Title: Forever Yours

Author: Noelwing

Email:

Summary: The tale of an English Lady, an Elfin Prince and the events between them that led to Nuada's decision to awaken the Golden Army. Nuada/OC. Pre HB2 universe.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of the HB2 universe. Any other characters are creations of the author and belong to her.

Rating: PG-13

Warnings include domestic violence and some adult situations in later chapters.

Author's note: Happy new year everyone. What better way to celebrate than trying to get a new chapter up. I would also like to thank all the people who have left such kind and encouraging reviews. As always, please forgive the spelling and grammar errors that slip by. Please enjoy ^_^


Chapter 6: Sanctuary

The plethora of sounds and smells made for a very unusual awakening for Sophia. The feel of the hard, cold earth beneath her, the touch of the chilly morning air and the smell of old, wet stone. Yes, very unusual but familiar. She had awaked to all of it once before.

She opened her eyes to find herself once again before the carving of the Holy Virgin. She was going through it all over again, but there were differences. The last time she awakened here, she was a prisoner. This time, she was a refugee. Also unlike the last time, she had not awakened to such pain.

Her body was so stiff that every movement she made elicited a groan. Her wrists were tender from bruising. Also, her face where Richard had struck her was swollen.

Her hand deftly made its way to her face and pressed on her bottom lip. The sting was instantaneous and she flinched. The skin of her lip was not soft on her finger tip but rough and swollen. Her hands were also covered in dirt and traces of dried blood. Her skin smelled of sweat mixed with moss and mildew.

She got to her feet and moved her stiff limbs until they stopped aching. Her dress was damp and soiled with dirt and grass stains. Her hair felt greasy and tangled and her damp skirts began to feel heavy horrid and uncomfortably warm.

Sophia had much to think about: finding food for herself, seeing to her safety and of course when, if ever, to return to the manor. Yet at this moment, she wanted nothing more than to get cleaned up.

Her fingers began the tedious task of undoing the buttons of her bodice. Next went the skirt, the petticoat and finally the corset. Her chemise, thank heaven, was not nearly as tarnished as her outer garments so it would to do. Just as well, Modesty was the least of her concerns right now.

She stepped out of her little sanctuary and into the remains of the cathedral's main hall. Not much had changed since the last time she was here. Old decrepit benches still lay strewn about everywhere. And of course, the pile in the middle where the tooth fairies dwelled remained unchanged.

Sophia could not help the chill that ran down her spine at looking at the pile of rubble. She had not seen the tooth fairy that had, so far, served as her guardian angel, nor had she seen Marcus. She dared not call for him though for she had no wish to tempt fate by possibly rousing the tooth fairy colony only yards away.

The sudden chatter nearly made her jump out of her skin. But the sound came not from the rubble pile but from above her. She looked up and there, perched on the archway was a single tooth fairy.

Recognition settled her. This one, at least, was her friend. Sensing her mood, the little creature fluttered down from its perch to her upper, right arm. The tips of its crab like legs and delicate hands pricked her skin like a kittens claws. Sophia hissed a little as the creature crawled down her arm to her wrist.

She lifted her arm and then noticed for the first time the scratch on the back of her hand. "How did that happen?" She mumbled to herself. The scratch had scabbed over but looked no less angry. It must have happed while she tore through the woods on Marcus to escape the manor.

Her little friend sniffed and nipped (not hard enough to cause her pain) at the scratch. "Here, let me," She said to her little friend. She rubbed at the wound with her finger nail causing fresh blood to come fourth. "For services rendered," She said as she offered the open wound to the tooth fairy.

The little fellow gladly accepted, showing its enthusiasm via franticly fluttering its wings. It took eager, but tiny licks from the wound.

"Tell me little one, is Nuada still here?"

The tooth fairy smacked it lips. "Not here." The little creature chirped.

Why had she bothered to ask? Nuada had his long lost property returned to him; no further reason to stay. She was not surprised but in her heart, she felt strangely saddened.

She looked at the tooth fairy. She knew how dangerous and vicious, especially in numbers, this creature could be. Yet she was filled with a profound respect, even thoughtfulness, at the creature's presence.

Nuada may have been gone but thankfully, not all the magic had left with him.

The neighing of a horse turned her attention else where. Just outside one of the crumbled walls was Marcus.

"Marcus, you're here. Good horse." She said to the stallion.

"What is Marcus?" The tooth fairy said unexpectedly.

"Oh, Marcus is the name of my horse. Tell me little one, do you have a name?"

