Okay, okay. I'm dying to read your reactions when you read who we made the troll and the archer(nobody guessed right). XD

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 The two mythical creatures and the knight continued treading through the dangerous woods, only stopping once for a water break (courtesy of Jay's satchel). Kai continued peppering Jay and Cole with questions about the Prince and their whole 'world', wanting to understand as much as he could. He was extremely impressed with all of the effort they had put into their stories, for much of it was elaborate.

"So, how did this guy become a prince?" Kai asked as they neared a river.

"Well, he ran away from his hometown because he hated it there," Jay explained. "He always felt like no one appreciated him enough."

"He basically wanted power and authority over everyone," Cole chipped it.

Jay nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! So he came to the forest and found he really has a way with animals so he had them help him build this elaborate castle: it's really cool!" Cole gave Jay a look. "What? You've seen it before! You can't deny it, it is cool!"

"Whatever," Cole mumbled.

"Anyways," continued Jay, "he really just meant for it to be a home, but since he was a human that could communicate with animals, they declared him their prince. Usually it's just nymphs and fairies who can do that. Since the animals started listening to him, he decided to use it to make them do things for him. You know, like not good things. Most people don't really like us mythical creatures and Prince Julien hates us too. He thought we were all a nuisance in his forest." Jay huffed angrily. "Everyone knows the forest belongs to the creatures! Well, mostly the fairies and nymphs. There are a few others who kind of run the forest too."

"Speaking of which," Cole drawled, pointing towards the river just a yard away now, "you're about to meet one of the those 'few others'."

Kai couldn't help but get giddy at that. "Oo who? A goblin? A unicorn? Oh a dragon! Dragons are awesome!" he guessed excitedly.

Cole and Jay both chuckled at his enthusiasm. "None of the above," Cole informed him, shaking his head in amusement.

Kai cocked his head to the side but nonetheless continued towards the river. As he came closer, he saw the river was much wider than he had anticipated. Luckily, though, he spotted a bridge a few feet away. "Okay let's cross this river and — " just as he was about to step onto the bridge, someone suddenly jumped in front of him, screaming bloody murder.

It was a rather ugly man, his face a nasty mix of yellow and grey, almost like if someone left the color yellow out in the sun too long and it dried up. He had large and rather unkempt yellow teeth that stuck above his bottom lip and a long, faded scar ran down his cheek. A rusty, curved, horn protruded from either side of his head which went quite nicely with the simple brown shirt he wore, so long that it went down to his unusually large, callosed, and barefoot feet. A long bamboo staff was held tightly in one hand.

It took Kai a little longer than he should have to realize it was Sensei Garmadon.

The knight bit his lip hard to keep from laughing.

"You cannot cross!" his sensei bellowed.

Kai started. "Okay, well maybe we can just talk this through, see, I've gotta cross this bridge so I can — " but he was cut off.

"This is my bridge and my forest and I will not hesitate to harm anyone who dares ruin the peace!" Garmadon yelled, glaring at the shorter 'man' in front of him in such a way that Kai found himself stepping backwards and away from the ugly sight in front of him without even realizing it.

He desperately turned to look at Cole and Jay who were a few paces behind him. "That's Shaktilar Garmadon," Cole said nonchalantly, gesturing towards the raging beast in front of them. "Bridge Troll."

"Bridge troll?" inquired Kai, turning to look at his other sensei behind him. "He's a freaking bridge troll?"

Jay's head bobbed up and down. "Yup, every since The Prince took over the forest, the bridge is really all he's been able to hold onto. The poor guy just needs some happiness in his life. I tried hugging him once but that didn't end very well for me..." he said, lowering his voice to barely a whisper and sadly glancing at the troll.

Cole snorted. "Yeah, even us... fairies... don't like going near here. Unfortunately, this is the only way to The Prince's castle."

"Well, can't we just tell him why we're on this quest and then he'll let us pass?" whispered Kai, still keeping a close eye on the troll who was standing protectively on his bridge.

"Nope," Cole stated bluntly.

