Two Sides (Stan x Kyle)

21

Opening his eyes slowly, Stan wakes up to a blanket of darkness covering the cave.

He stares around for a moment, unsure of the time. Stan usually is woken up by Gregory, who yells for him for an absurd task. Today, however, it seems Stan is the only one awake.

He takes this as a sign to prepare, pulling on his thick, cloth trousers and his undercoat with the very same bell sleeves he has grown accustomed to. Stan grabs his leather belt- one that he had stolen from Kenny- and wraps it around his waist carefully, hooking the loop and placing a bound satchel upon it.

Finally, he looks forth to find his fleece cloak, a gift from Rodger Donovan, the tailor he had seen oh-so-many times. He debates grabbing his leather bag Kyle had bought for him and ultimately ends up bringing it.

It will be useful, He tells himself, I can store my weapons- although-

Stan sighs, noting how idiotic it is to argue with himself over this topic. He does not know which to pick: Forgive Kyle for charming him, or do not. And even then, Stan still is yet to know if Kyle really did hypnotize him.

He decides to push this thought to the back of his mind and instead packs his array of knives. He stores them in the leather pouch and buttons it, then takes the Spellblazer's dagger and slides it into the satchel upon his belt. It very well may come in handy.

Then, as a relief, Stan hears slight shuffles and hollers, expecting Gregory to have woken up. He peeks out of the entrance to his cave and spots the familiar leader shaking everybody awake.

When he arrives at Stan's door he seems surprised.

"Oh, you have woken up! Wonderful- and you are already packed, oh how I adore you, Stan!" He exclaims.

"What put you into such a good mood as of today, Gregory?" Stan questions, pleasantly surprised by the encounter.

Gregory shakes his head, "Oh boo! Yes, I happen to be happy- I have waited for this day for ten years!"

Stan smiles, "Well, shall we get along with it?"

The two shout around the area, effectively waking everybody up for the day ahead.

Stan marvels as he sees Kenny putting on a leather vest, tucking a serrated knife in the pocket.

Ah, so he did find someone who knows how to serrate a blade.

The morning goes by like a blur, and before he knows it, Stan is in front of everyone as they are about to depart.

He looks at his new-found comrades, ones that have had his back for months. Studying them one by one, seeing Kenny, Leopold, Damien, Pip, Mole, and finally, the leader himself, Gregory, Stan feels his heart grow warm.

"Everyone," he begins, faces snapping to face him at the sudden call, "I would just like to announce that I am so very proud of what we have accomplished so far- and even more so of what we will achieve after the sun has set."

"We may very well die on this expedition," he continues, "Yet you have all taken this risk to fight by my side to save the Elven King, and I am forever grateful for this fact."

Heads begin to nod in the tiny crowd and Stan's voice slightly breaks, "This journey will be long and hard and grueling, but I know that you lot are some of the best fighters I know."

Gregory smiles at him and Stan receives the gesture, his eyes sparkling with determination, "For La Resistance!"

Everybody cheers, shouting and crying to others, hearing only 'good luck's and 'goodbye's, some members more optimistic than the ones saying farewell.

As people begin to quiet down, Gregory steps up, now taking initiative, "Now is the time, we shall march to the Kingdom of the West!"

The walk begins slowly, with Stan looking at his feet rather than chatting amongst his peers. The only thing he can think of is how he will free Kyle.

Stan knows many things about the hostage ordeal in his Kingdom, for he was the one in charge of it. The King of the West had taken an old housekeeper once, and Stan could barely muster the confidence to give her off to Steven, the executioner.

It has been months since Kyle was kidnapped, and Stan expects the worst- to find a coffin holding Kyle's corpse- yet Stan still keeps hope. For the King is somewhat sadistic and has most likely kept Kyle in the dungeon to be tortured for the rest of his life. To The King of the West, death is a release; an escape from the horrors of the gruesome treatment.

"Stan? Are you alright?" He hears a voice close to his ear.

Stan jumps, a little frightened, but soon regains his composure. He looks to the side to see Kenny staring at him with concern in his eyes.

"Ah- yes, I am fine," he states, "Just- Steven is known for his methods, it is a tad scary, you know?"

Kenny nods, "Do not worry, the King of the West is heartless. He will not kill the Elven King, and he most definitely has not already."

Stan smiles at Kenny for comforting him and they walk on in silence, staring at the scenery around them.

First, it is green forests with tall trees, but then it becomes large marshes with lakes all around. Stan remembers this place and he remembers what biome is next.

As they enter the desert, Stan thinks back to the plan they had created days in advance, and how it was all scrapped when Gregory had asked him to go undercover. Stan had gotten more information about the plan later, and it seemed straightforward enough.

Stan is to enter the castle from the grounds gate and stay undetected. If anyone is to spot him, they will just assume he has returned from a mission, for Stan had done that frequently when he was still general. Once Stan passes to the dungeon, he will use his powers to fight off Steven and save Kyle while Gregory and Damien rally up the town to fight the King.

The plan is simple enough, but Stan knows that everything can go wrong if one person messes up, and he does not want to fail to save Kyle.

"Alright everybody," Stan hears a voice upfront, it is Gregory, "We shall stop here to rest and hydrate. We are a third of the way there!"

Stan looks up at the sun's position, seeing it halfway through the sky. They may be able to avoid the harsh desert winds at night if they continue walking at the pace they are at, but Stan guesses that fatigue will set in.

After their break, the group walks, people weaving in and out of conversations while Stan battles his thoughts. The chill picks up in the air and Stan shivers. He now knows they will not make it in time to shun the night air.

He quickly grabs his leather gloves and rapidly pulls them on, putting the hood of his cloak up and hugging himself.

The temperature drop seems to have kicked in when everyone begins to button their jackets and brace their faces. Stan stays in the back to avoid the head-on wind, but Gregory remains in the front, his teeth clenched together and eyes dead-set in the path ahead.

The moon rises as the group treks further and further. But, soon Stan spots a tree, and then another, and then another.

Gregory sees this too and picks up the pace, guiding everyone behind him to do the same. With the trees blocking the cold, harsh wind, the chill in the air is not as noticeable once they reach the cover of the canopy.

Content to be in the forest again, Stan sighs with relief and marches up front to walk with Gregory.

"We are close, Gregory. What do you happen to be feeling?" Stan asks.

Gregory shrugs, "I am not sure, but I do know that we will win. And I do know that we will save Kyle."

Stan nods as they continue their conversation, walking for hours and hours and hours until someone shouts, "It is there! I see it!"

Immediately the group crouches down, careful to not make a peep.

Gregory looks over at Stan, a small smile forming at the edge of his lips.

"Go on, Stanley. Save Kyle and stop this war. I believe in you."