Lord Walter stood as the Mistress of the temple stood and walked over to a small alter in her office. She laid the ring and locket on the alter and raising her arms, she began speaking in a language Paige was unfamiliar with.

Paige stood and stepped over next to Lord Walter and he put his arm about her shoulders and hugged her to him. With trepidation raging inside of her she looked at Lord Walter, "Walter, I'm really scared, what if she disapproves of us?"

Walter smiled, "There are always loopholes in such things. Completing some quest for permission, things like that. There is nothing I am not willing to do for you."

"What is she saying? I don't recognize the language," Paige asked.

Walter shook his head, "Clerics have their own language."

They watched as the Mistress quit speaking and her arms lowered to her side as she turned to face them. She smiled as she looked upon Lord Walter and stretched out her hand towards him. In a voice of choral proportions, "My son, I am well pleased with you."

Lord Walter immediately dropped to his knee with is head bowed, "My Lady, I am honored by your words."

She turned slightly and looked at Paige and Paige instantly became frightened, imagining all kinds of horrors she was about to be subjected to. She smiled at Paige, "My daughter, you have no reason to fear." She reached out and caressed Paige's cheek.

Paige slowly knelt in awe but continued to stare at the physical manifestation before them.

"Many were the pieces I had to move about the board of life to bring the two of you together. After finding you when my brother Dionysus had cast you out, and I am content in where you two are, with one exception. Your minor flirtations are harmless, though last night might have pushed the boundary a bit, just exercise a bit more caution until you are wed, I do not want to have to cast you out my son. You have a long road before you in this life," The manifestation spoke to them.

Paige's heart surged with joy at her words.

Lord Walter considered her words, "My Lady, what exception?"

She smiled, "Before you leave this town you must be betrothed. I leave it to your good judgment to see it done."

The joy that had been felt so deeply in Paige's heart faded at the declaration. Paige's fear reared up again, "And if we aren't ready for that yet?" Paige asked.

Her smile slipped away, "Then you may not journey on with Lord Walter."

"But Paige won't be safe without me," Lord Walter pleaded as he looked up.


The Mistress drew in a deep breath and coughed, "The wise Lady has withdrawn my Lord." She swayed and Lord Walter stood quickly and caught her before she collapsed and helped her to a chair. She looked up at Lord Walter and smiled, "Thank you my Lord."

Paige still knelt on the floor with tears in her eyes and Lord Walter stepped back over and reached out for her. She forced a smile as she looked up at him, reaching up and taking his hand, she stood.

Lord Walter smiled at her, "I told you there was nothing to worry about." Not seeing her smile his smile slowly faded, "My Lady?"

Paige turned as she looked down at the floor, "I was so scared before and to hear her words brought great joy to my heart. But I thought, I thought we had time before we would have to consider engagement."

Lord Walter frowned and looked at her quizzically as he stepped up behind her. Gently he placed his hands on arms, "You have a problem with becoming my betrothed?"

Paige shook her head, "Not, exactly."

Lord Walter looked at their chairs, "Sit with me."

Paige slowly nodded and stepped over and sat down with him, "You've been my confidant, and you've supported me through my grief, through my anguish these past days. Unburden yourself upon me." Lord Walter told her as he held her hands.

Paige looked at the window in the room, "This isn't fair and I know you are worlds apart, it's like comparing a mouse to a lion, but when Drew left me, with no means of support and I had to fight and scrounge for every scrap to survive with Ralph. It took a toll on me. I've been so happy since we first met back in Oxinaer, even when I felt jealous at Florence's attention towards you, you always made me feel such happiness as if only I mattered. Everyday we've grown closer and closer and now I know why. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you, but there was nothing I wouldn't do for Drew either, I left my family when they refused to recognize my engagement, I even gave him a son without the benefit of marriage. What if in a week you wake up and decide that I'm not worth your time and you leave me?"

Lord Walter stood and turned to face Paige and knelt on one knee before her, "My Lady, I do not give my oath to things lightly and truth be told, I do not need an oath for you, I am tied to you through means I have no knowledge how or desire to see broken or undone. I would happily charge through the gates of the underworld to save you, I'd give up my life without question or regret to spare you. You could wake up a week from now and declare you wanted nothing more to do with me and leave and I would but wait until the day you returned to me."

Paige smiled as she looked at Lord Walter, "Then my Lord, my answer is yes."

Lord Walter looked puzzled at first and slowly he seemed to realize what she was saying yes to, and he smiled as he stood up and swept her up in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Congratulations my Lord, my Lady," the Mistress of the temple told them.

"Thank you Mistress," Lord Walter told her as he kissed Paige.

She frowned, "Did I understand correctly that you two met in Oxinaer?"

"We did, about three weeks ago now," Lord Walter told her.

"Then perhaps you should know, about a week and a half ago a young man came to town and sought me out. He said he had recently left Oxinaer, and that he was a writer and was gathering stories and asked many questions concerning you. He wanted to know more about your early years and I directed him to Lord Weir, I warned him that Lord Weir had gone mad but that no one else alive knew you better if he was in a lucid state." She told him.

