So Pepper and Tony begin the long road to Cumbria with this chapter. The next five chapters will detail this journey. And then the fight begins.

I've uploaded a map as well. For each chapter, it will show the areas that Pepper and Tony are passing through. The complete map will be revealed when they cross the border of Cumbria.

To see the map, go to Tumblr, top-dawg27 - /post/174763162926

Thanks for reading! See you next week!


Who lives sees, but who travels sees more...

- Anonymous

The sun rose slowly, lighting the sky with its orange-red tendrils. Pepper watched its rays gently shine through the bedroom window and sighed softly. "Today's the day... the day we leave for Cumbria."

She glanced back at the bed, where Tony was lightly snoring, sleeping on his side, his face turned towards the window.

Pepper sat on the bed's edge and gently shook him, murmuring, "Tony, sweetheart, wake up."

He muttered something and hid his face under the blanket.

She whispered, "Tony, we need to leave. You said we had to be at the Corinthian crossing by 12 pm. Remember?"

She shook him again and he rubbed his eyes, yawning loudly.

"Oh god!" he grumbled, "What an unearthly hour to wake up!"

Pepper stared absently at the window. "The day is finally upon us and I find myself... losing my nerve." she whispered. "I never thought I would ever go back to Cumbria. This is my home and yet I must leave to save my former home. I must. But I do not want to leave my sanctuary."

She swallowed hard, fighting the urge to cry, to snuggle back into the bed beside Tony and never leave its comfort.

He sat up and leaned forward, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I know what you mean, Pepper, I know how you feel. When I had to go to war, my bed never felt warmer, never felt softer or so comforting."

He nuzzled her. "But we must go. We must persevere and face this evil once and for all. Else we will never be free, my love."

Pepper nodded, knowing he was right. "At least I return to Cumbria with you, my lord. If nothing else, I have you." she whispered.

She lowered her head, letting the tears flow from her eyes and Tony swung his legs off the bed and cupped her face to kiss her tears off her cheeks. "Do not cry, Pepper. We will triumph in this quest. And till the very end and beyond, I am with you, my love. Please do not cry."

Pepper looked at him through teary eyes. "Hold me... Tony, hold... me... please..." she whispered brokenly and he took her in his arms and gently rocked her as she wept silently.


They stopped their horses on the hill, overlooking the Village on one side and the Keep on the other. Pepper swallowed hard trying to get rid of the lump in her throat.

Tony clasped her shoulder in comfort.

"I am sorry, Tony..." she said softly, "I am such a weeping willow today."

"It is alright, Pepper, that was a difficult parting, even for me." he said gently.

They had gone on adventures before but somehow this adventure or rather battle, seemed more fatalistic than the others. So their close friends had come to see them off. Pepper's entire women's club had cried, tough Beatrice had cried and Happy had cried the most.

Even Magdalene had surprised them by suddenly bursting into tears, when Tony told her and Jarvis, they would get the Keep, if he never came back. She had hugged Tony then, much to his astonishment and threatened to spit on his grave if he didn't come back alive, something that had made Pepper giggle through her sadness.

Saying goodbye to her dear friends had been hard. But the hardest parting for Pepper had been saying goodbye to Tigliath, who had simply purred and laid his giant furry head against hers for a long moment, as if trying to tell her that he would miss her. Then he had rubbed himself against Tony and bounded into the forest, disappearing like a black flash of lightning amongst the snow.

Pepper hadn't cried through it all but now, standing on the snow covered hill, looking down at the hidden Keep nestled in the thick foliage of the forest, the lump she had been swallowing all day, was aching in her throat badly.

Tony moved his horse closer to her and hugged her to him, kissing her forehead. "Pepper, it is okay to feel sad at leaving... there now, sweetheart, there now..."

She nuzzled him and whispered, "I never thought I would be so happy here. That's what is making this so difficult. Once again I am leaving a place I love, for the unknown."

He kissed her cheeks and whispered, "We will come back, Pepper... I have faith in us."

She nodded and swallowed again. Then she clicked the reins and they rode down the hill and away from the lake.

The snow was light on the ground, making it easy for the horses to quickly move across the land. They had their weapons on their person and their armor pieces bundled up in saddle bags on their horses. Tony was wearing his chest plate under his bulky coat, to cut down on weight.

They rode silently for two leagues until they came to the banks of the river Corinthian.

