This time, when Kalen woke up, it was blissfully silent. Nobody lurking nearby and the traps did not alert them through the night so he slept soundly.
After packing up the camp, they moved forward North. They needed food and needed it desperately. Lia was better, but she was still recovering. Charlie was no better. She had slipped back into her mood after waking up in a fright. He guessed a nightmare, but she wouldn't say.
"How long did that traveller say it was 'till the next village?" Niki asked. She was slightly out of breath- they all were.
"Erm..." Maggie looked at the map and then to Kalen, who was walking slightly behind her, supporting Thalia, despite her numerous protests that she was fine.
"I think he said about three miles. Not that far." Kalen answered. They had met a lonely traveller a few miles back who had pointed them in the direction of a village.
Niki muttered under her breath a curse and turned to glance at Charlie, who was straying behind slightly.
"We need to stick close." She said, falling back to walk Charlie's speed.
"I know, sorry." Was all she said.
"Don't let it win." Nikita spoke after a beat of silence.
"Let what win?" She said, her tone slightly bitter considering Charlie was not a bitter person.
"Whatever it is that's making you, not be you. Prove to yourself that you're above it because you are. I don't want to look at you, and see a ghost- Do you understand?" She was firm but gentle at the same time. Kalen could just about hear them, how sure Niki sounded. It made him love her all over again.
He didn't hear a response from Charlie, she was probably mulling it all over in her head. She was book smart, there was no doubt. But when it came down to emotions, she was very closed off.
Kalen didn't blame her of course, he didn't really like talking about himself either, that's one of the many reasons they both got along so well.
That and the fact that they both liked cosplay. That was how they initially met, Charlie was at a Halloween party dressed as Rose Tyler from Doctor who and Kalen, thinking he was funny, had gone as a Dalek. Really, it was more of a cardboard box, but on a student budget, shopping was hard.
They had got talking and found common ground. From then on they'd go to comic-con together, then they started hanging out normally and soon became pretty good friends.
It wasn't until Charlie met Thalia, that they all formed a proper group. Thalia was in half of Nikitas classes during college, so had become good friends from there.
Time went by and one rainy day at lunch, they all found themselves sat on the same table together.
"There it is!" Maggie shouted from the front.
At the bottom of the hill, was a little settlement. It was rather busy considering the war, and the fact that it was just a small place.
"Is there an event going on that we're not aware of?" Kalen asked.
"It's probably a trading post." Maggie answered, brushing her hair back from her face. It was windy and the sky had turned its usual grey of England.
"Well, it's going to rain, we should go into an Inn or something." Niki suggested, walking to stand beside Maggie.
"We don't have any money, and we've nothing to trade." She stated.
"Guess we'll just have to sneak in then." Lia said from behind them all.
They turned to look at her, a mixture of humour and surprise.
"It's always the quiet ones isn't it?" Niki laughed.
"Hey, don't underestimate her, Lia knows how to pick a lock." Kalen said, waking back to Lia's side.
She nodded with a smirk, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"What? It's a useful thing to know. Now come on, it's starting to rain already." She grabbed Kalen's arm and they ran down the hill towards the small market place.
The rain started to fall harder when they reached the village square. The damp and cold didn't much affect the people around them, who were kicking up mud every time they walked.
Some scurried to clear their stall of goods and shelter clothing from the downpour.
Others guided animals into a small barn nearby.
"Should we ask if anyone knows of an Inn?" Lia asked nobody in particular.
"Are they even a thing yet?" Kalen shuddered against the wind.
"Surely they must be, right?" Lia looked over to Maggie for confirmation, of which she could not give.
Niki walked towards the nearest house and knocked on the door.
"Niki, what are you..." Maggie trailed off as the door swung open.
"Yes?" Said a young boy, about sixteen. He was rather tall but looked pretty strong for his age.
"Do you know a place where we can stay for the night?" She almost shouted over the rain.
"Not here, but maybe the tavern will house you for a short while." He suggested with a smile then closed the door.
She nodded, more to herself then turned to the others. "Tavern it is then."
"Where is the tavern exactly?" Lia asked, looking around the now almost empty market.