Lord Walter sat Paige back down and nodded his head, "That answers more questions then. I now believe that Lord Weir was tricked through his madness into drinking the lye water. Whoever this man was, he was definitely a bounty hunter. He used Lord Weir to draw us out to force our encounter with the wyvern."

"My Lord, I must apologize, I had no idea, I didn't even suspect a deception." She told him.

Lord Walter nodded as he continued to smile at Paige as his eyes drank in her beauty. "I was nearly tricked earlier. As Lord of these lands and Paladin of the wise Lady, I absolve you of this matter. If anyone else comes forward asking questions it would be best if you refer them to Scorpion Keep from now on. I think my Lady, it is time for us to go find you an appropriate ring to begin the next phase of our lives together."

Paige smiled, "I'd like that my Lord."

Lord Walter shook his head, "As my betrothed, you may address me as you wish at any time my Lady."

Paige smiled, "Then you better start calling me Paige more often."

Lord Walter shook his head, "The difference, if I call you Paige, people won't pay attention, and they won't understand that you are mine. By calling you my Lady, it sets you apart from all others and demonstrates your significance. By the reverse, when you call me Walter it is significant, because no one else can call me that."

"I will consider that Walter, but I would still prefer to hear you say my name more often," Paige told him.

Walter smiled, and looked at the temple Mistress, "Thank you Mistress, until next time."


Toby sat drinking ale with Happy, Sylvester and Kaylee at the Crafty Dog Inn Cabe had taken them to before they realized the truth and went to find Lord Walter. The Elk Inn was drastically higher priced and Toby intended to milk as much as he could from the ten sovereigns that Lord Walter gave him. He would have taken them to a seedier place but they had refused.

"I wish we could have caught the guy who shot that woman with the arrow," Kaylee brooded more than she drank her ale.

"I'm sure he's long gone by now, he'll have to find himself some new help before he can come after us again." Happy told them.

"You know, when we were walking to the residence from the front gate, I saw a house with a sign, and it declared that a necromancer lived there. We could employ the necromancer to speak with the soul of that woman or man and find out everything they had planned." Sylvester told them.

Toby laughed, "Yea right, like we would have the coin to do that. And I would rather face our Lord drunk off my arse for a week straight than to suggest he pay coin to a necromancer."

"Not all necromancers are evil Toby, or even bad. A lot of them just use the magic they learn, to live in their communities and help people." Sylvester told him.

Kaylee nodded, "He speaks the truth, but Toby is also right, whoever they are, their fee for such an act would be high. I doubt if we gave them everything we possessed that they would do it. Only the Lord would have the kind of coin they would require."

"What about Sir Cabe?" Happy suggested.

"Oh, that would go over almost as well as it would go over Lord Walter. Go ask him if you want, I'm staying here and drinking." Toby said.


Sir Cabe sat in the common room of the residence smoking his cigar and enjoying a brandy when Lord Walter and Paige walked in. "Welcome my Lord, my Lady," Sir Cabe called to them.

"Thank you Sir Cabe," Paige told him as Lord Walter unbuckled his belt and scabbard belt and hung them on the cloak rack.

"How was your visit to the temple?" Sir Cabe asked.

Paige smiled as she walked over and casually showed him her new ring.

Sir Cabe smiled, "Excellent, congratulations to you both."

Paige kissed his cheek, "Thank you."

Lord Walter smiled, "Thank you old friend, forgive me for not kissing you."

Sir Cabe laughed.

"Where is everyone?" Lord Walter asked.

"The Crafty Dog to do some drinking my Lord." Sir Cabe told him.

Paige looked shocked, "Ralph?"

Sir Cabe smiled and shook his head, "He's in his room, practicing his stances last I checked."

"I think I will go check on him Walter," Paige told him.

Lord Walter walked up and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, "If he's hungry tell him to come back out and we will go and have dinner."

"You do realize that the governor's cook Claire is probably the best cook in this town right?" Sir Cabe asked.

Paige smiled and started walking down the hall, "Paige?" Walter called.

Paige turned and looked at him quizzically. "I love you," Lord Walter told her.

She smiled, "I love you too Walter."

Sir Cabe looked up at him, "That must have been some visit at the temple."

Lord Walter nodded as he sat down in a chair nearby, "The wise Lady herself answered the Mistress's commune personally."

Sir Cabe stared at him, "Really? That's like only the third time I've ever heard of it happening."

"I've only heard of it once before by someone I trust," Lord Walter admitted.

"So was there anything negative in what the wise Lady told you?" Sir Cabe asked probing Lord Walter with his eyes.

"She did caution us just a little, most of our flirting she was fine with, but I guess my standing guard while Paige took her bath last night pushed things a tad." Lord Walter told him.

"I can imagine, better be rethinking that as we travel to Wheeler's Ridge." Sir Cabe told him.

Lord Walter nodded. "I also learned from the Mistress about a week and a half ago a young man came to town, from Oxinaer, was supposedly a writer wanting more information about me for something he was writing. She told him about Lord Weir."

