Walter and Paige seemed to be avoiding the dragon between them. While Walter had been completely honest with Paige when he called her his Love he was nonetheless embarrassed to have let it slip out as he had. He began thinking after slipping up with Cabe in his tower and now in the woods with Paige he must be losing his mind.

Paige on the other hand was thrilled by his proclamation but something was holding her back. But she also worried about not having said she loved him back. Surely her kiss told him all he needed to know. She also couldn't seem to cast off the feelings of what would her people say if she took their relationship to the next level. She knew Happy and the rest of her company would be happy with her choice but as Lady of the lands she had other concerns. But she also didn't want Walter to feel isolated by her lack of response to his declaration.

They rode down the road side by side since Ralph's instruction for the day was complete.

Happy drove the team of horses pulling the merchant's wagon with Toby and Alicia sitting next to her.

Toby thought back to shortly after Walter had walked off into the woods and Paige came around with the merchant's wagon. He pulled Paige off to the side and complained bitterly about what Walter had done to Happy. "Look my Lady, I know you and Walter are just really getting into your relationship but you have got to have a talk with him."

Paige frowned. "What is wrong Toby?"

Toby looked over and saw Happy playing with Alicia and he continued speaking quietly. "He used some Bard song to wipe a memory from Happy's mind."

Paige looked up in shock. "He did what?"

Toby nodded. "Happy threw her hammer at one of the robbers and ended up killing him. When she found out she was distraught about it. Rather then letting her work through it he sang some song and erased the memory from her mind."

Paige smiled. "Why does that upset you? It seems like a perfectly acceptable thing to do."

Toby stared with his mouth open. "Well maybe if he had at least discussed it with me or maybe you first I would agree. But he just unilaterally decided to do it and that isn't right."

Paige shook her head. "Fine, I will speak with him about it later." She turned without waiting for another response and walked off into the woods to find Walter.

Paige moved her charger a bit closer to Walter and let go of the reins with her right hand and reached over and touched his elbow.

Walter smiled as he looked over and reached out with his left hand and took her hand in his and they continued riding down the road holding hands.

All while unaware of a pair of golden eyes watching them as they rode.

Slowly his smile faded and he looked back down the road. His keen eyes searching back and forth as he strained his ears listening. There was something on the road but he couldn't isolate it no matter how hard he tried.

Walter looked at Paige. "We need to stop for a moment."

Paige frowned but held up her hand calling for the company to stop. She watched as Walter jumped down and began walking back and forth down the road they rode on.

Each time he thought he had it suddenly it was gone and he'd have to walk around some more.

Sir Sylvester, Cabe, Happy and Toby watched him walking around the road and Sir Sylvester watching Walter walking back and forth with a hand out and he shook his head. "I don't know what our Lady sees in him. What an idiot."

Cabe looked out and frowned. "He looks like he is trying to sense something. But regardless, you better get it through your head that he is falling in love with our Lady just as she is falling in love with him. You keep it up and irritate her and she might just decide to make an object lesson out of you."

Cabe left Sir Sylvester sputtering and walked out to where Walter was now standing. "What's going on Walter?"

Walter looked back and shook his head. "I'm not sure. There is something here on the road, I'm sure of it. I can almost hear it and once in a while I can almost see it. And then it moves swiftly away. It is almost maddening."

Cabe nodded. "Next time you know the direction of it point. I'll cast a reverse of an invisibility spell see if it is something moving invisibly."

Walter nodded as he focused again.

Cabe pulled out a small black opal from his spell bag and began intoning the spell. The small stone disappeared as Cabe finished the spell. Walter pointed and Cabe thrust the hand that was holding the gem in the direction Walter pointed and the magic struck something.

Suddenly a small one foot tall humanoid with wings appeared and she giggled pointing at Walter.

Walter drew in a deep breath. "Damn it Pixie. What do you want? Do you know how much time I have wasted trying to figure out what was going on?"

The Pixie began laughing. "I got a secret."

Walter rolled his eyes. "Most Pixies do."

Paige walked back. "What's going on?"

The Pixie's eyes opened wide and she bowed. "Lady Paige, honor it is."

Paige smiled. "Thank you, what brings you out here?"

The Pixie smiled as she flew over by Paige. "I've been following you since you killed the bad men."

Paige looked over to the wagon and back to the Pixie. "Was there something in the wagon that belonged to you?"

The Pixie shook her head. "They killed my friend. I was waiting to repay you for killing them."

