Another chapter! Sorry I hardly post anymore but I have been really busy lately. I didn't have time to edit this chapter but I wanted to post it before I go off to work. I really enjoyed writing this one. ;) I'll edit it tomorrow! I will try to post more often because this story has a ways to go before it is finished. I hope you all enjoy! :D

I was glad for the chance to eat without keeping a regal appearance. Having to eat like a royal was particularly hard when I was so famished. Although the stew was simpler than what I was used to, it was the first hot meal I had had in days and it almost seemed more delicious. It reminded me of my time at the convent and how ordinary I was allowed to be.

Bash chatted with Alice as we ate, but I was too hungry to try and join in. He mentioned that we were travelling and hoped to rest here for the night before continuing on the next day. Alice earnestly agreed, and to my surprise, didn't question the strangeness of our story. When I had scraped the last bit of broth out of my bowl, Alice took it from me and placed it in a washbasin near the fireplace.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Bash leaned back in his chair and glanced toward the door. "Is there any particular reason you seemed hesitant to open the door? And does it have anything to do with the wardrobe pushed against it?"

Alice was silent for a moment. Her eyes were on me as if I was the reason for her hesitation.

"There is no need to keep quiet on my account," I assured her, although I was nervous about what she was going to tell us.

The older woman took a deep breath. "People have been disappearing almost every night. At first I thought our village was beginning to sacrifice like some of the other pagans do. But the disappearances seem more random- more violent. The other day, the elderly man that lives across the field didn't show up at the butcher's where he's worked his whole life. When the butcher's son went to go check on him he said it was horrible, blood everywhere. Like an animal attack, he said."

Alice shuddered and Bash reached out to cover her folded hands in his.

"Everyone is terrified. Shops have been closing early so everyone can get home to their families before night falls. And I'm sure you noticed what's on the door. It's not my blood, don't worry, its chicken's. The couple down the path came by and did it for me, saying it was better to be safe than sorry. Normally, I'd refuse, but most of those who are missing don't share the pagan belief…"

She trailed off and I stared at Bash until he looked over at me. I knew something was off about this village. I wanted to leave now more than ever, but somehow it felt wrong to leave Alice so soon after what I had just encouraged her to share.

"When did this start?" Bash asked, returning his gaze to his friend.

"Not many days ago. Around the time the leaves began to fall." Alice let out a small sigh as she pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. "If the queen wasn't sending help I would worry the whole village would be wiped out. But enough of this talk; I don't want to burden you with fear."

Bash and I exchanged incredulous looks. The queen? He mouthed.

"Sebastian, would you mind setting up the cot by the fire? I will go fetch some blankets."

"Let me help you," I stood and followed Alice through a doorway, to what I assumed was her bedchamber, if you could call it that. "Did you say the queen was sending help?" I inquired.

"Yes! Queen Catherine's been quite generous to the nearby villages the past few seasons. In the spring when many fell ill she even sent a few doctors out." Alice placed a folded quilt from a trunk in my outstretched arms. "Of course they couldn't figure out what was wrong, but it was still kind of her."

This made no sense at all. Why would Catherine care about outlying villages? She didn't even care about her own servants. Alice must have received wrong information. "Are you sure it was Catherine? Catherine Medici?"

"Oh, yes. The messenger specifically made sure to tell everyone Catherine was sending some men to investigate." She shut the trunk and followed me into the main room with another blanket in her hands.

Maybe Catherine was realizing no one trusted her and was trying to win villages over at any opportunity she could. I would have to discuss it with Bash later on.

Bash was finishing positioning the cot so I placed the blanket on the table. Alice followed suit.

"Unless there is anything else I can help you two with, I think I will be retiring for the evening." The older woman said.

"Of course, go ahead." Bash came to stand beside me.

"Thank you so much for letting us into your home." I reached out to give her hand a light squeeze.

"Bash is always welcome here. And now you are too, Anna." I had almost forgotten the fake name Bash had given me. With a glance at the door, she added, "Don't be afraid to wake me should you need to."

When she had closed the crude door behind her, I turned to Bash, keeping my voice low in case Alice could hear. "Alice said Catherine has been helping the neighboring villages by sending doctors. And a messenger said she will be sending men to look into the attacks and disappearances. That does not sound like Catherine."

Bash frowned and shook his head. "I'm sure it is some plan of hers to gain the people's support. But I wouldn't think she would want to be involved in anything related to the pagans. That could cause outrage too great for even Catherine to cover up."

"It doesn't seem she is too concerned about that." I pointed out, grabbing a quilt and proceeding to spread it across the cot. I froze when I realized how small it was. Surely Alice didn't expect-

"You take the cot, I'll take the floor." Bash interrupted my thoughts with a smirk as if reading my mind.

He arranged his blanket an arm's length from me, as there wasn't much room in front of the fire, and I sat to unlace my shoes. "If you're going to sleep on the ground, at least take my quilt."

I tossed it to him before I stretched out on my side, not bothering to remove my cape or bodice since I no longer had a blanket. Bash held his gaze on me for a moment with a look on his face I didn't quite want to analyze. When I looked away he disappeared from my view. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the light from the lantern be snuffed out. Bash was rummaging around in something but I didn't particularly feel like rolling over to find out what he was doing. I was growing more and more tired. The weight of something settled on top of my body. My eyes opened to see Bash turning away and taking a seat on his "bed" for the night. When he caught my eye I smiled, silently thanking him. I had forgotten about the blanket I stole from the inn. Bash winked in reply as he pulled off his boots.

I fell asleep to the sound of a crackling fire, casting a warm glow onto the form of the man sleeping below me.

