Helena and I walked back towards the dock at a leisurely pace and she held my arm in case I stumbled.

“Why did you tell her half an hour?” I asked.

“So she can give most of that money to her family and give them a proper goodbye.” Helena said. “You know she left in a rush as soon as Gloria showed up to tell her you were leaving. Plus, she doesn't have to run to the boat and exhaust herself again.”

I gave her a questioning look and she smiled sweetly back. “I don't have to tell you that before I was sold and became who I am, she was the youngest of my older sisters.”

Helena leaned in and kissed my cheek. “No, I already know that you used to be James Addams as a baby, of the Addams family farm, the most prosperous farmers in Ester's Village... until the garrison showed up.” She said and her other hand clasped our intertwined hands. “You became someone else, someone who was used and abused, and then you became strong. Strong enough to live in the most harshest environment in the world.”

I nodded and let her continue.

“You became David Drake and you survived everything that happened to you.” Helena said, her voice full of awe. “You even survived being eaten by a dragon, and no one, not even the other people there that day, can dispute that you were the strongest and the bravest for what you did.”

“Mage Lukas...”

“...was a combat mage. He's been trained to face threats and to fight to protect everyone.” Helena said and stopped walking at the edge of the dock. “You've always been on your own. You've never had a reason to go out of your way to protect anyone except yourself. Why would you? Nearly everyone treated you horribly, even though none of what happened to you was your fault.”

I stood there and thought about what she said. “You've been talking to Gillis.”

Helena smirked at me and nodded. “We spent a lot of time together as we travelled. It took a lot of prodding and...” She blushed a little. “...a little bit of begging to get her to open up about you.”

“You didn't have to do that.” I said. “I was going to tell you about it.”

“I know, and I want to hear it from you. I really do.” Helena said. “I also needed something to talk about with her. We are similar in social status; but, we do not move in the same social circles, except on special occasions.” She reached up and touched my cheek with her free hand. “Once she did open up and started talking, you were all she would talk about.” She laughed softly. “She actually wouldn't shut up about you, actually.”

I gave her raised eyebrows and she nodded.

“I think she likes you a lot more than just friends you've been. She just can't admit it to herself.” Helena said. “She even told me that out of all the people she's ever met, you were the only one to treat her like a person and not a member of the royal family, even after you knew who she was.”

I knew what that meant. “I need to change how I treat her in public.”

Helena looked surprised for a moment, then she beamed a smile at me. “I'm sure she'll appreciate you giving her the proper respect that is due to a woman of her station, as long as you tell her that.”

I nodded. “The very next time I see her, I'll tell her.”

“I'm glad to hear that.” Helena said and turned to face the main road. “Here she comes now.”

I turned with her to look and Gillis was walking towards the dock, wearing a different dress, and the guard behind her carried two large suitcases and had a trunk strapped to his back.

Gillis had her head downcast and was mumbling to herself as she walked with purpose. “I can't believe that the garrison won't let me borrow a boat and a mage.” She said and had to watch where she was walking, now that she was approaching the dock, and she started to lift her head to look forward. “Now I have to charter a normal boat that's going to take forever to get me back to... DAVID!” Gillis gasped when she finally lifted her head and saw me.

I waited for her to get close before I gave her a bow and held a hand out to her. “Lady Jacqueline Rivers.” I said and couldn't read the expression on her face.

Gillis took my hand and shook it as if I was a lord greeting her. “Mr. Drake.”

I glanced at Helena and she nodded, so I stepped close to Gillis and placed a quick kiss on her cheek to whisper in her ear. “As your friend, I won't disrespect you in public.”

Gillis stiffened slightly at my words, then she turned her head slightly to press her lips to my cheek. “Thank you.” She whispered back and when I stepped away, she had a normal smile on her face.

“I'm so very glad to see you again, Lady Rivers.” Helena said and leaned in to lightly kiss her cheek. “I imagine the army has left you in the lurch, just as they have to my David?”

Gillis took a deep breath and nodded. “Now I have to charter...”

“Nonsense.” Helena said and cut her off. “Now that fate has brought us together once again for another trip to the capital, I wouldn't dare suggest that you take another boat.”

“But...” Gillis looked at me with a bit of accusation.

“Don't give him that look.” Helena laughed softly. “We couldn't wait at the base, could we? Not after what happened. I'm just glad that David's business delayed us long enough that we could be here for you when your business was done.”

“M-me, too.” Gillis said. “I thought... after what happened... you didn't want anything to do with...”

