Missteps V.2

Chapter 53 – The Crooked Raven

The next day the party loaded into the cart and started on the three-hour trek to Silverbank.

"Alright, so we need to come to a consensus on how long we're staying." Jun called from the front bench as he handled the reins. Carric sat next to him, bow and arrow in hand.

Iados grinned. "We need to stay at least one night, I've got plans."

Ander rolled his eyes. "Yes Iados, we are all aware of your pent-up desire to get laid." The halfling turned to look over at Lia. "As the girlfriend, aren't you supposed to keep his libido sated?"

Lia turned a page in her book. "I do what I can, but there are lines I won't cross. That's why he has his tickets."

Kerri giggled.

Elaine cleared her throat. "Back on topic, the length of our stay will really depend on if the information Ander asked for is ready. I say we should plan on two nights. Are we going to find an inn or just stay in the tower?"

Ander rubbed his chin. "I say inn, because we don't want to announce that we have a magical item. Same issue we ran into with the caravan."

Iados groaned. "Can't we just set it up in the backyard of the Chapter House for the Circle? Surely no one would mess with it if they knew it was connected with the Circle." There were a few nods of agreement.

The halfling shrugged. "I can ask, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

Jun nudged Carric with his elbow. "What was the name of the inn you guys stayed at last time?"

"I honestly don't remember." Carric turned to Elaine and Kerri. "You guys remember the name of the inn the guild rented out after the attack?"

"Cabin's Fortune." Elaine said as she petted the sleeping weasel in her lap. "If I recall, it's a few blocks outside the first ring."

Kerri snapped her fingers. "That's right, because we had to be escorted to the castle courtyard." A smile suddenly graced Kerri's face. "Hey, do you think they'll try to arrest Carric?"

Lia's head snapped up. "Why would Carric be arrested?"

"Well, he attacked a guard, and then escaped prison with a bunch of orcs." Kerri explained as she laughed.

Carric twisted around in his seat. "I would like to point out, that I was kidnapped and forced to escape with the orcs. Besides, Elaine wrote a note to the Captain and explained it all."

The bard shook her head. "You seriously think that a note being passed to the Captain as we were skipping town is going to cover it?"

Ander sighed heavily. "Maybe we shouldn't stop after all?"

"It'll be fine." Iados reclined back on their packs. "Carric just needs to keep his head down, usually works for me."

Elaine looked at the akudaem. "Says the guy who got accused of murder,"

Iados shrugged. "Anything you can walk away from is a good thing."

Conversation was light for the rest of the trip, mostly relegated to Elaine's shopping list for items to make the tower more 'homey'.

When they finally reached Silverbank, they joined the line of carts and people waiting to go through the main gates. When it was their turn, everyone had their papers from the Circle out and ready.

"What's your business in town?" One of the burly guards asked as another guard gathered up their papers and took them to a nearby booth.

"Shopping mainly," Jun answered. He pointed at Ander. "This one has business at the Circle's Chapter House." He then pointed to Iados. "And that one has business at a brothel."

"I'm afraid those plans will be delayed." Another guard, this one with three stars on his lapel walked forward. He pointed at Iados and Carric. "Take the akudaem and red-haired half-elf into custody."

"What the hell is this?" Iados cried as he was wrenched out of the cart. "I didn't do anything!"

Carric hopped out of the cart on his own and allowed himself to be pulled away.

Lia hopped out of the cart and approached the man in charge. "Where are you taking them?"

The man shoved the group's papers, minus Iados and Carric's, into her arms. "Headquarters House. You are welcome to meet them there." Carric and Iados were thrown into a caged cart, and on the sergeant's command it left up the street.

"At least tell us why they've been arrested!" Kerri called out at the departing sergeant.

The man didn't turn around. "You can find that out at Headquarters House."

Jun reached down and hauled Lia into the cart. His teeth were gritted together. Once Lia was in, he started off after their friends. He followed the cart towards the eastern side of the city. Within a few minutes, they'd arrived at the large three-story structure that was Headquarters House. The prisoner cart was taken down a small ramp into an underground level. Jun parked their cart in a small stable area next to the building. He gave the groomsmen a few silver to watch their things, and then led the way into the building.

The front door opened into a large lobby. On one wall was a collection of 'wanted' posters, while the opposite wall was covered in commendations and awards. The far wall had two double doors on it. The door on the left was a darkly stained wood with golden fittings, while the door on the right had metal bars. In between them was a desk that was manned by a young human woman.

The group crowded around the desk.

Lia knocked on it. "Excuse me, our friends were just arrested, and the jerk at the gate wouldn't tell us why."

The woman smiled brightly. "Did you get the jerk's name?"

Lia shook her head. "He didn't give it, but there were three stars on his lapel."

The woman nodded. "That means he's a sergeant. Ok, what are the names of your friends?"

"Carric and Iados." Jun offered.

The woman nodded again and started to scrawl the names on a piece of parchment. "Do you have their last names?"

"Galanodel and Zhaldave, respectively." Ander supplied. "The man still has their papers. They're part of a Circle recovery group."

The woman finished writing down the names. "Ok, so I'll take this into the back and see what information I can find for you. If you all will please just wait here." She pointed to the benches in the middle of the room, before she hurried over and through the dark stained door.

Lia sat down heavily on one of the benches, and Elaine joined her. Kerri wandered over to the wall of Wanted posters and began to peruse them. Jun stayed standing near the desk.

Ander paced the room as he mumbled to himself. "Not even five minutes into the city."

"Calm down, this probably has to do with Carric's previous run-in." Elaine crossed her legs. "Last time, he was supposed to spend two days in jail."

"If we're lucky it'll be the same amount of time, and not more." Jun grunted. "Why do you think they grabbed Iados?"

