Thank you everyone so much for all the reviews and encouragement! And so, even though I know it's kind of late, here's the new update: longer than usual. Enjoy!... Okay, maybe you won't enjoy it as much when you get to the end...

VI

Alas, you cannot find peace by avoiding life. Nor can you find peace by avoiding fate.

It's as if the Fates had decided: you can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once.

And Katie and Travis had made the mistake of counting on having both at once.

Almost a year had passed, and it was the best year of Katie and Travis's life. The town they had plopped into was a wonderful town, with warm, kind-hearted people who didn't hesitate to lend them a hand when they needed help. Well, Travis guessed that it's mainly because they didn't know who Katie and he were. They thought they are helping a young couple, namely Travon Steel and Katherine Garter, who was chased out of their homes after being discovered that they were in love and had escaped to this little, irrelevant, off-the-map town.

Never, not a single second in the year that 'Travon' and 'Katherine' had been here, did the occupants of the town suspect that the couple was actually Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner.

It was the best thing that had ever happened to the couple.

But they were foolish.

They should've known that Mrs. Brown would just let the murder of her husband slide.

While they were enjoying life in a random little town, Mrs. Brown was busy planning with her faithful maid Linda on how to get the two wanted fugitives strangled by Death. How to get revenge. And well, the Brown's weren't the poorest people. In fact, they were quite rich. And so, they hired a bunch of hunters.

When word got out that Mrs. Brown is hiring hunters, the king sent some soldiers to help because well, Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner all two small pains in his butt, especially the latter, being the daughter of the emperor he had overthrown.

When even more words got out that Travis and Katie are wanted not only for theft and treason, and also murder, the hunters for them increased. After all, murderers pay well, if you get what I mean.

Travis and Katie, however, were completely oblivious to the rumors spread about them.

It was one day that the soldiers and hunters arrived at that little town, asking about the two wanted criminals.

"Hm…" the baker frowned at the roughly sketched drawings of Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner. "Well… I've seen some people who look like that… a couple, they are, who lives in a little cottage at the edge of the forest. But they are such nice people, y'know? They can't possibly be these criminals! We'd know if they are…"

"Hm…" the Blacksmith's daughter frowned at the roughly sketched drawings of Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner. "That mighty sure looks like Kathy… but she's such a nice girl an' that beau of hers' so charming too…"

"Hm…" a thief living in a small alley frowned at the roughly sketched drawing of Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner. "Tha's like Travon and Kathy, ain't no? Travon's likely: 'e 'as a quick fingers. But Kathy's a fine girl, she is. Ain't some murderer, she ain't, you gotta trust me wi' tha'."

The Captain nodded solemnly. "Thank you, good sir." Then he suddenly grabbed the thief's wrists and with a swift movement, tied them together behind his back. "And you're arrested for theft."

Ignoring the thief's protests and struggles, the Captain settled onto his black mare. "Soldiers!" he called behind his shoulder, "For the peace and unity of our kingdom, we shall arrest and execute Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner!"

Not the best speech, but the soldiers ate it up.

And with a roar, the soldiers stampeded towards the edge of the forest.

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Katie and Travis were having an especially nice day. Travis had managed to get a day off, since he had earned five gold coins the night before. It was the most they had ever made in one night.

And so Katie, deciding to go out and by more supplies and a lot more food for the small feast they decided to have at the end of the day, took three gold coins and left. Just before she left, bundled in her new red cloak, she turned back to Travis, who looked up from where he was squinting at a book. She smiled and pressed two fingers to her lips, then pointed the two fingers at Travis, who returned the gesture.

It was a small thing; a symbol that belonged to only the two of them, something they had came up with for fun in their spare time.

Katie left the cottage, patting their newly bought cow Bessie on her large white head, and strolled down the road, enjoying the early spring view, humming a little song to herself. As she went down the cobblestone streets, she passed a large group of soldiers, but ignored them, thinking that they are only passing by.

When she arrived at the bakery, the baker kept looking at her strangely and somewhat suspiciously.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Mason?" Katie asked, concerned.

Mr. Mason, the baker, stared at her for another few moments before shaking his head slightly and asking, "You… you're not Katie Gardner, are you?"

