Welcome

Thea could think of no excuse or reason to stop the inevitable. Her home was going to be revealed. It will no longer be a safe refuge for her and others.

Soon they would be upon the Forbidden Forest warning signs. Thea could only pray to the goddess that people riding behind her would turn around and think her crazy for living in the cursed part of the forest. But even as she prayed she new it was hopeless. They would continue on just as Pete and then the bandits had done many years past.

Thea thought of the bandits with a sigh. They would no longer be in a secret place where they couldn't be touched. They are going to hate me, Thea thought; at least I was able to have the group of people cut down considerably. Now there is just the king, the lioness, prince Jason, Gabi, Sir Lance, and Dylan, instead of added on knights and soldiers. Thea had told the king that if he brought to many they would scare the people that live near her. Pete, who agreed with her, had assured the king that he had enough battle magic to protect them from anything less than an army (Pete wasn't the modest type, and he didn't have to be, he was a very strong battle mage).

When the king had agreed that just a small group of people needed to join him, Thea had excused herself from the group to walk the few blocks to the temple. She had planned on leaving Shadow there and ride with Pete but decided against it. She'd saddled Shadow slowly and walked him back to the healers' building that was now just a pile-charred ruins. The fire had been successfully put out by the villagers who had loaded bucket upon buckets of dirt and water on top of it.

Thea had sung to sooth Shadow who could smell the smoke that was lingering in the air. Just as the baby had done, the horse quieted and listened to her voice (except the horse didn't fall asleep).

Thea tensed they reached the signs, but she didn't stop to see if anyone followed. She heard Dylan voice a complaint though. "Are we going in there? I have heard the awful legends of this place in the days that we have been at Dragon's Box!"

She had to smile at Jason's curt reply "Shut up, you superstitious little crackpot". Her smiles faded when she realized that Dylan was the only one who voiced any complaint at all. Everyone kept following her, and they were almost to her home.

She breathed deep steady breaths so her eyes wouldn't change to give away any emotion. She listened to the leaves blowing in the wind; she watched the birds and squirrels peek at them shyly from the tree branches. Then she started to sing to get her mind off upcoming event.

"Cupid works for Uusoae, be suspicious if he cries...

Chocolate is a Band-Aid

And no matter what they say

Shoes don't stretch and Men don't change..."

While she was singing, she felt a lift come off the sad song from inside the lioness, though it didn't go away or quiet down to much. But the song got a real smile from the old warrior. The song also helped Thea calm down and think.

These people aren't so bad, maybe this journey won't turn out for the worst...completely anyway.

At that moment the group past a few remaining trees and stopped at the top of the hill. Down in the valley lay the small village and manor. It was a beautiful sight. The trees encircling the place had leaves that where changing color and slowly dropping from the branches. The streets where clean and the small market place was filled with all the residents. Pete's guards had rode ahead to tell their families and companions of the company that was coming.

Even from her place on the hill that was a couple yards from the village, she could feel the tension and fear. They are afraid of being kicked out, or of their quiet peaceful living being disrupted for good.

Pete was on one side of Thea, the king and lioness on his other side, Thea couldn't see their faces but she could here their gasps of surprise. The prince was holding on to his horse (to stop himself from falling of in shock) on the other side Thea. Gabi, Dylan, and Lance where on his other side but Thea could see them perfectly. Their reactions were very similar to the prince's.

"Welcome to Forbidden Fortress" She said with a smile of pride, she looked over at Pete to see that he had a similar smile to brighten up his features.

Thea kicked her mare into a relatively slow walk. With Pete next to her and the rest behind her she made her way to the village. As they got closer to noise level decreased, by the time they actually reached the villagers the only sound was coming from the horse's hoofs. The villagers, who looked well and healthy, looked up at Thea and Pete for some kind of explanation. Alls they received was reassuring smiles, but that seemed to be enough for them because conversation started up again. Snitches of what was being said came to the ears of the people traveling past them.

"Pete and Thea are good people...nothing will happen to us...we're still safe...the prince is very cute, you think he goes for tall blondes?"

