Chapter 12

The young Araluans were found soon enough and were hastily separated from each other so the healer could check Evanlyn's wound, thus being unable to discuss the sudden turn in their relationship. Will could still remember her inexpressibly soft lips that lingered on his afterwards, how she looked deep into his eyes and truly saw him, his eyes were usually guarded. He never let any one get that close to him yet she managed to break down all the barriers he had set up and for that he felt extremely vulnerable. He didn't know how she felt about him. The kiss for all he knew could have been an irrational instinct she had in the heat of the moment. He needed to see her and know whether she felt the same way about him as he did about her otherwise the year of pent up affection he wanted to express would go to waste.

"Will? Will? WILL!" He looked up to see Halt's angry face looming before him. "Were you listening to anything I just said?" He asked furious. Halt hated having to talk more than necessary and repeating things was talking more than necessary.

"Oh sorry I was a little busy." Will said distractedly. Halt's face immediately softened. He knew what Will must have been going through when Evanlyn was whisked away to see the healer, he must be worried sick about her Halt thought. He wondered if anyone else could notice how attached the two young people were towards each other, or whether it was just him. To Halt it was blatantly obvious that their friendship was blossoming towards love, though he reckoned some people may not be too happy about that. Horace especially.

"Look Will, I know you want to check on Evanlyn but you have a duty here as well. You have to lead these archers into battle and they need to be able to put their full trust in your leadership and skills." It had been a couple of weeks in the running since Will came up with the idea of having basic archers shoot volleys of deadly arrows at the enemy. Only Will hadn't been able to keep up to date as his mind and stomach were full of butterflies. What would he say to her when he saw her? What if he did see her and realised their kiss was a mistake? What if she's in love with someone else? Those questions had been attacking his mind for most of the day and he hadn't come up with a solution to any of them.

"You're right Halt sorry." This time Will shook his head, his shaggy hair swinging from side to side and had a focused look in his eyes. Halt nodded in approval.

"Right get to work and show them everything they need to know, and it would help if you had different positions for each type of shot." He added.

"O.K sure thing I'm on it." And with a positive attitude Will set out to turning a bunch of angry slaves to fearsome archers.

A light was just visible underneath the heavy weight of her eyelids. With a groan that escaped her lips Evanlyn propped herself into a more comfortable position so that the pillow was wedged in nicely to support her back but she could also lean her head against it if she needed to. She surveyed her surroundings, curiosity mounting. She was being held in a shabby looking room that didn't seem to be used very often. In the far side of the room she could make out scrolls of parchment piled high on top of each other precariously, the whole room contained shelves. Shelves full of glass jars which had unusual looking potions and unknown animal parts. There was only one possible explanation for all the bizarre objects. This had to be a healer's room. From the other side of the walls she heard a faint bustling sound that could only mean someone was with her most probably taking care of her. Before she decided to make her consciousness known to the stranger, she tried to remember the reason why she was stuck here. Then the memories came flooding back. She gasped and began to hyperventilate, short breaths stuck in her throat as she remembered the agonising pain of his sword. She didn't like to think of his name. It just brought a wave of nausea that she couldn't repress. Instead she named him as if he was an object because he certainly wasn't human in her opinion. No human could be so cruel and careless. She skipped the thoughts of pain knowing that if she hesitated on them any longer, her wound would feel raw as if it was being opened again. Obviously that wasn't the case it would all be psychological she knew, though she wouldn't be able to bear it. Whether the pain was real or not. Quickly she focused on the anonymous gentle, soothing hands that had taken care of her, tending to her wound and efficiently applying remedies to her. She had the distinct feeling that it was Will that had taken care of her but of course she had been on the verge of unconsciousness, her mind drifting between reality and the calming blackness that had almost but invaded her brain. No, she was certain it was Will who looked after her. After she had regained consciousness she had to prod him continuously until he admitted who saved her. She never had any doubt as to who saved her. She knew Will had freed her in every way possible, making her whole again after she had been broken into pieces, emotionally and physically she thought grimly. There had been one night though. One night, that changed the way she would think about him forever. She had always thought of him as more than just a friend or a simple companion. He had seen her and helped her when she became the lowest of the low. He inadvertently set out to make her life better, to take more of the work load than she did, to make her smile when she felt like crying and to comfort her from his heart when she did end up crying. He did more than was ever expected of a friend and for that she would forever be grateful. Their fiery moment of passion beside the warm glow of the fire light arrived to her mind. That was her first ever kiss. She had often wondered in her bedroom what it would feel like to be kissed. The majority of the time she expected the faceless boy's lips to be rough and chapped. She didn't know which boy would kiss her at the time so her mind framed a faceless boy that was around her age that shared the same passion for her as she did for him. She had always fantasised over her first kiss ever since she was a young child, she had thought that when the time came for her real kiss it wouldn't be nearly as good as her imagined ones. It was even better. The unexpected smoothness of his lips came as a nice surprise and even though he had the same hunger for her lips as she did for his, his kiss was unusually soft. As if he didn't want to hurt her.

