"I..." Chris started. I wish things were different. "I can't. I really have to go..." He felt a little dizzy, but he dismissed the thought.
Lyn's face fell and Neil nodded his understanding. "It's alright. We appreciate what you did for us though." He handed Christopher a large bag of money, "Here you go."
Chris looked at it in surprise, "What's this?"
Neil scratched his head, "Well, it's your cut of the profits from the performance. You said your horse needed new shoes, that should more than cover it."
Chris opened the bag, revealing hundreds of sparkling mofles. He took a handful and dumped it into his pocket, then left the rest on the table. "It's far too much for me. This is plenty to shoe my horse and..." he trailed off, unable to find the words. "I..." he swallowed, "Thanks."
He wasn't sure why it was so hard to leave these people he barely knew. But he had to get going, get back to Ethan and the others. Who knew where they were, what they were doing and...
Christopher turned to leave. "I'll be back sometime. After I've dealt with some things. I'll come back."
Neil clapped him on the back, "Good luck kid."
Chris pulled his horse along to the blacksmith shop and waved them goodbye. He felt like he was leaving something really important behind, but his first loyalty was to his friends. Afterall, isn't that what friends were?
He kicked a pebble across the street and walked slowly down the street. He'd be glad when he could ride the horse again, then he wouldn't have to worry about dragging his feet. He rubbed his eyes as they blurred for a moment. It wasn't like he wouldn't be back, right?

His horse pawed the ground, eager to get going as the sun rose high in the sky. The blacksmith had made quick work of the horseshoes and Christopher was pleased with it. He strapped his travel bag onto his back, then buckled the saddle onto the horse and stuck his foot in the stirrup. With luck, he'd be able to catch up to Ethan in two or three days. Would that be enough time? He swung his other foot over the horse. He hoped he looked a little better than he felt. He rubbed his temples, trying to get the dull ache in his head to go away.
"Christopher?" the voice was small and a little scared.
He turned around to see the girl that set his heart beating faster. Lyn searched for words, "I... I know you have to leave... and you said you'd come back... but... I guess I just wanted to say goodbye..."
Chris nodded and gave a faint smile, "Goodbye Lyn."
"Oh..." she began and pulled a white ribbon from her reddish brown hair, "This is silly I know... but... to remember me... I mean... all of us by. That's all..."
Chris took it with a smile, "I wouldn't forget." With that, he turned and eased his horse onward.

* * * * *

Ethan looked up at the sky with a dour expression. The clouds were threatening rain and he really didn't want rain right now. It was bad enough going on this journey with that bratty prince, he didn't want to have to put up with being soggy as well. He felt a drop hit his nose and wiped it off with a pout. He looked over at the others, "It's going to start raining. Let's get our cloaks and..."
The prince gestured to the cart his horse had been pulling. "Please allow me Princess Briar Rose. I can transform this cart into a small carriage in a few minutes. Then you'll be able to stay dry. It's the least I can do."
Ethan frowned and kept quiet as he felt another rain drop hit him in the back of the head. He pulled his old cloak from one of the horse's saddle bags and put it on, then pulled the hood over his head. He smiled a little. It was one of the few things that still smelled like home. It was almost enough to placate him while he watched the prince help Bri into his carraige and tie their horses together.
They plodded onward through the rain, no real direction in mind, only hoping that somehow they'd be able to stop the storytellers.

* * * * *

Chris winced as the rain started to fall on his unprotected head. He saw lightning flash in the distance. Great, just great. This is all I need. They'd told him before he left town that it took about five or six hours of travel at a fast pace to get to the next town. He was lucky if it had been four hours. He pressed his horse onward, hoping to just speed through the storm. Unfortunately it was no ordinary storm. In moments the rain was pouring down on him. He had to slow down just to see through the mess. His vision was starting to blur again and he was starting to feel dizzy. Maybe the recent events had taken more out of him than he'd thought. He wished he'd thought to buy a cloak or something back in town, but the skies had been so clear, he didn't think he'd be needing one.
"Ugh." he wiped the rain from his eyes and struggled to keep the horse on the path. The dirt road was quickly turning into mud, so the going was rough. Lightning struck again, this time much closer. The horse whinnied and jumped back in fright. Christopher could barely hold the reins and he fell hard from the saddle. Before he could calm her, the horse ran off into the distance. Chris cursed under his breath as he felt things getting hazy on the edge of his vision. He couldn't stop here, he had to keep going. He'd find a nice in, get some rest, and... He tried to pull himself up, but his arms shook under the weight. The haze was growing, filling his vision with blurry images. He struggled to get up again, but this time the haze turned to darkness and he fell once more onto the muddy road.

"Hey kid, you finally up? It's about time." the familiar booming voice of Neil Rothfuss echoed harshly in Chris' ears and he pulled a pillow over his head to shut it out. He screwed his eyes shut and tried to get back to sleep. Wait a minute...
"Neil?" Chris sat up in bed.
"The one and only." Neil sat on a wooden chair across from him. "You alright there? You've been asleep for almost three days now... You are one crazy kid, you know that? Travelling with a fever like that, you're lucky we found you!"
That's right. He remembered. The rain, the lightning, my horse... He sighed. "I don't suppose you were able to find my horse?"
Neil shook his head, but smiled slyly, "Nah. It looks like you might be stuck with us for a while. Pity, ain't it?"
Christopher tried to get a hold of his bearings. He felt much better. Much stronger. He almost threw off the covers, but realized he wasn't wearing a whole lot under them. "Where are my clothes?"
Neil tossed a clean smelling bundle at him, "You were soaked through the skin when we found ya. Be thankful you're still around eh kid?" He busied himself with the task of pouring a hot bowl of porridge and handing it to a now fully clothed Chris, who accepted it gratefully.
"Feelin' better now?"
Christopher swallowed a mouthful, "Much better."
Neil scratched his scruffy five o clock shadow. "Well then... It may sound selfish on my part, but... since you've got no horse, and nowhere else to go... would you mind traveling with us? All we'd ask in return is that you play us a few songs every now and again..."
"well..." Chris was a little reluctant, but it seemed like he had little other choice.
"I know everyone will be glad to have you... Lyn's been really worried..." he decided to play his trump card. He'd seen the way she looked at Chris.
Christopher reddened, "I... um... yeah... yeah, that sounds fine."
"Great!" Neil smiled, "Lyn's out helping set up. Why don't you give her a hand?"
That was all it took to get Christopher out of bed and running outside. He could barely hear them as he went back to cleaning things up.
"Hey, why don't you let me get that for you?"
"Christopher? You're alright..." came Lyn's familiar little voice. "I'm so glad."

Chris grinned sheepishly as he pulled on his mask. It was performance time again and this time he was really looking forward to it. He dug around in his bag, looking for one last thing. He pulled out the white ribbon Lyn had given him before he'd set out a few days ago. It was tattered and a little grey after being through the storm, but he tied it around his arm anyway. He smiled, just thinking of her. He felt like an idiot, but he didn't care. This must be what Ethan was feeling. When he risked so much for Briar Rose, this had to be the feeling he had. A feeling like nothing else in the world can matter as much as this one girl. Okay, so maybe that's a little deep, considering we haven't known eachother very long, but still... I may not understand this feeling, but something about it makes me feel... complete.
He heard Neil announce him in a loud voice and heard the crowd cheering in anticipation. He took a few deep breaths, then walked out onto the stage.

Neil caught his arm as he walked offstage. "Hey kid, one more favor to ask you for the night. I guess you've got a whole fanclub of people waiting to meet you afterward. Would you mind talking to them, signing a few autographs?"
Chris laughed, "Autographs? You're kidding."

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