I quickly made up the potions I needed, including a small batch of snake antivenom and spider antivenom. I couldn't make much more than the available empties that I had in my pack, so I had to be frugal in my creations. Several strength potions, fortifying potions, mental focusing potions, waterproofing potions, and number ten potions filled out the empty spots on my bandoleer and brought it up to its proper capacity.

I relaxed mentally for the first time since the dragon battle and I had lost them all. I refilled the missing stocks in my potions stash as well. I made sure that Helena was busy when I took out the enchantments book to stuff into my pack with the potions book, then I sealed the hidden space again.

I wasn't sure when I would be back, so I went to each protection ward and recharged them to full effectiveness. I also did a better job hiding my chest of gold by surrounding the bed in stone. You would need to take the bed apart to get at the chest hidden underneath.

After a short discussion with Helena, I decided that a third of the amount of gold I had would be enough for me to take along. I wasn't rich by normal high class standards, since they had decades to build up money. I also couldn't carry a large chest of gold around with me all the time. Some unscrupulous people would definitely try to take advantage of me if they thought I had a lot of gold.

Helena's suggestion of using a bank to hold it didn't make sense to me, then she explained that it was a status thing. I had enough gold to have it be kept there and I would be treated better by the majority of society because of it... assuming they didn't hear about my dishonorable discharge. It might get around before we even arrived at the capital, because of what I had done to the princess. Her family would not ignore a message about that.

I prepared the ingredients I hadn't used for long term storage, since I had to wait and buy more vials to hold more potions, and tied the two large canvas bags to the sides of my pack.

“It's getting a bit large to wear all the time.” Helena said with a chuckle. “We have several secured vaults at the house. I'm sure my father would let you use one of them.”

I must have looked surprised because she laughed.

“Relax, it's a personal vault. He can assign it to you and it will only open for your magic.”

I would have to wait to see if that was true. I wasn't going to bring along the other books unless I could find somewhere to keep them as safe as deep inside a monster infested marsh. I was actually tempted to leave my potions book as well; but, I hadn't copied out the other potion recipes it had.

With the ingredients I had left, I should be able to convert the recipes from their current versions to ones I could make, like I had with the regeneration potion. Of course, they weren't anywhere near as complicated as that, so it wouldn't be too difficult. Some of them looked useful, too.

I closed everything up and changed the lock on the door, then cast the lock spell on the door and covered it with wood and sealed the sides to make it look like there wasn't a door there.

“It's too bad that you can't grow things over it to cover it up.” Helena said and looked up with a laugh. “Then again, I guess you can't really hide something this big.”

“The wood roof should let it blend in, assuming anyone comes around.” I said. “No one has before, except when I brought them here.”

Helena took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I noticed how much quicker we made it here this time.”

“I was trying to hide a direct route from the others. Now that we're alone, I could show you the quickest way.”

Helena gave me a pleased smile. “Thank you, David.” She said and gave me a kiss. “We better go if we're going to get something to eat to make up for missing two meals.”

“I'm sorry about that.” I said and gave her a hug. “I sometimes forget to eat properly when I'm doing something important.”

Helena didn't miss the implication and her face flushed red as she blushed. She nodded acceptance and I helped her into the boat, then I took off my pack and pushed the boat into the water. I climbed in and took one last look at the place that I probably wasn't going to see for a while.

I had been tempted to reduce the protection wards on the house to let the vines and creatures cover the outside, then decided it wasn't worth the hassle of trying to clear it up later if I let it get overrun. I had a hard enough time when it was just the Hag's hut and I did not want to try to fight spiders and things inside the house at the top of a 60 foot high pitched roof.

I used the movement enchantment to turn the boat and sped us off into the distance. We arrived at the village and I took Helena to Gail's house and we were sat down and had a great meal. Gail didn't recognize me at all, either. Apparently, my scars had been so prominent that no one actually saw my face around them.

It made Helena chuckle when I mentioned it. Her hand reached for my face and she traced out the exact shape of my old scars without saying a word, then she kissed the spot. We finished eating and had two pieces of sugar cookie bread. That gave me an idea and when we left there, I walked with Helena to Mrs. Hansen's house. The door opened when I knocked and Mrs. Hansen took in a sharp breath when she saw us.

“My lord, my lady.” Mrs. Hansen said and gave us a curtsy. “What could ever bring your august presences to my door?”

“Hi, Marsh Man!” Gloria said loudly and pushed past me to enter the house, then she turned to look up at me. “Your face looks funny now.”

Mrs. Hansen gasped and covered her mouth as both I and Helena laughed.

“I knew you were smarter than everyone else in the village, Gloria.” I said and let Helena's hand go to kneel. “Let me recharge that protection ward for you.”

Gloria held it out to me and I poured a ton of magic into it to reset it.

“I should probably cover it to protect it.” I said and used my knife to cut up a scrap piece of wood and used number ten potion to fuse it together into a cover and attached it to the large wooden coin. “There you go. Now you don't have to worry about banging it or scratching it.”

