Travellers

Betrayal Goes Hand-In-Hand With Old Friends

Darkness was all she could see, and it took her a few minutes to realize that the reason for this was because her eyes were closed.  It took a couple of tries, but she finally managed to pry them open.  Looking around, Amber found herself lying in a small bed in a darkened room.  Feeling slightly disoriented, she sat up, confusion written all over her face.  Glancing down, she realized she no longer wore her jeans and tank top, but was dressed in the clothes a peasant would have worn in a time long ago.  Grimacing, she stared at the clothes as her confusion grew before the memories of what happened began to flood back to her with a staggering force.  Comprehension began to take over the confusion as she realized that she was indeed stuck back in the sixteenth century due to her own childing rebellion.

Her eyes lifted as the sound of the door creaking open got her attention, and she breathed a sigh of shaky relief as Alex entered.  He stood there silently for a moment as he took in her small form sitting on the bed, his vibrant green eyes somehow seeming darker than usual.

"Are you okay?"  Though the words were spoken quietly, they filled the small room with a sense of comfort that Amber was grateful for.

Nodding her head, she forced herself to meet his unrelenting gaze.  "I'm sorry," she muttered, bracing herself for the torrent of accusations she was sure would follow.

"It's done," he finally answered after what seemed like a lifetime of awkward silence, and Amber looked at him in surprise.  "There is no use dwelling on the past."

More than happy to accept this, Amber nodded her head in agreement as she took another glance around the room.  "Where are we?" she asked, her voice sounding small and weary.

"A friend of mine agreed to put us up until you are feeling better."

Feeling her eyebrows knit together in a frown, she brought her eyes back to meet his.  "How did we get here?"

Alex felt a corner of his mouth begin to tug upwards in a slight smile as he answered.  "I carried you.  You must have expended too much energy for your body to handle in bringing us here.  You fell asleep in my arms."  The slight smile became a little broader as he noted the colour rising in her cheeks as he spoke.  "The important thing now is for you to get us back to our time."

Amber nodded, but at the same time feeling reluctant.  She continued to stare at him, and he could see the expression in her eyes begin to change.  The smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and was replaced with a frown as he took a step closer to her, never taking his eyes from her face.

"Don't even think about it," he warned, the tone of his voice growing dangerous.  "I have to get you back."

Amber lifted her chin, a sign Alex recognized as being defiant and stubborn, and his frown grew deeper.

"But we're here now," Amber said, hoping her voice sounded steady.  "I can find her.  I can save her."

Before she had even finished speaking, Alex was already shaking his head.  "Out of the question," he declared firmly, leaving no room for argument.  "To get to your mother would be entirely too dangerous and you would wind up getting yourself killed.  I'm here to protect you, and the best way to do that is for you to take us back home.  Now."  His eyes narrowed as he spoke the last word, making it sound as threatening as he could, and he noted with satisfaction that it worked as he watched Amber cringe away from him.  He was about to conclude that he had won their brief battle of wills when she suddenly lifted her chin again in that defiant manner and he rolled his eyes, half in exasperation and half in reluctant admiration.

"No," she stated just a firmly.  "I need to find her."

Alex advanced further into the room until he towered over her small figure.  Refusing to feel intimidated, Amber rose to her feet and glared back at him, though she felt at a distinct disadvantage at having to lift her head backwards in order to see into his face.