Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long; i had a ton of stuff going on and couldn't work on it. It was actually ready on sunday but they wouldn't let me submit it for some reason. To explain the chapter title, i chose it because pretty much everything that happens in this chapter centers around her, even though she's unconsious for pretty much the whole thing. That's all i have to say, really... so, enjoy!

Griffin stared hopelessly down the stubbornly empty road. He wondered, in some remote corner of his mind, just how long he had been sitting there, waiting for someone, anyone, to come and help him. Doing absolutely nothing. Oh, god, where was she! He hoped more than anything that she was okay.

A noise suddenly startled him out of his dismal thoughts. He looked up. Maybe... no, it was just a squirrel. Griffin put his head in his hands. He felt so helpless...

There it was again! The squirrel was still eating whatever it was it had found, it couldn't have been him again... Griffin stood and squinted in the direction he thought the sound had come from. Yes, there was definitely something moving over there... or maybe, someone? Desperate hope flooding his heart, Griffin took off to see if it was a person who could help him, even forgetting his and Lyss's things in his haste.

As he closed the space between them, Griffin saw that the moving something was, indeed, a woman. She seemed to be alone, and was striding determinedly down the dirt lane. She looked up, and their eyes met when they were a mere ten feet apart. Griffin froze... he knew this woman...

Birle shook herself away from thoughts ofthe amazing discovery she had madeonly that morning, and looked up. Lyss was all that mattered now. But as she looked up, she stopped dead in surprise as she was suddenly faced with a boy running furiously towards her. Their eyes locked, and the boy froze as well. The boy was Griffin. He stared at her in shock for a moment, and then began to speak in a rush.

"Oh, no... You're Lyss's ma! Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I swear I didn't mean for it to happen! She looked so beautiful and I didn't mean anything by it—well I did but not like that—and now she's gone and I don't know where—and I can't go after her because the I'll just get lost too and I'll never find her and I need somebody to help me and oh I'm so sorry!"

"Griffin, what are you talking about? What do you mean Lyss is gone? If you're saying she's gone from her home, then you're quite right." Birle still hadn't forgiven him for taking Lyss away. But what on earth was he talking about now? Griffin stopped, took a deep breath, and visibly tried to steady himself. He sounded much calmer when next he spoke.

"I'm sorry... I know you'll never be able to forgive me or trust me with your daughter again, but I really need help right now. Actually, Lyss needs help. Last night, she sort of ran away from me into the woods... I'm no good at navigating in the wilderness like that... I don't know if she is. I can't find her, and she hasn't come back. I swear, I never meant for this to happen! I couldn't stand it if anything ever hurt her..."

Birle stared at him for a moment. "You're saying that Lyss is alone in that forest? With no supplies? Since last night?"

"Yes." Griffin wouldn't look at her.

"And why on earth would she do a stupid thing like that?" Griffin didn't answer. Birle's eyes narrowed. "Something happened, didn't it? Didn't it? Tell me what happened, now!" It was not a request. Griffin cast a quick glance at her and then muttered,

"It... it doesn't matter what happened. We just have to..." He trailed off under Birle's angry stare. Realizing her was fighting a losing battle by trying to keep his kiss a secret, Griffin sighed. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you. But don't freak out, okay? I really didn't think she would react that way..."

"Just tell me, Griffin."

Griffin took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye. It would be easiest if he just said it straight out, fast, with no beating around the bush, and no fear of what she might think. "Last night, we were sitting by the fire and I kissed her. Lyss got upset, and she ran away into the woods." For a moment, Birle seemed stunned.

"You kissed her?"

"Yes."

"And then she ran off?"

"That's about right."

Birle was silent for a moment, and then she shook her head as if to clear it. There were more important things to worry about right now. "Okay, I'll kill you later. Now, we need to do something." She thought for afew minuteswhile Griffin stood before her awkwardly. Then she nodded to herself as if she'd come to a decision.

"We can't go in after her. This forest is huge; we'd never find her in it. I do know something about navigating in the wilderness, but I know nothing about tracking. Lyss is a smart girl; she'll be able to take care of herself for a while, assuming nothing... er, goes wrong." They both shivered slightly. "But there's nothing we can do about that at the moment, so let's just do what we can for her." Birle smiled sadly to herself at the irony as she heard how much she sounded like Nan and the others from the Village; perhaps she was more like them than she liked to admit.

