Chapter 10

Over the past several months Wyatt had quietly observed Roxie as he tried to see what Eli and Connor were talking about, but he remained baffled. Yes, she was an excellent fight…one of the best he had ever seen actually and she was equally as diplomatic as she was charming which was a dangerous combination; on their mission to Brecilian Passage to find the Messenger he noticed that she had excellent battle tactic skills and if placed in a leadership position she would be a deadly foe for any army. All of these were outstanding qualities. Qualities that most military generals, kings and leaders possessed, but he didn't see how these attributes meant that she had some great calling or destiny.

Or maybe he was fooling himself; maybe he didn't want to see what they saw because he had come to realize that Eli was right…that he was desperately and hopeless in love with her and the thought of her dying made his chest tighten and his stomach lurch. Eli's words echoed in his mind, 'When she is ready she will rise up to the challenge that will be placed before her and she will finish what Bella started'. What did that mean? What had Bella started that Roxie needed to complete? Whatever it was he wouldn't let anything happen to her; he would protect her at all costs.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Roxie asked as she guided her horse beside his.

He smiled and lied, "About how miserably we had failed at finding the Messenger at Brecilian Passage."

Roxie smiled sympathetically, "Wyatt, you have to quiet beating yourself up about that. It's obvious that the Messenger is going to great lengths to avoid the Wardens."

"Yes, that was abundantly clear as he lead us on wild nug chase throughout the Brecilian Forrest," Wyatt replied bitterly.

"I still think our best bet is to capture one of these talking darkspawn and make them talk," Roxie responded.

"Well, I think Connor agrees with you. After we return from Denerim following all the National Blight Memorial Celebrations he is going to send a group into the Deep Roads to track down a couple of the talking darkspawn. Won't that be fun?" Wyatt said dryly.

Roxie shivered, "Yuck, the Deep Roads. I don't know how the Legion of the Dead can stay down there for such long periods of time; one week and I can't wait to get out."

Wyatt nodded, "Let's change the subject to something a little more uplifting…It's been almost a year since your conscription. So are you excited, nervous or frightened about heading to Denerim to see your family?"

Roxie smiled slightly, "All the above. I know my family will welcome me with open arms, but I am not the same person that I was a year ago and the things that I use to think were important seem so trivial now…and the last time I was here I made decisions that ruined a lot of lives."

Wyatt didn't say anything. He knew that she was thinking about Reece. When he found her in the garden after his conversation with Eli and Connor she had told him that Reece was on the run from the Templars and more than likely never be able to come home. A part of him was glad by this news. He knew that Reece was her first love and their relationship had ended tragically against both of their wills due to circumstances that ripped them apart. So he was relieved that Reece wouldn't be able to make any unexpected appearances, but he hated that Roxie still blamed herself for what happened to them a year ago. He could tell that it ate at her.

"I'm sure five minutes with Eva and the two of you will be gossiping like a pair of courtier," Wyatt said lightheartedly as he tried to easy her darkening mood.

She smiled, "Yes, she does have that way about her." They were only an hour side of Denerim and they rode in silence the rest of the way – each lost in their own thoughts.

xxXxx

The following morning Roxie had asked Wyatt to accompany her to the Palace for a luncheon that King Alistair James was hosting in her honor. He met her in the main hall of the Warden Compound. She glided down the stairs in a stylish burnt orange and gold brocaded dress that had hugged her small frame and emphasized her exquisite bust line. The color of the dress brought out the green in her sparkling eyes and emphasized the deep auburn streaks in her hair. Her hair was pulled up, but she had several ringlets that framed her beautiful face. Wyatt drew a deep breath; she was breathtaking. Over the past year he had only seen Roxie in armor or casual linen trousers and she always looked great in them. He had completely forgotten that she was a noble in every sense of the word as she moved gracefully toward him. Wyatt thanked the Maker for bringing her into his life.

"Why Lord Howe you clean up very nicely?" Roxie purred.

He laughed, "Not nearly as good as you. May I say, my Lady, that you will be the most stunning noble at the luncheon today?"