"Even if you did explain about your sister and wanting to defeat Prince Julien and setting our forest free, he won't let you cross. He's like, an elder of the forest — he was here since the beginning and, well, he's grown hard since it got taken away from him. He makes rules and he sticks to them," Jay explained sadly. "If you want to cross, you have to pass his tests first."

Kai couldn't help it; he groaned. "Test?" he exclaimed. "I've got to pass a test?"

"Well, in fairness, all heroes do," Jay replied, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Fine then, what kind of test?"

"Depends," answered Cole. "Depends on how he's feeling, what creature you are, time of day... it really just depends."

Kai sighed. "And here I thought we'd just get to cross a bridge and be done with it."

The elf nudged him forwards. "Go on, ask him what you need to do!"

Kai cautiously began taking steps forward, avoiding the troll's intense stare at all costs. Once he was but a few steps away, he began to speak: "Shaktilar Garmadon, bridge troll," he started, bowing before the troll. "My friends and I are on a noble quest to rid the forest of Prince Julien and save Princess Nya, what must we do to cross your bridge?"

The bridge troll looked between the three. "Hmm, an elf, a fairy, and a knight," he mused. "What an odd group."

"Not a fairy," Cole grumbled.

After a moment's silence in which Kai stood with his hand hovering over the handle of his sword, Jay attempted smiling at the bridge troll, and Cole stood with his arms crossed, the troll finally spoke.

"... I shall let you cross..."

"Yes!" Kai cheered.

"... but, only if you pass a test."

"No!" Kai moaned.

"In order to cross my bridge, you must correctly answer three riddles," Shaktilar Garmadon told him. "If you can answer all of them correctly, I shall let you three pass. But be warned! If you make three incorrect guesses, then you will fail and will have to find another way to the prince's castle."

"But this is the only way!" Jay fretted.

"Then I suggest that you take this seriously," the bridge troll said grimly. "Do you accept this test, Sir Kai and company?"

Kai frowned but nodded. "We accept."

"Then, here is your first riddle." Shaktilar Garmadon cleared his throat before saying in a raspy voice, "Tell me: when is a door not a door?"

"Uhhhh..." Kai looked back at his companions. "A little help?"

Cole held up his hands. "Hey don't look at me," he instantly said. "Riddles aren't my thing."

"Uuuugh, I wish Zane was here," Kai grumbled. "He's the best at these things..."

"Hmmm," Jay hummed, scratching behind one point ear. "'When is a door not a door'? Um, I don't know. Maybe when a door is destroyed?"

"Nah, that can't be it," Kai shook his head. "Maybe it's not a door when it's... uh..."

"You know what I hate about doors?" Cole suddenly chimed in. "When people leave them ajar. Like, they're just barely open and all the cold gets in and people trip as they try to get in or out..."

"Wait, wait, wait, back up," Kai said. "What did you say?"

Cole raised an eyebrow. "That people trip when they try to get through a barely open door?"

"No, no, what was the word you used to describe it?"

"Uh... ajar?"

"That's it!" Kai exclaimed. "'When is a door not a door?' It's when it's ajar!"

Jay's eyes lit up. "Oh, I get it! When you say it out loud, it sounds like the door is a jar! Clever!"

Kai turned to the bridge troll. "We have our answer: a door isn't a door when it is ajar."

Shaktilar Garmadon nodded his head. "Correct. Now, answer this second riddle: what ship has two mates but no captain?"

Jay threw his head back and laughed. "Oh please, that's an easy one! It's—"

Kai threw a hand over his mouth to prevent him from speaking. "We discuss as a group first," he told him, removing his hand. "We can't be wrong."

"Okay, fine then," Jay whispered, sighing. "Relationship. It's a relationship."

Cole and Kai shared an uneasy look. "Are you sure?" Kai said hesitantly. "That seems a little too easy."

"Yeah," Cole agreed, nodding.

Jay scoffed. "Okay, says the two who have literally never been in a relationship ever," he retorted. Kai opened his mouth but Jay continued, "And middle school relationships don't count because those are stupid!"

