Late in the evening, two days after the Progress returned to the castle in Corus, Raoul had finally unpacked fully and was settling into a large chair to do some reading when a frantic knock sounded at her door. He opened the door to Maggie, who rushed into his study without bothering with niceties.

Once Raoul closed the door, Maggie blurted out, "Have you seen Jai?"

"No, why?"

"I ran into her like an hour ago and she'd just had a big fight with Vinson. She was really upset and now I can't find her. Nana doesn't know where she is. I'm afraid she went into the city alone. There's a bar we go to sometimes. I think she may be going on a bender and I don't like the idea of her being in that bar drunk and alone. I just got the word that my Rider group is going after a few killer unicorns, so I can't go get her."

"Stop. I'll go find her. Stop worrying."

"Thank you. It's actually an inn called the Dancing Dove. It's—"

Raoul sighed. "I know where it is. Go. Take care of the killer unicorns. I'll find Jai."

Raoul saddled Drum and rode into the city, retracing a route he'd followed often in his youth. When he arrived at the Dancing Dove, he dismounted and heard a familiar voice call his name. Turning, he smiled when he saw his old friend Marek Swiftknife.

"Hello, Marek. How are you?"

"Good. Good. What are you doing here? I haven't seen any of you down here in ages."

"I'm looking for a noblewoman who may be drinking here."

"Blond. Beautiful. Downing alcohol like it's her savior?"

"Sounds about right."

"She's in here. Come on."

Marek walked in with him and pointed to a table at the corner. Jai was sitting there in a simple gray gown, a blue scarf wrapped around her neck. As Raoul watched, she took a large gulp of hard liquor, then returned to drink down the tankard of ale in front of her. She was sitting with three men, one of whom had a hand on her back and another on her thigh. She was clearly too drunk to even realize what he was doing.

Raoul walked over and touched her on the shoulder. She turned and looked up at.

"Raoul!" she yelled happily then scooted over on the bench she sat on and patted the seat next to her.

"No, Jai. Come on. Let's go."

Jai pouted. "I don't want to go. I want you to stay."

"Please, Jai," Raoul said, reaching out a hand and helping her stand up.

"Hey, she said she didn't want to go," said the man who'd been touching her. He reached out and grabbed her by the waist.

Jai looked around in confusion then said, "No. I'll go with Raoul."

"Come on baby, stay awhile," the man said, sliding one of his hands over her butt.

"Let go of her now," Raoul said through gritted teeth.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? The lady was happy here before you got here."

"Let go," Jai said, trying to tug away and stumbling when the man still held on.

"You're not going anywhere until I get what I want," he said.

Tired of the conversation, Raoul punched the man hard in the jaw, sending him flying back into the table.

Raoul pulled Jai behind him, readying himself for the man's counter attack.

The man stood up and pulled a knife, his two buddies moving behind him.

"Tamer," Marek said, his voice sounding from across the room. "I wouldn't if I were you. Look at him. He'll make you look silly."

Tamer hesitated, then leaned over and spat on the floor. "The slut's not worth it."

Raoul dragged Jai out of the inn and pulled off his cloak, settling it on her shoulders and putting the hood up so no one would recognize her. With difficulty, he managed to get the girl up onto Drum before getting in the saddle behind her. He held her against his chest, keeping her from falling out of the saddle. Once they got to the barracks, Raoul simply picked her up and carried her back to his room. Luckily, it was late enough that no one was around to wonder why Raoul was carrying someone wrapped in a cloak. Once he got in his study, he put her back on her feet. She promptly leaned over and threw up all over his rug. Sighing, he held her hair back and rubbed her back as she emptied her stomach completely.

When she was done, she wiped her face with her gloved had and leaned into him. "I'm sorry," she said, tears streaming down her face. "I don't mean to be so bad. I don't know why you put up with me."

Raoul held her, stroking her hair and making comforting noises. "Come on," he said. "Let's get you cleaned up."

He steered her around the vomit and to his room, sitting her on the bed. He got a cloth and dipped it in some water, gently washing her face. As she rinsed out her mouth with water, Raoul untied the scarf around her neck, revealing four bruises on one side of her neck and one larger one on the other. Someone had grabbed her hard.

"Jai," Raoul breathed, any annoyance he'd felt disappearing instantly.

"I don't want to talk about it," she responded.

He unbuttoned her dress and slipped it off, horrified by the bruises that covered her stomach, back and especially her inner thighs. He pulled off her gloves to reveal swollen knuckles and ripped fingernails.

