Everyone present grinned and began to get excited in Lord Walter's stirring.

"Dad!" Ralph yelled out as he ran into the crowd outside the room staring into the sick rooms waiting to see what the word was for Lord Walter's recovery. The crowd broke apart a little making room for Ralph to get into the sick rooms.

Ralph saw his family down by one of the beds and he ran at full speed down to them and into his Mother's arms.

Ralph was crying even as Paige wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly to her. Paige kept singing as she gave physical comfort to her son. Slowly that song impacted Ralph as well and he began to release his grip on her and Paige did the same until they parted.

"What are you doing here young man? You are supposed to be in school." Paige asked pointedly.

"The town's crier announced what had happened and I bolted straight away so I could find out how Dad was doing." Ralph told her even as he looked down to his Father lying there. He could see the blood stained sheets and his clothes. But his arm was healed. He looked at his Grandfather and saw he had blood spray over his undershirt, face and arms.

"I think we need to discuss the town crier making such announcements Sir Cabe." Paige told him as she looked over at him coldly.

Sir Cabe grinned despite the serious look on Lady Paige's face.

"You'll have to speak with the Lord about that my Lady. The town governor's requested all information pertaining to the Lord to always be made available as soon as possible, within reason of course. Personal things are never relayed, nor are they expected to be." Sir Cabe told her.

"While I'm glad personal things aren't disseminated it would still be better that something like this not be announced during school time. Not only is it bad for Ralph it would be disruptive for all the kids I am sure. Who would be able to continue learning knowing something horrible happened to their Lord?" Paige said before her attention was pulled back to Walter as he groaned again.

Sylvester looked at Sir Cabe.

"You know, I don't say this lightly, but maybe we should look into some of John's friends. Our Lord has certainly made a lot of enemies in the Necromancer society. This could have just been part of a larger plan to undermine him by wounding him. Some might come to see it as him being weak and possibly vulnerable for a take over." Sylvester told him.

"Wha-What happened?" Lord Walter asked as consciousness slowly returned.

Sir Cabe bit back the statement he'd started to respond to Sylvester with, when he was interrupted by Lord Walter's words.

"You were attacked by a friend of Sylvester's, and lost an arm because of him." Sean spat out before anyone else could say anything.

Paige, Louise and Megan all glared at him but Sean didn't waiver from his position of exposing Sylvester as at the moment he was very close to hating him.

Walter's eyes slowly opened as he looked around and saw where he was and everyone around him.

"Sylvester?" Lord Walter questioned.

"I'm very sorry my Lord. John, well John had me fooled. I had no idea he was up to such badness. And I am very sorry for not letting you know I knew he was a Necromancer." Sylvester told him while standing as firmly as he could while his voice wavered.

"My arm?" Lord Walter asked worried even as he pulled his right hand up and looked up and down his arm.

"It is right where it should be my love. Thanks to your Father, the patrol, Selase, Toby, Allie, Amanda, your temple Mistress and of course the wise Lady herself. Not to mention everyone who aided in getting you down here." Paige told him as she reached out and stroked his cheek again.

Lord Walter sighed even as he took Paige's hands in his as he smiled at her.

"My beautiful bride, oh how I love you." Walter told her.

Paige smiled.

"And I love you my Lord. You just missed Lisa. She came down, very upset, to check on you after hearing the news." Paige told him.

"She's been a constantly blessing for me and now you as well." Walter nodded with a smile as he kissed her hand as it passed close by his lips.

"I'm sorry, I'm still disorientated...what is this that I was attacked by a friend of Sylvester's?" Walter asked softly.

"His friend John, apparently he was a Necromancer. Something Sylvester failed to tell us before today." Sir Cabe told him.

"A Necromancer, has been living on my lands?" Lord Walter asked as he looked over to see Sylvester standing there his cheeks red from embarrassment and looking down in guilt. "First let me say a heart felt thank you, to all of you who worked so hard to ensure my well being, whether it had been physically, magically or spiritually. My gratitude, if there is anything you need, you know you only have to ask and if it is within my power I shall grant it."

"Now, Sylvester what is this you were saying?" Lord Walter asked.

Sylvester blushed red as he looked to the floor.

"My friend, well who I thought was a friend, John, he was a Necromancer and I'm sorry I never told you before. I'd always known him to be a good man. I had no idea he was capable of doing what he did to you. Or anyone else for that matter." Sylvester told him.

Lord Walter sighed.

