ALL THREE OF THEM, turned their back facing the young man. The young man then stepped closer holding a small bouncy ball. Gwen turned her eyes to the side noticing a juggler looking curiously at them. "Does she look like a juggler to you?" Nimue responded. The young man chuckled at her response, quickly taking the juggler hat and placing it on her head. Gwen tensed up holding Pym's hand. "Perfect."

Nimue and Pym looked horrified when the young man placed the juggler hat on her head. They expected that Gwen would erupt. Instead she ended up laughing taking the hat, handing it to the juggler.

"I'm no ordinary. I only juggle fire with a mixture of ice." Gwen replied, laughing. The young man smiled at her. "Oh, I believe that." All the girls immediately started laughing.

"Fancy an ale?"

Gwen looked amused. This young man certainly had confidence and charisma to charm any lady. Why her?

"We don't drink with strange men," Nimue responded immediately and started pulling Gwen away only to be pushed back. Gwen stayed and didn't move. The young man smiled at the ladies, turning to look at Nimue, first. "What's your name?"

"I'm Nimue." The young man smiled then turned to her. "And yours?" Gwen gulps, "People call me, Gwen." She then pushed Pym forward. "This is Pym."

The young man sent a smile at her. "Well, now we're not strangers. I'm Arthur." All three girls were amused at him, certainly smiling at how much courage this man had.

~ ~ ~ ~

All three girls sat at a table in a nearby pub waiting for Arthur, who was bringing their drinks. Suddenly, Pym immediately got up and took Gwen's hand. "We should go. It's late." Nimue agreed getting up as well. "We'll be riding in the dark. We still have time," Gwen replied, seeing Arthur coming from the distance, she made Pym sit down pulling her hand down softly, sending a fake smile. Nimue sat down once she saw Arthur sit down handing them some drinks.

"So. . . you're not from Hawksbridge. Where are you from?" Arthur asked, flickering his eyes between all three girls.

"Near enough. And you?" Gwen replied, smirking. "We both know you're not professional singer."

Arthur chuckles. "That hurts."

Nimue chimes in. "Are you a sword for hire?" Arthur raised his eyebrow, impressed with her knowledge. "A knight milady." Immediately all three girls looked surprised.

"What? You don't believe me?"

Gwen laughed. "Uh, you just seem a bit young and scruffy for a knight. It's daunting." When she said those words immediately they heard a large group of men make their way towards them and interrupting their talk. An old drunken man immediately went behind Arthur.

"Lads, Arthur's found himself some nice country girls." The old man took a step closer to Nimue than towards Gwen. "Look at that fine skin." He placed his hand on the table dropping some two square shapes of dice. "Do you girls dance?" The man started laughing hysterically leaving Gwen uncomfortable being in front of him. Who is he to ask such thing to them?

"May, I have a go?" Nimue immediately asked. Gwen and Pym turned their eyes on her, shocked. "Are you crazy?" Gwen hissed but Nimue ignored her.

"You for five slivers?"

"I don't, I'm afraid." Nimue replied, curiously. "Well. . . " The old man trail, "We allow different wagers." He sat in front of Nimue sending a smile. Gwen knew this was a bad idea. Nimue always gets herself in trouble.

"How about we roll for a kiss?"

Pym immediately started getting up. "Oh, we were just leaving, actually."

"Fine." Nimue spoke loudly leaving both girls profoundly confused. "But if I win, I get ten slivers."

Arthur immediately turned to Nimue. "You can't win. The dice are weighted." He whispered to her. "Arthur, shut your mouth!" The old man hissed.

The old man then started smiling. He gave Nimue the dice. Then started speaking, "It's a very easy game, Nimue. The odds must be with you." Gwen whispered to her causing Nimue to nod at her.

"Just roll seven in any combination. Three and four, five and two. See? The odds favor you."
Immediately, Nimue smiled. She began to shake her hand, closing her eyes. Immediately,
she noticed her neck turning a little green. She saw how Pym noticed it touched her hair fixing it. As soon as the dice fell it landed on the exact thing that was needed. The man looked at Nimue in disbelief, and saw Arthur shocking.

"I just had rushed of dumb luck." Nimue spoke, causing Gwen to chuckle. The old man noticed it began to tense up. "Roll them again." Immediately, Nimue felt uneasy. "Why? I won?"

