I traveled all day and night. Since the troops had been up earlier than I, they must be hours ahead by now. I rode on, following the directions I had received from a farmer that I had stopped along the road.

The sky turned gray and overcast and the cold rain began to fall down upon me, but nothing I should encounter would stop me. I was determined to get to him if I had to crawl on my hands and knees through a hail storm. As I rode deeper into the wilderness, I came across what seemed like deserted army camps alongside the dusty, unkempt road. Feeling a sense of hope rising in my veins, I nudged the horse and we began into a gallop.

After riding for a better part of the day, my mare tired herself and I was forced to stop for the night. The stars were just as beautiful as the night William confessed himself, and his love to me. O how I missed him already. I looked over towards the north, across the wheat fields and the rolling hills and saw a faint glow of campfires. I supposed I was getting close, about 25 leagues away. It was still a long ways away, but the sight of knowing I was closer than I thought made my heart jump with anxiety. With these warm, and tense thoughts deep in my head, I tied up my horse to a nearby tree and lolled myself to sleep with thoughts of our reunion; a sweet taste in my mouth.

I rode on for days, with little to eat and drink, each night getting closer to the campsite, for that was the only time I could see it clearly. On one morning, the sky waking up from its blackened slumber, I spied something that glistened in the distance. Curious, I went to investigate. I let the horse rest, since we had traveled all night, and trekked to the sparkling object. Fifteen minutes passed and what I saw horrified me.

A corpse, clad in armor; and with it were thousands more that had come to the same fate. As the wind changed directions, I caught the stench of death in my nose. The smell made me sick to my stomach, and enough to make me dry heave because I hadn't eaten much in the last few days. Thinking about battle made me equally ill. Is this what war is really like? All this bloodshed and loom of bereavement thick in the air? It was enough to make anyone turn around and head in the opposite direction.

Even though the thought of this being my fate frightened me a little, nothing could, or would, stand in my way.

I said a prayer for the lost souls and before I turned back to my journey, I began to think.

How was I supposed to go help William with nothing of my own to defend myself, let alone him? Starting back towards the fields, I began to comb through the carnage for a suite that would fit me. The blood that soaked through the grass made it hard to walk and I had trouble holding my balance. After ten minutes of searching, I found the right fit. Hastily, I began to strip the cadaver of his armor. To clean the excess blood from it, I ripped off about seven inches of hem from my dress. As I began putting more and more armor on, the weight from the steel became more apparent.

How was I ever going to fight in this?

Before I turned to leave, I picked up the sword lying beside its victim, its blade stained red from previous victories. After wiping the cold, red steel on a clean spot in the grass, I took another look at the scene that could soon be my future, and with shoulders held high, I started back for my mare.

As I mounted my horse with difficulty, I started on my journey once again. Although today, I felt more prepared than I ever had before.

A.P.

Sorry guys! It's been awhile since I've updated, but school has been a drag.

One word: FINALS!!!!

But now that I'm on Christmas break, I can FINALLY finish my story. So I guess for Christmas I'll write the conclusion for William and Maria. Don't worry, I've thought up the ending so it shouldn't take too much time. Sorry this chapter wasn't very long, or exciting, but it's all building up to the battle. –Gasp- How exciting!! Mmmm…I bet!