Falling Into the Woods Ch. 01-02

"What have we here," he whispered to himself as he took in the figure of a woman bending over a shallow part of the river. He watched as she scooped water into a bucket and then rose to rub the small of her back with her free hand. He continued watching her. Confusion etched itself into his features as he took in her state of dress. She wore a skirt over what he assumed were some form of leggings. Also she wore a blouse similar to ones that village elder women wore. This struck him as strange, but not as strange as the song or what he believed to be a song erupted from her lips.

He moved cautiously and slowly toward her, closing the distance between them. The soft crushing of snow he knew would eventually reach her, yet he hoped it would not be until he was close enough to stop her from running.

She continued to walk casually along the edge of the river. Her song filled the air around Lucas and he winced when her voice struck a chord that was too high. Still he tried to comprehend the words; some he understood, most he did not. Who was she asking to 'hit with their best shot' and what was going to 'fire away'? Lucas frowned as he felt out of sorts on his lands. It was not something he cared to feel.

From the backside he admired her form. The skirt, obviously not hers, hung low on her hips. A cord of some sort kept it secured around a slim waist. Her blouse, the brown color just a shade lighter than the skirt was loose, barely staying on her shoulders. Her fingers constantly pulled and forced the material back over the creamy flesh. Her hair had been braided; the color of fire twisted to lay tight and straight. A few curls threatened to spill from their confinement.

He was just about to make himself known when he turned and faced him. Lucas felt his chest tighten as her eyes met his. A sensation he could not name slid along his skin, goose bumps rose as she took a step back and he took one forward.

A gasp of shock soon followed the brief moment of stunned silence. Lucas knew what was coming before it happened. He watched her face pale even further than her natural complexion and the scream that exploded from her lungs ricochet off the trees. He stood there waiting for her to either stop the piercing sound or turn to run. She eventually shut her mouth and spoke to him. "Where the fuck did you come from?"

A brow rose as he tried to answer the question she'd asked. He didn't quite understand all the words she'd used, but he did believe he understood what she was asking. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it as she continued. "I don't know what kind of thrill you get by sneaking up on a girl. But it's f'ing rude!"

She put the bucket down and trampled through the snow. Once she had herself in front of Lucas he was rewarded with more details of her face. Even though they were pinched up in anger, he still made out the small brown dots of freckles and now enjoyed the brilliant shade of green that revealed passion in her eyes.

"It's about time someone showed up. I've been held up in that cabin for a good three days, trying to figure out where the hell I am."

Lucas listened to her jabber while staring at her intently. His eyes took in the stubborn grip on her jaw; he swore he understood most of her words. He looked to the meadow's north side and saw the cottage that had long ago been abandoned. Had one of widow Stone's relatives returned and taken up residence? He thought all the old hag's children were either gone, dead and long ago buried.

"Your name girl and be quick."

Falls looked up at him with a raised brow. "Be quick?" She ran her eyes over him and frowned, noting his state of dress. She pushed away the fact he was a handsome man, topping six foot three or four. She tried to picture him wearing jeans and a T-shirt, instead though she could not push past the medieval appearance he presented. "You even have a sword," she muttered as she reached out to try and touch the hilt.

His boots were brown, though they appeared more black because of the snow that had melted against them. They reminded her of buckskin she'd seen at one of the stores that proclaimed native artifacts. Though upon further inspection she eventually found the made in China tag. His pants hugged his legs. A warm flush crossed her face as she took in the well defined muscles that were encased in the tight fabric. "Oh wow," she muttered, then quickly diverted her eyes back to his face.

"Umm... nice get up," she whispered, nodding her head back at his choice of attire, "so where am I? I was pretty sure that I was too far from the fair, but I guess not... then again, weren't you guys supposed to leave a couple days ago?"

Lucas took a deep breath as she spoke, no name however seemed to be mixed in with the jumbles of words. "Your name," he asked again, this time his voice dropping a bit to show he was growing annoyed with her. He didn't want to stand there all morning. He had things to do, granted he had no desire to attend the festivities back at the keep, but he also knew that a winter storm could rise up at any given moment and he for one doubted the cottage was warmer than his own keep.

"Falls."

Lucas looked back at her. "What falls?"

"Not what falls. My name is Falls. Amber Falls Britain," she pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "Look can I borrow your cell? Mine is shot. No signal out here and I'm pretty sure the battery is dead. There's no power in that shit hole of a house over there and I really need a bath." She wasn't sure what made her say the last part of her spill, but it was true. She longed for a long soak in a hot tub full of bubbles.

"Stop!" Lucas shouted causing Falls to blink back in surprise.

"Whoa, buddy. Look," she lifted her hands up to defend herself in necessary, "I don't think you need to shout." Her eyes shifted to his hip where one hand rested on the hilt of the sword. "I don't want to hurt you. So there is no reason to be yelling at me. I know you're a big strong man and I'm probably trespassing, but I need to use the damn phone. If you don't have one on you then take me to one."