Walter shook his head. "You thanked us. That is all the payment we need. You are free to return home."

The Pixie shook her head. "No, I must grant."

"No." Walter almost yelled interrupting her by startling her. "We do not want your wish. I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude."

The Pixie looked to Paige. "Does he speak for all of you Lady Paige?"

Paige smiled. "He could have been a little nicer about it, but he has a point. Wishes have a habit of coming true in the worst way possible. We are happy we were able to avenge your friend's death. But we don't want a wish, thank you."

The Pixie looked from Paige to Walter and then back again. "Very well, I thank you and long life to you." The Pixie smiled and then vanished before them.

Walter strained his senses for a moment and then nodded. "I think she is gone."

Cabe laughed. "What's so wrong about a wish?"

Walter looked at him. "Look at our group. Besides two young kids there are at least three people I wouldn't trust to happen to say the words I wish for some random thing without knowing about the Pixie and she grant it. It is just too risky."

Paige nodded. "Walter's right. You never know what form a wish will take to being granted. What if Ralph said he wished his Dad was still alive? Something he has done many times since we were told he died. We don't know what the repercussions of that would be. Would he appear before him alive only to die a few minutes later? Would both Drew and Merrick's soul inhabit the body? And that is just what I can think of off the top of my head."

Walter nodded. "Imagine if Sir Sylvester wished he could defeat Paige. The next thing we know is he has all of Paige's experience and she has his."

Cabe slowly nodded. "You both make really good points." Cabe walked on back over to where Sir Sylvester sat with his horse.

Walter looked at Paige. "Sorry I was a little rude with her. I've just had some bad experiences with people making wishes in the past."

Paige smiled as she reached out and took his hand. "It is okay Walter. I understand. Oh, Toby voiced a complaint to me earlier."

Walter laughed as he looked over and saw him with Happy and Alicia on the wagon. "I can imagine."

Paige nodded. "I thought his reaction was a bit ridiculous but Happy is his wife. I know your heart was in the right place."

Happy walked up to them and looked at Paige. "So why didn't you let the Pixie grant us a wish? That would have been awesome."

Paige laughed. "You say that now. You've never had to deal with a wish gone bad."

Ralph joined them and looked up with a frown. "How can a wish go bad?"

Walter smiled. "Imagine if you didn't word it correctly. What if you wished for an end to world hunger?"

Ralph frowned again. "Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Walter nodded. "It would be a good thing. But what if in order to accomplish it the wish killed half of all the people on the planet?"

Ralph gasped. "That would be horrible."

Walter nodded. "That is why it is best not to mess with wishes. The best thing you can do is get rid of the phrase 'I wish' completely from your vocabulary."

Ralph nodded quickly. "I can understand that."

Everyone walked back up to their horses and wagons before they mounted and continued down the road.

Paige called a halt to their travel about an hour early as they came to a stream from the mountain. Rather than continue on and then have to look for another stream for water. With the extra six horses it took them a bit longer to get camp set up. But with the branches Walter had gathered Sara started right away on preparing dinner.

Walter took Paige's charger and his mare over and tied them to a tether line Happy ran out while Paige began setting up the tents. After unsaddling the horses he gave both of them an apple and then he began grooming his mare and then turned and groomed her charger.

Ralph was assisting Victor with the team he drove while Happy and Toby worked on the team she drove. Alicia got to sit on the buckboard and pretend she was driving the wagon.

Walter stepped down and helped finished the horses Ralph and Victor were working on as Cabe and Sir Sylvester helped Happy and Toby.

Once done Walter grabbed Ralph up and began tossing him up in the air and catching him over and over. Alicia watched in fascination and began yelling. "Daddy, do me, do me."

Toby groaned as he looked over to see what she was looking at. He shook his head and stepped over and picked her up and tried his best to mimic Walter throwing Ralph up in the air with her.

Paige smiled as she watched Walter with Ralph for a few minutes before she turned to finish the last tent.

Walter looked at Ralph. "Did you get your homework finished?"

Ralph grinned and nodded before he ran over to the wagon and pulled his books out and brought them over so Walter could look over his work. Walter walked over and sat on a large rock and examined the first paper and he went, "Tsk" as he marked off each answer as Ralph stood there frowning.

Finally Walter looked sternly up at Ralph. "What do you have to say for yourself young man?"

Ralph was nearly in tears. "I'm sorry Walter. I tried my best. I really did. How bad did I do?"

