Responses to Reviews:

A quick sorry to everyone about Will, I couldn't help but tease you *evil laugh*. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Midnightstone1118: Thank you for reviewing so quickly! I agree with your thoughts, that's what I was thinking too, as you'll see. Hope you enjoy Jem's point of view!

Jillessa Heronstairs: Sorry to tease you, I know Will would never kill Jessamine! Thank you once again for the invite, it's been a lot of fun, and really good for developing my writing, it's a great challenge :D

SilverCarstairs: Ha ha wow! Your review really made me laugh, it was great! Sorry to cause you distress over Will! Don't worry, Jessamine is fine :)

SmoochiePooh: Your words are so true, and are my exact thoughts! Will would definitely never intentionally hurt anyone he cared about. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Jem was shocked when Will put his hands around Jessamine's neck, trying to strange her, while at the same time calling her a 'swine' and a 'betrayer'. He sprang into action, grabbing Will's arms and trying to pry him off her. Tessa, who was still in Will's form, tried to help him as well. They managed to break them apart, and Jem led Will away. "Will, I know you're angry, but you need to control your anger. I know you didn't really mean to do that."

Will gazed at him from under lowered lashes, "What if I did mean to?"

"You forget, I know you well, William. Betrayal hurts you the most, and you weren't thinking. You would never forgive yourself if you hurt her like that," Jem said, voicing what he was thinking. He knew Will was bent on revenge for his sister, so he hid behind a facade to keep them away, so that no one else would get hurt. Jem knew however, that Will wouldn't have been so upset over Jessamine's betrayal if it hadn't actually affected him, and he didn't actually care a bit for her.

Will didn't reply, instead he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, leaning against the alley wall for support.

Leaving Will there, Jem returned to Jessamine, to check if she was injured. He saw angry red handprints growing across her neck, a remaining present from Will. Jessamine was clutching her neck, still in pain and shock.

"Let me have a look," Jem said, trying not to startle her.

She reluctantly removed her hand to let him see better. It seemed to be just a surface bruise, nothing deep, so he would be able to heal her without draining too much energy. He was glad of that, as they had a long journey ahead.

He reached out his hand towards her neck to heal it, when she gasped and moved away hurriedly by instinct.

"I promise I won't hurt you. I'm just trying to heal the mark on your neck. You'll be ok," he said as if talking to a frightened animal, trying to reassure her.

This time, she didn't resist, and he rested his hand lightly on her neck. It throbbed under his hand, and he could feel her pain. He took this pain into himself, and gasped as his neck closed, and he felt like he was being strangled. The sensation passed after a moment, and he dropped his hand.

He noticed Tessa watching him in interest.

"That's an amazing 'gift' to have, Jem."

"I know I'm very lucky," he replied, "I try to use it to help others as much as I can."

Before she could reply, Will returned, staying a good distance away from Jessamine. He stared at Jem's neck angrily, where Jem knew there would be a slight mark as evidence of his healing. "You shouldn't have healed her, James."

Jem shrugged nonchalantly, "It's my job Will, you'll just have to live with that, whether you like it or not." He knew deep down that Will was just looking out for him, but it was Jem's choice whether to heal someone or not – despite the consequences.

Jem continued, "We don't have all day to argue, we'd best get going, in case the guards return." He didn't mention that he also wanted to get Will as far away from Jessamine as possible.

Will sighed and nodded, agreeing with his point.

Jem looked over at Jessamine – she was a pitiful sight, sitting there with nowhere to go now that she had lost her job. He knew she would have hardly any money to her name, and wouldn't have anywhere to sleep tonight, since she had been living at the inn.

He felt sorry for her, and pulled a few coins out of his leather satchel. Before Will could protest, Jem handed Jessamine the coins.

"Jessamine, I hope after all you've done, you have learnt from this. I believe deep down you are a good person, and I hope you'll realise that soon. These coins should last you a few days, so you can find somewhere to sleep and something to eat. Hopefully you'll be able to find another job soon." He stepped closer, his voiced laced with compassion, "I just wanted to say I forgive you," Jem said.

Her eyes widened as if no one had ever forgiven her before. He supposed they hadn't, since she had never asked for forgiveness. He hoped that now she would be able to move on and finally be content.

Will turned to Jessamine, his face a mask of loathing. However, he put on a more charming face, and said, his words laced with a strong amount of persuasion, "Jessamine, you will not tell the guards that we are accompanying Tessa, or that she is going to the Clave."

Jessamine replied in a trance-like state, swaying slightly, "I will not tell the guards."

After seeing Will use his 'gift' on quite a few occasions, Jem knew that it seemed to work differently on everyone. It was a most unpredictable 'gift'. He could tell it had worked with Jessamine though, so he knew they'd be safe, even though he didn't believe deep down that Jessamine would have gone to the guards again.

So they left Jessamine there, and went to the stables to collect their horses. When Jem offered his hand to help Tessa onto the horse, she shook her head, and said, "Would you like me to teach you to ride today, Jem?"

Jem was surprised that she would want to teach him. "That would be great, Tessa," he said and she beamed. He continued, "In return, maybe I could teach you how to play a musical instrument when we get to the Clave."

She looked surprised, "You play an instrument?"

Having spent some years at the castle, King Elias had let Jem choose a hobby he wanted to have lessons in. Jem had eagerly chosen to learn how to play an instrument, as he loved the sound of music during the nightly entertainment, and had wanted to learn how he could express himself like that, by using notes rather than speaking. He had often gone to bed with a melody in his head, which would help him sleep when he thought about his parents.

Will answered for him, "Yes, and he's quite talented."

Jem blushed slightly at the praise and said, "I'm not that talented, there is so much more I could learn, and many better players than myself."

