Leo arrived in the middle of a small forest, without Willow. “Fuck!” Luckily he had managed to take all their stuff and his newest
toy. He grabbed all their things and ran, in a little distance he saw buildings in the rising sun. Even when he would not find her at the houses he hoped he would at least get help there. But what he then saw a scene that made his blood boil over. Willow didn’t scream but she didn’t have to for Leo to recognize her.
“What in three devils name do you think you are doing?” Leo bellowed. The four men looked up but didn’t stop pushing her down and touching her in ways she should never be touched.
“Go and mind your own business stranger!”
Leo dropped all their things except his newest toy. “Get the fuck away from her!” He ran as fast as possible to those men and Willow. Leo wanted to chop them into tiny pieces but for the beginning he rammed his fist hard into the first one’s face. He felt his nose break and Leo didn’t care. Next he rammed the arm of his axed into the second’s groin. That’s when the third guy jumped at Leo trying to fight him but he had no chance, Leo grabbed him and through him several feet away. The leader now got up, his trousers still dangling around his ankles exposing his piece. “You think you can keep her all to yourself?”
“No she doesn’t belong to me, but I respect her to accept her no.” Leo had picked up a stone and threw it with all his strength at the fourth, he hit him right into his package. Leo didn’t care of any one those guys would die. The first one had clearly trouble breathing and the other didn’t feel better. Leo shoved the leader of the gang away and scooped up Willow into his arms. Her lip was bleeding and the bruises were already darkening. Not to mention that she was shivering. Leo shouldered his axed and carried Willow to their pack just to pick it up as well. He would not let her down from his arms not until they were somewhere safe. So he kept walking into the forest. Willow was just breathing and it worried him that she didn’t say much, she had mumbled a few words but nothing more, she just held on to him tightly. They suddenly stumbled into another horrid scene. A coach accident one of the horses was dead while the other one was badly injured. It was an expansive coach and Leo saw their way into a more comfortable staying. He put down Willow and their stiff and went closer to the coach. Two women were sitting in it, well had been sitting in it. One of them –the one that was clearly dead- seemed to be from a lower rank as the other one. Leo saw she was alive but wouldn’t make it.
“Who are you and where were you going?” Leo asked gently.
“We were on the way to the new queen, queen Anne I’m one of her Lady’s in Waiting. The other one is my Lady’s Maid…” The woman died in front of Leo, a piece of the coach was rammed through her body. He saw the driver of the coach dead crushed into a tree. Being here seeing this gave him an idea.
“Willow, listen to me I have a plan. Those coaches always had a man riding ahead to make sure the way was safe, he will soon notice that he lost the coach so he will come back. You will take the place of the Lady’s maid. We will say that we were from the borders to Scotland, obviously from the English side but that might explain our accents. Can you walk?”
Willow nodded, in shock of the happenings of the morning. Leo took their pack including his axed and stuffed it into one of the chests.
“Good over there is a chest with dresses, put one on but rubbed first over the floor and rip it a little, after all you have to look as if you have been in an accident. You will tell that your Lady has thrown you out of the coach just before it crashed into the trees. I will say I’m your husband. The driver had another set of clothes I can take it and rip it as well. And then we wait for the rider to come back.”
“What about the real maid?” Willow asked while she was rubbing the dress through the dirt. Leo sighed. “God forgive me.” Leo pulled the maid out of the wreck of the coach and through her into down the hill she rolled down and landed in a ditch. Leo went down after the woman to cover her with leaves and stones that no one would find her.
“Willow are you ready? I think I hear hooves.” Leo was back up at the coach, the trip down hill had caused him several scratches which was a good cover to look like he had been in an accident. Just before the rider could see them Leo pulled Willow into a tight hug. “Don’t worry no one will ever hurt you like this again.”