Valleus had left his horse on the main path to continue tracking the prince’s captors. The horse was well-acquainted with this area, and was trained to return to the castle if its rider didn’t return within a few hours. 

The prince’s captors seemed to be in a hurry- they hadn’t covered their tracks at all. They must not have realized someone would be following them so closely. 

Valleus followed them to a cave system built along the side of a cliff. He’d seen the caves sometimes used by animals as dens, but because of the location and being so close to the Northern Castle, he’d never seen any use of it by bandits or their ilk. 

In the first cave were many fighters- Valleus figured they must’ve been the ones who attacked the royal caravan. As angry as he was, he didn’t want to waltz in without a plan. He was just one man, and his priority was recovering Prince Aushen. 

As he watched the group, he noticed some clothe themselves in almost ceremonious garb. Again, he felt his intuition tighten his chest. The ceremoniously dressed people filed out of the main cave and down a thin path along the cliff, to a smaller cave further back. Using the brush to his advantage, Valleus crept to the path, waited to make sure no one was watching, and followed them. 

He peeked into the cave and held back a gasp. Prince Aushen was there, tied up and stripped down, in front of about a dozen and a half men. 

Valleus willed down his instinct to dash in and save the prince. He needed to wait til the right moment. After all, the man in front of the prince had a large knife- the last thing Valleus wanted was for the prince to be harmed because of his poor decision-making. 

He saw the man unbind the prince’s mouth, and smiled in spite of the situation given the prince’s strong response. However, his proud moment was short-lived. Valleus watched in horror as the man cut the prince’s hand. He couldn’t wait any longer. 

“Prince Aushen!” Valleus shouted, drawing his sword. He threw four of the robed men to the side as he leapt toward the prince. The center piece in the pond snapped under his weight as he jumped forward. 

The man with the knife screeched in displeasure. “How dare you?! Do you know what you’ve done?!” He swung around wildly, blade poised to strike the prince, who was unconscious but hung in place by his right hand. Without second thought, Valleus reached out and caught the knife, cutting his own left hand in the process. 

He flinched slightly, but shoved the man away, pushing him backwards into the pond. Some of the robed men attempted to attack him, but without armor or proper weapons, these untrained men could do no damage to Valleus. He flung them aside as he cut the tie holding the prince in place. He supported his limp body with his right side and stumbled to leave the cave, tripping in the process. His left hand came down hard into the pond, and right onto the red crystal, shattering it. 

There was a small explosion, and all the flames in the little cave went out. In the confusion, and despite increasing dizziness, Valleus crept out of the cave, prince in tow. He could hear the men screeching in panic behind him. He assumed whatever ritual they’d been attempting had been ruined. 

Valleus struggled to gain his bearings as he precariously balanced himself and the limp prince along the cliff’s edge. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness struck the knight. His last conscious thought was to grab the prince and cradle him against his chest to protect him from the impact. 

-

Aushen awoke from a deep sleep. He found himself wondering if being tied up in a mysterious cave was all a dream, but as he roused, he found himself in an equally strange situation. 

The cave he was in now was much smaller- long enough that he could lay out flat with some room on either end, but not wide enough to do the same, and tall enough only to sit up, or crouch on hands and feet. There was a small, contained fire tucked off to the side near the mouth of the cave, and straw nestled around the walls. Next to the fire was some roasted meat. Behind him, wrapped in mountain goat hide, lay Valleus, a knight and old friend. 

Why Valleus was here was a mystery to Aushen, as was the question of where exactly they were. However, the true enigma was Valleus’ appearance- it honestly made Aushen wonder if he was still dreaming.

The man was certainly still recognizable- however, as he was topless, the confusing features were unmistakable. 

Valleus currently had two large, black, scaly wings protruding from his back. The same scales coated his left hand, and long, hooked claws hung off the fingers on his left hand. Patches of scales were scattered here and there along his chest and back. Lastly, though his mouth was closed as he slept, fangs peeked out from beneath his top lip. 

Aushen had so many questions he didn’t quite know where to start, but his stomach rumbled loudly, waking his companion. 

Valleus’ eyes snapped open, and he sat up quickly, staring at Aushen. This was definitely Valleus, but his eyes were completely different. They looked intensely reptilian, and the thin pupils watched Aushen without feeling. 

“Um… Valleus?” Aushen found himself scooting backwards, hitting the wall of the cave. He had no idea what had happened to his old friend, but something seemed very wrong.