Here is the next chapter, its a bit smaller then normal and not as exciting as the last two chapters, bit I hope you like.

I would like to thank Wilhelmina Vandom and Ice Queen of Candracar for betaing this and I would like to thank Wilhelmina Vandom, Darkness-Lightness, The Crazy Talk Kid for reviewing.

Also would like to say I don't own D&D or W.I.T.C.H.. Now on with the fic!

Chapter 9: Love and Politics

It was the next morning when Will woke up to find she was in her bed with Susan sitting in a chair watching over her. Will confused at how she got here tried to sit up bit a sharp pain in her shoulder made her fall back down onto the mattress.

Susan gave the girl a gentle smile as she said, "You should take it easy your injured remember?" The Elvin woman said as she reached down to pick up the sword Blunk had given Will.

Susan drew the blade and inspected it and said "A very nice souvenir to remember your trip with. Even better then one I gave you." she commented as she admired the weapon but then noticed Will just looked down sadly.

Susan worried that something she was about to ask when Will spoke first, "I'm sorry." Then her eyes started swell with tears though Will was not out right crying, at least not yet any way.

Susan confused at what Will said asked, "For what?" This made Will turn her head away from Susan as she said "For breaking the sword you gave me, for putting the others in danger and…" The rest of Will's rant was ended by her breaking down in tears.

Susan now understood what was bothering Will, she felt that she was going to be yelled at and punished for what happened, thinking every thing that happened was her fault. Susan knew Will's life as a street urchin probably was to blame for this belief, most likely due to people accusing her for any thing bad that happened and she was near by.

Julian had told Susan that he had made it quite clear to the girls, that despite taking on a task like the rescue mission and breaking rules Susan and Sade had made, it was still the right thing to do. Though of course, Julian also made it clear that there might still be punishments given to them because their families might be less than happy with their action.

But the girls knew that he would put in a few good words in for them with their families to help soften any punishments given. This was mainly due to the fact that Julian was a Royal Knight like Susan so that gave the girls a small level of protection from angry parents.

Will on the other hand did not know any of this and out of habit was trying to brace her self for what she thought would be a severe punishment for what happened. To help calm and comfort the young half-elf Susan gently stroked Will's arm hopping the gesture would work.

After a while Will finally calmed down enough to look back at Susan's smiling face allowing the woman to finally speak. "Will, you need to know a few things, the first of being is that I am very proud of you." This defiantly got the young girl's attention and waited to hear more.

"What you did was dangerous and I would have preferred you not taking on such a massive force but if you did not then a…Supposedly innocent creature would have most likely been killed." Susan had actually grilled the Passling to find out how he had gotten into that mess to begin with.

Blunk had apparently had been 'trading' the more stupid members of the mixed group of four evil races and had managed to get a great deal of the Bugbears' horde. Bugbears were attracted to things like food and treasure and were very good at getting both.

Eventually one of the leaders of the Bugbear tribe had found out about this and had the Passling captured. When Blunk failed to tell them were the items he 'traded' for were they decided to eat him.

Susan got her mind off that train of thought and went back to reassuring Will she was not in trouble. "Also Will, I am glad to see you were able to put aside your fear of being rejected for your warlock powers and used them to save Taranee. If you had not, those Orcs would have most likely have over powered the three of you and killed you." Susan said before adding, "I told you they would accept you." This was meant to be small joke but Will looked a little ashamed at not trusting Susan earlier.

"Now none of that, despite that I said you should trust them you have had every right to be afraid. Up until a month ago you lived a life of fear and ridicule and I should have known you would be scared of it happening again." Susan said gently trying to reverse the damage she had done with her little joke.

Susan then took out a handkerchief and wiped away some of the tears on Will face then started speaking again. "Now why don't we go get you dressed and we go have breakfast with the others?" This got a nod from Will, so Susan helped the half-elf girl to her feet.

It was hard to get Will's tunic on with her shoulder injury but they managed after a few tries. After that was done Susan walked Will down where the others were just sitting down to eat.

