"My thoughts exactly."  She quietly spoke to her handsome companion as they made their way up the path towards the large home where Lord Lupton was in residence.

The iron gate was open, and while guards were about, they seemed at ease watching only for obvious threats to security, but not expecting them on a night when the Lord was giving so much to the people.  When people were well-fed on food and wine, they seldom hated their leaders and if they did hate them they were less inclined to act upon their bitterness.  So, why should anyone worry?

Still, there was a minimal checkpoint at which time the tickets she'd gotten from Mrs. Barrymoore finally came into play.  The old woman was kitchen staff for Sir Ian MacGregor, a senile old knight from the northern lands.  The man received invitations to all the finest parties but never went to any of them because his health was so badly failing him.  His staff often sold off his things without fear of repercussions when times were tight - and tickets to a local event were easy to convince them to part with. 

Being that Sir MacGregor had half a dozen children who had long ago moved on from the Dewsberry area to build lives of their own, Bella had passed herself off as the youngest - Anges MacGregor - twice before.  She had never dared do it in mixed company.  Too many commoners knew her as Isabella to take such a risk.  But on nights like tonight, it was an easy thing to do.  Everyone was distracted in their own merrymaking and if a common slipped past an overly lax guard unit - it was usually to steal food and wine, not kill anyone.  In fact, even without Will's stupid quest, she had planned to come here tonight to dance, gamble, and get stupidly drunk on the sort of ale no one in town could afford.

Luckily walking through town in such finery and with a mask, she wasn't going to be spotted as the rogue Isabella - no one would think to look for her in such attire and what people didn't think to look for, they seldom found.  Inside the walls, there wouldn't be commoners, nor anyone who knew what Agnes looked like after all these many years gone from the territory.  She was as safe from discovery as she could reasonably hope to be.  She was a dragon soaring above a flock of sheep and luckily for all of them, she had no reason at the moment to prey upon them. 

The room, like many other great common rooms she'd entered before, was just filled with ignorant fools who surrounded themselves with honeyed lies about how untouchable they were and how far beneath them the average man was.  Meanwhile, she walked among them knowing at any point with a flick of her wrist or a drop of poison from the vial in her pocket, and she could prove them so very wrong.  There was a power in that more than any King ever really knew, sleeping 'safe' in his castle walls. 

As harsh as her chosen life could be at times, at least it was real.  No one in this room but she and this poor Ranger beside her actually knew the true beauty of the decor because they had never lived in the ugly gray and mud filled world outside.  They did not appreciate the sweetness of the wine they guzzled because they had not quenched their thirsts with fetid water from pools along filthy city streets, nor did they know the value of the food they ate for pleasure because they had never fallen asleep in a fire-gutted village listening to the wails of widows and children who were so hungry that they could think of nothing else.

Isabella banished the dark memories talk of her tattoo had brought up and turned her attention back to the job ahead of them.  The room glittered with tiny lights and music so sweet she'd never heard it's like before played - truly the Lord's bard in residence was a gifted man.  She wondered at who he was for only a moment before casting her eyes about the room to ensure Lupton was there and that there were no threats that would be known to her but dismissed by others.  Seeing none she decided it was time to both get to work and, well, enjoy herself.

Leaning her head towards him, she whispered to Gavin, "Shall we practice your dancing?  If so... you're going to have to ask me.  Proper ladies don't ask young lords to dance."

Gavin smiled as he offered Bella his hand and they began to slide lightly around the dance floor; the song was slower, and Gavin danced far more simply than he had in the woods, not wanting to call attention to himself despite the fact that he was wearing a mask. He recognized... almost no one. He knew Lupton, but only by name. There weren't that many Lords in each country, after all. Well, not powerful ones, anyway. There were plenty lords of groups of small villages, but to be lord of a territory with a city? That was more rare. He kept his back straight and his hand higher than it had been for their earlier dance, blending in with the crowd as they both kept their eyes open. The dancing later in the evening, if the feasts here were anything like Hibernia, would be far more lively.

As the night went on this way, drinking, dancing, and pretending they were something that they weren't, a very strange thing occurred.  Isabella began to embrace her own lie and imagine what a life like this might be like.  

For a short time, she let herself forget why they were at the party at all.  She didn't think about whether Lupton was a kind or foul man, Erin's problems, or that the Sheriff of Dewsbury might have used bandits to rob and kill for him.  Isabella focused on her company who was genuinely kind and funny, on how he treated people and in turn how they treated him as a couple.  She'd gotten more people to open up to her while on Gavin's arm than she'd ever had luck in doing alone or with any previous companion or lover.

The Ranger was a natural.  He was a born rogue!  How had he fumbled his way into tracking animals & men instead of into the life of a conman?  He could have clearly convinced any woman in this room he was the King himself if he had wanted to, she was sure of it.  For a man who was raised in the woods by an old huntsman, one who had never known courtly life, he pretended better than any man she'd ever seen!  Oh, she watched him make a misstep or two, it wasn't a perfect illusion, but for how little these fools noticed such things?    

And the maddening thing of it all, as a woman who'd long studied the movement of bodies and small tells, she could almost swear that is 'mistakes' weren't actually missteps at all but... done on purpose?  But no.  Surely there was no good reason at all to think he'd put them in danger.  It made no sense. 

Isabella knew she had to be imagining him to be better than he was, not because he was, but because she wanted him to be.  She wanted him to be her perfect companion so that there would be more nights like this.  She was letting herself embrace a lie - the very thing she hated most of these people for being so pathetic in doing because, as she loathed to admit, she was attracted to him.  

And that was as much a red flag to the oddity as anything else.  She never, ever, allowed herself to believe the lies of others if she could help it and she sure as hell didn't drink her own poisoned words as if they were pure.  So, when she realized how happy she was, Isabella excused herself from Gavin's company to visit the privy and relieve herself not just of waste but also of the foolishness she'd found herself engrossed in.

When she came out, Gavin wasn't there waiting.  She looked around but did not see him... or Lord Lupton.  Had had he gone to speak to the Lord directly without saying a word to her?  

A hand reached out and pulled her into a corner, a dagger was instantly in her hand in the ribs of an all-too-familiar voiced man behind a dragon mask, "It's me!"  Alexander Knight pleaded.  "You'll thank me in a minute.  Lupton's men are looking for you."

"What?  Why?"

He shook his head, "Well...  Agnes, you just arrived at the front gate and your companion was known to be with the other woman claiming to be Lady Agnes so they grabbed him up.  Apparently, he was kind enough not to reveal your current location."

"They have Gavin?"

Alexander nodded.

"Where?"

"You're not going to just swoop in there and walk out with him."  Alexander protested.  "Let me get you out of here.  They won't keep him long if he's done nothing wrong.  You haven't, have you?"

Isabella sighed.  She had no time for this now!  She'd been pretending all night that she was a noblewoman or that Gavin was the world's finest conman or some combination of both, but now the time for stories was over.  He was raised in the woods by a common huntsman, he was here on his first adventure, and now he was in WAY over his head!  He'd likely get himself hung by digging his hole deeper with his claims of being one of the gentry - the fool man wouldn't know any better!

"Where is Gavin?"

"They took him to talk to Lord Lupton, in his office."

"Give me your mask."

Alexander traded masks with Bella.

"Stay out of sight.  They won't mistake you as me but they may be looking for a doe's mask cause it matches his.  The dragon mask might let me get past most of the people without anyone looking too close."