"Damn it woman! Stifle your mouth and tell me your name!"

Falls squealed and jumped. "Good grief! Falls! My name is Falls Britain. Amber Falls Britain. Do you need me to spell it out for you?! Stop yelling at me!"

Lucas nodded his head and signed. Some of her words made sense, but once again, not all of them. "Brittain has fallen? Who rules now?" This was not good. Their islands were within days of each other. What foul leader had invaded the peaceful tranquility of such a small and hardly profitable people? He felt a new weight bare down on him as he waited for her to answer his question.

"What? Brittain? You mean Britain? That's my last name. Aren't you listening?"

He frowned, took a step forward and grabbed her arms. Again he asked her who had defeated the small island of Brittain.

"How the hell do I know? I barely passed American History let alone World History. I don't even know this Brittain. Britain sure. Queen Lizzy rules, unless she's killed over sometime in the past three days, then it's her son Philly. Look, I just need a phone and then I'll be out of your hair."

Lucas groaned, released her and pushed his fingers through his hair. "How long have you been staying here? Are you an offspring of Stoner?"

Falls sighed, blew a puff of hair from her face before tucking it too behind her ear. "Look Rambo on steroids. My name is Falls Britain. Brittain I don't have a clue about. I don't know who is in charge over there. My goal was to graduate and I did. Whether or not I maintained anything beyond the most basic needs is currently undecided, nor do I really care one way or another. I do not know anyone named Stoner, but if this is their home and I need to pay them something for using it, then I will. I've been here three freakin' days. I want to go home. I ran into the woods. Found the cabin and have been held up here since. I am hungry and dirty. I need a bath, food and a God damn phone!"

"Rosetta Stoner's home," Lucas told her once she'd taken a breath to refill her lungs.

"Oh, okay, Rosetta's place," Falls shrugged, "The place sucks by the way. No running water. No bathroom. No power. No freakin' cable... that's just wrong. I made a fire using a piece of black rock, which I believe was flint. That was kinda cool. Impressed myself. Guess those years in Brownies and Girl Scouts really paid off. I found berries, said a prayer they were not poisonous and ate them. I'm not dead so that is a good sign."

A movement caught her attention and Lucas watched her gaze shift to look at something behind him. "He's huge," she gasped, as Blade's shadow fell across the snow.

"Damn beast," Lucas growled. He snickered low and Blade nuzzled his shoulder.

"He's cute."

Falls walked around the man, lifted her hand to caress the black nose of the horse. Lucas however stopped her, grabbing her arm and pulling her against him. "Do you want yourself killed?"

Her eyes flew to his face and she stared at him. "What? I was just going to pet him!"

"You do not pet a war horse. You idiot girl."

"Idiot! I'm not the one running around in tights!" Her eyes shot down to the leggings that hugged his frame.

He looked at his clothing, saw nothing wrong with what he wore. However now that she was closer to him, he could smell the various odors that radiated from her. "I have half a mind to throw you in that water and wash the stench from you."

"Try it," she hissed into his face.

Lucas had her in the air before she knew what was happening. She squealed with shock and horror seconds before she felt the river swallow her up. Falls came up sputtering, struggling to gain her footing as water rolled around her soaked skirt and plastered jeans. He reached for her, dragged her back to the shore and then up toward Blade.

"Let me go! Let me go! I'll call the cops! Sue your ass! You son of a..."

She again was lifted into the air and then dropped onto the saddle of the mammoth beast. Her skirt, pants and shirt clung to her. She shivered violently and pushed wet strands of hair from her face. "Damn you," she cursed, then turned to see him climbing up onto the saddle behind her, "You're in so much fuckin' trouble."

"Quiet girl. You will be attended to at Wolf's Den, then word will be sent to your people."

"My people? What are you some Rein Fair dust bunny that got left behind?"

Lucas growled. He reached around her wet cold figure, grabbed the reins and turned his stallion toward home. As they moved, one hand slipped behind him and he released a blanket from its rolled position. He felt her shift nervously against him. "Stop moving. He can sense your fear," he pushed the blanket into her hands, "here, cover yourself before you freeze."

"Aren't you going to take me to the cottage? I have to get my stuff."

"Girl, do be quiet. You talk more than the women in the keep and your words give me more of a headache than my mother when she speaks of wedding plans."

Falls gasped in outrage, turned slightly to open her mouth and chastise the man, then stopped when she saw the warning look in his eyes. She pivoted back to the front of the horse and tried to not think of how warm the man behind her felt or how she suddenly had time to stop and think about the oddity of all that had just occurred between them.

She didn't want to admit that something was going on that was too strange for her to comprehend. She didn't like not knowing what was happening. The last three days had been extremely hard on her. Maybe, she told herself, she was dreaming and she'd wake up back in the cottage. She'd be trembling because her fire had gone out and her stomach would growl because her berries were getting low.