"My dear you're awake!" An old motherly voice snapped her out of her daydreaming. A plump rounded woman was making her way towards her with a warm smile etched on her face.

"Hi" Evanlyn said shyly.

"Well look at you, you seem to be a whole lot better now." The woman was still smiling at her in a friendly manner.

"Thank you…"

"Kierra is my name."

"Well then thank you Kierra."

"No problem love, after all I really didn't do much, all I had to do was give you a sleeping draught and check your current condition which was perfectly fine. You are a lucky girl you know, if it wasn't for the fine young lad that fixed you up I shudder to think where you would have been."

"I know I have a lot to thank him for."

"He spent nearly the whole night by your side when you first came in here, I told him again and again that he didn't need to but he was stubborn he was. Wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That sounds a lot like him." Evanlyn smiled.

"You don't get more devoted boys than that. It seems like he was in love with you. Is he your brother?" She mused.

"No, he's just a friend."

"Oh he's certainly more than a friend all right; he must be in love with you." Evanlyn felt as if she was walking on air. She always knew Will loved her and to have those feelings expressed out loud gave her such an immense joy that she burst out laughing.

"What is it dear? I don't recall saying anything funny." Kierra asked, ever so slightly concerned for her sanity as she began to cry from laughter and joy.

"I think I feel the same way about him and we did kiss after all." Evanlyn replied euphoric at the thought of her and Will being together. Kierra joined in with the laughing.

"Oh I remember the joy of young love; it's the best type of joy you can imagine." Kierra sighed. "Well at any rate you best tell him how you feel. It's a very rare occasion when you meet a boy as fine as this one if I were you I would tell him exactly how you feel."

"But what if he doesn't feel the same way?" Evanlyn asked worried.

Of course he feels the same way; you just told me he kissed you." Kierra said with logic on her side.

"Yes I know but if he did feel the same way then why hasn't he said anything yet?"

"Because he's a boy!" Seeing that the statement wasn't enough Kierra added. "Look boys can never express their feelings the way girls can; you know that, he's probably just as worried as you are which is why he isn't saying anything yet." She looked at Evanlyn's face beginning to consider her theory.

"I guess you're right I should go and tell him shouldn't I?" She wanted reassurance. Kierra was the closest person she had to a mother at the moment and she didn't want to lose the feeling of security that washed over her every time she heard Kierra's motherly voice.

"Definitely." Kierra said.

"Position four. SHOOT" Evanlyn heard Will's voice break with tension as he shouted the last word and smiled inwardly.

"SHIELD" Horace's voice boomed across the field with absolute authority and every shield swung shut in unison, looking extremely impressive from where she was standing. Will, with blinding speed knocked an arrow to his bow and shot at the khajin pop ups that kept appearing. So far he hit every single one.

"EVANLYN! You're back." Horace proclaimed as he ran down the slight hill he was standing on, to greet her. Will noticing Horace's loud yell turned around to see her walking towards them waving happily. Suddenly Will felt very self conscious. The last time they had met they kissed each other and he was aware just then that his voice had broken when shouting orders at his team. So instead of rushing towards her like Horace had done, he turned to face his team.

