Hey everyone! New chapter time! Yay! I'm sorry for the long wait, I have had a very busy schedule in the last few months. Work has been getting crazy, my life was full of different things that happened over the holidays, and of course the occasional case of writer's block. But fear not, I have a new chapter for you all! Over 8,000 words worth! Plus some very crazy things! Also, I have been working on my Bendy story as well. If you haven't had a chance yet, I would definitely recommend it!

On a random note, I found a new video game that reminds me a lot of Fable, but it's a bit more complex. If you ever get a chance, try the Dragon Age series! Especially Dragon Age Inquisition! It has a very long story line filled with side missions and humor! Also, you get to create your own character and you can even romance your teammates in the game! It's basically what I wished for in Fable! lol to have Ben or Reaver! XD Trust me, it's a fantastic game!

Anyways, I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long. I hope that you all enjoy the latest chapter and I can't believe it's been going for this long. Holy crap! And the reviews keep going up! I really hope to make it to 100 by the end of this story! Actually I am closing in on the end soon. There might be about 5 or 6 chapters left of this story. I can't exactly determine the end, but it is coming soon depending on how much detail I put into each chapter. I'll try to have the next chapter out soon and I hope that you all continue this awesome journey with me! Don't forget to leave a review or send a PM to me if you have questions or anything. Thanks everyone! Enjoy!

Also, mini warning, things might be a little dark and slightly violent in this one. Just giving the warning just in case.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fable. I only own Eliza. If I did, then you would have been able to marry Ben and Reaver lol

Review Responses: Thank you to everyone who sent me a review! You guys are the best!

whyamiupsolate- Dude! You are awesome for the long review! She really does, doesn't she? lol Reaver is one of those people that you can't figure out. He's pure evil, but at the same time maybe there is some good in there. Ohhh good thinking. I'm the biggest hopeless romantic there is, hence this story XD You'll have to wait and seeee! Thank you again, you are so awesome! ^_^

ArianaisAWESUM- Awww thank you! It's great to be back with all you lovely people! (oh gosh I sound like Reaver! haha)

BloodAssassin- haha it was rather fun writing the lake part XD I enjoyed it almost as much as Eliza did! I mean, who wouldn't want that smug man to take a dip in the lake!

Guest- I apologize for the long wait. I hit some writer's block and I'm finally figuring out where to go with the story. I want to finish it and I'm very close to the end!

Once I made it back to the door, Bandit met me there, barking and wagging his tail wildly. At least this little guy could make me smile thought my frustrations.

"Hey Boy, have some fun running around?" I asked, scratching his head. "Did you find anything?"

He sneezed a little before shaking his head, making his ears flail about. It was always something that could make me grin after having my feelings hurt or receiving a tongue lashing from my parents. Bandit always knew what to do.

"You're so silly." I giggled as he barked in response. "Did you see me push the big bad old mean man into the lake, huh?"

The black and white beast barked again before giving me a quick lick on the cheek.

"Awww thank you, Boy. Now come on, let's go see your Mother and find out when we're leaving this place."

When the doors swung open, I could see Ben lounging across the couch where I spent the night. He stared up at the ceiling, munching on a green apple while his muddy boots dragged across the plush couch. I guess that was his way of 'making himself at home'.

His head tilted over to meet my gaze. "Finally give into your urges?"

My stomach churned at his words while I rolled my eyes. "Absolutely not." I grumbled, moving inside to sit in a chair opposite of him. I didn't really care if my wet feet would drag water all over the rich and colorful rug below. "I just...needed to get away from something."

His brows knit together for a moment when I huffed, slumping into the chair. "What's got your knickers in a twist?" he asked, biting into his apple again. "You're acting sooo...dreary."

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I exhaled loudly at the familiar words that I had heard way too often. "Please...just...stop talking like Reaver for a moment. I just...I don't want to hear his voice or even phrases used by him."

Ben took another bite, chewing it slowly. "He must've done something to really anger you. Did he talk to you?"

I didn't reply to that question, but the silence alone was enough to convince Ben.

Suddenly the door burst open and in walked...or well...'stormed in'...a very soaking wet Reaver. His creamy coat and pants were now a darker color and sagged down from the amount of water that clung to it. He gave us a heavy glare filled with anger, frustration, and probably malice before stomping up the grand staircase, his boots making loud squeaking sounds as he descended.

When the sound of a door slamming echoed through the silent mansion, Ben turned to me with a sly grin on his face. "I'm assuming you gave our host a thank you present for letting us stay or perhaps you just...gave him something he deserved."

I smirked back, feeling slightly prideful for what I had done. "Oh...I couldn't just leave without doing something nice."

"I take it, you tossed him into the river?" he teased, trying to hold in his laugh.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, I folded my legs over one another. "Oh I wouldn't dream of doing something so harsh. It was more like...I gave Reaver a chilling bath to wake himself up."

