As I sat on the back of  the Pegasus. Staring down at the water below, I realized that we were not headed back the way Hook had taken me.

I frowned worriedly.
"Arden?" I asked.
"Yes Belle?" he replied.
"We're headed the wrong way..."

"Not really ... think of it more as the scenic route."
"...Arden. "
"What?"He snapped.
"Where are you taking me?"
"I'm taking you... home."
"Home?" I asked hopefully, a smile spreading across my face.
"Yes, home ...to Everard's castle." he replied nonchalantly.
"Oh," the disappointment in my voice was palpable.

"Do you not think of it as your home?" He asked softly.

I sighed "Not really..."

He was silent, his shoulders tensing.

"Well can you blame me?!" I exclaimed.

He sighed. "I guess not."

"I mean, seriously though this is all new to me! I mean every little girl dreams about marrying a prince. But usually it's not a choice for us." I chuckled. 

Why not? We're you born in a common family?

I looked at him quizzically. When was the last time you were on earth?

"Oh I don't know somewhere around .... 1200 AD?"

Laughter bubbled out of my mouth.

"What's so funny?!" He asked, shifting to look over his shoulder at me.
"A lot has changed since then." I smiled bemusedly.
"How so?" he all but pouted.

"Well for one thing the monarchy is more of a figurehead than in any position of power." I explained with a laugh.

We visited till just before sunset, when an island came into view.

Arden brought Pegasus down to the island's sandy shore.

"Why are we stopping?" I asked.

"It would be rather cruel to force our noble steed to fly all the way back to the blue kingdom without a break."

I suppose it would be." I replied "And it's probably best not to fly in the dark."

"Precisely." He smiled cheerfully. "...So! Let's set up camp."

He tied Pegasus to a tree and started to gather wood to make a fire.

I brushed down Pegasus and frowned, "You mentioned the blue Kingdom? I assume that's Everard's domain?"

He looked up from his pile of wood. "Ah right, you haven't been here long, Let me give you a crash course in our history...

... There are seven kingdoms. Each with a color corresponding to it's magic.

The Red Kingdom - Lupine : The Kingdom is Located in the Blood red mountains.

The Orange Kingdom - Svartalfheim : The Dwarven Kingdom deep in the caverns of Nodnot

The Yellow Kingdom - Solaris : The Kingdom of the sun.

The Green Kingdom - Neverland : The Kingdom of The Faeries, Peter Pan and his family

The Blue Kingdom - Wonderland : Everard's Kingdom

The Indigo Kingdom - Atlantis: The Kingdom of  the Deep

The Violet Kingdom - Delphinium : The Purple Fields. "

"Wow Nodnot is much larger than I expected." I remarked, as he went back to setting the fire.

"We are a proud land." He replied with a smile, blue fire shooting out of his hand.

The sun had set and the waves lapped gently at the shore. I fought back a yawn, and put Pegasus' brush back into her saddlebag.

"I'm boring you." Arden Remarked.

"I'm sorry I'm just tired." I sighed.

He nodded and spread out the bedrolls.

"And probably hungry too?" he asked.

"Strangely no." I replied.

"It must have something to do with the magic rings for I feel the same way." Arden puzzled.

"Everard didn't tell you about the ring?" I asked.

"He doesn't know much about them himself. It was a gift from his Father." He replied.

"I see." I replied sitting down near the fire.

"You should rest. I'll use some magic to keep watch over us tonight, we should be well rested by the time we resume our journey tomorrow."

"You're right."

I lay down and gave in to the sweet embrace of slumber.

I must have slept for a good while, but something woke me.

Quiet voices. And an odd feeling, a feeling like I should run.

I opened my eyes frozen in place, and looked around.

Arden was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear his hushed voice.

"We're almost there. If all goes well We should arrive in two days time." he sighed wearily.

There was a pause as he listened to what the other person was saying.

I listened hard but could not hear the other voice.

If I wanted to hear... I'd need to get closer.

"Hook? I wouldn't worry about him. We should be far out of his way enough." he replied gruffly.

There was another pause as the person spoke to him.

I sat up slowly and breathed quietly, the soft sand muffled the sounds of my movement.

"I suppose... and he is rather loyal..." Arden grumbled,  "Perhaps we should travel the rest of the journey on foot. So as not to attract his attention."

I stood to my feet and crept silently over to the sound of Arden's voice.

And I could finally see him. He was crouched over something that shimmered in his hands.

"The only problem is Belle. She's is so smart... I get the feeling she'll get suspicious... In fact she may already be suspicious."

He stood to his feet and started to walk away from me.

I hid behind a tree.

"No! I can't just knock her out... She's a fighter. Plus she is wearing the ring..."

He stopped walking, about to turn around, and I knew this might be my only chance to head back to the camp without being detected. 

I slunk through the shadows towards the welcoming light of the fire.

And as I did My boot stepped on a twig.

The following snap alerted Arden.

"Damn, I have to go."

Quick as a flash I dropped to the ground and into the same position I had slept in. Pulling the twig closer to me, so It appeared I had rolled onto it in my sleep. I shut my eyes and hoped for the best.

I  could hear Arden's erratic breathing. And the sound of the sand moving gently under his weight.

A shadow passed between me and the fire.

I fought to keep my breathing even.

"Belle?" he whispered.

I didn't respond.

He was silent for a moment, before letting out a relieved sigh.

"I'm getting careless..." He remarked.

Then, I felt his hand in my hair as if he was picking something out of it.

He did this a few more times before leaving my side and standing again.

The light of the fire warmed my face again.

"Rest well Princess..." He murmured.