Resurrected!

I'm very excited because I was able to write a whole bunch on my story today even though I had basically given it up as lost. Well, obviously I was wrong. I know this is super long, but I want to see what you think of the whole Will+Sarah thing. Am I going to fast?

“You were dreaming,” the boy said, a little awkwardly. Sarah nodded, it wasn't news to her. She took several big shaky breaths, trying to stop crying. She wondered who this strange boy was, with the dirty blonde hair and the green eyes. Slowly the events of the night came back, but she had no memory of getting off Maddie. She lifted her head a little to look for her horse, and saw her resting nearby. Sighing, she lay back down and closed her eyes. She felt utterly drained, and the hopelessness of her situation overwhelmed her for the moment.
The boy broke the silence, answering some of Sarah's unspoken questions. “You rode into my camp a few hours ago, nearly falling off you’re horse. You’re horse must have seen the light from my fire and brought you to me.”
Sarah felt a little embarrassed. She didn’t know this boy, and he had watched her sleep, heard her scream, seen her cry. She opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing the tears of her face. “Thank you,” she finally spoke, her voice raw. She swallowed painfully. The boy noticed, and quickly pulled out a tin mug, which he filled with water and then handed to her. “Thank you,” she said again, before eagerly drinking. The water was refreshing, and she felt a little better.
“My names Will,” said the boy. He rummaged in a knapsack nearby, finally coming out with a hunk of bread and some cheese.
“Sarah,” said Sarah. She watched hungrily as Will tore the bread in half and handed one portion to her. Sarah took it, but hesitated before biting. She felt bad eating his food, when she had nothing to return.
“You shouldn’t be traveling alone,” said the boy suddenly. He knew it really wasn’t any of his business, but he felt a strange concern for this girl.
Sarah was surprised, but pleased by his evident concern. He wasn’t very good at hiding his feelings. “Probably not,” she said, smiling, “but I don’t really have a choice about it.”
Will nodded, he knew what that felt like. “Where are you going?” he asked.
Sarah took another bite and chewed slowly. She was trying to decide how much of her story she should tell this boy. She needed to find out how to get to King Stefan, and she needed to find out soon. She desperately hoped this boy would know, for she didnÂ’t know if she would be brave enough to ask in a town. For that matter, she didnÂ’t even know if there were any towns nearby. Surly not, if Will was camping out here.
She swallowed and answered finally, saying slowly, “Is there a King Stefan anywhere nearby?”
Will started, looking surprised. “Yes,” he said guardedly. “He lives not two days ride from here, in a castle in Gardenshire. Why?”
Sarah shrugged, trying to look casual. “I’m looking for...someone who works for him.”
“Really,” said Will, and he obviously didn’t believe her. “Who?”
“Ummm,” said Sarah, thinking fast. “The gardner?”She crossed her fingers, desperately hoping there was a garden and a gardner.
“Mr. Appleton?” Will questioned, doubt still in his voice.
“Um,” Sarah said, afraid that this was a trick. “I don’t actually know his name, I just know I’m supposed to look for the gardner at King Stefan's palace. Do you know of him?”
Will sat back, looking slightly less doubtful. “Yes. My grandmother used to work at the castle, she was the princess’s governess, before the princess disappeared.”
“I heard about that,” said Sarah slowly. She wanted information, but she didn’t want Will to know what she was doing. “What happened to her? Does anybody know?”
Will shook his head, swallowing his food before saying, “She just disappeared one day. The king sent out search parties, but no one found her. It was really strange though, several months after she disappeared rumors went around that the princess was still alive and being held for ransom somewhere, that someone had contacted the king. I guess it was just a rumor though, because nothing came of it.”
“When the king was searching for her,” said Sarah, staring a little to intensely at the boy, “Did he say that she would be wearing anything special. Maybe like a silver cross?” Unconsciously, her hand slipped under her shirt to finger the cross that lay against her chest.
Will frowned, his suspicions all coming back. “No.” he said firmly, “and why do you want to know all this? What has it got to do with the gardner you’re looking for?”
“Nothing,” said Sarah, quickly drawing her hand away from her necklace, and then cursing herself as she saw Will following her movement. “Just curious.”
Will nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “I’ll draw you a map so you can get to King Stefan's,” he said, pulling out a sheet of weathered paper and a charcoal pencil.
“Thanks,” said Sarah, feeling a little disappointed. She knew there was no reason for Will to take her there himself, he had already done a lot for her. Examining him as he drew, she saw that he was not an unattractive boy, and that he was probably only a few years older then her. She wondered what he was doing traveling alone himself.
“Where are you going?” she said abruptly. He looked up, startled.
“No where,” he said.
Sarah blushed, quickly adding, “I meant where are you traveling to? It may be extra unusual for me to be traveling alone, but it’s not exactly usual in your case either.”
Will looked down, avoiding her bright blue gaze. He felt a strong inkling that what he ought to do was take her to Gardenshire himself, but that was the last place he wanted to go right now. He knew the more he looked at her, the more guilty he would feel.
