6. She's My Friend.

Winifred screamed so loudly that the house shook.

"No... no... no! Not here, not again." She chanted as she got off the same bed she had found herself the previous day.

She rushed out of the house, bumping into Aquila."My lady, do you feel a bit better now?" She asked.

"I'm taking a walk!" Winifred simply snapped as she passed by her and started to walk down the path that everyone seemed to walk, even though she knew no where to go.

Aquila, however didn't back down as she continued to follow her mistress knowing what the healer had said about her.

Winifred continued to walk looking around the environment as she did. The roads were so narrow and has house aligned by both sides. The women were wearing puffy gowns, veils and long skirts while the men were wearing bogus pants, coats and outrageous hats. The houses were small, made with either mud, stone or wood and had thatched roofs. Different little stalls were by most of the houses as they sold whatever they could.

When they got to where they called the village square which was quite spacious than the narrow way they had been coming, a huge well could be seen at the center with kids and women around it as they drew water and laughed playfully with eachother.

"He's gone! He ran away!" A young man shouted, running towards the spacious square.

"That's not possible. He couldn't have with the bane surrounding him. He was helped! Someone helped him!" Another man countered.

"Does that mean that we have a betrayer amongst us?" A woman spoke this time, sounding like she was choosing her words carefully.

"That makes no sense, what human would help a beast that kills his own kind for fun?" A man spoke, his voice having a very great authoritative demeanor to it. Even Winifred couldn't help but notice that. After speaking, he immediately looked in Winifred's direction, staring into her soul like he could see beyond what others were seeing, Winifred had to look away first, fearing that he could read minds or something and if that was it, she would automatically be doomed.

The people started to talk in groups, each one trying to make suggestions on what could have happened. The man who had dismissed humans ever helping a beast started to walk towards Winifred and Aquila, thus stirring some fear in Winifred, making her walk fast in another direction.

Aquila, as usual followed but not without asking questions, "What are you doing, my lady? Don't tell me that you still don't like Alexander even without you having all your memories?"

Winifred halted and stared at her, "what do you mean?" She asked, but before Aquila could give her a reply, Alexander had caught up to her.

"Lovely morning to you, dear Winifred." He greeted in a flirtatious manner, looking at Winifred like he could see the nakedness behind her clothes.

Winifred was uncomfortable with this and she didn't waste any time in making it known, "Stop looking at me like that, only creeps and perverts stare at people that way."

"My lady, stop! He's one of the high ranked men in the village, we don't speak like that, especially not women." Aquila quickly whispered to her in a stern manner.

"Why should I care who or what he is? If he looks at me in a way that is wrong or that makes me feel uncomfortable, I'm going to speak against it." Winifred said, standing her ground.

"Oh dear Winifred, I would listen to your slave if I were you." Alexander said, pronouncing slave in a way that Winifred found very degrading.

"Don't... call her that! She's not a slave, she's my friend." She corrected, sending a very harsh glare at him. At this, Aquila felt giddy, her mistress never treated her like a slave, not once, but she never called her a friend either. She liked this new term, very much if she were to be honest.

"Oh dear. You've always been unnecessarily kind, naive and what not which is one of the reasons I actually like you but dear, a spade is a spade, calling it a spoon doesn't make it a spoon." Alexander retorted.

"Well, I decide what I want to call people, not you." Winifred simply replied, walking away only to be stopped by him.

"Winifred dear, I'm not done with you. We have some unfinished business and you know it." He said, winking.

That action just looked stupid to Winifred.

"What's he talking about, Aquila?"

"Uhm, he has always been interested in you for a while now, my lady." Aquila whispered, smiling sheepishly.

"Oh. Interesting. Dear Alexander or so, I'm not interested in you in anyway, that's the least of my worries. So can you get out if my way now or do I need to get even harsher, cos that's what some men seem to understand." Winifred replied, dismissively before bypassing him to continue her journey to nowhere.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I have a secret that could end you in a minute should I decide to open my mouth." Alexander threatened, looking sternly at her.

This got Aquila jittery and scared, she knew what she did was dangerous and did it just because she thought she was going to be back in her own world. But she decided to just act naive and play her cards.

"Wha... what do you mean? I have no secrets?"

"Really? Are you so sure about that? About last night? About the prison? About the wolfs..." Alexander started to say, his voice so loud until Winifred quickly interrupted him, slapping her right hand on his mouth.

"No... please, no. Let's... let's talk about this in private, please." She pleaded as she dragged him behind one of the houses, ignoring Aquila's curious eyes.

Silence hung between them for a while, Alexander was smirking, his eyes boring into Winifred's while Winifred on the other hand was extremely uncomfortable and scared.

"So, what are we in private for?" Alexander decided to break it.

"Uh... uh... If you truly saw me last night, then you'd see that he threatened me to do it, he told me to do it, break it or I will kill you was what he said, I literally had no choice." Winifred explained, hoping that the man before her would simply take what's she was saying as the truth.

"Okay."

"I... wait.... Okay? Really?" Winifred asked, refusing to believe her ears.

"Yes, okay. I believe you." He said again, making Winifred so relieved.

"Thank you so much, I had a different impression about you, seems you're not that bad afterall."

"Saying I believe you doesn't mean anything though. The point is, will the villagers believe whatever you say above mine?" Alexander threw, shattering Winifred's heart yet again.