Hullo! I kinda sorta owe you guys a big apology... I"M SORRY for updating so late! I had volleyball camp for basically a week, I had to rewrite this chapter, and overall I stink as an author...I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Thanks to: Dodo123, GodricsRanger, Xbamsod, Luke, and Lizzet Nighthunter, and Captive1Princess for reviewing and chapter correspondence.

~Raider

Chapter 10

"Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrh!" The man yelling in pain silenced himself with a grunt. Lilly guessed her arrow had found its mark. The bushes shuddered quickly, then stood perfectly still.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want? Get out here now!" She ordered. Each comment came quickly after the other. Her eyes were darting from left to right, and she saw a bird fling itself from a tree on one side of her and she heard a branch snap on the other. "Tell your other friends to come out here unarmed," She yelled to the man in front of her, adding to her statement, "I have more arrows," trying to sound threatening. Adrenaline was pulsing through her body; she felt no fear.

Loud hearty laughing came from all sides of her. The wounded man in front of her came out of the bushes clutching his bleeding arm; the shaft of her deadly arrow was sticking out of it. Obviously a diversion, she thought and looked at the man observing his actions, in addition to his demeanor. A hideous brand on the right side of his face, alerted her to the fact she had wounded a convict. The bushes rustled again.

"Now ain't you a pretty little thing?" He said to himself, stepping toward Lilly, who speedily had another arrow nocked.

Her gaze unwavering as she asked venomously, "What do you want?" Then she shook her head commanding him instead. "You will not move any closer, or call to any of your friends," The threat was unmistakably real in her voice, yet any conversation they had was pointless considering the fact all intruders heard every word. The bushes around her started to rustle again, and Lilly fired quickly to her left and right. A single crunch, echoed through the woods, and another cry of pain sent the birds overhead flying away.

"I know there are more of you," She told the man in front of her, yet directed the statement to the others, and, as if on cue, much loud rustling receded in the distance, followed by the sounds of a horse neighing and galloping away.

"So now that I have you two, and that poor dead guy, what do I do?" Lilly asked herself in a tone that truly gave way to her inexperience.

"You could let us go?" A voice to her left suggested, pleading for mercy. A small robust man, was crawling toward her and Lilly saw another feeble attempt of a distraction. The man farther away with an arrow in his leg would surprise her by speaking, she would turn her head, and her bow would lower, giving the leader a chance to attack Lilly. She smirked and looked at the man out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't think so," She said firmly. "I need Will," Lilly added, again, talking with herself aloud, moaning under her breath. When was the last time I've needed anyone, she asked herself. "He will know what to do with convicts, but what do I do with you now?" Lilly asked herself once more, then reasoned aloud. "I can't kill you, mainly because, well, I'd feel bad, and you haven't attacked me...yet. I would really love to kill you, because it would save so much hassle. I can't go get rope, because you'll run away and I don't have any of those nifty strikers..." Then a horrendous plan dawned on her, yet it was only option, considering the fact she could barely feel her hands in the growing cold.

"I have an idea..." She started. "You don't need your feet, do you?" The men paled as a cruel smile crossed her face. "After all, you are criminals," Lilly reasoned. "I could just shoot them..." Lilly raised her bow.

"That might only be fun for us two," Will said, talking to Lilly as he walked out from the treeline, hiding his alarm at the girl's demonic reasoning. His bow was also aimed at the mischievous pair. "Nice work," He added icily, commending her actions. "By the way, the bit you said about needing me... was quite touching," Lilly turned and she looked at Will, scowling. Will glanced at her and then looked back at the prisoners, the leader was standing, blood trickling down his arm. "Ah, ah, ah," Will looked and trained his arrow on the convict, motioning for him to sit. "Once again, never let your guard down," He spoke to Lilly.

Lilly sighed and told him shakily, "You are right, of course."

"Why don't you get the new rope out of my saddle bag?" Will suggested and gestured with his head Tug's general direction. "I had a feeling it might be used for a special occasion," Lilly nodded sharply, exhaled quickly and turned toward the woods. Finding Tug not to far from her practicing area, she got the rope out of the green canvas saddlebag, coiling the rope into a bundle, leaving a small amount trailing behind her. Fastening the buckles on the bag, making sure Will would find nothing disrupted, she headed back on the hidden trail to the clearing.

Lilly gave the rope to Will, who picked up rope and started to untangle the leaves and twigs that gathered on the end, when he saw a scrap of paper intertwined with the sticks.

Lilly strung her bow and aimed it at the prisoners, while Will held the rope she gave him, and examined the scrap of paper. All of a sudden Will was advancing on the prisoner. He held the branded leader by his neck and pinned him up against the tree.

"Who was your target?" Will hissed. His face had no trace of humor. He spoke quietly and dangerously. "Who was your target?" Will asked again, raising his voice in volume, growling and slammed the convict's head into the tree. Lilly raised an eyebrow with looked at the pair curiously. "Who?" Will slightly loosened the grip on the prisoner's throat and he squeaked out an answer.

