"Oh my, my" Amanda stepped up close to Sir Cabe, "And just who are you handsome?" She ran her finger down his chest.
Sir Cabe's eyes went wide as Paige covered her mouth trying hard not to laugh.
Allie quickly stepped up and took his arm in hers, "He is Sir Cabe and he is not available Amanda."
Amanda pouted, "Why do you always find the good ones first?" She sighed, "It's nice to meet you Sir Cabe."
Sir Cabe tried to swallow but found it next to impossible, "I-It's nice to meet you." His voice cracked.
As they all made their way back towards the steak house Paige looked at a shop front, "Bella's Fashions". She looked at Walter, "I left my money back at the tent. May I borrow some?"
Walter looked at Paige and shook his head, "No, but you may have some if you would like some." He opened his sack and reached inside and pulled out a small sack, "How much did you want?"
Paige shook her head, "Maybe one hundred sovereigns?"
Walter dropped the smaller sack back into the large sack and secured it back on his belt and pulled the small bag tucked into the pouch on his belt and handed it to her.
Paige smiled and kissed him before going over and entering the store.
"Did you want us to wait for her my Lord?" Sir Cabe asked.
Lord Walter shook his head, "No telling how long this may take, go ahead and get us a table. We'll join you as soon as she is done."
As soon as the door closed behind her, Paige heard a female voice, "Good evening and welcome to Bella's. I'm Bella, is there something in particular you are looking for this evening?" Bella frowned a little looking at the leather's Paige was wearing.
Paige ignored her look as she looked around, "My family and I plan to take some time off and go swimming. I need something appropriate."
Bella smiled, "You are in luck. We just got our summer line of swimwear straight from France last month. It's been a little cool so no one has really thought about it yet so everything is in stock."
Paige smiled as Bella led her over to the back corner. Her eyes lit up at all the styles Bella had. Bella held one up, "This is going to be the hottest number this year. One look of you in this and you will have to beat them off with a stick."
Paige laughed, "While I am sure Walter would love me in this, I'm not sure he'd appreciate anyone else seeing me in it. Or maybe out of it considering how little there is of it."
Bella smiled as she started to pick up another, Paige asked, "Have you got it in blue?"
Bella nodded.
Paige ended up choosing several different styles in blue, green, yellow and purple. Each selection Bella's eyes kept seeing sovereign after sovereign flowing into her coffer. Finally with her hunger overpowering her desire for more items, Paige finished and stood at the counter watching Bella package it all together. They spent the next fifteen minutes haggling when her hunger got the better of her and Paige excused herself for a moment and opened the door.
Walter was sitting on the edge of the porch waiting for her patiently. "Love, I might have gone a little wild, I need a little more."
Walter looked up and smiled, "I'd thought perhaps you got lost somewhere."
Paige stuck her tongue out at him.
Walter laughed and stood up and walked into the store with her, "How much did you need?"
Bella looked up and her eyes went wide, "My Lord Walter?"
Walter smiled at her, "Good evening, Mistress?"
Bella smiled, "Just Bella my Lord, please. It is a pleasure to serve."
Walter inclined his head, "How much are the items my Love desires?"
Bella shook her head, "Please, accept them as a gift."
Walter shook his head, "You are running a business, I won't hear of it."
Bella looked at Paige, "Then I accept your last offer my Lady."
Paige looked at Walter and then back to Bella. She pulled out the sack Walter had given her and handed to Bella.
Bella smiled, "If you are interested, because of the revealing nature of your selections I would recommend a visit to Irina's over on Bakers row. They offer a treatment the French ladies use all the time. My husband certainly likes it." Bella pulled the slit of her dress back exposing her smooth right leg.
Walter blushed instantly as he spun around to face the door.
Paige marveled at her hair free leg, "We're leaving town as soon as we eat tonight so I am not sure about it. Maybe next time we are in town."
Bella nodded as she handed Paige the brown paper bundle. Paige stepped up to Walter and linked her arm in his and they left the shop to join their friends at the steak house.
They all sat at the table basking in that well fed feeling at the end of a meal, except for Paige who was in the process of eating her third steak. Even with his appetite Walter was impressed that his bride had not only finished her first meal before he did but she had polished off her second steak before he could order a second one for himself.
He gently reached over putting his hand on hers as he leaned in and softly said, "Are you okay my Love?"
Paige gulped down the bite in her mouth as she nodded, "I don't know why, but I am just ravenous tonight. The steak is just so delicious."
Allie looked over, "I wouldn't worry about it my Lord. Her body has been dealing with a lot of stress over the blight. Sometimes an animal protein works better than a plant based protein."
Walter nodded as he pushed his own plate with his steak about half eaten away.
Their server stepped over, "Will there be anything else for you, maybe some dessert?"
Everyone waved her off while Paige continued to eat. Lord Walter spoke up, "Actually, I'll take five steak dinners to go for our friends."