"Oh you're bad, but that's why we get along so well." Ben sighed, leaning back against the couch.

At least Ben was acting like himself again, at least for now.

Awhile later, after laughing at one another at what we had seen, a few servants arrived to clean up the wet trails left by their master. A few whispered quietly about what they saw as well, but tried to focus on their work. One of them sneaked a glance at me, but blushed before rushing up the stairs. It would've been a quiet exit, if that servant didn't trip on the stairs for a moment and tried to scramble up the rest.

Then another male servant arrived with a tray full of fruit. "Care for something to eat, Miss?"

Even if I still wasn't too hungry, I took an apple anyways and began nibbling on it. I suppose after watching Ben eat two green apples was enough to convince me to eat something.

Ben was still a little distant from our earlier conversation, but I tried to make him laugh when I told him a story about someone who started a drunken tavern fight at the Cock and Crown last week. His smile returned and we were laughing once again.

However, it didn't last long when Emma appeared at the top of the stairs.

The two locked eyes before turning away. My heart ached to see this and watched as Emma made her way down the stairs.

To ease the tension, I held out the spare apple I had snatched from the tray when the servant left. "Want one? They may be Reaver's apples, but they're not awful."

Emma glanced down at the small red apple before taking it in her hand. "Thanks..." she mumbled, tossing it around in her hand, testing the weight before taking a bite. "Um...did either of you see...Reaver?"

"As in now?" I questioned, trying to keep the tension from getting thicker.

"Well...I suppose so." Emma replied, glancing back up the stairs. "I mean...since the stairs were pretty dry when I came down, I assume it has been awhile since he came up." Then she bit into the apple and chewed for a moment. "Reaver is...dripping wet. And I don't mean that he just got out of the tub and strolled out in a towel. His entire suit and hair are drenched. Did something...happen?" she questioned, her eyes sliding over to Ben and I.

Even if he was uncomfortable, Ben cleared his throat. "Uh...that wasn't my doing if that's what you think."

Her dark brows rose up. "Eliza...what did you do?" she asked as if I was a child who got caught doing something wrong.

Pursing my lips, I quick took a bite of my apple and tried to look the other way. When I didn't reply to her question, Emma appeared in front of me, a look of disapproval in her eyes. "Eliza."

Swallowing down the crunchy piece of apple, I licked the juices off my lips. "Uh...well..."

"I know you did something. Not that I'm not proud of you that you may or may not have done something to Reaver, but we are inside of his house for the time being. That means, we have to try and...attempt to be courteous."

Ben snorted. "I think you and Liz ruined that when you crashed the party held here. I mean, you did slaughter all of his guests, didn't you? That doesn't seem all that 'courteous'."

For that snide comment alone, I couldn't help but snicker, breaking some of the tension between the three of us. "He...he's got a point." I laughed, nearly choking on my apple.

Emma rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Come on, Emma. I didn't intend to make Reaver fall into Bower Lake, he just did that on his own. All I did was move out of the way." I told my best friend as she picked up my boots.

"Yes, but even if we are staying in one of the deadliest mansions in Albion, we have to tread quietly. Who knows what Reaver will try to pull with us. Even if he's saved us several times over the last couple days, perhaps he brought us here for..."

"Our doom?" Ben finished, sitting up on the couch, scratching his head. "I mean, I've thought about that ever since we got here. Maybe the three of us should leave now before he opens the floor and lets us fall into a hidden dungeon."

Ben had a point there. Leaving would get us away from Reaver faster. After discovering that secret bedroom he had in his room, who knows what other secret places he had around here.

"I agree with Ben. Let's get out of here and head back to the castle." I piped up, pulling a boot on.

Emma was silent for a moment before nodding her head. "Alright. Let's get our stuff together and get back on the road. We can make it back to Bowerstone by sunset if we leave now." Before Emma walked away, she gave one last look at Ben before climbing the stairs again.

I side glanced at Ben to see him watch her leave before sighing heavily.

"Well...I guess I'd better get my stuff too." he mumbled before standing to his feet. "You want me to get your stuff? I know you're not too keen on seeing our host."

"You'd sacrifice seeing your worst enemy for me?"

"Well seeing how your last conversation went, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad for me. I think you two would start a fight that would tear this whole place down." Ben managed a chuckle as he ruffled my hair.

Pushing his hand away, I grinned. "I can take care of myself as you can see. But thank you for getting my stuff."

Ben smiled weakly at me before descending up the stairs.

By the time all of our bags were replenished and packed, it was already mid afternoon. The three of us stood near the front doors while a servant handed Emma a few items that were wrapped delicately in a fancy cloth.

"For you, Your Majesty. A few things to help you on the rest of your journey." she spoke to the Queen, who tried to smile.

"Thank you for this hospitality you've shown." Emma replied with a nod.

