That night, King Corin agreed to stay, as it was a long trip home and he probably would not make it back until well after nightfall, which Derek insisted was far too dangerous with the situation at hand. Erin remained quiet as ever, but every now and again cast her father annoyed glances, which he would not answer, not wanting to stir her anger any more than he already had. But Will noticed something else in the eyes she was giving her father. Longing? He thought about it. She doesn't want to be away from her father. She wants to be with him through the trouble and she wants to help. Logan was right – but, then again, what else is new? She's pretty brave.
The next morning, Will passed by Erin's room, and to his surprise, he heard voices. It was Corin and Erin, not arguing, but discussing something that sounded important. Will couldn't help but listen in, although he knew it wasn't really his business.
"Erin, can you be really brave for me?" Corin asked, sounding like he was almost pleading.
"I'd feel more brave if you'd let me stay with you," Erin muttered back.
"Erin, we've been through this. I can't let you stay. I don't want to lose you. You're still young. Don't force yourself to grow up so soon."
"Dad, I'm seventeen. I can handle myself."
"I know, but sometimes there are situations that ask us to swallow our pride and do as we are told," Corin answered in a tone the left no room for Erin to argue. At that, knowing there probably wasn't much left of their conversation, as Corin was due to leave very soon, Will left to find Logan, who was probably out courting the gardener's daughter. Having thought of that probability, Will changed course and went to find his father.
It was easy to see Derek was apprehensive about Corin's leaving. With Lincolnshire at war, anything could happen to his friend. However, he was glad Erin would be staying. At least no harm would come to her, he knew, so long as Will was around. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, if only because of his desire to please Derek.
Corin left without any kind of ceremony or formality. He simply said goodbye and left as quickly as he could, wanting to get back home and try to end the senseless war. Erin seemed detached. She didn't stay with Odette, Derek, and William for long, which was understandable. She was worried and hurt. Worried because her father was going to face the enemy alone, hurt because he had pushed her away in order to do so. She quickly disappeared, retreating to her own world in a place that was so far from her home.
After about an hour or so of wisely giving Erin her time alone, Will decided he needed to find her. He started by checking her room. Nothing. Then he went onto her balcony, thinking she would probably be outside to get some air. He was right. Not far away, he could see a figure throwing something into the lake. It had to be her. He made his way out the back entrance, not following the footprints she had made on her way to the lakeshore, trying to avoid blatantly walking up to her. She was definitely not the kind of girl that would allow herself to be protected by another.
Will made an arc around her trail and met her on the shore, just close enough to speak to her. He watched as she expertly skipped a smooth white stone across the clear water. He had done this many times as well, but he could never make the rock jump as skillfully as she could. He picked up a rock and chucked it into the water, making a plopping sound as it immediately sank when it touched the water's surface.
She looked at him, not contemptuously, but not completely welcoming either. It was obvious she was still frustrated. Will decided to be the first to break the silence. "Mind if I join you?" he asked politely.
"Well, according to my father, I'm not old enough to decide for myself, so do what you want," she answered sarcastically. He smiled. She was feisty, and before he could stop himself, he found himself admiring that trait in her. He picked up another rock and threw it into the lake. In response, Erin smiled at him, and threw hers harder, making it go further. Will did the same. And so it went, back and forth until Erin threw her stone with all her might. Will repeated the action, making his rock go twice as far. She grimaced a little, though not at Will.
"Short girl's plight," she muttered.
"Not that short," Will contested, finding himself disliking the way she criticized herself.
"As compared to what? A four-year-old?" she facetiously replied, giggling a little at herself.
Will laughed along with her. "Feisty and a sense of humor, too. No wonder your father is so worried about losing you." He looked toward her, and upon seeing her frown, he immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry. That wasn't really a tasteful joke, was it?"
"No," she agreed. "But I'm not mad at you. And I guess I'm not really mad at my father. I guess I wish he wouldn't treat me like a piece of glass, you know? He acts like anything, and I mean anything, could hurt me. I suppose – no, that's wrong, I know I'm not as strong as he is, and I'm not as strong as you or anyone else. But I do wish he wouldn't act like my life is in danger at every turn."
"I understand what you mean, even if I don't live with the same problem," he sympathized.
"Yeah, I guess you don't," she said quietly. "But I guess you've got your own problems, right?"
"Not really, I mean, there's the dumb teenager stuff, but to be honest, I think everything's okay for me." He frowned a little, feeling bad because his life seemed so put together and hers was on the verge of falling apart. Seeing this, Erin was quick to comfort him.