"Well, you have never met my cousin Eva. She is much more the Lady then I will ever be," Roxie replied as she started for the door.

Wyatt grabbed her by the waist and drew her back against his chest. The scent of jasmine filled his senses as he whispered in her ear, "I don't want a prim and proper Lady; I only want my beautiful rogue goddess." He nibbled as her ear and felt the shiver roll through her.

"Goddess is it?" She asked with a sigh as she leaned back into his chest.

He kissed her down the side of her neck as he whispered, "Yes, goddess, but you missed the most important part of the statement…you are my goddess."

She stepped away from him; smiled her crocked wicked grin and cooed, "If you keep doing that I may have to find a dark corner and have my way with you."

Now it was his turn to grin at her sinfully, "I would take that over a luncheon any time," he replied as he held out his arm for and escorted her out the gates towards the Palace.

When they arrived at the Palace Garden and the guard announced, "Warden Roxie Cousland and Warden Wyatt Howe."

A beautiful girl with dark blond hair and honey colored eyes jumped out of the reception line and rushed at both of them, "Roxieeee!" She exclaimed as she throw her arms around Roxie's neck.

Roxie began to laugh as she hugged the girl back, "Your Highness that is no way for a princess to act."

The girl stepped back, glared at Roxie and wagged her finger, "Cousin that had better be the last time you use my formal title while you are here or else I will have you thrown in the dungeons."

"Is my daughter threatening you, Warden? If so, you could always conscript her," King Alistair James said jovially as he approached them from behind.

Roxie immediately went into a deep curtsy and Wyatt bowed. "Your Majesty, it is a pleasure to see you again," Roxie said.

"Well, now I understand why Eva threatened you with the dungeons. You know better than to do that my dear Cousin when it is just us family members here. You have been away to long, my child," AJ reprimanded as he drew Roxie into a big bear hug.

When he released her he turned to Wyatt and said, "Warden Howe, it is a pleasure to meet you. Roxie talks about you all the time in her letters."

Wyatt blushed, "The pleasure is mine, your Majesty."

AJ shook his head, "Well, that just won't do; when we are among family it's just AJ; none of that 'majesty' nonsense."

"If that is the case, then I insist that you call me Wyatt."

Alistair put his arm around Wyatt and led him over to the reception line and introduced him to the rest of the royal family.

The rest of the party was a blur as Wyatt mingled and chatted with all twenty six cousins. Occasionally he would catch Roxie's eye and she would wink or smile at him. He had finally made his way over to her and whispered, "How in Maker's name do you keep all of their names straight? There are so many of them."

Roxie laughed, "Practice, I used to carry a little cheat sheet up my sleeves."

Wyatt grinned, "That is what I am going to have to do next time."

AJ approached the two of them, "So Wyatt will you be joining Roxie in the Tournament ring this week?"

Wyatt nodded, "Yes, I will."

"And do you hope to best her?" AJ asked.

"I will do my best, but she is tough to defeat in the sparring ring. I can only imagine how tough she will be to defeat in front of a large crowd when her reputation and a large boon are on the line," Wyatt replied.

AJ chuckled, "Yes, she is highly competitive. It's in her blood."

"Don't I know it; she makes a contest out of how many darkspawn we kill. Whoever has the most doesn't have to help set-up camp or cook. They can relax, take a bath in a nearby pond and just unwind after a long day on the road. Needless to say, Roxie is the cleanest member of our party."

AJ laugh as Roxie shrugged, "What can I say, I like to be clean. If it takes killing a few more darkspawn than everyone else then so be it."

xxXxx

The rest of the week went by fairly quickly. Wyatt accompanied her to all the Palace functions that she was required to attend; she accompanied him to the Alienage to look for recruits and the both advanced through the tournament without much effort. He was grateful that he hadn't drawn her name yet so he had not faced her in the ring all week, but he thought watching her fight against knights and soldiers much better and stronger then her was more difficult than facing her in the ring.

