Wow, thanks for the reviews, you all rule ^_^ I'm glad you keep coming back. Thanks for the support; I'm now on a grand total of four favourite lists!!! Yes, thanks for your support! I wouldn't even be writing this without you! Yay you, yay me! Anyway, last chapter was probably shorter than it looked when I was writing it on my computer, but they do take a while to write. Any way we are now in the dilemma of a cliff-hanger status!

So now I don't have to keep you any later than you want to be kept. Let's get on with the show. (You have no idea how many times I've re-written this chapter! I think this is like the fifth or sixth time)





Sao looked at me but couldn't see clearly, so he brought out what looked like a flint and lit a candle from the table in the room. He looked again, I looked at him; it was one of those moments when the putting face to name takes a while.

"You" he got out finally and frowned "This is a little awkward"

"You're telling me?" I motioned to the grip on my shirt by his companion

Sao sighed; he seemed different from when I'd seen him earlier, taller and more confident. His friend shook me with a sort of father like grip to the answering back.

"Don't say anything girl," my captor growled, "You don't know who you're dealing with"

Sao didn't say anything more but moved to the window. He seemed a little tense now and moved away from the window quickly and blew out the candle.

So now, I was hanging by someone's fist, in the dark. Perfect. What a day this was turning out to be. Sleeping in a hallway and being captured.

"Come on, Croa" Sao said to his companion, "We have to get back to camp, bring the girl"

"Fine with me"

I was lifted and heaved up and over to land on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I heard the door open and we trundled into the dark corridor.

"Why are you in my room?" I asked loudly, hoping perhaps Link might be waiting to spring on these guys or something

"Got lost, didn't we?" Sao's voice cut through the dark

"Are you kidnapping me?"

For some reason, I wasn't actually that frightened of these guys, I still had the mental picture of a spluttering, soup spilling, Sao in my head.

"Yes"

"Why?"

"Do kidnappers ever tell their victims why?"

"No, but...HELP, HELP, HELP, HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPP"

I heard muffled voices and yells of anger from the rooms along the corridors and small cracks of light started to appear under doors. A baby cried somewhere.

"S***!" I heard the huge bulk beneath me rumble

I yelped as a swipe aimed at my head connected roughly. I swung out my feet and fists wildly, hoping to hit whoever hit me first; I think I hit the one named Croa below me a few times.

Hands grabbed my wrists and ankles and I was dropped for a frightening moment before being suspended by two pairs of hands.

Doors were opened a little way down the hall and light flooded the corridor as confused faces looked out into the long space.

"What's going on out there?"

"We're trying to sleep in here!"

"Do you need assistance?"

"What's happening?"

I took my chance with the confusion and brought my knee up quickly to connect with Sao's low hanging face, my knee hit him smack in the nose and my wrists were dropped suddenly as he lifted his hands to the sore spot.

He yelled, and almost immediately I punched up to hit his companion hard in...the spot. Yeah.

He yelled and let go, I scrambled up and shot down the corridor as fast as my leg could take me, ignoring all the people asking questions and yelling at me.

"Run, run, run, run, run, run" I chanted under my breath as I could feel the stitch beginning to creep up my side, I grabbed the aching part and dug my nails in, replacing the unhelpful pain with what I hoped would be a more useful one

Where was Link? Just when he'd be useful!

"Come back here!" I heard come one scream, Sao most likely, his friend would be in too much pain

I just continued to run until I reached the stairs, checking my watch I discovered it was only 4:23am and the door to the inn wouldn't be unlocked yet.

Just my luck, I swerved a corner and came face to face with my saviour...

No. It wasn't Link.

It was the upstairs exit of the inn! Yes! How lucky was that? And it was always open in the game...but would it be here?

Yes! It was!

I shoved it open and galloped out on to the roof, breathing in the cold air and dashing to the edge of the roof.

I drew a sharp breath and froze on the edge of the roof, but not because of the cold.

There was someone in the courtyard below. Two people. They were standing in the entrance to a small entry way and looking straight across at the inn. I don't think they had seen me amazingly enough, after my display of glee at the open door. They were looking at the lower level windows.

