A/N: Hey y'all! So obviously I didn't get the last chapter that I wanted to upload during my break up. Things with my family just got crazy, and I am dealing with some new medical issues and it just didn't happen. Now that I am back at school I am trying to make it my goal to upload a chapter at least once a month. Depending on my workload they may be shorter than they have been up to this point, but I want to put out chapters that I am proud of and if that means they have to be short then they will be. Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me through all of this, and if you can just stick by me until April/May then I'll be out of school for the summer and have more time to write. On a cheerier note my coach just had a baby and guess what her name is... Hayden. Haha how cool is that? Anyway I have quite a few anonymous reviews to answer then we can get to the story:

Chapter 10:Tinq: I know right? I kind of modeled their relationship off of my best friend and me, but of course I added my own fictional twist.
Chapter 11:
Guest 1: I should be the one saying the thanks for sticking with me through everything. Seasons greetings to you as well even though I'm a little late.
Guest 2: Thanks for the review it means a lot to know that people are still excited about my writing. Thank you also for letting me know about the weird format of the chapter. I went in and tried to fix it I hope it worked.
Chapter 12:
Guest 1: I've said it over and over but it's not me that should be getting thanked it's you and everyone else reading and reviewing. I'm glad you liked the story even though I rushed the ending just a 2: There is a little bit of Gail and Holly in this chapter, but there won't be much more development between them in the next couple chapters unless I get a real inspiration for it. But hold tight it is coming.
Guest 3: Well I really appreciate the praise. And one more time thank you for reading and reviewing.

And now, finally, on to the chapter...

The two warriors got to the castle, a small backpack holding some food, a sleeping bag, and their dress uniforms. When they got to Holly's room she was packing her third bag. "Princess, you cannot bring all of those bags." Hayden said. Holly looked at them as if they had just kicked a puppy. "Why not?" She demanded. "It cannot easily and stealthily be carried." Gail said. "One backpack that is what we can allow you. It can be as full as you can get it, but anything you cannot fit does not go." She finished. Holly glared slightly. Then she huffed and turned back to her bags. She began to go through everything and sort it into two piles, stay and take. "I need a backpack." She grumbled when she finished sorting. Hayden reached into her bag and pulled another backpack out. At Gail's look she simply said, "I had a feeling." When Holly had finally squeezed the last of her stuff into the bag she held it up.

"One of us will carry it. You need to be able to keep up." Hayden said taking the bag and holding it out to Gail. Holly looked slightly offended at the insinuation that she wouldn't be able to keep up, but chose to keep her mouth shut about it. "Lazy ass" the blond grumbled taking the bag and putting it over her own. They were all set so they bid a quick goodbye to the king and they were off.

Holly and Hayden were walking next to each other on the ground. Gail was a little ways ahead in the trees. She wasn't far enough ahead that she couldn't see them and turn and help if they needed it, but she was far enough away that she could see significant area in front of them, and she was high enough that she could see far on each side. Best of all she was far enough away that she couldn't hear what the two on the ground were saying.

"So what's going on with you and Gail?" Hayden asked. Holly was shocked and almost tripped. Luckily Hayden was expecting that so her arm shot out and she managed to catch Holly. "W-what? She's my guard, and uh maybe my friend, but I don't really know about that last part." Holly couldn't meet Hayden's eyes. The warrior snorted. "Forgive me Princess, but bullshit. There is nothing platonic about the way you two look at each other. She told me about the kiss before the ball." Holly blushed. "It was a mistake…" Still no eye contact. "… She was supportive and I took it the wrong way. She gently explained to me that she didn't feel the same and why it couldn't happen even if she did." Hayden chuckled at her words. "Princess, that blond is lying through her teeth. She feels the exact same way about you. She was raised in the academy, and has been taught for her entire life that love is weakness. She didn't get the chance to grow up like you and me. She's been prepped for a situation like what she's been doing for the last few weeks. Her loyalty lies, for now, with other warriors and protecting her charge." Holly nodded resigning herself to that fact. "I think you can change her. I think you can be the one to prove to her that there's more to life." Holly's head snapped around. "So you believe that it's worth the risk?" Hayden smiled gently. "Let's put it this way, I would be nothing without my wife and son, and whether she likes it or not Gail has become a part of my family." Holly thought for a minute while they walked in silence. "Would you help me? She opens up to you more, and I don't want to mess up." Hayden smiled and agreed. "If it makes her happy, which I know you do, and stops her from taking stupid risks, and I hope it will, then I'm in." They shook hands quickly.

"Hold up, there's a building not on the map up ahead. Stay here I'm going to check it out." Gail whispered through the wind to them. Hayden immediately stopped Holly and pulled her off the path they had been on and into a decent hiding spot. If someone was looking they'd be found in a minute, but anyone walking along the path would go right passed them.

They were ducked down there for a few minutes when Gail talked to them again, "It seems to be some kind of armory. There are all kinds of weapons here. Some of them I've never seen before. One of them looks like it shoots arrows, but it's not a bow. I don't quite understand. Either way we need to stay away from this area now and on our way back." Hayden whispered her agreement back.

Gail moved back to their hiding spot, "This spot sucks. Follow me." She found them a better hiding spot farther off the path where she and Hayden planned out a new course. It took them off the path quite a bit, but it also took them clear out of the way of the armory and would eventually loop back to the path. They took a gamble on the direction to go to avoid the village that set up that armory, which was also not on their map. It wasn't a pure gamble, they had a pretty good idea based on the surrounding terrain. As soon as that was done they were off again in the same formation.

