Emergency Landing Campsite

Ludwig turned to look Feliciano fully in the eyes, trying to calm her by placing a hand at her shoulder. "You are not going to have to go back to that cave." Though Ludwig might go back to the cave to fight, Feliciano wouldn't have to go with him.

He looked to Arthur. "The castle is the nearest structure I know, and the remaining castle guards should have called in the militia by now."

He closed his eyes a moment and did his best to reign his own feelings in, as he had done for years. "There is also obligation for me to be there at my uncle's ... funeral, as the new king." The last word caught in his throat. His eyes were suddenly burning. "I don't know what it would imply to the kingdom if I wasn't there. Or even if I go."

"Silly girl, a kidnapped prince is more than a scandal, it's a war declaration! At times like these nobody cares to know who's at fault and who is not. Blood thirsty, all of 'em."

To be honest, Alfred didn't really want to return, either. "And what are we going to do, Arthur?" asked Alfred with a bit of a blush for having implied that he was going to follow Arthur along.

Arthur took a moment to gather his own thoughts of what everyone had said; Feliciano's need to write home, Ludwig needing to attend his uncle's funeral and Alfred simply unsure of what to do. Maybe heading back to that castle wasn't for the best right now.

He looked a moment at Alfred's blushing face, and in that moment he decided that he didn't want Alfred going back either. Not if he could be easily swayed once again.

"I think," He began slowly, still gathering his thoughts, "that for now, you should head back to your kingdom Ludwig, give your uncle the respect he deserves. That should also give the potion time to wear off!"

With a small smile directed towards Feliciano, he added, "You can also write to your Father"

"I think it would be unwise to return when there is so few of us and clearly hundreds of soldiers in that castle. We need a better understanding of what is in there!"

His last thought was added with a glance at Alfred. Who else would have all the information they needed?

Feliciano nodded in Ludwig's direction. Going back to the griffins castle sounded like a good idea, instead, even though Ludwig was going to have a hard time facing what was left of his family there.
The princess squeezed his hand, noticing how he was trying to fight back his own feelings. Probably, she thought, the now griffin king would have preferred to go back to the cave and fight another thousand Alfreds instead of going back to his uncle's castle.

She then glanced back to the other two. Of course she was eventually going to write to her dad - especially why she still didn't know what was happening home. Inside, she was still scared that they might have been attacked like it had happened to Ludwig's uncle.
Feliciano knew that she wasn't prepared to face such an event.

"Then... we're going back, mh?" she turned to Ludwig again. Even if he was suffering for his uncle's loss, he was still standing strong by Feliciano's side, able to take his decisions and to act sensibly.

Ludwig nodded. "That sounds like a good plan to me." He couldn't bring himself to release Feliciano's hand, though he knew in his head that it wasn't really appropriate. After all Feliciano didn't seem to mind at all. The whole situation wasn't helping his instincts, which were telling him he had to court the once-prince-now-princess to make Feliciano his mate.

When they got back to the castle, Ludwig wasn't sure how he would be able to treat Alfred. Preferably, he would have locked the man up, but if he was under the influence of someone with magic, and ways to make someone suffer, it made sense that the man had been nothing more than an unfortunate puppet.

"Do you think that it would be wiser to take to the skies or go by ground?" he asked, looking at Alfred and trying not to make it sound like an order for an answer.

It was, after all, something they would need to know. He certainly didn't mind the idea of carrying Feliciano's easy weight again, but he wasn't going to risk making themselves easy targets.

He didn't know why he did that but suddenly he was no longer by Arthur's side, pushing himself between Feliciano and Ludwig instead. "Excuse me, brute!" He scowled towards Ludwig, wrapping his arm over Feli's shoulders. "But I'm afraid you gotta join the men group while I stay here and be proper company for our little princess!" At the mention of 'men group' he pointed at Arthur who was still at the back, staring in confusion.

"I really don't care a shit about you, Feliciano. But given that I've been in a similiar situation, I thought I could help you out. I hope Artie is pervert enough to have kept the dress, so that you can wear it."