She smiled as she nodded. She reached out to take Lord Walter's plate and Paige quickly reached over and grabbed his plate away from her and pulled it over in front of her. "No since letting it go to waste," Paige smiled at Walter.
Walter laughed.
An hour later Selease flew back into their camp and dropped Sir Cabe and Allie off before heading back south.
Lord Walter looked at Amanda, "Will you be okay now?"
Amanda nodded, "Thanks to you my Lord I will be."
Lord Walter nodded and handed her a handful of gold coins and a note to Raynold, "The day after tomorrow you can take the stagecoach to the Keep. Give the letter to Raynold in the Keep. He will take good care of you until we get back."
Amanda nodded, "Thank you my Lord and Lady. I won't forget your kindness."
Paige hugged her, "Don't mention it. We'll see you in a couple of weeks."
Selease returned and Paige looked at Walter, "Aren't you going to get on so I can sit in front of you?"
Walter smiled but shook his head, "With my armor we'd be too heavy for Selease and my sack is too full to put my armor in it without risking a rupture. You go ahead and I will be there shortly."
Paige pouted but kissed him before climbing up on the saddle and Selease shrieked as she took off to the north.
As Selease let Paige off she saw everyone was eating the dinners that Walter had bought them before they left the steak house. Ralph quickly ran over and hugged her, "Thank you Mom, the steak is delicious."
Paige smiled, "You're welcome Ralphy."
It wasn't long before Lord Walter arrived and after getting the supplies added to the packs he allowed Ralph to spend some time with Selease. Finally he dismissed Selease as he headed to bed with Paige.
The next day:
The temple Mistress turned from the young woman on the altar and she looked at her father, "I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do about this disease your daughter has."
The man looked at her with disbelief, "What do you mean? You are the most powerful Cleric in the five boroughs, if you can't help her who can?"
The temple Mistress nodded, "I understand your frustration. There is one possibility. While there are a number of Paladins in the land, there is one who might be able to help. As I attempted to heal your daughter a visage came to me. Take her to the Lord of Scorpion Keep. While Clerics can cure minor ones, diseases are the providence of the Paladins."
He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his beard, "Just where in the blue blazes is this Scorpion Keep?"
"It is a good deal north of Los Angeles. The fastest way there is to take a ship to Oxinaer or Los Angeles and travel to Scorpion Keep," the Mistress told him.
His head came up and his eyes opened wide, "A ship? Like bloody hell."
"This disease is vicious and remorseless. Land travel will take too long. The disease is aggressively attacking your daughter's brain. I know of no other answer, I'm sorry," the temple Mistress told him.
"Dear, we have no other choice. I can't lose another child. Please, I don't wish to take a ship again but we have too," his wife told him.
"Please Daddy, I don't want to die yet," his daughter told him as she struggled slowly to sit up on the side of the altar.
He nodded sadly, "We'll lose a lot of the value in the sheep and the farm by having to sell it so fast. Hopefully this Lord will have use for someone with my skills so we can build a new life again."
His wife hugged him tightly, "Thank you my Love, I'm sure Bart will give us the fairest price. He's wanted the farmland for a number of years now."
He nodded before they turned and left the temple with their daughter.
Bart stood grinning as he was looking away listening about the plight of his neighbor's daughter. He turned around looking remorseful, "I'm truly sorry to hear what is going on Sean. I understand your position completely. I only wish I was in a better position to offer you what your land is worth. I recently bought a herd of sheep so my funds are a little low. I've got a bit of a savings stashed away but I doubt it would even be half the value."
Sean nodded, "I figured it would be a long shot but we're desperate."
Bart nodded, "I'll be right back."
As he turned the corner and walked down the hallway towards his office the grin came back up on his face as he tried to decide just how low he could push Sean. Bart sat down at his desk and unlocked the bottom drawer of the cabinet behind his chair and opened it. He grunted as he pulled a small chest out of the drawer and turned and sat it on his desk. Unlocking it, he opened the chest and looked at all the gems and coins within. He carefully selected out enough gems and coin to make about one third of the value.
Bart's wife stepped into his office, "Bart, you aren't going to cheat him are you?"
Bart looked up, "Its business, stay out of it."
She shook her head, "It's not business, Sean and Louise are our friends. How many times have they been there for us without worrying about compensation?"
Bart grinned, "That was their mistake." He closed and locked the chest.
As he lifted it up to put it away, "Did I tell you that Mother is coming to stay with us for three months?"
Bart stopped and looked at her, "You wouldn't dare."
"It might even be six months," she told him.
Bart grumbled and set the chest back down and opened it. He bitterly pulled out enough to give Sean the last appraisal he had down on the property. "Satisfied?"
His wife smiled and nodded, "I'll let Mother know she will have to stay with my brother."
Sean was shocked when Bart came back with so much. He quickly signed the deed of the property and livestock over to him and bid them both a good life before he took the bag and left.
