Unfortunately for creation, the Gods' chosen servants had a lousy sense of direction, so the rest of the day was spent trying to figure out exactly where they were.

"Templeton really should have been more exact," Marina muttered, when it was discovered that they way she insisted they should head was actually taking them to the distant land of Sumda, where they most likely would have been captured and turned into slave labor, or sacrificed to some pathetic demon.

The prince, who had been in the area before, actually proved to be useful, much to everyone's shock.

"Listen, we can just head down this road for a bit, then we can cut through Nightwood for a day or so to an old thieves trail that will lead us directly home."

"Nightwood?" Vanora sputtered. "Thieves Trail?" She unsheathed her sword. "Listen you highness, I know we promised your father to bring you back alive, but if you really want to die that much...."

Nightwood, your standard haunted dark enchanted forest, was avoided by all but the highest ranking heroes in the land. It is important to note that high ranking heroes had an unusually high mortality rate. Thieves Trails where also to be avoided by anyone without the proper credentials. No one was quite sure how the Thieves Guild found out when unauthorized beings wandered along their path, or what happened to the poor souls, but everyone was sure this was because anyone who could tell you was either a Thief or dead.

Chandi looked the prince up and down. "You've been through Nightwood?"

"Why, yes."

"And survived? Unscathed?" she pressed on.

"I think the answer is rather obvious," the prince pouted.

"What about the Thieves road?"

"Well...I just know where it is. I could get you to the main road too, but I don't think we want to take that if we are traveling undercover. Besides, I just have a bad feeling about the main road."

"You have a bad feeling about the well patrolled, safe main road, but something about the dark, dangerous, deadly Thieves Trail fills you with a feeling of security?" Vanora's voice rose several octaves.

"Come one, Vanora, you know those thieves, they're nothing but warm fuzzies and marshmallows all around."

"Oh yeah," Vanora sneered, "I bet they bring everyone who trespasses hot chocolate...right before they knife them..."

"If he can get us to the Thieves Trail,"Marina reluctantly cut through the banter, "I can get us to the capital safely from their."

Everybody stared at Marina. Kita opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. "Just out of curiosity? How? Don't get me wrong Marina, I'm as game as the next person for a suicide mission, but...."

"Well, I'm not," Marina replied. "I personally like breathing, and pestering people to much to give that up for some silly mission. I can get us to the capital, alive, whole, and probably well fed if things haven't changed to much."

"Wait, hold on," Chandi waved her hands in frustration. "Changed? What does that mean? Can someone tell me what that idiot girl is babbling about."

Marina looked blankly at Chandi, who then shook her head. "Oh god, she has that look."

"Damn," Kita sighed. "That means we're not going to hear about it. I bet it's a really cool story too. Lots of blood and adventure."

Marina looked at Kita, and then cracked a smile. "It was fun, but I'll have to tell it another time. We should get going." Marina then unsheathed her sword. "C'mon fair prince, lead on!" she exclaimed, and smacked his arse with the flat of her blade.

It was a gloriously sunny day, at least, that's what the prince kept on babbling about. As they drew closer and closer to the woods, he kept on talking more and more.

"Isn't it beautiful?" He sighed. "And look at those rolling hills, they're so calming. And the gentle breeze, it could lull me to sleep...."

"God," Marina moaned from a distance behind, "Please, tell me he's not going to burst into song."

"If he does," Vanora growled under her breath as she strode alongside Marina, "I'll turn him into a cushion, see how pretty the day seems after that."

"...This is the kind of day bards sing about..." the Prince continued.

"Not for very long..."Marina warned through gritted teeth, stalking closer to the Prince, hand oh her sword.

"Actually, Your Highness," Chandi intercepted Marina and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Bard's tend to sing about love, or high adventure, or both. Anyways, lots of blood is usually involved."

"Do you think they'll ever write an Ballad about us?" Kita asked excitedly.

"Of course they will," the Prince said. "The fate of the world rests in our capable hands."

