Lily stepped through the forest, her heart beating fast as she continued her journey. She was already missing Rowan and Alice and she wished she would be with them right now. But she knew she had to do this, weather she wanted too or not.
"Why are you looking for this powerful wizard?" Layla's voice echoed through her head as she continued her journey. "You already are powerful enough yourself, you don't need him. You can just come and find me right now."
"I can't just dive into something I don't know, Layla," Lily whispered back out loud. "I am just trying to be careful. I want to hep you and I'm trying too. But I don't even know where to find you and I don't know how to control my powers either."
"I told you to find the mirror's maker," Layla argued frustrated. "Why are you delaying your journey?"
"I'm not. I am trying to find the maker too, but I need to prepare myself. Maybe there is something in that library that can help me find the maker... And besides, I have a feeling that Jafar is also looking for me... Isn't he?"
"He might be..."
Lily's eyes narrowed at Layla's words. Something wasn't right... She had felt like that from the moment she heard her voice at the fairies cottage.
"How are you suddenly able to talk to me without trying to reach me through my dreams, Layla?" she asked her suspicion rising. "What's going on?"
"I might have found a way to get through to you without dreams," Layla answered. "I can't say much. I don't know who is listening to this."
Lily scoffed, not answering. It was clear to her that Layla was trying to keep a secret from her. Layla had always been in trouble in her dreams. Always chained and it would always end with Jafar... How was she able to simply talk to her now?
"Well, you just have to trust me anyway, even if you think I am making a mistake," she told her with a sigh. She continued to mutter. "Now where is that village I need to reach... It can't be that far."
She kept walking, ignoring the sensation she was feeling inside. For some reason, she could feel Layla's presence trying to make her turn around and go somewhere else. But Lily knew very we that she needed help before jumping into danger. She couldn't just rush into anything... She looked around, taking in her surroundings with a faint smile. She had never been this far before. Rowan never sheltered her purposely, but it was new to her either way. On her own... And new surroundings. It was a complete adventure she needed to get through. She smiled, hearing Alice's excited voice echoing through her mind. She would have loved the adventure and wanted to come with her. Sadly, Lily couldn't just let her do that... She had to do this on her own without putting her friends in danger.
As she waked, there was a small rustling of the leaves, and she felt something wasn't right. She glanced around, but there was nothing to see. Odd... Well, it was probably just an animal...
She continued walking, but suddenly someone bumped into her. The person didn't even apologize and rushed off. She raised her eyebrow as the brown haired man ran off into the distance. Well that one was in a hurry to get home...
Her hand instinctively went to her pouch and she gasped. It wasn't there... What? No!
"Hey!" she called after the man that had just bumped into her as she realized what just happened. "Hey come back! Give me back my pouch, I need that!"
She started to chase after him as fast as she cloud, trying to catch up to him. Not only did the pouch contain her money for the road, but it also contained the shard from her mirror.
"Please stop!" she called after him as the man kept running.
She took a sprint slowly gaining on him. But he already had a running start before she realized what he did.
"Use your magic!" Layla's voice echoed through her mind. "You have the power to stop him, so do it! You won't stop him by just running after him."
Lily kept running, trying to catch up to him, but he was gaining more and more distance between them. She took a deep breath, raising her hand and she quickly shot it forward.
"Stop!" she shouted.
Then, something shot out of her hand and hit him in the back. The man let out a grunt as he fell onto the ground, the pouch falling from his hand and rolling a few feet away from him. Lily gasped, realizing she had hurt someone again. She bit her lip, but then swallowed, resisting the urge to apologize for what she did. It wasn't like she hurt him badly anyway... And he was the one who robbed her.
"That's what you get from robbing people," she said, raising her chin and walking past him, picking up her pouch.
The man grunted, pushing himself off the ground.
"Alright Sparky," he said, narrowing his eyes. "It's just a bit of money. No need to be so hostile."
Lily narrowed her eyes at him too, securing her pouch again.
