The Thief and the Barbarian

Rescued

Craig lied in his bed, staring up at the stone ceiling. This was not how he expected his day to go. It started out with such promise. He was traveling, having a picnic, he was even about to tell Tweek something important, and then...

Craig sighed. Tweek...He didn't know what to think of Tweek anymore. He didn't really expect him to risk his life by following them and trying to stop them, but he was hoping to have at least heard from him by now. It's been hours. It was almost nightfall. He kept expecting Tweek to come up to the little window in the cell wall that lead to outside, but there was nothing. The boy closed his eyes.

All of his past insecurities came flooding back, forcing him to instinctively jump to conclusions. He felt paranoid. What if Tweek really wasn't coming back for him? What if he was just a lost cause to him? He'd let someone in, only to regret it once again. His trust in people just kept getting stomped out every time he put himself out there. And to think he was really going to tell him...

He was going to be executed tomorrow for mere thievery, and no one will miss him. He thought he'd be used to this feeling by now, but he supposed not. Not after Tweek. Craig sighed again and relaxed. Maybe some miracle will happen, and he'll be able to escape the guards as they let him out to bring him to his death, but with his mind reeling and his body worn from trying to find a way to escape the cell for nearly two hours, he just wanted to rest.

~o~O~o~

Craig blinked in confusion as he heard a loud sound happen somewhere in the building. He lethargically opened his eyes all the way and sat up with a groan. Looking up at the barred window, he saw that it was now pitch black outside. How long had he been asleep? He let out a sigh as there was still no sign of Tweek. Maybe he really had left him for dead. Go figure. Craig rubbed his face with his hands to try and rid himself of his sleepiness. There was another crash, and some yelling. Craig lifted his head before standing up and walking up to the cell bars. What the hell was going on out there?

"Craig! Hey!" He heard a voice whisper-yell. He quickly turned around, and he suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.

"Tweek!" He replied as he ran up to the window, grabbing the bars. Tweek smiled, looking like he might cry, and put his hands over Craig's.

"Don't you worry, we're going to get you out of here!" Tweek whispered. Craig blinked.

"W-we?" Tweek just smiled at him before releasing his hands and suddenly darting away. "Tweek!" He called, but he was gone. After a bit, Craig jumped when he heard more crashing, yelling, and now screams. He raised his eyebrows. He was starting to get concerned. He walked back over to the cell door and looked out at the dungeon door. There was something serious going on on the other side of that door, and Craig's curiosity was eating at him. After what seemed like forever, the door suddenly slammed open, or more like was smashed open, and Tweek came gliding in. He ran up to Craig's cell. The thief looked at him in bewilderment.

"How-" He began, but the barbarian boy shushed him.

"Not now, we can discuss later." He said, taking out a ring of keys. He began fiddling with each one, trying to find which one fit the lock. While he was distracted, Craig narrowed his eyes as he saw movement behind Tweek in the dimly lit dungeon.

"Tweek!" Craig warned as a blue bolt suddenly shot at Tweek, who luckily dodged in time. It hit the bars on Craig's cell before dissipating into thin air. Tweek whirled around to see none other than the Elf King.

"I can't let you go." Kyle said sternly, aiming his staff at Tweek.

"Why are you doing this?" Tweek growled. "You obviously don't want to!" Kyle bit his lip.

"I...If I do not do what Cartman says, he will start a war with my faction."

"Dude, you're a king! So what if Cartman wants you to do something? You have just as much power!" Craig argued. Kyle shook his head.

"We cannot take another war. I've already lost so many. And if saving many of my people means killing a lowly thief and a barbarian, then I shall do so." He said coldly before mercilessly firing another bolt. Tweek jumped out of the way just in time.

"Then I guess I have no choice!" Tweek snarled as he grabbed the knife from his belt and charged at Kyle. There was limited space in the small dungeon, so Kyle didn't really have much room to use his ranged attacks, but Tweek was good with close-up, hand to hand combat. The Elf king fired bolt after bolt at Tweek, who kept narrowly dodging. Tweek quickly slid up behind him and swiped at him, giving him a small cut in his side as he tried to dodge. Kyle began getting concerned as he knew his disadvantage. He began using his staff to physically attack and block Tweek instead of using his magic.

"You don't have to do this, Kyle!" Craig pleaded from his cell as he could only helplessly watch. "You don't have to listen to Cartman!" Kyle glanced at Craig in his peripherals as he kept blocking and dodging Tweek's attacks. "Just let us go!" Kyle remained quiet, but seemed to be at war with himself, his eyes sad and, yet, determined. As Tweek kept coming at him with attack after attack, Kyle was clearly getting tired, and he needed to end this quickly. With a last burst of energy, he held up his staff.

"Enough!" Kyle commanded as a white light suddenly flashed from his staff, sending both Tweek and Craig flying back into the walls. Craig groaned as he slowly regained his equilibrium and stood up with help from his bed, using it to prop himself. He saw Kyle in a defensive stance with his staff as he stared at Tweek with a desperate look. "You can't begin to understand the position I'm in! My people count on me to keep them safe! I cannot let them down!" Tweek tried standing up with help from the wall behind him. Kyle shot another blue bolt at him, and since he was still dazed, it hit him directly, causing him to fall to the floor again with an agonized yelp.

"Tweek!" Craig cried. He then cast a glare at Kyle. "Elf king, you have to stop this! You're going to kill him!"

"I...I have to..."

"No, you don't! For once, I agree with Cartman! You have to grow a fucking spine, man! Stand up to the bastard! You're a king, too! Don't let him control you!"

"But...my people..." Kyle said, looking down. Tweek suddenly chimed in weakly as he managed to sit up.

"At least...if you go to war...your people will die fighting for a...a just cause in taking the fatass down..." Tweek wheezed between breaths. "But, right now...your people are dying because you're too...scared to stand up to Cartman...If it were my people...I'd want my people to remember me for being a brave leader who lead them into battle courageously...Not one who allowed them to die because he was too scared...to stand up to some fat fuck...If you let us go...no one else's life will be threatened..." Kyle's hands were shaking. He looked between Tweek and Craig, then at the door, where screams and crashes still rang. The Elf king flinched at the sounds as he realized in trying to save his people, he was doing the opposite by putting them in danger for something so minuscule. It hadn't even been his kingdom that had been stolen from that lead to all this! It was Cartman. All Cartman.

"Damn it!" Kyle snarled as he glared at Tweek and Craig. "Do not fuck me over!" He said as he grabbed the keys off the ground and found the correct one, using it to pop Craig's lock open. The cell door swung open, and Craig ran out, heading over to Tweek, who seemed to have a hard time breathing.

"Tweek, are you alright?"

"Step aside." Kyle said. Craig did so, and Kyle pointed the end of his staff at Tweek before moving it in a strange pattern over his head. It flickered purple, and a mist of the same color swirled down and engulfed the barbarian. After a few moments, it dissipated, and Tweek took in a large gasp of air. He put a hand to his neck as if to make sure his windpipes were really working. Slowly, Tweek stood up with Craig's help before turning his head to look at Kyle.

"Thank you..." He said softly. Kyle sighed before nodding his head in acknowledgement. "Come on, Craig, we have to hurry."