"Are you sure you don't want to use one of Master Reaver's carriages?" one of Reaver's butlers asked, walking into the room.

"No!" everyone answered quickly, making the servants jump back at the booming voices that echoed through the main foyer. Avo only knew that none of us would ever ride in a carriage ever again after that accident.

Emma cleared her throat for a moment before regaining composure. "No, that won't be necessary. We can walk the rest of the way. Is our host not coming down to see us off?" she questioned, glancing up the stairs. None of us had seen Reaver since he stomped upstairs, dripping wet.

The maid wrung her hands a little. "I believe Reaver is upstairs...drying off. Seems that he took a nasty fall into Bower Lake earlier."

Ben and Emma both turned their heads towards my direction while my eyes rolled to the ceiling as I tried to remain as innocent as possible. Hey, not my fault that the man tried to kiss me again and we were right next to a lake.

Before anyone could say anything, a loud shrill scream echoed through the halls of the mansion. Suddenly a very infuriated and irritated woman appeared at the top of the stairs and stomped down, grumbling various words under her breath.

My eyes widened in shock when I realized that this woman was Lady Alyssa from last night. She stole a quick glare at me and a few nasty words flew from her mouth before she stormed out the front door before any of us could react.

"Uh...seems that Reaver...kicked out a guest..." Ben mumbled softly.

"It appears so." Emma agreed, furrowing her eyebrows.

Staring at the door in confusion, my mind began turning, trying to figure out what had just happened. Alyssa was supposed to be spending the night with Reaver yesterday, at least, that's what she wanted him to do when I saw them. But now...she was rushing out the door faster than we were. What was going on?

"Well, I suppose we'll be on our way then." Emma announced, breaking me from my thoughts. "You coming, Eliza?"

I nodded quickly. 'Why worry about her? You should be laughing that something happened not only to Reaver and now that horrible woman.'

But...why couldn't I stop feeling slightly confused about this?

The three of us followed the very long path that weaved through the woods and took us past the other mansions around here. It was quite peaceful around here. Just as tranquil as my little cabin outside of Brightwall. However, there were far too many rich folk out here. I grew up in that environment for most of my life and I wasn't too keen on returning to that part of my life.

Ben was ahead of the group, his rifle at his side, as if he was prepared for the worst to occur once again. It was either to keep us protected or to just avoid speaking to Emma.

I stayed towards the back of the group, walking near Emma, who never spoke a word. Her eyes would trail off to the woods before finding their way back to Ben. Mentally, I began to wonder what was going on in her head. Did she want to speak to him again? Did she want to apologize for what occurred last night? From our earlier conversation, I remembered the hurt in her eyes and the quivering voice when she asked if she was betraying Elliot by kissing Ben. That was something that nobody could really say...unless Elliot was still around.

But he wasn't and he was never coming back to Emma's side.

Emma wanted to move on with Ben, but she felt that she could get Ben killed. She wanted to keep those who she cared about safe.

But people like Ben and I could take care of ourselves. We went through tougher things than anyone had ever faced in Albion. She didn't have to worry too much about the two of us by her side. We were there to help.

However, this tense silence was almost too much. All that could be heard were the birds chirping, the frogs jumping into the lake, the crunching of our boots stepping on the cobblestone path, Bandit panting as he trotted next to us, and of course the sounds of pompous laughter from the mansions nearby. I couldn't take it anymore! It was such a long trip back to Bowerstone and I wasn't really wanting to spend that hike back in silence. Especially since I was with people I could actually tolerate instead of Reaver. Actually, anyone was far better than Reaver.

"Do you have enough bullets to help us get back?" I asked Ben, trying to break the silence.

"Yeah, I still have some from yesterday. And Reaver's servants provided me with some more. What about you guys?" Ben questioned without turning his head.

"I'm stocked up!" I replied before looking at Emma, who scratched Bandit's head.

"Yes, I suppose I am as well. But just in case if we run out again, I have my hammer with me just in case."

A small chuckle left my lips as I stared at the massive hammer that lay against her back. The head was at least the size of a carriage wheel! Anything that would come in contact with that would be truly sorry for trying to disrupt the Queen.

"I'm still not sure how you're able to carry that thing with you so easily."

She rolled her eyes, tugging on the handle a little. "Well, it's heavy and it was much worse when I first became a Hero. But I got stronger and got used to the weight later on."

I smiled at her. "You'll have to show me how to get that inhuman strength sometime."

She managed a weak smile as we continued on.

At this point, Ben would usually agree with me and make some funny comment, but he remained silent. This was definitely unlike him.

But just when I was about to open my mouth, Bandit stopped immediately and began to growl lowly, making us all halt.

"What is it, Boy?" Emma asked her trusty companion.

Teeth bared, back arched, and the growl never ceasing, Bandit crept closer to a nearby bush.

"Ben..." Emma began before the soldier drew his weapon.

