If you know me at all, you know that I hate making y'all wait. Since I already have chapter 2 ready to go...why not share it? It'd be just plain rude not too!

Without further adieu, here's chapter 2-and onto some real plot!

Chapter 2: Nobody of Consequence

Present Day

Village of Burbank, Located at the Edge of the Kingdom of California

The sun was peeking through the trees much earlier this morning than any other in the past month. As Lawrence rode down the crude path, he noticed how the sun reflected off his father's sword in a way that illuminated darker parts of the forest around him. The sight was almost majestic. The only thing that could ruin the beautiful scene in front of him was the smell of his horse's dung.

Lawrence hated riding to the village. It was his least favorite thing. He was exposed. He risked getting caught by soldiers and sent to Maleficent herself. But he had to do this visit today for he needed food. He hadn't seen any wildlife in the area for weeks and his food supply from his last trip to the city five months ago was gone.

Lawrence—or Finn, the childhood nickname he adopted as his fake name four years ago—was starving. The last time he had food was…was…he couldn't even remember. A few days ago perhaps?

Goofy, his horse, was lucky. He could eat grass. If Lawrence wasn't successful today at the village, he would have to resort to doing the same.

How can I become king if I can barely get enough food to survive?

It was already midday before Lawrence reached the village. He reluctantly gave his horse to the stable boy outside the village gates. Though the village wasn't very big, horses were still not allowed in the streets.

"'Specially not today sir," the stable boy said to Finn. Now that he was not in the woods, he couldn't be Prince Lawrence. He had to be Finn—the boy who lived on his own outside the village. "There's a witch burning today."

"There is? We haven't had one of those in a while," Finn said to the boy without thinking too much about his words. His focus was on the horse still. He didn't care to make conversation with anyone unless he had to. The stable boy was nonessential conversation.

Finn gave the boy a coin, stolen from an unfortunate and ruthless rich man in the village a few months ago, and walked through the gates.

Finn could only remember one time this village was ever this crowded and he could remember it like it was yesterday.

He was seven years old and his father had come to this village to visit a potential new wife. Her name was Belle. Finn remembered her very well. She was overly intelligent and had a huge library in the back of her large house. Her father had died a few years ago and had left her with a huge fortune.

The village streets had been crowded with people when Finn and his father came riding through. He remembered sitting on the horse with his father behind him, keeping hold of the reins. His father smiled at the crowd but when he looked down at his son, his green eyes glowed.

Finn only remembered a few things about the Lady Belle. She read him stories at night by candlelight in her huge library. Tales of far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells and princes in disguise.

But something must not have worked out with the marriage, because he never saw her again. When Finn had wandered over to this part of the kingdom four years ago, he first sought out Belle. He doubted she would remember him, but he needed a friend. And she was the only one with the hope of being alive.

He was wrong. Finn had hid in her house for a few months before rebel soldiers came to the village. Finn had been living in the woods ever since. For some reason, he felt compelled to stay near this particular village. For the next year after being run out of Belle's old house, he had travelled across the kingdom, searching for friends and allies, but he ended up in the woods outside of Burbank, waiting in the woods at his old, childhood hideout (one that he had to rebuild after years of disuse) for any sign of his old friend. A pointless hope, but one he could not shake.

Finn waded through the crowd, looking for a particular shop owned by his friend's mother. His only friend.

Eventually, Finn found the shop and walked in. Before he made it to the counter to ask for his friend, Dillard came barreling out from the back and nearly tackled him in a hug.

"Finn!" He exclaimed. "How have you been? I haven't seen you around lately. I was starting to get worried!" He let go of Finn and took a step back, getting a good look at his friend. He frowned at the looseness of Finn's shirt. "Lemme guess. Food run?"

Finn nodded. "It's been a rough hunting season," he mumbled.

Dillard directed him to the back of the shop, where Dillard and his mother lived. "Luckily for you, my friend. We've got a surplus this year. God's been good this season."

Finn saw a few baskets of bread. Another couple filled with fruit. Two jugs of wine. A container of meat. A bag of salt. He wanted to cry.

"Take as much as you need," Dillard insisted.

"Oh but…I can't Dill…there's so much food here."

Dillard patted his friend on the shoulder. "Mom's into this whole charity thing now-a-days. Feeding the hungry and what not. You, my sad, strange little friend, qualify."

Finn would normally defend himself, but he didn't care this time. His stomach was just growling in anticipation. He didn't even wait for Dillard to say anything else. Finn started grabbing food. He had brought a bag with him that was large enough for a loaf of bread, a whole basket of fruit, one jug of wine and a little beat of meat and salt for preservation.

Once he had finished, he gave his friend Dillard a hug. "Thank you Dillard." He let go of him and slung the bag over his head, placing it in a comfortable location at his hip. "Someday I'll be able to repay you for all your kindness."

"Nonsense!" Dillard said as he started heading back to the shop, with Finn in tow. "That's what friends are for!"