"You could have let me get my purse," she muttered under her breath. A soft gruff was all that showed the man had heard her. "I mean, now I have to come back here. Probably going to bring the cops out and you best watch yourself."

Lucas sighed. "Woman cease your babbling or I will have you gagged."

"Oh you oaf. Drop the act and give me your god damn phone!"

Lucas stopped the war horse and stared into the angry stare. "What things do you need?"

"Huh?"

"You mentioned something called a purse. I heard you, and this phone, what is this that you speak of. If I have one I would give it to you, simply to quiet your mouth."

Falls bit down on her tongue, stifling the words that threatened to spill out of her. She took a deep breath, slanted her eyes and turned just enough to once again stare at him. "Funny. Look a phone, a map, a car," she sighed, "just forget it. Take me to the nearest highway and I'll hitch a ride back into town. Before you know it, you won't even realize I was here."

"You are trespassing on Wolf's Den. I know you are here. I will not hold this against you. It is a day of rejoicing. My sister is to wed in a few days and so I will be lenient in your punishment."

"Ohh... okay. At least you're spitting names out. Where is Wolf's Den? Like what town? I take it that it's the name of your ranch. I didn't know there were any horse ranches near Mittsburgh, but then again, I've never been outside of it much either." She shrugged her shoulders and watched the scenery pass. "Are you sure we can't go back to that shake. My purse is there. All my ID. It'll suck to lose it all. My phone too. It's like the one thing of value. I saved quite a bit to pick up that number. It has wireless Internet... well at least when there is a freakin' signal."

Lucas only half listened to her. He felt his body react to her proximity. Her rear continued to rub and grind gently against him and he fought to control the natural response of such an innocent caress. "I will get these things for you. For now we must reach the keep before I do lose all sense of honor."

"Like what?" His lips rose in a smirk that was not seen by Falls. He continued to drive Blade home. "Well? What would make you lose all sense of honor?"

Lucas released one hand from the reign and gripped her chin. She blinked up at him, long lashes the color of the changing leaves fell and lifted rapidly. Her lips parted; her tongue snaked out to moisten the pink flesh. A low growl poured from Lucas's throat as he dipped his head toward the glistening lips.

He wasn't sure was kissing the strange woman that rode before him. Perhaps it was to shut her up. It certainly worked. Lucas moved his tongue across her lips, willing her to part them. A soft whimper of surprise came from Falls and he took the invitation she seemed to offer.

The kiss was slow, each stroke of his wet muscle deliberate. Lucas was not inexperienced in the art of seduction and for some reason he was more than wiling to seduce the bit of wet fluff he had in his hands. He deepened the pressure, licked his way across her teeth and then over the roof of her mouth. He felt her lean into him. A smile crossed his features as he pulled away and nibbled the angling of her jaw.

He watched from the corner of his eye as her fingers curled into fists that held the blanket tightly to her. He chuckled, slipped his hand over hers and eased his own fingers into the folds of the material. She whimpered again and then shivered when his cool touch caressed the clothing that covered her ridged areola.

"Whoa, big boy."

She pulled away, pushing his hand from the path he sought to tread. She cleared her throat and then turned back to face the front of their travels. "Umm... well, wow."

Lucas did not understand "wow", but the expression on her face pleased him, so he assumed "wow" was a good thing. "Yes, it was," he said more to himself than the woman in front of him.

"So where are we again?" Her voice was husky as she tried to calm the heat rising in her skin.

"We are right here. We didn't leave," he stared down on her, "Did you hit your head?"

"Huh?"

"Your head. Did you hit it? My father had a friend who had fallen from his horse during battle. He landed on several jagged rocks. One was driven into his skull. When he awoke, he did not recall his surroundings; not even his wife. He died later, never having recalled his life." Lucas found himself immediately concerned for the young woman's memories.

"Battle?" Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "I've heard they try to reenact the things of ancient times, but to battle, then cause someone amnesia is no game."

"A game? War is not a game. We lost several men. The raids had to stop though. The Danetons were rapping and kidnapping our women. It was no game."

"Danetons?" Falls filed the unknown word away promising herself to Google it when she got a signal. She could tell by the man's voice that he did not wish to talk more about the Danetons, so she instead focused on her surroundings. The landscape she began to notice looked vastly different than any part of Mittsburgh she was familiar with. "What is this place again?"

"Wolf's Den on the Isle of Wight. I am Lucas Aquila, son of Lucilius, grandson of Lucas Voltinia."

Falls frowned. "Huh? What was all that?

"I will go slower. I do believe you have hit your head. You seem... ill." Luscas could not help but show a bit of irritation. He tried to mask it by talking more about his home. "Wolf's Den is my keep. It borders Raven's Claw," he saw she still did not understand; he took a deep breath, "It is just over this rise. Perhaps that will stir your memory."

A few minutes later he topped the rise and stilled Blade. "There it is."