Friends and Enemies // Chapter Twenty One // Making Friends

   Willow and Asharlah rode in silence. Willow pulled out a small hand-drawn map and directed their path towards Essgarothe.
   "Are you sure of the way?" Asharlah asked snidely, wrinkling her pale nose at Willow.
   Willow tossed her head. "Of course I'm sure," she replied, trying to keep her tone even. Asharlah bit her lip, but said nothing.

   Willow led the way with her mare, and turned off the busy road onto a path leading into the Wandering Woods. Asharlah hesitated, than followed her begrudgingly. "Are you sure that this is the way?" she finally asked, glancing around at the surroundings.

   Willow puffed out a sigh. "Asharlah, I am sure of the way. If you keep asking, you'll throw me off, and we'll be lost."

   "Suit yourself," Asharlah murmured grumpily.

   What is with her? I mean, she shouldn't she be grateful? Willow wondered, gnawing on her lip. "So..." she started. "Asharlah, how old are you?"

   Her companion looked annoyed at being asked, but answered measuredly, "Twenty."

   Willow nodded in time with her horses' footsteps and glanced back. "I'm nineteen. What's it like being twenty?"

   Asharlah shrugged, for the first time looking rather at ease. "The same as being nineteen, I suppose. Besides more people expecting you to get married."

   "Oh," Willow muttered. "That's just what I need."

   "Do you have anyone?" Asharlah inquired slyly, a smile slowly breaking over her pale face.

   Willow reddened. "No. You?"

   Asharlah shrugged again. "Perhaps..." she trailed off, a soft, genuine smile on her lips.
   Willow twisted around in her saddle to glance at her. "Ooo. Who's the lucky guy?" she teased.

   Asharlah smiled wider. "You will see," she assured her softly.

   
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   "Not to bother you, but exactly how much longer?" Asharlah called up the path to her guide, who was muttering to herself as she examined the map.

   "Shouldn't be too much longer!" Willow called back, squinting at the path and then back at her map. "Is this the right way?" she murmured.

   "Ummm... Willow?"

   "Just a sec, Shar!"

   "Willow! Look out!" Asharlah's shouted warning came a second too late as Willow's mare whinnied loudly and reared on its hind legs in fright.

   "Whoa!" Willow called, trying to sooth the mare, but as the horses' front hooves hit solid earth again, she glimpsed a darkly dressed figure. The mare reared again, this time throwing her rider off, and then galloped away, whinnying madly.

   "Ouch!" Willow grunted, groping for a handhold as she tried to climb out of the bush she had been thrown into.

   "Stay away from me!" Asharlah voice warned, and the sound of swords being unsheathed reached Willow's ears. Uh oh. Now what?

   Grasping a tree branch, Willow hauled herself out and found herself at sword-point on three sides.

   "Willow Elvish-grace, I presume?" the most elaborately dressed of the guys in black asked, glancing down at a scroll he was carrying.

   "Uhhh... whom is it who asks?" she replied, slipping her hand into a secret pocket where a tiny dagger was stored.

   "Morgeth, Captain of the Sixteenth Order of the Shadow Knights."

   "Oh, come on!" Willow groaned, pulling out her dagger. "I go all the way out to a way Outer-Rim planet, and still you guys won't leave me alone! Give me a break!"

   "What will you do with that dagger?" taunted one of the sword-wielding Shadow Knights.

   "This." Ducking, she did a quick somersault under their swords and popped up out of the ring of swords. "Hah!"

   The clash of metal drew her attention back to Asharlah. She was acting like she did this every day, and was easily dodging and deflecting blows with two double-daggers. "What do you want with us?" Asharlah demanded as she ducked easily around a Shadow Knight's blow.

   Willow managed to reach where her bow and quiver had fallen, and now had an arrow ready. "I never miss, so you'd better be ready to meet your Maker," she warned.

   The Shadow Knights glanced at each other, than at their leader, who gave them a signal with his hand. "The king will not be happy," he called to Asharlah as they retreated back down the path. "Traitoress!"

   Asharlah leaned against a tree, panting. Willow scrambled over to her. "Are you okay? You seemed to handling them pretty well."

   She grinned. "I suppose so. Yes, I am alright. Only a few scratches." She held out her hands, which had three or four cuts on them.

   "Here," Willow offered, pulling out her Veritas Sword. "Let me." She laid the bladeless weapon upon her new friend's outstretched palms. Asharlah winced as a slight burning came from her cuts, but then smiled widely as she held up her now healed hands. Only almost invisible white scars were left.

   She glanced at Willow's hands as her new friend tucked the sword back into its place. There were many almost invisible scars on her hands and wrists, almost not there, but still visible.

  "Where did you get those scars?" she asked, indicating Willow's hands.

   "Oh," Willow tucked her hands into her pockets. "Places. Just.... places. Anyway," she changed the subject. "Why do you think they were following us?"

   Asharlah looked thoughtful. "I believe they may have been trailing me since I came from the capital. I suppose Father was suspicious of me. And now he knows I have made my choice."

   "To be with the Resistance?" Willow clarified.

   "Yes," she nodded, with slight sadness. "It has meant turning my back on everything I have believed. But all will be well, when my cousin wins."

   Willow nodded. "I know the feeling. Now 'cmon, let's hurry. We should be able to reach Essgarothe by dark if we run." But she couldn't shake that feeling that she had when she'd seen Asharlah fighting. Those Shadow Knights weren't trying to kill us, she realized. They were just trying to scare us.

   Hope you liked it! Any questions, just leave a comment! Sorry so late, needed to finish it.

Be a friend, not an enemy,

Willow