The morning dawned bright and fresh. Alex stretched and yawned as usual, surprised to find the blanket thrown over them. Vincent must have covered them before going to sleep as well. The little bird stayed on his shoulder that morning as he washed his face in the cold water of the river and filled their canisters with the fresh liquid.

Vincent blinked at the bright light and wondered that they had actually slept through the sunrise. He regarded the blankets thoughtfully before folding them up and storing them away, tied to their packs. Perhaps Alex had been up later than he was that night, and covered them both before sleeping. He shrugged and grabbed some sweet herbs to munch on.

They fed Oliver and made their way along the small brooks edge towards the gate. The underbrush was denser here along the brook, forcing them away from the running water for most of the journey. They watched the shadows in the trees cautiously. Oliver seemed unconcerned as he picked his way along the damp earth, so they trusted his senses.

The woods were silent as ever, like another realm filled with shadows and secrets. They felt something watching them as they grew closer and closer to their goal. The scurried feet in the underbrush now had small ears and eyes poked out of the bushes. Alex smiled as he spied a small brown rabbit following them with a wiggling nose.

Neither of them spoke, afraid to break the enchanted spell that had fallen over this part of the forest. As they approached the pond in the distance, Vincent spied a great big stag drinking at the edge. He lifted his great antlers high and regarded them dispassionately. Vincent was in awe. He counted the points on the massive crown, and there were no less than twenty per side.

They kept walking slowly towards the pond as the massive creature watched them. Alex held his breath, eyes wide as the beast blinked back at them. It ignored them both, sniffing along the grasses by the water and munching without a care. They moved into the clearing and the little bird flitted from Alex's shoulder to perch on the antlers of the Great Stag.

The stag snorted, closing its eyes as the little bird chirped and hopped about. With a sigh of sorts, it turned and made its way back into the shadows of the forest, looking once over its shoulders at them. The little bird came back to perch on Alex's head, tugged at a curl and flitted back in the direction of the stag.

The two boys looked at one another. Were they supposed to follow it? The little bird came back to the edge of the pond and chittered at them loudly. Alex giggled and motioned with his hand at it. The bird hopped from branch to branch along the path the Great Stag had taken. Vincent could barely hear the plodding footsteps of the beast as it went.

He hesitated when he saw the clearing up ahead. Just through the broken underbrush was a tangle of vines and trees. It was as tall as two men and wide as three horses. There were white flowers growing amongst the ivy that curled about the strangely entwined branches. The stag sniffed at the edge of the gateway and looked at them with knowing eyes.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think that Great Stag was a Fae." Vincent said in a whispered tone. Alex smiled up at him.

"Perhaps it is just one of their friends. We should be lucky we made friends with another of them, else they might not have led us here." He whispered back. Vincent tilted his head in question and scrunched his brows.

"Hmm? Which friend?" He asked. Alex nodded to the little bird who had gone back to nest in the Great Stag's antlers once again.

"The little bird. Has he not been our guardian since the waterfall?" The little prince grinned up at his love with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Vincent rolled his eyes.

"Perhaps yours, but he has not ceased to scold me if I try to kiss you." He grumbled under his breath. Alex giggled at him and pulled him up to the gate in the quickly dimming light of the sunset. The animals in the underbrush gathered around them as they circled the twisted branches.

"The gate doesn't seem to be open." Alex said as he hesitantly reached out to touch the ivy.

"The old Fae woman said that only the half light can open the door. We must wait a few more minutes." Vincent whispered. They stood back and watched as the sun dipped below the horizon and the last rays of the sun slipped below the skyline. The moon glowed above them brightly even as the red sky blazed in the fading half light.

The white flowers began to shimmer and glow brightly in the shadows of the forest. Alex blinked in surprise as the center of the gateway dimmed to blackness that swallowed up all light. Vincent took his hand and strode forward confidently. This was the moment they had waited for. He reached out with one hand and felt into the dark space.

It was cool upon his skin and yet did not seem to freeze him. He looked back at Alex reassuringly. They walked forward, Oliver just behind them, and went through the gateway into the darkness beyond. For a full minute, neither could see anything in the utter blackness. Alex wanted to speak but was afraid to open his mouth in the cold darkness.

Vincent tried to control his nervous senses, so he didn't veer off course in the oppressive gloom. His eyes stayed true ahead and his feet never faltered. His hand gripped Alex's gently, leading him to... whatever awaited them on the other end. He gulped, blinked as he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Ahead he saw the twinkling of stars in the night sky. There in the darkness, he saw the archway painted with the heavens gleaming lights. He smiled in relief and rushed out through the portal to the other side. As they slipped through the shadows, the gate closed behind them to reveal nothing but a small clearing like the one they had just left.

The two princes looked around and saw massive trees like the forest they had just left. A small distance away was a trickling sound of water, and they turned to follow the sound. It was a small spring, connected with no brooks, streams or rivers. The surrounding area was lush with flowers and grasses. It was blooming and teeming with vegetation.

"It's beautiful." Alex breathed reverently. Vincent smiled down at his love and hugged him close. They stood in the small clearing and waited, watching the sparkling water in the moonlight. It was quiet without the familiar sound of crickets or winds blowing the trees. The stillness of the night felt like it was watching them.

Vincent felt suddenly like something really was watching them. Perhaps it was instinct, but he looked up into the tall trees just in time to see the shadows move above them. His heart stuttered a beat. He held Alex closer to him, wrapping his arms about the boy protectively. He did not dare reach for his sword though.

A rush of wings flapping about them was all the warning they had as beings dropped out of the trees to surround them. Alex caught sight of the rush of feathers about them, all sorts of colours muted by the night. A tall man with large brown wings flecked with white like a hawk stepped forward first, with his sharp teeth and claws flashing in the moonlight.

His yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness as they flicked over the two. It was not until Alex turned towards him, and the gleam of the amulet he wore in the darkness was lit by moonlight, that the man spoke. He pointed to the small necklace and spoke words to the others they could not understand.

"Child, you wear a Fae family crest but you are not Fae by blood. Why have you come to us?" A smaller man with black and red feathers stepped forward and spoke to them in their language in a halting voice. Alex looked at him and bowed.

"Please, we were sent by a Fae to seek council with your king." He asked in his soft voice. The others spoke amongst themselves, their wings fluttering in agitation.

"This is highly... irregular." The black one murmured.

"How do we know that you are not spies? Or assassins? That one carries divine steel." The taller one pointed to Vincent's sword at his hip and he raised his hands away from it.

"If it bothers you, I will not carry it here." He bowed to the tall one carefully. The two that had spoke to them exchanged a glance and the black one moved forward slowly. His black eyes watched closely as he reached for the sword and pulled it away from the prince. Vincent swallowed nervously, hoping that he had made the right choice by surrendering it.

"It smells of goblin blood." The black one murmured as he sniffed the cold steel.

"They have travelled far. Let us at least have them rest and we shall consult with their majesties." The taller one allowed with a nod. Oliver snorted and stomped his foot restlessly as the Fae corralled them towards an enormous tree. At the base of the great trunk was a winding stair set into the bark.

"Do not fear, we will care for your beast on the forest floor." The black one said. The two looked longingly at their packs of things, but turned and were led up into the trees.