Pepper gazed at the wide broad bank of the river with its gushing blue stream of water. "It isn't frozen over..." she whispered.

Tony murmured, "It won't freeze. The water moves with too much force, coming in strong from the Norman sea. But while there is no ice, the water itself is chilly."

She nodded and noticed a large line of people and animals in front of them.

Tony scowled. "Now we need to wait our turn to get across." He leaned closer and whispered, "Pull your hat down over your face. Speak only when spoken to. And speak with a manly tone."

"Tony, I have disguised myself as a man before. I know what to do." She said shortly.

He grinned at her and whispered, "I do not know how many people you fooled with your act, my lady. It is very hard to mistake you for a man."

She smiled back snarkily, narrowing her eyes at him. "Not everyone stares at me as much as you do, Lord Stark."

He lowered his gaze to her lips. "Not everyone has lips as sinfully luscious as yours, Lady Virginia. Especially not men."

She flushed and he grinned. Then Pepper swatted him firmly. "That's enough out of you, Stark."

The line was moving forward quickly. It was made up of people of all shapes and sizes. Some were noblemen with entourages of servants, some were simple travelers like them, but most were farmers accompanied by their animals.

Pepper raised herself in her saddle and saw that there was a gate at the end of the line, flanked by four burly soldiers, clad in chain mail. They had the insignia of King Leoric on their shields and armor.

Each traveler would step forward and the soldiers would check his documents thoroughly. They would let him through only if the paperwork satisfied them. Those with no paperwork or details missing on their documents, were turned back. Some travelers were being searched.

Pepper whispered to Tony, "If they search me... they will come to know I am a woman."

"It won't come to that, Pep." he whispered back tensely. "Our paperwork is sound."

Then the sound of thundering hoofs was heard and Pepper turned to see a knight in steel armor on a white horse in full barding, ride past the line and straight to the gate. He dismounted and joined the guards in checking the travelers.

Pepper was scared now and Tony leaned sideways in his saddle and covered her gloved hand with his. "Relax Pep. If you get tense, they will get suspicious. Just relax. We aren't doing anything wrong."

It was their turn and she gently nudged Aurora forward, to stop in front of the guards.

One guard imperiously raised his hand and Tony handed him their papers. As he studied them, the knight came closer and looked at Pepper with suspicion.

He was a rather short, skinny man, with stringy brown hair and narrow beady eyes. His mouth was all pursed up and he had a weak beardless chin.

"What is your profession?" the knight asked in a high snotty voice.

"We are rangers, sir." said Tony deferentially.

"Rangers! With such fine horses!" He snorted and a guard snickered.

The knight continued, "More like thieves! Trying to take these beasts across the country!" He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Tony. "Get down from the horse, you thief!"

Pepper gasped but Tony didn't move a muscle. He calmly asked, "What is my crime?"

"You steal horses! This is not your horse! A fine beast such as this, cannot belong to a layabout like you!" Screeched the knight.

Tony said quietly, "Maybe not to a layabout but could he belong to a former knight?"

The knight snorted but then huffed abruptly as Tony removed his hat and looked at him quietly.

He sneered at Tony. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the former leader of the Iron Legion... the disgraced knight, Anthony Stark, formerly a lord... what are you doing here?"

"I am a ranger now and need to enter Cumbria." said Tony quietly.

The knight said sarcastically, "Once a madman, always a madman!"

Tony said politely, "Please let us pass. We have our papers."

"Show me!" The guard handed the knight their papers, who took them with a derisive snort.

Pepper watched him angrily, feeling her palms itch. I do not like the way he is acting towards Tony.

The knight looked at their papers and then smirked at Tony. He took one step towards Aurora and looked up at Pepper critically.

She lifted her head and looked down her nose at him. The knight reached out and caught her horse's bridle. But Aurora pulled her head back, tossed it and snorted at him.

"Hammer, let us pass." said Tony quietly.

The knight said with a sneer, "Well, Ranger Stark, your papers are in order. There is one thing that bothers me... you have been called to Cumbria by its King. Really?"

He looked around at his men. "The King of Cumbria calls on a mad disgraced knight for his services. How believable is that?"

His men guffawed and Pepper gritted her teeth .

Hammer looked at Tony and said with a sneer, "Pray tell, what is the name of this monarch of Cumbria, who has summoned you, Stark?"