The tooth fairy cocked its mushroom shaped head and fluttered its wings. "I am tooth fairy."

She knew that but it seemed strange, impersonal even, to just call her friend by his species rather than by an individual title. She recognized this one now, even in a group, she was sure she would be able to pick him out.

"Would you like to have a name?"

His beady eyes blinked. "What name for me?"

It sounded like acceptance to her. "Well how about…" Her voice trailed off as she though for a moment. Then one came to her. "How about Cedric? I think it suits you."

The tooth fairy cocked its head left and right and fluttered its wings with a kind of spunk. Sophia took it as a sign that the creature liked the name as well.

"Alright little chap. I dub thee Cedric from this day forward."

Cedric fluttered his wings and became airborne. Again, he moved with a noticeable spunk. He flew away to attend whatever business he had. It was nice to know she had another friend with her besides Marcus. Feeling more secure in that knowledge, she decided to return to the original desire at hand: getting clean.

*******

In another part of the cathedral, Wink tried to distract himself by investigating the stone and wood materials that made up the cathedral. He and Nuada had not spoken since the prince's outburst the other day. Wink did not wish to dwell on the matter and thought some hard work would ease his dreary mood.

A sudden, stinging pain caused him to drop the large, wood beam he had been holding. He looked to see that a large splinter had stabbed into the palm of his flesh hand. The clumsy fingers of his artificial hand squeezed and picked at the wound to try and dislodge the splinter. In case such as this his metal hand, sadly, proved useless. In fact, it only made things worse.

It felt like the splinter was working its way deeper into the wound, hurting more and more. He would have to wait for Nuada to return. Only the elf's nimble fingers could help now. But there was no telling when Nuada would come back and the wound was really beginning to hurt. Wink howled in frustration and feebly continued to try and remove the splinter himself.

Sophia froze in her tracks when she heard the primal howl. But just like the chattering of the tooth fairies, this sound was also strangely familiar. She followed the sound outside of the cathedral's main chamber, the grassy area that served as a cemetery. There, towering over a pile of rubble and old grave markers was the troll, Mr. Wink.

'He's still here' Sophia thought to herself. She clung to a wall and watched the troll as covertly as she knew how. The troll kept prodding and picking at its flesh hand with its metal one. Drops of a greenish-blue fluid, his blood perhaps, fell from the flesh hand.

She continued to stare wondering just what exactly was wrong. In a moment of carelessness, she stepped forward. The sound of a snapping twig drowned out any other sound. She cursed herself an idiot before ducking out of sight praying that the troll had not seen her.

The sound of a snapping twig alerted Wink that he was not alone. His nostrils flared and quickly detected the scent of an intruder. The intruder's scent was very close and accompanied by the sound of frightened breathing. Wink easily determined that, whoever was here was coming from just inside the cathedral.

Sophia hugged the wall trying to remain still and quiet. Every nerve in her body flared with the want to runaway and hide. She wanted to run but was afraid of drawing the troll's full attention by doing so. She did not hear the heavy foot falls of the troll's feet; maybe he had not seen her? Several more minutes were spent in silence before Sophia got up enough nerve to peek around the stone wall.

Wink used all the stealth he could muster. He was positive that someone was nearby, hiding within the walls of his lair. But who was this person, and were they friend or foe? The sudden, and surprising, appearance of the human woman's face abruptly answered his questions. Before Wink could utter a sound, the woman shrieked and ran but did not get far before she tripped and fell to the ground.

Sophia thought her heart would stop; she had not expected that the troll would be right in front of her. Shock took over and she ran only to end up crashing to the hard, cold ground. The fall knocked the wind out of her and she lay helpless trying to regain her breath.

Wink held his ground. He had no wish to frighten the woman and have her loose that horrible shriek of hers. His troll ears were so sensitive.

Sophia dared to look, expecting to see an angry troll hovering over her. To her surprise, the troll remained where he was. The next few movements were made with great caution until she made it back to her feet. Her gaze remained fixed upon the troll.

Now that Wink was better able to see the woman, he noticed the bruises on her face. They looked terrible and he moved in for a closer look.

Sophia pressed against the wall as the troll moved closer to her. His flesh hand reached out and the middle digit came to rest under her chin. The warmth that radiated from the hand quelled some of her shuddering but it was the unexpected, gentle nature of the troll's touch that calmed her the most.

"Lady, what happened?" Wink asked as he examined the bruises on her face. Why had someone hurt her so?

Sophia's head dropped and she sighed in shame. She already felt so vulnerable in the presence of the mighty troll. Simply recalling the answer to Wink's question made her feel even more so. Then her eyes spied a wound in the troll's palm.