"What can we do for her?" Griffin asked nervously.

"Well, you both came out here to go to a Trader's Day, right?" Griffin made a sound of general assent. "Well, when Lyss decides to do something, she can be very stubborn about doing it. She knows that you were heading east in order to get there, and I don't think she'll have gotten far enough for the direction to change. Any fool can tell whichway east is just by looking up at the sky. So, Lyss will eventually decide to continue on to the capital, maybe even meet you there. The only way to find her is to travel on to the capital ourselves. Let's go." She began walking again.

Taken aback, Griffin looked at her in surprise. "Right now?" She turned around.

"Oh, do youknow ofsomething we should be waiting for?" Griffin, puzzled, said nothing. "Well then, as I believe I already said, let's go." She continued off down the road without even looking back to see if he was coming. Griffin ran hurriedly ahead of her to grab his and Lyss's things. He hoped she was safe, wherever she was...

Orien managed to reach the camp in record time. A quick glance aroundtold him that he was the only one there, other than the mysterious girl he had brought with him. The camp was very small; just a few cloth tents grouped around a burnt out campfire. The lords who went with him on these hunts would always say impressively that they were going to really 'rough it,' and other manly things like that. Orien always smiled to himself when they did; they had no idea what it was like to really 'rough it,' as they so quaintly put it. He did. His time with Birle, particularly his timeas a slave,had definitely taught his that much at least.

He spread a soft blanket out on the ground by the fire, and gently laid the girl down on it. He looked down on her for a moment, and then turned around to bring the fire back to life himself, seeing as anyone else who might have done it was still out hunting. He even began to prepare some of yesterday's catch for their dinner.

By the time the rest of the group returned, dinner was roasting and the air was pleasantly perfumed with the smell of the delicious meat. But the girl still hadn't woken.

"Why, hello, my Lord!" said Mann, coming out of the forest a little ahead of the others (A/N: Gladaegal is the only one who calls him Orien, other than Birle, who hasn't seen him in fifteen years. Everyone just calls him 'the Earl' when talking about him to others, and 'my Lord' when speaking directly to him.) "What were you doing back hereso early?" He thennoticed the meat hanging over the fire, and a look of shock crossed his face. "My Lord! You shouldn't be doing such— such mundane things as that! Why didn't you wait for one of us to return; we could easily have done it for you!"

"Do you mean to tell me what I can and cannot do now, Mann?" asked Orien good naturedly. "Since you seem to be so interested, you might like to know that I fixed dinner because I could not leave the girl there alone and had nothing else to do. Besides, it would have taken at least another hour to finish had I waited."

"My Lord... I meant no disrespect; of course you may do as you wish..." Mann trailed off, a light shade of pink.

"Think nothing of it, Mann." By now the others had entered the camp as well. Many of them also looked a bit stricken as they realized that their Earl hadfixed themdinner, though they didn't say anything. Gladaegal was the first to notice the girl stretched out on the blanket by the fire; turning to Orien, he asked confusedly.

"Oy, Orien! Where'd she come from?" He gestured towards the girl.

"I found her half-drowned in the Valley Lake an hour or so ago. Had to pull her out. She hasn't woken up since, though she was definitely awake in the water. Or, at least, she was at first..." For a moment, he trailed off, but then he continued as if he hadn't. "I couldn't think what else to do with her, so I brought her back here to dry off. Hopefully she'll wake soon—" He stopped speaking abruptly. The girl had stirred. Apparently the loud Lords and their servants had woken her up. Orien quickly hushed his men and went over to kneel beside her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and sat up a bit, looking confused.Orien received a momentary shock as she did so; he hadn't been able to tell when she had been unconscious, but her eyes were the most beautiful bellflower blue. Just like his...

Hope you liked it! Just so you know, Orien has not figured out that they are related yet. He does not even know he has a child. For those who did not read the book, you should know that Orien's brother, Gladaegal, personally escorted Birle back to her grandparent's cottage when she left, and was aware of her pregnancy. This may become important in later chapters, as he is now the only one of noble birth who knows that Birle had a baby and where she went. Remember to Review!