"Andrasta, wake up!" I shake her urgently.

"What is it?" she asks groggily.

"Take this." I hand her a short sword. "I am going to go see what is happening."

Without looking back to see if she is fully alert, I step outside and address the two guards posted at the entrance.

"We have just gotten word that Eoghain has ordered the men to gather. We should be going too instead of standing here guarding you women folk," one of the men says rather annoyed.

"Then be off with ya. We can look after ourselves!" They both look at one another in hesitation. "Go!"

"No. We were given a duty and we must not leave our post," the other man speaks up this time.

"Stubborn men," I say under my breath.

"We will go with you then," Andrasta says from behind me. "Eoghain needs all the help he can get, which includes us. Come on!"

As we approach the inn, I am grabbed from behind and detained from going inside with the others. Andra notices my absence immediately as she is going through the door and turns around.

"No! Andra go on inside! NOW!!"

Unfortunately, she hesitates just a little too long and the companion of the man who has hold of me easily subdues Andra.

"Your father told us we were to find and look after his little bird and her friend," my captor states with a little too much pleasure.

It is at that moment that I stomp very hard upon the foot of my father's pathetic minion and grab Andra's arm, yanking her away from her captor. We run through the door of the inn. Unfortunately, Andra runs right into the back of my father. We both unwittingly end up in the enemies' hands once again. All I can do is watch as my father wraps his arm around Andra's throat and turns to face Eoghain with the most evil of grins on his face.