Will noticed that the boys from yesterday were at the table as well. Will had a slight blush on her face as she looked at Caleb remembering how he carried her out of the ruins. This slight blush had not gone unnoticed by Susan who saw who her young student was looking at.

Susan had mixed feelings about her student having a crush on the son of her two friends. On the negative side it might cause a bit of a problem between Will and Cornelia, seeing how the blonde druid also held a bit of a crush on the young man as well. But on the positive side, if any one were to court her student, Caleb would be one of Susan's personal preferences. Not that Susan was in any rush to let Will go courting at such a young age mind you.

Sade who was watching from her seat at the table was the only one to notice the two so far, could tell from the expressions on their faces and the direction of their gazes what was going on. 'Ah, young love and the over protective parent…Or it would if Susan would stop being so stubborn and adopt the poor girl already.' the Queen thought to her self.

"And they finally join us I see." Abele said as she noticed Sade was looking at something and saw both Susan and Will. Abele also guessed what was going on and found the idea interesting. 'That boy of mine always getting girls swooning over him and he is not even intending to do that. I swear he is too much like his father was at that age.' The powerful sorceress thought to her self as every one turned their attention to the new arrivals.

The other girls were showing signs of relief at the sight of their friend now up and about. "Lazy bum, sleeping through the integration like that." Irma joked, making the other girls cringe at the memory of Sade and Yan Lin's wave after wave of questions. Yan Lin was strictly about what happened to her granddaughter but Sade was asking as both a mother and a ruler.

So in theory they were grilled by three people seeing how Sade needed to know every detail for when she sent as her soldiers to finish off the rest of the creatures in the ruins. That also had Hay Lin busy making sure of every detail of the maps she had made were accurate so Sade could have her soldiers use then in the attack. They would greatly help speed up the task if her men knew of the direct routes through the ruins and they would only need to explore the areas the girls had not done.

Will knew it was better she did not ask what Irma meant by that wise crack and went to sit down. The food that was served was the same as the day they had left to explore the ruins and that was good in Will's opinion because she was hungry. Having slept all through yesterday after noon and all the way through to this morning meant she had not eaten since breakfast yesterday.

Will did eat more slowly then normal though to Susan's surprise until the Elvin woman remembered that a certain young man was in the room. It was simple to guess Will was trying to not look like a pig in front of her crush.

Though it seemed that while Will had an attraction to Caleb, it seemed that Will had an admirer of her own. Susan noticed that Matt was taking glances at Will that where completely unnoticed by said half-elf.

This did partially concern Susan because of the potential problems this could cause. Matt's family, the Olsen family, was a very influential one and was of the nobility. If Matt's affection for Will were strong enough he might openly challenge Caleb to prove he was the better man even if Caleb showed no interest in Will.

Caleb was a proud young man and would answer any challenge and would try to win. Or at least he would until he found out why, then he might go as far as to make Matt look better then him to help his friend and discourage Will's affection. This of course would only happen as long as Caleb did not take interest in the young half-elf. If he did then that was where the trouble would begin.

The Russell family was also a highly respected one as well, even before Julian had earned the title of Royal Knight. This meant that if the two future heads of these two families were to compete for the affection of one girl it could lead to major problems.

This was mainly due to Will's two major attributes; the first was her being a half-elf. Both families were one of the few who were openly against racial crimes but if Caleb and Matt were to compete against each other the nobles that where against the mixed race would take advantage of it. They would say it only proved that half-elves were trouble and fan even more hatred among the masses.

The second attribute was that Will was a warlock, another thing the nobles who disliked Will would use against her. They would say she used her 'dark magic' to cause a rift between the two families by making the two boys become smitten with her.

Of course Susan knew Will would have more trouble then a normal person when it came to things like this. But that was why Susan was in charge of looking after Will so she could act as a buffer for these problems and provide support and guidance when necessary.

After every one had finished eating the other girls went about getting ready for the trip back to each of their own homes. Yan Lin, Hay Lin and Irma would be dropped off at the forest village they lived in while the rest would return to the capital.

