A/N: Chapter Twelve is here! Just so you know there is a few instances of coarse language in this chapter so read at your own discretion. I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think by voting and/or commenting below :) Thank you so much for reading As They Fall! <3 x

          After hastily eating a small breakfast of fruit and dried meat I was eager to be on the road once more. As we set off Merek began to play a familiar, cheery tune on his lute and I found myself quietly singing along.

"You have a nice voice," murmured Elizabeth, her head leaning against my back as she struggled to stay awake. She had not yet grown accustomed to waking up early, nor being in a saddle all day with very little rest. I stopped singing, but a small smile played upon my lips at her comment. After a few hours of travel, the road beneath us gave way from stone to packed dirt that crumbled beneath the horse's hooves. Orchid's gentle rocking motion became unsteady as she shifted from side to side in an attempt to keep her footing. I gripped the reigns tightly as I struggled to slowly guide her to safer ground. We travelled like this for the larger part of an hour and I was growing distressed at the amount of time we were losing.

Once the road had become stable again, I pushed Orchid into a gallop in an attempt to recover lost time. We thundered past Valiant, causing both Charlie and Merek to look up in surprise, before they too increased their pace. As we rode past our second village Charlie called out for us to stop.

          "The horses need rest Skylar," he cried, slowing Valiant to a halt. Part of me wanted to press on, but I knew that we would get nowhere with weary horses. I tugged on Orchid's reigns and directed her to where Charlie and Merek had already dismounted Valiant and tied him to a nearby tree. Our resting spot was nothing spectacular. The horses were tethered to a small beech tree with gnarled, stunted limbs. The tree had a sparse canopy of leaves that provided little to no shelter from the elements and there were large amounts of thistles covering the ground.

"What an excellent place to stop and rest," I muttered sarcastically, as I took in my surroundings. Charlie raised an eyebrow at my comment and I returned it with an apologetic glance, the day's events had left me rather agitated. Too anxious to eat anything large, I took a single pear and a hunk of bread from a saddlebag and stalked over to the base of the beech tree. The others appeared to be in good spirits, laughing and telling stories with one another as if they were old friends. I glowered at their happy interaction, one part jealous at their easy-going natures, the other part desperate to go home. Why had this happened to me? What would we do when we did have my uncle? Did he have the power to grant clemency to Charlie? Or would this journey be the last of my interactions with my oldest friend. Amidst my brooding thoughts, I had not noticed that it had begun to rain.

Initially it was only a light drizzle, barely enough to pierce the patchy canopy above me, but it soon became torrential. As the rain poured down upon us the horses whinnied with uncertainty, their nostrils flaring as they tossed their heads up and down. Elizabeth and Merek has dashed to my side the moment the rain started, hoping to seek shelter beneath the tree, but Charlie was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Charlie?" I cried, over the sound of the heavy rainfall.

          "He's gone to find shelter," replied Merek, who looked rather odd with his lute stuffed beneath his tunic. It did not take long before our clothes were sodden and clinging lifelessly to our skin. Before long Charlie's figure appeared over a nearby hill and he ran toward us.

"I found an abandoned hut just over the rise," he yelled, as he drew closer. I untied Orchid and thrust her reins into Merek's hands before moving on to Valiant. A loud clap of thunder sounded overhead, spooking Valiant who reared up, causing Elizabeth to scream. Merek shoved her aside and placed his hands on Valiant's neck as he murmured,

"Woah there! Easy boy... Easy..."

At his touch, Valiant's distress began to ebb away and he allowed Merek to lead him forward. Once Charlie had reached us, he took Valiant's reins from Merek who was still holding onto Orchid. Charlie led us up the small hill and beyond, to where a small, desolate hut was waiting. It's crumbling stonework was covered in moss and the wooden roof appeared to be rotting, but it was better than no shelter at all.

We piled into the cabin one by one and I prayed the creaking rafters would hold beneath the force of the wind and rain. The single room was musty and covered in hay but it had a small hearth and a pile of firewood that would be enough to keep us dry and warm. Thankful that the wood was not damp, I soon brought a crackling fire to life and relished the warmth it spread throughout my body.

          After seeing to the horses Merek came closer and the four of us huddled in front of the fire, our hands tinged with pink from the cold as we held them in front of the hearth. The thunderstorm continued for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening, the night sky repeatedly illuminated by streaks of lightning.

The only consolation I could find in the poorly timed storm, was that my uncle and his captor would have been forced indoors as well. I surrendered myself to the reality that we would not be travelling anywhere soon and instead focussed on drying my clothes. I removed my cloak and laid it down in front of the hearth, which prompted the others to do the same.

