Disclaimer: Don't own nothing, blah blah blah

P.S. Amelia, the one who wrote this chapter has a slight tendency towards romance.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 4

By: acegrl101

Amy, Ariel, and Lexie looked on in fright as Lauren was knocked over the head. Amy and Ariel were screaming really, really, really, really loud. I think the spidren even went deaf. Lexie was revolted by the smell of U'Klim, and hurled into the spidrens face, temporarily blinding it. In desperation, I groped behind me. At last, I felt my hand come in contact with an extremely large stick. To my luck, the stick was knotted on the end, making a club. With all my strength, I brought the stick up, and let it come crashing down on the spidrens skull. I got up(hobbling, for my legs were still bound with the spidrens icky net) and let the club come crashing down again. This time I heard a sickening crunch as the club came in contact with bone. Not wanting to take any chances, I drew the dagger that I always kept on me, no matter what, unless I was in an airport, but I didn't think I'd ever see another airport. Well, with the dagger, I split the spidren from, I guess I could say from its neck down its belly. There then was a horrible goo coming from the spidren, and, not wanting to have to deal with any more sickness from the remainders of the foxy five, I dragged the three girls into the forest with me

.

"You're going to have to shape up and listen to me," I said to them sternly, "if, you want to live." I ended with a threat. They didn't listen, they were worrying about their makeup. Time for drastic measures. I grabbed the bags that hung over their shoulders, thus taking away their makeup. They all yelled at me. "if you want you're makeup back, you're going to do exactly as I say. Understand." I had finally gotten their attention, and their makeup. With this, they would be my slaves. (muhahaha, laughs evily)

From this point on, we usually were able to work together. At home, I had lived in the woods, and I had thought I knew what to do. I was totally wrong. I could build a shelter, kind of. I could make beds, hard ones, made out of stones for the foxy five, and sticks and leaves for me. I actually could make a fire and cook. But I didn't know what to cook with. At any moment, I was waiting for one of the foxy five to pull out a book titled, How to Live in the Wilderness of Tortall, but it didn't happen. First because, I didn't even know if they COULD read, and second because it was highly unlikely that they would even know how to open a book. There were times when the girls got so loud that I thought the world was coming to an end. One particular day, when the girls were wailing over how their designer jeans were being torn, I heard hoof beats. They were faint, and it could have been mistaken as thunder, so I put my ear to the ground. They weren't thunder, and it sounded like they were coming towards us. I tried to talk to Ariel, but she was hysterical with grief for her pants, then I tried Lexie, but she had broke a nail. Then, I tried Amy. She actually listened to me, but it was too late. We couldn't even climb halfway up the ledge that was behind us. Lexie and Ariel huddled behind a tree stump, and Amy stood behind me. There was a fire at my feet, so , I grabbed one of the sticks, in vain. As soon as I started to wave it above my head, it was shot out of my hand. I looked at the feathers of the arrow. Griffin. I was utterly terrified now. Soon one would come and it would be true. It would hit my heart. I was already feeling the cold grip of death. Then I was swooped up onto a horse as I heard the twange of another bow. The person now holding me was strong, and warm. I looked back, and saw the most handsome man I had ever seen. I looked to Ariel and Lexie and Amy, they too were with riders. Then I looked ahead. This wasn't right! The raiders were in front of us. The horse that belonged to the gentleman that held me was hamstringed, and we were both on the ground. He looked me up and down, almost assessing me. This is not the time to look me over I thought. Then he threw me a sword. I hesitated, but caught it.

"Can you use a sword?" he asked me. His voice was actually pretty nice.

"Uh, not really, no." I stammered

"That's good enough. There's nothing to it. You just poke the enemy, and not let yourself get poked." He told me.

"got it" I replied. Then I headed to the raiders. On the way though, I got sidetracked. I ran into Lexie, on "accident".

"the other enemy," the man said when he came towards me.

"right-o chum" I said, thinking this was all jolly. Then the first raider came at me. I hate to say this now, but I screamed. He brought a sword down, and I , not being used to a heavy sword, only the light foils used on my fencing team at home, attempted to parry. It worked, kind-of. I then started going through the exercises that had been taught me, but doing so rather clumsily. I actually managed to wound my attacker, but then the man came up from behind and got him for me. That was the last of the bandits. I suddenly felt a pain in my side, and looked down to see blood. After that, my vision blurred. All I remember is falling backwards.