Walter grinned. "You got them all right again."

Ralph's expression changed to one of happiness instantly and he jumped into Walter's arms and hugged him. "You had me so worried I messed up."

Walter laughed as he hugged him back. "Sorry Buddy, I couldn't resist teasing you. You did a great job. Why don't you go tell your Mom."

Ralph nodded as Walter sat him back down and he took off over to where Paige was helping set up the table and chairs.

Walter crossed his arms for a moment as he watched and smiled.

After hugging Ralph and congratulating him on his work she walked over to where Walter stood watching. Paige stretched up on her toes as she pulled his head down and they kissed.

As they kissed Walter slid his arms around her sides. The longer they kissed she felt Walter's hand move further down the small of her back when it touched the chain mail that covered from the breastplate to her grieves.

Paige lightly smacked his hand. "By the way, Ralph told me he got all of his homework right again."

Walter smiled. "Ralph is a very studious young man. I am quite impressed with him."

They kissed again and as their lips parted Paige smiled. "Did you really mean what you said back in that camp?"

Walter's hands were back on her hips and he nodded as his cheeks felt hot. "I couldn't believe I had come out and just said it like that. I was so worried you weren't at the same place as I was in our relationship and you were going to blow a gasket. But then the way you kissed me back made me think you might have felt the same." He rubbed his chin. "But then you argued about bringing the wagon around without me so I started worrying that maybe I had gone too far and you were really upset."

Paige grinned. "No, you didn't go too far. I was surprised but so relieved at the same time. With Drew I had said I loved him first. I always kind of regretted that. But hearing you say that to me has had a smile in my heart ever since. All afternoon as we rode I kept worrying about not having said it back. Hoping you wasn't mad or that you were worried I wasn't at that point with you."

"Then I was so worried about how fast we were moving towards each other like we were. Not that we were moving too fast but for how fast others would see it. If they would accept it with it being less than a year since Drew died. Would it cause people to dislike you?"

Walter pulled her tight against him and hugged her. "While I appreciate your armor's protection for you, I still hate it because I can't feel you through it. But yes, I do love you."

Paige laughed gently before she kissed his neck. "Well just so you have no doubt and you know. I love you Walter, there is no doubt in my mind about it. If you are at the same point as I am I wish we could just bypass all the nonsense and be married."

Walter smiled as he tried to hug her tighter and then her words ran through his mind and he frowned. He pulled back and looked at her before he looked around quickly.

Paige frowned. "Walter?"

"I'm looking to see if I can see that Pixie. You said the words I wish." Walter told her as he continued to look around.

Paige gasped with a look of horror on her face. Suddenly she laughed as she shook her head. "The Pixie left, I'm sure we're fine."

Walter took in a deep breath. "While I would not object to being married to you I would like to propose first. I wouldn't want us to be married like that." He smiled at her and they kissed again. As Walter's lips parted Paige felt his tongue touch her lips and she parted her lips in a smile as his tongue slipped between them. Their tongues pressed back and forth against each other when suddenly they heard cheering and clapping. They broke their kiss and looked back towards the camp and saw everyone standing there as they began throwing cooked rice over them.

They both stared at them as they heard from behind them, "It is my honor to present our Lady Paige and her husband Sir Walter. May Athena continue to bless you both."

They both spun around and saw the temple Mistress from her private temple standing there. They looked each other up and down. Walter was wearing a forest green formal suit while Paige was wearing a slightly off white elegant wedding gown.

Paige stared at him almost scared. "But, that can't be legitimate. Can it?"

Walter looked down at her left hand and pointed.

Paige looked down and almost screamed in shock seeing a wedding ring on her finger. She quickly looked at Walter's hand and saw a matching ring.

Happy looked at them both and frowned. "You know, it is customary for the newlyweds to get cold feet before they get married, not after."

"We're not married." Paige almost yelled back at her. "It was that damn Pixie and her wish."

Cabe frowned. "Your temple Mistress just married you guys a few moments ago. What do you mean it was the Pixie and her wish?"

Paige slapped her forehead with her hand. "A few moments ago we weren't married. I stupidly said I wish we could bypass all the nonsense and be married. Apparently the Pixie was still about and granted it."

Paige looked up at Walter with tears in her eyes. "I'm really sorry Walter. If you want I can have the Mistress annul it."

Greetings! Hoping this finds you all well. We're still getting by.

To the Adventure! -Tim