"Sylvester I know you haven't been on as many missions against Necromancers as Happy and I, since we had cleared these lands of a good number of them before you joined us. I hope this has finally made you understand, you can't trust them. You know the laws, made from the wise Lady's own tenants. You know what has to happen now, right?" Lord Walter struggled with his emotions.

"Please don't be too hard on him my Lord." Happy spoke up. "After all, I've dealt with each Necromancer with you and even I tend to cut them some slack until they prove they can't be trusted. But Sylvester had a good idea. I think we need to bring John's friends in and question them."

Walter looked at Happy and she frowned reading his eyes. Knowing what was going to have to happen because of this. Walter saw the tears well up in her eyes as she slowly nodded.

"Now, I'm going to have to tell everyone but Sylvester, who is able, to leave these halls." Lord Walter said in his commanding voice.

Happy punch Sylvester's shoulder as she passed by. "I hope you know how much you mean to me."

Sylvester nodded even as he reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

Paige had remained sitting beside Walter even as most of the others moved out of the hall. Megan, Louise and Sean also stayed. While this was a Lordly situation, still it was a family one too. Ralph stood there waiting on his Dad to acknowledge him.

Walter smiled up at his son and reached over and squeezed his hand.

"Was I unconscious so long that school is over? Just how much time has passed?" Walter asked.

"No, the town crier announced that you had been injured and Ralph ran out of school and up to the Keep. We need to have a discussion about the crier's announcements." Paige told him firmly.

Walter nodded.

"Why did you protect this man Sylvester?" Lord Walter asked as he squeezed Paige's hand.

"I've never been one to judge someone for the actions of others my Lord. I kept hoping, I needed to believe, that another could change or not be what others of their type are." Sylvester said weakly.

Walter's eyes closed.

"Don't you know the worst that could have happened to this man was to be banished from my lands? As long as he hadn't done anything wrong? Have I been that terrible as a judge that you think I would do something dastardly to an innocent? Yes, I don't like and don't trust Necromancers, but I still wouldn't have treated him unfairly as long as he left my lands and never returned. Do you understand the position you have put me in now? This is a serious betrayal of the code of my lands, the code that ensures everyone's well being." Lord Walter asked.

Sylvester nodded.

"You have always been fair and compassionate as a judge my Lord. That's part of why I believe in others not being the same. That some of them are good no matter what has been done by those before them. Or rather I did before John did this." Sylvester said quietly.

"Sylvester, of all the people in this world, my tenants grant the greatest protection and liberty to all but Necromancers. You can't trust them. They will put up a great front until conditions change and their plans can be made into reality. Among other things I'm going to have to delve into the lives of the people around this man and find out if anyone else was involved or if they are a Necromancer. As well as I have to convene a trial now, for you." Lord Walter said sadly.

"A trial, what would you try him for? Just for knowing someone? Are you kidding me little brother? And just what would be the outcome of this trial?" Megan nearly screamed.

Sylvester shook his head at Megan.

"Lord Walter is right and I knew the laws of his lands. I was wrong in what I did Megan. I've been too trusting and because of it, my Lord was seriously injured, he could have been killed. I was stupid and I have to be held accountable for it." Sylvester told her even as he put his arms around her. "Understand it isn't because he wants to do this, he has too. He'd be seen as a hypocrite, of playing favorites if he ignored what I had done."

Sylvester squared his shoulders even as he removed his arms from around Megan. He turned to face Lord Walter lying there. "I won't put you in a position to conduct a trial over what I did my Lord. I waive my right to a trial and freely confess my guilt against you and the laws that govern your lands. I ask for no mercy, whatever the punishment, I'll accept it. I but await your sentence."

"I will have to take time to consider everything Sylvester. Go; enjoy your day, for now." Walter told him. "Thank you my family for remaining but I need to be alone."

Sean and Louise turned and walked out with Ralph even as Megan glared at her brother but finally turned with Sylvester and left Lord Walter lying there with Lady Paige beside him.

"What are you thinking my love?" Paige asked softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"That I'm going to have to do something to one of my oldest friends, something I do not want to have to do." Walter told her softly.

"What is the punishment for what he has done?" Paige asked concerned.

"Technically he is guilty of being an accomplice to a conspiracy to kill me. That carries the death penalty. For giving aid and comfort to a Necromancer that is grounds for banishment from my lands after ten years of imprisonment and hard labor." Walter told her with his eyes closed.

