Disclaimer: Power Rangers belong to Saban and Disney. Characters you recognize are not mine, but characters you don't recognize, the plot and the idea are mine!

A/N: Here's another chapter, sorry it took so long, I hope to post the next one in a week since I'm loaded with work and psychometry. Anyway, this one is dedicated to

Phantom Rogue
Mate, thanks you're always there for me and my fics. Me, Andrew, Coran, Andros, Ashley and soon enough Zhane and Karone, thank you:)

Slytherin-Angel44: thanks for your review;) there ya go ;hands chapter to you;

C.C.C: well, matey, I try… next chapter everything will clear out for you guys! (not for Ash though), thanks for reviewing!

thepoweroflove: mate, I'm glad you enjoyed, hope you'd enjoy this one too ;hands chapter to you; thanks a bunch for you review:)

AH/AY: I don't know why I'm writing to you, since you're in Ireland having a good time. But I love you mate, I hope you're having the best time ever! Love ya!

Star Fata: you're the best :P thanks for your review! (do I have you on aim?)

zeopurple: you are so my next target, mate :D thanks for your reviews and oh…- never told me your name though…

Phantom Rogue: love you. can't say more:)

Arwennicole: mate, you're the best, you know you mean the world to me. I thank you forever for reviewing.

SweetSas: yo babe :P I love ya too. Thanks for reviewing.

In the Clearing of the Forest
by DarkHonda aka Tal

Chapter six

She couldn't believe it, any of this, how could they do this to her? How? How did they dare to think she should marry someone because of a prophecy- a guess someone made 3000 years ago! How did they dare to decide something so important for her and not to tell her? How did they dare let her hear it from a total stranger!
In a way he wasn't a total stranger, but he was the exact opposite, she concluded softly, yet the tears burnt their way on her cheeks, and all she wanted to do was to sit down and cry.
When she reached the waterfall, she let her body fall to the soft muddy ground, she didn't care about dirt or being ungraceful, she felt so clumsy and so stupid. She just sat there, looking at the water falling from the now raging river to a pool from heaven. The pool so clear and hopeful, as if it contained everything that was good; it was comforting and relaxing, promising her a lifetime of desires and ambitions she wanted to achieve. The source of water, the unforgivable river was falling to the pool with cold fury, protesting her presence. Yet she didn't feel unwanted, she felt nature's fury was so much like her on; cold, blind and easily provoked. Her anger, as Jeffery witnessed so many times, wasn't easily abated or even tamed. It was one of nature's fury.
The silence around her was disturbed with the sound of the water falling down to the little lake, almost trying to recreate the subtle noise of sea waves, little droplettes of water succeeded landing on her face, as she numbly looked around her. It was her favorite spot at the forest, almost hidden from civilization and passing byers.
'Yes, nature's fury is much like my own,' she agreed, but at that time she wasn't furious. She was dealing with her foretold fate.

She wanted to grieve on life. Same life that was so hard on her and on a future that only the stars knew what would lay ahead of her. Yet comparing the future to the present, it didn't look that intimidating, not with the knowing Coran would be there, he was the only one that hasn't lied to her, he was the ray of truth in a dark life of lies; her own father lied to her, she realized as she remembered two nights ago. Even then, when he finally talked to her about this marriage thing, he avoided her questions and gave her half truths, 'isn't it a harsh betrayal?' she wondered. Everyone knew she was to marry Andros, everyone knew she was the alleged 'chosen one', everyone; her father, Jeff, Charlotte, maybe even Elgar… and neither bothered to tell her, neither thought she has a right to know about it, neither one even considered it! They preferred leaving her with her innocence and ignorance. They preferred a total stranger to tell her. How could they?

'And I,' she told herself, 'I was the perfect fool,' she wiped away her tears, 'no other girl I know, was trained with fencing, no other girl got her own horse or her own sword,' she thought bitterly. 'How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been that ignorant!'
Now she was starting to get angry, even furious, with herself, with her own stupidity. 'If I had only paid attention, if I had only read the signs, everything could have been different…better!' she sighed helplessly, whishing she could disappear from upon the ground. She wished to be alone in the world, without any worries, without late night fears, without indecisive men…
'But reality should be dealt with,' she told herself, 'I need to accept my fate and claim my place,' she tried to convince herself, 'if I am to help save KO-35, I have to get a grip,' she thought. But only one question disturbed her rest: How?

And she was there, alone in front of one of nature's furies, aching in the silence and dealing with the loneliness on her own, lost in thoughts that were straying between Andros and Coran, obligation and respect… love and hate. She was so lost in thoughts that she barely heard the sound of the approaching horsemen, three malicious looking males, each is worse than the other. The horsemen where coming into the forest from the north, the sound of their bully horses' huffs and hoofs, stomping on dry leaves and crashing little branches. Her head shot up in bewilderment as she recognized from where the noise had come, 'North,' She told herself, and knew that only one man could have come from that direction into the forest, the hideous Elgar, son of Arsen. 'And if he brought some friends...' she thought, shuddering as she remembered the last time they met, if it wasn't for Jeffrey, she could've died…

She diverted her gaze to the south, hoping to ease herself with the distant sight of Hammond Hall; it never looked better, the wooden rafters of her home were shining in the warming sun and she could see clearly, some chickens and goats fussing near the kitchens.
She smiled at the thought of her favorite cook, Charlotte, who was probably going insane in the kitchen. Charlotte always had a temper, in fact, Charlotte had a temper to everyone but her, she always had patience for her and she was grateful. Her own mother died giving birth to her, and her father never remarried, the rumors said he vowed never to marry again but Ashley knew it's rubbish; Her father never remarried because his children always came first; it didn't matter he was lonely, he only wanted them, her and Jeffery, happy first.

