Kate was thankful they made good time that morning, and arrived at the coastal town of Dieppe in the early afternoon. Will was leading them toward the Roberge estate, which was located inland from the sea, and a short distance from town. Kate's plan was to leave them before they reached it and go on to the tournament grounds, where she was hoping she could find lodging for the night and perhaps a ride on to Calais the following day. There she could pass easier to England and continue north on her trek home. When they reached the fork in the road that led to town, Kate realized it was her time to part from the others.

She stilled the horse that was pulling the cart, and climbed up to grab her bag of belongings.

"So, this is it, then?" Roland asked up at her.

"I think so," she smiled at him. "I'll go on to the village from here." He gave her his hand and helped her down from the wagon.

"Are you certain you won't at least spend the night at Jocelyn's? Start fresh in the morning?" Though he seemed sad, Roland's eyes held a warmth in them. Kate was going to miss that.

"No, I think I'll just head into town, and try to find a route to Calais for tomorrow."

"Well, best of luck then, lass. We're going to miss you terribly." He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug then, and Kate was touched by the affection he so rarely displayed.

"Thank you Roland, I'll miss you too." Then she turned to Wat who had joined them at Roland's side. He wasn't as good at hiding his emotions, but all anger he had demonstrated earlier in the day was gone. His eyes had filled with tears that were threatening to pour over, and his bottom lip quivered in a way that Kate would have found amusing if she hadn't been so moved. She reached up to him and gave him a tight squeeze.

As she turned, Geoff stepped up to her. "So no chance of talking you out of this, then?" he asked with a hint of defeat. His voice dropped slightly, "I know why you're doing this, but don't you think he should too?" He gestured over his shoulder to where Will was dismounting from the stallion.

Kate chose not to remark on his implications. Instead she wrapped him in a close embrace. "I'm going to miss you, too, Geoff. Look after everyone for me, wont you?" When they separated he looked at her seriously.

"Take care of yourself, love. If you change your mind, you know where to find us. For the next few days at least. And you know we'll be heading east after that, if you plan on catching us up."

"I don't think that will be happening, Geoff, but thank you. Thank you for all you've done for me. You've been a true friend." She squeezed his hand and gave him a brave smile, then swung her satchel over her head and headed over to the knight.

At first she thought he wasn't going to acknowledge her, that she would have to say goodbye to his back, as he was turned and adjusting something on the saddle.

She cautiously cleared her throat, and attempted her final farewell. "Will, I… I just wanted to…" her words seemed to fail there.

He turned then, but refused look at her. His narrowed eyes focused on something in the distance. Up close, she could see the water drops that had formed at the tips of his blond locks. She knew there were many more details like that that she would never witness again.

"So, I guess you'll be heading off now, then. Is that it?" he asked gruffly to the treetops behind her.

"Yes." She felt small, like a child being scolded for making the wrong choice.

"Do you have everything you need?" he checked.

Not even close, she thought. "Yes, I've got it all," she answered. "I've left most of my tools behind, in the wagon, though. You should try to sell them, if you can, to the other armorers at the tournament. I think you could get a good fee for them."

"All right, then." He still hadn't looked at her. In the overcast weather, his eyes looked darker than usual, almost black.

"Listen, William, I want you to know that I did- I do- value your friendship. I don't want you to think this was easy for me to do, and I am going to miss you all terribly. Please believe me when I say that some of my fondest memories have been from these past few months. It was just time for me to move on, that's all…" Her words felt empty, and hollow. She could see he wasn't really interested in what she was saying, his eyes had dropped to the ground and he was nodding his head automatically. Kate decided that was the best she could have hoped for, and turned to leave. She left him with, "Good luck in the tournament."

As she was turning, she felt his hand on her arm turning her back to him. "Wait," he said simply, and wrapped her in a warm embrace. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, savouring every moment. She held on tightly to his tunic at his sides, scared for the first time of letting go, of loosing him. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, and she took strength from it then, from him. As they parted she looked into his face once more, saw the intensity in his eyes as they bore into hers and almost changed her mind, right then and there.

She reached up on tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye, William." Then she turned and started towards town.

"Goodbye, Kate," he mumbled softly. He watched her retreating back, but she refused to turn around. She didn't think her resolve would hold if she gave herself the chance to look back.

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