"You guys can have a break for the rest of the day it's getting pretty late, but remember if I've asked any of you to correct any mistakes you've made while shooting, then I expect it to be done by tomorrow." All the older slaves nodded in assent at his words. They still remembered when the older grizzly ranger showcased Will's skill to the rest of the group. Never again were they to doubt his ability. They also were a little in awe of the young apprentice as he was extremely polite and showed everyone exactly what had to be done, with a lot of patience. Many of these slaves had been in Skandia for so long they had forgotten the feeling of warmth and happiness. This young boy had managed to promise them freedom for them and their families whilst being fair. The rest of the men got up slowly and made their way towards the refreshments area where the women were providing drinks. Seeing that everyone was in order, he sighed slightly and jogged towards Horace and Evanlyn, who were sitting under the shade of a tree while the sun was setting.

"Hey." Will said to them as he arrived. Instinctively he climbed up the tree to a low branch and sat there, not really listening to Horace rambling on to Evanlyn as he described the shield bearer's arrangements. Evanlyn wasn't entirely listening either, just enough to be able to nod in the right places and add a comment or a question in. What she really wanted was to be alone with Will so they could discuss everything but she didn't have the heart to tell Horace to go. Eventually Horace yawned and after claiming he had to go to sleep otherwise he would get cranky in the morning, he walked in the direction of his sleeping chamber. There was a long silence between both companions as the wind blew in their direction, forcing the leaves to flutter manically in the air then finally settle on the ground creating a sea of green and orange.

"Do you want to come up and sit with me?" Will asked. He had been aware of the awkward silence maintained between them and he was determined to break it.

"Er, well I'm not really good at climbing." Evanlyn shrugged. She was a little scared of heights but they weren't her biggest fear.

"Don't worry I'll help you, the view's really good up here anyway." And sliding down the tree easily he swung her onto his back despite her protests and climbed up the tree on to a safe branch that could withstand both their weights.

"Will, really was that necessary?" Then she stopped talking and took an intake of breath at the beautiful view. "Oh my goodness this is amazing Will."

"I know, I usually climb trees when I want to be alone or to think, and to also look at the beautiful scenery." He murmured. Evanlyn turned towards him very carefully so as not to lose her balance.

"Will we need to talk." She began. Will looked at her and nodded silently at her to continue. "It's about our kiss. Look Will the truth is I love you, more than words can express and I think you love me back but I'm not sure." The way she said it sounded lame even to her own ears but out of the corner of her eye she saw him frown. Her heart began to sink.

"Think? Think? How could you think I love you back? You should know I love you, isn't it obvious, I mean why do you think I cut my long shaggy hair with a saxe knife? It's because of you." He said it with fire and humour deep in his eyes and she knew then that everything was going to be alright. After he said it she realised how uneven his hair looked. Some strands of hair were longer than others but not noticeably, though rather than it detracting from his looks it made him look better, a little rebel like.

"You cut your own hair? Well that explains it." She said while laughing.

"Cut it out it's not funny, you don't know how much of an effect you have on people you know? Especially me. I would never normally cut my hair like this, but I wanted to impress you and since there were no barber shops around I really had no choice." He said it with humour and embarrassment in his voice. She decided it was time to make him feel a little better.

"Well I like it, it makes you look cool."

"No you're just saying that to make me feel better." Though despite his remark she could see his eyes had lightened up at her response.

"No really it does make you look good, a little mental but good all the same." Her plan worked he laughed.

"Well thank you for that piece of compliment I really appreciate it." He said in a sardonic way.

"Will?"

"Yes Evanlyn."

"What are we then?"

"What do you mean?"

"As in, are we like boyfriend and girlfriend now?" She asked. She never really knew how the relationship status worked and she wanted his opinion before she jumped to conclusions.

"Most probably yes." He replied casually. She smiled then said.

"Don't couples usually kiss then?" She kept her face innocent as she asked the question.

"Ye-es" He stretched out the word not sure where she was getting at.

"Well then shouldn't we kiss?"

"You're getting cheeky today Evanlyn, but if you want to then go on." He said back. He was more than surprised at her request and couldn't help feel happy as her lips captured his delicately and moved in harmony with his. After a long while reluctantly they broke apart, a little breathless. Evanlyn looked at her recent boyfriend and saw how much younger he looked now. Partly it was to do with his cut hair but also the fact that she had never seen him so happy before. He looked like a seventeen year old boy again instead of a middle aged man. She wondered if she had changed the same way, and decided that she most probably had.

Review please and I hope you liked this chapter. I don't think I'll make my next chapters as lovey dovey since I don't really like detailed romance but I'll add some action in later and some fluffy parts.