We didn't have too much trouble during the start of our journey. It was simple walking through an already beaten path. Once we reached the tundra, it was a different story. We could feel the bitter cold emitting off the biome as we neared it. Being half human, it did bite at my skin more than I'd care to admit. I simply pulled my caped hood around me tighter and pushed on.

Ashley flew overhead to give us directions as we walked. The tundra is as it's name would suggest. It's a long stretch of land covered in white snow permanently. The majority of it is a large mass of water with huge chunks of ice floating in the freezing ocean. We had to travel iceberg to iceberg, which wasn't the most fun activity if you ask me. In general, the cold makes me cranky. I'll be happy when we get through this.

Not just happy to rid myself of the cold, but I'll also be happy that we'll be that much closer. I'm thankful we chose to wait to continue this journey during the day. It would've been ten times colder at night. With the sunlight, we receive some warmth and we have much better visibility. Ashley's shadow cast down on the ground as she flew ahead of us. She'd loop back around in a minute or two, but she enjoyed getting to fast fly.

"I take it she isn't let out of the castle much?" I asked Chris as I watched the dark princess smile beautifully at the sensation of the wind in her hair.

He earned a small smile as he looked to her in the Heavens. "Yeah, unfortunately," His head and lips both drooped, "When she was first born, the warlock that took Angelo's powers, he was put in charge of Ashley. She was about four when we suffered an attack from Orcs. The castle took some bad damage and that warlock got his head bashed against a brick wall."

"Rightfully so." Josh commented.

I briefly snickered, "I take it he was an asshole?"

"You have no idea." Chris groaned, "He kissed the king's ass shamelessly. He'd throw any of us under the bus to get a leg up, too. Anyways, after he was brutally murdered by an orc, I was appointed Ashley's care taker. The king rebuilt the damaged parts of the castle and added a new tower for her. It took some efforts to reverse all that warlock had taught her, but I turned her around. I raised her the way she should have been, the way her mom would've wanted her to be raised."

"Why'd you ever leave, if she meant so much to you?" I asked.

"The king wasn't too fond of who she was becoming as she grew into her own. He ordered me to start teaching her differently, and I refused. When he threatened to kill me, I lied to him and told him I would. Of course I just taught her how to fake it. That was when she was twelve, but I got to a point that a poker face wasn't enough. I couldn't live like that anymore. I knew by the time she was fourteen, she could take care of herself. So, I resigned from the king's service." He explained.

I'm more than thankful that Chris did stick around as long as he did. He was one of the few non corrupt men in my father's service. I know some princes like to sit around on their ass all day, but I was the type that wanted to make an aggressive difference. Daddy dearest didn't approve of solo vigilantism. He told me I could fight alongside men of our army, but I wasn't aloud to go out on my own.

The majority of the army looked at me as a spoiled child. I wanted to prove to them I was the exact opposite. Chris was one of the few that saw the fire burning in my eyes. He understood my contempt for my father was not one of a bratty heir. I genuinely wanted to slice the necks of anyone who threatened my people. Chris didn't crave violence necessarily, but he was addicted to the concept of vengeance. He was unlike any soldier I'd ever met.

That's just it though; He wasn't a soldier. He was a true juggernaut. I reframe from using the word "hero" because we look like villains. True heroes wouldn't murder either, but we did protect our people. We were heroes to them. Chris and I lead the king's men in countless battles. Every single one was won, too. The blood shed soaked into the soil, causing our kingdom to flourish like a wild rose.

All his heroism came to a screeching holt one day. We were set to travel to the home of a tribe of elves to make peace with them. Apart of our peace offering, we needed precious gems with supernatural properties. We were told to visit the candle maker, and that is where we met Angelo for the first time. Chris fell for him instantly. After we returned home, he decided to take a less dangerous job with less travel. Anything, so that he could see Angelo more. My father appointed him my guardian and decided it was best I stopped my travels too. Asshole.

As far as Josh, he too worked in the castle. However, he was charged more as a huntsman. When the king needed someone gone, Josh was the first name off his tongue. After awhile, it became tiring to him. Just when he was considering quitting the position, one mission in particular went extremely well. He rescued a slew of women that had been kidnapped by a crazed creature. One of which, was Ryan-Ashley. She was extremely grateful, and, well... Repaid him for it. If you get my drift.

After that, he settled for a less life threatening job. He began to hunt animals for the castle chef. He'd also pick up extra work in taxidermy. Josh had never left the king's service though. At least, not while I was there. That's what lead me to ask...

I glanced to my left, where Josh walked along side me. "When and why'd you leave his service?"

"I left a year after he punished Angelo. I would've left the day of, but it would've looked a little suspicious." He responded, "Chris stuck around because he saw hope with Ashley's birth. I couldn't stand to work for that fucker any longer, not after what he did to Ange."

"I can't believe any of you dumbasses ever worked for him, period." Kuza scoffed as he threw back a drink from his flask. I reached over Chris and plucked it from him. He gave me a look of hurt and anger as he retaliated like a child, "Heeyy!"

"You need to stay sharp." Chris sassed him. Little did he know, I only took the flask to steal a drink for myself. Kuza nodded towards me and Chris sighed, "For fuck's sake."

"Give me a break. It's the only thing that somewhat helps the pain from Devin." I responded and handed the silver tin back to it's rightful owner.

Josh added, "When the person you're bound to get's sick or when you're far away from them, there's like this emotional black hole inside of your soul. Ricky is feeling both those things right now, on an extreme scale. I can't blame him for it."

"Not that you two would know anything about being bound." I snit, remembering how I initially found them.