"It's more than just a bit of money, but I don't have to explain anything to you," she told him. "I wish you good luck on finding someone else you can steal from, but I would suggest finding a job."
The man scoffed at her words.
"Really?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. "I'm assuming you never had to fight for anything and got everything handed to you on a silver platter, didn't you?"
Lily shook her head, not answering to his comment. It was true, she didn't know what it was like to live on the streets, but that didn't mean stealing things could be excused for that.
"It's not always a choice to live on the streets you know..."
"Maybe not..." Lily muttered soft enough for the man not to hear it, and still not used to Layla's voice that she reaised that she could answer with her thoughts. "But that doesn't excuse anything and I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't let herself be robbed.
"Oh no, I think you've done a good job at teaching him a lesson," Layla chuckled softy, praising Lily's effort.
Lily turned around again, ready to go on with her journey again.
"You know, you should be careful, Sparky," the man said. "You don't know what kind of people lurk around here. There can be some shady people."
Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head, not looking back at him.
"Like you?" she shot back, ignoring his warning continuing her journey through the woods.
The village wasn't too far from here... But after the chase she had lost track of where she was. She took a deep breath. Alright... Think... There had to be a place she'd recognize if she traced her steps back.
She looked around, trying to find a spot that she would recognize, but of course, the forest was completely filled with trees. There was no way of knowing wich tree she had passed before and how she would get back on the right path again. Oh great... Just great...
"Come on, it has to be around here somewhere..." she softy muttered to herself as she walked around.
There was another rustle in the trees that made her freeze and she looked around to find the person following her. She hoped there would not be another robbery on her hands. She really did not have time for that...
As she spun around, trying to find her way out, her eyes fell on a man, leaning against the trees.
"Are you lost, little girl?" he asked her calmly, but the look in his eyes was off. He didn't seem genuine.
She cleared her throat and shook her head.
"No, I'm fine," she told him firmly. "Just making my way home through the forest, just like you, I am assuming. Excuse me..."
She walked past him and quickly made her way further down the path, but someone else emerged from the trees, blocking her path. Her eyes widened, glancing at the man. Perhaps a coincidence?
She smiled awkwardly, then turned to go the other way, but once again someone came out of the trees and blocked her path. Lily's heart started racing as she glanced around, while the men had now surrounded her. Definitely not a coincidence. She swallowed, taking a step back and turned around again, but was faced with the first man again.
"Before you go..." he said. "How about you give us all your valuables."
Lily blinked. Again? Did she really have two robberies in a row?
"What?" she asked, blinking and trying to act like she didn't know what was happening. "What are you talking about?"
"You can't just pass through someone's territory without paying up, my dear," the leader said with a soft chuckle.
Lilly swallowed, her heart beating faster and starting to breathe heavily.
"I... I don't have anything valuable," she told them as they stepped closer to her. "You're wasting your time with me, trust me. Just let me go through and I'll act like this never happened."
The leader of the bandits chuckled, stepping closer to her.
"Really?" he asked her. "You don't have anything? We'll just see about that... Make sure she can't run."
Lily's eyes widened, but before she could do anything, two hands grabbed her arms tightly.
"Hey, let go of me!" she shouted, struggling against their grip.
The men kept their grip tight, effortlessly keeping her in place. They didn't laugh. They didn't try to hurt her more than just keeping her in place. It was clear that they had done this before. It was nothing more than business to them
"Now let's see what you really have," the leader of the group said, stepping up close to her.
His hand instantly went for her pouch on her belt. Lily strugglled against the grip and lifted her foot. Quickly, she kicked the man's leg as he reached for her. He grunted and stumbled back. He took a deep breath, glaring hat her. He stepped forward again as the other two men's grip tightened to keep her in place.
"Your resistance is only going to make it worse for you," he growled at her. "Why not spare us all the energy and let us take what you have? If you really don't have anything... Why fight?"
Lily narrowed her eyes.
"Keep your hands off me!" she spat, lifting her foot to kick him again.