Vanora snorted. "Capable? I'd like it if you told that to our captain...."

"Besides," the Prince went on, "There's already a ballad about you guys...."

Kita frowned. "It's more of a drinking song actually."

"Hey nonnynonny / Death and Pain they wrought-- "Vanora and Marina belted out.

Prince's eyes widened at their off key voices, "Wow, and you don't even have the excuse of being drunk. Anyways, look at it this way. When people are so drunk they don't remember that their Auntie just died, they still remember you!"

Marina started to laugh, but Chandi stomped on her foot.

Kita's brow remained furrowed as she thought about this. "That doesn't exactly smack of adventure, and definitely not romance..." she trailed off.

"True, but it's a place to start, besides, just look around! We're on an adventure!" the Prince gestured expansively.

"Like Chandi said, it's a beautiful day and--Hey, that cloud looks like my cat!" Kita cried excitedly.

"And look, that one resembles the royal outhouse," The prince remarked looking up.

Marina frowned and snorted. "So the bards are going to be singing about fluffy clouds that look like cat's and outhouses? Not bloody likely. Unless they clouds suddenly come to life and rip you to shreds...."

"What?" the Prince looked down from the sky, startled from his reverie. "Oh no, I meant Nightwood forest, we're here."

They all stopped and stared, as if waiting for the forest to pounce.

The forest didn't so much look ominous. In fact, it looked like a charming mystical place that princesses and unicorns happily pranced around in. But as one approached the woods, a feeling of uneasiness continued to drag one's stomach lower and lower.

"Great, looks like fun," Kita said, trying to relieve the tension.

"Hmm, yes tons of fun. Perhaps we should throw a party..."Vanora half heartedly snapped back.

They were all silent for another moment, trying to adjust to the presence of the forest.

"Still want to have the bard's sing about us?" Chandi asked Kita in an almost whisper.

"Umm, at least then it implies some of us survived to tell the tale?" Kita again joked weakly.

"Well, cheer up girls," Marina said, ignoring the Princes indignant protestations. "Look on the bright side."

They all looked at her expectantly.

She looked back.

"Umm, bright side, Marina? Please elaborate," Vanora asked.

"Oh, that's all I had," she replied calmly, hooking her hands on her belt.

"So, you had nothing..." Chandi said, gesturing with her hands as Vanora and Kita stared intently at Marina.

"Well, it is a good piece of advice," Marina defended herself, looking almost hurt when Vanora snorted.

"No it's not, it's something you say when you...when you have nothing," Chandi glowered, folding her arms.

" Obviously, 'It's something,' so I did not, in fact, have nothing...."

"How long can they keep that up?" The Prince asked Kita who had begun rocking back and forth on her heels impatiently.

"For days," she rolled her eyes. "Once, when we were in a dungeon in Palugia, they bickered so much the jailor let us go so he wouldn't have to listen to them any more.

"They don't have particularly good jailors in Palugia," Marina said, examining her nails. "No work ethic at all."

"Well, the pay is horrible, from what I understand," Vanora replied, as Kita looked at the Prince and mouthed "I told you so."

"Everyone is paid horribly in Palugia, that is no excuse for a bad work ethic. Besides," Chandi looked pointedly at Kita, "he didn't release us because we were annoying him. He had a crush on Kita, who was chatting him up as we were engaging in a very friendly philosophical debate."

"Hey, I was not chatting him up!" Kita protested. "I was trying to ignore your "friendly philosophical debate" about who was more responsible for landing us in that smelly place."

"Flirt," Chandi blandly countered.

"As much as I am amused," Marina stepped into the conversation before Kita could, "We had better get a moving."

They all turned and looked expectantly at the Prince.

"Well," he sighed, striding into the forest, "here it goes."

The air in the forest vibrated with energy. The very trees seemed to rise up from the forest floor and then come crashing down upon the floor, so even though the canopy was high above any traveler, everyone instinctively wanted to hunch over.

