(Requested)

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Peering over the edge of a bush, I raised an eyebrow when coming close to the Xadian creature, its sky blue horns shimmering in the light. The full rays were slightly blocked by the branches stretching towards the sky overhead, the leaves housing wildlife and providing shade for those who were tired of the Sun.

Almost there... if I get one of those horns, I'll be rich.

I crept towards the animal, trying not to make any noise, but was interrupted when I heard the movement of another figure. The blue-horned creature in front of me also seemed to notice, and dashed away before I could reach it. Groaning in frustration, I ducked behind the row of bushes and waited for the stranger to pass. It wasn't a very smart idea to go lurking around when you were wanted by one of the most feared human kingdoms. So I couldn't take any risks.

I heard humming come from behind me as the figure sang a strange tune, mumbling the lyrics.

"Taste of your lips I'm on a... toxic boy, doo doo doo." Almost giving my cover away, I managed to hold in my laughter by slapping a hand over my mouth. After things had passed, I breathed a sigh of relief and continued my journey through the woods. It was not necessarily a smart idea to go to Xadia while being a human, but it was the smartest one, considering that no guards would be stupid enough to track down just one person.

Smiling to myself, I stood up and dusted myself off before seeing something unfamiliar. The bushes that were originally in front of me had disappeared, and instead a wall of vines, hung loosely from the branches of a tree spawned in their place. Small, brown-seeded flowers with pink petals grew on them. It looked almost otherworldly. But I mean, I was in Xadia, after all.

I cocked an eyebrow, figuring that the mysterious figure must have emerged from there.

"Well, something unknown is about to be discovered, by yours truly!" I announced, heading straight-on, crashing through the bountiful plantation. My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, seeing a tall castle in the distance, only a few hundred feet away from where I stood, marveling at the size of the building.

"Forget the elk, I'm gonna be rich!" I whooped, getting out two curved blades, running towards the structure. Sticking one of the knifes into the moss that grew on what I assumed to be stone, I slowly made my way up, too excited to even care about the danger. By the end, my legs burned and my arms ached, but it was worth it to finally see the top. Before even a second passed so that I could rest, an ear-splitting scream was heard from across the room.

"Intruder!" My brows furrowed in worry, trying to calm down the screeching figure, a finger drawn perpendicular to my lips and a hand reaching out, beckoning for silence.

"Oh, no, no! I'm not- Wait, no, I-I can explain!-" My words fell flat as the stranger stepped into the skylight, their dewy eyes and pouted lips angry, in a defensive stance with a pan in their hand.

"Don't move, or I-I'll swing!" they threatened rather cutely, "I swear! I know how to fight!" What seemed to be a toad hopped down from their shoulder and turned a shade of red before growling and hissing, baring its sharp teeth. Shuddering at the sight of saliva dripping down its maw, I nervously giggled, gulping.

If it wasn't for the toad thing, I would have already been swooning. However, in the face of danger, my primal instincts told me that I should defend myself.

"N-Nice... lizard you have there," I squeaked, trying to be nice. "Their scales are really lovely?" The animal and its owner looked at each other for a second in consideration. The brown-haired figure lowered their pan and glared at me with his doe-like eyes.

"What do you want? Why are you here?" he demanded, voice harsh, but not the slightest bit unpleasant to hear. A grin crept on my face as I admired them, my pulse elevating. Too distracted daydreaming, the boy just started to wait as silence overtook the room.

"I-I asked you a question!" he suddenly snapped, his words unstable and quivering, "Wh-What do you want, and why are you here?" I shook my head, surprised to have been interrupted. I cleared my throat and lifted my eyes, staring at them firmly.

"I am here to... free you!" Cringing at my response, I nearly fell over with embarrassment. You idiot, they probably live here! This was the worst idea you could have ever possibly-

"Wait, really?" the boy gasped, his hair bouncing with his fluid movements, eyes lit up in joy. "I get to finally explore the outside?" What.

"Y-Yeah! I am merely a passenger, on their kind way to... help others!" I smiled sheepishly, giving an extravagant bow. The person ran up to me and gave me a hug, sincerely grateful for what I pretended to do.

"Thank you so much! I knew that someone would come someday, I knew it!" A part of me felt a little bit guilty, but I accepted the hug because hey, it's not everyday you get to embrace someone so handsome, you know?

"Why don't we get out of here as fast as possible?" I mumbled, suddenly remembering the figure that had breezed past me on the way here. Brown hair's head tilted, his expression turning into sudden confusion.

"Why? Father will be back soon, and I always have to tell him what I do before I do it." I nearly started coughing. The figure who had brushed past me was his dad. I'm literally kidnapping his kid to go into the woods, where God knows what is around? I sighed and pushed him away, shaking my head and muttering to myself.

"Look, whatever your name is-"

"Ezran."

"Look, Ezran, I get that you want to tell your dad, but it's... dangerous to. What's his name? Did he ever tell you not to go outside, or why you were locked up here?" My eyes pleaded for a negative response, but to no avail, as I froze when hearing Ezran's answer.

"My dad's real name is Aaravos, and he specifically told me never to go outside. I don't know why, but he's always just been there, reminding me of this. I didn't really think about it until now." Letting out a faint gasp, the name uttered out of his lips stuck with me.

"Your dad is Aaravos?" I whispered, panicking, clutching my head in my hands, eyes shut in stress. "Oh God, this is bad, this is bad. I snuck into Aaravos's tower! Why did it have to be him?" Groaning, I looked out the window I had entered from, gazing out into the horizon. There wasn't much time before nightfall, and I think that was when his "dad" was supposed to be back.

"Okay, new game plan. We sneak out, and you don't tell your dad about any of this. How about that?" Ezran's eyes held curiosity, but he agreed nevertheless. I suppose his eagerness to see the true forms of Xadia were far too developed to even consider anything else. Hopping on the windowsill, I prepared for a dismount, but was stopped by a screech.

"What are you doing? You're gonna die!" I turned back around, confused.

"Isn't this the way down?" Ezran looked like he was nearly about to faint.

"There are stairs!" He pointed to a hallway, which held a long flight of steps, spiraling down the tower.

"Oh. That works."

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We'd escaped after a treacherous walk down the brutal stone stairs. I was panting, completely out of breath and flopped on the ground as soon as we reached it.

"Oh... God... That was... horrible!" I exclaimed breathlessly, my mouth open wide, gasping for air desperately. Ezran, on the other hand, was having the time of his life cheering and playing with all the little creatures in the grass, making new friends and enjoying himself too much.

"This is so great!" he laughed, throwing his arms in the air with a flourish. I smiled at his expression. He looked so happy, with his grin reaching his eyes, the irises sparkling with newfound joy, cheeks flushed with a rosy pink hue. Cute.

I forgot all about my previous exhaustion and stood up, pushing myself off of the ground. I walked towards him and held out a hand, smiling crookedly with a charming glance.

"Let's go Ezran. We'll do this together." He returned the smile, beaming graciously at me, slipping his hand into mine, threading his fingers in between my own. Like a child, he used his other arm to point North, following the light of the Sun as it slowly descended upon the evening. Orange and yellow streaks painted the sky and left us in the midst of a golden hour. My heart throbbed looking at him.

He was so beautiful like this. I tightly squeezed his hand and led him to the desired direction, running with him in tow.

"Forwards!"