Jessi: I love the new free hit counter. Fifty-seven hits on this story! Stuff like that makes me smile :) Thank you to all those who have read this and thanks Sharkbite for the congrats.

From his position on the floor Chel looked up at the female. His mouth hung open and he was rendered speechless with shock. When he did manage to finally stammer out her name, Vale had already swept by. Both paladins exchanged glances and Samera walked up to the young cleric as she mounted her horse,

"Vale?"

He got no response, the elf more concerned with the reins of her horse. Carefully, the aasimar touched her arm. His fingertips had merely brushed her flesh before Vale 's head snapped round, her eyes narrowed. Samera flinched under the intensity of her gaze,

"...Vale, where are you going?"

"We are going to Mount Waterdeep," her lips were tinged slightly blue. The paladin tried to remember if they had always been like that,

"But, don't you remember? We were going there to find your... to find Chel," he gestured towards the pale elf, "He's here now, so why-" he trailed off under another intense stare from the elf.

"We are going to Mount Waterdeep," each syllable fell into place with an utter finality. Her head rolled forward loosely and, ignoring everyone else, she kicked her horse into a walk.

Still on the floor, Chel watched her go, his eyes filled with an all-too-familiar sorrow.

The injured elf rode pillion with Keroigar, the horse not even noticing the extra weight. Naturally friendly, the aasimar had tried to strike up a conversation with Chel but was met with silence or half-hearted, monosyllabic answers. They now rode in complete silence which was fine with the wingless elf. His mind reeled with questions.

The mark of Vale's hand had long since vanished but had been replaced with a deeper mental anguish.

His young ward had no reason to hit him, at least not one he could think of. He'd never hurt her, both physically or mentally.

Chel had tried to ask her through telepathy but her mind was completely closed off. Her mental defences were impenetrable, not a single flaw or crack was there for him to pass through.

Forced to figure out the answer for himself the injured elf retreated further into his brooding silence.

Was it his looks? He touched his bandaged face lightly. But then he immediately disregarded it. He knew Vale better than anyone on Aber-Troil and something so trivial would not bother her. Besides his face would regenerate by the end of the day.

The next reason that came to him was that she had sickened of his depression, his dark moods and - he glanced at his arms - his practise of self-harm. But that too made no sense. Before he's been captured she had offered to help him and that offer had been genuine.

He sighed- what was the reason? Nothing the pale elf had done seemed wrong- he had never and would never betray her.

Abruptly he gasped. Hearing this Keroigar turned his head,

"Chel?"

He ignored the paladin as memories began to run through his head. Memories of a black-masked female and her cruel illusions. Feelings of paranoia melting into sheer ecstasy before the dark abyss of despair yawned open in front of him as he realised exactly what he had done.

Vale must have looked into his mind while he was knocked out, curiosity overriding her respect for his privacy. That's why she hit him, that's why she refused to talk to him. Chel hung his head.

Sex had always been a sensitive issue between them. It was not due to their faith - the Lord of Wyrms never demanded chastity from his faithful - but to things they had tried to leave behind at home.

A long time ago, before Chel came to be the head of the church in Vale's home forest he had decided he had enough. After years of a succession of fawning wenches besotted with his face and cold, calculating women who lusted after his power instead of his body, he had sworn an oath of chastity before the altar of Tiamet.

It had been no hardship, he found it difficult to become close to people anyway. But Vale... she had slipped completely under his guard.

Even before they fell in love she been there, ever since she could walk, a grin on her tiny face, even soothing a little of his dark sorrow with her light.

She was still a way off being considered an adult, despite her maturity. Still only fifty years old the male had not rushed her into anything but...

He sighed again. He would have ended his oath for her. Only for her.

With these sad thoughts he continued his journey.