She never thought those three horsemen would find her, after all what did Elgar know about the forest? The only reason he came near the forest was to hunt and bother her, knowing how much she liked the forest. She hated it in him, in fact, she never hated anyone that much, he was pure evil when it came to other people. He always took care of himself, oblivious to his surroundings, even to his friends; he was self centered and arrogant. 'Stars, I hate him!' she thought despising him, getting up roughly, wiping the tears that almost disappeared now, getting ready for his coming.

She heard the three idiots who thought they knew everything and were led by the greatest idiot of all, she could recognize their disgusting laughter which was infecting her ears. Yet as she never backed down from a fight, she knew there was no way she would ever let them hunt, 'not here,' she thought, 'not in my forest.' She knew. She whistled to her beloved horse, Sienna appeared a minute later and Ashley took away her sword from the scabbard on the saddle. She took a long breath as she decided to let the horse get back to her business, 'if it gets ugly,' she thought, 'maybe I could use Sienna as an element of surprise,' she mused and as her beautiful horse was galloping away, she leaned on a nearby tree, empting her mind and getting ready for battle. A part of her hoped they wouldn't discover her, that she wouldn't have to fight like this; her mind busy with her misfortunate future.
She sighed when she suddenly heard the sound of the approaching hoofs as they were galloping the ground, she could hear their grotesque laughter and knew she wouldn't be able to get out of this one; she tensed and realized she underestimated them to be complete idiots, 'they are coming this way,' she thought horrified.

Not even a minute later the first horse and its rider showed up, a blond guy with eyes green as emeralds and heart as black a the skies in a winter's night. She scowled her dissatisfaction from his appearance in her forest. He jumped off of his black horse and stood in front of her, arrogantly.

"You know hunting is forbidden," she said narrowing her eyes hatefully, he smirked at her; it wasn't a pleasant smirk like Coran's though, it was a smirk that was made to mock. It made her sick to her stomach, he made her sick, there wasn't anyone she hated more in her life. She glared at him holding her sword so he would see it, the embers glowing in the sunrays.

"Who are you forbid it?" he asked scornfully and she stuck her sword's blade at the forest's ground, making a harsh sharp sound of warning. She looked at him arrogantly, yet not for long; she couldn't stand his sight.

"You know exactly who, Elgar," she said with a warning tone as his two mates joined them. The first one was a redhead, his hair long and his eyes almost yellow and the second, black haired with eyes black as his heart, black as the sea at night. Elgar smiled victoriously as she noticed his "mates".

"These are Quantro," he said and indicated at the redhead, "and Velcof," he indicted at the other. She wanted to vomit. There was no other male in the entire universe she despised more than Elgar. Compared to him - she actually loved Andros of Kadan! She couldn't bear his sight or his voice, he was everything that she hated; his beliefs, his looks, his way of thinking…. And now she had to face him.

"Still think you can stop me from hunting?" he asked mocking her as his mates laughed. Elgar jumped of his horse, his sword drawn, waking her up from her hating haze.

"I will," she said calmly, taking her sword out of the ground and standing in her defense pose, determined to banish Elgar from the forest forever. She narrowed her gaze when she met his ugly face and green eyes; he was such a monster that it hurt her eyes even watching him.

"We'll have to see about that," Elgar spat, his two mates on the horses drawing their swords, trying to intimidate her. She shot them an arrogant look before dealing with Elgar; he attacked her and she tried to defend herself, meeting his sword half way to her torso and trying to shove him backward. He almost fell on his back and she smiled to herself as she remembered he wasn't a very skilled swordsman. But his friends were and they were jumping from their horses, with their swords drawn, Ashley panicked;
she was a girl, alone, fighting three men, she was skilled fighter but there was no way possible she could beat three men!

"Have you heard who my fiancé is?" she asked while blocking Quantro's attack and evading Elgar and Velcof's ones. Elgar snorted his lack of interest.

"Andros of Kadan," she said, gloating at Elgar's change of expression, it seemed he was thinking about fighting against her again. After a short while of no more than three seconds, he continued his attack.

"Yeah, well, my grandma's a Kadan too!" he said with renewed strength. 'He doesn't care,' she told herself, now a bit frightened, she knew she's in big trouble as panic flooded her, this was a fight to the end. She had to keep fighting, she couldn't stop, she couldn't let them win, 'the stars know what are they going to do to me if they win,' she tried to strengthen herself…

As the fight raged on she was tiring, the effort needed to such a battle was almost way out of her heels, she was beginning to slump, a little by little. As her shallow breaths quickened, her sword was losing and the thought of losing made her shudder.
'What will happen to me if I lose?' she wondered, 'what will they do to me?' she looked at Elgar's eyes watching his slick smile and she knew exactly what will happen to her if she loses.

Eventually, she could fight no more and Quantro took away her sword while Elgar grab a hold of her throat, choking her as they stood in front of her favorite tree. She couldn't breath, she unsuccessfully tried to fight him for air to her lungs, yet she failed repeatedly. She closed her eyes in pain, wondering if he's about to kill her or rape her and then kill her. She almost accepted that he'd kill her but rape her? She shuddered; fear crept behind her spine, making her want to vomit. His face was inches from hers, she could smell his hideous breath when an arrow sliced the air between them and hit the tree behind them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: to all the girls who are reading this, since I want to pair up my warriors, leave your names and I'll fix you with a husband:P