It was the last day of the tournament and only eight fighters remained: Roxie, Wyatt, Bryland, Mirima, Frankie, Master Zeph, a Templar from the Denerim Chantry, and a Chevalier who was representing Orlais' Emperor Theo. Wyatt was pleased that out of the eight, five were Wardens. Wyatt was surprised at Master Zeph's performance in the tournament; for being older than most of the competitors he was extremely agile and cunning; he would need all of that intellect as he faced Mirima in the next round.

Wyatt turned his attention to the ring as they announced Roxie's name. She entered the ring with a resounding cheer. Then they announced the Templar who entered the ring with polite applause. They bowed to each other and then began circling one another. Wyatt watched intensely as the Templar took the first swing and Roxie easily side stepped him. It was a strenuous match to watch, but Roxie met the Knight blow for blow and quickly had him on the defense as she aggressively backed him up across the ring as she swung and slashed at him. There was anger in her strikes as she focused fury from last year's events at this poor Templar. The match was over quickly as the knight fell to his knees and yielded.

Wyatt had faced Bryland this round and it was a hard fought battle. The two of them were equally matched and in the end it had come down to endurance and luck. Wyatt had won the match when Bryland had lost his balance and stumbled; giving Wyatt the upper hand just long enough to completely take out Bryland's legs.

At the end of the round Wyatt, Roxie, Master Zeph and the Chevalier moved onto the next round. Roxie would face her Sensei while Wyatt would face the mysterious Chevalier.

Watching Roxie and Master Zeph fight each other was like watching a beautiful deadly dance. Both of them utilized every rogue technique they possessed against each other as they shimmered and danced around each other. The crowd was enthralled as the watched the master and the apprentice's lethal waltz and every member of the audience prayed to the Maker that they would never have to meet these two on the battle field. Youth and endurance finally won over experience as Roxie extended her hand out to her Sensei as helped him up from the ground and hugged her teacher.

Wyatt's match against the Chevalier was over before it had barely started. The Chevalier had come out swinging hard and fast and had Reece quickly on the defense as he scrambled for solid footing. Through the eye slits in the Knight's helm there was a fierce determination to defeat Wyatt at all costs. The Knight charged at Wyatt, but he side stepped the charge and moved to the Knight's left side. The Knight had anticipated the move and delivered three rapid strikes with his long blade to Wyatt's back and swung the blunt side of his dagger against Wyatt's neck that knocking him to the ground. The Knight towered over Wyatt with his sword pointed at Wyatt's throat – Wyatt yielded.

Wyatt paced the recess floor as Roxie adjusted her armor. "I don't like this Knight. He is vicious and brutal. I don't trust a man that refuses to remove his helm after a victory."

Roxie rested her hand on Wyatt's arm and pulled him towards her. He eased into her embrace as she said, "I will be fine. I have watched him fight and he is an excellent rogue fighter, but I am better. The only reason that he got the upper hand on you was because you weren't expecting him to make such a quick attack, but I will be ready for him if he does. You don't need to worry. I promise…"

He brought his finger up to her lips and said "Sssssh, I know." His finger still rested on her lips; she gave a wicked grin as she took his finger inside her mouth; her warm moist tongue swept across it. He closed his eyes against the powerful sensation of her wet velvet tongue against his skin. He groaned when her mouth left his finger. His hand slid around to the nape of her neck as he drew her in and covered her lips with his. She signed softly as she parted her mouth and his tongue slipped between her soft, tender lips. She leaned into him as she deepened the kiss and a moan escaped from deep in his throat as his desire for her ignited into a hungry flame.

She pulled away and closed her eyes as she tried to compose herself. He ran a finger along her cheek bone and she opened her eyes and smiled at him, "I need to go," she whispered.

He nodded, brushed her forehead with his lips, "Come back to me in one piece."

She titled her head and smiled, "Always."

They announced her name and she jogged out onto the tournament field to the roar of the crowd and bowed. Wyatt joined the other Wardens in the stands just as her opponent was announced. The Knight quickly joined her on the field and they bowed to each other. The announcer went over the rules for the crowd and then after a dramatic pause exclaimed, "Let the battle commence." The two of them circled each other for several minutes as they tried to get a feel for one another. The Knight towered over her and Wyatt knew she would have to use her agility and speed to out maneuver the reach that the Knight had.