"The... princess," The convict told Will; the man's voice straining to be heard. Will slammed the pinned man's head into the tree one last time and the assassin slumped to the ground unconscious.

"You," Will said and spun around toward the other man, his lip curled in disgust. The other prisoner jumped- well, as easily as one can when an arrow is lodged in one's leg. "I can shoot you, or simply tie you up. which do you prefer? I doesn't matter to me either way," Will shrugged, the aggressive demeanor was gone, and was quickly replaced by the impassive one that the pudgy man heard earlier.

"Option 2, please," The other prisoner whimpered.

"So now you break out the flattery. I was wondering when it was going to show up," Will muttered distastefully. "Lilly tie him, and take his knives," He ordered sharply. Lilly obediently took the rope from the ground; it had fallen when Will raced up the leader. She tied the pudgy man's ankles and hands, but left the arrow in his calf.

"Will, do you want me to take this out?" Lilly asked him, pointing to the arrow. Will shrugged, "His choice. He will eventually be attended to, so I'd leave it."

"Last question," Lilly told him and took a deep breath. "What do you want me to do with the dead guy?"

"Dead guy?" Will turned slowly from facing the house and stared into her face. "You killed someone?"

"He was going to attack me!" She reasoned, wanting to abate the possibility of Will's anger, who was simply shocked. Will walked over to the bushes and looked at the dead man. The body lay at an odd angle; limbs were sprawled in all directions and a pool of blood surrounded the man's torso near a strategically placed arrow.

"Did you mean to shoot him in the chest?" He asked, pointing to the atrocity.

Lilly shrugged, "Stopping him was really my main point."

"Well, you achieved your goal." Will paused and started toward the cabin, trying his best to hide his tumbling emotions.

"But Will," Lilly started to say. "What do I do with him?" Will didn't respond and kept walking inside the cabin. Lilly stared at the prisoners. "What do I do with idiot number one and idiot number two?" She asked again, and pointed to the men who lay in the snow, at the Rangers' mercy.

Will stopped and turned slowly, "Leave your dead man. He'll freeze tonight, and I'll figure out what with him tomorrow. As for idiot one and two," Will paused and smirked. "We will tie them up on the porch. They will be covered from the snow," The first snow had begun to fall. Little snowflakes caught in Lilly's hair, and one decorated her eyelashes. Will continued, "We will leave them outside," A gasp came from the conscious man. "Oh be quiet!" Will snapped. "You both will get a blanket," He walked over to the unconscious leader and draped him over his shoulder. He walked up the porch steps and dropped him unceremoniously on the wooden floor. Will then picked up the other man in the same fashion and placed him on the floor. Lilly gave her extra rope to Will, and he tied them both to the banister. He turned away from the man's gaze and quietly slipped his strikers out of his pocket, screwing them together. When they were connected, he turned quickly, and threw them. The metal balls whizzed toward the man's head and struck him. He was knocked out instantly.

"Come inside Lilly. I picked up some beef when I was in town, we'll just eat that," Lilly nodded and followed Will inside silently, who pretended not to notice her shaking. As she walked inside the house, she was instantly comforted by the warmth of the fire. A cough from the men outside instantly jarred her from the picturesque scene. Lilly immediately ran to the trash bin and vomited profusely, than ran to her room crying. Will stared at the shut bedroom door, the put his ear against the keyhole.

Lilly sobbed, then mumbled to herself hysterically. "I just killed that guy? I just killed that guy. I JUST KILLED THAT GUY!" Will grimaced in pain and put a hand over his ear as Lilly screamed. Don't do this to yourself, Will, Will thought to himself and he raised his had to knock on the door. What are you doing Will? He thought again and knocked, The door creaked open and Will saw Lilly curled up on her bed, rocking back and forth. Will sat next to her.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Her mentor asked and she sniffled and nodded.

"It just...I just felt like...them," Lilly said shakily. "I had power. I could've killed them; just like they killed my parents. They were helpless," Will nodded slowly and tried to determine if Lilly was talking about the men or her parents. Lilly stared at the quilt covering her bed, and Will patted her back once, then upon receiving no response he got up to leave. "I wasn't in control, Will," Lilly spoke again as his hand was on the door handle. "If every time I am faced with panic, I turn into a monster, I..I.I..I won't be able to," Lilly stuttered. Will paused and headed out the door, ignoring the girl's sobs that she had kept under control during their interacting.

Will sighed at sat at the wooden table, slouching in his chair. He set the scrap of paper down and then went outside to rub Tug down after waiting a moment.

Firelight flickered and the note held shaky hand writing, read: death, planned at Redmont. The rest of the note was torn away, yet Will knew all that was needed.

I hope that chapter makes up for my lateness. I am starting to edit the next one now...