Alfred said out loud that they were obviously flying; For walking made women tired and when they're tired they want to sit down and sitting down meant impromptu kissing session and impromptu kissing sessions would result in heart break. It was all out of his own experience, he exclaimed.

Arthur now looked at Alfred with a frown. For quite a few reasons.

The first reason was for the pervert comment, because NO he did carry a dress around. Which he made perfectly clear to the others and that their now female companion would simply have to stay dressed as she was. The second reason, was that Alfred was surely going to start another argument with the griffin by calling him a brute and for touching Feliciano. That would surely only bring back what Alfred had done. And the third reason was a mixture of Alfred touching Feliciano (funny how that came up again) and the dramatic change in his personality again.

In the background, the sound of a dragon could be heard. No doubt Alfred’s new pet.

“If we’re going to travel by air, I highly suggest we go now. Before those soldiers catch up with us!” Arthur said, with a glance back to direction of the castle, then immediately in Ludwig’s direction again “the question is.. Are we heading in the same direction?”

Feliciano looked with horror at Alfred intruding between her and Ludwig. Now, even if Alfred's personality seemed to be back to normal, she wasn't sure yet that she wanted his company at all, even though the blond guy considered himself a "proper company".

"Ludwig isn't a brute!" she protested, faintly. Then she rubbed her head, uncertain.
"A... dress?" she asked, quite curious. Looking down at her, she could see that her clothes didn't fit her body anymore. Plus, girls looked extremely pretty in dresses, didn't they?

After that, even though Feliciano still found Alfred a bit creepy, he couldn't not agree with was he was saying about walking - and walking already made Feliciano extremely tired when he was a boy, she didn't want to discover how tired she could get while being a girl. She couldn't get the kissing part of the monologue, though, but that didn't matter.

Ludwig glared at Alfred and would have bit the man's head off, perhaps literally. It was Feliciano's comment that saved the other man.

"Feliciano will stay with me," he said to Alfred, then turned his attention to Arthur. "We should, probably fly, but in a less direct route, but that would still put us back to the castle after midday."

It sounded like the prince/princess was considering the possibility of a dress, but he didn't want Alfred to help him at all. "I don't know that a dress would be the best idea while we are flying, but I am sure we can get one at the castle." He shot a hand out to Feliciano in front of Alfred. "Are you willing to come along with me again?"

He remembered at that to smile at Feliciano; if he wanted this man to be his mate, he would need to court him.

Alfred rolled his head at Ludwig's antics, so rude! But then again, where did his own change of attitude come from? Right then and there he was tempted to crash his own head against something hard.
Frustrated he whistled for Rebekkah. The majestic dragon appeared from the crown of the trees and headed down in a graceful dive. She landed with small earthquake and promptly nuzzled Alfred's hair. Alfred purred and pressed his head against her snout as means of communication.

"I would like to go home, Arthur," he said in a low whisper. Actually, he was a bit hesitant about that. He really didn't know how to face all the familiarities in his home kingdom, the familiar faces of his family, friends, surrounding. But maybe it was better for him to get a sense of himself again, slowly and gradually. And at times like these it was better for the kings to be present in their kingdoms. If King Ludwig desired the presence of other royalties at the funeral then he would surely send an official invitation.

"I think we should quickly pack our things and erase the traces."

Home. The minute it was mentioned, the ache in his heart increased. Arthur desperately wanted to return home to his beloved Woodland Realm, there was too much to report on the war. As well as wanting to make sure his people and his kingdom were still safe.

“I agree. I wish to return home for a short time!” A glance towards Ludwig again, “If it’s no concern to you, of course. We can return for the funeral of your uncle, but for now, I want to make sure my kingdom and the people are safe!”

He also hated to think of the unrest he was going back home to. He had been away for awhile, leaving his council to take care of everything while he was away. Surely the news of Ludwig’s uncle being killed and his castle being taken over had already travelled back to the Woodland Realm, and surely fear had taken over.

Yes, he was determined to return home.