One looked familiar, so familiar that I couldn't quite place who he was. They were half hidden in shadow so I could only see their feet clearly.

But the boots of one of them, and the easy stance they were taking, the way their weight fell and the style of clothing they were wearing...

"Link?" I whispered

The noise was enough to alert them of my presence and at the same moment that the one that looked like Link stepped out from the alley, Sao and Croa dashed out on to the roof.

But I wasn't bothered with them anymore; this figure below drew up and out of the shadows.

Then I knew it wasn't Link.

The figure was completely clad in black. As I saw his face, I couldn't focus on any of his features, my eyes just seemed to go straight through them, the only place I could clearly concentrate on was the eyes. And the eyes were awful.

A set of blood red pupils set in eyes. He narrowed them on my and grinned, a large wolfish grin, it was the expression someone got from killing without mercy, and enjoying it.

He moved out into the courtyard and toward the inn, that awful face in the same malicious expression.

I felt faint and dizzy as it moved toward me, as if waves of fear itself were coming off his figure and intoxicating me, making me sick.

I started to let my head drop, afraid of what would happen if I let the dizziness over come me, of what the figure was doing.

A loud scuff of snow and a yell like nails screeching down a black board accompanied my fall into unconsciousness.

* * *

I woke up to a steady thudding and rocking beneath me. My head hurt. I got an itch on one cheek and tried to raise my arm to soothe it, realising I couldn't, I opened my eyes.

I was riding across the snowy field with the Town stretched out behind me under the pale silk moon.

I looked at my wrists; they were tied to the horse's saddle. Looking at the ground, I felt dizzy again and almost toppled over and off the horse.

A hand caught me and set me straight again.

"Don't want you falling off now, do we?" a voice behind me said smoothly

I twisted my neck painfully to meet Sao's humour-filled eyes.

I realised that I was staying in a sitting position from riding in front of him and being tied to the saddle horn.

The snow was still falling, though not as heavy as earlier and I tried in vain to wipe the tickling flakes from my face with my shoulder. Wrapped in someone's blanket I was being transporting at full gallop in a snowfall.

There's a first for everything I guess.

It was slightly scary but exhilarating going across at full gallop on the back of a horse and having no idea where you're going.

"What happened?"

"You fainted"

"What the hell was that thing?"

"Forget about it, you'll have plenty of time to think about it later"

But I wasn't having any of this "Let me go, kidnapper"

I wriggled and began to pull my hands away as hard as I could from the saddle horn, trying to kick out at Sao as I did so. It's harder than it sounds.

His grip turned rough as if I'd activated the violence switch. He hit my head hard enough to confuse me for a moment and when I'd become un-confused he'd gagged me and tied my feet to the stirrups. I had no idea how he'd managed to do it in such a short amount of time but now I couldn't speak or move.

"What happened?" a horse with the large Croa came up behind us

"She woke up" came the reply

"Yes" he agreed scowling at me, "What happened then, what was that?"

"Tried to escape" he replied

"Wouldn't be escaping if I were you, you don't know what's will come next"

I hate cryptic people.

"Tell me what you mean," I said, making a weird 'muff muff muff' noise instead of what I'd meant to come out

He laughed and so did Sao, vibrating through my back "All I can say is that it's your own fault if you fall into misfortune"

I grunted, it was my own fault, I'd wanted to come here, wasn't going to admit that though.

I shuffled on the saddle uncomfortably.

"Go back to sleep" Sao said "You annoy me less when you do that"

"Muff muff muff" I huffed and settled down into my sitting/pulled up position again while closing my eyes. I have to admit; it was nice having a human heater to keep the cold away behind me.

I could hear soft hoof beats below and behind me. Where was Link? Trust him to disappear when I was being kidnapped. Had I seen him back there, in the courtyard, in the small entry with someone else?

I couldn't be sure what I'd seen, but I knew it wasn't Link. But if it wasn't Link, but reminded me so much of him, what was it?






How was that chapter? I've written about eight versions of this chapter and might re-write it again. It's up to you, I'm kinda in trouble with this story, I can't remember where we were going! I'm stuck. Reviewers, it's up to you, what are your opinions and ideas?