A mans gotta do what a mans gotta do

Thomas finally remove the shirt and shook it, shifting his gaze to Ariel.
Her smile was contagious but he resisted as this was serious.
"Ya. What was the reason you didn't want to go to Ilusia?"
He stood up, went by the fire, and hung his shirt on a branch over it.
He then pulled off his pants and his boxers, replacing his pants.
He came back over to the river to scrubb his boxers.
He stared at her as he did so.

She was taken back by his question. "Because I would be meeting the executioner sooner than you can count the bounty money." She said looking away from him. "I doubt my sister is going to let me slip away again."

Thomas raised an eyebrow as he hung his boxers.
"So you would rather face Maleficent than your own sister?"
He guess he could understand that but something nagged at him.
"Wait. Didn't you tell me that your family was ripped away from you by an evil villain?"

She gave a sheepish smile as she looked back to him. "Yes. From Maleficent I can always try to escape."
She looked down saddly. "They were. The witch put this curse on my sisters, making them not quite themselves. I was under that curse too but somehow Eric broke me out of it, I don't know how he did it though."

At the mention of her husband, Thomas went back to the fire.
He checked his clothes for dryness and then sat down.
He stared at the flames absentmindedly, lost in thought.

She turned to look at him. "What's on your mind? You still taking me to Maleficent?" She asked wanting to know what he was planning to do.

He remained quiet a little longer.
He wasn't sure what he was planning to do anymore.
That bounty money... he wanted it.
But his desire for it didn't outweigh his repulsion to facing Maleficent.
"Nothing."He shook his head to clear it.
"And no..."
He stood and went back to the river to wash himself properly leaving her by the fire.

Ariel looked at him in shock. "No?!" Was he searious? "You are letting me go then?" She asked standing up, looking at him in disbelief.

"Yes." He didn't say anymore.
He put all his clothes back on and poked the fire with a stick.
He stared as if in a trance at her through the flames.

She stared at him like he hit his head or something.Part of her wanted to hit him for dragging her all the way here, when she could have stayed in the village. She just stood there, not knowing what to do. Or say.

"Will you just say something?"
Thomas put his head in his hand and sighed.
"And stop staring at me like that..."

"I'm angry..." She said finally. "You took me with you to get some money out of me, and now after I.... do... it with you, you suddenly lose intrest in the money." She said angrily, gesturing with her hands. "I had to leave all the people in the camp! I don't even know if they are alive or not!" She stopped, taking a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Well, then my plan worked."
He whispered, resting his chin on his hand
"At first it was for the money.
I was going to bring you in, collect the bounty and then help you escape afterwards.
Now, I just don't know..."

She was dumbfounded again. Finding it hard to believe her ears. "You planned it???" She turned to look at him, wanting a good reason. "Why?"

"I just don't want to face Maleficent again, ok?"
He sighed and looked at her.
"Remember when you found me for the first time?"

She nodded, eyeing him up. "Yes I remember. Has she done something to you?" She moved to sit next to him, keeping her eyes on him, not wanting to miss a word.

"She has this power over me. She used it before I left."
Thomas frowned as the memory came back.
"She commanded me to walk until I couldn't no more.
And... I did with no resistant. That scares me.
What if she commanded me to behead you?
No amount of money is worth that risk..."

She slipped her hand on his. "I didn't know you care for my head that much." She said joking slightly. She felt sorry for him. Maleficent was an evil woman, and she did not want Thomas to get anymore hurt than he already had. "Then what should we do now? Go back to Kelti?"