Before the couple knew it, a whole year had passed in the blink of an eye, and every townsperson had found out by now that the two were together and very much in love. They all helped out, giving advice that really wasn't needed, but supported their relationship nonetheless. The knights even grew to respect Karena, as they were thankful that her influence had softened Zacharias' heart, thus creating less of an intimidation factor in the workplace.

But it wasn't lollipops and gumdrops forever, as all relationships tend to have one breaking point. Zacharias' and Karena's began with this one specific question…

"How is it that I fail to see you at any trial Karena?" Zacharias asked after they had finished their picnic lunch – a regular event that the two of them became accustomed to.

Karena hesitated in response to the question. The truth was that she had been avoiding it and that whole part of his life, because her viewpoint and his were far from the same. She felt that it probably would've been bad if she had kept anything from him now, when they had been together for so long.

So she hoped for the best and answered with, "I…do not like the tension in that place, let alone the chanting. They make me very uneasy…"

Hopefully he would just leave it at that and drop the subject, but that wasn't the case, as he continued to ask about it. Zacharias was concerned of course, and she understood that, but she didn't want the truth to break their relationship apart. Unfortunately their conversation led to that as Karena was forced to tell him her true feelings that she had kept from him for so long.

"I just…do not like the way that the Inquisition condemns the females that they put on trial!" Karena uttered with tears of concern in her eyes.

"But they are witches. They must be put on trial and cleansed by fire. It is the law." Zacharias said in his defense.

"What if they are innocent?!"

"There is proof that they have committed the crime."

"What proof?"

"Evidence…and witnesses of the act."

"What if they are framed by the witch when she testifies as a witness?"

"Why are you so adamant in claiming that these women could be innocent?"

"That girl you put on trial all those years ago…" Karena said shakily. "Her name was Elizabeth. She was a poor girl, jumping from job to job just to buy even a crumb for dinner. She wasn't a witch at all, and you along with those witnesses sent her to the flames!"

"Karena that girl was a witch. She told me the truth." Zacharias said steadily, before pausing in thought as the answer of this whole argument came to him. "If you are on her side…perhaps you might me a witch also…"

This infuriated Karena, as she stood glaring at him with tears flowing down her face. "If you came to that conclusion Zacharias Barnham…" she told him firmly with a shaky voice. "Then we shouldn't even be together!"

She then took off running away from him, ignoring his calls for her to come back.

"Blast!" the knight uttered angrily. "You have done it now Zacharias…And just when I was thinking of asking her that…"

For weeks Karena gave him the cold shoulder, a drastic change from shy avoidance to outright ignorance. Whenever the two happened to be in the same place, she would just cross her arms, pout, and leave the area without so much as a word or loving gaze towards him. This in turn caused a great conflict within him, as her argument began to take root in his thoughts. Of course it was his duty to send the witches to their fiery end, but Karena's viewpoints had made such an impact on his hands. He shouldered these thoughts for a long time, and even brought them to a particular trial…

"…nham. Inquisitor Barnham!" the judge stated loudly, waking the Inquisitor from his thoughts.

That's right…He had been in the middle of a trial, the woman's life in his hands, and he had chosen to go ahead with it, regardless of his conflicting thoughts on the matter.

"Are you alright?" he asked further with concern.

No. He was far from alright. He was at war with himself and the woman he loved more than anything was possibly never going to talk to him. In fact, he was never going to be alright until he made things right with Karena.

"Inquisitor…?" the judge questioned further as the knight silently closed his eyes.

"Please forgive me, but I cannot continue with this trial until I set things right with the one I love." Zacharias announced before he turned and darted out the doors, disregarding all of the shocked knights on guard he had passed.

It was evening, so he knew that she would be at home around this time, and immediately ran in that direction. As he passed the tree line down the path to her house, he noticed her standing outside.

"Karena!" he shouted out to her with a tone of urgency in his voice.

She started and looked at him with shock as he came to a stop in front of her. "What are you doing here?!" she asked. "Isn't there a trial you should be at right now?"

"Yes, but I left in the middle of it." Zacharias replied, causing her to become more surprised. "I left because I could not go on, without apologizing to you first."

"But Zachary…your job…" Her gaze softened as she became concerned. "Isn't it more important?"

"At this point in time…Nothing is more important to me than my relationship with you…" he told her calmly while pulling her into an embrace. "I am sorry I ever questioned you Karena. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

She let out a sigh, before wrapping her arms around him in response. "Of course I forgive you. After all, I felt that you didn't really mean it and it was a petty argument…but you are a fool!" she said, ending her statement with an upset pout aimed at him. "Do you even realize what you were risking when you left that trial?!"

"Yes, it is true that the High Inquisitor may have my head for this…" Zacharias replied, showing the littlest hint of fear in his tone. "But I would rather be on her bad side, than on yours."

"You are too chivalrous for your own good Zachary…" Karena commented as she started to blush. "Anyway, you must go back now." – she pulled away before turning him around – "The longer you stick around here, the angrier she'll get. She might have even sent a small battalion to come get you."

"Very well then. I shall go…" He trailed off while gazing at her longingly over his shoulder.

Karena saw this and flashed a small smile before pulling him down to her level and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Come back later and you might just get yourself a home cooked meal." She offered.

Zacharias smirked as he then took the opportunity to plant a kiss on her lips. "I shall take you up on that offer my love." He said.

"Now go Zachary!" Karena told him with a smile. "You cannot afford to dawdle with your job in danger!"

She turned him around once more and gave him a little shove in the right direction to get him going before he lost his job. After all, she would have to support him and his work life, if she really was going to eventually become his wife.

She was hoping on it, in fact…