And we did run, we ran for weeks. Everytime night fall came, we galloped away to somewhere different. We couldn't trust night anymore. Before, that was the only thing I could rely on, the dark was safe before, now daylight was. By this time, I learnt that the man's name was Heath, he had found my clothes in blood but came across my shrub hideout where more blood was. He had figured someone had come along the road, because if a woman has no guard she is taken to a village until someone lays claim to her. Women are just animals in this world. Without men, we have to be in a village until someone comes. Lots of beggers and gypsies and prostitutes are thrown into these villages when caught, so children gallor have been born in them. There aren't many, about three I think are used for women without men. I wasn't one for slavery, and no one would have lay claim to me. So he had tracked me from there to the huts and clearings and villages I went through. Until he found me on the ridge, he was beginning to lose hope he'd find me. I still wonder why he went looking for so long, why was I or the horse so important?

We were at the sea now, I hadn't seen it for years, the last time being when my father decided to take us with him on business. I don't know what it was, but he was always rushing off with men to discuss matters. Silly men. From then on, I think I loved the sea. It's soft waves of blue and the purple creatures, even the yellow and orange sunset was beautiful! We decided to camp next to the ocean tonight, if need be we could ride away down the beach, so we finally took the chance to light a fire and curl up in front of it, with warm fish in our stomachs.

"Miss?", funny how he always called me that, but he didn't know my name and that was the way I wanted it. It was safe. He would be proud, even if Heath wasn't.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Did you run away from home?"

"...You could say that". These conversations always sounded the same at the beginning. He'd ask my origins, and I'd give him a brush off.

"Do you miss them?"

"Them?"

"Your family, your friends". Oh god, I did miss them so much, I missed everything.

"I do, but I still remember them, so it's not so bad". He watched the fire for a few seconds, the flames lifting up tiny twigs and burning them. The small died first, always. Kind of sad.

"You can't go back then, I presume. My sister and I... we ran away too when we were little, but we were much younger than you are"

"How old were you? Why did you run away?"

He didn't look like he'd answer, he just kept staring into the small fire. Watching a large chunk of wood burn through at the centre, it collapsed in and then there were two pieces. The fire dimmed, and he spoke again.

"I was only 6, she was 4. I had grabbed her hand and we ran away together"

"But... why? At that age, it seems so stupid to run away especially with your baby sister"

"Ten years ago, there was a massacre at my village. Everyone was killed. I saw my dad fall, and my mother, and our grandparents. I saw my friends, my teachers, my enemies. I ran back to our hut, and grabbed my sister from her bed and we snuck out of the house. Someone saw us, my sister had been yelling a bit because of the time and because I left her teddy behind. I thought we were going to die.."

"What.. what happened? Did you manage to run?

"No.. our older brother had been coming home that night, and he saw us. He killed the man and then.. he was mortally wounded. Someone stabbed him in the stomach while he was hustling us out of the village. That's when I met..."

"Met who?". I couldn't even stop myself from asking, I just felt so curious about Heath's life. How had he become so strong? How had he lived since then? How was life like that?

"Your knight, Alec"

ALEC? He means.. my Alec?

"Alec? How, he was only 7! He couldn't have possibly been a.. a.. knight".

"He wasn't, but he was horseback with his father and a few soldiers. They must have come to find out what was happening", he sighed. He looked so fragile, so tiny, so innocent at that moment. I stood up, and trotted over to sit next to him, my hand on his. He tried to give me a grin, but it faltered.

"He took us three back to their master, my brother died though. Too much blood lose. He was only 13.. war is terrible..."

"What happened? Did you two leave? What did you do after that?"

"Calm down, no need to rush me. We stayed and trained with them all, for 2 years, then we left and lived on our own in that hut we brought you to"

" I was.. 5 then". Yes, I remember Alec training with others, he wouldn't let me meet them. My father told Alec that I wasn't to be trained with them, because they were below me. Father.. why?

"When you were five, we left. We were escorted to a clearing and we built a house and gardened and made a fairly good life for us. But I promised your knight I would pay him back, I would protect you if need be"

"These things are evil, they... gotta get you away... promised to me that he'd help us... you.. r.."

Promised to me that he'd help us.. so Heath was the man who I was meant to find. Oh Alec.. you stupid boy..

"Miss? Are you okay? Miss?"

"Huh? Oh sorry.. I uh dazed off. Must be tired, goodnight", I clampered over to Jaz and lay rested against her side, Wolfy's head on my lap. I took a quick glance over at Heath, he looked cold and the ground wasn't a very good place to sleep...

"Heath? Why don't you come lay against Jaz with me? You'd be warmer", I bit my lip - I hope this didn't sound like I was flirting!

He looked up a bit stunned, probably shocked I asked.

"Uh y-yes please, sorry miss I'll be joining you tonight". Once we were all leaning against Jaz and the cloak was on us all, we drifted into sleep...