"I've got it. Stay back." he warned, coming up beside Bandit. "Alright. Whoever you are, show yourself. We're just about done with dealing with enemies so you might as well step outside and hold your hands up."

The bush shook for a few moments before something jumped out, making us all flinch. However, when we looked down, a small rabbit sat there in the grass, staring up at us with big dark eyes.

"Or...paws...I should say." Ben finished, feeling somewhat defeated that he was scared by a small harmless creature.

The rabbit's ears twitched before bounding away towards the lake.

Emma giggled a little. "Honestly Ben, were you going to harm a rabbit?"

He lowered his weapon slowly. "Well...I mean, they do taste good on a cold night."

"Oh Ben! Now that's just mean." I scolded, cringing at the thought of eating them.

"Oy! I do what I can for food!" he defended, turning his head to stare at the both of us. "I didn't have it so well growing up so I had to eat something when I was hungry. Rabbit is actually quite tasty."

"Well I still wouldn't eat it." I replied while Emma shook her head in agreement.

Ben huffed, turning our way. "Yeah yeah, I'm sure you-"

Suddenly something burst from the bushes, knocking Ben forward onto his face.

"What the-" he started, rolling over onto his back before a rifle was pointed right at his face.

Before him stood a mercenary from the camp in Mistpeak. He had a long dark beard and clothes that had seen better days. "Drop it."

Ben lay there, a heavy glare on his face. "Oh you've got to be-"

"Drop it now!" the mercenary yelled, cutting off the general. "Or I'll shoot!"

Even if Ben was being threatened, he wasn't going to back down from being snarky. "Oh really now? If you did that, I think you'd be dead before you pull the trigger." he replied, nodding his head towards Emma and I, who each had a weapon drawn.

The mercenary smirked wickedly before whistling a tune.

Before we could react, we were suddenly surrounded by eight more mercenaries.

Was everything trying to kill us?! Honestly, in the last few days, it felt like the entire world of monsters and villains were trying to destroy us once and for all.

"Lower your weapons!" Dark Beard commanded again.

"Are you kidding me?" I groaned, not lowering my rifle. "Why does it feel like Avo hates us?"

"Hey! Shut it, Wench!" the mercenary at my back kicking the part behind my knees, nearly knocking me to the ground, causing pain to shoot through my legs.

Emma glared at the behavior but tried to remain strong. "If you want gold, we have some to give. Just let us pay you and then leave in peace."

The mercenary to her left with a shaved head began to laugh. "Oh we'll get our money. Once we loot your dead bodies and get our payment for your bounty."

"Those posters were taken down months ago." Ben informed them, wincing as he tried to sit up. "We're all innocent and we've all been forgiven."

"Ha! You think we want bounty for you?" he laughed harshly, reaching into his pocket with a free hand and pulled out a piece of parchment before he tossed it onto the ground near Ben.

The blonde general grabbed it, unfolding it to reveal something that made him gasp and jerk his head to me. The fear in his eyes alone made my blood run cold.

"Ben...what is it?" Emma demanded, trying to remain calm through the situation.

He slowly turned the poster around and my heart plummeted. On the poster, was the familiar image of who I used to me. The name Elizabeth boldly standing out, glaring back at me like a curse.

"Seems to me that you've been keeping a wanted person from us. Her parents are paying a pretty price for her return." the bald mercenary sneered. "The poster seems old, but I'm sure her parents would want their daughter back. Especially with that amount of money."

I tried to rise to my feet, but the mercenary behind me kept a hand on my shoulder, making sure I wasn't running anytime soon. There was no way out of this now.

"You'll have to go through us to get to her." Emma spoke gravely, never backing down. "She's not going anywhere."

"Well I hate to tell you, Your Majesty, but we don't plan on leaving without her. So if you're smart, you and your general will walk away quietly." Dark Beard sneered at the Queen.

"I don't think you know who you're dealing with." I replied, trying to remain still and calm. "You're dealing with a Hero."

Emma's hands began to glow as fire began building. "I suggest that you walk away before things get a little...hot."

Ben let out a snort despite the situation. At least he was finding some humor in this. "Oh you boys are in for it now."

Baldy held the pistol right at me. "Go ahead, that bullet will be in her skull before you even light a little flame."

We had been in situations like this before. Much worse. However, this one...almost seemed just as impossible as the last. True, I was stranded in the middle of nowhere after being thrown from a carriage. Of course, I ran out of bullets when I was standing in front of a massive white balvarine. Then I was tied up with Ben in the middle of a very hungry horde of hobbes without a way out. But this time...I wasn't completely sure if we could get out of this one. But deep down, I prayed to Avo, hoping that we could get out of this one.

But...every one of those times...it wasn't Avo that saved me. It wasn't really Ben or Emma either. No, not at all.

A sick feeling began to fill my entire being when realization hit me.

Every single time that I was faced with the impossible, Reaver was there to save me.