"Best two out of three. Seems fair." Gwen argued. "Those weren't the rules." Nimue argued back, flickering her eyes between Gwen and the old man.

"Roll again. Don't be a daft." Nimue tensed up. "Then it's 20 silver if I win." Gwen widened her eyes in disbelief at her demand. The old man looked uneasy turning to the group of men behind who disapproval of this.  "Can you believe this little maid, eh?" He then turned to her observing her. "You. With the white hair. I want her to become my second top, as well. Then, it will be worth it, as well. Her, two." Gwen immediately looked disgusted by the man.

"You can't bring her into this. She didn't do anything." Arthur defended her. The man smiled. "A deal is a deal." Gwen turned to look at Nimue who looked uneasy. Gwen knew Nimue wouldn't fail her, wouldn't let anything happen to her. Gwen silently nods giving Nimue approval.

The men started laughing behind the old man. "Are you mad? Gwen?" Arthur exclaimed. Gwen didn't face him. She knew what she was doing. Nimue wouldn't lose.

"Deal."

"Nimue, enough." Pym argued. Nimue took the dice and threw it on the table. All four of them looked in disbelief at the numbers the dice had landed on. The old man looked uneasy, in disbelief staring at the dice. Gwen turned to Nimue who proudly smiles at her accomplishment.

"Your witching me?" The old man spoke loudly. Arthur immediately turned to her staring in disbelief.

"Why?"

"Are you afraid of witches?" Gwen watched as he carefully eyed her. Gwen immediately got up throwing her drink at him causing him to fall onto the floor. "Come on." Gwen immediately got up grabbing Nimue by the hand pulling her way. Pym followed behind them. They ran faster than they ever did.

"We have to get our horses. Back to the stables," Gwen yelled running between the villagers.

~ ~ ~ ~

Gwen sat on her brother's beloved horse, Hedge started riding it faster than she ever could. Nimue and Pym followed behind her. They were being chased by some men wearing red cloaks. "Faster, hedge. Faster." She begged somehow she could sense it was listening to her.

She arrived near an area in the forest. She stopped immediately getting off. Nimue and Pym followed behind getting off the horse. "What are you doing?" Pym questioned her. "We can't outrun them." Gwen confesses honestly. "We have to hide." She grabbed her horse and immediately started walking to a secluded area. She watched as Nimue's horse fell to the ground.

"Shh."

She turned to Hedge. "Please, Hedge. Fall to the ground. Do it for me. If not then do it for my brother," Hedge, immediately dropped to the floor snuggling right beside her. "Good boy," she whispered, she began stroking his hair trying to give him some comfort. They stayed silent for a few minutes when suddenly somebody tapped her shoulder.

"Arthur."

~ ~ ~ ~

They now walked through the bushes. "By the way, you dropped this." Arthur handed her blue blanket, she turned to see if she had it tied around her waist, it wasn't there. "You came to return this? Only this?" Arthur raised his eyebrows and turned to Nimue. "This is yours." He handed her a cloak.

"How chivalry of you, Arthur," Gwen sarcastically replied. Arthur send her a smile. "And to see you got home safely. Sorry about the tavern."

Nimue chimed in, "You mean your friends, the knights?"

"I'm not like Bors." Arthur admitted truthfully. They continued walking. She held onto Hedge by the leash, as she walked on foot. "What, you're not a mercenary?"

"I think what she means to say, though she's clearly mentally incapable at the moment, is "Thank you, that's very nice of you." Pym chimes in earning eye roll from Gwen. "You're Fey, aren't you?" Arthur questioned Nimue. "I haven't met your kind before. You don't seem so scary." She tensed up, she isn't considered exactly a Fey, well she doesn't know. She will always ask her brother about her parent's but he will quickly change the topic. It's like he doesn't want her to know about them. Boro and her were lucky enough to be taken in by the elders and form a home in Dewdenn.

"Witching men in broad daylight." Arthur commented. Gwen immediately spoke up, "Were not witches." Arthur sighed. They still continued walking. "Bors is one thing, Red Paladins are quite another. They're burning Fey villages along the Beggar's Coast. So you need to be careful." Arthur continued. Immediately all three of them looked at each other, concerned and stopped for a moment to process the news.