Suddenly, the image of the group of soldiers entered her mind, and unconsciously, the straw basket in her hand dropped to the ground. Her eyes were wide with horror and dread, the pounding of her heart deafening in her ears. Travis… Oh gods, Travis.

Katie spun around and ran out the bakery, vaguely hearing the Mr. Mason calling after her.

Soldiers… Hunters… Travis…

She flew down the streets, pushing people aside, ignoring their angry shouts and protests. She ran as fast and hard as she could, cursing how the cottage is so far from the village, cursing how the soldiers had horses and were much faster than her…

In the distance, she saw smoke rise into the air, curling towards the unpleasantly blue sky and fading into the clouds…

Oh gods…

"TRAVIS!" she screamed.

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Travis was trying to read a book of poems, after much nagging in Katie's part, when he smelled smoke. Heat suddenly seared his face, and when he looked up, he found himself surrounded by flames.

He dropped the book, coughing, eyes watering and began stumbling towards the door. He fumbled clumsily with the lock, bursting outside into the fresh air and sun just as the cottage, all of Katie's hard work, collapsed. His chest ached slightly at the sight of their ruined home. Bessie had disappeared, along with most of their chicken, though Pusheen the rat was still there, frantically running around in circles in front of the smoldering ruins.

And just when Travis thought things couldn't become even worse, he saw the soldiers.

Now when exactly did he become so optimistic he thought things couldn't become worse? Travis scolded himself and placed a sticky note on his mental bulletin board to remind himself to become more pessimistic in the future… If there's going to be a future.

For a long while, he just stared at the soldiers and the soldiers stared back.

Travis waved awkwardly. "Um… hi?" and then he ran. However, he was surrounded, so he ran towards the thinnest looking area of the circle trapping him. Dodging people, horses, and weapons, he miraculously made it out of the crowd and began running down the road. Almost immediately, he slammed into somebody.

Him and the person he slammed into stumbled and fell, yelping. For a moment, they were just a groaning mass of limbs before they untangled themselves.

"Gods of Olympus, Travis," the person Travis knocked into groaned, "I knew you were fat, but I didn't know you were this fat."

Travis jumped up immediately. "RUN, KATIE!" he shouted. "Soldiers!"

"I know," Katie shouted frantically back. "The forest!"

And so the two of them plunged into the forest. Behind them, they could hear the thundering of hooves, and neighing of horses, and the shouting of men, accompanied by the clanging of weapons. And they were drawing considerably closer…

Travis was suddenly vividly reminded of the time when hunters were chasing after Connor and him. But this time… this time, he won't let the other one die, even if it kills himself. He won't let Katie die.

Behind him, Katie stumbled, but Travis continued pulling at her. "Go, go, go!" he shouted, pushing her frantically. She screamed as an arrow narrowly missed her.

They continued running desperately, never once faltering. But it wasn't enough: the horses were drawing closer still.

Suddenly, Katie skidded to a halt.

"What are you doing, Katie? We have to keep going!" Travis tugged on her sleeve, but the hopeless blank look on her face made him freeze. Slowly, he turned around and found himself surrounded completely by soldiers, their weapons all pointing towards him and Katie. There was no way out this time.

The soldiers and horses parted slightly, letting through a tall man with a French mustache on a tall black stallion.

"Judging from the way you two were running, it's quite apparent that you are actually Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner," the man's voice was deep, proud and confident. Travis hated him immediately. "We shall give you two choices," the man, apparently the leader of the soldiers, continued. "You two come with us quietly, and we will promise you a quick death, but if you fight or protest, there'll be a slow, painful hanging waiting for you. Understood?"

Travis and Katie didn't answer. Katie was trembling with fright. Travis could feel her shaking beside her. Travis however, was almost seeing red, because now, all roads lead to death, and he wasn't about to let Katie die. He's not going to lose something else.

When the Captain of the soldiers didn't see Travis and Katie do anything, he dismounted lazily, marching towards them with chains in his hand. "I-,"

It was as if something was controlling his body, taking over his mind. Without thinking, Travis suddenly charged, catching the Captain by surprise. He rammed his skull into the Captains face, at the same time grabbing his sword. Vaguely he could hear Katie scream, "STOP, TRAVIS!" behind him, but his body wouldn't listen, despite his mind's reluctance.

