Will's first thought in their next section of The Story was, It's hot. Burning sand beneath Will's shoes felt like they were slowly boiling his feet, and the hot sun above them seemed to set his red hair on fire.

Rapunzel wrinkled her nose. "We go from freezing cold to the sweltering desert," she complained. Will couldn't blame her for her reaction—her amount of hair must have been like a cloak in the heat.

Will silenced her, a sound catching his ears. "Someone's coming!" he hissed. After being attacked by the Beast, Will wanted a chance to look at the inhabitants of The Story before they could take a bite out of him. He spotted a sand dune not far from them and, grabbing Rapunzel's hand, dragged her behind it.

They crouched behind the relative safety of the sand dune, sweat already causing Will's shirt to cling to his back. For a moment, he thought he was mistaken until somebody spoke. "Arrogant fool," the man said.

Another man spoke as well. "A few hours under the sun will do him good," he snickered. "Or maybe it'll just kill him. Either way, we can report a job well done to the boss. The treasure's safe once more."

"Time to head to the oasis," the other man agreed. "Well-deserved break, I think." The other man laughed in response, and they were just on the other side of the dune. Will held his breath; they sounded like people Will wouldn't want to fool around with.

Thankfully, they moved past them, still talking cheerfully, and soon they were out of sight behind several dunes. Will stood, and Rapunzel followed suit, brushing sand from her dress ruefully. "Sounds like somebody is experiencing the desert's hospitality," she commented.

"Where are we, and why did those men speak English?" Will asked.

"I think we're in Ali Baba's Story, if my guess is correct," Rapunzel replied. "And the reason they speak English is because The Story is only translated into languages that are used often. Since Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is the only Story that takes place in Arabia, so they never bothered translating it to Arabic. Make sense?"

"No," Will answered honestly. "And what about that person, the one they were talking about?"

"I don't know," Rapunzel admitted, scanning the desert around them. Then she pointed in the direction the men had come from. "But if we head this way, chances are we'll find out."

They did go that way, and they did find out. Scrambling over the loose sand of a dune, Will spotted a man lying in the sand, his arms and legs spread out. He hurried down the dune, recognizing the unfortunate victim about halfway down. "Guy!" Will exclaimed, sliding to a stop near the man. He was shirtless, and his wrists and ankles were tied to stakes hammered into the hard ground.

Guy's eyes opened, frowning at Will. "What are you doing here?" he muttered through chapped lips.

Rapunzel reached them in time to hear Guy's question. "Saving you, apparently," she answered for Will.

She stood to block the sun for Guy as Will set about untying him. It took a decent amount of time, but after many muttered curses from Will and bloodied fingers from tearing at the knots he finally managed to untie all four ropes. He and Rapunzel helped Guy to his feet, and he massaged his wrists to get feeling back into them. "Thank you," he said in his usual casual voice.

"Those men said something about an oasis," Rapunzel said, glancing at Guy. "You need water. Can you reach it?"

"It's not far," Guy said. "I can reach it, but the thieves are probably residing there currently."

"We can handle a couple of thieves," Rapunzel retorted. She took in his appearance, and grinned a little. "I didn't realize you were such a hunk!"

"A hunk?" Guy asked, frowning in confusion. "A hunk of bread?"

Rapunzel's grin widened. "Never mind," she told him. "We've got an oasis to reach."

It only took them around half an hour to spot the oasis, a large, shaded area with a refreshing-looking pool of water in the middle. Three thieves lounged around the water; apparently Guy's attackers had found a friend, Will thought.

Since both Will and Guy were unarmed, Rapunzel went first. The thieves shot to their feet when she simply walked into the oasis, twirling a curl of her hair around her finger. "Hello, boys," she said cheerily. "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"

Two of the men charged at her, swords drawn, yelling. Her hair slammed into them, wrapping around them. But she was occupied with them and failed to see the third sneaking up behind her.

Before Will could move or even cry out, Guy was on top of the man, fists slamming into his head at the same time. He knocked the man to the sand and dealt him one final blow to the head. Rapunzel slammed her prisoners together several times until they were unconscious before dropping them to the sand. "Perfect," Rapunzel said with satisfaction. Then she turned to Guy. "Say, thanks for the save! Those were some quick moves you had there."

He was too busy with drinking from the oasis to respond. Probably dying of thirst though he was, Will noticed he was careful not to take large gulps and overwhelm his system. Once his raging thirst had evidently satisfied, he sat back against the shade of one of the trees. "Thank God for these in the desert," Guy said after a moment.

Rapunzel flopped down beside him, rolling up the sleeves of her dress as she did so. "Don't I know it," she agreed, splashing her face with the water. Will sat down next to the pool, dipping his hand into it to feel the cooling water. It wasn't as cold as he would have liked, more lukewarm, but it was good enough.

He looked at Guy, trying to decide what to say. It was Guy who started the conversation, though. "You know, you probably should have left me to die."

"I didn't hear you complaining when we were cutting you loose," Rapunzel retorted. She dipped her toes into the water.

"You're to be Rachel's husband," Will pointed out. "I couldn't let down and leave you to die."

"We may have been on the same side in the last war, but I'm afraid that is no longer the case," Guy told Will bluntly.

Will grimaced. "I was hoping it was a trick, that you were working for the Editor," he mumbled.

"A trick?" Guy snorted. "If only. The Editor is a thousand times more powerful than Carson ever was; you would be wise to take the same course of action that I did. It may be the only way to keep those that we love safe from Final Death." He sifted through the sand, letting it fall through his fingers to avoid Will's eyes.

"We can fight the Editor," Will insisted. "Besides...what do you think Rachel will say?"

It was immediately evident that Will had struck a hard blow. Guy physically recoiled, his dark eyes widening and flashing with anger. "Don't you think I know that?" he snapped. "Whether she understands or not, everything I do is for her. Everything. I could be written out of The Story for all I care; I will not let the same thing happen to her."

"So devoted," Rapunzel noted. "But has it ever occurred to you that working for the Editor might not save Rachel? Has it ever occurred to you that you are being used, and Rachel Andric will be killed anyways?"

"If I do nothing, she will be killed," Guy replied, slumping back against the tree. "I have to believe the Editor will keep her word."

Before either of them could say anything, Guy had stood up and pointed. "My cue," he said. A Story door had appeared in the sand not far from them. He started walking away.

Will's voice stopped him, though he didn't turn around. "Guy, if you see Rachel...tell her I'm alright. Tell her I'll see her soon. Please?"

Guy turned to Will and nodded slowly. "I will," he said, and went through the Story door.

Rapunzel wrapped her hair around the three thieves, effectively tying them up. "We should try and get some sleep," she suggested. "These guys aren't going anywhere right now, but neither are we. I wiped myself out summoning three Story doors in a few hours."

Will nodded, laying on his back. "I can deal with that," he agreed, and was asleep in seconds.