"Where are you going?" Gwen spoke loudly, noticing Arthur kept walking. He turned back. "Making camp. There's a lot of paladins on the road. I got fire, food and wine." He paused. "Well, the wine's awful but the company's good." All three girls began to smile at his kindness he was offering.

"Any objections?"

~ ~ ~ ~

She laid herself on the ground wrapping herself with the blue blanket around her. Arthur sat beside her, plopping down onto the ground.

"It's been alluring to see a person with platinum hair." He spoke, softly. She turned to see him. "It's a miracle to see a knight, once in a lifetime.

Arthur chuckles. "Your comebacks hurt me. You really don't think, I'm a knight?" Gwen laughed at him.

"I never said that."

"You imply it," Arthur counters back. "It's literally your one concern at this moment." She looked around to see Nimue and Pym speaking of other matters. "No. My only concern is, I need to get home." She turned around closing her eyes, thinking wisps of flowers scents.

The next morning somebody tugged her. She opened her eyes to see Nimue. "Come on, now. We have to leave." She saw Pym already waiting on the white horse. She quickly grabbed her stuff and ran towards Hedge, they began to ride towards the other direction, she took one last glance at Arthur who slept peacefully in peace.

They slowly walked through the woods getting closer to home. It's been an hour, she thought. Noises can be heard from a distance. "No. Nimue." Gwen noticed how quickly Nimue rode to the fiery village in the distance, she stood in the distance. No. Her home. She led Hedge to a nearby tree tying him against the tree. Stay here. She began to run as she saw the terror unfolding in front of her.

"No."

She turns to the side seeing Pym being carried away by a man wearing a long red cloaks. Red paladins. "No!" She began running after her only to be pushed to the ground. An old man began to drag her by her feet, dragging her to the other side of the village. "Let go of me." She roared loudly pushing herself away from the man struggling to break free. She swung her arm against his chest causing him to fall back. She immediately started gasping for air, she turned around seeing people dying right under her eyes. People she knew. Slowly, gasping for air she began walking rapidly, trying to maintain calm. Where was Boro? She started to get worried, she couldn't find her brother.

Chaos erupted in Dewdenn. She couldn't believe seeing the sight of people dying. Fists are flying, feet kicking, fingers grasping hair and yanking.

Suddenly she was yanked by another man. She kept struggling to break free. The man held a good grip on her tying her against the ground, she then turned to the side noticing the man looking for something. In the distance, she widened her eyes to see an axe. She kept moving, struggling. She didn't have a choice. She needed to live. She was about to lean forward and gauged her hands into his stomach trying to make him bleed. Only for the man, to yelp in pain. Suddenly, the man throat is cut open, somebody sliced the man's throat. The blood sprays onto her face leaving her thoroughly shocked to have another person blood on her. It's sudden and shocking that she doesn't move for a second.

She then gets pulled back up by somebody. "Gwen." Boro exclaimed, bringing her into a hug. She embraced him, hugging him tightly. He pulled back. "Don't you ever do that!"

She silently wisps in agreement. "I've missed you, brother." She called out for him, she continued to hug him. Boro smiles at her before he pulls her to the side raising his axe above them, chopping a man's head who charged at them. "Come one. We need to leave." She quickly nodded as she followed him. They quickly began running when she saw Pym struggling on the ground with a man on top of her.

"No!" She roared running towards her. Boro immediately grabbed her. "I'll help her. You go on, meet me in the forest. Get to, Hedge. I'll be there."

"No," she immediately held onto his hand refusing to let go. "Please, I need you to be safe," he urged her to push her away. "Go on. Go! Wait there for me, please. Go!" Slowly she backed away tearing as she began to make her way to Hedge, till she got thrown to the floor. Using all her force, she elbowed him in the chest causing him to fall back, slowly she got up. It looked like a young boy stood in front of her, pointing a knife against her. Slowly, he began to approach her. She gulps, this might be it. This is her last moment alive. Suddenly a bucket crashes onto the boy back head causing him fall onto the floor dropping the knife on the side. She gasps to see Squirrel had saved her. ''Gwen, follow me.'' He then proceeded to run the opposite direction, she needed to go. She sighed knowing fully well, she might never see her brother again, if she chooses to follow Squirrel.  She grabs the knife on the ground and quickly begins running towards him.

"Squirrel!" She tried to run the same pace as him following him all the way to the other side of the forest literally being miles always from where she was supposed to be.