"This is pleasant enough," Kita observed, shaking off the feeling that she was ant just waiting to be stepped on.

"Well, it's really not quite as bad as everyone makes it out to be," the Prince said looking back at her over his shoulder.

"Not quite as bad..." Chandi scrunched up her face. "That's still not very good."

"No, not really," the Prince replied calmly.

"I wish he didn't look so calm," Vanora scowled. "It's creeping me out."

"Look on the bright side," Marina mischievously smiled as she clapped her friend on the back, "At least one of us will die with a smile on his face."

Vanora shot a look of death at Marina, "That will give me such comfort when the my life is draining away from me."

"It should, you wouldn't want to be completely surrounded by miserable people as you breathe your last," Chandi put in, munching on an apple.

"Hey," Marina eyed the piece of fruit like she was going to pounce on it.

"Calm down," Chandi rolled her eyes. "Plenty more where that came from. I grabbed put some food into my pack from the cottage. Amazingly I fit more than I expected," Chandi tossed an apple at Marina, who deftly caught it. "You know, for someone who eats so much, you'd think you'd be more attentive to provisions."

Marina simply stuck her tongue out at Chandi before she bit into her apple. Vanora grinned, and opened her hand for one; Chandi smiled evilly before taking another bite out of her apple.

"Hey! You little-" Vanora cried jumping on Chandi, wrestling an apple from her pouch.

"You know," The Prince looked at them. "Just a moment ago you were complaining about how I was going to get us all killed, and now you're bickering about food?" He shook his head.

"We never said that you would get us killed," Marina pointed out, happily munching on her apple. "We were talking about how we were all going to die."

"Didn't I tell you I've survived? Besides, we won't run into any problems until tomorrow. The outer edges of the forest are just creepy. Nobody even got injured until we got deeper in the forest," He looked around. They'd come to a small brook. "We should make camp here tonight, and then make our way through to the thieves pass tomorrow."

"Ishuries!" Vanora sputtered. "OO ever iad a ing ou ishuries!"

Unfazed by the flying apple, the Prince evenly responded, "You only asked if I made it out alright. If you were so concerned about cutting thought the forest, why didn't you ask for more information?"

Vanora's mouth open and closed a few time before it just hung open. Chandi stepped up next to her friend and shut it for her while Marina quietly chucked her apple into the woods and relieved Vanora of her half eaten apple and promptly began eating it.

"Your Highness, we're members of the Guard, obviously we don't ask a whole lot of questions before signing up for anything," Kita grinned.

"Anyways, just don't listen to Vanora," Marina said tossing her apple away, "She may pretend otherwise, but she likes a suicide mission as much as the rest of us."

"How many suicide missions have we been on?" Chandi faced screwed up in a quizzical expression.

"Too many," Vanora grumbled.

"No, seriously," Chandi looked thoughtful. "There was the invading barbarian horde...."

"Oh, don't forget the Ashnan monster plaguing the eastern Provinces," Kita piped up excitedly. "That one was fun!"

"My favorite was the big misunderstanding with the Naboosan Ambassador's son and that warlock," Marina grinned broadly, "They were both so cute...."

Chandi's eyes lit up "I know! And they both were so polite. We didn't even have to bring the warlock in...."

"Are you still getting letters from the Ambassador's son by the way?" Marina asked.

"Yes. He's actually been made ambassador to Sumda now," Chandi beamed.

"I swear, someone in charge wants us dead," Vanora moaned.

"Probably," Marina agreed, "We do tend to step on a lot of toes."

"Umm, ladies," The prince cut in. "This is all very interesting, and while I would love to hear more, I think we need to set up camp now...."

He blinked as they suddenly leaped into action. Chandi went off, getting firewood as Marina and Vanora set up the tents. Kita started to get the food ready. Within minutes the campsite was set up.

Vanora, Marina, and Chandi all sat down and stared at him intently, as Kita continued to prepare dinner.

"Sit down," Vanora easily commanded the Prince, "And tell us who we get to play with tomorrow."