Travis didn't remember much. His brain was screaming, "STOP, YOU IDIOT!" but his body continued waving around the sword.

He remembered the feel of warm blood on his hands, face and shirt; he remembered the shouts of surprise, anger, and pain and the sound of falling bodies. He remembered the sound of Katie's cries and pleads.

But he didn't remember the look of horror on Katie's face as she watched Travis cut down soldier after soldier with the speed, agility, and skill of a master swordsman.

Travis couldn't stop, no matter how much he wants to. Something was controlling him- something that wants his life to grow even more unfortunate and painful. The only answer he could come up with was the Fates.

His mind was blank, as blank as white.

In the end, it was Katie who saved him, at the same time dooming both of them.

"Travis!" she pleaded one last time, "Travis, Connor wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want you to become a murderer." And then, she just collapsed, sobbing.

Travis froze, and the sword slid out of his grasp, falling with a muffled thud to the muddy ground, carpeted by a layer of moss.

Everything was silent, as silent as Death.

Travis turned around slowly, finding Katie staring up at him, joy and relief in her leaf-green eyes.

Blood had stained the ground red, and bodies littered the clearing, but Travis wasn't disturbed by it, even though he knew that it was his fault. He held a shaky hand out towards Katie.

"I'm so sorry, Katie," he murmured. "I'm so sorry."

The former princess immediately rushed forward and trapped Travis in a tight hug. "Don't you ever do that again," she whispered, tears still falling, her heart still pounding. "Next time, don't do that again, please."

Travis nodded. "I won't, Katie. I'm sorry."

I know what you guys are all thinking right now: Wow, stupid, cliché reunion and apologies. I know, I understand. But don't worry. Because…

"Do you two really think that there will be a next time?" a deep, raspy voice growled. The couple let go of each other and looked around to find the Captain, surprisingly not dead, though covered with injuries, struggling to stand up.

Travis tensed.

"You think there'll be a next time?" he asked again, panting. "Well guess what, lovebirds: there won't be!"

You know, the typical villain words at the last stand.

From the ground, the Captain scooped up a crossbow, aiming it shakily.

Travis picked up a bow and arrow and aimed it as well. "Now the game is fair."

But just before the two of them fired, Katie suddenly ran between them, her arms held out as if trying to block something.

"What are you doing, Katie?" Travis asked, concerned, "Get out of the way!"

"No." Katie was as stubborn as ever. "I won't. I've got enough fighting and killing, Travis. Let's just get out of here."

Travis's bow and arrow lowered slightly, but he was still uncertain. Things can't be as simple as that, can it?

Of course not.

"Travis," Katie tried again. "Come on, let's just-," she suddenly froze in midsentence, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in shock. Then slowly, her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, the expression of shock and horror still on her face. An arrow was sticking out of her back, and behind her, the Captain was grinning triumphantly. "One down," he said smugly.

Travis, for a moment, was completely frozen. Everything was happening too fast. Then, with a roar of rage, he raised his bow once more, and the arrow sank into the muscular neck of the Captain, who dropped immediately.

But then, he couldn't go on. It was as if his soul had died with Katie, and he stumbled to her body, just staring at her. He gently closed her eyes and mouth so she looked asleep and he stayed by her side, hour after hour, watching her cold, frozen beauty.

His mind was empty.

Everything was blank, as blank as white.

He was so void of any thought and consciousness that he didn't notice the surge of soldiers that arrived in the clearing. He didn't feel anything when they chained him up and brought him to the main city. All that was left of him was an empty shell when they threw him into the dark prison cell, awaiting the day of his execution.

Everything was dark, as dark as night.

Everything was hazy, like early Dawn' breath.

He couldn't remember much: his mind was too fuzzy. He remembered the crowd of people before him, the weight of the chains on his wrist and ankles. He remembered the large, muscular man and the scratchy rope around his neck...

Everything was silent, silent as Death.

So... yeah. How was it...?