Thea sighed with relief, they took the invasion better then she had expected. To that last remark she heard Thea felt greatly disgusted (at least she told herself it was disgust) for she new the speaker, Emma, who was pretty enough to get any man for a husband but she decided to test them all out.

By the time they reached the manor the villagers had cleared the market place and had gone home for the night. Stable hands came cautiously to take Thea's, Pete's and the important stranger's horses. They to had heard who had entered their special domain and they had no idea how to feel about it.

Pete lead the way into the main sitting room while Thea made her way to the big kitchens to see if there was anyway enough food could be made. She was in luck, the hunters had brought in some game earlier and the servants had already skinned and drained the meat. It could be cooked within a reasonable amount of time. The servants; Tatha, Millie, Greda and the cook, Kara, had yet to go to bed and were still willing to make it (Pete and Thea tried not to keep the servants around after hours to long). She also ordered ale and tea to be taken out to the guest. As Millie readied the ale Thea added "Make sure Pete doesn't have any ale, he most likely didn't take to much care of himself on his trip."

With that done she steered Tatha out of the kitchens to help set up the sleeping arrangements. Though they had rebuilt the manor with a considerable amount of rooms, most weren't useable because they never planed on having guests. They had built a master bedroom though neither Pete nor Thea used it (Pete said he would get lonely in such a big room, without his wife, but Thea had wanted it built anyway just incase Pete ever met someone). They could put the king and prince in that room because it was useable, the lioness and Gabi (if she wasn't going to sleep outside her knight-masters door like a normal squire would do) could share Thea's room and Dylan would probably sleep with Lance in a room next to Pete's or outside the prince's door.

Thea left Tatha making sure the rooms were orderly then went down to the sitting room were the guests were. When she entered everyone was laughing. Thea quickly realized the center of their amusement. Pete was begging Millie to give him the ale instead of tea, but she stubbornly refused and repeated what Thea had told her in the kitchen.

Pete only scowled jokingly at Thea when she sat down next to him. As he sipped the tea he made a sour face that made everyone chuckle again. "Damn girl thinks I can't look after my own health, when she's the one sick every month."

"I only learn the annoyingly care taking from you" She replied with a innocent smile.

This playful bickering with some pointless chatter in between lasted a little longer; until Greda came into announce that dinner was ready. When everyone was seated at the table and started to eat, the questions started.

"I think I speak for everyone of the guest around me when I ask, how did this... place come about? I mean I though this forest was thought to be cursed and that not even bandits have trespassed in over 50 years." This came from the lioness directed at Pete.

Pete swallowed hard, this is what he had been dreading. To tell them how he had come about the old ruins was to tell how Thea had been alone and that would start questions that Thea definitely would get upset over. Luckily Thea had a way with word. What she said may not be the whole truth but it wasn't a lie.

"I found this place when I was little, I got separated from the caravan I had been riding with. I was to young at the time to know how to read so I didn't understand the warning signs. I came upon the old manor and deserted village so I decided to stay because it didn't look like anyone was going to becoming back for a while. Every once in a while I would go to Dragon's Box where I met Pete. He got worried about me and he followed me here. After that it's basically apparent. We rebuilt the place, just to have something to do, then we found people willing to live and work here even with the supposed curse."

When she finished her little speech she had been practicing in her head, she looked around at her guest's faces. The look skeptical but finally seemed to accept her story. The rest of the dinner past rather quickly and then the maids showed the sleeping arrangements. Everyone was fine with where they were placed (Gabi ended up in Thea's room and Dylan ended up sharing with Sir Lance).

Long after the lioness and Gabi had drifted into sleep, Thea was still staring up at her ceiling. She turned over to get comfortable. The last thought she had before she fell asleep was 'Tomorrow should be interesting'

Thanks for the reviews!

I disclaime the charaters that belong to T.P.

Berlinchick90-sorry about that, i was trying to get the point across that Thea and Pete were protected by the temples, I guess i didn't explain it to well, sorry again, oh and what other parts are farfetched? please tell me, what am i doin wrong?