Hey, oh my God I'm soooo sorry for the incredible wait and I have no more excuses!! :(

I hope you will accept the apology though as I now have the next two chapters up for you!! :D

So please go ahead and enjoy!! Feedback would be great too!! Please review!! :)

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The unconscious Sally lay in a pathetic heap in the centre of her small tent. The mop of hair that covered her face had long ago lost its lustre and was now a bedraggled, greasy mop that fell in clumps like rats tails. Her once round, happy face was now grey from hunger, stress and immense pain. Her eyes were lined prematurely with deep purple bags like day old bruises underlying them.

The clothes she was wearing had been reduced to nothing more than rags that barely covered her now thin frame. Where once she had been full and round of figure without being fat, she was now thin and haggard looking; as though she had lived through a lifetime of stress and hardship, when in reality she had only been a prisoner for just over a month.

It was this sad figure that was revealed as a warrior bearing a mighty sword and shield, ripped open the flap with a cry to still the blood of even the coldest hearted villains. Upon seeing the tent empty of an enemy the warrior took in the scene of the young girl in front of him.

A look of horror crossed his young, handsome face as tears began to fill his eyes. In almost one fluid motion; with complete disregard for his own safety (even in a time of such dire circumstances), he threw down his sword and shield as he flung himself on the ground to be beside the young girl.

"No, no, no, no, no..." he murmured to himself in desperation as he knelt beside her. He put his hands out to her face and pulled the limp hair away from her. Looking down into the grey, cold face that, even unconscious; was full of pain. He felt an immense sadness overwhelm him that he hadn't been able to stop this. When he attempted to lift her up, he felt the bones of her spine move under her skin and he knew that he could not do it alone; that he would need someone else with perhaps more medical training than he to move her.

So, filled with regret and anger Edmund put his surrogate sister back down. He lovingly and carefully arranged her into a more comfortable position and with a whispered promise to be back as soon as he possibly could be, he covered her freezing body in a raggedy blanket and left.

With a sense of panic quickly consuming him Edmund ran. He ran for fear of leaving Sally again in case someone should take her again before he could get back to her. He ran because he had finally found her! Finally! After weeks of searching with not a hint of her whereabouts he had finally found her!

He ran because he was being pursued by soldiers of the enemy! But they were no match for him, not now when he was as fired up with anger and panic as he was. Turning and yelling directly into their oncoming faces he ran right to them and with a quick thrust of the sword had one gasping on the end of it, eyes bulging, mouth dribbling blood. A quick jerk, a spray of blood and the sword was free. In one fierce action, bellowing; he swung it straight at the hands of the next one and the hands fell away with the sword. The man collapsed screaming in horror and agony as his life's blood drenched the soft earth, turning it into a slippery, red mess. In a furious sequence of movements Edmund flew through his attackers; hacking, thrusting and defending. However he was so involved in the fights that he almost attacked his sister Susan.

"Ed! WAH! It's me you bloody-!"

"Sue! I found her! I found Sally!" Edmund grabbed her hand interrupting her with his urgent message.

Susan's eyes widened in disbelief at his statement and the manic light in his eyes; "Where?" she asked.

"Come with me! I'll show you!" Pulling her along behind him Edmund ran again back the way he had come, trampling the bodies of the dead that lay in his way.

Arriving at the tent he was so desperate to see that she was still there, that he dropped Susan's hand and sprinted to the tent anxiously flinging the flap open. She was still there in the same position he had left her and he felt unjustly relieved. Susan arrived behind him then and pushed him aside to get inside.

Her horrified cry as she took in the condition of her truest friend was like a spear through Edmund's stomach, but it brought him to reality. Dropping the fabric of the tent that served as the entrance he strode into the heart of the little room. Susan looked up at him with tears running from her haunted, terrified eyes.

"Oh my God Edmund! How could we let this happen to her! We have to save her!" Looking back at the prone form of their friend, Susan put a hand out to stroke her forehead.

"What did they do to you? You poor thing. But you're safe now, we're going to get you out of here." was her promised whisper.

She dried her streaming eyes and looked up at her brother. "How are we to get her out?"

"I'm not really sure, but the less people that know the less of a distraction we'll be so I think we should just try to sneak her out, just the two of us. When we get to the camp we can sound the horns for our army to retreat. We're going to need our best medics for her."

"Ok, hand me that other blanket there. Thanks, I'm going to wrap her in these two and I'll carry her out." Susan now had an objective and a plan so she was much more decisive and her voice was full of that older-sibling authority.

Even so Edmund objected; "I think I should carry her out; I'm stronger that you are."

Exhaling heavily as she stood, Susan put her hands on her hips and looked her younger brother in the eye; "Yes I know you are stronger, there is no need to rub it in, but you are also the better swordsman, I'm excellent with a bow and arrow, but you excel with the sword, therefore would it not be a better strategy for me to carry her and you to keep your hands free to defend us. Or have you forgotten that we are in the middle of a battle?!" as if to give her argument more weight the cacophony of battle sounds reached a crescendo, as it neared their little tent.

"Ok," Edmund, seeing the practicality and rationality that was always present in her arguments gave in and picked up his sword.

"Here, take mine as well, you might need it and I won't be able to give it to you later." Susan also handed him her sword from where she had returned it to its scabbard. Edmund just nodded as he took it and Susan bent down to pick up Sally.

"Oh good God!" she exclaimed, "I feel as though I can feel every bone in her body!" she fought back the tears that threatened to engulf her and took a step forwards.

"Ok, go!" she nodded at Edmund to leave.

And so they began their arduous journey to the safety of their camp.

Carefully Edmund pulled back the fabric of the entrance and made sure that no one was near enough to cause immediate damage to their rescue mission. He beckoned to Susan to come with him. Now that they had Sally with them in such a fragile state, they couldn't just hack their way through, no; it was all about stealth now.

Slowly they crept and stole their way around two tents without a challenge, but their luck wasn't to last forever. A shout went up among the enemy and Edmund and Susan looked behind them in horror; between five and eight enemy soldiers were running full speed towards them! Susan looked at her brother in horror.

"Go!" he said not even looking at her, his face a grim mask, his teeth bared in preparation for the coming fight. But she just stood there, unable to choose between the unconscious girl in her arms and her youngest brother and tears once again threatened to fall.

So what'd you think?? I hope you enjoyed it!!

Please feel free to drop a review!! :D