I was flying through the air, not really, I was horseback. Alec was sitting infront of me. We were riding his white horse - every knight gets one when he graduates - and we were racing around the forests. I saw squirrels and bunnies and flowers and old oak trees. Everything was so beautiful.. espeically Alec. I grabbed onto him as he jumped a log, he was laughing and then he started speeding up and then we were riding over the bridge and through the forests and towns and rivers. We were in the mountains, then we were at the sea. We were at our fire, right next to the ocean, then we were holding eachother. Alec.. I wish he would kiss me.

"Alec.. please.. take me?". He tensed at that, he pulled himself up.

"Why do you keep doing that? Can't we just enjoy our time alone together, Clarissa?"

"But I.. I just want to be with you forever..", I mumbled under my breath, my head was down and I was swirling patterns into the sand. The wind blew everything away.

"You are the be married one day, and you will need your virtue for that. We can't be more than this. I'm sorry". He bowed at me and sat down against a tree. No more than this huh... but I don't want to marry anyone but you.. why can't I ever get this one wish? I want us..

I fell asleep thinking about him, when I woke up. He was gone. He left a note, he had been troubled by our talk last night and went to the village to wash it from his memory. I was alone for a few hours. I brushed off my skirt and checked around, no one around me. Time for a swim. I took off my skirt, and my sleeved shirt. When I had taken off most of my clothes, I was left in my silk bra and shorts. Surely no one would see me, so why care? I unbriddled Alec's horse and led him over to the water.

"Isn't it pretty, Cirous? Look, there's a piece of coral! Oh! A shell!", I jumped into the walk, grabbing the shell and holding under the water until all the sand was off of it. It was swirly and pink, it had tiny indentations on it's top - it's so pretty. I turned around and stepped into the water backwards, my arms outstretched towards Cirous.

"Come on, pretty boy. It's okay, Cirous, the water's nice". Then he freaked out, he galloped away to the trees, neighing and stomping.

"What's wrong, Cirous? Did you hear something? Cirous?". He had completely freaked out, jumping up and down, and huffing while neighing. What was wrong?

The next thing I knew, an arrow was flying from the trees at me. I ducked under the water, scurrying up the water's front. Another was fired, and another, but not at me. Behind me. I ran out of the water, tripping over a rock and falling onto the sand. The arrows had stopped now, I looked down at the water. There was blood flowing among it now, and something floating with arrows in it's back. It looked like a human, but beast at the same time.

Alec came strolling out of the tree, looking very angry. I guess I shouldn't have gone swimming. But he held his hand out, to help me up. I grimaced, my ankle hurt alot. Noticing it, he went to lay his arrows on Cirous, and returned, empty-handed, lifted me up into his arms and carried me over to Cirous. He was tense and seemed in a foul mood when he went to retrieve his arrows and my clothing.

He was fuming when he returned, he looked like steam was coming out of his ears. I almost giggled, I could imagine his head turning bright red with flames came out of his nose.

"What have I told you about getting indecent and making a nuisance of yourself when I am out!", he had crossed his arms and his eyebrows were about to be merge with his eyelashes and eyelids if he kept them so diagonal for so long. I couldn't resist the urge, I rubbed the creases between his eyes with my finger and tried to smile innocently.

"I was just playing, I wanted the shell and Cirous was getting hot, right boy?", I stroked Cirous's mane now, ignoring the heatwaves coming from Alec.

"I've told you a million times, do not make a specimen of yourself. What if that thing had gotten you? It's half demon, Clarissa, it would have drained and infested you and you would be their dead producer. How do you think that would have gone by with your parents? You need to be more careful of what you do, you can't-"

"I get it! I get it! I'm sorry okay?". I started crying, I hate when I start crying. I do it whenever I get yelled at, I feel like such a wimp when I get all teary. He looked away, nervous, and walked over the the shore. He picked up something, I couldn't see through my tears. When he came back to me, he had the shell I wanted, but it was dripping blood. That pretty pink had been replaced by crimson blood. It made me cry more. Why couldn't I have a normal life? I wanted to play and climb and make choices and love and have friends. I looked away and pulled his cloak over my shoulders to cover me. I heard him sigh, then he must have gotten up behind me. He lightly tapped Cirous, and we left. I watched the red, bloody shell as we rode away. I just wanted a shell. Not more blood spilt in my name.

I woke up to dim light, tensing when I felt something next to me. I quickly realised it was Heath. It was just dawn, the sun was rising, everything was pink and purple and light blue. I crawled out from underneath the cloak, Wolfy didn't stur. I had changed into some clothes Heath had given me that were his sister's - it was a sprawling dress: long sleeves of white, a skirt piece that went down to just above the floor, and a bodice of brown just around the chest. It was usual peasent atire. Walking out into the ocean, my skirt swept in the rising tides, my arms hanging loosely at my side. I could only think of him, of that night at the ocean, of that... thing. In shallow water, I crouched down and ran my hand through the sand. Shells. I wish I had one of my own, one I found, not one that he or someone else had gotten for me. I wanted to be a child, a peasent, a normal person. I felt something sharp on my finger tip, I cringed as I ran my hand back over it, it felt like a shell's edge. I dug around it, trying to loosen it up, I brushed the sand away, I'd finally have a shell - but.. it was a shell. It was - what WAS it? I stood up and held it to the ascending sun. It sparked, but it was purple and translucent and really hard. What was it meant to be?