The Knight lunged forward and Roxie twisted to the right and jabbed at his back, but he pivoted out of the way just in time to miss the blow. Both of them crouched into a fighting stance as they begin to circle each other again. The Knight swung his sword toward her head and Roxie brought up the short sword just in time to stop the blow. She pushed off the Knight's long sword and backed up a step as they continued the dance… swing, block, attack, parry, the sound of steel clashing over and over again.

The Knight circled her again and then swung his sword low towards her knees and she jumped over the blade, twisted around and delivered a hard blow to his back with the pommel of the short sword. He growled as spun to face her. Wyatt could tell that Roxie was concentrating on the Knight's body language as she tried to read his attacks. He lunged, she parried, he swung, she blocked and the when he lunged forward a little too deep she side stepped him, it caught him off balance, and she brought the blunt side of her blade down on his arm and shoulder.

"She's doing good against the Knight," Bryland said then chuckled, "Better then you did."

Wyatt glared at him. "Now boys, we are here to support our fellow Warden. She wouldn't be happy if I had to break up a fight between the two of you." Mirima said calmly.

"The last thing we want is to make Roxie unhappy. An unhappy Roxie makes everyone unhappy," Bryland retorted.

Wyatt turned his attention back to the ring as the Knight advanced on her again and lunged forward; she spun to the right, dropped down and swung at the back of his legs, but he anticipated the move and dodged out of the way. As she stood up he yelled out as he brought the blunt blade down and caught her on her left side and she went down.

Bryland heard the deep intake of breath from Wyatt and said, "You either need to start drinking some ale when you watch her fight or not watch her at all."

Wyatt smiled weakly, "Where's that ale wench when you need her?"

Bryland called over the ale girl and purchased three mugs. He handed Wyatt his and said, "Drink up my friend."

Wyatt took a large gulp as he turned his attention back to the ring. He watched as Roxie rolled to her knees and crossed the sword and dagger above her head just in time to stop a blow to the head. She pushed off of the Knight's sword, rolled backwards and was quickly back on her feet. Wyatt let out a sigh of relief.

The Knight charged again, but Roxie once again rolled under his charge and as she comes up behind him delivered a blow to the back of the Knights knees. The Knight staggered forward and Roxie twisted around as she used his forward momentum she hit the Knight in the back with the blunt side of the blade. The Knight stumbled forward, but remained on his feet.

Wyatt saw the opening as Roxie quickly danced toward him in blur of motion as her sword and dagger worked in unison. The Knight was backing up as he meet each swing with a block. The Knight leapt to right and when he landed he bent down and swung at her feet, she jumped into the air and over the blade. When she landed the Knight moved to roll past her and come up behind her, but she had expected that and as he rolled by Roxie brought the pommel of her sword down between his shoulder blades. The blow knocked him forward. Roxie slammed her foot down between the Knight's shoulder and touched the tip of her sword to the nape of his neck – the Knight surrendered.

Roxie helped the Knight to his feet and they both bowed to the crowd. King Alistair James joined them on the field and presented both of them with a boon for the tournament. Roxie and the Knight both approached the stands to greet their fans and then they made their way to the recess. Wyatt quickly exited the stands and headed for the recess to offer Roxie his congratulations.

He approached the entrance of the room and saw the Knight with his back to Roxie his helm still on. He heard Roxie's voice. "You are a worthy opponent and that was a close match. Will you remove your helm so that I can see the face of such admirable challenger or are you to remain a mystery?"

The Knight was silent for a moment. Then with his back still turned away from her he removed his helm and long blond locks fell to his shoulders. "I thought for sure you would have recognized that my training came from the same master that you call Sensei." The Knight turned to face her and his blue eyes sparkled as his gaze met hers.

Roxie slowly shook her head as a grin spread across her face. "I thought it was you…the way your eyes fixated on me through your helm. I would know your eyes anywhere, Reece." She ran into his arms and he swept her up in his embrace.

Wyatt leaned against the wall with his head in hands as he felt his heart break.