Ack! I'm glad that the whatever-was-down is now back up. I've been checking in everyday to see if I could update. My week has been crazy. I don't know what it is, but eveyone seems to say... 'Wee! Christmas in a month! Let's do everything possible to keep everyone uber busy!!' Bleh.

Anyway:

EreshkigalGirl: :c/ I just really wanted a mushy scene, and I didn't want it to drag on forever. So it might seem a little quick, but meh.

TrudiRose: Thanks! :cD It was really fun to write. I'm so glad someone interpretted that how I ment it. I reall want to get back to Clarissa, just because it's so fun to write evil people.

Elven Heart: Thanks! I'm glad you liked that. I thought it might be a little too cliché for him to recognize her right away.

Tiger Lily21: Thank you very much! I love these characters so much, it might bea little hard to finish because I won't want to leave them.

Phillippa of the Pheonix: Thanks! It was kinda hard, but I tried to go for a more of a best friend love that went deeper than an attraction that became love.

mistyqueen: Yeah, well as I said above, I just kinda wanted to, not get itover with per se, but more like okay, 'yay! love!'and get on with the story.

Black Sheep Alone: Inconceivable! giggles along Who doesn't love a little fluff? I'm a sucker for good romances. Now that I think of it, that's probably why I made their love scene so quick, cause I hate it in a book when they are both in love, but they don't do anything about it. Or, pusheach otheraway because of various excuses. Boo. be in love and half other problems.

fell4adeadguy: Thank you! I know what you mean about trying to switch the characters, like, straight out of the movie or something? That would be really kinda strange.

Thank you all for the imput, compliments, and the constructive critisisms. I'm grateful for all of them!

-Lulai

Chapter Ten: Travels

"Robbie, sit down!" Lia commanded, stopping her bustling to glare at him with her hands on her hips.

Robbie glared back obtusely. "Lia, I do not want sit like an invalid while you do everything," he said, exasperated.

"Well, you are going to," Lia said, turning away from him. "You are not going to strain yourself and make me patch you up again." She picked up a cloth sack and handed it to him.

"Here," she said. "If you want to feel useful, hold that." She began packing. Herbs, bandages, foodstuffs, two bedrolls, and spare clothing disappeared into the bag. The fireplace was closed down and the grate put in front and locked. Pots and pans were either put into the bag or stacked neatly on top of the hearth.

Robbie moved as if to help, but Lia gave him such a glare that he stopped with a sigh. "Who's looking after the cottage?" Robbie asked instead.

"Tompkins," she said, resuming her general tidying. She was sweeping the dirt and little bits of herbs off the floor into a little neat pile.

"What did you tell him?" Robbie asked curiously.

"I told him I was my granddaughter," Lia said, grinning up at him. "I said that my dear sweet grandma wanted to go see the Big City before she died and if he could look after the cottage while we were gone."

"When was this?" Robbie asked.

"Yesterday morning," she replied. "He came up while you were sleeping and wanted to apologize for the villagers. I told him my grandmother was too tired from all the excitement from the prior night to be bothered. Tompkins asked what he could do for us, and that's when I asked him to look after the house and gardens." She stopped sweeping and leaned on her broom. "After all, I did save his son. Well, if not saved, then helped." She swept the little pile out the door and turned back with a look of satisfaction.

She put the broom beside the sink and took a scroll that she had left on the table.

"Robbie?" she called after she had flattened the scroll on the table and stared at it for a few minutes. "Um… Where are we?"

Robbie walked over to where she was standing. In front of her was a beautifully detailed map. Robbie pointed to a dot about three inches northeast of the capital.

Lia's gaze shot up to his. "Are you sure?" she asked. "That's three day's travel from here! It wasn't that long in the coach!" She paused. "At least it didn't feel like three days. But I was asleep. And it was Lark's coach…" she trailed off.

Lia straightened decisively. "Alright," she said, rolling up the scroll. "Then we had better get going." She shoved the map into the sack that Robbie held while Robbie fumbled with his belt buckle.

He cursed softly under his breath and Lia started to move to help him, but he uttered a small grunt of satisfaction when he finally managed it. He sheathed his sword and began to pick up the bag, but Lia pulled it away from him.

