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Leopold liked being a paladin. He liked assisting the king to new and exciting places. He liked meeting with new people, and he liked helping old friends. He liked Stan Marshwalker.
The king had brought Leopold back to the Elven Forest for another negotiation. Leopold didn’t want to assume anything about his king, but the way he looked at the elven leader? There were probably more than just negotiations going on. So, while the king and the elf probably made out, Leopold was left to wander the Elven town once more.
He hurried to the training grounds, where he sometimes saw Stan. Not there. He went into the market, hoping that maybe Stan would be getting a bite to eat. That was not the case. He asked a few elves where the human had gone, and they all shrugged. “The forest, maybe,” they told Leopold, so the forest was where he went.
The dense mass of flora was intimidating. There weren’t forests like this anywhere near Kupa Keep. It wasn’t just a collection of trees. Leopold knew this. Any outsider knew this, just from looking at it. The forest was alive, and this is what the elves used to give them their magic powers. Their connection to nature was what kept them strong.
Leopold realised, pretty quickly, that he shouldn’t be here.
He felt vines tickle his legs, teasing to wrap around them if he spent too long lingering. Leopold walked a little faster, but soon found out that the way he had just came in was now a tunnel of trees. He had heard from elves before that the forest was a trickster. The trees liked to trap unknowing humans or young, unlearned elves in their branches and vines, keeping them stuck for hours or possibly days before releasing them again.
Leopold swallowed. He didn’t want to be stuck for days! Where would he use the bathroom?
He had lingered for too long again, and a vine had grown over Leopold’s toes. He took a step forwards but tripped, falling flat onto his face. Leopold’s armour protected him from sudden unexpected attacks, but it definitely didn’t protect him from a fall. If anything, his knee guards digging against his skin just made it worse. The forest knew what it did. Leopold almost heard laughter on the wind.
“I don’t appreciate these jokes,” Leopold mumbled, pushing himself from the dirt. At least there wasn’t mud. Just sheets of leaves, varying from green to orange to brown. There were no real concepts of seasons in the forest, it just was. Leopold stood straight and started walking as he brushed himself off, not wanting to spend another moment standing still. Being vulnerable. At least there were no animals in the forest that would attack Leopold, right?
He had spoken too soon.
He hadn’t been walking long when a sudden bark sent chills running down his spine. He turned to see a large dog, some glistening grey fur amongst the mostly-black mass, running towards him. Leopold gasped. Not wasting a second, he threw himself forwards, desperately trying to keep space between him and the beast. He knew this was futile. The dogs that were trained in the Elven kingdom originally came from the forest. Given how fast the Elven dogs ran, the ones in the forest probably weren’t much slower - perhaps even faster. Leopold barely felt tears roll down his cheeks as he pushed forwards, his lungs burning, his muscles tearing from the strain. The paws were so close. The dog was almost upon him. It was useless. Hopeless.
Leopold hit the ground hard as the dog leapt onto him and pinned him down. He was going to die. Leopold sobbed, his tears staining the leaves beneath him as he braced himself for teeth digging into his flesh.
That feeling never came. Instead, Leopold felt the back of his neck get licked by a very big, wet tongue. The dog above him panted almost as hard as Leopold was, but made no move to hurt him. Had he just been tricked again?
Relief didn’t fully come until Leopold heard another voice. “Sparky!” It yelled. “Get back here, boy!”
Wait, was that Stan?
The dog suddenly perked up, then jumped off of Leopold’s back. The paladin could finally stand again. He wiped his eyes and looked at where the voice had come from - a human, dressed in casual clothing, but wearing an ornate cape and helmet. Black hair peeked from underneath, sticking to his forehead from sweat. It was Stan.
Leopold blushed. He had just been running away from Stan’s dog. Oh, of all the ways to make yourself look like an idiot…
“Marshwalker,” Leopold called out, hesitantly walking towards the man and his dog.
Stan looked over from Sparky to the paladin. “Wait, Leopold? Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Um…” Leopold rubbed the back of his neck, still sloppy from dog drool. “Well, if I’m honest, I was looking for you.”
“And you came into the forest?” Stan gave a small smile that made Leopold’s heart race. “Do you have a death wish?”
“Oh, no sir! I just-”
“I told you,” Stan said, his hands on his hips. “Just call me Stan.”
“Right, yessir-- Stan.”
Stan’s eyes raked over Leopold’s body. The paladin realised that he probably looked like a total mess, his clothes and armour now scuffed and dirty. “You got stuck, huh?” Leopold could only nod. Stan came closer and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll help you out. You shouldn’t come in here if you don’t know how to get out, first.”
“I know,” Leopold mumbled. “I didn’t think…”
“That it was that bad? Well, you know now.” Stan smiled. “But it’s no problem. Let’s head out.”
Leopold stuck close to Stan and his dog as they made their way through the forest. The paladin was amazed that Stan knew his way through, seeing right through the deception of the trees. What was even more amazing was Stan reaching out his gloved hand to brush against Leopold’s. His heart skipped a beat before realising just what Stan was trying to do - he was proposing that the two of them hold hands, in the most unsure way Leopold could see. He sucked in his breath and took hold of Stan’s hand, lacing their fingers together. His heart beat faster than when he was running from the dog - this was far scarier than being hunted by a forest beast.
Nervously, Leopold glanced over at Stan. The other man was smiling to himself, eventually noticing Leopold’s gaze and locking eyes with him. Stan’s face had been tinted pink. Leopold melted. The other man was adorable, so caring and kind, and had offered his hand. It was far too much for a simple paladin to handle.
“It’s tempting,” Stan mumbled, “to keep you in here for a little longer.”
Leopold took a quick breath. “Why’s that?”
Stan looked away for a moment. Not fast enough - Leopold had noticed his face going darker. “I’d like to have you to myself for a moment more.”
Leopold couldn’t fight his lopsided smile, his heart racing. “Well,” he hummed, “I suppose we could get a little lost.”
Stan, still facing away, squeezed Leopold’s hand. It made his heart leap from his chest, making his whole body warm. The forest was hellish - unless you had someone to share it with.