Kai's mouth shut and he glared at the elf. "Fine then, try it. If it's wrong, it's your fault."

"Okay," smirked Jay. "Hey, Shaktilar, the answer is a relationship because no one is in charge in a relationship, therefore there is no captain!"

Kai and Cole winced, anticipating the word 'no', but instead, the bridge troll said, "Correct, elf." Jay beamed with pride at being right and winked at the knight and fairy. "Last question, what is the best way to defeat an enemy?"

The three shared a shocked look. Of all the things they were expecting to hear, they were not prepared for this one. "By making them your friend," Kai answered softly, smiling.

A rather small grin overtook Shaktilar Garmadon's face. "Correct," he nodded. "You may pass." He moved away from his bridge, bowing his head.

Kai bowed back. "Thank you." Shaktilar Garmadon sighed heavily and Kai stopped walking upon seeing the far off look in the elder's eyes. "You okay?" he asked.

"... I wasn't always like this," he started quietly. "Once upon a time, this forest was a peaceful place, and I could allow anyone in here and not worry. Then... the prince showed up." His face darkened. "I trusted him and let him into the forest, and he betrayed that trust. He took everything from me... everything but my bridge..."

Kai's heart went out to the bridge troll. He went over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We will defeat the prince," he said firmly. "We will defeat him, and bring peace back to this forest." He planted a fist over his heart. "You have my word."

Shaktilar Garmadon smiled a slight smile. "... thank you." He cleared his throat, regaining his serious look. "The woods are a dangerous place, so I advise that you move quickly to the prince's castle... I wish you luck on your quest, Sir Kai."

Kai gave the troll one last nod before stepping onto the bridge and walking across it. He heard the sound of footsteps of his companions... well Jay's, Cole was still hovering.

The trio travelled in silence until the sound of the rushing water became but a distant buzz. After their encounter with the sad troll, none of the three really had much to say.

At least until Jay began humming again.

Kai scowled and was about to tell him off for humming very out of tune, but Cole beat him to it. "Okay, really now? At least try to be in tune."

"Told you," muttered Kai under his breath.

Jay huffed. "Well if you're going to be so rude about it why don't you sing for us then? I mean, you do have perfect pitch, don't you?" he said snarkily.

Cole's eyes narrowed. "I would rather brush my teeth with hazardous materials," he stated bluntly.

"Oh come on! Sing for me, fairy!" Jay wailed.

"I don't sing, Jay! Also I'm not a fairy!"

The knight snorted. "Dude, I hear you sing all the time."

Cole blushed. "W—Well, screw you guys! I'm not singing for you!" he snapped.

Kai and Jay shared a smirk and then Kai grabbed the wand out of Cole's hand. Cole rolled his eyes. "Go on, take it. I don't care."

"Well, fairy, if you don't sing for us, then my finger might slip and press this 'in case of emergency' button on your wand..." Kai said in a sing-songy voice.

Cole's blush faded and he now paled. "I swear to the First Spinjitzu Master I will kill you if you do that, Kai."

"Then maybe you should, I dunno know, sing us a song then," Jay grinned.

Cole was about to retort when he noticed all of the trees around them... plenty of trees to hit as he flew out of control. He glared at the two. "Fiiiiiiine," he mumbled. "One song."

Kai and Jay fist bumped in celebration while Cole grabbed his wand out of Kai's hand then thought for a moment before quietly starting: "We're going on an awesome, dangerous and scary, thrilling, monsterous and hairy, killer hero-" The fairy got cut off when a large object hit him in the face.

"Ow!" he screeched, though it was slightly muffled. He stumbled midair but was luckily able to catch himself before he fell. He then reached to pry the object off of his face and, after many painful tugs, he finally ripped it off.

Kai stared at the object, dumbfounded. "Is that... is that a toilet plunger?"

Jay just about died of laughter. He fell to the ground and clutched his stomach as he hooted and hollered.

Cole blushed deeply, throwing the plunger on the ground. "And this is why I don't sing! Embarrassing things happen to me when I sing! Especially in front of people!"