"Th…that looks painful," She said grasping the opportunity to avoid the question at hand: if only momentarily.

Wink opened his palm allowing her better inspection. "It is a splinter and a wicked one at that." The troll said with obvious pain.

Sophia quickly noticed a piece of wood, of considerable size, embedded in the troll's hand. Worse still was that the poor troll probably could not remove the splinter himself. Not with those big, clumsy metal fingers anyway.

Sophia tentatively raised her hands. "Do you need help? I could-"

"Please." Wink said pleadingly.

Wink held his palm open and braced himself. Sophia's tiny fingers pinched at the wound. Finally, she was able to get a grip on the splinter and with a firm, quick yank, she pulled it out.

The sting of the wound was quickly consumed by the immense relief that came with the splinters removal. Wink fisted his hand just to make sure the splinter had been removed completely. Fortunately, it had been.

Sophia gawked at the large piece of wood she held in her hand; it was big enough to be a door stopper. She couldn't help but to grimace. The poor troll must have been in agony. "Will you be alright now?"

"Yes, thank you Lady."

Sophia nodded and cast the offensive piece of wood to the ground.

"Lady why are you here?" Wink asked.

"My husband," The woman said flatly.

Wink was not surprised at all. "He knows you returned my lord's property to him," The troll said matter-of-factly.

"Yes." That was one part of it she said internally. She raked a hand through her disheveled hair. "I could not stay at the manor. I needed to find somewhere safe."

Wink could not help but to chuckle. "Safe? And so you came here?" Whatever happened in her home must have been horrific then.

"I did not intend to come here," She said sounding a little disgruntled. "The tooth fairy led me and so I just followed. I was so scared at the time and did not think."

Wink huffed- now where had he heard that one before?

Sophia turned an annoyed gaze to Wink. "Besides, when I woke up this morning the tooth fairy told me that Nuada was no longer here. I assumed you had gone as well. Obviously I was lied to." She crossed her arms over her chest; her face set firmly in a frown.

"I assure you Lady, you were not lied to. You only asked if his highness was here. You did not say anything about my self."

As if on cue, Cedric came fluttering into view. He hovered in front of her face and chirred at the look of betrayal that Sophia shot him. Cedric chirped at her before fluttering around Wink's head like a pestering insect.

"Mischievous little chap isn't he."

Wink Shrugged. "An important thing to know about fairies; their heads are so tiny and can only hold so many thoughts at once."

Sophia smiled. So Cedric was only trying to tell her the truth as he knew it. But that left a new problem for her. "So where is Nuada then?" She asked with obvious dread. This was place was still his domain.

"I am not certain at the moment. He may return at anytime though." Wink said with some concern. With Nuada resolved to defeating the dark elemental, he had fully devoted himself to conditioning for the task. Undoubtedly he would not be in the most magnanimous of moods. And most certainly he would not welcome anything that might possibly be classified as a distraction.

But Wink found that he could not just simply turn her away. Especially not after she had just helped in ridding him of that evil splinter.

"Listen, I will deal with his highness. You look like you could use a bath."

The feel of grime and the smell of dirt and horse sweat gripped her all the more at the mention of bathing. "I do actually," She said in complete surrender. She had enough on her mind with all that had happened with Richard. At least with Wink's offer to deal with Nuada, she had one less thing to worry about.

***********

The cathedral came into sight and Nuada allowed a wave of fatigue to wash over him. He had trained hard and his body deserved a respite; even needed it. If he was to challenge the dark elemental then he would need to be as fit mentally as well as physically.

Another thing Nuada wished to do was talk with Wink. The troll had made his feelings quite clear, that challenging the deranged god was madness if not suicide. Nuada understood, even agreed with Wink but he had already made his decision.

This however, would be the greatest challenge Nuada had ever faced thus far. In the very bottom of his warrior's heart, Nuada was frightened. He needed his friend's support more than anything right now.

Nuada wanted to find Wink and let him know just how much he was needed but was hesitant. His choice to challenge the dark elemental despite Wink's concerns was selfish enough. Was not the want to keep his friend near by just to quell his own personal fears also selfish?

Perhaps now was not the time to approach his friend. When Nuada set his first step onto the cathedral grounds, he lost his last ounce of resolve. No, he needed more time to think and a peaceful place to do it. Nuada headed off to an area of the ruins that, despite being of human making, he found to be quite peaceful.