"Where the noise is" Maggie said, walking towards the other side of the square towards a brightly lit, large hut filled with people of all ages.
They opened the door and walked to a small wooden table. Some men stared at them all, making them uncomfortable.
"What?" Niki barked at a middle-aged gentleman stood by the fire to their right. He was dressed in a dark brown tunic with a leather sheath hanging from his belt.
The man chuckled at her bluntness and walked towards them.
"Just wondering what you young women are doing all alone in a place like this?"
"I don't think that's any of your concern," Kalen spoke up. "Now, if you wouldn't mind returning back to your drink. We would very much appreciate being undisturbed."
The man laughed and patted Kalen's shoulder. He could feel his anger rising from within but tried to calm himself.
A fight in the twelfth century when he has never even held a real sword would do no good for anyone. The last thing he needed was sepsis.
"You're no fun, lad." The man chortled, removing his arm from Kalen's shoulder.
"Where are your husband's then, eh? Not very good of them to leave such delicate things lying around."
"I'll show you delicate–" Niki started before Maggie held her arm, and eased her back into her seat.
Maggie cleared her throat before speaking in a hushed tone to the stranger. "If you don't leave me and my friends alone, then I will put a curse on you like I did with my last husband. Poor thing, couldn't fight for a whole season. Naturally, that led to his demise in battle."
The man leant away from Maggie and stared at her with a drawn expression. He frowned, glanced at them all one last time, and left without saying another word.
"Misogynist." Maggie said, running her fingers through her damp hair.
"That was bloody brilliant." Lia smiled and hugged Maggie, who returned it just as enthusiastically.
"Kalen and I could have wiped the floor with that guy." Niki murmured.
"He was twice your size, plus, I've met people like that they only respond to fear, not physical violence. How do you think I dealt with Josh's friends. Trust me, if fighting with them solved anything, I would have done it a long time ago."
"Well, I'm proud of you." Lia said.
Charlie remained silent but gave a small smile of appreciation towards Maggie, who smiled back gladly.
"Besides" Maggie continued, "Technically I wasn't lying, I do practice."
"Best keep that to yourself here, people are freaked by witches." Kalen suggested.
"I know, but trails aren't until the fourteen hundreds. I'll be fine. Besides, there is such a thing as lying."
Kalen frowned at that. What if they ended up in a witch hunt? They can't move on through time if they're dead.
"Just be careful Mags." He said.
"I'm always careful." She smiled.
"Does this place let you stay overnight?" Lia asked, changing the subject.
"Don't know, let's find out." Kalen got up and walked towards a blonde woman holding a drink in her hand. "Excuse me, does this place let you stay overnight?"
"Yes but we're full here. My folks down the track have an old barn, they don't use it for animals anymore. You could kip there for free." She flashed a smile and put the cup on a table nearby.
"There's nowhere else?" Kalen asked. "We've just travelled all the way here from Taunton. Were a long way from home." He gestured to the group of girls sat talking quietly.
"Unless you want to sleep with the pigs, no." She said.
The woman sighed and pulled Kalen aside.
"Look, I can sneak out when I'm done here and give you some blankets and food, but that's all. We're all struggling here, don't think I do this often. Or for nothing, if you want the blankets and food, I want you all to do a shift here tomorrow. My parents will feed me to the dogs if they find out supplies are missing for nothing."
"Thank you, so much. We will, just give us a time." He smiled and she nudged him back towards the table.
"Sunrise, now go on now, I'll bring you a drink."
Kalen headed back to the table and smirked.
His charms paid off eventually.
"We can't stay here, but the maid's family has a barn, we're staying there tonight. She'll give us food and blankets in return for working a shift here tomorrow."
Lia nodded "Fine by me, I worked as a waitress for a year, how hard can it be?"
"Ugh, fine. Something to put on my CV." Nikita joked.
"That's great, Kalen thanks for doing it." Maggie said.
The maid came to the table with five wooden cups filled with beer.
"Thank you. What's your name?" Lia asked.
"Aldith Benson. It's my barn you'll be sleeping in." She walled back to the other side of the Tavern and continued serving people.