"I hope you're all prepared," Lucas began. "The cave is home to many beasts such as-"

"Bats, snakes, and slimes. I'm aware," Gwyneth finished his sentence. The group had awoken early that morning, not wanting to waste any more time than necessary. The cave was so close to the village that Gwyneth was surprised creatures from within hadn't lurked out into it. They had traveled along a narrow path between trees and bushes (that Isla's cloak kept snagging on), the ground beneath them a vibrant green grass. Clearly, nobody in the village traveled to this cave often. Though, why would they?

"You've done your research." Lucas shook his head, a slight smile spreading across his lips.

"Indeed, I have. I have always had the desire to travel since I was a child. Sadly, being a princess doesn't allow for much travel, at least at a young age. If I couldn't visit these places myself, I would explore this world through words and illustrations. As such, I'm quite familiar with most of my kingdom, as well as the kingdoms of Cathrul and Aquariot. However, there is only so much that can be learned through books alone. I believe any additional knowledge you may provide would prove invaluable."

Lucas cleared his throat uncomfortably, feeling slightly inferior to the princess before him. "Yes, well... I'm sure your books didn't tell you about the gold hidden within the cave. Or at least there used to be. A villager, several hundred years ago, stumbled upon this cave and after defeating a fearsome beast guarding the end, discovered riches beyond compare. It was used to fund the capital and this village. Afterwards, all that remained was an empty cave, which is why it was chosen as the resting place for the sword."

Gwyneth giggled into her sleeve, hoping to muffle the sound so as to not offend the boy. "Badulf and the Riches of the Cave. One of my favorite bedtime stories as a child. Everyone knows the capital was around long before the story took place; yet while it may not be true, it was still quite fun to imagine. Thank you for reminding me."

Lucas silently cursed himself. Of course, she had heard that story before. He had thought that royalty didn't have time for something as frivolous as fairytales, and quickly realized how stupid he was to think such a thing.

"One of my favorite childhood bedtime stories was The Maiden and the Mount." Isla raised her finger as if to make a point.

All walking ceased.

"Y-You read that as a child?" Lucas' mouth twitched.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Isla tilted her head to the side, completely oblivious to the reason her friends' expressions were a mix of shock and disgust.

Lucas sighed, his pitch raising slightly as he spoke, "they do say Fae are more mature than humans."

Then it hit her. The blush on her face more prominent than a sunburn on a Cathruli highlander.

"Let's just continue, shall we?" Elric placed a hand on Lucas' back, urging him forward. Gwyneth glanced back at her purple-haired friend, noticing she wore her hood once again.

"C-Can you please not stare?" Isla's blush intensified if that was even possible.

It was then that Gwyneth felt guilty, realizing Isla must have thought she was making fun of her. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I was curious as to why you're suddenly wearing your hood now that we're out of the capital."

"O-Oh, that..." Her voice was soft and weak, raising in pitch ever so slightly as she turned away. "Mathilda suggested I wear it while in the village. Seeing a half-Fae when this close to the forest might alarm the others."

"I see," Gwyneth answered. It was a shame that others were so quick to judge. Then again, hadn't she been judgmental this whole time? Why was it that Isla was different to her? Was it because she was half-human? Because she had known her since she was a child? Why hadn't she been repulsed by the sight of her when they first met? She was certain she had felt contempt when they had first met. When had that feeling drifted away? Was it because she was so small and helpless that she couldn't help but pity her? Gwyneth shook her head.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

She really was no better than everyone else.

The narrow path ended as grass turned to stone and the cave was in sight. Nothing could be seen around the cave as trees and cliffs blocked the view.

"Once again, I will ask. Are you ready?" Lucas asked, eyeing the group before him.

Aston didn't bother to reply as he pushed past the curly-haired boy, causing him to gawk and sputter. Gwyneth mouthed a quick apology on his behalf.