The silence stretched on, as Will tried to think of some place he could be going. Sarah was surprised when he didn’t answer, and looking closer at his face, she thought she saw anger and shame there. “Oh,” she said, “You’re running away too.”
“I am not!” Will immediately objected. Sarah raised her eyebrows in a look of disbelief, and Will sighed. “all right,” he said, “If you want to call it that, yes, I’m running away.”
“Well,” said Sarah, “Seems like we’ve both got plenty of problems.” Her smile turned into a grimace of pain, as she thought of Zari. Would she ever see her again?
Will finished his map, and leaned over to show her the route she should go. “See this road?” he said, pointing. “Follow it until you get to here...” he traced his fingers over the path as he told her where to go. Sarah listened very carefully, and then thanked him, folding the map and setting it next to her. Suddenly she thought of Mr. Slimier, and shuddered involuntarily. Were they following her? She realized she must leave at once, if only so she wouldn’t put Will in danger. It had been very stupid of her to tarry this long, by now they could have caught up with her. They could be hiding in the tree’s right now, waiting for the perfect time to ambush. Standing abruptly, she looked around nervously but didn’t see anything.
“I have to go,” she said, her voice shaky. Will looked at her with puzzlement.
“You aren't nearly rested enough!” he objected. Secretly, he felt a little disappointed. He would have liked to get to know this strange girl better.
“That doesn’t matter!” said Sarah. “I really have to go. Thank you so much for everything!” Running to her horse, she quickly began saddling her, glancing every few seconds towards the road. Will slowly went to help her. He didn’t know why she suddenly desperately had to go, but he got a bag and put a blanket and some food and water in it. In but a few seconds, she was ready, and she quickly swung herself up and onto Maddie.
“Thank...” she started, but suddenly stopped and swung around to see two riders on horseback racing down the road towards them. Without a word, she kicked Maddie hard, crying “Go!”
“Wait!” called Will, but she was already gone, riding as hard as she could away from him. Swearing, he ran to his horse and saddled in one swift motion. He galloped into the forest, steering his horse around the trees. “Come on, Shadow,” he whispered, “We’ve got to catch her before they do.” He suddenly swore again, and ducked as a branch nearly knocked him off his horse. Stay on, he told himself. I’ve got to stay on. Getting closer to the road, he was now almost across from Sarah, with only a layer of trees between them. Urging his horse to go just a little faster, he suddenly broke out of the trees and ran neck and neck with Sarah. She gave a startled shriek when she saw the horse and rider break out of the trees, sure she was caught for good, but suddenly the rider on the horse turned to her with a furious expression, and she saw it was Will. Relief washed over her, and she grinned back at him. He growled with annoyance, before shouting “Follow me!” and taking the lead. Sarah had no choice but to obey. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder and saw that the people she was now sure were Mr. Slimier and Mistress Rattie, were closing in on them. She wasn’t smiling anymore. She turned around with new determination, and urged her horse to go a little faster.
Will glanced over his shoulder and saw their pursuers closing in on them. There was only one way they could possibly get away, and he prayed that a bend in the road would be coming up. If there wasnÂ’t one, they were certainly lost. His prayers were answered, as he saw a sharp turn up ahead. Thundering around the corner, he turned and looked quickly over his shoulder. Sure enough, the riders were momentarily out of view. Veering sharply of the road, he entered the forest and ducked low over his horse so none of the branches over head would hit him. Sarah followed, hoping he had a plan because she certainly didnÂ’t. When they were out of sight from the road, Will stopped and quickly got off his horse. Sarah more fell off hers. Her knees were wobbly, and when she tried to get up she simply fell over again. She watched helplessly, as Will slapped the horses and told them to go. They took off, and Sarah was sure that was the last sheÂ’d be seeing of Maddie.
“Come on!” Will said, grabbing her arm roughly. Sarah had to run to keep up with him, as he walked deeper into the forest.
“Where are we going?” Sarah asked desperately. Will suddenly stopped, and then started climbing a large tree close by.
“Come on,” he said again. “The leaves will hide us.” Sarah followed, scraping her elbows and knees as she climbed up. High up in the tree, Will sat on a large branch, and Sarah sat carefully next to him. She wondered how much weight the branch could take. From the forest floor, neither of them could be seen.
They sat in silence, listening for any sounds of pursuit. Suddenly, they heard someone approaching.
“Where have they got to?”they heard a woman ask.
“Silence!” a mans voice commanded. Sarah immediately recognized both voices. It was Mistress Rattie and Mr. Slimier, just as she’d expected. She stiffened, not daring to even breath. She wanted to look down to see if she could see them, but she knew she couldn’t risk the movement. There were soft footsteps, and then strange rustling sounds that Sarah couldn’t identify. Suddenly, their tree began to shake. Mr. Slimier was pulling on a tree branch, trying to shake them out. Will’s hand lashed out to stifle the small shriek that Sarah had been about to make. Sarah tasted blood, and realized she must have bit her tongue. There was a deep silence, Sarah listening for Mr. Slimier and Mr. Slimier listening for Sarah. Finally, satisfied there was no one in this tree or the ones nearby, Mr. Slimier and Mistress Rattie moved off.