Chris growled under his breath. Both his boiling rage and the cold biting away at his eternal flame was getting to him. Without much warning, he activated his powers. I jumped back majorly when the fire engulfed his arms. The symbols that ran along his biceps now glowed a deep red. Pressing on the topic of his and Kuza's affair majorly pissed him off. He stopped walking and loomed over me with rage burning in his eyes.

He grit his teeth, "I fucking told you exactly what happened. I opened up to you about it last night. I don't constantly harp on how you bitched out and left an entire kingdom you swore to protect. So don't pick on me for my bad decisions."

Though he'd make most people piss their pants with one look, I held no true fear for my old friend. Chris would never truly hurt me and we both damn well knew it. I narrowed my eyes at him, staying silent until he decided to ease up. Apparently someone is a little touchy about his vices. It's a damn good thing he doesn't drink or drug then.

"Um, guys," Ashley yelled down from above, "Don't mean to interrupt, but there's something in the water under you guys."

We instantly looked under out feet. Under the platform of ice we currently walked on, there was a massive shadow swimming in the water. I mean, the size of ten fucking ships massive. My heartrate instantly increased in my chest as I watched this unknown creature continue to swim further ahead of us. It dramatically broke through the water's surface, revealing itself.

Multiple dragon heads stood on long, thin necks that emerged from a beastly large body. The creature was covered in a pale color of blue scales, similar to the color of the ice. It had adapted to the water with webbed feet and gills. The fucker was so tall, it was close to where Ashley was flying overhead. It roared loudly, spitting fire widely in the sky.

Kuza ignited his powers with plans to hit that fucking atrocity, but Chris quickly stopped him. "No!" He shouted, "Don't! It's a hydra. You cut off one head, two more grow back. You can't fight it."

"Well what do you fucking suggest?" He sneered.

Chris stared up at the beast with wide eyes. "Run." He uttered, seconds before the creature lunged for us.

We fucking scattered. I followed Josh to the left side of the monster. He was a hunter and knew the patterns of most animals well. That doesn't mean he knows the pattern of this monster, but I was putting my faith in him. Just as I was putting my faith in the concept that the others could take care of themselves.

Running in separate directions actually helped us more than I thought it would. One of the monster's heads tried to chase us, while another snapped at Ashley, and the third attempted to grab at Chris and Kuza. Straining in different directions caused it to lose it's balance. Just as we managed to hop over to another glacier, the hydra fell into the one we'd just been standing on. It might have given us an advantage, but it was still planning on chasing us. Of course it wasn't giving up that easily. That would be easy for us, and nothing is ever easy for us.

We pulled ourselves up on a ridge that ran along the edge of the water. It was slippery but at least we weren't losing time jumping between icebergs. Ashley lowered her height to fly down beside us.

"The Valley is just over this cliff. It won't follow us there." She informed us, "I'll buy you some time."

What exactly did she mean by that? I'd ask, but she flew away too damn fast. Ashley bravely swooped around the monster. She continued to lace herself between it's necks, eventually causing it to tangle itself. The hydra continued to swat at her, only causing it to trip over itself repeatedly. I saw the falls ahead of us and had to put faith into her that she'd follow us.

The cold air was crunching down my lungs and scratching my throat. It was taking away from my energy, but we were so close. The icy water of the ocean ran off into multiple rivers. One of which, went off a waterfall that lead us directly into the heart of the Valley of Dread. I wasn't too happy about plunging into such a harsh area so suddenly, but what other choice did we have?

Without hesitation, Josh and I jumped off the edge of the cliff. There was a moment of suspension, in which I saw the paroling dive. The grey stone of the valley's edge blurred in my vision for a moment and quickly was wiped away by blackness. I shut my eyes tight when my body broke through the water's surface. The freezing feeling tightened around my skin. I reopened my eyes to see the blur of the fall surrounding me.

I swam to the surface, gasping for air as I reached it. Josh popped up next to me and took in a heavy breath too. We rushed to the land. Cold and water are both things that aren't the best for demons. They're especially not good for humans. My body was trembling and I could barely manage to pull myself up on the shore. I sat there, shivering violently.

Chris and Kuza came into view as their bodies dived down the fall. Ashley followed, but she simply pulled up with her wings right before she hit the water's surface. She landed down gracefully beside me. The other two found their way to land. They reactivated their abilities and instantly became dry and warm again. Josh and I didn't have that luxury.

Kuza leaned down next to me. He allowed only a small wall of fire to cover his hand. Slowly, he moved his palm along my face. Though it was a little nerve racking to have a live flame that close to my skin, it was warming me back up. He continued to do so along my chest, which also helped to dry my clothes.

"Maybe we should take a break." Kuza suggested.

I looked him directly in the eyes with stiffness, "We can't."

"You're weak, Ricky." Chris responded as he knelt down, "I feel like I'm always reminding you that you're still half human."

"I know I'm half human, but I'm also a husband and a father. I have to keep going for my family." I said seriously.

A sigh seeped from Chris' mouth. He paced a bit, grumbling to himself about how I'm difficult. It was just like old times. Without warning, he suddenly picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. He was much larger than me in stature. It wasn't difficult for him to hold onto me.

I groaned, hitting his back, "What are you doing?"

"Compromising. You want to keep going, I want you to take a break. So, you're going to take a break while we keep going." He replied.

"Chris," I huffed, "I can walk."

Chris began to walk with the others. "Yes, you can. But that doesn't mean you should."

"He's right." Josh added.

I rolled my eyes and accepted this. In truth, I did need the rest. I'm supposed to be this strong half demon prince though. I didn't want to be a weak ass like this. My chest did feel tight from hitting that cold water as suddenly as I did. Breathing in the frigid air while running didn't help either. The human in me was preventing my body from rebounding as fast as the others. Chris was right, but I'm not going to admit it.