Walter sighed.
"Were any of the other rooms my wife booked affected as well?" Walter asked as he cast an eye up the center opening of the floors.
The woman shook her head. "No other rooms were affected. And I can personally vouch for the maid. She's been with us for more than twenty years with no issues."
Walter held up his hand. "I am not interested in assigning any blame and I'm sure my wife may have more questions concerning this so there is no reason to go into any details now. She's currently meeting with Lord Beyon. As soon as our son comes back out we'll go meet up with her and let her know. Plus I have no idea what all she brought with her so it wouldn't do much good for me to go look at things."
The concierge nodded her head.
"I do have something I need to put in your safe since this happened." Walter told her as he removed his tunic from the bag. He tossed the tunic over his shoulder and opened the bag. He pulled the small case with the jewelry in it out and after quickly looking at the pieces again. He closed and locked the case before he tucked it behind his belt. He held the bag out to the woman.
She took it and smiled as she walked over and sat it on the counter and counted out the contents. "I've got 650 pieces of Los Angeles platinum."
Walter nodded. "That's what I counted with you."
She tied the bag shut and wrote him a voucher for it and then he watched as she put it in the safe.
Walter stepped over and entered the bathing room Ralph had entered and he smiled seeing him washing his hands. Walter set the case on the counter and opened it and put the voucher inside before he locked it again. He pulled off his shirt and put on the tunic again and then tucked the case back under his belt and pulled the tunic over the top concealing it. He pulled his shirt on over the tunic and then grabbed Ralph and tickled him before he pulled him up and sat him back on his hip. They left the hotel quickly and Walter stretched his stride to get back over to the castle as quickly as possible.
About halfway there he heard a voice call his name and he slowed and turned to see Allie and Cabe moving quickly towards him.
"Are you okay? Salina was upset, said Tim had attacked you." Allie asked a little out of breath.
Walter nodded.
"We're fine. Of course had Tim been smarter it could have been a much different outcome." Walter told them as he turned and started continuing his path to the castle.
"What happened Walter?" Cabe asked quickly.
"We were buying a gift for Paige when I saw a reflection in the vendor's glass case of someone with their sword out coming towards my back. I tossed Ralph to my friend and drew my sword as I turned to face the person. A second or two longer in my response and his strike would have been fatal. As it was I was able to catch it and forced him back. He would have fared better had he retreated then but he tried to attack again and when my sword met his it sliced his sword in two." Walter told him as they continued on.
"Lady Paige is going to be very upset." Cabe told him.
Walter nodded. "Probably, but that is only part of the news. Someone barged in as the maid went to clean our suite and attacked her and then rummaged through our things."
Allie and Cabe both gasped.
Ralph looked at Walter. "Did they take any of our things?"
"I don't know yet young man. We'll have to wait until we get back with your Mom to find out." Walter smiled.
As they turned a corner they saw Paige walking down the street and Ralph grinned.
"Mom!" Ralph called out excitedly.
Walter laughed as he sat the young man down and he ran the short distance and jumped into her arms.
Paige hugged Ralph tightly to her.
"How are you my little man?" Paige kissed his cheek as she relaxed her grip on him.
"Great. You should have been there Mom. Dad tossed me through the air to some woman friend of his and drew his sword because some guy came up behind him and tried to kill him." Ralph told her excitedly.
Paige frowned and looked towards Walter. "Walter?"
Walter smiled as he started walking on towards them.
"Someone just couldn't wait to wag their tongue huh?" Walter grinned as he gently tapped Ralph's shoulder with his fist.
"We were buying some things for you when I saw someone with a sword coming up behind us in a reflection." Walter told her as he leaned in and kissed her.
"Are you both okay?" Paige asked as she looked at their clothes but didn't see any blood or cuts in the material.
"We're fine, that Tim guy didn't even get close to us. You should have seen Dad's sword as it sliced right through Tim's." Ralph told her excitedly.
Paige looked from Ralph to Walter and then to Allie. "I thought someone was supposed to be watching them?"
Walter smiled.
"It wasn't anyone's fault love. Tim used a distraction to lure the young lady away from us. The more troubling issue is someone attacked the maid as she was entering our suite to clean and then rummaged through our things. So we need to go back to the hotel and go through everything to see if anything is missing." Walter told her.
Paige's face went through about six shades of anger.
"Do you believe it was this Tim that you think was Lord Markus's other?" Paige demanded.
Walter shrugged.
"Without examining the scene I am not sure. They've got a guard posted on the room and the constable wants us to check on what might be missing." Walter told her.
"Can I give Mom my present now Dad?" Ralph asked anxiously.
Walter laughed as he nodded.