"What are you going to do?"  Alexander asked putting on the doe mask.

"I don't know yet.  I'll figure it out when I get closer.  For now, just keep your head down and it attached to your neck - okay?"  And with that the Dragon left the doe behind, headed outside to come around the building - hoping the office had a window she might be able to see, hear, or even enter through.

Gavin had been shocked when two men-at-arms had each grabbed onto his elbow and escorted him out of the party; he'd gotten too comfortable, in a setting that was vaguely reminiscent of home, and he hadn't even seen them approach. Somehow, their cover had been blown. Had Bella been recognized by someone? Had they said something?

His blood ran cold as he questioned where he'd be recognized... but he thought the odds were slim. Nobility occasionally traveled through the other countries, but the odds of someone recognizing him as a prince presumed dead for ten years, despite his resemblance to the old king, was still slim. Especially since he'd had the mask on for the entirety of the party... no, the odds of someone noticing him before and trailing him to this point didn't seem likely.

Something else might have happened.

He was led into some sort of study or office; there were a few candles illuminating the room, at least. He was roughly forced down onto a stool as he noticed a burly, bearded man with a scowl walking in. He looked frustrated, and he crossed his muscular arms as he glared at the young man on the stool.

"Try to have one night to enjoy a damned party, and look what happens. I've got you to fucking deal with. Who the hell are you? And what in the seven hells are you doing here?"

Gavin had a number of options run through his head. He could pretend to be a noble from Hibernia... no, why the disguise? He could pretend to be a peasant from the area... but a single question would reveal he was lying and most likely make the Lord believe Gavin was some sort of spy or assassin. His mind racing, Gavin settled on the truth... mostly. He struggled to his feet against the two men holding him, but only to bow his head respectfully before being slammed back into his stool. Looking up, he studied the person of Lord James Lupton. He'd been a fighter in his youth... a man of action. Perhaps he'd appreciate a more direct approach. The lord was angry... but he didn't strike Gavin as evil. His eyes held more curiosity and frustration than malice. Taking a deep breath, Gavin spoke.

"My lord, what I have to say is for your ears only. Please dismiss your men and I will present my message."

Lupton glanced at his men and shrugged.

"Tie his hands behind his back- then get out and leave me with the boy."

Just because I don't have a beard doesn't mean I- Gavin grimaced as his hands were tied tightly. He could probably escape them, given a few minutes of time, using the tricks Viggo had taught him... but it seemed more likely he'd have to win this with his words. Lord Lupton rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Don't try anything you'll regret. I've no problem skewering you if you try to run. Tell me what's so important here..."

"My Lord, I am a traveler. A ranger. I recently visited your city and heard of a bounty on a man named Merrick- which I helped another man named Sir William collect that bounty."

Not technically a lie, as Will promised to pay him. Better not to mention Bella for now.

"During the course of our successful hunt for Merrick, we learned that..."

He dropped his voice.

"... Merrick had had an arrangement with the local sheriff. I did not want to believe that your lord would be aware of this, so my hope was to, during the course of this party, find a private moment to speak to you. I know that a lord is sworn to protect his people, and the other people that I spoke to about this..."

If he IS rotten, I don't want him to think killing me will keep his secret.

"... well, they assured me you would act with honor. As for the insult against your house, I can only beg for your forgiveness, point that I acted to help protect your lands, and offer my services for some sort of job to make up for this affront."

Lupton narrowed his eyes as Gavin accused the Sheriff of being a patron to a bandit that raided the very citizens the Lord claimed to protect.  Rubbing his chin, he leaned against his desk and considered everything that Gavin had to say.  Meanwhile, outside the office behind a thick and squat mulberry bush under the office window, Bella knelt stone still listening.

"Sir William Bowden?  That name is known to me.  I have no doubt if anyone could best the scoundrel Merrick, that Bowden might do it.  Yet... he isn't here with you tonight despite your unnerving claims against one of my most trusted men.  Bowden's name and deeds alone, no matter how much he's fallen in society, would have gotten my attention and caused me to at least investigate.  And yet, instead, you choose to come into my home uninvited and in the company of a woman falsely claiming to be Lady Agnes MacGregor.  The distraught and very real person who is currently composing herself in my sitting room having decided to come home and visit her father."

Bella winced.  Damn that woman!

"Which is another mystery entirely, perhaps a harmless one, but an annoying and disruptive one none the less."

The Ranger had come clean to the Lord about some of their story, but the untimely arrival of her namesake was putting her friend's efforts in jeopardy.  She knew she could wait it out.  Maybe the Ranger would find a good lie to tell?  Maybe he'd tell the whole truth and let her hang for it?  Of course, killing Lupton wasn't off the table, if it came to it... 

"Here's what we're going to do."  The Lord stood up. 

"My men could search the city and find this woman *IF* it were any other night of the year, but on a night like tonight?"  He shook his head.  "it would be a lost cause in a city full of masked citizens.  But ... with your help?  Well, maybe I can satisfy the jealous pride of a very irate lady who is hell-bent on making my night a misery for this mess."

He walked over to Gavin and, in a more reasonable tone than he'd been using earlier continued, "I want you to tell me the identity of the woman you were with this evening, assuming you know it, of course.  If you can help my men find her, that would be even better.  In exchange for your assistance in this matter, I'll send some of my men to fetch the Sheriff at first light at which time I'll question him on the whole Merrick affair."

"If you can get Sir William to give his word as to the crimes of the Sheriff, that will make matters all the easier.  The word of a Knight, even one who is no longer in the service of the King, carries great weight.  No offense meant to you Ranger, but you're a stranger who has come into my home uninvited and with a woman who pretends to be of noble birth.  Many take great offense at commoners claiming higher station than their birth affords them and Lady MacGregor, I fear, is one of them.  Whether you were a victim in that whole unfortunate series of events or not, I hope you can understand this doesn't help your claims against a man of good standing in our community?"

But, helping me resolve this issue with Lady MacGregor, it would go a long way to showing me that your true purpose here is what you say it is and I'd be willing to review any evidence you might have against my sheriff."

Bella held her breath.  It had been many years since she'd trusted her fate in the hands of anyone other than herself.  Would Gavin give her name or try to help Lupton's men find her?  She suspected if he did, she'd be able to lose him in the streets... the roads and rooftops were vastly different than the soft earth of the forest.  It was why the Ranger needed her help, he wanted to learn how to be dangerous in the city the way he was in the woods.  

She hoped he would refuse Lupton... and yet, if he did, what was plan b?  Go after the sheriff themselves?  If they did, and things took a bad turn, then it would be Gavin's face and Will's name that would be on the wanted posters for whatever happened to the Sheriff regardless of his crimes. 

Bella didn't like where this was going.  

She could hear guards on patrol approaching.  She considered her options and for a moment she thought about throwing herself on Lupton's mercy... such as it was, but she had to know.  She had to know what Gavin would do and the sort of man he was first.  Was he just another good time?  Or was this man something more?  Could she really trust him?

Holding her breath she waited to hear Gavin's response to the Lord's offer.

Gavin listened calmly, his mind racing. Worst case scenario... well, he'd have a 50/50 chance at running away.

"My lord, I am glad you are now aware of the allegations against your sheriff, and I have no doubt that Sir William Bowden will verify that information. I can't say I know him well, but he does seem honorable. That business, it seems, has concluded for me, as I trust you will discover the truth."