Reaver helped me find Emma and held the carriage up so she could escape. He shot at the balvarine and killed it. Then he stormed into the cave and rescued me. And this time...he wasn't going to be here to help me this time. Reaver was probably back at his mansion, still trying to get the lake water out of his clothes, hating me for what I had done.

I couldn't believe myself and what I was thinking at the moment. I needed Reaver.

But...he wasn't going to come and save me. Not this time.

Emma's head turned, taking in all of their faces. "You're some of Saker's men from the Mercenary Camp, aren't you? I thought we made our agreement to keep the peace within Mistpeak."

"That was Mistpeak, Your Majesty!" The red haired Mercenary wearing an eye patch laughed. "This is Millfields. That wasn't part of that deal! Besides, we don't really take orders from Saker anymore."

Dark Beard chuckled. "His plans involve being...nice..." he grit out, hands clenching around the weapon. "To those less fortunate. That we should help those in need. That's a load of pig slop!"

The one behind me breathed in deep before spitting beside my hand that rested on the ground. "We don't need to do anything like that! What will be nice is getting paid for doing something we like!"

Suddenly the muzzle of the pistol pressed to the back of my head, making tears begin to well up in my eyes. Was I crying because I was close to being shot dead in the middle of the road? Or was it because I was being threatened to being dragged back home to my parents? Either way, it would feel like death. Honestly, death sounded much better than being a prisoner again in that place.

The bandit with the eye patch laughed deeply. "So before you think that we'll just lie on the ground like dogs like our so called 'leader' did, you're dead wrong, Your Majesty!"

Nobody moved. Not even a muscle.

Dark Beard smirked widely. "What are you gonna do now, Your Majesty? Are you gonna to attack us and let your friend die? Or are you gonna let us take her in peace?"

Emma grit her teeth as she let the fire die down in her hands. What choice did she have? Two weapons were pointed right against my skull, Ben was defenseless at the moment, and we were surrounded. There wasn't much we could do.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ben slowly cocking the rifle in his hand. But just as he did, the bearded mercenary managed to kick it out of Ben's hands, making any hope sink inside my stomach. "Ah ah ah, now there will be none of that." he told Ben, gesturing him to raise his hands.

The soldier did as he was told, a heavy frown on his lips. "Bloody bandits..."

"Now then, Your Majesty." Dark Beard began. "I suggest you put that hammer down and we'll be on our merry way."

"Surely we can come to a better deal. I have gold. Piles of it." she told them, trying to remain strong. "I can give it to you if you name your price. Just don't hurt her."

He shook his head. "You see, that would be very nice. Generous for our cause. But...the second that we turn around, you'll shoot us dead. It's better this way. Now, if you please. Lower your weapon and give us the girl."

Bandit growled next to me as if he was trying to protect. Loyal as always.

"Shut it, Mutt!" Baldy growled before pointing his sword towards the black and white creature.

Emma refused to back down from her stance. "You're not taking her."

Dark Beard rolled his eyes and sighed. "I tried to be nice and let you guys off, but now you've really ruined our day. So now I suppose we'll have to-" Before he could finish the threat, something shot through the air and embedded itself into the mercenary's shoulder, making him fall back into the bushes.

"Now now, I don't believe that's any way to speak to royalty." a familiar voice spoke from behind the group.

My heart jumped at the sound and a smile of relief appeared as tears began rolling down my face.

Ben's blue eyes widened in shock as he turned his head. "No way..."

Baldy glared at the person behind me and held up his pistol. "Oy! You just shot our captain! You'll pay for that!"

Reaver's chuckle echoed through the air. "Oh come now, I did him a favor. I could've made his death much more painful. However, I think I can make an exception for all of you for threatening my dear friends."

"Friends? Since when are we your friends?" Ben grumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Now now, dear Benjamin, save that sarcasm for later." The sound of his Dragonstomper clicked. "Back to business, I think you gentlemen should back away now."

Eye-patch began to laugh. "Why? There's six of us and only one of you!"

The weapon went off, shooting a bullet through the eye patch. The one-eyed man fell back into the dirt while the other men stared at the sharpshooter.

"Make it five!" Reaver laughed before the others turn around to begin firing a few bullets.

The pistol against my head disappeared, allowing me to turn and see Reaver fighting the three of them off. Reaver backed away, spinning away from any sword cuts while firing more bullets.

Emma yelled as fire began building up from within and began shooting fireballs at them while Ben scrambled to his feet, adding a few bullets of his own to the mix.

Wiping away my tears, I rolled over onto my feet and stood quickly. But when I tried to reach for my rifle, it was nowhere in sight.

"Looking for this?"

My head turned to see Reaver holding my rifle out for me to grab. That sneaky clever man.

"What are you doing here?!" I yelled over the gunfire at the man, who infuriated me to no end.