The area was a huge lily pond that remained true to its purpose by allowing the aquatic plants and the creatures that inhabited it to thrive. The pond was in the back of the cathedral in a courtyard open to the sun. The water in it, now provided by the abundant rain this area, was crystal clear and clean. The trickling sound of water coming from broken, but still working fountains only added to the tranquility of the atmosphere.

Nuada stepped on the remains of the stone walkway that surrounded the edge of the pond. The wind blew through the leaves of the oak trees that served as a natural wall surrounding the entire area.

His vision was drawn to the head of the pond. There, on an elevated platform was a large fountain. The spout resembled a blooming lotus that spurted water only a few inches into the air. That water would then fall into a middle tier that was also shaped in the fashion of a lotus. That tier spilled into a stone pool that was the fountain's base. It was at that bottom level that Nuada noticed a strange figure, bathing in the raining water of the fountain.

Nuada prepared to defend himself if need be. He first needed to establish if this was a threat at all. The figure was pleasantly feminine with dark hair that flowed like liquid down to the middle of her back. She was clad in a white garment and sat under the continuous flow of water with her legs folded underneath her.

He allowed himself to relax. This place served as a sanctuary for magical beings. As such, other magic folk that inhabited this forest would come to it seeking the company of other fey like themselves. Had a nymph come to join them as well?

He had not even seen her face but already opinionated her to be exquisite. Graceful, pale skinned arms came up and pulled her dark, damp locks of hair over her right shoulder. The motion was followed by her fingers combing through those luscious tendrils.

Nuada shook his head; it was very un-princely of him to not introduce himself to the lady fey first. With quiet foot steps he made his way over to the bathing nymph. Best he become acquainted with her before entertaining any other ideas. It was only when he was at the steps that led to the elevated fountain pond that reality set in.

Nuada's pleasure at the thought of feminine fey company was quickly dashed when he was hit by both recognition and complete surprise. This was no nymph, not even a fey, but a human female and one that he never expected to see again.

Sophia could not believe it when Wink had led her to the lily pond in the cathedral's back courtyard. He told her to bathe to her content then to come back to cathedral's main chamber. He would have a fire going and some food as well. She thanked him for his generosity before he left to give her some privacy.

The pouring water from the fountain and its base served as the perfect bathing facility. She remained dressed in her chemise while she washed her arms and legs. She knelt down so that she could dampen and clean her hair. The cool water raining onto her felt soothing to her sore body. And like the refreshing water, she reveled in the moment of peace that came to her.

However, her peace was short lived. She suddenly felt like she was being watched. She turned her head, albeit reluctantly, in the direction indicated by her piqued nerves. There, not more than a few steps away, was a person she had not expected to see: Nuada.

He had the appearance of one who looked upon something welcome, something pleasing. His facial features that she had familiarized as confident and stern were relaxed and there was a glint of curiosity in his eyes. The touch of a smile was upon his lips as well. All too quickly though, he fell back into his more familiar character.

********

Wink had just finished kindling the fire when the woman's shriek ripped thorough the air. Wink knew it could mean only one thing: Nuada had returned.

Sure enough, When Wink arrived back at the pond he was just in time to see Sophia, running away in a dripping wet dash. Nuada stood rooted to the spot, gawking like an idiot.

"Your highness, let me explain," Wink Pleaded but Nuada stormed off after the woman.

With the prospect of frightening the woman further and Nuada making a total fool of him self eminent; Wink resorted to the only thing he could think of. He charged forward, extended his flesh hand and snatched the prince right off his feet.

"Wink what is the meaning of this!" Nuada demanded. "You put me down right this instant?"

"I apologize your highness, but I must refuse." Wink hoisted Nuada over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Wink what are you doing," Nuada said breathlessly. It was hard to draw breath while his upper torso was flung over the troll's muscular shoulder. "What is that woman doing here? Why won't you let me investigate?"

"Because you're not your dignified self and the lady is not decent." Wink grumbled.

Nuada quit his struggles and let Wink carry him off. Best to just let the troll explain everything rather than to keep resisting. The latter would only give Wink something to tease him about later.

*********

Sophia hugged her arms around her and paced back and fourth. When she made the mad dash back to her sanctuary in the Cathedral she had braced for Nuada to come charging after her. It never happened. She had no wish to tempt fate however, and remained where she was.

She paced anxiously wondering what was to come next. Getting Marcus and going back to the manor was an option yet it was one she feared to take. Richard would still be there most likely and she dared not face him.

