It is dark and quiet outside, which should be expected since it is in the middle of the night. The only sounds that can be heard is the faint skittering of the nocturnal creatures and the very quiet and purposeful foot steps moving away from the closest sign of life.

"Olivia? What are you doing here." The young man asks as the young lady steps into a small open area lit up by the moonlight.

"I can to be with you, Blake. I love you and I can't allow you to leave because my parents don't agree with us. It's none of their business." She tries to sound tough and sure of herself but the slight wavering in her voice is evidence to her nerves.

"You're parents hate me, but that is not why I am leaving." He reaches out for her hands, which she gives to him. "I have to go. My classes start back up at the university in a couple of weeks and I need to get back to get everything settled in."

She steps closer, gripping tighter onto Blake's hands as if this will keep him from leaving. "Take me with you." This answer sounded so simple, as if this solved everything.

He chuckles at first, but contains himself when he sees that the young woman in front of him was completely serious and hurt when he did not seem to take the answer as serious. "You can't go with me. You are only sixteen. You have so much to do. You need to finish high school, hang out with your friends, and say goodbye to your family before you just leave."

"I can be any age you want me to be. I can be twenty just like you. Then, I can be old enough to go. I don't have any friends and I don't care about my family. They don't want us to be together. They want to control me and you are giving them that. I have a right to live my own life." Olivia's tears finally fought through her barrier and made their paths down her cheeks. This man was the love of her life and she could not let him just walk away because her parents told him to.

"You may say you don't care right now, but later you will and you will be mad at yourself for not spending this time with them and mad at me for taking you away. I can't do that to you. When you really do turn eighteen and graduate and want to move, I'll still be here. You can come visit me while I'm in school and when the time is right, we can be together. The right time is just not now." Blake pulls her into his chest and leans down to kiss the top of her head. "I care about you Olivia. You are a great person, but I can't take you with me. I must go."

She shakes her head as she begins to sob and tightens her grip around his waist. She couldn't see herself letting him go. She loved him with all of heart, and she couldn't find the strength to let that go.

He finally gets her to loosen her grip and holds her at arms length, so he can look into her eyes. "Olivia, you need to stay here. You would miss out on so much. I know you don't think you will but trust me. You may find someone else that is better for you, and then I will be stuck regretting leaving you but that will be my burden. You must stay. If you still love me when the time is right, then you can come be with me." He was letting her down easy, but that did not make it any better for her.

She just nods her head and steps back from him. She looks up and into his eyes with hers, that are now reflecting the moon like a pool of water. "I love you, Blake Deardon."

She starts to turn away when she sees, in her peripheral vision, something flying towards Blake at great speed. She screams as she lunges for it, but finds herself to be too late. When she looks back towards Blake he is now lying on the ground grasping at the flying object that is now protruding from his chest. 

Olivia rushes over to check on him, but she knows immediately that it is not good. Blake had a large arrow in his chest which was costing him a lot of blood and making it extremely difficult for him to breathe. It only takes her a second to recognize the arrow, for it is a specially crafted arrow with a special touch to it. Only those on a mission given by her parents use these. 

She sit Blake up as he yells out in great pain. "Oh know it hurts, but we need to get this arrow out of you." She tells him, holding him up since he has lost all strength to do so. "Blake, listen to me closely. You have to stay with me. Listen to me." She demands loudly as her tears start to form again. "Keep your eyes open, baby. Please stay with me. I love you and I can't lose you. Not now and not like this." 

"I-I-" He stutters as he tries to catch a breath and starts coughing. 

Olivia notices the blood that comes out with his cough which means his lungs are full and he doesn't have long to live at all. This breaks her down into a sob. "Oh, Blake, this is all my fault. I know my family was dangerous but I selfishly held onto you anyway."

"Olivia," He whispers. He cringes when he coughs again. "I love you. I chose to stay because I wanted to be with you. I love you and I w ant you to know that." He reaches up and gently caresses her cheek, wiping her tear streaks away.

Its only seconds before the streaks are back down her cheek, but she smiles at her beloved. She leans down to whisper in his ear "I love you and will for the rest of my life." 

His hand falls lifeless onto his chest and his head falls sideways. Olivia sits up and see that his chest is still and knows there is no longer any life to hold onto. Blake is gone, and she knew who was responsible and why.

She stands up and turns to look towards the direction she had come from when she had met up with Blake. Up on top of the hill in a small opening in the forest, there her parents stood proudly as looked down on their daughter. What hurt Olivia the most though was when she looked to her mother's right, there stood her brother with a bow in his hand staring at her and then Blake.