Thank you all for being so patient with me!  I felt as though I had no time to write this week, but I managed to get something down! :cD

TrudiRose: Well, I tried to explain it in this chapter too, but Lark isn't precognitive, just very good at finding out secrets.  You'll find out later why he knows her sister's coming after her, but he had no idea about the mob.  He was warning them about a future clash, not this one.

Lollipop5: Yes, she's a mean one, Clarissa witch.  (Sorry, had to do that XcD) Her hatred goes a wee bit deeper than that.  The Prince Freddy thing was merely the straw that broke the camels back, to be cliché.  And, you're right!  She will be making a reappearance.

EreshkigalGirl: Ahh, twoo wuv!

Ruby Serenity: It's my curse.  I just want to get to the good parts!

mistyqueen: I think Lia has a few tricks up her sleeve.  Or, a really cute guy with a sword.

Shards of Dawn: I'll try to add a little bit of their conversations here and there.  Thanks for the suggestion!

stubble96: Yes, well, she might have to tell him sometime.  :cO  That would be an interesting conversation, I would think.

Black Sheep Alone: Thank you!  I try really hard to have the most correct spelling and grammar that I can (even though  I find that grammar is one of the hardest words to spell :c/)  Don't be afraid to point out mistakes to me!  Robbie's sword is quite magical, but I'll talk about it in a later chapter.

Thank you all for your support!

-Lulai

Chapter Eight: The Choice

"Oh, God," Robbie muttered, his eyes refusing to tear away from the sight in front of him.

"Robbie?" Lia called from the doorway. Seeing him standing out there, looking off into the distance worried her.

"Robbie?" she asked again, walking up to him and laying a hand on his shoulder.

Robbie said nothing, merely pointed. Lia followed the line of his finger and froze. There on the path leading up to her house were at least forty men.

"Oh my..." Lia trailed off, lifting her other hand to her face. "Lark told me that they might come but I had no idea that they would come so soon. Neither did Lark, most likely."

"We'll have to get out of here," Robbie said. He never took his eyes off the crowd. He knew, he knew, that his brothers were in there.

"No," Lia said shortly. At this, Robbie finally looked at her.

"No?" he asked incredulously.

"No," Lia repeated firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I will not be forced out of my home."

"They are not coming to force you out, they are coming to burn you," Robbie said, running a hand through his hair in frustration, "to burn this cottage to the ground, with you in it!"

Robbie saw a brief flash of fear in her eyes, but her jaw was set stubbornly. "I will not leave. I will reason with them."

"You cannot reason with a mob!" Robbie shouted angrily.

"I will not give up without trying!" Lia snapped back.

"It will mean your life!" Robbie felt as though a vein in his head was going to pop it was throbbing so hard.

"So be it!" Lia whirled away and looked at the crowd, dangerously close now.

He had always admired her stubbornness but not when it put her life in danger.  He couldn't bear the thought of Lia dead.

"We have to get out of here!" Robbie took her shoulder and spun her to look into his eyes. "There is nothing here for you now!" His hands tightened on her shoulders almost painfully. "Why do you insist on staying?"

Lia wrenched herself out of his grasp. "Because I've already been forced out of one home; I refuse to leave another!" she yelled.

Robbie looked into her eyes, brimming with tears of fear and anger, and again, something about them struck him as strange. Before he could analyze it, one of the men called out.

"Beau!" Robbie winced and looked towards the voice. Quincy stood at the head of the mob, brandishing a sword in one hand and a torch in the other.

"Robbie," Robbie said back. "My name's Robbie, not Beau."

"Alright, Robbie," Quincy mocked. "Now, come with us. We're rescuing ye from the witch." Quincy raised his torch and the mob raised theirs in response with a loud jeer.

"What makes you think that I want to be rescued?" Robbie asked.

Quincy looked at him as if he were daft. "O' course ye wanna be rescued. Do ye wanna be a slave to her for the rest o' yer life?"

"Forgive me for wanting to work for someone who actually appreciates me, instead of working for a brother that constantly puts me down," Robbie said with heavy sarcasm.

Quincy's face grew red. "Burn the witch!" he yelled to the crowd. The crowd yelled again.

"Wait!" Robbie yelled as the mob advanced.

"Out o' the way, Beau," Quincy said, swinging at him with his sword. Robbie drew his own sword and parried. Quincy stared at him, amazed, for a moment. Then he sneered.

"So you know a few tricks now," he said. "That won't save you."

Robbie ignored him but spoke to the crowd instead. "What has Lia ever done to you?" he asked them. "When has she ever done anything other than heal and help you?"

"Yer brother said that she stole ye!" one man shouted from the back.

"Do I look kidnapped?" Robbie asked, pushing Quincy away from him. "In fact this woman," he pointed at Lia where she was standing stock still, watching what was happening, "has been kinder to me than my brothers ever were." The crowd murmured to each other, their blood lust abating a little.

"This woman is kind, patient, intelligent, and resourceful," Robbie continued, knowing that his next words would mean the difference between whether their house stayed standing or burnt to a crisp. "Tompkins," he said to one man in the crowd, "didn't she help your son with that horrible cough? And Grander, didn't she mend your hand when you sliced it open with that scythe?"

"So then why are you here?" he cried. "Why are you going to kill a woman who's provided you with countless services?" The crowd looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Bah, let's go home," yelled one man.

"Yeah, I wanna go back to me wife!" another agreed. The crowd murmured it's assent and they started back on the path back to the village.

"Beau, come home now," Derrik said to him.

"I'm sorry, Derrik, but Lia's my family now," Robbie said honestly. He ignored the feeling in his gut when Lia looked at him with appreciation in her eyes.

Tobin nodded. "Let's go home."

Quincy started to turn away when he suddenly he sprung back and lunged toward Lia.

"No!" Robbie shouted, leaping in front of her. He felt a searing heat in his shoulder as Quincy's sword sank deep.

Tobin and Derrik grabbed Quincy and pulled him back. Robbie dropped to his knees as the sword came out of his shoulder.

"Look what you've done, saphead!" Lia shouted at Quincy, as she untied her handkerchief and balled it against the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood. Robbie fought the nausea and the urge to slip into numbness.

Derrik held Quincy as Tobin came forward. "Can we help?" he asked.

"I think you've helped enough," Lia snapped, but stopped and looked into his face, creased with worry. "No, he'll be fine," she said, softer. "Please, just take your other brother home. I'll take care of Robbie."

Tobin clasped her shoulder briefly, then turned and grabbed Quincy roughly by the arm and dragged him home.

"Come on, Robbie," Lia grunted, gently tugging on his torso, "get up and inside. I can't carry you all by yourself."

Robbie complied like a man in a dream or as if he were wading through deep water.

She lay him down on her cot and lifted his head. The sweet smell of Gerlan assaulted his nostrils.

"Drink this, Robbie," she instructed soothingly. "It'll help you go to sleep."

Robbie would have laughed if he had the strength. He was half asleep already. He drank it anyway.

"You saved my life," Lia said with wonderment. She brushed his bangs back from his eyes.

Robbie lifted his good arm and brushed her curly grey hair, now falling loose and free from the confines of her handkerchief. He looked into her eyes...

And saw what had been disturbing him about them.

"Your eyes," he murmured sleepily, "your eyes are too young for your face." Lia looked taken aback. Robbie looked closer, his own eyes going fuzzy. Suddenly, he was sure that her hair used to be red.

He yawned and closed his eyes, the drugs taking their toll.

"I think I love you," he mumbled softly, before falling into the peaceful blackness of sleep.