I dreamt of Bash and I galloping down a path, a black horse and its rider in pursuit. All of a sudden the path dropped off into an abyss, and we turned to face whoever was chasing us. We were no longer sitting atop horses, but we were standing below the horseman. The rider removed his helmet to reveal blonde curly locks. It was Francis. He looked furious. The black horse reared with a horrible sounding screech and Bash pushed me out the way.

I awoke with a start. My dream had left my heart racing and my breathing ragged. It was completely dark and the fire had been reduced to glowing embers, letting a chill seep into the air. I heard an abrupt scratching near the door. I was barely awake so I thought I had maybe imagined it. Lying perfectly still, I listened for it again. Minutes passed but the only sound was my heart beating in my ears. Then I heard it: a scratching from outside of the door. Terror stole the air from my lungs for a few seconds. I blinked into the darkness, trying to see Bash below me, but I couldn't tell if he still lay there. Was it the creature of the Blood Wood? Feeling alone in the dark, the idea did not seem far from probable.

"Bash?" I managed to choke out in a whisper. No answer. I propped myself up on an elbow and reached a hand towards where I thought he was sleeping. "Bash!"

"I'm here," A warm hand took hold of mine and my panic lessened. "What is it?"

"There's a scratching- at the door," My eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness and I could see the outline of Bash sitting up.

Bash stood, releasing my hand, "Wait here. I will go check on it."

"I'll go with you," I whispered. Staying at Bash's side and possibly facing some horrid creature was more appealing then lying alone, waiting for something bad to happen. I rose from my cot, fumbling for him in the dark. His hand found my shoulder and he took hold of my elbow.

We heard the scraping again, followed by several hard taps. I squeezed his arm. "There it is again."

"I'm sure it's just an animal," He spoke softly.

Why would an animal be scratching at the door? I shivered and told myself it was because I was cold. Bash responded by sliding an arm around my shoulders and leading me across the room.

When we got there, he let go of me to push the wardrobe out of the way of the door. The sound it made caused me to cringe. I noticed that Bash had a hold of his sword in one hand. Just an animal? I thought.

He motioned for me to stand behind him and I easily complied. Bash reached for the door with his free hand and slowly pulled it open. I stepped closer so I could look out with him, prepared to catch sight of something terrible.

Suddenly, there was a burst of noise as something flurried away. I jumped in surprise and clutched at Bash's shirt.

"Only a crow." He leaned his blade against the wall.

I let out a breath of relief.

The door swung open wider. "It looks as if it was drawn to the blood."

He half turned towards me, but my hold on his shirt didn't allow him to turn any further. I quickly freed my grip, slightly embarrassed.

"Crows have always given me an unpleasant feeling." I commented. The blood marking on the door was smeared a little bit. He pushed it closed.

"Mary, Queen of Scots, afraid of birds?" Bash shook his head with a laugh, now able to face me completely.

"Oh, stop it!" I hit his upper body teasingly, but I couldn't keep from grinning. He trapped my hand against his chest with his own. "You are the one who brought your blade to fight it off with."

"I had to protect you from such a fearsome creature." Bash's voice was low and full of light-hearted sarcasm. He still was holding my hand against him. I tried not to look at his lips, just as I pretended he wasn't looking at my own.

Sliding his other hand around my back and he gently pulled me towards him. My heart sped up to an impossible speed. Bash let go of my hand to lift my chin slightly. I didn't remove it from his chest. I couldn't look away from his beautiful eyes as they grew closer. His thumb brushed my bottom lip, and I felt that if he wasn't holding me so close my legs would have given out. I let out a small breath I didn't know I had been holding. Bash lifted my chin again, this time lowering his face and pressing his lips against mine.

We had kissed before, but I had been drunk and it had been nothing like this. My hand slipped around the back of his neck and pulled his face back down to mine when our lips momentarily parted. I felt like I had been waiting for this moment for a long time and had just now realized it.

I had never been kissed the way Bash kissed me. Not even by Francis.

Francis. His angry face appeared in my mind. It was the same face he had worn when he told me he knew Bash and I had kissed. A pang of fear of what Francis would do if he found out it was happening again coursed through me. Even if I was going to Scotland, I felt as if I would still see him again. I wasn't sure I liked that idea. I pulled away from Bash.

"What's wrong?" Bash questioned, his face full of concern.

"It's just," I swallowed. "Francis."

Bash's face fell. "Oh." His arms dropped from around me. "You still care for him."

I frowned. "Part of me cares for him, because I was to marry him. But that's not it. I have this fear in the back of my head that he is going to find us. I saw his livid face in my dreams last night. And again moments ago. I am afraid of what he would do if he did apprehend us. His growing frustration was apparent at court even before we left. He is not the same as he once was, I think you know that."

"I do." A dark looked passed across his face. Bash's arms encircled me in an embrace. I rested my head on his shoulder. He smelled like the wind when it blows through a forest. "Francis did not deserve you, Mary. I don't believe I've met a man that does. Francis could not see the remarkable woman and queen before him. I think he was desperate because he knew he was losing you."

"How could he know I would leave?" I looked up at him.

"He couldn't. But he knew you were recognizing you are a queen with or without him. Francis is used to being the one with authority." Bash studied my face for a moment. "As for catching up to us, you don't have any reason to worry. I won't leave your side until you want me to. And neither he nor his guards can take the Queen of Scotland back to court against her will."

Bash's words comforted me, but I couldn't help recalling my dream once more. I hoped that Bash would not be harmed for helping me. I also hoped that Francis' face would stop appearing in my mind.

The kiss was not even planned haha I was writing and I felt like it had to happen. :D Reviews are SO appreciated!