Will merely scoffed at his comments, disbelieving. Jem really appreciated all his friend's support.

This time Jem got up at the front of the horse, following Tessa's direction. She recommended he mount on the left hand side, grabbing both reigns, and a fistful of the horse's mane with his left hand. He slipped his left foot into the stirrup, and hoisted himself up, throwing his right leg over the saddle, and putting his boot into the stirrup. Tessa mounted the horse behind him, in one smooth, practised motion.

The horse's breed was a Rouncy, an all-purpose horse, used primarily to ride or work. Jem was happy he had a horse with such a calm and docile temperament. It also had a smooth and comfortable gait, which Jem greatly appreciated after many hours of riding. The one Will had been trying to teach Jem to ride previously was a hot-blooded horse, who was high-strung and full of energy. This made it very difficult for Jem to handle, especially when he was just starting out.

One time, the horse had been spooked by a snake, and reared up, tossing Jem to the ground. Needless to say, Jem had not been eager to get back on a horse for a while. Normally his healing 'gift' had a calming effect on animals; Church, the cat back at the Clave, hated everyone but Jem. However, that horse had been an exception.

Tessa turned out to be a patient and skilled teacher, answering all of Jem's questions, and helping to improve his riding ability vastly. He learnt how to hold the reigns and steer the horse. Next, he mastered how to change the horse's gait, from walking, to trotting, to a canter.

He found trotting the hardest, as the horse constantly bounced up and down, which was quite jarring. Tessa suggested he get the stirrups to the front of his boot, as if he were standing on his toes, and flex his knees up and down in sync with the horse. This was less bumpy, as he hardly touched the saddle, and he could have kept it up all day if needed.

As she taught him, Will rode sullenly on his own horse, most likely still angry over Jessamine. Jem ignored him; he had learnt a long time ago that when Will was in one of his 'moods', there wasn't much that could be done to snap him out of it.

The horse, whom he had affectionately named Chester - due to his chestnut, copper coloured fur - responded well to his directions, and Jem found he enjoyed riding very much.

"Good horse, Chester," Jem whispered in the horse's ear. Well, at least he thought he had whispered it.

Will, who must have impeccable hearing, perked up, asking, "Who's Chester?"

"The horse," Jem replied meekly.

Will threw his arms in the air, "You're naming a borrowed horse, what next?"

"I think Chester is a great name," Tessa said helpfully.

"Thank you Tessa," he replied thankfully.

Tessa, who had her arms around his waist, squeezed his arm reassuringly. It was nice to know she had his back against Will's teasing. As they rode on with a new ease, Jem felt his mind wander to Tessa's arms. This was the closest he had ever been to a girl, and he felt his heart race excitedly. He started worrying about silly things, like how sweaty he was, and if he smelled alright. Jem had never been this interested in a girl before, so all this nervousness was a strange new sensation for him.

He was glad to have a new town to focus his thoughts on, as they rode into Warrington. It was a town, much larger than Chesterfield, and it was very busy at this time of day. This could be a good thing, since more people meant they could be lost in the crowd, or they could be recognised more easily. Unfortunately, they had to take a gamble and pass through, as it was the only route to where they needed to go. As a precaution, Tessa once again wore a cloak, and kept the hood up, to hide her face.

As they rode through the streets, surprisingly there were few people, and everyone seemed to be heading towards the town centre. Jem felt uneasy, and wondered why the townsfolk would be gathering.

They passed a noticeboard, and Will suddenly stopped. "Did you see that?" he asked in complete shock.

Jem shook his head and they all dismounted to look at the mysterious board. He found a drawing of himself, as well as Will and Tessa staring back at him. The wanted poster had a rudimentary drawing - for people who couldn't read - as well as a small description, and a reward price. His jaw dropped when he saw the large sum of gold coins being offered for each of their captures.

"I'm upset I'm not worth more," Will said, frowning. "Why am I worth less than you two?"

It was true, Tessa was worth the largest sum, then Jem, and lastly, Will.

Tessa voiced what they were all thinking, "He must know Jem has the 'gift' of healing."

"Indeed," Jem replied, feeling nauseous. Now he would be a pawn in the king's plan as well.

Will stared outraged at the drawings. "Don't they know how to draw? I look a lot more handsome than in this picture. The supposed likeliness is preposterous!"

"Don't forget Will, they must have gotten our description from people in the inn, so it can't have been too accurate," Jem replied, trying to hide his growing smile. The drawings were quite amusing really. Will's nose looked too big, and Jem's eyes too small. It was comical comparing the drawings to the actual people. He sobered when he thought of the consequences, though. These pictures were still good enough that someone could recognise them.

"So you don't think it was Jessamine?" Will asked, doubting her once again.

"You saw your 'gift' work Will. It wasn't her. Anyone in the inn saw us with Tessa, and could have described us to the guards," Jem said, trying to reassure him.

"I suppose you're right," was Will's only reply.

They decided to work their way towards the town square to see what was going on, all the while, trying to hide their faces. Will had donned a straw peasant's hat, to help hide his hair, and Jem a black wool brimmed hat.

When they reached the edges of the crowd, they had to dismount once again, as it was too thick for them to ride through. Instead they pushed their way closer to the raised podium in the centre.

What they saw there made Jem's blood run cold. A gallows was set up, ready for its next victim.

It was a public hanging.

A/N: Please review/follow/favourite!

I actually don't know much about horses, so thanks to my Dad, and google, for giving me some pointers :)

Any requests for whose point of view in the next chapter? I'm happy to do any of the three.

Any guesses as to who could be hanged (I believe it's called this, not 'hung')?

~ SilverJem5