"The other matters, of course, seem less settled. For one, how do you know you have the correct Lady Agnes? The woman I entered with claimed to be Lady Agnes Macgregor, and she offered to assist me for the good of your people when she saw me pacing and desperate on the side of the road. What do you actually know about Agnes MacGregor?"

The king glared, sighing, before shouting.

"STEWARD!"

A meek looking clerk entered the room immediately.

"What do we know about Agnes MacGregor?"

"I... Sir Ian has lived in the city many years; he married Moira Kilcairn, a Hibernian woman, and had six children. Agnes is his youngest. A respected family, who have made some small money through business, though largely Sir Ian inherited his fortune through his wife's side. They... are often traveling on their own business, and... well, not much more is known of them."

Almost nothing to work with. But "Hibernian woman" caught his ear. Could he... well, he'd have to find Bella.

"My lord, if you give me a few hours I can help you get to the bottom of this. If I can just find the noblewoman I came with- no doubt hiding in fear right now over these claims by this false Agnes- then I can prove to you that she is the true Agnes Macgregor, daughter of one of your knights and a noblewoman of Hibernia."

Lupton narrowed his eyes, considering.

"Do it. But my city gates are closed for the night and I will instruct the guards on the walls to shoot you on sight."

Drawing his sword, he sliced Gavin's bonds and stalked out of the room. Flexing his hands, Gavin sighed and walked for a few minutes until he took a wrong turn to an empty courtyard, muttering to himself.

"Now, if I could just find Bel-"

She emerged from the shadows as he spoke, as if she'd be summoned. Gavin tensed as he saw the dragon mask, but relaxed as she removed it to reveal her identity. He spoke quickly to her.

"Quick. Before anyone sees you- turn around."

"Gavin, you-"

"Do you trust me?"

She was silent, looking into his eyes with something more than curiosity? Resentment? Without saying a word, she turned around as she heard Gavin rustling with his clothing.

"If you're getting naked, I-"

But she paused as she felt the metal hit her chest; the necklace was slightly too long for her, hanging down between her breasts- but the length of the necklace wasn't what stopped her. It was the heat. The pendant emanated warmth in an unnatural way- not simply body heat. She fingered it immediately and held it up to the moonlight, twisting it, but lost her grip on it as Gavin adjusted the length to something more appropriate.

"Gavin, what is this?"

"I'll explain later. If anyone asks... especially Lupton... you're Agnes MacGregor, and your Hibernian mother gave you this as a gift. When you heard there was an impostor here, you hid because you were afraid- after all, you don't usually attend these things, and your family travels so often. Yes?"

But as they walked, they saw two men at arms. Gavin only had time to whisper "trust me" to her before they shouted and approach the pair; Gavin called out before they could grab him.

"Please bring myself and Lady Agnes to Lord Lupton. Immediately."

The tone of command in his voice halted them, and they did as they asked. Lupton, who'd managed to enjoy his party for only fifteen minutes before being called back, was an in all mood. Still, his outlook seemed to improve quite a bit when he saw the beautiful Bella walk in. Gavin tried to speak.

"My lord, as I said, this is the real Agnes Macgregor and she-"

But Lupton cut him off with a wave of his hand, beckoning "Agnes" to approach him. 

"Young lady... you are Agnes Macgregor?"

Bella flashed a timid smile and curtsied perfectly.

"I am, my lord. I am sorry for hiding; I was ever so afraid when I heard the rumors of what had happened. I rarely attend events as these, and I just knew something would go wrong..."

Lupton smiled reassuringly, reaching a hand out to pat her shoulder. Gavin both relaxed and bristled. 

"If you're telling the truth, you have nothing to fear. Lady Agnes, this man said you could prove your identity to me."

"I can, sir. A necklace from my mother."

Gavin held his breath as Bella reached back and unclasped the necklace; he felt naked as she held it up to the light- and he could hear everyone in the room: Lord Lupton, the men at arms, the steward, and even Bella (although she covered it well) lose their breath for a moment. The pendant was largely white gold, with yellow gold and onyx etched into it to highlight the image of the wolf: the royal animal of Hibernia. The silver wolf seemed to face forward, its fur splayed to the side, as narrow emerald eyes that somehow seemed alive looked forward. It was both breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly valuable. After a few stunned moments of silence, Bella returned the pendant to its place around her neck.

Lupton blinked and shook his head.

"Lady Agnes... my apologies... it's obvious that the other woman is the impostor here. We'll have her thrown into the dungeon immediately to-"

Gavin nearly spoke, but Bella silenced him with a look before speaking herself.

"Please, my lord. In the spirit of this celebration, I humbly beg you to spare her any punishment. Simply escort her to your gates and bid her go home."

She knelt in front of Lupton, bowing her head and raising her hands in supplication. Gavin saw the lord staring down at her and he suspected he wasn't contemplating mercy, but a baser impulse. Still, Gavin's silence was essential. The lord took one of her hands in his own and helped her to her feet.

"Your wish will be granted. On one condition..."

Gavin and Bella both tensed.

"... which is that you give me the honor of the next dance."

Bella curtsied again. The Lord was married, but... well, his was was often ill. Gavin didn't think that he would try anything more than a dance, though. Most lords were respectful toward the family of their nobles and knights, and Lupton did seem like a good sort, overall. Within a few minutes, Gavin was watching and waiting as Bella and Lupton- both wearing their masques once again- danced together through the main hall. He continued waiting as the two of them shared a glass of hot cider. And he continued waiting as they danced again; he grew increasingly uncomfortable as the time passed.

Finally, Bella managed to excuse herself and head for the exit. The ranger, who'd received only a nod in passing once his part had been played, was still ignored. They made their way to the exit as the party was beginning to die down, and as soon as they reached a quiet spot on the road Gavin held out a open hand as his icy blue eyes glanced at Bella.

"My pendant, if you please."

Isabella had struggled to maintain all calm when she saw the details of Gavin's pendant.  A thousand questions running through her mind.  The old man who raised him, perhaps this was a gift from him?  Had the old man been a member of the royal family in hiding?  Who else would have such a thing?  It was possible that the man who raised Gavin had gotten it as a reward for service, but that suggested he was someone very important indeed.  Not the sort of person who could disappear even if he wanted to.  No, the woodsman had to be of the blood or killed someone of the blood and stole it?

Her mind churned up scenario after scenario and all through the night, behind her mask, her eyes found Gavin trying to puzzle out who he was and what his story really had been.  He was Hibernian he had to be.  Was he the woodsman's son?  Was he the woodsman's ward?  Or could the necklace be his?  What if the woodsman had been his guard?  What if the reason Gavin was so good at pretending to be noble was simply, that he was a noble and being a Ranger was the skill he'd learned secondary in life?  

The thought made her want to be ill.  The longer Lupton wanted her to stay with him, the easier it became to say yes as she did not know what she would say to Gavin.  She didn't want to hate him, this man who had saved her life and had helped her lie to escape Lupton's wrath... and yet it was his people, his family's sigil that had been on the banners that laid waste to the men of Decies.  

Isabella went through the night as Lupton's companion and ended it at Gavin's side once again.  The cold metal against her chest felt like a brand - marking her as a traitor to the people who had first been her captors and then, a family.  They were a good people who she wished with all her heart she'd been able to protect from such savagery.  Worst of all, they were a people who might still be waiting for her to return.  Silently she imagined them even tonight, looking up to the stars, foolishly still believing that their gods had sent them someone who she simply was not. 