But this time he saw it coming. He quickly blocked her and shoved her back. She stumbled, hitting her back against a tree as she struggled for her freedom.
"You really don't know who you are dealing with, do you, Sweetheart?" he asked her, glaring at her. "I don't want to hurt you. But if you keep resisting we ight need to take some more action."
"Really? The three of you against one little girl? Now that's pathetic..."
Lily froze, hearing a familiar voice. The men were distracted now too, turning to the direction where the voice had came from. The man that had just robbed Lily himself was casually leaning against one of the trees. His arms were crossed and there was a light smirk on his face. He almost looked like he was just watching the show.
"Mind your own business, Rider!" the leader of the bandits grunted angrily as he looked at him. "You are no better than us. You would steal from this one too if you had the chance."
"Steal?" Rider asked, raising his eyebrow. "Maybe... This however? This is below my style. I have at least some dignity left"
Lily held her breath as Rider just casually leaned against the tree and the others glared at him. Was he actually going to help her? She bit her lip, realizing he had in fact warn her about shady people in these parts... Maybe she shouldn't have judged and just listened to him.
She glanced at him and his eyes met hers. She took it as a sign and took a deep breath, lifting her foot again. Now that he was distracted, she managed to kick the leader again, and hard this time. Harder than the first time. The man grunted, stumbling back and she took her chance. She twisted and turned as Rider jumped in himself to fight.
She stepped on one of the man's foot, hearing a hiss in pain and feeling the grip loosen. She quickly turned, managing to get out of his grip and once again lifted her foot to kick the other. Finally free, she looked between the two, while Rider was busy with their leader. They looked surprised and lightly disoriented , as if they had not expected them to fight. But she was not about to let herself be treated in the way they just treated her.
"What are you waiting for? Use your magic! You don't have to fight fair!"
Lily hesitated, but she knew Layla was right. She didn't know how to fight physically and she wasn't that strong at all. She would never last in a physical fight. With her magic however... If she could control it... As the men stepped forward to catch her again, her eyes widened. As if her magic reacted to the danger, sparks flew from her hand and a wind picked up. She glared at them. She was done with them. She had barely even started her journey and she already had to deal with people like them...
"What the..." she heard the voice of the leader sounding through the raging wind. "She's a witch! She's crazy!"
As the wind raged, the two stepped back, clearly afraid of the magic she was wielding. Lily was breathing heavily, filled with anger. Was this how people were? She hadn't met people like that before. The people she usually met when they were going to the village with Rowan were kind, or drawn back, but not like this.
"Show them," Layla told her. "Show them just how crazy you can be."
Layla laughed and Lily's eyes widened. The laugh sounded vaguely familiar. A laugh she had heard before in her dreams, mixed with Jafar's laughter and others she didn't recognize. Was she imagining things? This could not be Layla...
"Don't hold back" Layla said with a soft giggle, clearly seeming to enjoy the distress Lily was creating. They wouldn't have showed you mercy either."
Lily was breathing heavily, trying to get her magic back under control. She wasn't like this... This wasn't her...
"Come on, Sparky! Run!"
His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to him. All three bandits were distracted now and clearly afraid of her magic. Rider however flagged her to a path leading to the side, waiting for her to come as if they had been companions all along. Lily hesitated, but then started to run and followed him through the forest.
"Where are we going?" she asked, panting from the adrenaline.
"Away from them!" Rider answered as if it was a stupid question she was asking. "Doesn't matter where we are going right now, does it?"
Lily sighed and kept running, following him through the forest. She was already lost either way. Right now, it didn't matter where she was going, as long as she was away from people like them. After a few minutes, he finally stopped and Lily stopped instantly too, breathing heavily and leaning against a tree to catch her breath. She looked at Rider who had just saved her from the bandits. Even though he had tried to steal from her too, she couldn't help to feel grateful towards him.
"Thank you," she softly brought out through her breaths. "You didn't have to do that..."
Rider leaned against a tree again with a scoff, glaring at her.
"Believe what you will, sparky," he tod her. "But there are a lot of people around that are far worse than I am. I might steal, but that doesn't mean I would lower myself to that."