“It doesn't matter who your family is. You've never done anything bad to me.” I said to her and thought I saw a look of relief. “You can load your things into the boat while Lady Henrietta and I wait for my maid.”

Gillis smiled and nodded as she passed by us to go to the boat.

“Well done, dearest.” Helena whispered and I turned my head to look at her. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips and she smiled happily. “You reassured her that you don't hold her cousin's actions against her and that you still consider her a friend.” She paused for a moment, then laughed softly. “On the down side, she's probably going to talk incessantly during the boat ride to the next town.”

I smiled and she gave me a wink, then we looked up the main road again. After a few minutes, Hope appeared in the distance and she was walking normally. She was alone, which I hadn't expected. I thought for sure that her sister or even her younger brother would have come with her to see her off, now that they had the time to do it.

“Thank you very much for the extra time, my lady.” Hope said and gave Helena a bow. “Both my family and I appreciated it.”

“Your pack has gotten bigger.” Helena said with a teasing note to her voice.

“Mom insisted on repacking it.” Hope said. “I was going to do it on the boat and she beat me to it.”

Helena laughed softly. “Yes, mothers can be a bit domineering.”

“Shall we go?” I asked and waved at the dock behind me.

“Yes, my lord.” Hope said and gave me a bow.

“I'm not...” I started to say and Helena gave my hand a squeeze.

“Pretense must be maintained, dearest.” Helena said. “Even if it's not actually true yet, as long as people believe it, to them it will be true.”

I couldn't argue that, since I had worked to try and give my Marsh Man reputation as much of a boost as the Hag's. It didn't quite work, since all I managed to do was get sentenced to death and then conscripted into the army. I nodded and both Hope and Helena gave me pleased smiles, then the three of us went to the boat and settled in for the ride to the next town.

We discussed going further than that, then decided that it would be best to arrive at the town, spend a nice relaxing night in an inn, then head out in the morning. Helena was gracious enough to include Hope, Gillis, and her guard as well into the conversation. I untied us and used the movement enchantment to take us out and around the dock, passed several boats, and over to the waterway that would lead to the next town.

After a relatively short distance, Helena told me to slow down for some reason. I did so as we came around a curve and past some trees, then I saw why. The entire Addams family was there and Hope stood up to shout and holler to them.

“MOM! I told YOU!” Hope pointed at me. “LOOK! LOOOOOK!”

“David.” Helena whispered and then spoke something in my ear.

I slowed the boat down even more and took out a full clear vial and the quarter filled one. I poured a quarter of the full one into the half one, corked both, and tucked the three quarter full one away.

“He really is healed.” Mrs. Addams said, her voice full of disbelief.

I pulled the boat over close to the shoreline and held up the half filled vial. “Frank!”

The man without a hand glared at me and didn't respond.

“Let me know if this works.” I said and tossed the vial at his feet into the soft grass.

He stared at the vial for several seconds and looked back at me. I didn't actually wave at him as I raised my hand and instead wiggled just my pinkie finger. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head and Hope beside me gasped.

“It's really, really going to hurt.” I said with a big smile as the boat drifted past the spot where the Addams family stood.

“Of course it will.” Frank muttered.

“You might die!” Helena added, just in case my warning wasn't enough. None of them seemed to react to that, though.

“They know that.” Hope said to Helena. “That's what life near the marsh is like. What it's always been like.” She waved to her family. “Bye, MOM! Bye, everyone! I'll keep sending part of my pay home to you every month!”

Mrs. Addams didn't say anything and only waved. I could see her staring at me, as if she was trying to remember what I looked like. I had everyone sit down and moved the boat back out to the middle of the waterway and poured on the speed. It had been a while since I could let loose like this and I didn't waste any time getting us to the next town. Surprisingly, no one complained.

We arrived just before night fell and I docked at the lower dock, secured it, and we carried all of our things to the closest inn. We spent the night in rooms that were not next to each other... at Helena's request... and we had fun together. She had been true to her word when she said after I accepted her offer, I would be in her bed.

We washed up early the next morning and met the others in the lobby. Both Gillis and Hope had bright red faces when they looked at us, for some reason. Helena laughed it off and we left the inn to get back into the boat. I took us out, without regard to keeping the boat's power hidden, since it and several other boats had been used by the military for quite some time now, and took off down the route that Helena told me to take.

It wasn't going to take us long to get to the capital at my full speed and Helena didn't discourage me in the least. She was as eager to get me to her home as I was to get there.