"Today, you have disappointed me beyond measure."

Logan's voice echoed loudly in the dark chasm of Lara's nightmare. His hardened eyes looked at her…but they didn't see her.

"I have been betrayed by my own blood."

Lara frowned at her brother's words. Betrayed him? Just because she was standing up for what was right? She searched his eyes, looking for the brother she once knew. The loving, older brother who used to hold her hand as they accompanied their father around town, who protected her fiercely against anyone that dared approach her…who had wept with her when their father had passed.

But he was nowhere to be found. Instead, another man had taken his place. A man whom she did not know…perhaps had never known…

"Punishment must be apportioned where it belongs."

"Punish me, then." Lara hadn't shouted the words, yet they still held the same authoritative tone as Logan.

But Logan shook his head, his dark eyes laughing at the absurdity of her request.

"I will give you a choice. Who will be punished? These strangers…or this boy?"

Lara's heart raced as she realized the full implication of what Logan meant by "punishment". She turned to Elliot, her best friend, her only friend her age.

"No," she whispered, turning back to Logan, pleading with him with her eyes. "I won't do it."

"I'm giving you power over life and death, Lara," Logan said, his mouth curving into a menacing smile. "So tell me, what are you willing to sacrifice to do the right thing?"

"Me," she said simply without hesitation, moving forward to grasp his hand. "Punish me…kill me."

Logan jerked his hand from hers and moved away, still refusing to acknowledge her request. "If you can't choose, then I will, and they will all be executed."

Tears stung Lara's eyes, but she blinked them away. She had to be strong, if not for her, then for her friend. She stepped back slowly, her heart aching at the pain and understanding she saw in Elliot's eyes.

"Forgive me, Elliot."

Lara opened her eyes with a gasp, her heart still hurting from the reality turned nightmare. It took her a moment to get her bearings. They were heading back to Bowerstone and had camped in a village on the outskirts of Mourningwood.

She slowly sat up, drawing her knees up and resting her elbows on them. She rubbed her hands over her face, letting out a tired sigh.

"Nightmare?"

Lara started. After the drinking binge Walter and the Swift Brigade had gone on after they set camp, she hadn't expected for anyone to still be awake. But, of course, someone had to be on guard. Unfortunately, that someone turned out to be Ben.

She looked over at him, the dying campfire throwing shadows across his face. He was sitting on a log, a book of some sort rested on his lap, half opened. She only spared it a glance, but it was enough for him to hastily close it and set it aside inside his travelling bag. She raised an eyebrow at him, curious as to what he was trying to hide but decided against asking him about it.

"I thought you would be passed out drunk," she said instead, purposely changing the subject. Having him privy to her nightmare had been embarrassing enough without him asking about it.

"Someone's got to be the responsible adult," he grinned. "For tonight, anyway. I imagine I'll be passed out tomorrow while some other unlucky sod stands guard."

"Right…'responsible'," Lara commented dryly. "I'm guessing you pulled the short straw for tonight."

"Pretty much," he nodded, stupid grin still on his face. "Though I bet the Princess is glad she's got the most charming member of the brigade to talk to, right?"

Lara winced slightly at the word "princess", but let it slide. She shook her head ruefully. The man was clearly the kind used to wooing your typical Albion girl with a cocky demeanor and a wink. Good thing I'm not your typical girl, Lara thought to herself, holding back a smirk.

"Don't flatter yourself," she replied, bluntly. "Though seeing as we're both awake, we may as well talk. I don't think I'm going to be getting back to sleep any time soon."

She let out another sigh, and moved to sit more comfortably on her bed roll. She conceded that she had acted rather harshly towards him and was willing to start over. Maybe once she got to know him a little better, the strange feelings that she felt every time she was around him would go away.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "And why would that be? Nightmare that vivid?"

Lara cursed quietly to herself for bringing the subject back to her nightmare…which was exactly the topic she'd being trying to avoid.

"It's nothing," she said quickly, feigning great interest in a piece of lint on her trousers. "I just can't sleep."

"Nothing, eh?" he asked, arrogant smile plastered on his face again. "Then who's Elliot?" She looked up at him sharply. "You kept saying his name in your sleep," Ben explained, still grinning.

And just like that, her feeble attempt at having a civil conversation with him took a turn for the worse.

"Listen here," she growled, walking up to the soldier and grabbing him by the collar. "Elliot's none of your damn business, alright?"

"Ah, so that is what's keeping you awake," Ben said knowingly, not even slightly threatened by Lara's new, aggressive stance. She stepped back, releasing his shirt and balling her fists at her sides to keep smacking him. "Maybe it would help if you told me about it. A problem shared is a problem halved, after all."

"What, you're my bloody confidant now?"

Ben just chuckled in reply and sat back down on the log, looking up at her expectantly. Lara frowned, thinking about her options. There was no way she was telling the soldier the truth, someone she'd only just met, even if he had saved her life…but on the other hand, he clearly wasn't letting it go. And he clearly looked like the kind of man who would badger her all night until she told him at least something.

"Elliot's my betrothed," she lied, eyes quickly shifting toward Walter who was, thankfully, still passed out drunk.

"I see," Ben said, not looking like he quite believed her. "And you were having a…nightmare about him?"

"Yes, I...love him…very much, and being away from him provokes these…these nightmares." In truth, she had loved Elliot, only in a different way, and she did have nightmares about him, only for a different reason. But it still didn't stop her from feeling bad for using him and pretending he was still alive. "I constantly worry about him."

Ben nodded. "I can understand that. Worried he might stray."

"Sorry?" Lara asked, thinking she hadn't heard him right.

"Well, think about it. When was the last time you saw him? Weeks? Months? This Elliot might already be with someone else. He's not going to wait for you forever."

"What? Elliot was – is not like that. He loves me. There's no way he would leave me for someone else."

"Alright, whatever you say," he said, shrugging nonchalantly and making a pretense of settling more comfortably on the log.

"He loves me, damn it!" Lara nearly shouted in frustration. She knew she shouldn't have cared what he thought (considering she was lying to him), but Ben had this annoying habit of making her angry for the stupidest reasons.

Ben cleared his throat and looked up at her with another raise of his eyebrows. "Yes, I can see that he just fell for your charming manners and benevolent disposition."

Lara threw up her arms in exasperation and stalked back to her bed roll. "And I can see that you're just being an obnoxious git! I'd rather have nightmares than stay up one more second talking to you."

As if to emphasize what she had just said, she lied down on the thin cloth and rolled over so that her back was to him. She was too worked up to sleep, but there was nowhere else for her to go, so she settled for just pretending…at least until everyone else woke up and it was time to go.

Lara let out a quiet sigh as a tear rolled down the corner of her eye and onto the crook of her arm that she was using as a pillow. It had been a long, hard month and the last thing she needed was this random man getting to her. She was determined to just ignore Ben from here on out. Yes, that was exactly what she was going to do.

Special thanks to iNf3ctioNZ who, apart from beta-ing, helped me jump start the conversation between Lara and Ben!

To Lux: I hope it's not going too fast for you. Thanks for taking the time to read and review! :D

And a shout out to PipTookMySoul who just made my day with her review!