A/N: Okay, folks. So. This is perhaps very silly and stupid of me, but... Oh well. I don't even read this fandom. And it's a small fandom at that. But I started playing Fable III again, and my fucking brain wouldn't leave me alone. So I'm posting this. I may or may not finish it. If it becomes clear that I won't, then I'll delete it or something. But, for now, this is what I'll work on while I'm living with my in-laws and can't playing either Dragon Age or Mass Effect for "research."

Let me know how you like it. I'm sure I won't even have a whole lot of readers, but whatevs. If you read it, leave me a review if you're so moved.

Also, last thing. One, these characters aren't mine (well, that's not true. Diana is all my doing). Secondly, this will likely be my usual fare where there's smut eventually. After the romance. Romance-candy, yay!

Dweller Camp

"I just don't understand why we have to winter here, Walter."

Walter smiled, shaking his head. "Get used to it, pup. You proved to them you meant what you said. Now they're letting you stay with them until the lower passes are passable. In the spring, we'll head out to gather more allies. Bloody useless of Logan to force your hand just as autumn was rolling into winter…"

She snorted laughter. "Alright, Walter. You know I'll do what's needed. And at least I can dress for function here, and not for fashion." Dax jumped up on her then, wagging his tail as he let out a happy bark.

"And Jasper can stop yelling at you for letting that dog dirty your nice things," Walter added, his smile indulgent. "Now, come on. We managed to collect enough gold to visit the wagon maker. Let's go get you a place for the winter, shall we?"

Running after him, she furrowed her brows at his phrasing. "Get me a place for the winter? What will you do, Walter?"

The big man shrugged. "I've spent my fair share of cold nights in a tent on the hard ground. Give me a fire and I'll be fine."

She took his arm, stopping him. "Walter, I won't have it! If you're in a tent, I'm in a tent! If I get one of these dweller wagons, then you're sharing it with me!"

"It would hardly be appropriate, My Lady-"

"Stop that nonsense right now." Honestly, what was he thinking? It was ridiculous. "You are hardly going to take advantage of me here. I trust you with my life, and my maidenhood."

"My Lady," he huffed, his woolly eyebrows knitting together. "You may trust me, but no one else here knows that I wouldn't do so."

"And if we were bedding each other?" she challenged. He looked utterly aghast. And she couldn't blame him. The idea was entirely horrendous to her, as well. But it was a point she needed to make. "Would anyone care about that? I was old enough to marry Elliot-" here, her heart gave a painful twang at the thought of her dead fiancé, but she pushed on "-I'm old enough to bed anyone I so choose, am I not? In a place unconcerned with my royalty, would anyone care if we were sharing a bed?"

He considered her for a moment, but she held her ground. She was sure she looked somewhat like a petulant child, but oh well. Finally he nodded. "Right you are, My Lady. We shall share the wagon. Now come along – we can't share it if we don't buy it and put it somewhere we can use it, yes?"

Smiling, she fell into step beside him. He wasn't saying it, but she knew he was proud of her. He always liked it when she stood up for herself.

"Just one more thing," she said as they walked.

"What?"

"No more 'My Lady.' It doesn't feel right here. Just call me by my name, alright?"

He smiled, chuckling. "As you wish, Raven."

Later, once night had fallen, Raven was thanking the Lord above that they had spent most of their gold on this sturdy dwelling. It was mobile, but could easily be rooted in place. They had no beast of burden, which made moving it difficult – especially in the snow – but they hadn't needed to move it far, and Walter was incredibly large and strong. Its best feature, however, was that it was shelter against the harsh mountain nights, and especially tonight's storm. There would be snow on the ground for days up here. Even during autumn it was cold enough that she needed to wear furs if the sun was not shining directly on her. Which was most of the time in this village, which was sheltered in the shadow of a mountain.

The wagon-maker had given them a steep discount for the Hero's help in getting food to the small village, allowing them to purchase a wagon intended for a family of four or more. This left them plenty of room for the three of them, and even allowed a small wood stove to be carted in. The wagon maker did a quick job on an opening for its chimney, and they were set by nightfall.