"Well after you knocked me into the lake, I had to go and dry my brand new suit! Which you owe me another one!" he snapped, shooting another bullet over my shoulder.

Snatching the rifle from Reaver, I quickly loaded a bullet into the slot. "Oh for the love of Avo, would you stop complaining about those suits and just wear normal clothes?" I grumbled.

"Would you prefer nothing at all." he flirted, making me blush immensely. "Because..."

"Don't finish that sentence and just keep shooting!" I shouted back as we rushed over to a nearby boulder, using it as a shield.

Reaver followed and pressed up against the rock, the smell of his special gunpowder filling my nose. "Well since we never got to finish our fight earlier, I think we should continue it right now. Makes things more dramatic."

"Oh I should've guessed." I replied sarcastically, ducking my head down to avoid a few bullets that flew over my head. "After all, you're the expert of dramatics."

He shot a wicked smirk my way. "Indeed I am." With that, he leaned back over to fire two more bullets. "And I intend to finish our conversation!"

"Can it wait until we're safe?" I asked, rolling out of the way of a rock sailing past the boulder we hid behind and embedding itself into a tree.

"No! It can't!" Reaver shouted, following after me, pushing his way through a bush. "Because...I thought of a whole speech to deliver!"

One of the mercenaries, Baldy, charged in my direction, only to be kicked a few times in the stomach by my foot before I spun around to face the entrepreneur. "A speech?! You can't be serious! At a time like this?!"

"Ohhhh dear Lizzie!" Reaver sang before firing a bullet into the bald mercenary's skull. "One must think of an amazing speech to give! In any given situation!"

The man was a real piece of work. A real psychotic, elegant, pompous, rich, and arrogant piece of work.

Rolling my eyes, I quickly brushed off a hunk of dirt that clung to my sleeve. "Well save the speech for later! You can give me the long version later!"

"And I expect you to be the only audience member who shows up. I'll make sure to prepare a lovely meal and brandy in my private quarters. It might go late into the evening and perhaps the next morning."

Despite the flirtatious innuendo there, my anger and frustration won the battle and my focus was on the fight before me.

Opening my rifle, I quickly loaded a couple brass bullets from my pocket, luckily not dropping any. "Just help me finish this and then we'll discuss that speech later."

With a smirk, Reaver fired another bullet, hitting another mercenary right in the forehead. "I hope it'll be worth it."

The two of us rushed back into battle, seeing Emma smashing a mercenary with her massive hammer while Ben jammed his elbow into the stomach of a mercenary that was being pulled back by a very rabid looking Bandit, who had his teeth latched onto the man's leg.

A loud yell started behind my back, only giving me a moment to see a massive six foot tall man barreling towards Reaver and I. Before I could even get a good shot in, his robust arm swung in, knocking me to the ground while Reaver was lifted clear off his feet.

"Reaver!" I shrieked, scrambling to pick my rifle up.

Reaver gasped, clawing at the hulking fist that gripped his suit. Suddenly he was thrown off into the bushes before he could manage to fire a shot, as if he was a small toy.

The mercenary let out a booming laugh before he lifted his leg, bringing it down on my ankle that was still healing. Pain shot through my body while he smirked wickedly down at me while a loud scream escaped my mouth. "What are you gonna do now, little wench?" he taunted before I pulled the trigger on my rifle, firing a bullet into his leg.

The man cried out in pain as he fell backwards, but surprisingly didn't go down as blood began to soak his pants.

Even if my ankle protested, I slowly got up to my feet, limping a foot or two before aiming my rifle at him. "Whose a little wench now?" I sneered back as the man met my eyes.

"You little harlot!" he roared before he rushed towards me again, gripping my tunic tightly.

The rifle in my hands fell to the ground as the behemoth lifted me high enough so I could see every scar that marred his face. "I'm gonna teach you why little things like you should just stay in the pretty ballroom, sucking up to the rich." he barked, spitting in my face.

My feet kicked in the air, trying to get at least one swing in that could knock him down, but when I kicked him between the legs, he just laughed in response.

But the laugh was cut short when a loud crack filled the air and the mercenary's face slowly turned to shock. Before I could realize what was happening, the grip on my tunic loosened and my backside met the ground awfully hard.

I only had moments to crawl away quickly as the giant swayed from right to left, falling face down into the dirt path. When the dust cleared, I saw the man laying a few feet away, a small bloody hole in his side.

"You're welcome." Reaver whistled to my right as he strolled over, wiping a few residue particles from the barrel.

Knitting my eyebrows together, I slowly got up, wincing at the pain in my foot. "What was that for? I had him."

He mouth quirked in response. "Oh yes, I'm sure you were going to take down that behemoth with your bare hands."

Glaring back at Reaver and the smug smirk on his lips, I opened my mouth to make a quirky response, but instead a low growl to my left told me that things weren't over just yet. Both of us stared in shock as the giant stood up once again.