As the last of the things were being loaded on to the carriages Will noticed Taranee and Nigel constantly glancing back at each other with slight blushes on their faces, yet keeping their distance from each other. Irma and Hay Lin had looks of mischief on their faces that only meant something very entertaining was about to happen.

They waited until Taranee was heading to one of the carriages with Nigel some few feet behind her and put their plan into action. Hay Lin threw a single large marble into Taranee's path and once the wizard stepped on it she slipped. She was in mid air until some one caught her just in time to avoid hitting the ground.

That person was of course Nigel and as he looked down at the blushing wizard in his arms he was about to ask if she was all right until Irma stepped in for her part in the plan. She came up behind Nigel and pushed his face into Taranee's making the twos' lips meet.

The friends of the pair were cheering at the scene, or at least until the two locked eyes on Irma and Hay Lin. "Uh Oh." they said at the same time. "Ya." Taranee said as she got to her feet. Nigel finished what Taranee started by adding, "Big Uh Oh!"

This had the two girls running from the wizard and the boy with the Orc-double axe. The only reason the two lived was because the adults put an end to the chase before the two culprits were caught.

After things calmed down Will asked Susan, "Why do Taranee and Nigel seem to keep their distance from each other? They both seem to know they like each other." This got Will a sad smile from the Elvin woman.

"You know what Paladins and Barbarians are right?" Susan asked making Will think back to some of the books she read about other classes.

Paladins were to Clerics as Rangers were to Druids. Paladins were a complete warrior version of the cleric and had less magic then clerics because of this but they still had access to divine power nonetheless. They were also strict believers in good, justice and order. They did not tolerate any one who committed evil acts or break the law. This made them somewhat close-minded and overly strict at times.

Barbarians on the other hand were a warrior type class that used a powerful rage they could call on to give them a massive increase in strength and stamina during battle. They were also a rather free spirited and at times wild lot. In a way they were the Paladins' opposite and tended to clash because of it.

"Ya, I know about them, why?" Will asked, wondering what this had to do with Taranee and Nigel avoiding each other.

Susan looked off in the distance as she answered, "Nigel is a Barbarian and Taranee's mother is a Paladin." This made everything click into place in Will's mind. Taranee's mother did not approve of Nigel and Taranee being together so they try to keep their distance, for now at least.

"That's not fair." Will said getting a nod from Susan before she said, "Yes it is, unfortunately as you know from personal experience many things in life are not fair."

Will looked down with fists tightly clenched, as she said in low tone. "Still does not excuse the fact." This statement made Susan smile approvingly at her young charge.

"You're right; don't you think the same applies to you as well?" This made Will look up at Susan in confusion. "You seem to have accepted what the majority say that there is something wrong with you when it's the other way around, don't you think?"

Will looked away now, having an aura of depression instead of rightful anger. "That different." This had Will grabbed by the shoulders by Susan and forced to look the Elvin woman in the eyes.

"There is no difference Will, that is just years of ingrained thinking from countless idiots talking and the sooner you realize that the better." Susan said forcefully, then pulled Will into a hug. "But that's why you're here, isn't it? So that you can have the chance to realize that." Susan whispered into Will ear.

All of a sudden the two heard a loud, "Aaahhh." This made the two break the hug to see that every one was watching the scene making the two blush from embarrassment.

This was when Irma yelled, "Don't do that! Hay Lin did not get a chance to draw that scene yet!" Which had the wizard/rouge digging through her recently packed bag for some paper, ink and something to draw with.

Both of Will's hands were quickly being engulfed in pink and red energy while Susan sparks of electricity gather in one of her hands. This was the two's way of saying knock it off or face the dire consequences, which made every one obey rather quickly.

A few minutes later the last preparations were done and all of Will's new friends were leaving as she sadly waved good bye. The only ones who had remained were Julian and Abele, the rest of the group of males had gone as an escort for the others.

They had stayed behind because Julian wanted to discuss something with Susan and Abele could simply teleport her husband home after he was done. Susan had ordered Will to go back to bed and rest just to help speed up the healing process of her shoulder.