Paige put Ralph down and Walter pulled the box out and unlocked it. Ralph reached in and grabbed the earrings and he turned and put them in her hand. Paige's eyes opened wide at the two earrings. They were made with gold and the beautiful aquamarine stones.
"Ralph, they are beautiful. Where did you get the money?" Paige said with a soft voice.
"Dad said he owed me something called an allowance I could use it to buy them." Ralph grinned.
Paige looked at Walter's face and he just smiled before he leaned back in and kissed her.
"We can talk about it later my love." He whispered quietly.
Paige nodded.
"Perhaps you best put these back in the box until we are back in our rooms." Paige said as she held the earrings out.
Walter nodded and took them and slipped them back in and then pulled out the engagement ring.
"I think you should put this on first though." Walter told her as he opened his hand and she saw the beautiful engagement ring.
"Walter, where did you get all of this?" Paige asked with a catch in her voice. Even as she held her left hand up and Walter slipped it on her finger.
"Later love." Walter told her after kissing her.
"I suppose we better go check on our belongings first and then we can have lunch. And then I want to go pay a visit to this Tim." Paige said darkly.
Walter nodded as he grabbed one of Ralph's hands and she grabbed the other as they turned to walk.
Lady Paige was greeted the moment they walked into the hotel. "Lady Paige, I am Byron, I'm the manager of the hotel and I am so sorry about what happened. I just want to say no hotel has a spotless record when it comes to something like this."
Lady Paige cut him off.
"I'm not interested in that. How is the maid?" She looked about the lobby.
"Of course you would be more worried about her. She's recovering my Lady." He told her politely.
"Then let's get upstairs and see what the damage is." Paige looked to Walter.
"Just don't barge in, let us investigate the seen first." Walter explained as he pulled Ralph up to sit on his hip as he put his hand behind Paige and moved to climb the stairs.
The manager gestured and the concierge followed along behind them with a notepad.
Happy and Toby were standing at the top of the stairs waiting for them as they came up.
"Can you believe this nonsense? First time we've been here that something like this happens here and to your rooms to boot." Happy almost swore.
"That isn't the end of it. Someone tried to kill Walter in the Marketplace while he was shopping with Ralph earlier." Paige explained.
"What? Are you two okay?" Happy and Toby both asked.
Walter nodded with a smile.
"Yes, we're both fine thanks. And old annoying sleaze ball thought he'd catch me unaware." Walter told them as he followed along behind Paige.
"He was far too close to succeeding for my comfort love. And once we're done here I plan on remedying the situation." Paige told him as she looked back over her shoulder.
The guard at their door stepped to the side and they both saw the minor damage done to the door as whoever it was had forced the door open. Walter stopped and turned around.
"Happy, do you mind watching Ralph while Paige and I survey the damage?" Walter asked as he held Ralph out towards her.
Happy nodded and took Ralph and Walter stepped on in and Paige was looking at the blood on the carpet.
Walter stopped and knelt down. He reached a hand down and his fingers touched the blood.
"What are you doing?" Paige frowned as she saw his eyes change color, the pupil turned to a golden brown from its normal appearance.
Walter held up his hand for a moment. Walter could see the attack as it happened.
Paige nodded and pushed the door to their bedroom open. Walter's eyes went wide.
"Paige get down!" He yelled as he reacted instantly. His arm reached out and his hand grabbed her arm and yanked her so hard Paige fell to the floor beside him and Walter rolled over on top of her as something inside their room exploded. The concierge was caught in the blast and thrown backwards and flipped over the railing and fell to the second floor landing.
Happy and Toby while sheltered somewhat as they were off to the side were still knocked to the floor by the concussive blast. Allie and Cabe were on the first floor waiting when the explosion shook the hotel. They both went running up the stairs as fast as they could. Behind them the manager came running along with several bellboys and miscellaneous hotel staff. Cabe and Allie flew on past the body of the concierge as they rounded the second floor and the manager pointed to the woman and continued up the stairs.
The guard recovered first and quickly stepped in and saw Walter lying on top of Paige, the remains of the door littered about them. He knelt down and rolled Walter off of Paige as she began coughing. He grabbed her by the shoulder pads of her armor and began dragging her out into the hallway.
"Paige!" Happy exclaimed as she pushed up off the floor and scrambled over the floor to get to her.
The guard moved back in and grabbed Walter's hands and dragged him back out into the hallway.
"Doc get over here." Happy yelled.
The guard moved over and broke into the firebox and pulled the nozzle out and turned the value allowing water stored on the roof to flood into the hose and he ran back into the suite before he turned on the nozzle and began spraying water about the fire.
Toby gave Alicia to Cabe and he moved up quickly to where Happy knelt with Paige.