"This can't continue. We have to tell someone," Raoul said, standing up.

"No," Jai said reaching for him, her voice panicked "No one can know. Please. You can't."

"Alright. Alright. Hush," Raoul said. He pulled back the covers and helped her under them. He stroked her hair. "Sleep."

Raoul waited until Jai had fallen asleep before getting up and walking out of his suite. He turned several times and then knocked hard on one of the doors on a long hallway. After a few moments, George opened the door, wearing only breeches.

"Raoul, what? It's late," George said groggily.

"I know. I'm sorry. I need Alanna."

"At this hour? What's going on?"

"Please, George."

George narrowed his eyes, but sighed and nodded. "I'll get her."

He closed the door and a few moments later, Alanna opened it looking annoyed. "This better be important."

"It is."

The two walked silently to Raoul's suites, and when they walked through to his bedroom, Raoul pulled back the covers gently, revealing the bruises. Alanna took a breath in, but nodded. "You better wait in the study," she said, focusing on the bruises on the girl's thighs.

Raoul nodded and touched Jai's cheek. "Jai, wake up."

When Jai opened her eyes, he said, "Alanna is going to heal you up. Don't worry. You can trust her."

Jai nodded, her eyes closing once again. Alanna sat on the bed, and Raoul left, closing the door behind him.

He stood in the middle of the room, struggling internally before walking over and picking up the flask that Jai had had tucked into one of her stockings. He took a swig of liquor and then threw open the windows and spit the whiskey into the snow outside. He was unsure whether it was his conscious or the poor quality of Jai's whiskey that stopped him from taking his first gulp of whiskey in almost twenty years. He tossed the flask out as well, and then moved to clean up the vomit from his floor. Right after he finished, another knock came at his door. He opened it, revealing Padraig HaMinch.

"Is Jai here?" Padraig asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you really want to talk about this in the hall?"

Raoul sighed and opened the door. "She's here. Alanna is healing her."

Padraig nodded. "I ran into my daughter while I was on my way to a meeting. She was frantic and blurted out that she'd gone to you for help with Jai. She didn't bother to explain why. What happened?"

"I don't know exactly, but she's covered in bruises."

Padraig breathed out. "I'll tell Berchard that she went back with my wife and older daughter to my fief. I'll say I was suppose to ask and forgot and just told them he had said fine so that my wife wouldn't get angry. He'll probably buy it. They left this afternoon. They'll be back in a week. Two days before Vinson's ordeal. Hopefully, the chamber will take care of him so she doesn't have to marry him."

"She doesn't either way," Raoul said in frustration.

Padraig looked at him. "You don't know why she's doing this, do you?"

"No."

"It's that fief. Her mother's fief. It passes to her when she marries. She'll be allowed to make all decisions on it independent of her husband. However, the stipulations of the marriage contract between Berchard and her mother state that in order for the fief to pass to her daughter, she can't be disowned. She loves that fief and its people. If she marries someone other than a person he approves of, Berchard disowns her, she doesn't get the fief and it passes to Berchard and his sons. She'll never let Joren, nor any of the other Stone Mountain boys, have that fief."

Raoul closed is eyes, unable to handle this firm evidence of what was going to happen to Jai. She would marry someone else. She would not marry him. And that's what he wanted. Her. Forever. His wife. And he couldn't have her. He could hope she'd get a better husband then Vinson. He couldn't hope it would be him.

After a long pause, Raoul looked up and realized Padraig was still standing in front of him. "Thank you. I'll make sure to have her meet your wife and daughter when they arrive."

Understanding the dismissal, Padraig moved to the door, but paused before opening it. "That girl is like a daughter to me. I don't know what exactly happened between the two of you, but I do know she has been happier in the last months then I've ever seen her before. If you are the reason for that, whatever you did, it was right."

He then opened the door and walked out, leaving Raoul to his thoughts. At last, Alanna came out of his bedroom.

"I've healed the bruises. It's good that you called me. She actually had some internal bleeding from the beating to her stomach. She'll still be sore for a few days. I'll drop by some balm that will help for that tomorrow. She says she managed to keep him from raping her. Looks like it was close though. The girl's a fighter. She broke one of her knuckles and the rest are swollen and her nails are all cracked and broken. He won't be a pretty sight to look at either, and he'll have a tough time explaining those wounds to a healer. You have to take her to the Temple of the Goddess."

Raoul shook his head. "She won't go," he said, the finality and sadness of his word's preventing even Alanna from arguing with him.

"You're in love with her aren't you?"

Raoul nodded. Alanna walked over and hugged the taller man. "If I can do anything, please let me know."