She took a moment to consider the irony of the situation she was currently in. She was back in Nuada's territory where he held the power. He could simply throw her to the tooth fairies or kill her with one of his blades.

Yet, of all the dooms Nuada might possibly devise for her, she feared him sending her back to the manor the most.

When Mr. Wink finally appeared and asked her to come with him, she was actually relieved. At least the waiting to learn her fate was over.

She followed Wink to the main chamber of the cathedral. Like any gentleman, Wink stepped aside and allowed Sophia to enter first. She inclined her head to him and entered into the main chamber of the cathedral. There, in the center next to a burning fire was Nuada.

The elf prince sat cross legged by the fire with his arms folded over his chest. Absent was Nuada's beautiful armor and weapons. Instead he was dressed in a loose fitting, silk tunic in his trademark color of black with no adornments.

Compared to her previous encounters with Nuada, he appeared to be very casual in his current appearance. Even his facial features appeared relaxed. His mouth was open slightly and his eyes were shut; almost as if he were asleep. Even so, she still felt vulnerable in his presence.

More so because she was clad only in her chemise with the saddle quilt wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Yet she doubted being fully dressed would have helped either. Nuada's aura, even without arms, was one that radiated power, and demanded respect.

The prince's piercing eyes opened and looked her way. Sophia did not know whether to bow or kneel to him. But the grace he used in the simple motions of standing stole her breath away. She suddenly felt unworthy to even look at him and so, turned away.

Nuada had opted to remove his weapons as a gesture of goodwill, hoping the woman would not be afraid of him. He was disappointed to see that his effort was in vain. Her averted gaze and drooping shoulders were a sign that she was still afraid. Most likely his very appearance was the cause.

'Am I that freakish' Nuada thought bitterly as he approached her. Then, he noticed the bruises on her face. They looked angry and Nuada could tell that the bruises were received not only recently, but were bestowed intentionally. Upon closing the distance in between them, he reached his hand to her face.

The feeling of him coming ever nearer roused her nerves. She dared to look at him and nearly flinched when she realized how close he was. When she noticed him reaching for her, she began to shy away.

"I mean you no harm."

Something about his voice reached her and though she was still afraid, she allowed him to touch her. With the slightest of pressure, his finger tips turned the injured side of her face towards him.

She made eye contact with him for the briefest of moments before shutting her eyes against the intensity of his gaze. Temporally blinding her self made the feel of his fingers upon her even more intense.

"Our business has been concluded. I should simply send you away." He said removing his fingers away from her face. The effect of his words felt like a great wave crashing into her. She would have begun sobbing had it not been for the sudden growl from Mr. Wink.

Nuada raised his hand at hearing his friend's growl. "Yes, yes. I have not forgotten." The prince huffed indignantly and shook his head. He returned his gaze to her to see her casting a glance at Wink. The small smile that graced her lips disappeared the moment she looked back to him.

"My friend here tells me that you were of some assistance to him and asks that I, at least, here you out. So tell me, what is it that brings back into my domain?"

Sophia mustered her courage and chose her words as wisely as possible. For all she knew they might be her last.

"Your highness, please believe me when I tell you that I never intended to intrude upon your territory again. I…" The scrutiny of Nuada's glance stole her voice away. She had no idea what to say next.

Once again, her guardian tooth fairy came to her rescue. The little creature fluttered out from wherever it had been and came to rest on Nuada's wrist.

"Don't be angry sire." The little creature pleaded.

Nuada's lips curled in a sarcastic smile. "So once again you have allowed, nay, invited this human into our midst."

The tooth fairy hung its head; guilty as charged. "She needed help."

"Tell me, did she offer you more of her blood in exchange? Or did she let you have a whole bite this time?"

The tooth fair clasped its hands and bared its teeth with delight. "Yes sire, she gave me blood but something better still"

Nuada cocked his white brow with piqued interest. "Little one what could possibly be better than a woman's blood?"

"A name sire. I am Cedric."

'Cedric' fluttered over to Sophia and hovered in front of her face before going over to Wink's shoulder and perching there. Now that both the troll and tooth fairy had spoken there parts, the rest was between Nuada and Sophia.

Nuada stared at Sophia with raised brows. "You actually followed that little beast back here. Did you not take into consideration the possible consequences?"

His words, though grim in nature, were spoken softly and not as a veiled threat.

"Sire, I was so frightened at the time that I really did not care. I just wanted get as far away from my husband as I possibly could."

He brought his finger tips to her face again and lightly brushed the bruise that marred the right corner of her lips. "Your husband did this to you, because he knows you returned the spear to me."

