The small Child answered after they stopped crying. "M-mommy.. s-said go a-and I left b-but she s-started to c-cry s-so I w-went back." The kid whispered. "A-and t-these people l-looked like—!" The kid looked at balin and held themselves from screaming. "L-like t-that." The kid whisperer in lances ear. Lance dropped his caring expression, he was in shock for a moment then anger rose in him like never before. Lance looked at balin as if asking if he knew about this. Balin shook his head. "W-we need to g-get a-away from h-him." Said the small kid. Lance looked back at the kid with a caring look as if there was no residing anger in lance. "I know this one, he is no possible threat…" lance reassured the kid. "I'm desperate for him not to be one anyway." Lance muttered, balin caught this and patted lances shoulder with a warm smile. "I am." He mouthed to lance, the kid began to shed tears but didn't make any noise. "Shhh shhh shh.. I'm here it's ok.. nothing will happen for now, but we should get up high soon." Lance whispered in the kids ear.
The kid slowly rose their hand and pointed into the distance. One of the shadow like figures was looking in bushes. Lance froze, he looked at Balin who noticed the figure and was thinking. Lance pointed towards a vine hanging from a tree. He stood slowly, he whispered in the small kids ear. "We're going to climb that, you think you can handle it?" The small kid nodded. Lance quietly walked over and began to climb it. He got to the sturdiest branch when he stopped and told to small kid to climb up. Balin helped the kid start climbing. The kid was hesitant to trust balin but it was the only option they had. Lance held his hand down for the kid, once the kid got in arms length lance grabbed the kids shirt collar and pulled them up quickly. Then Balin came up, he had grabbed lances satchel before he climbed up.
Lance helped Balin up into the branch after he put the kid around the middle of the tree [all of the trees in this forest have a platform in the higher part of the tree in the middle] lance then climbed to the middle quickly and offered Balin a hand, he was already pretty much in the middle so he didn't need lances had but he still took it. Lance then pulled balin to a hug before he asked "what happened? Why are you here?" Balin pulled away and sat across from the child. He then whispered loud enough for lance to hear, but no loud enough to pull attention to them. "The queen lied, she hung my parent this morning and called them traitors and they were looking for me so I grabbed a few things and ran as fast as I could here." Lance then asked. "Where you followed?" "For a little bit but I lost them." Balin said. Lance sighed with relief. "We need to get out of here." Lance said. Balin nodded. He then shifter closer to lance, he grabbed lances hand and kissed it. "It will be ok.." Balin said as the kid was in shock. "You can kiss boys?" The kid asked curiously Balin looked confused. "It's not traditional here but yes, you can." Lance said quietly. The kid was in complete shock. They waited for what seemed hours until the fell asleep and there was no more noise.
Balin woke up first, lance was curled in his arms and was holding the kid tight. Balin kissed lances forehead. He looked around it was just about dawn. He woke lance up, when lance opened his eyes he asked hurriedly "Did something happen?!" Balin shook his head and whispered in lances ear. "The sunrise. Want to watch it with me?" Balin asked lance sat up. He giggled and said "sure, also how did you rest?" Lance asked. "I woke up once or twice but I went back to sleep soon after." Balin said. Lance laid against Balin, as the sun rose the small child woke up. Lance rubbed the kids head as they slowly woke up. The kid looked up and saw Balin they got a little scared but they didn't do anything because Lance trusted this man. Balin looked at lance and said "this sunrise is beautiful but not quite as beautiful as yourself." Lances cheeks tinted with red. "N-not in front of the k-kid." Lance said. Balin grabbed his chin. "And why not, they don't seem to mind much." Balin said as he kissed lance. Lance kissed him back as he held onto his shirt. Balin pulled away, "your so cute." Balin stated. Lance became flustered and he said "Ahem.. we should be finding a way to get out of the forest unharmed." Balin then grabbed the map out of his bag. Lance moved off of him as Balin placed the map he took from the book shop. The book title read. 'All known areas maps' balin opened the rather thick book to where they were. Balin looked around the page and he flipped to the other side and saw an small open grove about 14 and a half days away on foot from them.
He flipped around some more and he found a village sized grave yard. That was 7 days away on foot. "If we go to the field we will be faced with a either fairy or pixie village, but if we go to the graveyard we will be faced with zombies or vampires." He paused. "The pixies or fairy's will be willing to help us. The zombies and vampires I'm not sure about." Lance was thinking. "Lets go to the pixies or fairy's. It's the safest thing right now, until we can find away to maybe stop this village." Lance said firmly. Balin nodded and looked off the edge of the tree. "We can use the vine again at least to get one of us down." Balin said lance began to speak "let me—" Balin cut him off mid sentence. Balin spoke. "Let me, I can catch both of you if the vine doesn't hold up. I'm sure you can to.. but just let me for now until we know it's safe." "But—!" Balin kissed lance "I'm doing it.. ok?" Balin said once he finished kissing Lance. "Fine." Lance said while pouting. Balin was climbing down the vine when about half way it snapped. Balin knew this would happen so he was prepared. He caught himself on a branch. Lance heard it snap and looked over the side very cautiously. "Balin?" He called out. "Yea, handsome?" Balin responses once he dropped off the branch and landed on another. Lance sighed with relief.
Balin smiled up at lance. Lance told the kid. "Your going down before me ok? I'm going to put you on a lower branch then your going to jump to his arms ok?" The kid was scared but did it because Lance asked. Before the kid jumped lance said. "Pretend your flying!" The kid nodded and jumped. "I'm a bird. I'm a bird. I'M A BIRD!!" The kid yelled, lance and Balin laughed. Balin still caught the kid. "Your a bird huh? I wouldn't have guessed." Balin said once the kid fell into his arms. The kid nodded. "Your turn, hun." Balin said. Before lance jumped he tossed the bags down after he put the book in Balin's bag. Balin grabbed the bags and then lance jumped. "HERE I COME!" Lance shouted. Balin caught him. Lance sighed "that was scary." Balin held lance for a moment before he said "and your so brave!" Balin sat lance down before they set off to the pixie or fairy grove.
𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟
𝐻𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