Raoul went to his bedroom and undressed, slipping into bed and curling protectively around Jai. She turned and snuggled into him, her face buried in his neck. Eventually, he fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning he woke up, and for once was not greeted by Jai's face inches from his own. For once, she had slept later then him, and he untangled himself from her carefully, slipped out of bed and dressed silently before leaving to knock on Kel's door.

"My lord?" she said when she answered the door, holding her glaive.

"Sorry to interrupt your morning routine, but would you be so good as to find a servant and have a large amount of food brought to my room. Also, ask that I not have cleanings this week. Something came up with my fief and I'm going to have to be organizing a great deal of information and servants moving papers will be bothersome. Ask Flyn to take care of anything that isn't urgent for the Own just for today. I'll be able to take over again tomorrow. After you do that, go ahead and take the day off. You've been working hard, and I'll be too busy to do lessons with you today."

"Thank you, my lord. Is there anything I can do to help?" Kel asked, looking worried.

"No, no. It's nothing bad, just something I have to deal with promptly."

A few minutes later, a servant knocked on the door, holding a large tray of food, which Raoul carried back to his room. He sat on the bed, and Jai stirred slightly, opening her eyes slowly.

"Good morning," he said, reaching out to stroke her hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Famished."

"A healing will do that. Here you go," Raoul replied, handing her some fruit.

"I have to get back."

"No, you don't. Padraig covered for you. You're supposed to be on your way to his fief right now. You come back in a week. You can stay here. I told the servants I'm working on something important and don't want cleanings for the week so that you won't be disturbed."

"I get to stay here a whole week?" Jai said. "Really?"

Raoul smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "Really. Now eat."

Raoul watched the girl inhale fruit and bread for a few minutes then said, "Padraig told me about the fief. Why wouldn't you tell me?"

Jai shrugged, "I thought you'd think it was a stupid reason, or that you would be mad that I was choosing a fief over you. But I have to. I have a duty to the people on that fief. Joren would starve them to increase the size of his treasury. Besides, I love that fief. I am happiest spending time there. It won't be so bad with Vinson. He'll be away often with his duties as a knight, and I'll get to stay at home at my fief, with my people and maybe children. When my ma was alive we would stay at the fief alone sometimes, and we were so happy. I can hope that at least part of my life will be spent like that."

Raoul moved further on to the bed, leaning against the headboard and tugging Jai onto his lap.

"When did your mother die?" he asked softly.

"A few months before my fifth birthday."

"What happened?"

"She broke her neck falling down a flight of stairs."

"Wait, you said you were almost five? And your 23 now, and Joren is 18. How long after your mother's death was he born?"

"Seven and a half months," Jai said quietly.

Raoul held Jai and rubbed her back as he felt her tears soak into his shirt.

"Jai, look at me," Raoul said, wiping the tears off her face. "I want to tell you something. I love you. I understand what you are doing completely, but if you ever need anything from me in the future, if I can help you at all, I want you to promise you'll come to me."

Jai looked down. "I'm sorry I got you messed up in all this. You don't deserve it," she said.

Raoul lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes again. "Did you hear me? I love you. No matter what happens, I wouldn't change what happened between us for the world. Now, promise me you'll come to me if you need help."

"I will. Thank you. I love you, too," Jai said, reaching up to kiss him.

After a few minutes, Raoul pulled away with a sigh. "I need to get some reports in order today. I let them pile up with the Progress, and I need to organize the papers I just got from each of the sergeants."

"Can I help?" asked Jai.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" Raoul asked.

"Yes," she said, climbing out of bed and walking over to his dresser to tug on one of his shirts. She walked into his study and spent the rest of the day helping him sort through piles and decide on budgets.

Raoul looked over at her, surrounded by a pile of papers and smiled. "I think its time for bed. You've been yawning since the last bell and need to sleep. Thank you. It usually takes me a week to do what we did today, and you fixed the budget things quite nicely. You'll do a good job running your fief."

Jai smiled back at him. "Thank you. I like doing that kind of thing. And I think you're right about bed, but maybe not the sleeping part," she said, walking to the door of the bedroom and smiling flirtatiously at him. Raoul quickly got up and followed her in, closing the bedroom door firmly behind him.

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So, the action slowly begins. This is one of two or three transitional actioney/romancey chapters before it slipts into largely action. Hope you liked it! Thanks to people who reviewed. I really appreciate it. Keep it up! And the rest of you start reviewing! The more reviews I have, the guiltier I feel about not writing more.