The forest was silent. Abigail knew she was all alone. Her stomach knotted, her hands beginning to shake.
"Stop right there!" She heard a distant voice call out. She turned around, gasping. She couldn't see anyone but heard the stomping of hooves.
She decided to hide. She spotted a large tree and ran behind it, thanking the lord that it was there.
Wack! The sound echoed through the forest. She heard the rustling of leaves and almost screamed when a horse ran past her, dragging a boy with it.
The boy's foot was stuck in the stirrup of the saddle that was strapped onto the running horse. Finally, the boy kicked free. His horse left him in the small clearing.
He laid there motionless. Abby feared that he was dead so she peeked around the corner to watch him. He was breathing.
He slowly propped himself up on his elbows and looked around. Abby had already backed up behind the tree, her breathing heavy.
His expression turned into terrified as she heard the creaking of a door opening. He started backing up from the tree she was hiding behind.
"He's seen us." A gruff voice hissed as the boy stared in horror. Abby peeked around the tree to see two small people. They were dwarves with long beards and large foreheads.
She saw the boy's eyes flash towards a sword. One of the dwarves uncapped two shorter swords and ran towards the boy.
She didn't know what made her do what she did, but she instantly felt the need to stand up for him, a feeling she had encountered many times at the orphanage.
"No!" She screamed, running to the boy and falling next to him, her arms out in a protective stance, glaring up at the small man who averted eye contact, staring down at something near them.
There on the ground was what looked like a horn. It was carved as a roaring lion and looked quite old.
The dwarf with the white beard seemed puzzled, looking between the horn, Abby, the boy and the man behind them. Horses were coming from the distance, startling all of them.
The dwarf with the white beard who was holding out the sword turned to the dwarf with the black beard. "Take care of them!"
He ran towards the horses just as the man with the black beard ran towards them. Abby grabbed the boy's arm nervously. He started going towards the horn and blew it, causing the small man to scream out "No!"
The small man took the hilt of his sword and used it to knock the boy out. The boy groaned, sinking to the floor.
"What do you think you're doing!" Abby screamed as the dwarf took hold of the boy's legs.
"Well don't just stand there, help me!" The dwarf screamed looking her over with a disgusted expression.
She glanced between the dwarf and the soldiers nervously and decided that she would rather help the dwarf.
She slipped her arms under the boy's and lifted him up, helping the dwarf go into the large tree she was hiding behind before.
"Quickly, Trufflehunter, get the horn!" The dwarf hissed at a figure that came out of the tree. It was a badger! And that wasn't all…the badger was walking on its two hind legs!
"I'm going, I'm going!" The badger spoke. Abby nearly dropped the boy in shock. The badger had just spoke! "I'll take care of him!"
She helped the dwarf get the boy inside the small house. It was small but liveable. There was a roaring fire that was burning in the small fireplace, illuminating the small living area.
"In here!" The dwarf spoke just as the badger ran in with the boy's sword and his horn.
Abby followed the dwarf into a small room that had three beds. She helped him put the boy in the bed that was the nearest to the door.
"I don't understand why we just can't kill them." The dwarf muttered to the badger, Trufflehunter, as he walked in with bandages and a bowl of water, setting them on a table.
"Excuse me?" Abby exclaimed, shocked. "Kill us? Why would you do such a thing?"
"Because you're Telmarines!" The dwarf snapped, pointing a small finger at her as if accusing her of a big crime.
"What are Telmarines?" She asked, confused. Trufflehunter looked up, frowning at her, his small beady eyes looking her over.
"Where are you from?" He asked carefully.
"Just outside of London." She responded hesitantly.
"London?" The dwarf asked. "Is London in Narnia?"
"What's Narnia?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Oh dear, a daughter of Eve." Trufflehunter said worriedly, his gaze lingering on the boy's face. "I shall explain to you while we help him. Would you mind helping me take off his armour?"
Abby nodded, taking a seat on the bed next to the boy and helping Trufflehunter take off the light armour he was wearing.
Trufflehunter handed her a wet cloth and she started washing off the small amount of blood that was on his dirty face.
"My name is Trufflehunter." The badger introduced himself as he bandaged the boy's head. "And the dwarf in the kitchen is Nikabrik."
"And the one who is gone?" She asked softly.
"That was Trumpkin." Trufflehunter said sadly.
"I'm sorry." She smiled softly. "I'm Abigail."
"Who is your friend?" He asked, glancing down at the boy.
Abby frowned down at his unfamiliar tan face. She could finally get a good glimpse of him. He had longer black hair and a handsome face. He looked around sixteen years old.
"I don't know, I've never met him." Abby responded honestly.
"Yet you risked your life for him?" Trufflehunter asked, a look of surprise crossing his face.
"I've always been like that." She shrugged her shoulders. "Ever since I was younger I would stick up for people. That's how I met-" She cut herself off short, her eyes saddening. A knot formed in her stomach. Emily. She was gone.
She wondered where Emily was.