When Gavin stopped and it was finally time to speak she didn't know if she wanted to scream at him or just walk away without a word.  Her eyes glistened as if on the verge of tears.  Neither running nor screaming at Gavin was fair considering all they'd been through and yet, emotions like life itself was seldom fair.

Reaching up she pulled off her dragon's mask.  For a moment she looked at Gavin and tried to reconcile the lovely face staring at her with the identities of the men in armor who had cut down so many.  For so long they'd been faceless, the men of the wolf banner, and now the only man she had to associate with them was one she dearly enjoyed the company of. 

She pressed her lips together tight and swallowed before taking a deep breath of cool autumn air.  The wind scattered leaves about them as they stood silently in the road.  Silence all around them, not the unrelenting silence of the Lechen, but the sort Bella was quite familiar with.  A lonely silence of cities at night.  The silence of families tucked away, warm and safe in their houses, and people like her ... alone and either unwilling to unwanting to disturb them.  

From her shirt, she pulled out the pendant to look at it.  Without care for her lovely gown she was dressed in, she lowered herself to the ground and lines creased her brow.  She touched the face of the Wolf with trembling fingers to be sure it was real and not the one which haunted her in dreams on nights she didn't drink quite enough.

A blood-covered standard, caked in mud lay a few steps away.  The wails of women, the sound of crows, and the terrible stench - she had tried unsuccessfully to ignore them all.  Isabella pressed her lips to her lover's wounded cheek one final time and closed his eyelids before crawling through the muddy earth to reach it.  She had to know them, to see the mark which these butchers held up as their own. 

The fabric was a fine sort, meant more for the pretty parties she dreamed about as a little girl than a battlefield.  She lifted it up, heavy with soil and blood and taking a corner in each hand lifted it towards the golden orb in the sky.  The light illumed behind and around what appeared to be a wolf. 

In a rage, and consumed by her sorrow, she tried to tear the delicate fabric but found herself unable.  Isabella screamed out to the sky before falling down upon herself, still holding the wolf who was the closest thing she had to an identity of those responsible.

After a moment of making sure she wasn't mistaken, she lifted the chain over her neck and held it out to Gavin who was so eager to have it back.  She let her hand fall away from the chain as he took it, and her chin fell to her chest.  Stray wisps of her raven hair flew all about her face and she didn't even bother with trying to push them away.

He would not have been there, but someone he knew of... someone whose face he knew and maybe loved.  How do you ask a man to help you kill his kin?  Would he have helped her tonight if he'd known she had been trying to learn to kill men and infiltrate courts these many years so that she could attempt a suicidal mission for revenge against his own family for crimes against the sort of people that he might not have a wit of respect for?  

"You want me to tell you about the people in the south?"  Her voice sounded strained, even to her own ears, but what he thought at this point she could only make herself barely care.  

She nodded, whispering, "I can... I will."

She wet her lips and looked up at him with big doe-eyes brimming with unshed tears, "But you have to tell me how you came by that pendant and I swear to you ... on the memories of those I love most of all, I will speak to no one about the pendant or having seen you here." 

"They would,"  She rolled her eyes to the side and scoffed at the silliness of it all, but she could not deny how strange it was that after running for so long and so far from what they told her was destiny, that the wolf would find her again a world away.  "They would say Audrinehae brought you to me.  That maybe my fun and games have finally ended and I have to return to finish what was started."

She shook her head.  "I don't know if it was the Gods or stupid chance... but I can't pretend it means nothing to me, you having that wolf."

She reached down under her skirt to the place she secured her coin purse to her leg and tore it free.

"It's every copper I have left from the Merrick thing, you can have it. I know you must not want to talk about what that wolf means to you, no man with such an item in hiding wants to talk about it, but I'm desperate.  You can have my pearls too and all the items in the barn if it'll sway your tongue.  Whatever it is you need money for... I don't care.  I just need enough coin to get me back there, so ever copper I have... it's yours for the asking... just please?  Tell me about the wolf and the men who follow it."

"The wolf is the royal animal of Hibernia; the old man who raised me had once served them. When he was driven out after the death of the old king, he took this with him and kept it until he gave it to me."

All true. I might be omitting a rather important point, but I'm not lying.

He rarely lied. It made it easier to lie to him, perhaps, but he could still read a face, and he could see that Bella was deeply bothered- a reaction that surprised him. If anything, he'd expected her to be impressed by the value. This was... different.

"I... will be honest with you. That's not the full story. I'll tell you anything you want about Hibernia, but.."

Gavin frowned, unsure how to proceed. He owed her. But how much did he owe her?

"I'll tell you whatever you'd like to know... can you tell me why you want to know it?"

Isabella lowered her arm, her hand still clutching her coin purse, listening to Gavin speak. 

She did her best to not let emotions distract her from the facts the Ranger was sharing, but it was difficult.  Had it been the old King who made war with the Tall Ones of Decies or had it been the new?  She could figure out the timeline later, but she the feared the possibility that her enemy was already dead and she did not know what she would do if such a thing turned out to be true. 

Then there was the second bit... Gavin's mentor was the owner of the sigil, not Gavin.  It was entirely possible he knew nothing of value to her.  It was most likely he had no connections or inside information which would get her closer to being the person Torin's friends and family believed her to be.  She felt stupid for thinking, even for a moment, the sort of fairy story that she'd so long distanced herself from.  Briefly touching upon hope, was far more painful than the hedonist's lifestyle she'd come to embrace.

When Gavin asked for her reasons for wanting to know, she considered not telling him.  She almost opened her mouth to remind him that some secrets were dangerous to ask about ... but the golden hues of hope were giving way to a soft gray emptiness again. 

It was true that, if the King she hunted still lived, Gavin might warn him she was coming to kill him.  Though, she found that hard to believe after what he'd done tonight.  Moreover, if the current King was her enemy, and his mentor had fled from him, it meant that perhaps Gavin was his enemy too - if indirectly.

The risk of Gavin warning the King verses the reward of having Gavin's help in an assassination seemed a sound one.  After all, he'd shown how good he was at getting into the courts of nobles tonight... he was better than her, she was ashamed to admit.  Maybe, just maybe, their meeting was destiny after all?

She looked up to him and she stared into his eyes for a long moment before deciding what she had to do.

"I told you I left home young, looking for fun and adventure."  She said, clearly starting a long tale.  She motioned for Gavin to sit beside her on the side of the road.  

"A traveling menagerie from Hibernia had come to our town.  Actors, jugglers, bards, some strange animals, and behind the thick canvas walls of a tent there was something they told us was a beast.  A creature with the body of a man but the soul of a monster.  His skin was unnatural they said, he was as strong as any ten Knights, fought naked in battles, could summon lightning from a clear sky and lead army of soulless-men who ate the flesh of their dead.  They said he worshipped trees, bathed in the blood of virgins, and did strange rituals under the full moon to summon up devils to kill his enemies."

She sighed, "For two coppers you could walk through the tent and see him, but my father wouldn't pay.  He said, "A man is a man, no matter where he comes from.  No matter his ways.  I'll have no daughter of mine making sport of another man's suffering."