She shouldered the bag and walked outside. Robbie followed along behind closing the door behind him. She locked the door and took a step back.

Robbie became worried when she just stood there, looking at the rough oak door. She was being unusually quiet. He reached down with his good arm and entwined his fingers in hers.

"We'll come back," he said softly. She looked up at him, smiling in gratitude. He squeezed her hand then brought it up to kiss the back.

"Thanks," she said softly. She took a deep breath and, not removing her hand from his, walked out of the village and into the forest towards Lia's old home.

They sat before the campfire, staring into the flames. Lia's head lay on Robbie's drawn up knees.

Robbie had found the small clearing after a day of walking. Lia built the fire while Robbie got out the dried beef and cheese that they were going to have for dinner. After they ate, Robbie wrapped two small apples in leaves and put them into the fire.

The hot apples were even sweeter than Lia expected. When dusk approached, they had spread their bedrolls before the flames.

"Why are we going to your old town?" he asked softly.

"Because," Lia hesitated, "I need to see what happened to my father."

"You're not just going there to show your sister that you broke her curse?"

"Of course not!" she said sharply, lifting her head to give him an angry look. "I'm already feeling guilty about you being hurt on my behalf; I'm not giving my sister any reason to hurt either of us."

"I'm sorry," Robbie apologized. Lia's brows lifted into her hairline.

"You're sorry?" she said, surprise colouring her voice. "For what?"

"For doubting you," he said. She smiled and melted back into him, laying her head on his knees again. This time he did not resist stroking her hair. He smiled softly when Lia's soft rumble reached his ears.

Robbie was more than half asleep himself when he snapped awake. He felt rather than heard someone behind him. He quickly rolled Lia off him as gently as he could while standing up. He drew his sword.

Lark stood there, grinning his customary grin. Robbie lowered his sword with a smile.

"Confound it, Robbie!" Lia said, standing up, holding her head and scowling so fiercely that her eyebrows looked like an orange 'M'. Robbie winced. He obviously hadn't rolled her off softly enough.

"Lark!" she rounded on him. "What is the meaning of sneaking up on our camp in the middle of the night? And speaking of sneaking, what's the meaning of telling me that a mob is coming and then leaving? What would have happened if they were actually out for my blood?" She was on a roll now. "If you knew that my sister sent them, don't you think that I might have needed your help? But you seem to think that giving Robbie a sword is sufficient protect-"

"Is she always like this when she wakes up?" Lark interrupted, speaking to Robbie.

Robbie, wise enough to know not to answer, shrugged.

"First of all," Lark turned back to Lia, "that mob was not sent by your sister, they were sent by his brother. How else do you think that they went home so easily? I assure you, your sister's people will not be that simple to beat. Second of all, I think that Robbie protected you quite effectively."

"Well," Lia said, still angry, but quite deflated.

"And," Lark continued, "I thought you might want some company. And an inn to sleep in."

"An inn?" Robbie asked. "I don't know of any inn around here."

"Well," Lark said with a grin. "That's because it's not around here." He snapped his fingers and suddenly, they were in a warm common room.

"Now where are we, Lark?" Lia asked, her hands on her hips.

"Home, Lia," he replied.

"We're here?" she asked, her mouth dropping open.

"Yes," he replied grinning. "That is one of the advantages of travelling with a Fey. No travelling time."

"Well," Lia said, irritably, "if we now have beds, I'm going to take advantage of it. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, gentlemen." With that, she walked into one of the rooms and closed the door.

Lark waited a moment and turned to Robbie. "I'm afraid I must leave you again," he said. "Watch over her, every moment. I'm not sure what her sister is up to yet, but I will find out." He patted Robbie on his sore shoulder, but instead of the pain Robbie was expecting, a warm tingling flowed down his arm.

Lark smiled, a rare true smile, and said, "You'll need that arm later."

Robbie looked down at his arm in amazement, moving his tunic to see the wound. He pulled off the bandages and where the gaping wound used to be was now a faint white scar.

Robbie looked up to thank Lark, but he was gone.