Anne's POV

Three hours later, Anne carried a little girl in her arms, while Andrew was carrying two. The night sky was starting to light up as dawn arrived. How would they escape Arthur now? They still had a way to go before they got to Greendale, and several of the children had been stumbling, unable to keep their eyes open.

How much farther could they go without taking a break?

Her arms burned under the weight of the child sleeping in her arms. Her shoulders and eyes burned, but they had to keep going.

She hadn't realized she had slowed down until Andrew's back was in front of her. If he could keep up his pace while carrying two children, then she could do it with one.

There was still no sign of life as the sun moved further in the sky. Soon Arthur's men would discover the dead guards and missing children and come after them.

Sounds drifted towards them from the opposite direction as a man came into view, sitting on a wagon that had a horse leading it.

She could ask  this man how far they were from Greendale.

Andrew slowed down his pace as he waited for Anne to catch up with him.

"Don't ask the man anything about Greendale. We don't want him to be able to tell Arthur that's where we're going."

"But don't we need to know how much farther it is?"

"It doesn't matter how much farther it is. We have to keep walking or find another place to hide."

Andrew walked faster to get to the front of the group as the man got closer. Once the man got close,  he asked, "Where are all you children going? Why are there so many of you?"

"We are headed to Dawnridge," Andrew replied in a cheerful voice. "Can you tell us if we are on the right road?" 

"No, you are not. This road leads to Greendale. To go to Dawnridge, you need to go east."

"Thank you, sir. Where are you headed?"

"My boss sent me to a market in Greendale, and now I'm returning with the stuff he told me to buy."

"All the way from Greendale? You must be tired."

"Its only two miles."

Two more miles! It's going to take forever to get there!

Andrew nodded and talked with the man for a few more minutes before he said goodbye and started walking again.

When they were out of sight of the stranger, the little girl in Anne's arms, apparently awakened by the voices, lifted her head and yawned.

Just then, another child started crying and two more stopped and lay down on the ground.

"Can you walk?" Anne asked the little girl.

She nodded and Anne put her down.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Anne asked the crying girl.

"The Piper is going to get us!"

"Andrew and I won't let the Piper get you." Andrew must have seen the two children collapse on the ground, because he put down the ones he had been carrying and was walking towards them.

"I don't think the children will make it two more miles. Not without another rest," Anne told Andrew once he reached them.

"They have to make it. They can and they will." Andrew picked up the two children from the floor, who fell asleep immediately.

Anne lifted the crying girl in her arms.

"I'm tired," a child said.

"I'm tired too." 

"I'm thirsty."

"I'm thirsty too."

"We do need to find water," Andrew said to her. "I think there might be some down this ravine." He pointed off the road.

Anne didn't even notice the ravine. She stepped closer. It was steep. Andrew put down the two children and started climbing down.

"There's a river down here but keep walking with the children until the ravine gets less steep." Andrew called up to her.

She started moving the children again.

After a couple of minutes, Anne looked down and saw that the ravine was growing less sloped. 

"This looks like a good spot," Anne called down to Andrew. "Should I let the children come down to you?"

"Send them down." With the help of Andrew, they got all the children to the bottom.

The children were kneeling and drinking out of their hands from the stream. After the children finished drinking, they fell asleep on the grassy bank.

Anne sat near the littlest ones. Looking up towards the road, she suspected no one could see them unless they got off the road and looked down. Even then, they might not notice them through the think trees.

"Do you think we are safe enough here to stay for a while?" Anne asked Andrew, who was sitting near her.

After a minute of thinking, Andrew said, "You rest with the children. I'll go to Greendale and buy some food."

"You also need rest."

"I'll be all right. But when I come back and after they eat, we have to force them all to get up again. It might seem mean, but we have to get them to the town and hide them."

"I know."

Andrew got up and turned away.

"Andrew."

He stopped and faced her.

What should she say? Be careful? Stay safe? "Thank you."

He smiled. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Anne looked around, making sure all of the children were sleeping, then she leaned back into the grass and feel asleep.

The next thing she heard was Andrew's voice.

Anne opened her eyes and saw Andrew standing over her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course." She sat up quickly.

Andrew started waking up the children and handed them bread.

Anne followed his example and started waking up the rest of the children. "When you finish eating, drink some water." The water was cold and would help them wake up.

Finally, they were all awake and began climbing back up to the road. Once they were all on the road and walking, Anne walked next to Andrew.

"Did you have any trouble finding the bread?"

"I bought some from five different bakeries so it didn't look suspicious. At the last shop, the woman looked so kind and I asked her if she might have room for some orphans I found."

"What did she say?"

"She said yes. Her children were all grown and she would be happy to look after them Also she said she has a stable where I could sleep. She even showed me where it was. I told her I would fetch the five orphans and be back. I was afraid if I told her I had fifty-two, she would be suspicious. When we get there, I'll explain. I'm sure she'll let us stay in her stable. At least for a little bit."

"That's wonderful."

"Yes, I charmed her with my smile."

And your handsome face. "I'm very happy you found a place where we can hide. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The children kept walking, and soon travelers became more frequent. They have had four different people stop and ask about the children. Andrew successfully deflected the questions, but...

"I think we should try to get off the road when people come?"

"I'm thinking the same thing. It's probably too late now. Arthur will eventually discover that we came this way. We just have to have the children hidden before he reaches us."

Andrew's POV

When the town wall was in view, Andrew motioned for Anne to help him get the children off the road. The trees would help hide them.

"We're almost there." He leaned closer to Anne. "We should take a few in at a time. Do you think Jack and Rose can take care of some of the children while we take the others into town?"

"We can," Jack said from behind Andrew.

"Good. Here's the plan. Anne and I will take ten children and I'll show her where the stable is. Jack, you and Rose will watch over the rest. Then I'll keep coming back until we're all inside the stable. Then I'll take the five youngest children to Mrs. Wilson and they can stay with her."

Jack nodded and went to Rose to tell her the plan.

Anne and Andrew got ten children and got back on the road. After leading them down some roads, they came to the stable. No one was around.

The children fell asleep on the hay immediately. His own eyes burned from the lack of sleep, but he had gone without sleep many times during battles. He could go as long as he needed to.

"Lie down and sleep with the children." he said to Anne. "I'll go and get the rest."

"I feel guilty sleeping while you 're doing that."

"You need to stay here to protect the children. Go to sleep. I'll wake you when I come back."

She laid down next to the children. 

Andrew walked away.