Paige saw the tears leak out from between his eye lids even as she sat there stunned. She hadn't even considered that by his silence Sylvester was just as guilty of the attack as the man who had done it. "Is there anything I can do for you my love?" Paige finally voiced.

Walter sighed.

"If you would my love, accompany me to speak with my temple Mistress. I'm going to need the wisdom of the wise Lady for this." Walter told her even as he swung his legs off the side of the bed and sat up.

Paige grabbed his shoulders in alarm.

"Love, you should lie here a bit longer at least. You have been through a lot." Paige pleaded.

Walter shook his head as he pulled what was left of his tunic on over his head.

"The sooner my people see me up the sooner the word spreads that I am still the protector they all rely on. It is what is required and needed from me." Walter told her with a slight smile before he stood.

Paige jumped up and moved around the bed. Walter let her embrace him for a moment before he stepped back and took her hand.

"I can't be seen as leaning on you my Lady. But I am so thankful for you in my life. Everything that was so wrong has been made so right because of you." Walter told her even as he leaned in and kissed her.

Paige smiled sadly. "I just wish I had known the wise Lady's plans to begin with. You and I could have spent the last 10 years pleasuring each other as we built our lives together. While we cleared the lands together with Happy, building up our friendship with her, and the others as they came into our lives. Raising Ralph together, you and I and any other children that came after. Do you think, if we had, would we have had the twins earlier in our lives together? Would we have had other children before them? How do things like that play out with the souls? The wise Lady's words to Happy seemed to suggest that the soul of the daughter she was supposed to already have had is still waiting for her chance to be born. Are there other souls of children we were supposed to have waiting?"

"Questions I am not sure I am qualified to answer my love. Perhaps after we talk with the Mistress we'll know more." Walter smiled as he tugged on her hand and they began walking out of the sick rooms.

They were stopped briefly by each member of the servants and guards that they passed and Lord Walter took a moment to shake their hands and thank them for all they did for the Lands and for him personally.

The temple Mistress sat waiting for the Lord to arrive at her door. Once she knew Sylvester's complicity she knew that Lord Walter would seek her out. Even still she jumped at the knock on her door. She got up quickly and opened the door.

"Please come in my Lord and Lady." She said with a weak smile and gestured.

Lord Walter and Lady Paige stepped into the room and turned to face the Mistress as she closed the door.

"I'm going to assume you know why I'm here." Lord Walter asked.

The Mistress nodded.

"I did, as soon as I heard Sylvester's involvement. You seek the wise Lady's wisdom in how to resolve this matter with him." She replied.

Lord Walter nodded.

The temple Mistress pulled her golden owl medallion up away from on top of her robes and took it in her hands before she began chanting. Her eyes closed, and several long moments past while she chanted and then the chanting ceased and her eyes opened.

"My son and daughter, as always, I love to see the two of you together, finally. Speak my son, unburden your spirit." The choral voice of Athena spoke.

Megan looked at Sylvester once they entered her parent's rooms.

"Okay, I've held it in all this time, so what is going to be your punishment for this?" Megan demanded of Sylvester.

Sylvester smiled but she saw tears in his eyes.

"Louise, Sean, I can't apologize enough for what I allowed to happen today. I know Sean and I had some flair ups at first but I was looking forward to becoming your son when Megan and I got married." Sylvester told them honestly.

"Megan, there is only one punishment for what happened. But you got to understand, your brother doesn't have a choice. He has to do it, I'm just sorry I won't be able to marry you and become your husband. I'm sure within two weeks I'll be executed." Sylvester told her.

Greetings! Hope this finds you all well! I'm doing okay. Chapter 12 was going to be the end but there was just too much left to tell and I didn't really want to post a double sized chapter. We'll see how chapter 13 goes as to if I can fit everything in there.

Lucy - Thank you! Well, was this what you were expecting?

Margaret - He wasn't deceived, he knew John was a Necromancer. He was a bit naïve and just like in "A Knight in Grief" he tends to think the best of people, even Necromancers, thinking that some of them can actually be good.

Railman - Thank you! It is improving but still got a bit of a ways to go back to more normal. I have written more in the last couple of days then I have in almost a week and a half or more. So that's a good thing!

Susan - Thank you! I'm so thankful for you and the others who still read and comment back on these stories. It is a joy chatting with you too!

As long as chapter 13 is the last chapter It should be posted Monday and then Wednesday is "The Masked Calculator"! You might want to check out John Hiatt's song "Along In The Dark" as it plays a significant role in the story! Be here or be elsewhere! lol

To the Adventure! -Tim