"It's a gem, probably lost from a carraige when they drove along the beach". I jumped and gazed back, Heath had woken up and gotten changed, he was taking slow steps towards me. Watching my actions as he did so. His eyes quickly darted to a dark patch of trees. A hint? Something was there.

"If I were you, I would throw it away, who knows who might want to find that", another darting glance at the trees. He wants me to throw it back, I guess I can't keep it.

"Oh well, it was worth finding just to look at it, right?", I smiled my most convincing smile, I don't think I fooled Heath, then threw the gem into the waves out into the sea. A few minutes later, his tense posture went out, and I relaxed.

"Sorry, something was watching that gem from the minute it got picked up to when you threw it. They would have attacked if we kept it". I nodded, looked down and walked away without a word. I was too sad about losing it to be glad we were safe. I went and pat Jaz, scratching Wolfy's ear. I could feel his stare on my back, then I heard a splash. I dashed over to the water's edge, did he just jump in? Or did something get him! I knelt down and looked around quickly. Where was he? Further up the shore, he dragged himself up - I only noticed when I looked that way. I got up and ran to him.

"Are you okay? What happened? Did you just jump in? Or did something get you and drag you under? Are you okay? Heath?", he was coughing.

"Yes, Miss Dramatic, I dived. I'm fine. I went to get this", smirking he pulled his other hand up and revealed his palm. The gem.

"You looked so sad when you threw it away, I had to get it to you", he was laughing so hard now that I couldn't help but laugh with him. I took the gem and stared at it. I know what it reminded me of.. I pulled my locket out and compared the gems. They all looked like eachother, just different colours. Heath had been staring at me while I did this, so he pulled back as he saw the locket, his mouth even made a small '0' shape. It was funny. I slid my necklace back down my dress and put the small jewel into his hand again.

"Can you look after it for me? I have no pocket in this", jokingly I pretended to check for pockets in my cotton dress. We cracked up at it, both rolling around on the sand and getting our hems and ankles wet from the waves splashing onto us.

Soon after we set out to move up past the beach to a highview point - we wanted to find out what my castle looked like. If it were surrounded by monsters we would keep moving, if not we'd go back and see who was alive. Hopefully Alec was, and my friends and my parents. Then I realised something.

"Heath, where's your sister? She couldn't have stayed back at the hut, it's so close to where the castle is".

"No no", he shook his head, smiling, "She's been checking out what people know about the demons", he pushed his hair back and rubbed his eyes. Probably tired from all the walking and lack of sleep.

Demons... what was it Alec said about demons back on the bridge? I couldn't remember. Did father say anything about them? Or mother? Something long ago, they said something. Father told me a story about it, didn't he? I can't remember it though.. I can't remember what he said about the boy who locked them up.. Didn't he say that he-

"Miss? Are you feeling well?". Heath slid his hand onto my forehead, his eyes crinkling with concern. It's funny how he overreacted around me. So I brushed his hand off and glared, jokingly of course. Can't be mad at a guy for caring.

"I'm fine, just thinking..". We were heading up the beach, following the water until we found a good path or night fell; that's when Heath fell. Planting himself in a dune of sand, I don't think he even realised he was falling until he was already down and out. He plucked himself out of the sand, spat some at the ground and frowned with a very hateful look in his eyes.

Spitting more out of his mouth, Heath muttered, "I was going to ask you what you were thinking about, until I fell into the mountain of kitty-litter", rubbing more out of his hair, it made him look kind of cute - wait wait what? Now that I thought about it, he did look pretty good. Tall, dark hair, muscles just dented his clothing... he has a good sense of humor too, and he's very sweet at times. I wonder what he thinks about me?

"Oi! Don't just stand there dazing out, answer my question: what WERE you thinking about?", more rubbing off sand, this time from his chin and eyes.

"Nothing, really. Just thinking about my family", I kicked a stray rock towards the large boulders to my left.

"You miss them?".

"No, well yes, but I was thinking about some old folklore my dad used to tell me. About the boy who defeated the demons". He probably thought what I just said was really stupid. Great. Heath 7, Me -2.

"Hm, I remember that being in the books your father assigned to the warriors", he sneezed, very loudly; if anyone wanted to find us they could hear or see our tracks. Fun. But that gave me an idea, what if someone WAS trying to find us? They could follow the tracks, or listen to us, or even just wait for us to make camp and they could get us no problem.

"Hey, let's move into the tides, otherwise we're leaving very obvious tracks".

"Sure".

So we travelled in the tides for the rest of the day. Talking about the stories and demons and, somehow, about our families. We got into these big discussions about who could cook better, fight better, ride better. We ended up versing eachother for most of the afternoon and night. We were far up in the mountainous trees - following a path was easy though. Wolfy would head us up, going far ahead - then coming back and telling us it was safe. I led Jaz, whose real name was Leah, in the middle. Heath was behind me, swords ready; he still seemed to think me a damsel but I would soon change that. Somehow.