"If your life is good," she said, "I don't think you should punish yourself. It's just a matter of circumstances, I guess."
"Thanks," he replied, admiring her maturity and the way she seemed so level headed. He knew if he was in her position, he would've been much more forward with his arguments. However, she remained calm and patient, angry as she was.
She sighed in exasperation. "I wish my father would listen to me. Have you ever had that problem?"
"Yeah, a few times. When I was younger, I would ask him if I could go on long journeys and missions and such with him, and he'd always say I was too young. It was funny, he could never say I wasn't big enough, because I'm taller than he is now, and back then, I was at eye level."
"Yeah, at least you don't have to be looked down on when you're trying to talk to him."
Again, Will was sympathetic to her feelings, though he was glad he and his father did not have the same relationship, literal or figurative. He and his father spoke to each other as equals, though Derek did assert his authority where needed to keep Will's sometimes fiery attitude in check. "Must be hard."
"It's not that I can't talk to my dad," she clarified, feeling like she had been making her father into a bad guy, a villain, though he clearly was not, as evidenced by the huge favor he was willing to ask of Derek. "I just feel so belittled when I'm trying to argue my point. I don't always think he's listening. I mean, look at me. Would you honestly take me seriously?"
"No," he admitted, biting his bottom lip through a grin.
"I know why. It's because when I'm arguing with somebody, I feel like a little yappy lapdog barking at the big bad wolf. I always get made fun of because I'm short!"
Will couldn't contain his laughter any longer than a second after the words came from her mouth. True, her plight was a difficult one, but her analogy was quite comedic. Even Erin herself was chuckling a bit, surprised she was letting Will in on her feelings. Before she arrived, she had never met him. All she knew was their fathers were best friends and Will was going to be looking after her. At first, she was indignant, feeling like a bodyguard would be overkill, seeing as she was going to be in an entirely different country anyway. But then again, he wasn't the type to lord his strength over her, she could tell. As if he was reading her thoughts and wanted to confirm them, Will quickly got over his snickering and spoke.
"I'll make you a deal, if you'll let me be your friend and look out for you, I won't make fun of your being 'vertically challenged,' as Logan puts it."
She smiled. "Vertically challenged, eh? I've got to say, I do like that a lot better than just plain 'short.' Okay," she said, holding her hand out for Will, "we have a deal."
They shook hands in earnest a second before bursting into laughter. It was almost a surprise, the way they had hit it off after knowing each other – and actually speaking to each other – for only a day.
"You're easy to talk to. I wasn't ready for that," Erin commended him. "I thought you were just going to be some pig-headed jerk who would rub your strength in my face."
"Wow, you mean you knew guys like that?" Will asked, disgusted by the disrespect some people showed toward others, although his father had – though not intentionally – nearly lost his mother in the same way.
"You have no idea. I think I have a sign around my neck that says I'm attracted to things like that."
Will laughed again. She was quite funny. "No, I'm not a chauvinist. I'm chivalrous, but that's it, I promise. You know, I thought you were going to be some stuck up snobby girl who liked to gossip all day. But you're not; I can see that, now that I know you a little better. You're actually pretty funny."
That sentence still would have been true if I had taken off the 'funny,' he added to himself silently.
They continued talking for a while, getting to know each other. Before they realized it, the sun was going down. They had only just run out of things to say when they finally noticed the time elapsed. Will smiled. "I can't believe I let you stay out so late. It's not really safe out here at night."
She gave him a mock glare, knowing he was only joking. "Hey, the sun isn't even down yet. And I thought we had a deal."
His smile widened. "I only agreed not to make fun of your… altitude problem. I didn't say I wasn't going to look after you. In fact, it was your part of the agreement that entitles me to do so."
"Touché," she replied, impressed with his on-the-spot reasoning. "Alright, Mister Hero Boy, let's go before the big bad monsters get us."
Will grinned and made a motion signaling her to walk ahead. Giving him a mock curtsy with a comedic look on her face, she did so. From out of nowhere, Will felt like he was being watched. The prickling sensation from behind made the hair on his neck stand up. He stopped and turned toward the woods to investigate, but, of course, he saw nothing. He could hear Erin genially calling back to him from up ahead. "Are you coming or not?"
"I'll be there in a second," he answered trying to keep his voice light. He looked again. Still nothing. Just before he began to jog up to her, he could have sworn he heard an ominous voice whispering in the trees.
"Big bad monsters indeed, little princess…"