Paige watched as Lord Walter sat demonstrating to Ralph the proper way to inspect and clean armor with oil infused with rose extract. "Any oil will work lad, I prefer using this because the scent is much more pleasant than the smell of the metal," Lord Walter explained as he let Ralph take over buffing and coating the various pieces.

She smiled as an idea formed and she walked over to the packs and pulled out fresh clothes, soap and towel. "Lord Walter," Paige said as she stepped over to them.

Lord Walter looked up and smiled, "My Lady, how may I serve?"

"I thought I would go and bathe, but I think an escort might be in order," Paige grinned at him.

"I'm sure Kaylee or Happy would only be too happy to join you," Lord Walter looked up at her and saw the disapproving look.

Lord Walter swallowed hard, "I shall order Sir Cabe to escort you then."

Paige frowned, "I think not my Lord. You are the Lord of these lands, you are my Lord and I desire the protection and reassurance only you can give."

Lord Walter slowly stood, as he spoke softly, "I'm not sure that is a wise course of action Paige." He took her hands in his, "I might be able to physically restrain myself, but mentally, it is almost more than I can endure."

Paige stepped up closer, "Do you really trust my well being to anyone else? Can you not control those mental impulses to ensure my safety? You are Lord Walter, Paladin of the wise Lady, are you telling me you are truly that weak and feeble?"

Lord Walter swallowed as he stood there struggling with the feelings within him. He knew that this was not a wise course of action and he was sure she just was playing on his sense of responsibility. Probably as some way to show him that there are some duties that can be altered, "Very well my Lady, I shall honor my responsibility to you."

He picked up his sword and strapped it to his waist as Paige looked at him in surprise, this wasn't going quite as she had thought it would, but she decided to see it through. "Lad I shall inspect the armor when I return," Lord Walter smiled down at Ralph as he continued to care for the armor.

Ralph looked up and smiled, "I will have it done when you return my Lord."

Walter messed his hair, "Just remember, quality over speed." Lord Walter looked at Paige, "If you are ready my Lady." Sounding much more assured then he really felt.

Paige turned and picked up her clothes, towel and soaps from where she sat them before walking out of the camp to the north. Every eye seemed to stare after them as they left. Happy looked at Sir Cabe, "Do we bet on whether or not he is still a Paladin when they come back?"

Sir Cabe cocked his head, "I wouldn't bet on that outcome, best not to tempt the fates."

Happy sighed, "I guess I better go along to ensure nothing happens. When did our lives get so complicated?"

Sir Cabe laughed, "When Lord Walter met Paige?"

Happy smiled as she got up and walked over to the packs and dug out a change of clothes and her soap and a towel and walked out of the camp following the path Lord Walter and Paige had.


Lord Walter looked around the area surrounding the pool, "I detect nothing that would intrude upon you my Lady." He looked at her standing there and smiled.

Paige half smiled and nodded as she walked back by the bushes closest to the waterfall and stepped behind them. She laid her towel and fresh clothes on top of the bush and began to slowly undress. Lord Walter stood facing the south east away from the pool when he heard a crunch and he turned to the south west and saw Happy come out from behind the trees.

"Sorry, I thought I could use a bath myself," Happy told him as she saw him and saw Paige back behind the bush.

Lord Walter nodded and Happy walked back behind the bush and put her clothes on top of the bush with Paige's. Happy whispered, "What were you thinking?"

Paige blushed as she whispered, "I thought I could make him see that some duties could be changed."

Happy nodded as she began stripping her clothes off, "Well that is certainly better than us thinking you planned to bed him tonight."

Paige stared at her, "You actually thought I was going to try that?"

"Hell, I figured you would have done it the other day on your walk together," Happy told her.

"I'm not about to do anything to help him break his oath," Paige told her.

Happy laughed, "What do you call this?"

"I never thought he would agree," Paige told her as she turned. Paige stepped towards the pool, and stepped down into the cold water. "Damn, this is colder than I thought."

Happy smiled mischievously, "You want to call the Lord over to warm you up?"