At this, Kai burst into laughter as well. "You—you better hope that hasn't been used, Cole," he chuckled heartily.

Cole abruptly turned to Jay. "I swear, if you gave him a used toilet plunger you won't live to see the end of this quest."

"Wow," Jay breathed. "Two death threats from Cole in two minutes, this has to be a record... also shh stay in character!"

"Wait, him?" Kai asked. "Who's him?"

Jay sighed. "See, ya spoiled it, fairy."

"I GOT HIT IN THE FACE WITH A TOILET PLUNGER!"

"Yes and it was really funny," commented Jay.

Cole was going to snark at Jay when the three heard a whoosing noise, and before they could do anything, something flew through the air and smacked Jay square in the face.

"OW!" Jay shrieked, desperately clutching his nose. "That hurt!"

"Oh no! Did that hurt you?" Cole said sarcastically. "It's not like you got hit in the face with a toilet plunger... though I do feel slightly vindicated because you deserved that."

"Okay, okay, as funny as this is," Kai butted in, "who is shooting at us? And why are they using toilet plungers and... boxing gloves?" he asked, holding up said boxing glove.

Cole and Jay fell silent and shared a look. "Heh... let's just say, this would get real dangerous real quick if he used real arrows... or fake ones for that matter," Jay explained hastily, awkwardly rubbing his arm.

Suddenly, the trio heard the sound of a horn. They turned and looked around themselves, trying to see where the sound had come from.

"Good morrow, fair gentlemen!" a voice suddenly called from above them.

Kai looked up... and instantly facepalmed. "Seriously?" he deadpanned at Jay. "You seriously gave Darreth a bow and arrow?!"

"A-hem, that's Sir Darreth to you, peasant," Darreth called down from where he was crouched in a tree. "And for the record, I am Prince Julien's top archer!"

Kai stared at Darreth for a moment. The man was wearing a brown tunic with tan pants and was carrying what was clearly a toy bow. A quiver full of arrows — er, toilet plungers, boxing gloves, and who knows what else — was attached to his hip, and he had a brown tricorn hat on his head.

All things considered, Darreth actually looked like an archer from Robin Hood.

Then, Kai remembered something that the archer had said. "Wait you work for the prince?!"

"That is correct, lowly peasant," Darreth answered. "His Royal Perfectness has entrusted me on this noble quest."

"And that quest is..." Kai prompted.

The archer smirked as he pulled a second toilet plunger out of his quiver. "To kill those two," he pointed at Cole and Jay who both visibly paled and slowly took steps backwards, "and to take you back to him."

Kai gulped but stood his ground. "Good luck defeating us! In case you didn't hear, I slayed your messenger Skales and the spider that went rampage!"

"And he got past Shaktilar Garmadon's bridge!" Jay added timidly.

Darreth chuckled. "You're no match for my aim!" he boasted, aiming the toilet plunger at Kai's face.

The knight laughed hastily while the archer looked him dead in the eye. "I hate to say this," Kai whispered to his friends, "but we should probably run."

Jay and Cole nodded and the three took off running (or hovering quickly in Cole's case).

"You can run, but you can't escape from me, Sir Kai!" Darreth yelled, shooting the toilet plunger in their direction. Kai just managed to dodge it.

"Split up and run in as many directions as you can," ordered Kai. "No straight paths! If we mix it up, he won't be able to get us and we can regroup once we lose him!" His quest mates nodded in affirmation and they all split off into three different directions.

He heard Darreth groan and smirked, although it soon faded when he glanced behind him and saw the archer jumping from branch to branch in the trees above him. "Oooof course he went after me," he grumbled, jumping over some tree roots.

He scrambled about in every direction, dodging every few 'arrows' Darreth threw his way. The archer kept yelling threats at him, telling him to come quietly and just surrender, but Kai continually retorted with a few choice words.

After a few minutes of Darreth hollering at him, he finally managed to get him. Kai had just switched from running to the right to running in the opposite direction when a boxing glove came whizzing towards him and he wasn't able to dodge it in time. It came at such a speed and velocity that he was knocked right to the ground.