They reached the shop and Dillard's mother called out for him. After reassuring his mother he would be there in a minute, he turned to give Finn a few last words.

"Are you going to stick around for the witch burning today Finn?"

Finn shrugged. "Wasn't planning on it. Why?"

"Oh come on! It'll be fun! We might even be able to score some exotic food at the shops across town for cheap if we're lucky!"

Finn knew he couldn't turn down good food like that…

"I guess I could stick around…"

Dillard's face lit up. "Sweet! Just don't wander off too far and you and I can go together after I do a few things for mother first. Okay?"

"Okay."

A few hours later, Finn found himself standing next to Dillard in a thick crowd of people surrounding a wooden raised platform in the middle of the village square.

Finn remembered the amazing feeling of riding through this same square when he was seven. Now, he was twenty-eight and now he was just feeling perplexed and anxious.

On the platform was a pile of wood surrounding a large wooden pole that was standing tall at ten feet. There were four people on this platform. By the time Finn and Dillard had gotten close enough to see what was going on, the trial was almost over.

There was an elderly man wearing a long black robe. Finn had assumed he was one of the local priests from the church. He overheard some people calling him Judge Frollo, causing Finn to wonder what the Maleficent had done to the local governments since her rule. Before she had taken over by force, the local villages had been led by priests or the aristocracy living there. He had a slight idea of what a judge did—his father used to judge people's trials all the time—but having one in a small village like Burbank?

Next to him, there were two of Maleficent's soldiers holding a beautiful young woman. She had dark skin and dark brown hair to match. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, but on fire with rage and anger. Something about her seemed so familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it.

Finn made it his mission to find out where he knew her from.

The elderly man raised his voice loud enough so that Finn and Dillard could finally hear. "I believe the evidence is leaning in favor of Miss Amanda Lovett…being a…witch!"

The crowd cheered. Finn felt his stomach churn.

"The last thing we need is a witch in this village! Or in this kingdom!" The crowd cheered again, this time louder. "The only sentence I can find to be fair in her case is to…BURN HER!"

As the crowd erupted in cheers so loud, Finn couldn't hear himself think, the young woman's—Miss Amanda Lovett's—eyes met his. All her desperation burned into him like a blacksmith's tool on a criminal's arm. He surged forward, pushing the cheering crowd out of the way.

"Finn?" Dillard called after him. He caught up to Finn as he continued to surge forward and pulled him back. "What are you doing?"

"She needs me."

"She's about to die."

"I…I…" He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "You're not going to believe this…but I know her from somewhere. I…I have to save her."

Dillard looked at him for a solid minute, not breaking eye contact, but also not saying anything.

The crowd around them shouted things like "BURN HER!" and "DIE WITCH!"

"Okay, Finn. Just don't die for this girl. Alright? I mean, she is still a girl."

Finn smirked for the first time in a long time. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Finn turned and started pushing through the crowd to get to the platform again. He knew Dillard wasn't following, but that was okay. Finn's hand slowly crept down to his father's sword as he moved closer.

"Soldiers!" The judge yelled. "Tie the witch to the pole!" The crowd cheered some more. Some even started throwing tomatoes. Judge Frollo turned to address the crowd. "Someone summon the torch bearers!"

As two people came up to the platform with the torches lit, Finn snuck around to the back. He crept up the steps without gaining anyone's notice. The two soldiers had tied Miss Amanda up already.

Before anyone noticed he was on the platform, Finn drew his sword fully and knocked the judge unconscious with the hilt and pushed him off the platform. He turned around to face the two soldiers, who now had their swords drawn and were ready to fight.

"Let her go," Finn demanded. "She's no witch."

"Maleficent's orders. Now stand down or die along with her." The first soldier ordered.

"I'd rather die with her than comply with anything that Maleficent ordered."

Finn charged the first guard, using a disarming move he had taught himself a few years back. After his sword went flying, Finn stabbed his sword into the soldier's right leg, sending him into the crowd screaming in pain.

Finn turned to the second guard, looked him over and stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny, traitor?" The guard asked with a shaky voice.

"This." Finn used his left hand and pushed the second soldier only slightly. The second soldier realized too late that he was standing on the edge of the platform and landed on the ground with a large THUD!

Finn turned to Miss Amanda, used his sword to untie her and extended a hand, but she only stared at him.

"What are you doing? We've got to go if you want to live!" Finn asked her.

"Who…who are you?" She asked so quietly, Finn could barely hear her. Her blue eyes bore into him.

"Nobody of consequence. Do you really want to die today?" Finn pointed with his sword to the soldiers lying on the ground the platform. "They won't be down there forever."

Amanda continued to stare at him blankly.

"I seriously think you want to die."

Amanda snapped out of her daze. "I…uh…no. I don't want to die."

"That's what I thought! Now come on. We've got some running to do!" Finn grabbed her hand, jumped off the platform and ran off into the crowd.

