If it had been solely up to me, I would have convinced my temporary traveling companions to camp outdoors for the night – which would have made my disappearing act easier to perform.

Instead, we were to be welcomed by a village that the two gauls seemed to be very much familiar with.

"True, their druid is terrible – but they're still nice folks." Asterix commented.

Without much warning, Obelix slapped me on the back with a force almost strong enough to knock me over.

"Oh you'll love it in Tulusa Arabel! Their food is legendary!" he said enthusiastically as I wheezed for breath that had been caught in my lungs.

"Ah, I'm sure I will…"

The dark stallion had continued to follow us a few paces behind, for what reason I didn't really get. It was obviously wild enough to manage on it's own. I looked back at it and frowned.

I stopped on the road and walked up to it, and attempted to shoo it away.

"Go on, live your life! You're free!"

While it did rear back a few steps, it didn't do as I said at all.

"Come on, I don't even have any apples left!"

Probably just to be stubborn and annoying, the stallion now just sat down like a dog, staring at me calmly.

"Awww, he likes you." Obelix said helpfully as I grunted and kicked at the dirt.

"No, no, no!"

Asterix walked up and looked far too happy about this development – he was turning out to be not only annoying but also sadistic.

"I think he does."

It was not that I disliked horses, far from it. But there are things that you cannot simply discard – memories that are far too bloody to touch.

Nevertheless, there was nothing much to be done at the present – and I hoped that someone at the village we were headed to were in need of a stubborn animal.

The sun was close to setting over the horizon when we arrived, a slight chill to the air arriving along with it. Just as the gauls own village, this one was also surrounded by a thick wooden barricade, though this one looked in much need of repair. But unlike the gaul village, the gates here were firmly closed.

Obelix did the knocking as Asterix shouted up to the man standing guard above.

"Oi! You can go on and open the gates!"

"Who goes there?"

"Asterix and Obelix, as well as a...uh, helper."

I rolled my eyes at the very reluctantly given title. Well, I guess there could have been worse things he could have called me.

Despite the haphazard barricades, inside the village was flourishing. All around people went about their day, the men coming back from hunting – women carrying overflowing baskets of vegetables and fruit. People trying to haggle at a small market selling knick-knacks and pottery. Children running and playing with each other, while the scent of food cooking flavored the air.

For some reason, it all made me unsure and nervous.

And out of the heavy throng of people, the chief of the village appeared – apparently very happy to see the two gaulish warriors. It was easy to recognize him as chief, because he was the only one wearing a slightly ridiculous looking crown made out of animal bones. As many in the village, he had red, flowing long hair and freckles across his face and bare arms.

"Ah, finally you decide to grace us with a visit! It has been too long." he said in a loud booming voice. Asterix inclined his head in greeting and Obelix did the same.

"Chief, I wish I could say that it was only for pleasure this time around." Asterix said, and the chief sighed and nodded.

"It rarely ever is with you two – and er, the third and fourth one..."

Wait, fourth?

It was then that I felt a huff of breath on the back of my head and realized that the damn horse had followed me inside the village gates. Of course it had.

Obelix had been right. The food was good – delicious even. But still I picked at my food, my eyes and ears busy and on guard against my surroundings. There was really no need for it though – I was surrounded at a round table with people that seemed to have no worries or cares at all. The people of the village were all gathered around a huge round table, a flaming pit in the middle where the food was being prepared.

The children had been put to bed early, while the adults feasted and drank ale, laughing and talking merrily – especially Obelix, who seemed to be well on his way on a fourth wild boar fully eaten. Asterix was conversing with the chief a few chairs away from mine, looking amused but not as carefree.

"Are you ill?"

I almost jumped in my seat when Obelix addressed me, and I craned my neck to look up at him next to me.

"Pardon?" I asked, and he gestured to my almost full plate of meat stew.

"You've barely touched it – if you don't want the rest..."

I shrugged and after a moment of deliberation, I scooted the plate over to him.

"Here, you can have it."

Despite all the food he had already eaten, Obelix face lighted up like this was his first real meal in weeks. I decided to retire from the table, made sure that nobody saw me leave – even though the chances of that were minimal, as the feast was slowly turning into a party of the ages. Someone had brought out drums and other musical instruments as I got up to leave, and as I walked up to the stables at the very edge of the village, a steady thrum of music filtered the air.

The black stallion had been given a healthy portion of hay, and was not alone in the stalls – two other horses with thick calf muscles and long, bristly hair stood and ate in peaceful silence next to him. His head bobbed up as I approached, and for once it didn't feel like a nuisance.

I walked up to his stall and leaned against it, sighing as I did, finally letting go of the careful guard I had kept up all day.

"Well, this is a fine mess, isn't it?" I said out loud – not sure if I was talking to the horse or not.

"That depends what you're referring to." a voice suddenly spoke up out of absolutely nowhere, and I jumped around and yelped in surprise.

"Ahh!"

Of course it was him.

"Oh, did I frighten you?" Asterix asked, and it was impossible to tell if he was sarcastic or not. I held a hand up to my chest, my heart beating wildly still.

"No!" I insisted, and he looked a quarter amused and a quarter confused.

"Oh, it sounded like you were-"

"Nevermind that. Why aren't you back there still?"

"Just what I was going to ask you actually."

"Well I asked first." I said back, sounding exactly six years old but not caring in the slightest. I was taken aback however by the disarming way he was regarding me – for once no suspicion, or disregard evident.

"Arabel, truly."

I regarded him for a long moment, then my eyes strayed back to the party. I lowered my voice when I spoke next, unsure why.

"Truly? These places...I don't feel...comfortable."

"Why not?" He asked, his voice nearly as low as mine.

But I couldn't answer that. I didn't know how. Somehow, during this silence, I had skidded down the wall of the stable and was now sitting on the ground.

"It's not so hard you know." he said then after a while.

"What is?" I asked, looking up at him.

But instead of answering, he just looked at me as if he was trying to see through me. It was unnerving and intense.

"Nothing." he finally muttered, and walked away.