Inside the cave, Aston summoned a ball of fire illuminating the path around them. There was nothing remarkable about the cave itself, just boring beige rock all around. Aston had hoped that maybe jewels or other valuable stones would line the walls, but that was not the case.

"Perhaps it would be best if we each had our own torch in case we get separated?" Elric suggested. In truth, he didn't trust Aston to not rush ahead on his own, completely leaving the others to stumble along in the dark.

"You don't trust me?" Aston smirked.

"Why should I?"

Aston loved the idea of making Elric entirely dependent on him. He acts all high and mighty like he knows everything. This will teach him he's not as powerful as he thinks. Before Aston could answer, he felt something run across the tops of his shoes. Dancing in place, the fire in his hand jiggled, causing light to bounce from place to place before a soft thud could be heard. Elric had stabbed the culprit — a snake — into the ground with his sword. "That could have been my foot." Aston narrowed his eyes.

"Then you best keep the light steady, ay?" Elric pushed ahead before the boy could answer.

Gwyneth felt beyond useless in this scenario. She couldn't fight, and she couldn't supply light. Even her books weren't much help when it came to navigating the cave itself. The only thing she could do was walk silently behind the group as they fought the occasional snake or slime and try not to scream the one time a bat got caught in her hair. She really needed to tie that up.

Elric and Lucas were quick to dispatch any creatures that came near them, so Aston basically had the role of illuminating the cave. Eventually, he became bored and allowed the light to hover in the air as they walked, freeing up his hands. Unfortunately, he quickly realized it wasn't possible to cast two spells at once, leading to loud complaints from the others when the light inevitably went out. Maybe this sword truly would turn out to be a good thing.

The deeper they traveled, the colder it became. Gwyneth started to shiver, wishing she had brought her own cloak. She should have known from her books that it would be cold. Isla, noticing her friend's discomfort quickly unfastened her own cloak, placing it over her friend.

"Are you sure?" Gwyneth asked, her eyes soft and concerned, more so of the fact that her friend would change her mind and snatch the warmth away from her.

Isla nodded. "The cold doesn't bother me much." Heat, on the other hand...

Their conversation was quickly interrupted by the feeling of their legs being squeezed together. They quickly cast their gaze to the ground, noticing at least a dozen snakes milling about their feet. Two, in particular, had started to squeeze them. Gwyneth's gaze shot back to the three before them, who were already battling another twenty or so snakes. She glanced back at Isla who had begun picking off the snakes with her arrows, slowly but surely.

"Isla! Give me one of your arrows!" she demanded.

Isla looked at her quizzically but nevertheless obeyed.

Gwyneth took the arrow, repeatedly jamming it into the snake squeezing her legs together. She imagined Isla had neglected that snake in fear of accidentally missing. However, without the force of the bow, the arrow was doing little damage and could barely penetrate the scales of the reptile. Instead, she decided to opt for her hands, hoping to pull the wretched creature away herself. It was of little use, considering the snake had a death grip on her. She was about to call for Isla's assistance when a blade sliced the creature open, its red blood splattering her attire. She was about to thank her rescuer when she realized who it was.

"You're welcome." Lucas shrugged.

"T-Thank you,' Gwyneth managed. In all honesty, she had expected Elric.

Half the snakes had been slaughtered when the other half suddenly fled. Isla's slightly pointed ears twitched, as realization hit her. "Something is coming." Her voice was soft, barely audible.

"What is?" Elric turned to her, his eyebrows furrowed in concern, voice deep and stern.

Isla shook her head. "Whatever it is, it's big!"

"No... It's not coming... It's already here." Aston gulped, causing the others to turn in his direction. The sides of the cave began to break off in big chunks before quickly molding together as if each piece contained some sort of magnet causing the pieces to fly to each other in a quick motion. The final product was a golem, at least four times the size of a human.

Then Gwyneth realized something. If the sword was hidden in the cave, there would be something protecting it, would there not?

"Prepare yourselves!" Elric called out.