Sherwood (13 page)

That's when she heard the
faintest sound of rushing water.

“
Come on,”
She said, her eyes focusing heavily on the area, ensuring there
were no soldiers that way.

Enders wordlessly fell in
suit behind her.

The silence was deafening
to her as they crossed a mile of forestry.

The sound of flowing water
became louder and louder.

But, as the water got
louder to her ears, so did the sound of crunching leaves and
barking orders. The soldiers were close, and the panic rising in
Harlow's chest wasn't helping.

“
Stop right
there!” An unfamiliar voice called out.

Harlow turned around and
looked to the person calling out. It was a man in soldier attire,
his arm outstretched toward them, a sword pulled out and at
ready.

“
Run!” Harlow
shouted to Enders. He bolted ahead of her, barreling down the
forestry, hopping and jumping over littered branches and
shrubs.

There were soldiers coming
up on her right side, and as she turned to her left, she noticed
new soldiers closing in on her right side. Her heart fluttered with
madness. How could she have been so stupid? She was going to die
and her father would have to spend the next ten years running away
from the memory of his disappointing daughter.

Then there was Enders who
only had his mother left. What would she think? That he was a
trouble maker or was he in the wrong place at the wrong
time?

All these thoughts ran
through Harlow's head as she sprinted forward, and she'd forgotten
the sound that sent her here in the first place.

Straight ahead was some
kind of water way, that they were coming right up to.

The closer she got, the
bigger it seemed. She felt the ground under her feet become softer,
but not enough to become mud.

Then the roaring sound came
into view and the trees were gone. She slowed down as she saw what
was before her.

This was no river channel.
This was no lake.

The sight of a huge
waterfall took her by surprise. Her heart froze and her eyes
widened at the massive body of water.

She felt fear and panic
rise in her chest as she thought of no escape plan.

The roaring water echoed loudly in her
ears. Her blood seemed to freeze like ice on a cold winter's
evening.

The sound of barking orders and
soldiers' stomping feet shook the ground behind her. She stared,
wide eyed at the waterfall, watching the rushing waves cascade over
the edge on her left.

In her panic, she couldn't move, and
just when she was going to turn around to bargain with the men, a
hand grabbed her upper arm and propelled her forward.

She watched Enders as he jumped over
the edge of the canyon, letting go of her arm and free falling away
from her, horror written all over her face.

It was quick and effortless, but the
last thing Harlow felt just before she plummeted into the lake
below was the feeling of the rushing wind as it blew through her
hair.

*~*~*

Enders felt like his lungs were going
to implode when he emerged from the small body of water that the
waterfall pooled into. He took in a big gulp of air and rubbed his
eyes clear of the water.

At first he almost mistook her for
someone else, as she looked around nervously. She was frantically
shoving the waters aside, searching for something below.

Enders felt his jaw drop, losing all
tension he'd had before.

'
Henry?'
He thought, feeling his eyes
blink involuntarily, and his breath catch in his throat. He wanted
to get out of the water and look at her, think back at every time
he'd been so sure he knew who Henry was.

'
Who are you? What are you doing here?'
He wanted to ask her, but found his mouth
uncooperative.

It was both the sight of her and the
lack of her hat that shocked Enders the most. Henry never removed
that hat. Now he understood why.

His eyes widened as they fell on her
cascading hair, examining it from afar. It was amazing that she'd
kept it hidden for as long as she had.

As if on cue, Harlow's hat floated
past him, and without thinking twice about it he quickly propelled
the hat forward.

After taking one last, long
glance, at the person she really was, he ducked back under water,
with one name echoing in his head:
Harlow.

Chapter
Eleven

Harlow panicked as she waded through the water,
searching fervently for her hat. Her worst nightmare was coming
true: Enders was going to find out about her. This would be the
last of the line.

Just as she was about to give up, a
loud splash resonated throughout the lake area, and her hat came
rushing toward her. "Oh, God!" She exclaimed, snatching the hat
from the water. As quickly as she could, she tucked all of her hair
tightly into a bun and tugged the hat on top.

She took a loud, long breath of relief
as she made sure all the strands of her hair were covered under the
hat.

Suddenly, Enders emerged from the
water, taking in a long, drawn out breath, his hair swinging
backward a bit as he threw his head back.

"Enders!" Harlow exclaimed, sloshing
over to him in the water. The rushing water making it hard to speak
and hard to hear.

Enders swam forward as Harlow managed
to get waist-deep in the water.

"Are you okay?" Harlow asked, putting
one hand on his arm as he came out of the water. She immediately
dropped her hand after the contact was made, determining that the
action was far too feminine.

"Aye," Enders responded, looking at
her through the side of his eye. "Are you okay?"

"Aye," Harlow nodded, letting the
conversation die as the two walked toward the shore.

Harlow wiped her face with her hands
as she sat down on a patch of dry grass off to the side of the lake
area.

The silence that filled the air wasn't
uncomfortable for Harlow, as she leaned back and let herself rest
on the grass. She replayed the event over and over again in her
head. They were being chased, Harlow was going to bargain with the
soldiers, to tell them to take her as a captive in exchange for
Enders' freedom. Then with no warning, Enders had grabbed her and
thrown her over the edge of the waterfall. She'd almost been found
out, and if that had happened she knew her father would have been
so disappointed in her.