"Aw crap," Kai muttered when he looked up and saw Darreth one tree away from him, pointing a second boxing glove at him.

"End of the line, Sir Kai," he gloated, squatting to prepare to jump to the tree directly above Kai. He kept the boxing glove trained on him as he did so, and then, every so carefully, he jumped to the next tree... only to miss the branch completely and fall to the ground.

While the archer screamed in terror, Kai (who tried to keep from laughing at him) used that as an opportunity to unsheathe his sword and point it at Darreth once he fell to the ground with a yelp. "I think it's the end of the line for you, Sir Darreth," he smirked.

Darreth's reaction was immediate. The archer shot onto his knees and desperately grasped at Kai's legs. "Oh please, Sir Kai!" he cried out, shaking the knight's legs. "Spare me! I—I can help you on your quest!"

Kai raised an eyebrow at the pathetic man beneath him. "Why should I trust you?" he asked suspiciously. "You work for The Prince."

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die!" Darreth squealed, looking at Kai with large, pleading eyes. "I—I don't like The Prince! He kicked my family and me out of our house in the forest—"

Kai snorted. "Family?"

Darreth glared at him. "Yes! I have a beautiful family with Lady Gayle Gossip, but alas, we're now forced to serve The Prince! My children are young, Sir Kai, they don't deserve this! Please, I—I'll help you if you help me free them!"

Darreth dramatically fake sobbed as he continued grovelling at Kai's feet. After a minute or so, Kai heard a noise behind him. The knight sharply turned his head, but relaxed when he saw it was just Cole and Jay.

Jay cheered at the sight of Darreth grovelling at Kai's feet. "Sir Kai!" he said heartily, giving the knight a quick hug (promptly letting go when he received a glare from Kai). "You have bested the evil archer!"

"Woohoo," Cole added dully, rolling his eyes.

"Well," Kai started slowly. "Darreth may be joining us on our quest." Jay and Cole's eyes widened a bit.

"Uh, what?" Cole asked.

Kai saw Darreth smirk at Jay and Cole out of the corner of his eye. "The Prince has his family enslaved and he wants to set them free. He's going to help us," he explained. Cole glared at Darreth.

"Family?" the fairy questioned angrily.

"Are—are you sure, Sir Kai?" Jay asked hesitantly.

Darreth nodded extravagantly, giving Kai a meaningful look and mouthing the word yes. Kai shrugged. "He's been in the castle before, it'll be nice to have an in man."

Jay's left eye twitched. "Okay!" he squeaked.

"Don't worry you two," Kai chuckled, kicking Darreth's hands off of him. "I'll be keeping an eye on him." He removed his sword from in front of Darreth's face, and took a few steps away from him. He put his sword back in the scabbard then helped Darreth up. "Come on, let's go."

As the knight began to walk ahead of the group, he heard Jay whisper, "Darreth! You were supposed to let Kai defeat you!"

"Yeah well I didn't want to be done playing the archer that fast!" Darreth quietly shot back. "He bested me quicker than I thought... and I was having fun!"

"The only reason we agreed to let you do this was because you promised you wouldn't be extra!" Cole groaned a little loudly.

"Ugh, but Jay is being extra!" Darreth retorted.

"Shhh!" Jay shushed the two. "Now my whole system is messed up, Darreth! Gah! Just... just stay in character and don't do anything stupid!" Once that was said, he ran after Kai, "Sir Kai, wait up!"

Kai smiled as he pretended he didn't hear any of their private conversation. Now this was funny.

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Hehehehe. Writing for Darreth was fun. XD

Also the song that Cole was singing is from The Lightning Thief Musical, which musicalsaregood says is much better than the actual Lightning Thief movie. *shrugs* From what I've heard they have a blond Annabeth so they're already better than the movie just for that. XD

Next up, Darreth has to deal with an enraged fairy, the elf and the knight have a deep moment, and they all have to battle a ferocious giant! Guesses on who the giant is? :D