Once Upon a Time: Ever After High (Book 3)

Ch.40 Attacked

The next day, Hunter and Ashlynn went off into the Enchanted Forest with Hunter holding the map Raven gave them. Ashlynn who was wearing the outfit she wore through the woods to get to the Blue Moon forest festival peeked over her boyfriend's shoulder to look at the map.

"You really think this tree will give us the answer?" she asked.

"If Raven says so then I'm positive" he said "I mean, she wouldn't lie to us right?"

"Yeah true" she agreed "But I'm concerned, if the tree says that there isn't a way to prevent my mother from dying and we have to use that potion, wont that sound...wrong?"

"I don't know" he shrugged "You tell me, it was technically your idea to do this."

"I'm doing this to protect my mother. And the answer is either gonna be yes or no."

"Okay then" he sighed with a small smile.

"And did you really have to bring your arrows?" she pointed to his bow and arrow that hung on his back.

"Hey, you don't know what we could run into" Hunter said "Better to be safe than sorry."

"All right then, so where do we go?"

"Well" he said as he looked at the map "It says to keep going straight for a bit and soon we'll have to turn right."

So the couple headed straight down the path according to the map. After a few minutes of walking, Ashlynn suddenly heard a twig snap, she looked around but saw nothing.

"Hunter did you hear that?" she asked.

"Yeah" he said "It was probably just an animal."

Ashlynn figured it could be right so she just ignored it as they continued walking. But then she heard the noise again, and this time when she turned around she saw a cloaked figure quickly hide behind a tree.

"Hunter" she grabbed his arm with a worried look "I think we're being watched."

"Watched?" he said.

"I just saw someone looking at us from behind a tree."

Hunter looked around but saw no one, but thinking that she may be right, he pulled out an arrow and got ready to shoot just in case. They waited, and then they heard another twig snap. Ashlynn gripped his arm with a worried look as Hunter aimed the arrow around.

"Who's there?" he demanded "Show yourself."

They waited, but nothing happened. But just when they thought nothing was going to happen, Ashlynn felt a hand grab her by the collar and pull her away from Hunter as she felt a blade being pressed near her throat.

"Ashlynn!" Hunter gasped at the masked cloaked man who was holding Ashlynn.

"You got any gold?" the man demanded.

"What?"

"Check your pockets!"

"Uh" Hunter said as he looked through his pockets and pulled out a few gold coins "This is all I have."

The man then took the coins and put them in his pockets. He then started to looked through Ashlynn.

"Hey!" she said annoyed as he ran his hands over her body.

"Hey get away from her!" Hunter ordered as he went towards them, but the man shoved him out of the way.

At that point Ashlynn stomped on the man's toes with all her might as he yelled in pain which loosened his grip on her as she broke away from him and helped Hunter up.

"Come on!" Hunter grabbed her hand as they ran from the thief, but he went after them.

The couple continued to run hoping that they would loose the thief, but when Ashlynn turned around she saw the man after them. But as they were running, the thief pulled out an arrow and fired at them as the arrow missed Hunter above his head.

"Okay that's it" he said as he pulled Ashlynn behind a tree "Stay here, I'll take care of this."

"But-" Ashlynn started to say when Hunter went out and pulled out an arrow and started to shoot at the thief.

Ashlynn watched from behind the tree as Hunter kept trying to scare away the thief with his arrows. Soon the thief pulled out a golden arrow and shot it at Hunter, but the arrow flew pass his head just by an inch.

"Hunter" he heard Ashlynn say as he turned around and was shocked by what he was seeing.

The arrow that had flew pass him had hit Ashlynn in the stomach! Her face was full of shock with her hands gripping the arrow as she collapsed to the ground.

"Ashlynn!" Hunter gasped as he ran to her and pulled the arrow out as she winched in pain.

Hunter couldn't believe it, he started to panic as she put her hands over the wound where there were lots of blood coming out.

"Hunter" Ashlynn said weakly as she pointed behind him.

He turned around and saw the thief who had picked up the golden arrow that hit Ashlynn and started to run off.

"Hey!" Hunter shouted as he got up and was about to run after him when he saw someone jump on the man knocking him down, he saw that it was Cerise Hood.

Cerise tried to hold the man down, but he then picked up a small log and whacked it across her face knocking her off as he got up and ran. Cerise put her hand on her face as she got up and watched the man run off. She then turned and saw Ashlynn lying hurt on the ground.

"Ashlynn!" she gasped as she ran to her and saw the wound "Oh my God."

"Cerise do you know a place to get help?" Hunter asked with a worried look.

"There isn't a place to get help for miles" she said as she pulled out a cloth and pressed it against Ashlynn's wound.

"Then what do we do?" he asked "We gotta help her."

Cerise watched as Ashlynn winched in pain as a thought came to her.

"Well..." she said with a nervous look "There is this lake called Lake Nostos that has healing water."

"Really?" Hunter gasped "Where is it I need that water."

"But there a problem" she added with a scared look "It's guarded by a dangerous creature who drowns it's victims, anyone who's ever gone there has never come back."

Hunter gave a sad look as he looked at Ashlynn, she was badly hurt, and he needed to save her, no matter what it took.

"Where is it?" he asked Cerise.

"You're seriously going?" she asked surprised.

"I have to save Ashlynn, there isn't any closer place to help her, I have to take this chance."

Cerise gave a sigh "You're willing to take this risk to save her?"

"With all my heart."

Cerise saw he was serious as she gave another sigh. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Here's the map" she said.

"Thanks" he said as he took it.

"Hunter" Ashlynn said weakly "Be careful."

"I will" he promised as he headed off.

"He is so dead" Cerise sighed.