Reaver attempted to fire a bullet, but instead something clicked inside of the barrel. For a moment, something flickered across his eyes, but nobody could see the panic that set in. "Oh...jammed." he spoke before the giant mercenary gripped the both of us by the necks, lifting us up into the air.

Our legs dangled and kicked from above the ground while we tried to fight back. Reaver's hat tumbled off his head, exposing his slightly messy dark hair.

"Does this guy...ever die?" I gasped as his hand tightened.

"Apparently...not!" Reaver tried as his eyes darted to his Dragonstomper that now lay on the ground behind him.

"You two troublemakers are gonna die. An even more painful death than what we had in mind. Forget the reward money, you're being shipped to them in a box. And for a little extra, I'll squeeze the pretty boy in there with you."

Reaver managed a scoff. "Pretty boy?! Do you...know who you're...addressing?!"

"I don't think...he cares who you are." I choked, feeling my air supply dissipating. "You...shot him..."

"You shot him too..." Reaver growled before giving a quick and swift kick to the man's stomach, but he didn't move.

"Already tried..."

The giant let out a weak laugh. "Better listen to the lying wench, Pretty Boy."

"Don't call her that." Reaver sneered, trying to stay composed even if he was losing air as well. "Release her...and I'll pay you handsomely."

He snorted before spitting off to the side, his lips stained with a little blood. Honestly, how was this man still standing up straight?! "You're lying."

"I believe...you forget whom you are...holding in your grasp. I happen to be very rich!"

I managed a nod. "He's right! Very rich!"

The grip on our throats loosened, allowing air to flow again.

"How much?"

"Name your price!" Reaver told the man. "I can match the price on her head!"

Suddenly the beast dropped me onto my backside while Reaver continued to talk about his money.

Thinking quickly on my feet, I grabbed the nearest weapon I could reach, which turned out to be the Dragonstomper. Hitting the barrel a few times with my fist, I gave the trigger another pull, letting a bullet whiz past Reaver's shoulder and embed into chest of the bigger man.

The giant's eyes widened before his hand slowly uncurled around Reaver's jacket, dropping the sharpshooter to the ground before he slowly fell back like a falling tree, shaking the ground with his weight.

After waiting a few silent moments, I took the chance to lightly kick his boot to see if he would get up again. Thankfully, the man didn't move.

Reaver stood up, brushing off his coat as he made his way over to where I stood. Clearing his throat, he held his palm up, silently asking for his weapon back. Once he had it back, he fired two more bullets into the man's chest, making me jump.

"Seriously?" I asked incredulously, rubbing my now ringing ears.

He merely shrugged. "Just making sure he's dead. I don't believe either of us would like to be picked up and thrown like a useless toy, wouldn't we?"

Well...he had a point there. But I wasn't going to admit it.

Brushing some more gunpowder residue from his beloved weapon, Reaver turned to face me. "Now then...let's get back to our earlier conversation."

My eyebrows rose halfway up my forehead. "Right now? We nearly just died and you want to talk about earlier?"

"We've nearly died about...what...five times? Life goes on." he replied, shaking his head as he picked up his hat, setting it back on his head. "Now...back to business."

Just like earlier, anger and frustration began building back up again. "What is there to talk about? I told you that I don't want to see you anymore. I thought that fall you took in the lake was enough of an answer for you."

A look of annoyance flashed across his face for a moment, but he cleared his throat, trying to revert to his playful and arrogant self. "Oh it did reveal quite a few answers, Lizzie." he replied, moving closer. "And I think you forget that even if you call off the deal, it's not going stop our meetings. In fact, since you've decided to give up and forget our deal, I believe that I will be stopping by more often."

Gritting my teeth, I picked up my rifle, whipping back around to face him. "You're completely insane, you know that? Why do you have to be so...obsessed with following me around? Why don't you go bother someone else? Someone who actually wants to be...stalked...by you! Trust me, I'm sure there are tons of villagers out there who would love the attention."

Reaver scoffed, brushing a strand of hair that fell in his face. "I believe this...'obsession'...you refer to, just saved your life once again."

The words died in my throat.

The corner of his lips turned up. "Whether you like it or not, dear Lizzie, I just saved you from being taken by those mercenaries. If I wasn't so...obsessed...with the way our conversation ended and I never got to make a rebuttal, you would have been dragged back home or even dead from the way things were going."

My mouth opened and closed for a moment before a thought crossed my mind. "Wait a moment...how did they know about me? How did they know about my wanted poster? Huh? Those posters were burned right after we took back the castle. There were no more wanted posters out there." I began, taking a step towards him, my eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did you tell them to come after me? Hm?"

Reaver's head tilted to the side, his eyes narrowing as well. "What? You think I had something to do with that?"

