said, pointing.

"What?" Tum asked. He could see nothing except the open mouth of the cave that they were headed to. He took out the map from his bag and watched it. The cave was their destination. The sword was in there somewhere. They had to sneak in, take it and leave.

"Why are we stopping?" Bonnie asked. "Why are we hiding?"

"Can't you two see it?" Buckle asked.

He could see it clearly. A sleeping giant troll by the mouth of the cave. It seemed to have some sort of camouflage powers, but Buckle could see the shape. He could see the stomach pulling up and down. The giant could measure as least ten feet standing from the way it curled its body around the cave entrance.

It could be longer, Buckle was not sure, but he did not want to check it out. A stomp to the head by the giant and his life would be a thing of the past. There were no horns on this one's head, and it almost looked like a human apart from the third leg that stuck out from in between two legs. That was the only hideous thing in the body of the giant, and of course, his size. The giant had its back turned to them.

"Let us get the sword and get out of here," Tum said. He was about jumping over the boulder to hurry towards the mouth of the cave when Bonnie pulled him back.

"There is something there," Bonnie said.

"What?"

"I cannot see it, but I can feel it," Bonnie said. "It is resting, a lot of rages. If its sleep is disturbed, we would not make it out of here alive."

"I don't…" Tum paused. He could hear something now. The sound suddenly invaded his hearing, the loud snoring of a giant being. He could feel the ground vibrating under his legs. There was something there alright, but the more he stared at the place, the less he could make out anything. "I hear snoring," he said.

Buckle realized that he could not hear anything, neither could he hear anything.

"See no evil; hear no evil…" His voice trailed off. He was not sure he got it correctly. Everything was in the opposite. One could see. The other could hear, and the other could feel. Was it not supposed to be 'speak no evil' and not 'feel no evil'? Something was missing, and it scared him. It felt like they were in a puzzle. God, he hated puzzles.

"Ah!" Bonnie screamed.

"Speak no evil!"

"Down!" Tum screamed. He heard the giant moving. Buckle saw the giant moving. Bonnie felt pain somewhere in her mind. Her eyes were short and Buckle's hands were covering her mouth, trying to stop her from screaming and exposing all of them. The giant roared. The sound was loud on Tum's hearing.

He covered both ears with his hands. Bonnie struggled against the pain that she felt while Buckle tried to silence her. Speak no evil. He understood it now. If Bonnie spoke what she felt, the troll would easily find them hiding at the back of the boulder, and Buckle was sure none of them could outrun the troll. This was it, the graveyard of many thieves and brave men.