Sarah remained motionless for what seemed like an hour, straining to her any small sounds. Finally, Will began to move around a little, and Sarah blew out a sigh of relief. She realized that she had been holding her breath. She looked down, and suddenly realized they were very high up. Feeling a little sick, she forced herself to look back up. Will climbed higher in the tree to look down, and said quietly,
“They won’t be coming back I don’t think.”
“Are you sure?” Sarah said, still fearful.
Will turned to look at her sharply, all his previous annoyance coming back. “Who were they?” he hissed. “And why on earth didn’t you tell me you were being followed?”
“I,” Sarah struggled for words, “I didn’t know if I could trust you.”
“You didn’t know if you could trust me,” Will repeated, his eyes narrowing. “You didn’t know if you could trust me, after all I did for you! Obviously you didn’t even think about how I would feel about it. Those people would have done anything to get you, including probably killing me, and you didn’t tell me because you didn’t think you could trust me. Well guess what! I don’t trust you either, and if you think that I’m going to help you get to Gardenshire I’ve got a little surprise for you. I’m not. You can go to hell for all I care!”
Sarah flinched at Wills harsh words. She didn’t know what to say, because truthfully she still wasn’t sure if she should tell him her real story. She wasn’t sure about anything anymore. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t notice her hands pulling a leaf apart, she was concentrating to hard on not crying. She risked a brief glance at Will, and looked away quickly. He was furious. She could see his jaws muscles clenching, and his hands were balled up into tight fists. Sarah knew he had a reason to be angry at her, but not this angry! She suddenly felt less like crying and more like punching something.
“But why should I have told you anything?” she suddenly demanded, the anger growing inside her spilling out. “You didn’t tell me anything about yourself, and you obviously didn’t believe anything I was telling you. I was hoping I could just out run them and you’d never know. How do you know I’ve been lying to you? You don’t! All I did was not tell you I was being followed and you tell me to go to hell. I mean, do you have anger problems or what? You have no right to act like I’ve tried to hurt you, or something bizarre like that. Because the truth is, we were just two travelers who happened to cross paths. We don’t know anything about each other, and we don’t care anything about each other. And I can find my way to Gardenshire myself, thank you very much!” A small part of her listened to herself yelling, and new nothing she was saying was true. But the angry part won out, and the words spilled out faster and faster.
By the time sheÂ’d stopped talking, she was so mad she really, really wanted to strangle something. But instead, she drew in a shuddering breath, and then burst into tears. The stupidity of it all overwhelmed her, and she buried her head in her arms. Will looked at her a moment, nothing but sadness in his eyes now. After a moments hesitation, he scooted closer on the tree branch, and put his arm around her. Sarah was so messed up by this point, that this didnÂ’t even surprise her. It simply made her cry harder, until she lifted her head and buried her face in his chest. He gently stroked her hair until she quieted, and then finally pulled away.
“You smell bad,” she said cracking a smile, although her voice was still shaky.
“I’m not really surprised,” said Will. “And I’m sure your tears have greatly improved the state of my shirt .” Sarah laughed quietly, but then clenched her jaw fighting tears once again. Will picked up her hand and traced the lines on it. He looked up and met her eyes squarely, saying, “Everything's going to be all right. I’ll make sure. Okay?” He smiled questioningly, and she smiled back, squeezing his hand.
“Thanks,” she said, filled with gratitude. She didn’t know much about this striking boy, but she thanked God for sending him to her when she needed him so. She stared into his eyes for a moment, trying to see more of who he was, before he turned away.
‘What am I doing?’ he thought desperately. He had been meaning to run far, far away from Gardenshire, but she was bringing him right back there. But he knew now for a fact that he couldn’t just let her go by herself. He had to make sure she was safe at least, and even then, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to leave her.
“What I said...” Sarah started apologetically, “I didn’t mean any of it.”
Will shook his head, “It’s already forgotten.” Sarah laughed, but it was different this time. It was full of life, instead of dispear. Full of hope, instead of hopelessness.
“Are you a saint?” she asked lightly.
“No,” said Will in surprise. “Don’t you remember what I said? How angry I was?”
Sarah shook her head, but her eyes clouded ever so slightly. “Forgotten also,” she said. And then hesitantly, the cloud hovering in her blue eyes, “You'll be leaving soon then? I should probably go too...”
“No,” said Will firmly, his mind made up. “I’m going with you. It won’t be safe for you to travel alone. I have the feeling those two don’t give up easily.”
Sarah’s smile was brilliant, but she quickly reminded herself that Will shouldn’t have to do this. He had his own life, and she had hers. “No,” she protested, “I’ll be fine on my own.” It sounded weak even in her own ears.

Sorry I didn't have a good place to stop, but most of this I just wrote today and there just wasn't a good place!

Drama_Queen