Holly and Hayden didn't talk. The warrior had said it was best to be silent just in case. When they finally made it back to the path Holly watched Hayden's shoulders drop a little as she relaxed. "We have to make up time. So we can either walk an extra hour each night, wake up an hour earlier in the mornings, or just go for it and make up all of the time tonight. Which do you prefer?" Hayden asked. "Let's do an extra hour each night." Hayden nodded and passed the message on to Gail.

It was hours later when Gail dropped out of the trees suddenly and, as per usual, silently. "This should be where we make camp. There's plenty of cover and I can get the tent set up somewhere nobody will find it." Hayden nodded and Gail walked off to pitch the tent. It wasn't long before she was back to guide them to the tent.

Hayden quickly made a fire and got to work making some food for them to eat. It wasn't much and it had almost zero taste, but a little bit of it went a long way and it was very filling. Holly got settled in, it was difficult because the princess had never slept in a tent before, and Gail and Hayden played "Rock, paper, scissors" to decide who would take the first watch. Gail won, but she still decided to take the first watch. Something about keeping up their routine. Secretly she wanted the first shift because she didn't want to talk to Holly. If she was awake for four hours Holly would be asleep by the time they had to share the tent.

The watch went quickly and without incident. Gail just sat on the ground in front of the slowly fading fire with her back up against a tree. Before she knew it Hayden was crawling out of the tent as quietly as she could. She removed her boots putting them near the tent opening and she laid down. She was asleep in seconds.

In the morning Gail woke up to the first rays of sunlight shining onto the tent. She yawned moving to stretch when she became aware of the weight on her right shoulder, arm, and chest. She looked down and saw Holly curled up with her head on Gail's chest. Gently Gail lifted Holly's head off of her and the blond wormed her way out from underneath the brunette. She placed Holly's head onto her pillow and moved to the end of the tent where her boots sat. She put them on and stepped out of the tent. Hayden sat leaning against the same tree Gail had been leaning on just three hours earlier, but the fire looked to have gone out long ago. "We should move out soon. I'll wake up Holly you should prepare yourself for the trip. We have another full day of travel and should arrive in the human kingdom, The United Lands, around mid-day the day after tomorrow." Hayden said. Gail nodded and went to retrieve their bags from the tree where she had hidden them.

She got back and Holly was awake and Hayden was disassembling the tent. Gail opened her bag and pulled out some more food. They ate in silence before Hayden and Gail strapped on their packs and they all got into formation. Gail climber the nearest tree and began to walk forward. She was about one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards ahead of the others when she stepped hard onto the branch to signal Hayden that she was in position and they could move out.

It was a quiet day with nothing out of the ordinary happening. No creepy buildings, no random people walking the trail, there wasn't even any suspicious looking rocks on the path. Hayden would never admit it, but she was absolutely bored out of her mind. Holly could only imagine how Gail felt; at least Hayden had someone to walk with and talk to, Gail was all alone.

Holly talked a lot of the trip trying to amuse herself. She would tell stories about when she was little and her dad was just like anyone else, before he was king, and before her mother died. "She used to be my biggest supporter. I used to want to be a warrior just like my dad, and she would smile and tell me that she believed in me, the only thing she said was that it would take a lot of hard work, but she knew I could do it. Then as I got older and decided that I wanted to be a doctor she didn't miss a beat, 'well then you'll have to buckle down and study hard. I know you can do it, but it won't be easy. Just like becoming a warrior it will take a lot of work, actually it will take more work. I know you can do this, and if you still want to do this after you graduate I will see what I can do about getting you an apprenticeship with the Medical Guild.'" Hayden smiled at the princess. "She sounds great, and I'm so sorry that I never got the chance to meet her." Holly smiled at Hayden. "Yeah she was pretty amazing, and I wish she was here to see all that I've done." Hayden put her hand on Holly's shoulder, "She can see all that you have done, and she's watching you right now to see what you will do. She is up there waiting patiently for you to join her, and I promise you she is so proud of you. I mean how could she not be?" Holly reached up to wipe a couple of tears from her eyes.

It was quiet for a while. "I know virtually nothing about you. Would you tell me about your family?" Holly asked of Hayden. The smile that crossed Hayden's face was brighter than the sun. She started talking about her wife and son and she told so many stories. Clearly she was obsessed with her family. She talked for a couple of hours about the adventures that Thalin had gone on in their yard. From climbing trees and getting stuck until Hayden climbed the tree and carrying him down, to getting his first bow for his last birthday and his determination to hit a bullseye before the end of the night on his own.

The conversation flowed easily between the two with only a few moments of silence. When it was time to pitch the tent they followed the same routine as the night before. The only difference was that Gail would be on guard for three hours while Hayden took the four hour shift.

In the morning Hayden and Gail checked their map to make sure that they were still on schedule to arrive just before lunch in the United Lands. Off they went on a relatively more difficult path. It was covered in hills and a very rocky terrain. Holly thought she was in good shape and she believed herself to have very good balance, but Hayden had to catch her more times than she would like to admit. At one point Hayden jokingly offered to carry Holly, and even though she knew it was just a joke Holly almost took her up on it. Before she could embarrass herself further the path took them out of the woods and they came upon a giant gate. They had made it, they were steps away from the United Lands.

A/N: Wow that first author's note was long wasn't it? I'm going to try to keep this one brief. Has anyone else seen Almost Adults? I finally got to watch it today and my roommate and I ended up watching it twice back to back. If you've seen it send me a message and let me know what you thought of it. I am hoping to have another chapter completed and uploaded by the end of the month. So reviews are appreciated and suggestions are welcome just leave them in a review or PM me.

Until next time
Hold the Line and Don't Look Back