"Happy," Paige exclaimed as she blushed looking over to see Lord Walter still looking the opposite direction. His ears perked at her exclamation but he resisted turning to look.


It was a grueling time for Lord Walter, trying to maintain an attentive presence and yet to mentally distract himself knowing that Paige was mere feet away without clothes. Unbidden, either because of where they were going or because his consciousness needed a distraction, or because of both, those dark days before he met Lord Weir came back fresh as the days they happened, the ship his family sailed on had encountered a horrible storm and his parents and older sister had been lost during the storm. With the ship taking on water the passengers had moved to the main deck of the old Carrack. The waves of the ocean kept breaking over the sides of the ship and Walter's father had lashed him to one of the masts and was in the process of lashing his sister and Mother to it when a wave took all three of them over the edge. How the ship survived was beyond him.

Walter remembered that pain was etched deep across his face as he stood, a nine year old boy, on the wharf, where the captain of the ship decided to sell him into slavery, since his family was gone. His ship had suffered damage from the storm, and he reasoned the sale of the boy would help with the cost to repair it. Fortunately for Walter, Lord Weir was riding through the wharf that day, and one of the first tenants of the wise Lady forbids any form of slavery.

Lord Weir had chastised the Captain and upon hearing Walter's story Lord Weir took pity, and took him in, and made him his squire. That was not to say that Walter's life had become a cushy life, Lord Weir was a stern Lord, and seemingly uncaring as Walter was forced to do every single disgusting job that no one else wanted to do. Even though he was a squire of the Lord, because he was Irish, an orphan, with no blood right, he was considered the lowest of the low by everyone in Lord Weir's keep. The first thing he learned, was ridding himself of his accent, so people wouldn't know he was Irish from the outset. His education was constantly interrupted to carry out those jobs, but they did build up his body's strength by the time Lord Weir finally decided to actually start training him.

He sometimes wondered how he ever manage to attain his status as a Paladin, with as much anger as he had in his heart, before he started working on the tenants, when Lord Weir finally started working with him. He became a much better Lord to him at that point.

Lord Walter recalled that day a year after his Keep was completed, six years since Lord Weir had sent him out of his keep. Lord Weir appeared at Scorpion Keep asking for a private audience with him. Lord Walter took him in, and set him up in Aaron Springs.


"Hey, thanks O'Brien, appreciate you keeping watch," Happy told him as she walked past him back towards camp.

Paige quietly walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him as she pressed herself against his back, "Thank you Walter, I appreciate you doing this for me."

Walter was struggling to put those memories and feelings back away, and he just nodded his head. Paige frowned when he didn't say anything and let go and stepped around to face him and she could see the haunted look in his eyes, "Walter, was this too much? Did I force you to go to far?"

Walter shook his head, "There are just some things that I have never shared with anyone, that only the wise Lady knows."

"Would you like to tell me about them? It might help you to share the burden." Paige told him as she buried her face into his chest and hugged him.

Walter smiled sadly, "I'm afraid that given how angry you were at me this morning you really wouldn't understand and be even angrier at me if I did." Walter hugged her to him.

"What if I promise not to get mad?" Paige looked up at him.

"You should never promise something you don't know if you can keep." Walter told her.

Paige turned and led Walter over by the stream where a tree lay across the banks. She sat down and patted the tree next to her, and so Walter sat down with her.

Walter took her hands in his as he spoke softly, "Things weren't so well between Lord Weir and I." Walter began telling her the story.

Paige looked at him puzzled as he finished his story, "I have to admit I am confused at best."

Walter nodded, "It was a complicated relationship, and while I was genuinely grieved at his death, that doesn't mean I was completely sorry he was gone. Probably the best thing he did was provide an example of how not to be. But I still owe him, without him I would probably have been nothing more than a slave someplace."

"Walter, is that why you are so gentle with Ralph?" Paige asked.

Walter nodded.

Paige nodded, "Walter, I'm not sorry he is gone, but I am grateful he was there to ensure we met." Paige reached up and kissed him.

"Hey, some of us would like to go to sleep if first watch would mind coming back to camp to keep us safe." Toby said as he came out of the trees.