Lily bit her lip, twirling her hair as he spoke. She had meant what she said, but she also knew he was right. Maybe she had judged him too quickly...
"Yeah, I guess that is true..." she softly said looking away from him. She cleared her throat , having no time to stay and argue with him. "Anyway... Thanks again. I'll be on my way..."
She turned to walk and continue where she had left out, but now she really didn't know where she was anymore.
"Hey, hold on, Sparky."
Lily turned around again, rolling her eyes at the nickname he had randomly chosen to give her.
"What, she asked him with a raised eyebrow.
Rider kept leaning against the tree and looked at her with a casual look in his eyes, as if had been a completely normal conversation.
"Well,I can't help but notice, but you don't seem to have any idea where you are going or what you are doing, do you?"
Lily crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him.
"What is it to you?" she asked him. "Why would you care if I know where I am going or not?"
"Honestly, I don't," Rider said with a shrug. "But you seem to be needing someone who can help you get to wherever you are going... And I could probably use someone who can get me out of a tight spot every now and then. Your magic seems to be strong enough to find of anyone and well... I don't think I have to explain my reputation around here to you."
Lily blinked, taring at him as he spoke.
"What are you saying?" she asked him suspiciously. "What do you want from me?"
"I just think we can help each other, Sparky. I know my way around here and I could help you find what you are looking for, if you would help me in return. But if you'd like to run around lost in the forest, then who am I to stop you? Can't promise you there will always be someone to save you from bandits and thug though..."
Lily stared at him, unsure what to do. He was right.. She had no idea where she was going and maybe she did need someone who could help her find the enchanted library... But could she really trust him?
"Let him help if he is so eager," Layla said. "You can always abandon him when he gets you where you need to be. He is no match for your power, remember?"
Lily slowly shook her head. Why was she trying to make her use her magic to hurt someone constantly? It was almost like Layla wanted her to hurt someone... She sighed and looked back at Rider again.
"So, Rider..." she slowly said. "What exactly do you need me to in return if I am to accept your offer?"
Rider smirked lightly, pushing himself off the tree.
"I could be in use of a bodyguard around here." he answered. "There are many... Greedy people who would catch someone just for the price on their head. And perhaps you might be useful for some treasure hunting."
"You mean treasure stealing?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes.
"If you want to call it that, Sparky..."
"It's Lily," Lily stated, done with his nickname for her.
She thought for a moment, weighing her options. What was she even supposed to do? Well, first things first.
"I need to find an enchanted library that is owned by a wizard named Merlin," she said. "Do you know anything about that?"
Rider thought for a moment, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
"I think I've heard of that library..." he said slowly. "Pretty sure I know where it is. So it's a deal then?"
Lily crossed her arms.
"Fine," she said. "I guess I can help you escape from anyone if you really have to. But I will not be involved in any stealing or heist that you are planning. You are on your own for that."
Rider smiled, clearly pleased with himself.
"Fine I suppose that's fair," he said
Lily nodded shortly, folding her hands.
"Lead the way then," she said. "I was told there was a Village somewhere nearby and the enchanted library should be a few villages further down... That's what they told me at least."
"Well at least you remember something," Rider said with a teasing smirk, continuing to call her by that nickname.
"Like I said, it's Lily," she said Rolling her eyes. "And... What Should I call you?"
Rider glanced at her with a playful smirk on his face.
"You can call me whatever you want, Sparky." he said, but then after a few seconds he continued. "It's Flynn. My name is Flynn."
Lily nodded and followed Flynn as he guided her through the forest. She didn't know if she had made the right choice to trust him, but at least he could get her where she was needed to go.
Author's Note
And another chapter down. At least Lily has a companion now. Flynn had been my favorite character for ages and I have been looking forward to throwing him into the story.
Flynn will just be Flynn though. I am not a huge fan of the name Eugene, so I will not naming him that. He is just Flynn Rider, not Eugene Fitzhurbert.