She lowered her head.  "My friend Thomas and I waited until the night fell and we slipped out of our homes to sneak off together to get a look at him.  We lifted up the back of the tent and slipped inside as quiet as death and what we found ... it was every bit as bad as my father suspected.  It was all lit up with lanterns painted red so that his tattoos looked like something out of fearsome Bard's tale."

"They kept him in a small cage, so he couldn't stand.  His filthy red hair was like dried blood, and it hung like a curtain around him so no one could see the pointed teeth his captors bragged that he had.  Thomas thought he was every bit as terrible as the man claimed... a monster from a faraway land, but I didn't see that.  I stepped closer to the cage than I should and I will never forget his eyes... emeralds so impossibly green that I was sure they couldn't be of this world."

She stares off for a moment, lost in her memories before speaking.

"He begged, in a whisper that was barely audible.  And though I didn't speak his language, I knew what his words meant, he said, 'Lig saor mé.'  Technically, it means set me free... but he didn't just want out of the cage.  He was asking me to do something I wasn't able to do back then.  I was just an innocent farm girl, with dreams I had no idea the cost of.  So, faced with my first 'adventure' I got scared and ran all the way home."

She drew a shuddering breath.

"I laid awake all night with his voice in my ears, those words burnt onto my tongue.  When dawn came I found myself thinking about how we'd put down a horse if it went lame as a matter of kindness... but I'd failed to have the courage to help that suffering man, and I hated it.  So, I took one of my father's good hunting knives, packed a change of clothing, a bit of bread, and some coins for the road.  I knew I'd have to follow to whatever city they went next, but I'd been dreaming of leaving the farm life behind for so long... that I thought, maybe I could help set the man free and in doing so, free myself."

She smiled.

"Of course, the caravan had moved on.  Wagons and horses are faster than a young girl's feet... especially one who had never traveled so far in all her life.  Day after day I followed stories of where they'd passed through, seeing city after city in the heartland slowly moving west towards the coast.  I kept thinking I had to be gaining on them, but I found myself a stowaway on a ship chasing them back to Hibernia."

"I finally found them on the road to a northern city on the eastern coastline.  Camped out and drunk on whiskey, the performers were easy to slip past.  I slipped into the tent and found him there, curled on himself, looking thinner than when I'd last saw him.  I crept to his cage and I looked into his eyes and whispered 'Lig saor mé' as if I were asking a question.  Even after hundreds of miles and crossing an ocean - I was still horrified at the idea of taking a man's life.  I pulled out my knife and I asked him again... but still, he did not respond."

"I... thought maybe he'd lost his courage, so I put some of my rations into his cage and I told him I'd come back another night.  And I did.  I came to him again and again... asking the same question, always leaving a bit of food.  And after almost a week like this, one night I found him sitting up instead of laying down.  When I asked him the question, he responded by singing a song of such sweetness and beauty as to make the Gods themselves cry."

Her smile was sad, but true, touching the corners of her eyes with the pleasant memory.  

"I offered the knife when the song was over.  I thought maybe he finally had the courage and the song was his goodbye to a world that had been horribly cruel to him.  This strange man who looked so terrifying, but had the purest soul of anyone I had ever known, just stared at me."  She swallowed.  "And then he took the knife and instead of stabbing himself, he began to work to free himself.  I was beside myself.  I knew he'd never get through the bindings with that old knife so I told him I'd steal the key.  He seemed to understand... so I ran off to search out the key."

She chuckled.  "Remember I was no thief then, a farm girl at best... though a poor one at that I suppose.  So while I was trying to slip unseen into the owner's tent to search his things, I was excited to hear a commotion outside.  I reasoned that the Gods were on my side creating some manner of distraction for me.  I found the key and as I darted out into the chaos, I saw them by the fire light.  Men tattooed as the man in the cage was.  They were killing everyone.  I ran in terror back to my friend and as I fumbled like a novice with his lock, they came in to find me with him."

"I screamed the only words of their language I knew. It made the first man who had come into the tent, pause, and then grab me by my hair – apparently deciding not to kill me.  I watched as they set their brother in arms free, and as they fled into the night, they took me with them." 

She shook her head and for a moment she was silent, contemplating what more needed to be said and what she might omit or why she might want to omit it. 

"I wanted to go home... but they weren't going to let me.  I was a prisoner for the first part of my time with them, though considerably better cared for than Torin, the man in the cage, had been kept for sure.  I was never mistreated... merely, kept.  They fed me and taught me... and Torin kept me company with his stories and songs.  I hated it at first, but as time passed and I watched these people I realized they weren't so different from those I came from."

She shrugged.

"I found myself waiting for Torin to visit each day.  And if was late, I worried about him.  That affection grew and in time, the bonds that kept me disappeared because I didn't want to leave.  I was learning about them and I liked what I saw.  I liked who I was becoming among them... strong, brave, and most of all... loved."

She sighed.

"Torin took me to the sages of his people and asked them if I might be made his wife.  They took me to the standing stones and they consulted the stars using their great treasure left behind by the ancients of their people." 

"To me, it was a bit of glass, a jagged mirror and nothing more.   They pricked my finger with the edge of the glass and put it at the bottom of an old bowl of water and began to look at the stars through the reflection.  Now, I had learned not to laugh at the strange things which they did sometime before, some of which actually make a lot of sense to me now, but nothing could have prepared me for what I heard that night."

"It was magic.  Real magic.  The sort I thought only happens in stories,"  She scoffed.  "I was young and foolish.  I did not understand there were things in the world that were truly beyond me, until that moment.  The words however, as it turns out, weren't true."

She shook her head.

"They said that I would ride at the side of a great Chieftain and that I would restore the land of their fathers to them."  She shrugged.  "Well, who could blame them for blessing the marriage after that?  Torin challenged for chief and won... everyone celebrated.  They were so sure of the message from the mirror.  Soon they would be going back to their home, and I and Torin would be wed and leading them there."

She looked down at her feet.

"But that's not what happened. Torin traveled north, to the lands of their fathers, so he could climb up this crag where every leader before him had gone to beseech the Gods for blessings as Chief.  When he returned, we were going to marry.  But he never made it home.  When we rode out to find them... and we found a battlefield.  The men, and the sages, they were butchered.  The ancient treasure of their people - the mirror, it was gone.  We found a few of the enemy... armor, swords, the best I'd ever seen.  And amidst it all, a torn banner."

She blinked.

"I carried the wolf banner back with me, trying to make sense of it.  The people they wanted me to lead - the women in their tribe are every bit as capable of warriors as men so they had no fear of following me."  She said, tears cracking her voice.  "But what could a farm girl do?  All I wanted was freedom and fun... and adventure.  I wasn't like Torin.  I couldn't possibly..."

She wet her lips, "I tried to tell them that they were hoping for the impossible.  Their chief, my love, was dead and so the mirror had to be mistaken.  I couldn't provide them safety, let alone lead them in reclaiming the land of their fathers... but they wouldn't listen.  The stars don't lie, that's what they told me and so... I ran.  I ran thinking, maybe there was some middle ground.  Maybe I would ride at the side of a chief one day, and kill Torin's murderer.  Maybe if I could just... learn how to get close to a noble."

She sighed.

"So I started working in dance halls and places that nobles came... back here, far away from the Tall Ones so they would never have to see me again... at least until I could figure out a way to avenge their dead.  If nothing else, I knew maybe I could find the man whose sigil was the wolf... and get justice."

