Philip walked swiftly through the forest, Alianor, Alistair and Zoricus followed behind him, trying to keep up. The young brunette held on tightly to her satchel, the book of Shadow magic was tucked inside of it.

"You really do know these woods young man" Alistair commented

"Thank you Sir" Philip answered "I learned from the best"

Alianor smirked as she walked behind him, knowing he was speaking about Ryia. She had observed them as they prepared for their battle for Caine. She found them to be the cutest couple ever and loved the way they spoke of each other.

The four were executing their part of the plan: Finding the other former guardians and recruiting people from the north to fight. Being the one that grew up in the North, Philip was the one that had to lead the way.

As they walked, they kept their eyes peeled for warriors, but not once had they come across one of the vile creatures. They weren't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

It took them some time, but they finally came to the tall hedge they were looking for. Philip led them along it.

"What's on the other side?" Zoricus asked

"You'll see" he answered

They walked for a little while before they came to a spot where there was a small gap in the base of the hedge.

"Take a look," Philip said

The older guardians bent over and looked through. They first saw the back of a large house and then a beautiful garden. It didn't take long for them to figure out where they were.

"We're at Gawain's house" Alistair stated

"Yes sir" Philip answered

"Is it bad that I'm jealous that his house is bigger than mine?" Zoricus asked causing the others to smile and shake their heads at him

Alistair was about to respond to his friend's question when he saw something step in front of them. They quickly stood upright and stepped away from the hedge.

"What is it?" Alianor asked

"Shadow warrior" her grandfather whispered

"What are they doing here?" she asked

"I'm guessing Caine has them guarding whoever is in the house like he did with us" Zoricus answered

"Of course" Philip sighed

"So how do we get past them?" Alianor asked

"Leave it to me"

Philip stepped in front of the hedge and got down on one knee, peeping through the gap. He quickly noticed there were more than one of the black creatures. He lifted his hand, palm facing forward. He took a deep breath and concentrated.

Nothing happened at first, but soon, tiny icy flakes emerged from his palms and quickly surrounded the warrior that was the closest. He was instantly turned into an ice sculpture. The other warriors noticed, but it was too late. Philip turned his hand to them, and they too had turned into ice within seconds.

He then waited to see if there were more, but the yard stayed clear.

"The coast is clear, for now at least," he said

"Well, let's go" Alianor urged

Philip squeezed through the gap, the others following behind him. They scanned the yard as they slowly and quietly made their way towards the house. They froze when they heard the back door open. They quickly looked at it and saw a woman waving them over. Realizing it was Royale, Philip quickly lead them over. They entered the house, and the door quickly closed behind them. It was then that the former guardians saw who had opened the door.

"Royale!" the older men said in unison

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Alistair, Zoricus," she said walking up to them with bright eyes "You're here" she added, embracing them

"We are," Alistair said with a nod

She broke the hug and looked over at Philip and Alianor, smiling at them.

"I see you've gotten your powers," she said and the two nodded

She was looking out the window when she saw the shadow warriors freeze. She instantly knew it was magic and the work of an ice guardian. She had seen Ilda freeze things and people many times before.

Ryia suddenly noticed there were only two guardians.

"Where's Ryia?' she quickly asked, "And the others?"

'They're...fighting" Philip answered

"Fighting?" The older woman was instantly worried about her granddaughter and Philip noticed

"She'll be fine" he assured her "We both know she can handle herself"

She nodded in agreement but was still worried. These weren't the bullies making fun of her or wild animals. This was Caine and his shadow warriors.

"But why are you all here and not fighting?" she finally asked

"We're looking for your husband and the others" Alistair answered

"And we need more people to fight with us" Zoricus added

"Is Gawain here?" Philip asked

Dread instantly appeared on her face.

"Caine has him and the other guardians under guard in the town square" she answered

A look of surprise was on their faces. They expected the former guardians to be in their homes. This meant that there had to be a change of plans.

"We have to go help them?" the young brunette said

"That we do," her grandfather agreed before looking at Royale "Would you be good here alone?"

"I'm not alone" she answered "Gavin is here with me"

Philip's ears perked up at the name.

"Gavin is here?" he asked

"Yes I am," said a voice from behind them

They quickly turned around and behind them stood a young man.

"This is my grandson, Gavin" Royale introduced before turning to him "And this is Alistair and Zoricus, the former guardians and old friends. This is Alistair's granddaughter, Alianor"

"It's nice to meet you young man" Alistair greeted

"Same here sir," he said back

Even though Gavin was the last of the three sons, he was certainly the tallest. Ryia would always joke about how he would hit his head on the ceiling if he wasn't careful. He had his sister's brown skin, his mother's strong nose and his grandfather's sharp jaw. His dreads were always kept at shoulder length.

"And you know Philip" Royale said

"Philip" he greeted coldly

"Hey," Philip said, nervously waving his hand

This wasn't just his secret girlfriend's older brother. This was his secret girlfriend's older brother that had caught them kissing in the stables at one of Philip's jousting matches. From then on he would always get threatening looks from the brother, even though Ryia talked to him and made him promise not to speak of what he saw.

"You all don't have to worry about my grandmother, I'll keep her safe" Gavin said

"Very well," Alistair said "Let's get moving"

"I'll show you to the door," Royale said before leading the way through the corridor. They walked past Gavin, Philip doing so a bit more cautiously, following Royale to the front of the house. They finally got to the front door.

"Once you're at the gate, Philip will lead you to the square," she said "And be careful, there are still a warrior or two out there in the yard, and more along the streets"

"And you and your grandson stay safe" Alistair said to her, his hand resting on her shoulder "This will all be over soon"

Royale nodded before opening the front door a bit, allowing them to slip through.

"Good luck" she whispered before closing the door behind them