Before Tony could answer, Pepper said gruffly, "Firstly, the current King is actually a Queen. Her name is Queen Helen Potts... first of her name and 15th ruler of Cumbria from the house of Potts."

She felt her heart clench as her mother's face flashed before her eyes. But she continued with her lie.

"The Queen has summoned us for a matter of royal importance. And Sir Knight..." she said trying to control her temper, "You may not be aware, that the Iron Knight stands before you, a champion of the common people!

The crowd around them, began to whisper and titter.

"The Iron Knight! I thought he was a myth!"

"I heard he saved Patait from a moon demon!"

"I heard he saved Carinthia from an actual demon!"

"He is a savior of the people! He never takes money for his help!"

"Did you see him defeat the knight Rascar!"

A few people shouted Tony's name and he looked around, nodding at them. He gave Pepper a stern look, which she returned back.

Hammer seemed irritated, especially when the cheers turned into a roar with people beginning to chant, "Iron Knight! Iron Knight!"

Tony tilted his head at Hammer and asked softly, "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

The short knight scowled at him. "Are you carrying weapons?"

"Yes, we are and it is mentioned on our permit." Pepper said firmly.

Hammer glared at her. "Do not interrupt your betters, you filthy fool! Know your place!"

Tony moved so quickly, that Pepper was astounded. He aggressively reached down and lifted Hammer by the scruff of his armor in one hand. Then he lightly shook him. The guards came forward and Pepper dismounted, rushing to his side. The crowd gasped and muttered.

Hammer seemed stricken with fear as Tony said angrily, "Don't you dare speak to my companion that way, Hammer!"

He tightened his grip on the man's throat and Hammer squealed, "Alright! Alright! Surely we can let bygones be bygones!"

Tony growled deep in his throat and the guards whispered loudly amongst themselves, scared to approach them and unsure what to do.

Pepper said loudly in a gruff tone, "Lord Stark, it is alright. Let us be on our way." He did not look at her but she saw a muscle flex in his cheek.

Then Tony shoved Hammer to the ground, who shakily stood up. Then he ran to his horse and mounted it. He screeched, "Arrest that man and his companion!"

The guards surrounded them and Tony unsheathed his sword. Pepper did the same and stood at his flank. The crowd began to jeer and boo at the guards and Tony raised his hand.

"My friends..." he said to the guards, "I have no quarrel with you. We simply want to pass."

Pepper watched with tension as the guards seemed to mull it over. She was preparing herself for a fight, when the head guardsman said, "We do not want to fight either. Especially not with the Iron Knight."

Tony bowed from his waist at the guard and the guard did the same. Then he gently nudged Pepper. She realized what he was trying to tell her and quickly mounted Aurora. The guards opened the gate and gave them way. They rode towards a medium-sized barge, anchored at the bank of the river.

"Quickly, Pep..." Tony muttered, looking behind them. "I do not think Hammer is as mature as his guards."

She turned and saw the brown-haired, scrawny knight shaking his fists at the guards.

Pepper clicked her tongue, urging Aurora to trot faster towards the barge. Tony did the same with Balthazar.

They rode towards the barge, where they handed their papers to another guard, who checked them over. Then she dismounted and gently led Aurora up the ramp and onto the barge.

Pepper moved towards the port side of the barge, leading Aurora. She held the horse's bridle firmly but was pleased to see that her horse was calm and collected.

Then she glanced over at Tony leading Balthazar and smiled. Balthazar was nervous and kept tossing his head. Tony was gently leading him on with soft words and pats on his muzzle.

Pepper touched Aurora's muzzle lightly, to let her know she had to stay in place. Then she walked over to Tony and Balthazar, who was shying nervously, refusing to calm down.

"Balthazar, here..." she cooed to the big war horse as she handed him a sugar cube. He scoffed it up quickly and nudged her gently for another one.

She giggled and handed him another one. The horse was so distracted by the sugar, that he tamely let Tony lead him to a tethering pole and settled down quietly.

She tethered Aurora as well. A loud gong was rung and the barge started to move. Pepper walked over to the ship's railing where Tony was looking out at the river.

She stood at his side. He said quietly, "The barge should go upstream now. We can't just cross the river. The bank on the other side is full of rocks."

Then he looked at Pepper and they both spoke out at the same time.

"Tony! That knight, Hammer is an idiot! Pay him no heed!"

"Pepper! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper and put you in danger!"

For a moment, they both stared at each other and then they burst into laughter.