 I leaned in close to Charlie for warmth, ignoring the piece of me that was soaring at our proximity. Elizabeth had fallen asleep soon after removing her cloak and her head was now resting in my lap, her eyelids trembling lightly as she slept. Merek stood up and moved over to the horses, checking them for injury and making sure they were warm.

My head resting against Charlie's muscular shoulder, I stared into the fire and my eyelids grew heavy. As I closed my eyes I felt Charlie's arm wrap around my shoulders, his head leaning against mine. I was blissfully warm and comfortable, despite the weather and our cramped, derelict shelter. Sleep had almost claimed me when I heard the sound of hoofbeats. I jolted awake, startling both Elizabeth and Charlie awake, causing them to eye me with confusion.

"Someone's coming," I hissed, snatching up my cloak and fastening it around my shoulders as I drew my dagger. I stealthily moved toward the door and leaned against the wall, listening for any potential intruders.

My heartbeat was rapid as I heard the sound of approaching voices and I drew a finger to my lips, motioning for the others to remain silent. A heavy fist banged against the wooden door three times and I froze in place.

          "Open this door, by order of the King!" came a deep voice, after the knocks were met with silence. Elizabeth's eyes were wide with terror at the man's words but she remained where she was, and none of us moved to open the door.

"Very well," I heard the voice mutter. With a loud cracking sound, the thin door burst from its hinges sending shards of wood into the air. Its absence revealing the figures of four guardsmen, one of which was lowering his foot, having just kicked the door down.

"We have reason to believe you are harbouring a wanted man," announced the man who had spoken earlier, as he strode into the room, his grey wool cape brushing over the splinters of wood beneath him. At his words, something in me snapped and I launched myself at the guardsman, sinking my dagger into his forearm.

Shrieking with pain as blood dripped down his arm, the man tossed me aside as if I were a ragdoll. I hit the wall with a thud and felt something crack, causing searing pain to course throughout my body. As I struggled to rise, Merek, who was the closest to me, darted to my side and attempted to help me to my feet. I looked over to where Charlie and Elizabeth stood, both frozen in place. I could see rage was quickly spreading across his features and before long he had charged at the bleeding man, closely followed by Elizabeth who had drawn both of her daggers.

I watched on with horror as Charlie thrust his sword into the bowels of another man, only to be hit across the face by another man's mailed fist. Ignoring the pain in my side, I leapt into the fight once more, drawing my shortsword and plunging it into the back of the man who'd struck him. He fell to his knees with a sickening thud and I planted one of my feet against his back as I tore my sword free. I whirled around to face my next opponent when I heard someone screech,

"Stop right there!"

          The guard I attacked first had seized Elizabeth who was struggling to free herself. His forearm releasing a fresh wave of blood as he tighten his grip on Elizabeth's hair, his sword at her throat. His eyes were filled with fury and his expression manic as he held Elizabeth to him.

"If you move a single fucking part of your body, the girl dies," he spat. Without breaking eye contact, I sheathed my sword and put my hands in the air. Seeing that I had surrendered Charlie did the same, although he still had a defiant look on his face. The two remaining guards bound the four of us and tied us to the four horses that the guardsmen had arrived on.

"They have fresh mounts inside, Captain" said the younger guardsmen, who had no injuries save for a cut above his eye. The Captain smirked and brought Orchid and Valiant out from inside the hut, linking them to the other horses before mounting a large white mare. My ribs screamed in protest as we began to walk, pulled along by the horses, our feet slipping beneath us as we struggled to find purchase on the muddy ground. We had not reached the road before I lost the energy to walk and fell, allowing the horses to drag me through the mud.

"Stop!" shrieked Elizabeth, her eyes filled with tears as she watched me stumble. "Please stop! She's injured." The Captain halted the horses and dismounted, his expression dark as he trudged over to my barely-standing figure.

"More trouble than she's fucking worth," he snapped, as he untied me from the horse and slung me over his shoulder, causing me to cry out in pain. "Shut up or I'll cut your filthy tongue out," he continued, as he tossed me stomach-down, over the saddle of a horse. Once I was secured, he started to walk away, cursing under his breath as he prodded at the wound in his arm. He then turned and looked at me, a grin spreading across his face, revealing a row of yellowed teeth, before he returned to my side. He gripped my chin in his left hand and brought my head up to face him. I glared up at him defiantly as he drew his right fist back and struck me in the face. The last thing I remembered was the sound of Elizabeth screaming, before the blinding pain gave way to darkness.