Disclaimer: Only Sylwen and Lucy belong to me.
A couple brown rabbits sat on the wasit of the bowman, swinging with the movement of his steps. Something bothered him about the silent forest that day, but he left it unvoiced. Blaming it on the weather, and what with it nearing winter as well. His brown gaze glanced up at the sky, the sun hovering dangerously near the horizon.
"We should start heading back." Bard spoke up finally, calling it a day as he glanced back at Sylwen. He smiled softly at the sight of her, her eyes looked tired from trecking around in the forest since dawn, despite putting on an act as if she wasn't tired.
"We're leaving with that?" Sylwen had asked, stopping in her tracks as she suppressed a yawn, glancing at the rabbits on his belt. She almost wanted to stay a little longer, if only to spend more time alone with Bard.
She almost blushed at the thought, scolding herself mentally as she looked down at the berries in her possession. The day had passed by quicker than she would have liked, feeling as if it had been forever since she had such an adventure. She noticed along the way that her body seemed to remember things that her memory could not. Being out in the wild again, she thought she'd feel more at home but she could not be so wrong. It was as if her body didn't know how to adjust being out in the wilderness again.
Which brought up the question again, why?
"For today." Bard nodded with a small smile, walking over to her as he chuckled lightly. "New hair decoration?" He mused, pulling a leaf from her hair as he held it up. He watched the color flood to her cheeks, the smile on his face only broadening. She really was..cute.
Bard was still adjusting to these feelings that were beginning to stir within him, unused to such feelings but as he gazed upon Sylwen, he felt a sense of comfort wash over him. "I do believe.." He pondered for a moment, glancing around as he leaned down, picking a white flower from the ground before he stood up again, tucking it into her hair.
Sylwen's heart fluttered in her chest, opening her mouth to say something but she couldn't find any words for the moment. Her cheeks burned as she looked up at Bard, poking her nail against the leaf basket. "T-Thank you." She finally got out, feeling rather taken with the man in front of her.
Bard nodded his head to the side slightly. "Lets get going. I want to make it onto the lake before dark falls." He told her, sliding his bow onto his shoulder.
"Right." Sylwen nodded, still slightly flustered as she followed behind him. She gazed at his back as they walked, biting her lip slightly. She wasn't sure what was happening, but whatever it was, she felt excited. In the beginning she had planned on leaving Laketown once she was better, but the more time she spent with Bard and his children, the more closer she grew to them. The more she wanted to stay.
The more time she spent with him, the more her memories felt like a faint glow in the distance. She wasn't even sure when they began to grow less important to her. She hadn't even realized it herself until she thought about it, though they were still a mystery to her. She felt as if she didn't need to know anymore. Perhaps this was where she was meant to be now...whatever happened to her in the past, didn't seem as important to her now. She could make more memories here, make a new life.
"You are mine..forever."
The voice made Sylwen pause in her thoughts, pressing her lips together. Who did that memory belong to. It was as if it was telling her not to forget, that she belonged elsewhere. But as she thought of that, she felt an uneasy feeling bubble in the pit of her stomach. Irritation clawing at her brain at the thought. It was something she wasn't supposed to forget, but something she didn't want to remember.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she picked up her pace a bit, falling into step beside Bard instead of following behind. "Can I come with you again next time?" She asked, peering up at him as she smiled. She wanted more days like this, with just the two of them. Don't get me wrong, she loved spending time with the kids and Lucy, but with Bard..it was completely different.
Bard looked down at her as they walked through the brush, pushing aside some branches as he let her walk through. "Of course." He said without a second thought, unable to even think of refusing her when she gave him such a look.
Sylwen couldn't help but giggle, running ahead as the lake was in sight now. "I can't wait." She breathed out, running to the edge of the rocks as she peered out at the waters, smiling to herself.
Bard stepped through the trees, watching her for a few moments as he lingered. She seemed like such a free spirit despite after losing her memories and being hauled from a cold lake. It was as if it never even happened. Seeing her so happy, it raised his own mood from the pits it normally sat in. His children always put a smile on his face, but at the back of his mind, there was always that looming threat of loosing his home and failing his family if he couldn't come up with enough money by the time tax day came around. But for the first time in years, he felt happy.
"Thank you.." He spoke quietly from behind her, catching her attention as she turned around to face him.
"Did you say something?" She asked, hopping down off the rocks and over to him.
Bard shook his head with a smile. "Nothing." He said, taking a deep breath before letting it out.
Sylwen laughed softly, before grabbing his head. "Cmon. We gotta get going." She said, tugging him along towards the barge that sat at the docks waiting for them.
Braga and a couple of his men sat at the docks, waiting for Bard to return with the suspected girl. Every person that wished to enter or leave Laketown was to check in at the gates, no exception. So to hear of a girl leaving town with Bard, brought up the question. Where did she come from? To which there was only one answer.
The bargeman had smuggled her into town without telling anyone, and that was a serious offence. To which he would be punished for and the girl taken into custody. She could be a danger to the town for all they knew, and they wouldn't take any chances.
"Whats going on?" Lucy demanded as she stormed into her house, glaring at Alfrid who sat at the table. "Why is there guards waiting at the gates?" She asked, as she had been heading home after helping Sigrid prepare dinner for the family, when she spotted the guards at the gates. Only one thing coming to mind when she saw it. She feared for Sylwen.
Alfrid stood up from the table. "You knew, didn't you?" He demanded answers from her, angrily shaking a finger in her direction. "That bargeman had smuggled someone into town without reporting at the gate!"
Lucy felt her heart drop into her stomach. "He saved her life!" She argued, crossing her arms over her chest. "He didn't have time to stop at the gate. 'Oh hey, I got this dying girl here that I need to help. Can you check her into town.'" She mimicked, scowling slightly.
Alfrid sneered at her. "Saving or not, its the law." He snapped at her. "We have laws set in this town for a reason girl!"
Lucy couldn't believe her ears. "Can you really put a law on saving someones life!" She threw her arms up in the air, letting out a frustrated yell. "Augh I've had it with you!" She exclaimed, turning as she went for the door. "I'm going to stop this before it gets out of hand." She said, leaving the door as she slammed it behind her for added effort.
Authors Note: Something I forgot to add in the last chapter. On the topic of Lucy, she's probably going to seem differently written than the first few chapters. That's because she was originally written by my co-writer but since we're not longer writing together, I've taken over the role of Lucy. I'm trying to keep to her original character idea but she's probably going to be a bit off. Just a heads up.
Thank you to all the reviewers I've been getting as of late. It always makes me happy to see such positive reviews. It really is you guys who keep me wanting to do this. I woke up this morning to two beautiful reviews and they just made my day. Hence why I've written a new chapter so soon! Two chapters in one day, I think this is a record for me.
I wrote a teaser chapter for the new movie Dracula Untold, if you'd like to go check it out. And now this chapter. I'm getting close to the movie plot line, so again I'm sorry if it starts to seem a bit rushed but I'm super excited to start on the movie part of the story! Hope you enjoyed!