"Tony..." she said softly, taking his hand. "Tony, that man... that stupid knight. He was a ripe ass! You should have ignored him!"

Tony clenched his jaw and said, "He should not have spoken to you like that, Pep."

"How was he to know I am a woman? Or your fiance? For all appearances, I do look like a lowly squire."

Tony shook his head and said, "Even so, he shouldn't have jeered at you. Respect should be given to all, even squires."

Pepper smiled at him. "My lord, you are right but you are the only knight, I have ever seen who treats others as his equals. It is no use expecting goodness from swines like Hammer."

Tony smiled but then looked at her contritely. "But I did forget myself. What if those guards attacked us? We could have fought them but they could have hurt us badly and where would that have gotten us." He shook his head. "I am sorry, Pepper."

She stroked his hair. "I am sorry, I didn't boff that scrawny knight when I had the chance."

Tony chuckled and Pepper asked softly, "Did you know him, Tony? He..." She hesitated, not wanting to hurt him by bringing up painful memories. Tony looked at her tiredly.

"Pep, it is in the past. We were both King Leoric's knights. Hammer was always envious of me, especially when I became the captain of the Iron Legion. He was so happy when Leoric asked me to leave because of my..." here a note of bitterness entered his tone, "because of my madness."

Pepper felt her palm tingle with anger at his words. He caught her hand and bent over it.

Then Tony gazed up at her with his soulful whiskey brown eyes and said softly, "Actually, I should be grateful to Leoric for kicking me out of his service. If I had remained, I would never have come back to my Keep, never have improved my behavior, never have helped the Village and..." he kissed her palm lingeringly, "never would have met you, Pepper Potts."

She sighed at his words and Tony smiled at her. "I am a madman... truly, madly, deeply in love with you."

Pepper quickly looked around. There was no one around on their side of the boat and Balthazar was standing right in front of them, nicely hiding them from view.

She quickly kissed Tony, smack on the lips, lingering for just a second, enjoying the taste of him.

Then she pulled back. He was grinning at her boyishly and said softly, "Pepper! You bold one! Men don't kiss each other!"

Pepper couldn't resist teasing him. "You don't say! Such a handsome man like you... I'm sure some knight must have tried his luck at least once."

He flushed aga and she giggled.

She moved closer to him and whispered, "It is cold but not as cold as it was in Lorinthia. In fact, the weather is pleasant."

He nodded and replied, "If it wasn't for the circumstances, this would be a very enjoyable journey."

Pepper sighed and looked around her. The bright blue water, the sound of its gentle lapping against the boat, the lush greenery on either bank of the river, surrounding the water.

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the crisp, clean air. The sun shone on her, warming her to her very soul.

Then she looked sideways at the tall broad-shouldered man standing next to her, his brown eyes gazing into hers with love.

Pepper felt a sense of peace fill her being. The feeling of dread, the sadness of leaving Lorinthia, the lump in her throat, all had faded into the background, as she took in herself and Tony at this moment.

"Even if the circumstances aren't ideal," she said, leaning on Tony and looping her arm around his waist, "I think this will be a wonderful cross-country trip, just you and me and the countryside. Riding over farmland and eating off the land."

She nuzzled his neck and Tony stiffened. "Pep..." he whispered, "what are you doing?"

She pinched his butt and made him jump slightly. He chuckled. "I think this fresh river air has made you frisky, my dear." He rubbed his face against hers.

Pepper whispered back, "I think the thought of having a certain, eminently desirable, rugged knight, all to myself for the next three days, is making my knees weak."

He gasped and suddenly Pepper moved and turned Tony, such that his back was pressed against the ship's railing. She leaned against him and kissed him hard, cutting off his murmured protest.

Tony recovered quickly from his shock, to kiss her back, running his hands over her hips, holding her against him. She used her tongue to tease his and their mouths moved passionately over each other. They kissed for what seemed to Pepper, like a wonderfully, endless moment, until Balthazar nudged Pepper hard in the back. She let go of Tony's mouth, eyes still closed from passion, face hovering close to his and he exhaled heavily, his chest rising to meet hers.

She felt his nose rub against hers slowly and he whispered, "Pepper, I want your sweet lips but my damn horse wants more sugar from your sweet hands."

She laughed out loud at that, opening her eyes to Tony's twinkling brown eyes looking into hers. Balthazar's large head gently nudged her again and she turned with a smile.