After Will had left Susan lead Julian and his family to an office Susan used when discussing/arguing with the local nobles who come to see her every so often.

The office was a rather simple one; the carpet was green with white walls with large window over looking the courtyard below on the wall closest to the back of the room. The only furniture was a large oak desk with one chair for Susan to sit in and two chairs in front of it for those who had come to see her could sit.

Susan sat behind the desk while Julian and Abele sat in the ones in front of it. Once they were comfortable Susan asked, "What did you wish to talk about Julian?"

Julian smiled at Susan with a hint of mischief in his eyes as he spoke. "Well, it's nothing serious just a little invitation to something that will help you with your plans for Will." This had come as a surprise to Susan but it seemed from how Abele was smiling as well that it seemed the two were in this together.

Once Susan had found her voice again she asked, "What do you mean exactly by helping me with my plans for Will?" There was a bit of wariness in tone, both of her friends knew it was due to her protectiveness of said half-elf.

Abele was the one to answer Susan's question, "We both know your trying to bring the girl out of her shell and the trip with the girls was a good first step but now the girls have gone back home. As we see it, to keep up this process you need to keep her in regular contact with the other girls." The sorceress said, then gave Susan a moment to think this statement over.

Susan knew what they were saying was true, after all to fully break Will out of her shell she needed regular and frequent contact with those she now called friends. After a few more moments Susan asked, "What do you have in mind exactly?"

"Quite simply we have Will come with me, Caleb and Aldarn for some hunting out in the forest where Irma and Hay Lin live. We did not get done on our last one and we can ask Irma and Hay Lin to be our guides for the trip. It would give a chance for Will to be with her friends while officially you could say she is learning valuable skills that will make her better able to do other tasks in your service." Julian explained to Susan.

Susan had to admit the idea was a good one. Will would benefit from having her friends around and learning some of the things Julian could teach her. When Julian went on hunts he and his group always tried to take the bare essentials and made use of basic survival skills for any thing else they would need.

After few minutes of silence Susan finally answered, "Alright, when is the trip?"

Julian thought for moment, "Well, I was thinking about a week from now but with Will's injury it might be better to delay it for a bit more than that." After saying this Julian was surprised Susan was shaking her head no.

"She will be ready by next week, I'll just give her some special herds to apply to the wound and after a day of rest she will be back to full strength. That will give me time to teach Will basic archery and horse back riding." Susan explained to Julian who agreed with this plan but noticed Susan had something else to say.

He could tell because Susan was eyeing him and Abele. "Now what are your other reasons to have Will on this trip?" she asked in an accusing tone. The two knew they had been found out, no big surprise actually due to Susan being very difficult to deceive.

Abele was the one to answers this question seeing how this was her half of the scheme. "Well, while Julian wanted to help Will break out of her shell I found it also helped with something I want to happen."

After a moment of silence Susan realized what Abele wanted. "Caleb, you want Will close to Caleb…Mind explaining why you're playing match maker?" Susan said with a bit of an icy tone to it. As Julian guessed Susan was already getting defensive, not a big surprise seeing how Will was in the middle of all this.

Abele held her hand in front of her to signal she meant to no harm and signal Susan to calm down. "Its quite simple actually, I like the girl and prefer her over many other girls who lobby for the attention of my son. Cornelia is one of the better ones but Will has a spark to her that I think will make her good for my boy. She might even be a catalyst for some changes that will help both half-elves and warlocks in the future."

Susan had admit that was a tempting thought but she did not like the idea of Will being in the middle of political battle that has been happening for years. "I don't like the idea of Will being used as a figurehead but I'll make you a deal. We will let them decide if they take a mutual interest in each other then we will support them, if not then we will not force them. Agreed?" Susan said as she held out her hand to Abele.

This was rather unusual thing for most normal members of the nobility to do but neither of these two women were normal nobles. Susan was just exploring human lands wanting to get out and see the world. But during her travels she got caught up in a string of events that got her asked to join the Royal Knights.