Lord Walter smiled as he stood he took Paige's hand and she stood. He hugged her tightly and kissed her again before walking back to camp with her.


Paige added her towel to the clothes line with the other towels and then she sat at the fire with a bowl of soapy water to clean her leather with, once cleaned she hung the leather up on the clothes line.

"When we get to Aaron Springs, there is an excellent leather armor shop, we can investigate what they have that you might like." Lord Walter told her.

Paige smiled as she sat back down next to Walter, "Walter, I'm quite content with what you have done and what I have now, you don't have to keep getting these things for me you know."

"Perhaps, but I enjoy doing so," Walter told her. "As long as my people are well cared for, and my duties properly discharged, I shall relish in spoiling you."

Walter was enjoying his private time with Paige so much he made the decision to extend their stay in camp and let the mid-watch sleep a couple of extra hours before waking Sylvester, Toby and Kaylee and informed them to do the same for the third watch.

As Paige lay down to sleep she heard a noise and looked and saw Lord Walter's left hand slip under the edge of the tent and she smiled as she rolled onto her right side and took his hand in hers and they both fell asleep.


As a border town Aaron Springs was better defended than interior towns. Its combination stone and wood wall at just over twenty feet circled the town almost six miles long. They were a good league out when they heard the town bell begin to sound and would repeat every ten minutes as they continued riding. Lord Walter sighed, and Paige looked at him, "My Lord?"

Lord Walter smiled, "I'd forgotten about that, I think I need to speak with the governor, surely one sounding is more than enough to announce my approach."

Paige smiled as she lightly mocked him, "Aw, is the big bad Paladin embarrassed at the attention?"

He looked at her shocked at first and then with his cheeks blushing he laughed, "Perhaps just a bit."

As they arrived at the front gate the guard saluted Lord Walter and he returned their salute and as they rode on into town they were greeted by the governor as they turned their mounts over to the livery just inside.

The governor had porters there to take all their gear and escort them to the residence while Lord Walter accompanied by Paige diverted to the temple of Athena in the center of town not far away from the residence. As the cleric lead them into the temple, Lord Walter held onto Paige's hand tightly but not uncomfortably, and she smiled, and raised her voice as a whisper singing a soft melody which strengthened him. Lord Walter came to stand before the body of his Lord and stared down into the aged face. He had been more of a grandfather by age but even now his face looked even more ancient almost withered. Lord Walter reached over and took down a candle and lit it by another and set it in the final sconce of the candelabra.

Toby had been the only one to follow them and he stood back a few yards and watched as he waited.

Walter turned to face Paige and he kissed her cheek tenderly. "Thank you my Lady," he told her softly.

Paige smiled, "I'm here for you my Lord."

Toby stepped forward, "My Lord."

Lord Walter looked at him and turned to the cleric, "This is my personal physician. We were concerned by the nature of Lord Weir's demise and thought it best he be examined to ensure there is no contagion to worry over."

The cleric looked shocked, "My Lord, this is highly unorthodox, I can assure you that no one else has taken ill."

Toby spoke up, "That is the concern, a malady that takes out one man, a Paladin no less and no one else has taken ill."

The cleric cleared her throat, "May I speak with you privately my Lord?"

Lord Walter nodded and the cleric lead him to the back and turned and Paige standing there holding his hand and Toby just behind them. "I asked in private my Lord," the cleric said again.

"My Lady goes where I go and if this concerns the health of Lord Weir my physician needs to attend." Lord Walter told her with authority in his voice.

The cleric bowed, "Lord Weir did not succumb to a malady, and he'd gone mad in the last few months. Last week he drank the left over water where his attendant had use lye to make soap."

Lord Walter stiffened, "Madness or suicide?"

The cleric nodded, "The augury said madness."

Lord Walter nodded, "Very well, I have paid my respects, you are free to carry out the burial, and we'll be leaving in the morning."

The cleric looked shocked but bowed as Lord Walter turned and left with Paige by his side and Toby following along behind.


Just a quick note, there won't be a chapter tomorrow. Hope you have a great Friday! To the Adventure! -Tim