Enders, on the other hand,
wasn't so comfortable in the silence. He took awkward side glances
at Harlow as she closed her eyes and hugged her knees tightly.
Enders tried to think back and remember if there were ever a time
that he were genuinely nice to her. '
Why?'
Enders thought, shaking his
head. He couldn't decide if he were angry at her or sad for her.
'
Why, Harlow, did you think coming here
was a good idea?'

Enders wrestled with himself about
saying anything to her. She looked hardened and cold. Enders
couldn't decide if she was really unaffected by what had happened
or if she was just hiding her emotions. Now that he knew she was a
woman, she seemed so much more fragile and quiet. Now t hat he knew
about her, he thought her aggression was somewhat cute.

"Are you really okay, Henry?" He
asked, causing her to look up at him.

Her eyes betrayed her voice. They
looked distant with a hint of worry. "Aye," She answered, offering
a nod.

"That was," Enders paused, trying to
read Harlow's facial expressions, "very close. They almost got
us."

Harlow nodded in agreement. "Aye, they
did."

Silence occupied the space between
them again.

"It's going to be dark soon. We should
stay put until the sun comes up." Harlow said, trying to regain
control of the situation.

Enders nodded, rubbing his hands on
his pants before standing up. "Ill collect some fire wood." He
said, turning his back and taking several steps toward the forest
area beyond.

"Enders," Harlow called out just
before Enders entered the forest.

He turned around, one eyebrow raised
as he faced her. "Yea?"

Harlow found herself speechless for a
moment as she looked backward at him. He was handsome, she'd
realized that before, but now she was left struck by him. "Uh," She
struggled to get the words out of her mouth, "Thank you for pulling
over the edge back there. I wouldn't have made it if you
hadn't."

Enders nodded, offering a small smile,
hoping it wasn't too friendly. "You would have done the same,
Commander."

Harlow offered a smile back at him
before he turned his back and entered the forest to gather the
wood.

*~*~*

It hadn't taken long for Enders to
come back with a large stack of acceptable fire wood. After a while
the two had managed to start a well set fire that would keep them
warm throughout most of the night. Even though Harlow worried about
the soldiers finding them during the night, they had no choice but
to light a fire to warm themselves.

Harlow had spotted a nearby fruit bush
full of edible berries that she'd gathered as their food for the
night.

"How long do you think it will take to
get back to camp?" Enders asked, munching on a berry he held in his
palm.

Harlow shrugged, trying to hide the
fear and apprehension that resided within her. "I'd guess a days
walk."

Enders nodded. "Yea, sounds about
right."

Harlow munched on berries that she
held in her hand as she laid back on the grass, looking up at the
sky, the fire's light illuminating the air around her.

Enders looked over at her, watching as
she simply looked over the sky above. "Why did you decide to leave
home for this?"

Harlow reluctantly looked over to
Enders as he continued to eat the berries with knitted eyebrows.
"My father," Harlow answered, removing her eyes from him and
looking back to the sky.

Enders nodded, "No," he said, pausing
to chew a berry. "I mean, what was it about him that made you come
here? Did he force you to come here?" Enders asked, popping another
berry into his mouth.

Harlow knitted her eyebrows together
this time and moved her free arm under her head. "He didn't force
me to come here. I came here on my own."

Enders let the silence fill the air
between them before asking another question. "Does he know where
you are?"

Harlow's body stiffened. She
stretched, trying to cover up the reaction, but Enders had noticed
it. "He knows I'm away from home." Harlow answered.

"So, he doesn't know you're at
Sherwood?" Enders asked again, prodding for answers.

Harlow shrugged, trying to make the
movement look nonchalant and normal, but it came out tensed and
rigid. "I'm under the conviction that he has an idea."

Enders chuckled softly, the sides of
his mouth twitching with laughter.

Harlow hadn't relaxed. The
conversation had captured her heart and put her focus on her
father.
What would he think?

Without hesitation she sat up and
faced Enders from the other end of the fire. "I came to take my
father's place in this war. My father has already been in one
Sherwood war, and now he's finally getting along in society now."
Harlow offered some of her heart. She knew she'd regret this later,
for seeming so weak and vulnerable, but for now, she trusted
Enders. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, Enders made her
heart melt and her brain freeze.

Enders kept his eyes even as he looked
at her, examining her movements and her expressions. "That's quite
a sacrifice. Don't you want a family instead of a war?"

Harlow nodded and looked toward
Enders. "I could marry after this war, but no one in my village
really wanted me anyway."

Enders raised an eyebrow, trying to
hide a smile. "You're father hasn't arranged a local wife for
you?"

Harlow laughed at the true
ridiculousness of the question. "No," Harlow answered, a laugh
still on her lips. “The women in my village are not welcoming of my
behavior.”

Enders let his chuckle die, listening
to Harlow's laugh, which she'd tried to cover with a masculine
tone. The sound resonated in his head and made his heart melt.
Enders paused for a moment before he asked another question. "What
is Harlow like?"

Harlow again stiffened at the
reaction. "What exactly do you mean?"

Enders shrugged, "What does she do?
How does she act?"

Harlow shrugged, trying to think of
anything to say. "She's stubborn. She argues with our father all
the time. She thinks she knows what's best for everyone even though
she doesn't. She's," Harlow sighed and kept her eyes pointed toward
the sky, "she's a handful." She felt the heaviness on her heart.
This is how the townspeople had described her; this is what she was
like.