Sir Cabe sat up, "In hindsight that is very interesting. Someone definitely set all this up then."

Lord Walter nodded, "Did Happy get my shield repaired?"

Sir Cabe frowned, "I'm not sure, I think she went drinking with the guys."

"I better stop and pick up a spare just in case," Lord Walter told him.

Sir Cabe laughed, "That will make her mad as a hornet nest if you have to pull out someone else's work to use."

Lord Walter smiled. "We picked up some new leathers for Paige and Ralph as well. And I have to admit, Paige is quite the haggler. I was about to just pay what the man wanted and she stepped in and quite effectively eviscerated the man, she spent the better part of an hour on it add that to the hour or so she spent examining everything he had, I think he finally gave in because of how much time it took over all. I almost felt sorry for him. The jeweler faired no better."

"Good, you let the merchants take advantage of you too much. You got to quit over paying so much." Sir Cabe told him.

Paige walked back down the hallway with Ralph and Lord Walter smiled, "I agree Sir Cabe, Walter is so kind, perhaps that is one reason the wise Lady wants us together."

Walter smiled as he took her in his arms, "Whatever the reason, I am quite willing to accept it."


Sylvester, Happy and Kaylee arrived at the residence shortly after Lord Walter and Paige left with Ralph to go eat dinner. Seeing Sir Cabe enjoying his cigar and brandy they walked up. "Can we ask you something without you taking our heads off?" Happy asked.

Sir Cabe sighed, "What's he done now?"

Happy laughed, "No, not Toby. Sly, it's your idea, you tell him."

Sylvester glared at Happy, "When we first came to the residence we passed a house that I think the person there could help us learn more about that man and woman that were after Paige."

Sir Cabe blew out a large cloud of smoke and dipped the butt of his cigar into his brandy, "And you came to me because?"

"We wouldn't have the kind of coin they would request for their services and they are too afraid to speak to the Lord about it." Kaylee told him.

Sir Cabe shook his head, "I'm not going to like this am I?"

Happy hurried on, "We believe they can commune with the spirit of one of them and we can find out if there is any other plans in the works."

Sir Cabe nearly slammed his brandy on the table and stood up quickly, "A necromancer? You want to involve us with a necromancer?"

Sylvester shied back and Happy stood her ground, "Not all necromancers are bad Sir Cabe and you know this."

Sir Cabe glared at her, "We can go and speak with them. But you better pray Lord Walter doesn't find out. You know his feelings on the subject."


As they walked up to the house Sir Cabe was looking at the house and yard, plants, flower and herb growing all over. "Its nothing like I am use to, necromancers generally don't like such light or living things."

Sylvester knocked on the door, "I told you, not all necromancers are bad."

A beautiful woman perhaps a dozen or so years younger than Sir Cabe, with dark auburn hair and wearing a green flowing dress answered the door, "Can I help you?"

Her eyes flittered over all of them but paused for long moments when she saw Sir Cabe and she smiled. Cabe's eyes opened wide as he looked at her.

Sylvester swallowed, "Yes, we are in the employ of Lord Walter and earlier we were attacked by two bounty hunters. They didn't live long enough to answer any questions and we were hoping you could assist us in answering them."

Her face went dark instantly, "I'm not a necromancer you daft buffoon."

Sylvester's eyes went wide and he looked at the sign on the side of her house, "Can you not read? That clearly says I am a white witch." She told Sylvester as she poked him in the chest.

"I'm sorry, I must have reversed the syllables." Sylvester apologized.

Sir Cabe stepped forward, "I beg your pardon for my young friend's mistake in reading. You are a white witch, do you by chance know how to give me some relief from the weather affecting my joints?"

"You beg for forgiveness but don't introduce yourself?" She looked at Sir Cabe.

He blushed, "I'm Gallo-Cabe, Cabe of the house of Gallo."

She smiled, "Welcome Cabe of the house of Gallo, I'm Allie, please come in and let us discuss your ailment."

Sir Cabe smiled and stepped inside and she slammed her door shut on the others.


They found their mounts saddled and their packs properly secured to the pack horses as they arrived at the livery after breakfast. Toby was having a bad time as his head was beating, even the buzz of the flies around the livery were causing his head to hurt and he struggled to get into the saddle when Lord Walter walked over and grabbed him and heaved him up into his saddle.

Lord Walter stopped as he came up to Ralph and checked his saddle and reins to ensure everything was good without any frays, finally he looked up at the young man, "That's another reason we don't drink beyond reason my squire." He looked back at Toby and winked at Ralph.

He stopped as he came to Paige and doubled checked everything. She smiled, "Don't think I know how to examine my horse Walter?"

Walter smiled, "I just want to be sure myself Paige,"

He stepped over to his charger and shook the governor's hand before he climbed up. Paige moved her horse over next to him and he smiled as they began moving out of the city.


I have a few ideas running around, haven't yet decided where I am going next. But whatever it is, to the Adventure! -Tim