She shrugged.  "So, that's how I ended up in the bed of a low born noble... killing him, and literally falling into the lap of one of the world's best assassins and thieves.  And the rest of my tale has been a long road of training and drinking... and trying not to think about how I let them all down.  Praying that maybe they've forgiven me for not being the warrior queen they needed.  Maybe the woman the stars told them about... had come to them after all."

She sniffled. 

"And then I saw that."  She pointed to his necklace. 

"And for one moment tonight... I thought maybe... maybe the magic mirror didn't lie after all.  And..." 

She laughed. 

"It turns out the man I need to kill IS a King – a chieftain!  So perhaps that's the meaning of it?  That I'll get close to this King while on horseback.  Maybe I'll find a way to put an end to him and steal back this item of power that he spilt the blood of so many to take.  Maybe… maybe I don’t have to be a warrior queen to do it… just a good assassin.”

She took a deep breath.

“So… that’s it, Ranger.  The assassin and thief before you is nothing but a foolish farm girl on a quest that’s more idiotic and ill-advised than anything Sir William ever dreamed up.  May the Gods always be kind to him.  And that wolf you’re wearing… it is either my destiny or my fate.  When we finally meet either he or I, this King, will decide how the story ends.  And now that you know what I’m about… perhaps you might want to reconsider traveling with me?  I mean… I can keep my word about teaching you some things, but I would understand if you want no part in regicide.”  

Gavin listened to Bella's story quietly and respectfully. One of the wild men in the south... and she'd left her home and everything she knew. Lived as one of the wild ones. And worked on getting close to a noble? An interesting prophecy, and one that gave him more than a few ideas. Still, he was quiet. She'd opened up her heart to him- that much was clear. But as much as he was tempted, he couldn't do the same. Not fully, at least. Her secret was about the past, and it could hardly endanger anyone- whereas his... 

Gavin shook his head. It was impossible. Still...

"Hibernia has been ruled by the same family for three hundred years."

Gavin almost said "My ancestors", but managed to just draw out the pause so it didn't sound unnatural.

"They started as stewards, hoping that the line of the previous kings would return. Over decades, it became clear that no magical lost king would return; instead, they listened to their people and took the throne for themselves. After all, how could Hibernia face its kingly neighbors with no king of their own? This line ran interrupted for centuries until about a decade ago. The old king had taken on a powerful new advisor- a man who particularly made an impression on the queen. Mordred."

Speaking the name, he couldn't hide his distaste.

"He was a sorcerer who claimed to calm and comfort her... but many said he only corrupted her. No one knows exactly what happened. One day, the king and queen were quarreling about whether her sorcerer could stay in court; the next day, the king was dead. Before the country could respond, assassins were dispatched to kill the only direct heir of the king, as well as all the uncles and cousins that could make a claim. Anyone who protested went missing. The few nobles who challenged the sorcerer directly were blown off the battlefield like dry leaves. The sorcerer, who had previosuly only shown parlor tricks and minor conjurings, revealed just how powerful he was."

"And with the royal family gone and the queen as his wife... he set about removing anyone else who could threaten his power. There is no doubt in my mind that this man is responsible for attacking the wild men... your Tall Ones. I heard of similar things happening throughout the country, as I was growing up there."

"Mordred."  She said his name like a curse and it hung in the night air as if it had a power of it's own. 

"If he came to power a decade ago... then that's the name of the man I'm hunting." 

She seemed to calm down, as if just knowing the name of her target helped put her at some ease.

She looked up to the sky and whispered, "Thank you." 

Whether her thanks was to some pagan God or Gavin wasn't spelled out.

"It's going to get colder soon, we should probably retire for the night." 

She stood up and looked to him.

"I intend to go back to my room at the inn... you know, the one with the goose feather bed?  I'm going to be very, very drunk in an hour or so and likely sleep until noon.  You're welcome to come back to the room with me, if my story or your morals make that an issue, rest assured I'll be too drunk to seduce you tonight, but I will share my ale.  Not to mention you're assured a far better sleep in my bed than on the cold ground."

"If my story promises more troubles than you want to sign on for... slip out with the morning light.  I won't come after you.  However, if you should decide to stay on... I'll be heading to Hibernia when I'm able to see straight again.  I'll train you in what I can about cities along the way, we'll share some laughs, and who knows... maybe I will seduce you before I let the headsman have me for killing a King.  So ... what do you say?"

She smirked, clearly eager to make the wisecrack,  "Will you sleep with me tonight, Ranger... or do you prefer the company of the owls & other night creatures?"

Gavin was distracted by his own thoughts, but was brought back to reality by Bella.

"I think we make a good team, Bella. And I think we have complimentary strengths... if you were willing to head toward Hibernia slowly, building up coin along the way, then I'll go with you. As for the bed... well, the offer is tempting for more reasons than one. Let's head back into town."

... and I figure out what the hell I'm going to do about this bed situation.

The alleyways leading to 'Deadman's Dance' were darker than the ones they'd walked down all night and the people within them less merry.  The weight of every set of eyes they passed was keenly felt until they were 'safely' by the tavern's front door.  

The common room wasn't empty, of course, but just like the alleyway, it wasn't exactly warm and inviting.  The reaction to their entrance seemed to be people suspiciously snapping their heads to see who was entering and pulling their mugs and business nearer to them.  Hands fell inside cloaks as if they expected fights.  This was not a place people came to feel safe and yet, Bella walked as if it were her own home - seeming to ignore the men in the room who watched her and Gavin so closely.

The halfling, Paisley was there looking like she'd seen better nights - weary around the eyes but still pleasant in her voice as she greeted Isabella from behind the bar.  "Whatcha drinking tonight Izzy?  Daffodil wine?  Mead?"

Bella went to the bar with her purse still in hand, since Gavin had not taken it from her and fished out a few shiny coins.  Eyes all around the room seemed to notice the sound of both the rattling purse and the heavy coins clinking down upon the bar.  If Bella noticed, she did not seem to care. 

"Beer and that roast pork I smell.  Send up two plates of it to my room... and the biggest container of beer you have short of the damn barrel behind the bar."  She chuckled.  "Even I'm not that ambitious."

"Begging pardon miss... you do know the beer is quite a bit stronger and more expensive than the mead or berry wines?"

Bella replied by putting two more coins down on the bar.

"This'll do."  Paisley gave a glance to Gavin, maybe concern, but she said nothing and went about the trouble of getting Bella's order together.

Turning around she looked to Gavin, "You'll find a stairwell just behind the door over there.  The business this tavern is up against is the Inn of the Nine Horses.  Take the stairs.  There are two rooms on the second floor.  Mine is the one to the left.  I wouldn't recommend trying to walk into the one on the right.  The big guy who's been sleeping there this week, he isn't your type, trust me."  She gave Gavin a wink and a chuckle.

Moving towards the door to the Nine Horse Inn, she brushed past him.  The folds of her dress rustling against his clothing, the warm skin of her arm passing across his, she turned her head to face him just as her body was parallel to his.  Her skin held against his while she lingered to speak, "I'll leave the door unlocked."

And once done speaking, her body pulled from him.  She made her way to the door, giving him one last look as she passed through it.  The stairs complained belligerently about every step she took, but Bella pressed on until she reached the door on the left.  She dug out a key from her belongings and went inside.  True to her word she left it unlocked behind her.  