Bart's wife let him know that she would see to it that as much of their personal stuff they left behind would be kept as safe as possible for a year in case they wanted it when they settled elsewhere.
Louise had spent the time Sean was gone gathering the minimal amount of keepsakes and clothes for all of them she could to take with them.
Sean arrived home and explained how Bart gave them nearly everything the land and livestock were worth. Louise nearly cried in gratitude, especially when she learned the items they couldn't take with them would be kept for a year.
Sean made up the bed of the wagon and then carried Megan out and laid her in it as Louise quickly covered her up even though she protested to being too warm.
Sean brought out the baggage with everything Louise had packed and put it in the back with Megan and Louise before locking the door and climbing up on the buckboard. Taking the reins in his hand he unlocked the brake and snapped the reins and the horses pulled against the harnesses. The wagon lurched as it began rattling down the road toward the wharf district of San Deggo.
"Sean, dear, you're going much too fast," Louise fretted.
"Its fine Mother, the sooner we get to this Scorpion Keep the better," Megan disagreed.
It took most of the rest of the day but they arrived at the port and Sean made a number of enquiries before he found out there was a new ship service offering an unheard of travel time. Less than two days travel time to Los Angeles. He drove the wagon over to the area he was told and he frowned, "What were they thinking?"
Louise looked up, "What is that dear?"
"Some fool has built a watermill at this dock. There is no constant water flow to drive that waterwheel. How could they mill any grains that way?" Sean pointed.
Louise looked over and saw the three story building. Its shape looked a little odd and it was rising and lowering with the waves. "Sean, is it my eyes or is that building moving up and down with the waves?"
Sean looked at Louise and back to the building, "You're right, it is. Now what in tarnation is going on there?"
They were shocked when they found out that the building was actually one of the ships providing travel service to Los Angeles, Oxinaer and San Francisco. The ship was set to sail the next day so after booking passage they parked the wagon beside the wharf and slept there.
The next morning after selling the wagon and team of horses to one of the companies bringing supplies to the ship, Sean and Louise both stood at the gangway leading up to the ship trying to calm their fears. Before Sean got Megan out of the wagon and began carrying her up the gangway, a stateroom attendant ran down and grabbed their baggage and brought them up ahead of them before he led them to their cabin.
They stood at the railing of the ship watching as the gangways were removed and a steam whistle sounded before the steam was applied to the pistons that began driving the large paddle wheel at the back of the ship and it began to move. The ship was mainly steel but was decorated in all kinds of wood trim and paneling. It was luxurious compared to the Carrack they had last sailed on and lost their only son. They both had tears in their eyes, not only from their fear but of the memory of those days.
They'd only been saved because a portion of one of the masts had broken off in the winds of the storm and Sean had been able to get his wife and daughter to the floating timber. They washed up just south of the port of Los Angeles a couple of days later. Dehydrated and near death. An older woman had found them and using the elemental forces that she had spent a lifetime harnessing brought them back to her small cottage and nursed them back to health.
As soon as Sean was strong enough he left to try and find their son. It had been almost four weeks since the storm by the time he'd recovered and made it to the port. After many enquiries he finally was able to confirm that the captain of the ship they were on was reported dead. No official cause of death had been given. They had just assumed it meant the ship had gone down in the storm.
He had been able to secure work to make enough money so that they were finally able to complete their journey to San Deggo where they joined Louise's brother Tobin.
Two days later:
Lord Walter and his company had finally reached Lake Perine and they had all collectively sighed in relief. Even though the blight was over the after effects still had a significant affect upon them. The green grass, the birds singing, insects buzzing, all of it lifted their spirits immensely. While all the tents were erected as normal everyone had left the sides of the tents up so they could enjoy the fresh air.
Walter reclined against one of the packs with his pillow over it while Paige lay in his arms. He heard Paige sigh and he looked down, "Is something wrong Love?"
Paige looked up, "Not really. I was just thinking about what you said about going swimming."
Walter smiled, "It would be a lot simpler if we were alone like our honeymoon and we could forgo clothes to frolic in the lake together."
Paige grinned, "I suppose propriety would say that would be a bad thing with everyone around."
Walter laughed, "I definitely am not of any mind to share your beauty with anyone else. Well save Allie for your wellbeing.
Paige looked up and smiled at him before she laughed, "Well then, just don't go running out of our tent naked anymore."
Walter blushed, "That was so embarrassing after you told me about that. The looks Happy and Toby have directed at me from time to time since then, you would think saving their lives would afford me a reprieve."
Paige laughed, "Well just remember, physically there is nothing about you to be embarrassed about."
Walter smiled as he hugged her tightly, "Does that mean there is something about me to be embarrassed about?"
Paige rolled her eyes as she shook her head.
Greetings, we're still doing good here and hoping everyone is still enduring through this trying time! To the Adventure! -Tim