“THANKS!” Gloria yelled and gave me a hug, then she took off into the kitchen.

“D-David... is... is that really you?” Mrs. Hansen asked, her voice unsure.

“I stopped by to tell you that I'm going to the capital for a while.” I said and stood up. “I was wondering if you had a couple pans of cookie bread for me to show off when I get there.”

Mrs. Hansen looked at Helena and then at me. “I... yes, I do. If you'll wait here...”

I nodded and she left the front door open as she stepped backwards, then she went into the kitchen. I heard the kitchen door open soon after and Gloria ran out with a piece of cookie bread in her mouth and the protection ward slapping on her chest.

“That's not a good way to keep yourself from being hurt.” Helena commented with a smile. “Are you sure you can't get the full enchantment down to a more reasonable size?”

“Not with my current tools.” I said and she understood that I meant I would be getting better tools.

Mrs. Hansen came out of the kitchen ten minutes later and she had two large pans of sugar cookie bread. “I've cut them into normal serving squares. If you have a bag...”

I slipped off my pack and took out one of the dozens of canvas bags I had been slowly pilfering from the army during my time there. I wasn't going to let such a huge resource remain left untapped, not when they were so useful to everyday life.

I cut the bag off to the right size and transferred the squares into it, then sealed it with number ten potion. “Thank you very much.” I said and reached into my pocket to get some money.

“No, thank you.” Mrs. Hansen said with a smile and caught my hand before I could open it to offer her the money. “You can consider it payment for keeping my daughter so happy and popular.”

I glanced at Helena and she nodded slightly, so I put my hand back in my pocket. “I don't know when I'll be back...”

“Take me... with you!” A woman's voice said loudly and the three of us turned to look. Hope ran over to the house and she was panting and out of breath as she leaned against the house. She had a pack similar to mine on her back and it looked hastily packed.

Before I could open my mouth to tell her it wasn't possible, Helena stepped forward and stared at her.

“What skills can you offer?” Helena asked, a bit sternly. “We won't have useless people in our household.”

“I... can clean.” Hope said. “I also... high education.”

“That was not a proper sentence.” Helena said with a bit of a smile.

“I'm sorry... give me a moment.”

“Take several.” Helena said and stepped back to take my hand again. “We are in a bit of a rush; but, we also have the fastest boat in the kingdom. We can easily make it to the next town well before nightfall.”

Hope nodded and closed her eyes as she continued to take long and heavy breaths. It took her several minutes to calm down and to bring her breathing back to normal. Gloria had returned by then and waved at me as she went by us and into the house. I glanced at Mrs. Hansen and she blushed, which proved that she had sent Gloria for Hope.

“I'm well versed in both reading and writing, I know a lot of history and geography, and I know a lot of the stories and myths of the Gulf Kingdom.” Hope said. “I know that James... I mean David... is behind in the practical knowledge that he didn't have access to when growing up, and that basic training in the army doesn't cover it.”

“Are you offering to be his tutor?” Helena asked, a little surprised.

“Yes, and his maid. I know you already have one and didn't bring her.”

“How do you know that?” Helena asked.

“A lady of such high class would have at least one maid.” Hope said, confidently. “I also assume your parents were quite upset that you came back here and didn't bring her this time.”

Helena smiled. “They were livid that I was passing through a godforsaken marsh again and didn't have one maid to help keep me clean and safe.”

Hope smiled back. “I'll work hard and I'll do my best to make sure that David gets the best education that I can give him.”

Helena glanced at me to see what I would say to this offer.

_______________

You have a minor choice to make. It will only change your circumstances slightly. It will change your relationship with Hope, no matter what you decide.

A) Agree. B) Say no. C) Stay quiet. D) Let Helena decide. E) Run. F) Take her hand. G) Kill her.

Okay, those last two were kind of harsh. I guess taking the colonel's arm opened more bad options for me. I thought. Honestly, I'm not sure if I need her around. Since she never did me any harm, I'll let Helena decide if she comes along. I choose D.

_______________

I gave Helena a small shrug and sent her a tingle of magic through our clasp hands.

Helena looked surprised for a second, then she gave me a very pleased smile. She knew I was leaving it up to her and that had made her very happy. “You're hired.”

“YES!” Hope yelled and jumped, then she realized what she did and calmed down and gave us a proper curtsy. “Thank you, my lady. I am honored to be in service to the household.”

Helena nodded in response. “David, her first month's pay.” She said out loud and then she whispered a few things into my ear.

I nodded slightly and dug out ten gold coins to give her. “You need two gold for proper outfits.”

Hope stared at the ten gold coins in her hands and didn't know what to say.

“We will meet you at the boat in half an hour.” Helena said. “If there is any last minute business you need to take care of, now would be the time to do it.”

Hope understood immediately and shoved the gold into her pockets. “I'll be there!” She exclaimed and took off running back to the Addams farmhouse where she lived.