The room was a contradiction to the tavern it was beside.  The Nine Horse Inn, unlike the Deadman's Dance, didn't open into an alley but to the main street and had a slightly better clientele than the tavern boasted.  In truth, very few people probably frequented both places and those who did were surely criminals.  And good ones at that.  This place was the sort of creature comfort which Bella loved indulging in - a soft thing in a world bereft of many true soft things.

The bed frame and dresser appeared cut from the same timber it was the same in shade and apparent age.  Unlike many rooms in this part of town it had a mirror hanging on the wall above a wash basin and in the corner near that there was an actual chamber pot which a maid came to empty in the mornings.  The floor was free of straw and thusly fleas and other vermin... by comparison to many Inn's in this area, it was a luxury hotel.  

The bed was covered in a brown duvet which had seen better days but was still very thick and warm.  The mattress below it, Bella knew wasn't filled with straw but feathers.  Sleeping upon it felt like sleeping on a cloud and the bed alone was one of her favorite reasons for coming to Dewsberry and one of her biggest regrets in leaving every time she did.

Bella silently went about the task of checking her things - both the items she'd put in her dresser drawers and the things hidden in the floorboard she'd pulled loose.  Assured everything was in its place she began the task of trying to get out of her dress - a much longer process without an extra set of hands. 

She knew the ranger wasn't precisely comfortable with the situation - but she strongly suspected he didn't like the idea of spending the night in a common room full of cutpurses and drunks.  AND while he could wander back to the woods or even the barn she'd stowed her things in ... it was a cool night and she'd plied him with promises of food, alcohol, and a warm bed as well as an assurance that she intended to be too drunk to seduce him.  It seemed a safe bet that he'd eventually work up the courage to join her.

Her red dress fell heavy to the floor around her feet.  She crossed the room to her bed and picked up the thin undyed cotton nightshift she'd pulled out to sleep in. 

While she didn't mind the thought of making love to Gavin, even after talking about Torin and the Tall Ones, there was something to be said for a proper seduction and the sort of thrill it brought about.  Sex was good - always good, like ale really, it was hard to mess up - but when done right there wasn't a glass of wine or fine thing in this world that could compare.  Besides, for as debauch and greedy as she'd become over the years, she still had standards and lines she wouldn't cross.  There were plenty of men who'd willingly give her a night of pleasure in this city without needing to offer twice... she didn't need to trick an inexperienced and kind-hearted ranger into making love to her.  Nor did she want to.

What she wanted was a bit more food, she'd not eaten as much of Lupton's banquet as she had wanted and she wanted that beer.  Picking up her dress she folded it and put it next to the dragon mask upon one of the two chairs in the room.  She pulled her pearls from her ears and the pearl comb from her hair and put it on the dress and looked at the pile considering for a moment how different tonight might have gone for her and Gavin - how much she wished she could redo it all.  She wished they'd left the party when she went to the powder room, that she'd not gotten so annoyed at herself... if she hadn't been so damn distracted they might have walked out on a high note instead of what they did - of course, then she wouldn't know about the King of Hibernia.

She pressed her eyes together and sighed.  It really was true what they said... NOTHING in life was ever free.  And tonight, knowledge had cost her all the secrets of her past shame and the end to a truly enjoyable night with a good man.

A knock on the door broke her from her thoughts. 

Bella picked up two copper pennies from her purse to tip Paisley and opened the door.   "Just put it on the table."  She said as she pulled open the door and Paisley entered with the two small plates on one arm and a large pitcher of beer in her other hand.

"I'll bring up some cups in a moment."

Bella glanced out the door behind Paisley expecting to see Gavin there too, it had been long enough to make up his mind about coming up... but when she didn't see him there her shoulders fell a bit.  Perhaps she wouldn't need the second plate of food after all?

"No need."  Bella said a little sad, certain she would be drinking alone tonight.  "I've got a cup in my bag."   

She offered the coins to the Halfling, who took them with a smile.  "Sleep well, Izzy."

Bella nodded.  "Have a good night, Paisley."

The blonde waitress walked out, closing the door behind her.  The smell of beer, the scent of roasted pork and vegetables filled the air of the simple but comfortable room and yet.... everything was just a little less without another person to share it with.  Bella walked over to her bag and pulled out a dinged up tin cup.  She filled it with beer and began what she just knew would be a long night of drinking, self-reflection, and ultimately a deep dreamless sleep.  But first - dinner.

Gavin walked in behind Bella and, as usual, let her do the talking. He smirked as she ordered the beer, but his face froze as she murmured "I'll leave the door unlocked. 

Gavin quickly ordered a strong drink.

After a couple of those, accompanied by knowing looks from Paisley, he made his way upstairs. He knocked on the door and it opened quickly; of course, she'd heard him walking. He was silent in the woods, but creaky stairs were a new challenge. As she opened the door, he tried not to glance at the change in her wardrobe. More revealing in some ways- less in others.

He smiled as he walked in.

"The owls made a tempting offer, but I liked yours better. May I?"

Gavin leaned his bow in the corner and removed his quiver and the belt with his other weapons and gear. He rested easily across from her as he took a modest plateful of food and poured himself a cup full of beer.

"Bella, there's something I should mention to you. Mordred... the sorcerer I told you about. He killed my family- my friends- as well. I've sworn an oath to avenge them... and that's why I'm so focused on earning coin. I want to hire a bunch of mercenaries to help take him down. If you're willing... well, our roads may lie together."

There was a picture coming together in her mind how of this man's life had played out and how now it was, as he put it, lying together with her own.  Her head swam.  Her body was flush with alcohol and in the dim lamplight everything looked softer, his skin and hair were positively luminescent.  

She took another drink of her beer, drinking in the sight of him and rolling his words through her head over and over again before she finally decided on saying, "I've never killed a sorcerer before I don't suppose it will be easy."  She sighed.  "A King is hard enough... add magic to the mix and all bets are probably off."

She shook her head, realizing it was cold of her not to have said anything about his admission, "Thank you for trusting me with your story.  I'm sorry about your family and your friends.  I don't suppose I have any way to really know how you feel, but losing people is never easy.  Saying goodbye, finding reasons to get up every day in the face of a constant slog towards a seemingly impossible goal, it can be hard." 

She narrowed her eyes looking at the lines of his body, "But you've done it, haven't you?  Trained hard, worked towards your goal... you're not running from your destiny."

She looked down at her own plate and was silent a moment before saying, "Your family would be proud of the man you've become - I don't need to know a thing about them to know that. "

She drank from her mug again.

"The hardest part of any journey is the first steps, that's what they say.  You're taking yours at a sprint which is more than many of us ever do."  She looked up to meet his blue eyes,  "It takes courage and faith... qualities any parent or sibling would be proud of."

She stared at him for longer than was polite.  That warmth rising in her, and a quietly growing desire that she often threw herself into for comfort.  She wondered if he'd ever been with a woman before and what aftermath there would be if she didn't listen to her better angels tonight.  

She drained the last of her beer deciding the risks now were too great that she'd fuck up a good thing.  She needed him and he needed her... and in the way that her body was telling her.  She'd seen things go sideways for people when they didn't keep their eyes on the prize and she wouldn't lose her first real 'in' against her target in these many years just for a few hours of pleasure.

"I should sleep."