Now Raven sat on her bedroll, Dax rolled on his back and well on his way toward sleep. Walter knelt by the woodstove, stirring the contents of a small pot atop the small stove.

"Will you hurry up with that? I'm so hungry I could eat a hobbe," Raven complained, feeling her stomach confirm how hungry she'd gotten.

Walter just chuckled. "If you'd ever seen a hobbe – or smelled one – you'd be singing a different tune," he answered. "Luckily, this is nearly done. Tomorrow, we can go about seeing how things are done in this village in regards to bread and the like, but for now all I have is the stew."

That was fine with the princess. She just wanted to eat. She had never in her life gone this long without food. And it hadn't even been all day.

She took to her bowl of stew with gusto, eating several bites as fast as its heat would allow her. Poor Dax would have to wait until the next day to eat, when he could dig through the scraps at the butcher's – Raven did privately know that she would at least let him lick the pot clean, however. The dog also wasn't used to going so long without food.

"So there is one skill you never learned, as a Lady of the kingdom," Walter ventured, letting his stew cool on its own before he dug in.

"What's that?" Raven asked between bites, at least reserving enough of her nearly inborn manners to not speak with her mouth full. All other bets were off, however.

"Hunting," he said, giving her a meaningful look. "Your mother, and then your brother, were fine with you learning a warrior's skills at the castle, but neither of them wanted you in danger out on the road. You're a decent shot with a rifle, especially now that you have your mother's special enchanted weapon. So I figure it's time for you to learn. Plus, it's important to pitch in and do your part for the survival of the entire village, if you're going to be staying here. You can't just live off the kindness of these people all winter."

She cocked her head to the side at him. "I suppose… And you keep telling me how fast I am. That ought to count for something." Who knew? Maybe she'd even be good at it. "I take it we'll be getting up early so you can start teaching me?"

"Oh, no. I won't be teaching you. I'm far too old to be tromping around in the snow. My job is to start training Sabine's people into actual fighters. They have a knack for explosives, but they don't know how to fight in the organized way that's needed against an army – hence why they needed your help getting Saker to calm the Hell down."

She knit her brows even as she served herself more stew. "So who will teach me, then?"

He eyed the princess shrewdly. "That girl you couldn't take your eyes off of? On the other side of Sabine from Boulder? That's his granddaughter, Diana. She's also his personal hunter, since he's too old to go out in the snow himself. She'll be teaching you. And she's a tough nut, for sure. Not nearly as forgiving a teacher as I was. Brace yourself for some hard lessons, pup. She's going to put you through the grinder."

Raven thought back to a week before, when she had first stood talking with Sabine. She had tried very hard not to stare, and to keep her attention on what the spritely little man had been saying, but it had been difficult. For some reason, Raven was captivated.

She had dark hair, dusky brown skin, really rather plain-looking, to be honest. But she had this way of holding herself… like a queen among peasants. Everyone else in this village was poor, downtrodden, begging for money and food from a bunch of beggars. But this woman was proud, held her head high. Every aspect of her demeanor showed her strength, her unwillingness to bow down to those who would challenge her. And she was supremely unimpressed with the royal princess before her, if Raven was any judge of the woman's scowl.

So Raven had set off almost in defiance, to prove this nameless woman wrong. This woman was not the only woman who could hold her head high, in Raven's opinion. She also needed Sabine's help, if for no other reason than she could only transport herself to the Sanctuary, and so needed a place for the winter for herself and Walter. She wasn't sure yet that she could be the leader he needed her to be, but she could at least try. And the first step was securing him a damn place to sleep for the winter.

And if it required she spend time with that enigma of a huntress? There were worse fates.

"Alright. Get me up in time? I like making good first impressions."

He chuckled as he took her bowl, putting the stewpot on the floor of the wagon for the dog, making Raven smile. "Aye, I will." They settled in to sleep, the sounds of the dog's grateful eating dying away quickly. She fell asleep with the dog's gentle warmth pressed into her stomach, the familiar smell of his coat filling her nostrils as she dreamed. Of home, and simpler times.