Once back at the stable, Finn figured they were safe when the stable boy didn't recognize the proclaimed "witch." The boy gave Finn back his horse. He walked Goofy over to the edge of the woods and hoisted Amanda up onto the saddle.

"HEY!"

Finn turned around to see Dillard running towards them, clearly out of breath. "Wait…up!"

"Dillard? What are you doing here?"

"I'm coming with you." He stopped right in front of Finn.

Finn looked him up and down, trying to decide whether or not he could survive in the wilderness with him. The beautiful young woman next to him had no choice. Dillard did.

"I…I don't know about this Dill…"

"Oh come on! I want some adventure!"

Finn looked between Miss Amanda and Dillard and back again. So many things could go wrong in the current situation. Finn had been on his own for four years and now in the course of an hour, he now had a beautiful young woman and his best friend both either needing or wanting him. He wasn't entirely sure about Miss Amanda yet.

He sighed and turned back to Dillard.

"Fine. But my horse can't hold all three of us."

"I'll make sure mother takes care of him!" Dillard was bouncing with excitement. Once Amanda got off the horse, he hurried back to the stable boy and to give him the instructions to his mother's house.

As soon as Dillard came back, the three of them headed off into the woods towards Finn's hideout.

Finn sat on a log facing the small fire he had started out of necessity a little while ago. He kept his gaze on the fire, not wanting to stare at Miss Amanda, who was sitting on the log next to his. She hadn't said a word since his rescue.

Dillard had been asleep for a long time by now. The sun was also gone by about the same amount of time. Finn's horse was exhausted from carrying the three of them half a day. The stars were shining bright tonight. He couldn't remember a night where they had been this clear.

With his boot, Finn stomped out the fire. For a minute, neither said anything. The silence was beautiful and awkward at the same time.

Finn decided to break the silence.

"Why were you on trial? Why would they call you a witch?"

Even in the dark night, he could see her staring down at where the fire had been just seconds before. The stars and moon highlighted just enough of her beautiful face for him to see.

She cleared her throat. "Because…" she moved her gaze to her hands. "I can…" another deep sigh "I can do things that Maleficent can't do…and that scares her."

Maleficent had sentenced her to death? Finn was perplexed. He knew Maleficent was a sorceress. Why on earth would she be seeking out so-called "witches?" She seemed more like the kind that wanted to bring magic into the kingdom, not destroy it—at least based off the stories his father told him about the sorceress and her magical powers all throughout his childhood up. All the way until his death…

"She is a formidable foe, Lawrence." He had said on his death bed. "But I know you can defeat her. Good always wins."

Finn shook the memory out of his mind. "What kind of things?"

"I…I don't really want to talk about it…" She glanced over at him. "I…uh…don't know your name."

Finn got up and sat by her on the other log. He extended his hand to her. "Name's Lawrence, but you can call me Finn."

Why did I just tell her my real name? Stupid! Finn mentally slapped himself.

She didn't seem to mind. "Amanda," she shook his hand. "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Save me from being burned at the stake."

Finn was well aware of how close she was to him. He was aware of every inch of her face he could see in the moonlight—which wasn't a lot, but it was enough.

"Honestly?" She nodded, encouraging him to continue. "I don't know. I just…felt…compelled to do so."

Finn looked at Amanda and for the first time since arriving at his hideout, she looked him directly in the eyes. He felt a connection. He knew her from somewhere…but he couldn't tell where.

The moment of bliss ended too soon, as all good things did.

"Well…thanks," she mumbled, again looking at her hands.

"So shouldn't I get…a kiss or something for doing something so heroic?" Where did that come from?

Amanda giggled and it sounded like bells to Finn. "I think only knights in shining armor get that."

"Well!" Finn crossed his arms, purposely pouting so that maybe she'll laugh again. "Who made you the expert on heroes?"

She smirked at him. "I'm not the expert on heroes."

"Then why can't a guy with a cool secret hideout get a kiss? I'm about as close to a knight in shining armor as you're going to get around here!"

This time, they both laughed. It felt so good to let go of all his worries of the past four years. It felt good to laugh. When was the last time he did that?

Amanda scooted closer to Finn. So close that he could feel her breath on his face. She leaned in even further and Finn prepared for a kiss. She stopped less than an inch from his face.

She moved back just a little. "You know what? I change my mind." She stood up, towering over the stunned Finn. "Maybe when the moment's right. Now…now's not that moment."

She hovered there for a second, as if trying to find the right words to say. "Thanks again, for you know, saving my life. I do owe you one. Goodnight Finn."

And just like that she walked over to her designated sleeping area that Finn had given her shortly after arriving.

Finn was all alone in the campsite. Though sleep was something he knew he needed, his mind was spinning. He needed to find that perfect moment for his kiss with Amanda. He was going to make that happen.

Oh boy, it feels good to be back doing this again! What did y'all think of chapter 2? Any thoughts? Tell me in a lovely review!

Have an amazing day and I'll update as soon as I can! Keep being awesome!