Trees. Trees. And more trees. All Andrew could do to entertain himself was look around, but he could only see bark and leaves. Elias had eventually brightened up, the tiredness washing away and his sluggish steps turning into a confident stride, but that did nothing to keep Andrew entertained.

“Perhaps we should take a break soon?” Elias hadn’t let go of Andrew’s hand while they walked, keeping him close and helping him not trip over any roots or rocks. “We’ve been walking for a little over an hour now, so I think it’s a good stopping point.”

Andrew stopped abruptly and groaned. “Thank god, I’m totally fine with that. Also, how can you possibly know that we’ve been walking for that long? Are you hiding a watch on you, or something?”

Elias laughed, bringing Andrew over to a large stone and helping him sit on it. “No? I just keep track of where the sun has moved to. It’s a little hard to learn, but I’ve been doing it for years, so it comes more naturally to me now.”

“Right, of course, the sun.” Andrew took in a deep breath, his legs suddenly aching, as if resting reminded them of how much they had just moved. “If I do end up coming back with you, I think I’d like another soak in the hot springs. And if I make it home, I’m going to take the hottest bubble bath known to man. Or I’ll be brave enough to drive to a sauna.”

“A bubble bath or sauna,” Elias repeated with a laugh. “Sometimes the things you say are both confusing and entertaining.” The prince spread his wings, giving them a few flaps. “You seem very tired. I’m much more awake now, I wouldn’t mind flying us part of the way if you wouldn’t mind the heights.”

Andrew waved his hand at him while shaking his head. “Listen, I didn’t exactly work out back home, so a hike is going to take me a while to do. But you’re not getting me back in the air with whatever weird machine you’re trusting enough to keep us up there. I barely trust airplanes, and there’s no way your fantasy trinkets are more sturdy than one of those. I’d rather deal with my heavy breathing on the ground, thanks.”

Elias leaned against the tree closest to Andrew. “If you don’t want to fly, then we don’t have to. We’ll make it out to the other edge of the forest just fine by walking.”

“Good, ‘cause that’s what I plan on doing. Even if it is more physical than I’d like it to be.” Andrew wanted to sit in silence for a little while to catch his breath, and thankfully Elias seemed to want the same.

While taking his time to breathe, Andrew realized how fresh the air there was compared to back home. No matter where he walked home, he could smell a hint of the city or the fumes of a car. There, though, he hadn’t noticed any of that. No toxic clouds of exhaust, cigarette smoke, or industrial waste hung in the air.

Andrew took in a slow, deep breath to appreciate it. How far from civilization were they that he couldn’t smell any of that? Would a walk to the other side of the forest actually bring him close enough to a town or city to make it home?

“Wow! A dragon! And a… What are you?”

A high-pitched voice startled Andrew off the rock. He landed on his ass, which was, apparently, hilarious to the new person who decided to invade their peaceful break.

“Not very graceful, it seems. Huh, looks like a person, but…”

Andrew scoffed as he picked himself up, brushing off his pants and looking for the intrusive guest. “Excuse me, I’m right here! Don’t talk about me like I’m not. And I’ll have you know that-” He paused when his eyes landed on the source of the voice.

Most of the small creature was covered in a green light, but Andrew could make out the figure of a small person hidden in it. It wasn’t much bigger than a softball, but its voice projected as if it were full-sized.

“Andrew is a human,” Elias moved closer to the creature, holding his hand out for them to land on. “Andrew, this is a fairy. I imagine by the look on your face that they don’t exist where you’re from.”

The fairy dropped right onto the prince’s hand, sitting down and making themself comfortable. “A human? But…” They sniffed the air, waving their hand in front of their face. “Doesn’t smell human. Smells… Weird.”

“Again, I am right here.” Andrew tried to look closer at the so-called fairy, but he couldn’t make out many details through the light. “You should work in Hollywood, Elias. This stuff is seriously impressive. It’s hard to be annoyed at you hiding the truth when the effects are this good. I’m not one to usually care about this sort of stuff, but if more movies had practical effects like this, I’d be more likely to watch them.”

The fairy looked at Elias, who only shrugged. “I think it’s best that we begin walking again. After all, talking while doing tasks makes them easier to ignore, right?”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure, we can walk again.”

They set off once more, Elias still holding the ball of light in his hand. “So, what brings you over to us? It’s my understanding that you fairy folk often spend a lot of your days collecting things that are of interest to you. Were we interesting enough to you that our time together will be that for you?”

“Your understanding is correct, Mr. Dragon! You know, you look an awful lot like a dragon I once knew. He had horns that could take out a giant’s eyes, though!”

The two of them laughed as if they had something funny. Andrew didn’t get it, though, so he walked in silence slightly behind Elias, trying to tune the conversation out.

“Sounds impressive! My name is Elias, by the way. What might be yours?”

“Phen is the name! I should have guessed you were the prince. I mean, I kind of did, but hearing your name has confirmed it. Not many dragons named Elias running around. Not many dragons in general, actually!”

Elias nodded, lifting Phen a little closer to his face. “We are scarce these days. By the way, you haven’t felt any weird shifts in magic around here, have you? That’s why we’re out here in the first place. Andrew is trying to get home, and we need to find some sort of gateway to send him back.”

“Oh, shifts in magic happen all the time in here. I’ll look for something new just for you, though, your majesty.” Phen’s voice lowered in volume, and they stood up in Elias’ hand. They lifted their arms above their head and their light grew brighter for a moment, shining a little too brightly for Andrew’s eyes. A few moments passed, and the glow died down, allowing Andrew to look back over at them. “There’s a big shift in magic up ahead. It’s not what you’re looking for, but you need to see it. Good thing you came when you did! I think the magic wanted you here.”

“If it’s something you think I need to see, then I will go and see it. We thank you for checking, Phen. Please know that should you ever need a favor from me, I will happily grant it.” The fairy flew out of Elias’ hand, the prince waving goodbye to them. “It was a pleasure meeting you, and thank you again.”

“Ah, it’s nothing, your majesty! I’ll be seeing you again!” Phen flew above their heads, circling a few times. “Good luck to you, your majesty! And… To you, as well, whatever you are!”

Andrew threw his hands up at the fairy with a groan. “I’m literally just some normal guy!”

Phen laughed before disappearing into a cloud of glitter and light, leaving Andrew and Elias alone in the woods once more.

“That was annoying,” Andrew grumbled. Walking hadn’t been on his mind as heavily, at least, but that didn’t stop him from pouting about how rude the fairy thing had been. “At least they didn’t stick around long. I guess keeping up an effect like that for too long would be kind of hard, huh?”

Elias shook his head. “I’m still not sure what you mean by that, but seeing a fairy is usually a good thing, Andrew. I know they don’t have the best social graces, but I like to hope that whatever they saw ahead of us will be a good thing.” He placed his hand on Andrew’s shoulder, rubbing it lightly while they continued forward. “Whatever we find, I promise I won’t let anyone be rude to you again, okay?”

Andrew huffed, leaning closer to Elias. If they ran into another magical creature, Elias was going to have to protect them from him, at that point. “Sure, whatever. Let’s just get there quickly so I don’t have to walk anymore.”