He grimaced at the terrible rewards she had earned as a result of her choice. "You knew very well what the consequences of your actions could be. Alas, you made your choice anyway."

New tears rimmed her eyes and she laughed bitterly. "Yes elf, my husband knows what I did. Sadly though, that was not the reason for his anger, nor why he did this to me."

Nuada's brow furrowed. "Then what did happen? Out with it woman my patience grow short."

Her backbone stiffened at Nuada's words. If he wanted her to put all of her cards on the table then she would oblige.

"Very well, I will tell you. From the moment I returned home my husband has been suspicious. He refused to believe that you simply released me with no rules or conditions." She batted a tear away from her eye. "He believed that I gave myself to you in order to gain my freedom."

Nuada could not believe what he had just heard and one look into the woman's despairing eyes told him that she was not lying. Wink's loud snort voiced Nuada's own disgust at ridiculousness of it. He would never force a woman, even a human woman, into anything of the sort.

Sophia continued. "When I finally did tell him that I exchanged you the spear, I was only adding fuel to an already existing fire." She hugged her arms around her self.

"You see Nuada, I mean, your highness, the anger over losing the spear is superficial. What truly spites him is that I'm still alive." She solemnly dropped her head. There were far more details but she decided to cut to the chase. "You did not do the dirty work for him which means he still has to deal with me."

He recalled her words the day he had ordered her to write her ransom note; that killing her would have gained him nothing. The intensity of his epiphany must have been visible on his face. Her next words echoed the same truth he had just realized.

"Now do you understand? By killing me you would have only done the deed that he himself is too afraid to do. He has no further use for me thus my death would have freed him to be with his mistress and it would have been thanks to you."

"And you are sure of that," Nuada was still in disbelief. "Certainly people would have questioned the man."

Again, Sophia's smile and laugh radiated bitterness. "If you are thinking that Richard's honor might come into question then I fear that I must enlighten you again.

"You attacked his house. You kidnapped his poor wife. All the ground work he needed for a perfect excuse were laid down by you from the very beginning.

"So if you had followed your threat through and killed me, which I fully believe you would have, all Richard would have had to of done when questioned was paint you as the villain. The ruthless thief who stole away and murdered his wife and he would be the poor, bereaved husband who, despite his best efforts, was too late to save her."

Nuada's insides curled at the thought of his actions actually aiding such a lowly man. "This husband of yours is a crafty individual, isn't he?" His words were as sarcastic and bitter as the truth was ironic.

"Oh indeed, his truest talent is being able to bend almost any circumstance to his own benefit."

Nuada fell into contemplation. His plan to regain his spear was doomed from the very beginning. By murdering the woman, he would have lost any and all chances at regaining his property (possibly forever) and his honor, which he held most dear, would have been tarnished forever.

He felt Wink looking to him. Even without speaking, Nuada knew what Wink meant to tell him. Sophia, despite the consequences she could have, and did face, returned the spear anyway. Furthermore, she did it of her own free and unconditioned will. Only now did Nuada realize just how indebted to her he really was.

For one of her race, it was strange behavior but no less worthy of recognition and of course repayment. He also felt that there was far more to the woman's story, that she had much more to tell him. But for now, he had heard enough.

"What is it that you would ask of me then? Name it and it is yours" Nuada meant every word yet he still braced himself for whatever request she might make.

"Only a place where I may sort out my thoughts." She answered softly. "I really don't know what I am going to do and I can't possibly go back to the manor right now. I just want to be safe."

How this woman confused him. Did it not occur to her that he would devise a way to punish her husband, even eliminate him for his foul actions if she so desired. Yet all she asked for was sanctuary and time to seek clarity. It was not much to ask for at all.

"Very well, you may remain here for as much time as you require. Seek what ever thoughts you might and know that it will be in perfect safety."

"Thank you," She bowed her head. In this place she was safe, no one could get to her, no one would harm her. Long had it been since she last felt safe and secure. The feelings of euphoria it brought to her were nearly overwhelming.

Wink stood by and watched as Nuada returned to sitting by the fire and like a gracious host, invited the lady to sit as well. She accepted silently and sat down. The troll found the sight before him both touching and amusing.

"So what are you thinking" Cedric whispered into the troll's ear.

"We're going to need a bigger sanctuary." Both tooth fairy and troll had a good laugh.

"Both, be silent" Nuada spat at the two laughing companions. He narrowed his eyes at them for good measure. It made Wink and Cedric laugh even more. Sophia, though very softly, laughed to.

TBC: Please Review ^_^