"Well you are a scheming sort of man and you've been plotting an awful bunch of tricks that would be rewarding in your favor. The lie about our engagement and how you manipulated your way into sharing my room in Bowerstone Castle. The way you caused that drunkard to crash into Emma in Silverpines. How you got Emma and Ben to meet in the kitchen so they could talk alone. And..." I trailed off before I could mention how I ended up sharing his bed last night. Quickly shaking my head, I continued. "Anyways, yes, I do believe you would do something like that. You had a poster of me and you could've just handed it over to them and let them come after me. And then right at the end, you'd come swinging in at the right moment. Just so you could hold it over my head that you saved me once again."

He studied me for a moment, blinking a couple of times as his lips pursed in thought. "You honestly believe that I meant to harm you by telling those men about your true identity?" Another look crossed his face, one that I couldn't tell what was going through his mind.

Tightening the grip on my weapon, I nodded in response. "Yes, yes I do."

The look was gone, replaced by a deep chuckle that rumbled in his chest.

"You know, you really are a stubborn girl. Too stubborn for your own self."

"I am not stubborn." I growled, not enjoying the fact that he was laughing at me.

Reaver shook his head. "Oh yes you are. You are always going to be that stubborn girl who thinks that I am the worst human being in all of Albion."

"Because that's what you are." I grumbled before his finger touched my lips, stopping anything else from coming through them.

The devilish smirk returned. "You are also headstrong, aggravating, full of anger, and above all else...a massive thorn in my side that will never go away no matter how much I pull at it."

I shot a glare at him, shoving his hand away, only to have Reaver press himself dangerously close to me.

"But...I would never...try to harm you intentionally." he spoke lowly, his hot breath brushing across my face, making heartbeat begin to pick up the pace. "Despite our fights and how much you try to knock me down with your comments about me being a horrible man, I would never conspire to kill you." Reaver paused for a moment, flicking a tongue across his lips to wet them. "You honestly believe that I would hire men to kill you just to manipulate things in my favor. Just because of our fight earlier?"

He began clicking his tongue, shaking his head again.

"Eliza...dear sweet Eliza." he started with a sigh. "If I did that and I ended up losing you, what would I do with my life?"

My eyes widened slightly when I heard my actual name being used by Reaver.

"If I lost you and it was my fault...I..." he trailed off before swallowing. "I don't think I could live with myself if I did something like that. Now, I have done horrible things. Truly, horrid things that would make even the toughest man flinch. There would be times where I wouldn't regret committing those acts. I would just grab a drink and just continue on with my life without a care in the world. But...losing you...I don't think I could continue on with my existence."

My heart skipped a beat at his words.

"I'm not sure what exactly I'm saying at this moment, but at the same time, I want you to hear it." Reaver's hand tucked under my chin, lifting my head so I could stare into those dark eyes. "You may hate me with every fiber in your being or you might find me extremely attractive and you want to jump right into bed with me..."

I opened my mouth to say something back, only to have him cut me off again by pinching my chin.

"But...over everything else...you must know something. Something that will be above everything else."

Even if I wanted to punch him for what was happening right now, kick him and run away from it all, something in my gut told me to hear him out. I had to know what was on his mind. Anxiety began filling my soul that the thought of his next words.

A smile crossed his lips. "I always...get the last word."

Suddenly a loud gunshot echoed through the forest and everything around us seemed to run in slow motion.

Reaver's eyes widened in shock before glancing down at his right shoulder to see a small spot begin to bleed through his jacket, staining the white fabric with a deep red liquid. The spot quickly grew in size and Reaver's body seemed to become heavier as he began falling forward. Grasping at his limbs, I tried to stop this, only to find us crashing to the path beneath us. A shriek of horror clawed through my chest like a beast as I tried to pull his head up. Reaver smiled weakly up at me as I screamed his name over and over. His eyes slowly rolled back while I shook him wildly, trying to get them to open them again.

A few muffled yells and another gunshot blasted again behind me as well as a hand pulling at my shoulder, trying to get my attention, but I refused to let go of the man who was now bleeding profusely in my arms. I screamed his name again, trying to wake him, but before I know it, Emma and Ben are there at my side, trying to get Reaver to stand up. Slowly, I got to my feet and followed behind them, blood staining my own clothes as I tried to keep up as we made our way back to Bowerstone.

Oh boy, that ending was intense. I've been planning that ending for awhile, but the lead up was awfully difficult. But I'm glad how it all turned out. Honestly, battle scenes are the hardest things to write! That's why it took me so long to write this. Plus that last bit at the end was very tricky as well. But in the end, it turned out the way I wanted it.

Thank you everyone for reading! I'll try to have the next chapter out soon! I'm not exactly sure yet, but I have the outline for the next chapter ready, I just need to write it. Please let me know what you think! What do you think will happen next? Will Reaver die? Will Ben and Emma reconcile their differences? Or will things take a dark turn? Let me know if you have any theories! Thank you so much everyone! You guys are the reason why I continue to write! Thank you! ^_^