She pulled out another sugar cube from the pouch in her coat and the horse neatly plucked it off her hand and nibbled on it.

Tony held her against him and they both heard the gong sound again and the rallying cry of "Land Ho!"

They both turned to watch the barge slowly approach the opposite bank of the river, a clear earthy stretch of land. The anchor was dropped.

Tony untied the horses from their post and led them both towards the ramp. Pepper moved ahead to hand their papers over to the guard at the ramp's bottom. She tensed slightly because along with the guards, here was another knight, this one extremely broad but short.

He casually stared at her and Tony as he followed her with the horses but much to her relief, the guard handed their papers back and they were allowed to pass peacefully.

She mounted her horse and Tony his. Then they clicked their reins and rode away from the bank. As the farmlands came into view, Pepper gasped with wonder.

The farms draped the landscape in multiple green and brown squares of earth, looking like a picturesque patchwork carpet in the gentle sunshine. Fields of carrots, potatoes, onions and spinach were on either side of a broad dirt road. They cantered slowly on the road, passing the people toiling away in the fields.

The grain fields were bare with nothing but scarecrows. Away in the near distance, she could see a green, grassy hill, looming over the flat farmland.

Tony pointed at the hill and said, "Let us have lunch there. We can see all of the farmland from the hill."

"Yes, lets!" She said excitedly and urged Aurora into a gallop, determined to reach the hill. Tony did the same and they both rode towards the hill and then climbed it at a steady pace. The hill was covered with lush green grass and a large herd of cows were contentedly grazing, lifting their heads lazily to stare at them as they rode up the hill.

When they were at the flattish top, Pepper dismounted and dropped backwards on her back, enjoying the feel of the crisp grass beneath her. She sighed with pleasure and saw Tony dismount as well. He fell to his knees and his grinning face loomed over her.

"My lady likes the grass, I take it..."

"Oh Tony! It's been so long since I've felt sun-kissed grass." She stretched herself out and exhaled deeply. "And that was such a long ride, I just want to lie back and relax."

Tony chuckled, kneeling in the grass beside her and she caught his face and gently pulled him down for a slow languorous kiss.

He kissed her back equally slowly, his lips nibbling hers, his chest pressed to hers lightly. Her tongue teased his and he broke off the kiss to gaze into her eyes.

She sat up and nuzzled his face. Then Pepper whispered in his ear, "Sitting here in the sunshine with you, on top of the world looking down on all creation... I have never felt more blessed to be alive."

She kissed his ear and felt him shiver against her lips. Then Tony turned his face and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around him and they kissed each other slowly in the grass.

Pepper heard a low growling noise and broke off the kiss in confusion. "From where is that noise coming from?" She asked out loud.

Then she took one look at Tony's bright red face and fell backwards with laughter. "Tony! Are you hungry?!"

He muttered sheepishly, "Breakfast was so long ago. And I did not even eat much, I do not have much of an appetite at such early hours."

Pepper stood up quickly and held out her hand. Tony took it and pulled himself up.

"Come," she said brightly, "Let us have some lunch and then we can decide what to do next."

She gently clicked her tongue and called out Aurora's name. The golden horse trotted obediently towards her and Pepper took out their packed rations from her saddle bag.

Magdalene had packed a small lunch for them and she quickly spread a small cloth on the ground and then began to unpack each item.

"Some bread rolls, some dry cheese, apples and carrots and...", she said as she placed each item down. Tony quickly pulled out a small flagon of cider from the packet and opened it.

He handed it to Pepper, who took a small sip and then he drank some, smacking his lips with happiness when he was done.

Pepper raised her eyebrow at him. "Lord Stark, I thought you were hungry?"

He smirked. "I am but I prefer the liquid version of apples."

She giggled and for five minutes, they both ate quietly on the grassy serene hill, while the cows and their horses grazed around them.

Pepper finished eating and lay back in the grass, propping herself up on her shoulders. She noticed Tony staring at something with great interest.

"Tony, what are you looking at?"

Still looking away from her, he said thoughtfully, "I think I can see a farmer struggling with his plow in the field to the left of us, below the hill."

She peered in the direction he was pointing at. Pepper could vaguely make out a male figure pushing hard at something vertical in a field, his oxen patiently waiting in front of him.

Tony stood up and she did too, pulling her scarf around her face and lowering her hat.

"Let's go see if he needs any help." she said brightly to Tony, who smiled back.