"Look out Ralph." Toby shooed him back as he began checking Paige for injuries.
Ralph stepped backwards several steps and tripped over Walter's shoulder and fell across his chest and stomach.
"I'm sorry Dad." Ralph cried. But Walter didn't move.
Allie saw Walter lying there unmoving and her eyes went wide as she took a step and vanished into the shadow and instantly came out 20 yards away right beside Walter and she knelt down even as she helped Ralph to get up. She reached down and felt Walter's throat. She moved her fingers several times and finally she drew in a deep breath as she got a pulse.
"Is my Dad dead?" Ralph almost cried.
"He's alive Ralph." Allie looked up and grabbed Ralph in a hug.
"You stay here with your family." Allie told him as she kissed his forehead.
"Wait, where are you going?" Ralph asked scared.
"I'm going to go settle a score once and for all." Allie told him as she jumped over the side of the railing and vanished from sight into the shadow.
Lady Paige was trying to move but was completely disorientated.
"Happy, you got to get her to hold still so these guys can transport her to safety downstairs so I can evaluate Walter." Toby told his wife.
Happy nodded as she grabbed Paige's hands and struggled with her trying to keep her from getting off the hand liter that the bellboys were picking her up on.
The manager was in the suite with the guard as they worked to get all the fire put out.
Toby knelt down next to Walter and began examining him. "Damn it Walter. You are going to give me premature grey hair you know that?"
Ralph looked at him. "What's that?"
Toby looked at Ralph and smiled.
"Its when stress and worry or circumstance can make a person's hair change to white earlier than it should." Toby explained as he continued to examine him.
"But you already got grey hair." Ralph frowned.
Toby stopped instantly and looked over his shoulder at Ralph. He began laughing as he shook his head and looked back at Walter. Toby felt something hard around his hip and he frowned and pulled his shirt and tunic up and saw the case.
"What is this?" Toby asked as he pulled the case out of his pants.
"Oh, that's Mom's presents." Ralph told him as he held his hands out.
Toby nodded and handed it back to him and went back to examining Walter.
Two more bellboys came running upstairs with another liter and after Toby gave them the okay they got Walter on it and they grunted as they tried to lift him up.
"Goodnight, how much does this guy weigh?" One of the guys complained.
Cabe laughed.
"Wait a moment." Cabe said as he sat Alicia on the floor and opened a small pouch on his side and pulled out a white dove's feather and he intoned a spell and the feather disappeared.
"They you go, you shouldn't have a problem moving him now." Cabe told them as he picked up Alicia.
The men nodded as they tried to lift him again and found him extremely light.
Greetings! I hope this finds you all well! I got out of the house for a bit this morning. Got to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine as I went to the corner and got me some chili cheese dogs.
Franxine - hehe Yep, the case is still there! I don't know about that story you asked about. I hadn't seen one where Toby had died. Let alone that Walter and Happy decided to turn their marriage into a real life together nor Paige and Tim getting married. Maybe one of the other readers will know and can post about it.
Railman - Thanks! I'm not yet sure how the story will appear at AO3, I'll make sure to post a link to it on my profile page, probably under all the links to the various art I have had made for my 2 fantasy stories.
Lucy - Thanks! I got a feeling furious will be a mild adjective to describe Paige when she regains full cognizance.
Susan - It is all good! As long as I hear from everyone from time to time to know you are all okay. hehe Yep, I figured people might enjoy that part of the scene, surely we've all been there before! I hate when stores do that. Man it is so frustrating! At one time the wife really loved those blueberry Belvita things to have with her morning coffee. They always had them in the cereal aisle and then one day I go and they aren't there. Ask the manager if he was trying to get me killed by not carrying them anymore. He laughed and said they were with the cookies now. I was dumbfounded. How do you put a breakfast/snack bar into the cookie aisle?
Margaret - So glad to hear you are vaccinated! And you are right, still need to wear a mask, maintain 6 feet from others and wash your hands even after being vaccinated. The different vaccines have different success percentages and they have no clue if they will help on the variants and I was just reading earlier that the researchers are growing more concerned about the variants! Everyone, please use your head and stay safe. As for your review. I have my account set so anyone who doesn't have an account on FF, their comments have to be approved. I don't mind negative reviews if that is what someone feels, but according to other writers there are people who just go around and post horrible things and I don't want that. That is why when you do comment, it won't show up until I come back and approve it or I think after 36 hours it is auto approved. As for the new story, Happy Secrets, as I said to Railman above, I will post a link to the story on AO3 on my bio/profile page. Sadly FF does not allow the posting of links or photos inside of stories so I can't just post it in the the version of the story that gets posted here.
To the Adventure! -Tim