Wylyam was so overwhelmed by the situation that he was practically frozen in his saddle. Choosing to follow Philip’s advice and not turn around, he instead read Peter’s expression out of the corner of his eye. Wil’s eyes darted between Peter and Philip as the young man desperately tried to make sense of what was happening. It was all he could do to hold his reigns and remain upright as his mind raced from one terrible alternative to another. Was this the last time he would ever see Philip alive? Could he even protect Elizabeth if they were alone?<br/><br/>The squire was no stranger to adversity. Growing up the bastard son of the noble from an unpopular foreign land, Wil constantly had to defend himself both verbally and physically. In some ways Wil felt that it would have been easier being an orphan since they occasionally were shown pity. As a result of these challenges Wil became a young man who was driven, tough and disciplined – quick with wit, fist and sword. That kind of upbringing forces a man to make peace with the eventuality of his death. As such Wylyam did not overly fear it; in fact he had always assumed that he would never grow old. On the contrary what he feared most desperately was failure. Even the thought of choosing unwisely and letting down Philip, the one man who had shown him any significant kindness, had all but paralyzed Wil into inaction.<br/><br/>And what of Elisabeth? He turned his head slightly to catch a glimpse of her eyes out of the corner of his own.  His glance was kind yet concerned as he looked to her for the answer to the question of what to do next. To his surprise Wil saw something he had not expected in her eyes – courage. In that moment he realized that this was a brave young woman who was projecting more calm than he was in that moment. She was a woman bold enough to leave home to travel across the country to defend her brother against some unknown foe. This was a woman of character who deserved better than to meet her fate at the hands of brigands. He blinked as a sense of calm descended over him like a warm blanket. This decision wasn’t about him or his fear of failure – it was about the safety of the siblings in their charge. Come what may, Wil resolved to see her safely home. She deserved at least that much.<br/><br/>“Ah unda-stand. Ah will dae as ye ask, Sir Philip,” he replied simply with a sense of resolve before glancing back at Elizabeth. “M’lady, we must away…” he said nodding in her direction. “Are ye ready?”<br/><br/>Just ahead of them a track crossed the forest trail. Wylyam looked over to his mentor with an expression of resigned gratitude and nodded. Philip smiled back knowingly as he said goodbye.<br/><br/>“Make me proud, Wylyam,” Philip said simply. To that Wil could only respond by nodding; his ability to speak suddenly abandoned him. With that Wil allowed the siblings a chance to also say their goodbyes before leading Elisabeth away to the right.<br/><br/>Wil rode in silence for a few hundred yards before the track disappeared completely and they found themselves walking through a dense forest. At that point Wil dismounted to lead both of their horses on foot, assuming that Elizabeth would prefer to stay mounted.<br/><br/>“M’lady, ur ye alright?” he asked, looking up with friendly eyes and a sad expression. If only their situation wasn’t so desperate this would be one of the greatest moments of Wil’s life.<br/><br/>Behind Wil’s back about twenty paces away the brush moved slightly without a wind to stir it. The tip of an arrow silently projected through the thicket, drawn by a bow held by a man hiding within. He appeared to be aiming at Wil.