She got up from the table, yawned, and made her way to the bed.  Closing her eyes she hoped she'd drank enough to keep the faces of the dead and voices of the stars at bay until the sun finally forced her back into the land of the living once more.

Gavin, in fact, had extensively studied how to kill a sorcerer.

"Killing a sorcerer is... well, easier than you'd think. They can summon creatures. Control them. Use spells for destruction, healing, illusion, and all sorts of shit. But they're still human. From what I've gathered, the trick is to surprise them. For example... an arrow from a distance. Or sneaking up to them and slitting their throat or putting a knife in their back. Once they're prepared for a fight, it's harder. And they don't sleep as much as normal people, so... well, and this one is a king, so there's all that extra security and..."

He shrugged. A topic for another day.

"I should sleep."

Shit. Gavin was conflicted... he wanted her in a way that was familiar- but Viggo had always been there to catch him with whatever farm girl had led him away. He'd done some things, of course. Just not...

"Right. Sleep."

He tried to casually stand, and he checked the door before making his way to the bed. He climbed in next to her and blew out the candle. Still, with the moonlight streaming through the window he could see her clear enough when his eyes had adjusted. He could see the shape of her under the blanket, and he was tempted to reach out and rest a hand on her hip. She was facing away from her, and his hand started to move almost of its own volition before he pulled it back. He lay on his back and forced both hands behind his head- hoping physically pinning them down would help.

But he was a young man in bed with a beautiful woman- who had never before been in bed with a beautiful woman- and he couldn't help his imagination from running wild.

It wasn't noon when Isabella woke, but early morning.  This wasn't the first time she'd ever been awakened by a sleeping man rolling over and embracing her.  It seemed in the nature of men to dream of being with women, younger men especially, and in the early morning they were almost always at the ready.  

However, in her sleepy state, head slightly pounding from some alcohol or another the night before, she didn't instantly remember whose nether regions were gently prodding her own as he snored softly behind her.  She looked across the room, listening to the morning birds outside, and saw the bow in the corner and then she remembered. 

The ranger.

A grin grew on her face. 

She lay still wondering if she moved, would he awaken?  Some men stirred at the slightest motion or noise.  Still, others stayed deep in a dream once there and a herd of cows could march through their bedrooms to no effect.  She wondered which the Ranger really was.  She decided to test the theory and move her hips to meet his own this time, a subtle motion to test his awareness.  

Once.

Twice.

A third time ... this time more for herself than to test him.  The sensation was too much.  It was clear that he was fast asleep and now she was well and truly awake. 

Headache and good sense be damned! 

Tensing her muscles she shifted herself, inching onto her back and then rolling to face him.  For a moment she froze as he exhaled and then stopped his gentle thrusts and snoring. 

Is he waking? 

A few moments later and she had her answer, his breath became slow and shallow again.  His arm heavy across her felt warm and comforting.  She considered all the ways she might wake him up and what they might do after, some was of rousing a man from dreams were more startling than others, but she'd known very few men who would object to any pleasurable idea a woman they liked might come up with.  

Bella examined his face.  The line of his jaw, the texture of his hair and skin, the things you didn't stare too long at least you put people ill at ease in casual settings.  He was handsome, pretty almost - though the wilderness hadn't let him become soft.  She'd had a few softer men in her time.  Noblemen were often kept away from work that would callous their hands or stain their skin, and they were always cleanly shaven.  Adventurers though, they were a mixed bag. 

Hard lives marked by periods of extreme excess or being deprived, left you with some who appeared better off than nobles and some who were worse than the poorest farmer.  Gavin seemed a nice mix of the extremes.  Just soft enough that she found him appealing, but with hints of what life he really lived to remind her that she didn't need to put on some act for him.  She wasn't seducing some Lord for her own personal gain... but a peer for her own pleasures.

This time she moved her hips to meet his, gently nudging him as he had her only a short while ago.  Trying to remind his sleeping form what his some parts of his body had yet to forget.  She put one arm under her head, beneath her pillow, and the other slipped over his side, just above his hip, returning his embrace. 

Lifting her chin up, she allowed her lips to meet his own in a soft kiss that did not end after the first brush of hers against his.  As her lips parted a second time, claiming his lower lip gently, she rolled her hips slightly upward in time with her kiss.  She knew this manipulation was not subtle.  The pleasure, while innocent enough, would be intensely felt.  It wasn't an incidental sort of interaction with his body... but intentional.

As his eyes came open and locked upon her own, her hand began to roam across his skin. 

"Good morning." 

She rolled her hips upward again, dragging herself across him, without a hint of embarrassment or shame.  A smirk grew on her lips as she added, "I thought your bow was impressive... but I must say, your shillelagh isn't half bad either, Ranger."

She kissed him again, making a pleasurable noise that was part chuckle and part hungry moan.

Gavin reflexively kissed her back as he awoke, even as his brain raced to figure out what was happening. Raced, actually, was the wrong word. His brain gave him nothing as his body took over; with no idea what to say, he employed his tongue in other ways, kissing her as he struggled to process what was happening, as the memories of the previous night came back to him. As he kissed her, he slid one hand onto her hip and the other onto her shoulder. 

Finally, his brain caught up to the rest of him.

Memories of his past experiences came flooding back to him; Bella seemed... experienced, and he had no intention of embarrassing himself. The few farm girls he'd been with had seemed satisfied; one had even "taught" him well before Viggo had caught wind of it... but she was dead now.

Focusing on the living, Gavin slid both his hands lower.

"You know me... full of surprises..."

She smiled as he responded by returning her attention.

"Actually... you have been."  She said softly and kissed him again. 

"I don't know you, not yet, but we're getting there."

She took her hand out from around him and put it on his shoulder, applying pressure to urge him onto his back.  Deftly the rogue climbed atop him and came down to kiss him, delighting in the feel of him beneath her.

"You said you wanted to travel slowly back to your home country?"  She asked him between kisses.  When he seemed to nod she replied, "Well, this should slow us up a bit.  When I find something I like... I prefer to take my time and I think I like you Ranger... a lot."

She kissed him deeply.

For a long while this went on - kissing, their hands tentatively exploring one another, and the small bit of night clothing they'd both worn being shed and cast aside.  Finally, Bella's hands touched upon the pendant and once more she felt the unnatural warmth she'd felt the night before.  She'd forgotten about it utterly amidst the fears of losing her head for imitating nobility, sharing the story of Torin's death, and the revelations about who was responsible.

She pulled back her hand quickly and stopped kissing Gavin.  Sitting up from him, straight and tall, her naked body covered in the morning sunlight drifting through the dusty curtains.  She clutched her own hand still looking at the strange pendant - the wolf she hunted in her dreams.  Her desires held at bay by the natural concern of anything magical and what it might mean for her personal safety.  She found herself wondering out loud.

"It's magic?"  she asked him, her lusty bedroom voice now tinged with a bit of worry. 

"I felt it last night and again today.  It's warm... why is it warm?"

Gavin felt like he was drunk, and the warnings had mostly been driven from his mind. There was one major issue here that he'd have to deal with, but he thought he could explain it well enough. His lust-addled brain was reveling in the moment when she froze.

"It's magic? It's warm... why is it warm?"

Confusion hit him before he realized she was talking about the amulet. It was rumored to be magical, but no one had told him more than "good luck" when he was growing up.

"It's... good luck? I think? Seems to be right. Considering the circumstances, I do feel pretty lucky."