Abele on the other hand, was a protector of magic artefacts, who one day found an injured Julian near the entrance to the ruins where she lived back in their youth. She nursed him back to health and fell in love in the process.

Nether woman believed in arranged marriages and this was as close as either woman would come to it as Abele answered, "Agreed." And shook hands with Susan sealing the deal.

Julian, on the other hand, was shaking his head at what had taken place. "I pity those two poor children with you two now on the prowl." This got him smacked in the back of the head from his wife and a giggle from Susan at the man's jest.

After that the two left and Susan went to go check on Will after getting the herbs and fresh change of bandages. When she knocked on Will's door she heard a strained reply of, "Come in." Making the Elvin woman grow concerned as she quickly entered.

Susan quickly figured out why Will sounded like she was in pain as she saw the signs that Will had tried to change her self back into her pajamas. This was not something done so easily with Will's injured shoulder. It looked like Will had just finished removing her cloths and was trying to wait until the pain stopped and get her energy back to put on her sleeping clothes.

Susan mentally scolded her self for not thinking of this before she sent Will back to her room to rest as she went over to check on her worn out charge. Susan saw only a little blood was staining the bandages so Will probably did not reopen the wound too much to Susan's relief.

As Susan unwrapped the bandages she said, "I guess this will help for when I apply some herbs to the wound but why did you keep trying to take your cloths off if it hurt so much?" She asked with a great concern in her voice.

"I have been used to doing things in pain before, so I thought I could do it on my own." Will said with bit of fear in voice, most likely worried about Susan being mad at her. The fears were quickly squashed when the Elvin woman looked the half-elf in the eyes and stroked the side of the girl's face.

"You're too stubborn for your own good Will. Remember, you don't live like that any more." Susan said with gentle smile on her face and started to carefully apply the special herbs. Will winced as the healing substance was added to the injury since it stung like a swarm of bees.

This got a sympathetic smile from Susan as she said, "I know the feeling, trust me the results are worth the pain." After that was done Susan wrapped the shoulder up with the new bandages and then helped Will finish getting into her pajamas.

After Will was in bed Susan told her she was to be confined to bed tomorrow saying the herbs would have the injury healed by the end of the tomorrow, but only if Will rested.

The way Susan said it was making it clear that if Will did any thing other wise, there would be consequences. Will did the only thing she could do and nodded timidly that she understood.

After that Susan left to let Will rest, satisfied that the girl would behave and do as she was told. Once Susan was in her own room the Elvin woman planned on what to do over the next few days.

Sade had said she would send extra troops to help deal with the creatures still in the ruins but until then Susan's had only the ones posted in the area. Fortunately many adventures had volunteered to assist in keeping the four races contained until help could arrive.

Sade wanted to make sure a massive blow was delivered to this small army so it would be crippled and unable to do whatever attacks it had been planning. A month ago Susan would have been able to personally lead the troops into the ruins and wipe them out, but both she and Sade knew Susan needed to focus on Will right now and watch over the young girl. There were probably many who would take advantage of Susan being away and go after Will in one form or another.

Besides, Susan knew she could join the mission once Will had left on the hunting trip with Julian. Until then Susan would just have to sit tight and wait a week.

The only thing that Susan really had to worry about was what to do to keep Will from getting fidgety during her day of rest. Will was too used to doing something to just lie down all day. Susan would probably just have give the girl a large stack of books to read and pray it would help.

Personally Susan could sympathize since she was the same way at times. Part of Susan considered drugging the girl into sleeping the day away but Will would never forgive her if the half-elf ever found out.

Susan decided to worry about it tomorrow and went about dealing with other duties she needed to do before calling it a day. These mainly were getting ready for the soon to be coming nobles demanding to know everything about the crisis in the ruins. Not something Susan was looking forward to.

'Mental note, once Will is gone on trip make sure to take my time with those Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears and Orcs. They made Will suffer by wounding her and made me suffer by making me listen to more complaints. They must pay.' Susan thought to her self as she headed for her office again.

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There you go. Please read and review, the next one should be out in a week.