Heavy breathing and sweat filled the air as Robin and Alex walked to their usual meeting place. Their rendezvous with death was right around the corner. As they neared the oak, Robin stopped. Thinking he had heard something, Alex stopped too and listen intently with her dagger drawn until Robin shook his head and set her at ease.

“What is it?” Alex said softly.

“Oh nothing. It’s just, well… it’s stupid. Never mind.” Robin shrugged it off.

“If something is wrong, you should tell me. We are about to come face to face with fatality so before it’s too late, you need to let me know if something isn’t right.” Alex said dryly.

“No, it’s nothing you should be trifled with. Just forget I said anything, okay?” Robin pleaded.

“No. Seriously, tell me. Don’t you trust me?” the words came without hesitation. “Of course I trust you! If I didn’t I wouldn’t be about to follow you into the most perilous situation of our lives.” Robin reminded her.

“Well then what is it!?” Alex asked, beginning to lose her patience.

“Okay fine! It’s just that, well. I don’t want to lose you or Marion. I am scared. Ok there I said it! I am scared!” Robin admitted a little louder than necessary.

“It’s okay to be scared. We all are. It would be foolish not to be scared.” Alex said comfortingly.

“No, I’m not scared about death. That I can handle when the time comes. I am scared about you and Marion. I love you both so much. I would rather die before let any harm come to either of you. To lose either of you would be worse than losing the breath of this earth.” Robin confessed. Alex was stunned. She almost melted at these words. She suddenly noticed how the moonlight seemed to bathe them in pureness itself. A dark lock of hair fell from being tucked behind her ear and covered her face. Robin pushed it back to its rightful place. Alex was very sure her heart stopped breathing. Instinctively, Alex leaned in and Robin did too. Their noses were so close, she swore a hair would have trouble passing in between them. Alex tilted her head upwards to reach Robin’s and for about one second, their lips brushed sending a tingling of warmth through Alex’s body. This lasted about one second until they both heard a twig snap where Alex swung her head around to see Marion step out into the clearing. In turning, Alex’s long, wavy hair met Robin’s face shattering the moment. The blank look on Marion’s face told Alex that Marion had not seen them together.

“I thought we agreed to meet at the oak. Did we not!?” Marion whined. Alex was relieved beyond comparison. After the relief had flooded through her, shame started to run its own course. She could feel her ears turn a light crimson and was thankful for the darkness that night provided.

“What?” Marion asked, oblivious to their previous action.

“Oh uhh nothing, yeah sorry, we got sidetracked and uhhh. Sorry.” Robin tried to explain through his stuttering. Alex had always been a smooth easy liar. Lies were what made her, and ironically, lies were what would break her.

“We thought we heard someone coming so we stopped just in case. I guess it was just… you.” Alex said simply. Robin eagerly nodded his agreement. For a split second, Marion looked suspiciously at her but then forgot the whole thing and returned back to the matter at hand. Something of much, much more important (and deadly)significance.

“Shall we?” Marion asked. Robin hesitated and looked directly at Alex. Marion saw the look that passed between them and feeling left out, linked her small thin arm through Robin’s long, strong one. Normally, Alex would have been very annoyed but nothing could compare to how she was feeling at that exact moment.

Marion carried the necessary things needed to succeed in their mission. After about half an hour of walking however, she complained and Robin took them from her and carried the bundle the rest of the way. After crossing the creek (where Robin was forced to carry Marion on his back while Alex easily jumped across the creek with her long, athletic legs) they made their way to the town. The silence was filled with Marion’s nonstop blabbering about one affair of the court or another until Alex snapped at her and then it was absolutely unspoken. At about one o’clock in the morning, they had reached the outskirts of the town. They stopped here and prepared for the dangerous night ahead of them.