When I awoke, and looked around, I saw Ariel lying down with a wrapped up arm. Laying beside her was Lexie, with a wrapped up head, and Amy, with a wrapped up foot. Suddenly there was a shadow over me. I looked up to see the handsome man. I blushed as he smiled at me. He knelt down beside me and formally introduced himself as Evan. Just plain Evan. Just plain Evan, second in command of the Queens riders Evan. He was gorgeous up close. He had blond hair, that fell into his eyes. His color was a light brown, from spending a lot of time riding out in the sun. His eyes were a blue-gray, that twinkled mischievously. His teeth were pearly, and his grin was devilish. I was enchanted. And, if I do say so myself, he was enchanted with me. Then I looked down at myself, a REALLY dirty shirt and torn blue jeans. My shoes had disappeared a while back. I blushed as his eyes were still on my face. I looked at him and he smiled that smile that I'm sure makes every girl that looks at him melt. Wait, I cant be thinking this I thought. I have a career in front of me. The Olympics. I couldn't go to the Olympics if I was drooling over a guy. But wait. They didn't have the Olympics here. Three cheers for my ingenuity! Oh well.

"Are you ok?" he asked, his voice was a rich, deep voice, but not too deep. Just right. Kind, yet commanding. Shut UP. I had to keep telling my self this. I was getting carried away. This wasn't allowed to happen. Then someone shouted. His head came up and he looked at me. "I'll be right back." He said, and he headed off. I sat with my thoughts. No, my daydreams. This was the guy that I had always wanted to meet. Maybe he wasn't mentioned in books, but his spirit existed in them. He was at every battle, urging the brave men on. He was in every medical tent, telling the men that they would be okay. He was at every home, with mourning wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, lovers…

"Excuse me." It was a rich feminine voice. I looked up and my jaw dropped. It was Buri! I was face to face with my hero! I was about to start to hyperventilate when she continued to speak. "I see you've fallen in love with my second in command." My jaw dropped even more.

"Your second in command?" I asked. "and his name would be?"

she looked at her second in command proudly.

"He is Evan, Evan of Hollist Lake." She looked rather pleased again.

"Wait, shouldn't he be at the Palace then, being a squire?" I asked tentatively. Buri looked at me and then totally remembered her manners, realizing she hadn't done any introductions.

"Oh, by the way…" she began.

"you're Buri, protector of Queen Thayet, Commander of the her Riders." I finished for her. Now it was her turn for her jaw to drop.

"How in the Lady's name did you know that?" she asked.

"I have my sources, and it's a looong story." I answered. She looked at me. "ok, ill tell" So I sat there as night fell, telling my hero about how I came to be in Tortall and how I desperately needed to find my friends, but I didn't get to say anything else because at that moment, Evan came over with food in his hands.

He handed me a wooden plate and a wooden spork like thing. The food consisted of some kind of jerky, and a rice like veggie. I ate it slowly, savoring it, for it was the first real food I had had in days. When I was finished, Buri got up and made her leave, walking over to where Lexie, Amanda and Ariel were laying down on the ground. Evan was still sitting beside me and we started talking about our childhoods. Evan had grown up on the shores of Hollist Lake, with his five brothers and two sisters. I told him about living where I did and about my animals and such. We talked long into the night, and when the fire started to die, Evan went up and got more wood, when he came back, I was asleep.

The next day came bright and early, and I really didn't want to get up, but I saw Evan. I started to shun that part of my mind. Swooning over a guy wasn't going to help me or my friends.

Evan brought a horse over to me and asked if I could ride. This I could do, but I had never done it with a split open leg. After having difficulties trying to get into the saddle, I finally relented to riding in front of someone. That someone was Evan (figures right?). Anyway, his big white stallion was certainly capable of holding both of us, and we started to move out with the rest of the riders. All that day was filled with joking and laughing and I barely saw the remains of the Foxy Five. The went quickly, and that night I met with Buri, to try and figure out what the game plan might be. Knowing my friends, they would probably head to Pirates Swoop, and I knew they would get there because trusty, dusty Emma always carried one of the books around with her, and the books have maps. Buri did give me some more comfortable cloths to wear and I thanked her profusely, because holed jeans and no shoes wasn't too pleasant. Buri decided to send half of her riders with Lexie, Ariel, Amy, and I, to the palace in Corus, and from there we would go to Pirates Swoop.

The next day came again, and we headed off in pursuit of my friends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You know the drill