"He was a pirate for several years, maybe it has to do with that?" Elaine suggested. No one had any other ideas. The group stayed silent for several tense minutes as they waited for the doors to open.

Finally, the double doors opened and the woman came back in, followed by a dwarven man. He had a silver star on his lapel, dark hair that was pulled into a simple bun, and a black beard adorned with silver chain. The secretary went back to her desk, while the newcomer headed towards M.A.

"You the ones wanting information on the half-elf and akudaem?" The dwarf's voice was rough as she stared the party members down.

"We are." Jun took a step closer to him and the others began to crowd around.

The man nodded, and pulled out a sheaf of parchment from an inner jacket pocket. "Alright, here's the deal. The half-elf is being held on previous charges of attacking an officer and then escaping from prison. With the akudaem, we received an anonymous tip that someone matching his description had committed murder in Yeabrook."

Ander groaned loudly. "Iados is innocent, we already sorted that out with the magistrate in Yeabrook."

The dwarf nodded as he consulted her notes. "That's what your friend told us. Luckily, the prisoner from Yeabrook arrived late last night. We've already sent for a runner for his escorts so that they can clear this up."

Elaine cleared her throat. "That prisoner, is that the boy, Zaire?"

He nodded. "He's currently locked where we put all magically-inclined prisoners." The woman pulled out a different piece of parchment. "Now, back to the half-elf, I took a moment to look over his file. In my honest opinion, the guard that he hit had it coming, and being forced to wander the sewers for a full night with a bunch of orcs sounds like punishment enough." He laughed. "We'll settle the matter for a fine of twenty gold, and five hours in the stocks, sound good?"

Everyone nodded.

He turned to the secretary at the desk. "Handle the fine, and I'll let Jensen know of the arrangements." She looked at the party. "Your friend should be moved to the stocks in about an hour. Don't have a timeline on the akudaem yet, but we'll keep you appraised." With that the dwarven man turned and left.

"Well, that could have been a lot worse." Jun chuckled. "I'll stay here and wait on Iados, why don't you guys go get settled at the inn. We'll meet you at the stockade."

"Sounds good." Ander knelt down and pulled a coin purse out of one of the packs at Jun's feet. "Use this to pay the fine."

Jun's eyebrow raised. "Wow, didn't think you'd volunteer your own money."

Ander shook his head. "Nah, that's Carric's pack. His fine, his money."

An hour later, Lia and Kerri sat on the stone steps leading up to the currently empty stockade.

"I wish they would hurry up and get here." Lia blew into her hands and rubbed them together.

"Me too." Kerri grinned, and she shot a glance down at the slightly bulging bag at her feet. "While we wait, I found something I think you'll want to see."

"Oh?"

Kerri reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. She handed it over. "I took this off the wall in Headquarters House."

Intrigued, Lia unfolded the parchment. Inside, was a well-done sketch of an elven maiden, one braid down the side of her face. Above the sketch were several lines of elven writing. Lia's eyes went wide as she read the words over and over again, and her eyes skimmed the sketch of herself.

Kerri cleared her throat. "I would have thought that this would be the kind of thing a brother would tell their sister about."

Lia crumpled the paper. "If he knew, Hadarai would have told me about this. This is my uncle's doing."

"I didn't know people still did Marriage Bounties."

"They're uncommon, but still relevant." Lia shoved the paper into her pack. "A Marriage Bounty is actually how Uncle Himo achieved his position."

Kerri nodded, but didn't comment. The two of them were silent for a few minutes. Finally, Kerri spoke. "If you want, I could help you dye your hair, make you less recognizable."

Lia shook her head. "Thank you, but that won't be needed. I don't intend to hide. I'd rather die than go back to Himo." The elf's eyes narrowed, and her jaw clenched. The grip she held on her staff turned her knuckles white.

Kerri gulped. She could feel the anger coming off her friend in waves. "Well, as long as we don't let anyone abduct you, you'll be alright."

Lia snorted. "No, this won't be the end."

"What do you mean?"

"If my uncle put a bounty out on me, that means he's desperate to get me back. I'm his heir, his already publicly acknowledged heir." Lia gave a little chuckle. "First my arrest, and now my abandonment of him, must be quite a scandal back home. For him to risk a stranger becoming his new heir, he must be desperate to save face."

Kerri tilted her head. "What do you mean 'new heir'?"

Lia turned to look at Kerri. "Once I marry, I will lose my title and position to my husband. The only reason I have any title is because my uncle didn't have any children." She sighed. "Ever since I was a small child, I can remember my uncle getting dozens of requests for my hand, but he turned down all of them. When I asked him why, he told me that my destiny wasn't with any of them. I don't know what kind of arrangement he was waiting for to marry me off. Obviously his desire to get me back as out-weighed that."

"If this doesn't work, then what do you think your uncle will do next?" Kerri asked.

Lia shrugged. "Probably marry me off in absentia if he can sway the Council."

Kerri's jaw dropped. "Seriously, he can do that?"

Lia nodded. "If he can prove to the Council that he's done all he can do bring me home, and that my absence is causing irreparable harm to his home and business. Of course, the Council hasn't approved an in absentia marriage in nearly three hundred years."

"What if you get married before the Council approves an in absentia marriage?"

Lia shrugged. "It would depend on if the Council even recognizes the marriage in the first place. Honestly, I don't want to think about this. I almost can't believe Himo would do this, but at the same time I can." She sighed heavily and rested her head on her knees.

Kerri reached over and rubbed her back. "And I thought my love life had issues."

"I don't even know what you have." Lia sat back up. "I mean, you slept with the woman who stabbed my boyfriend."

"To be fair, I slept with her before the whole stabbing thing." Kerri leaned back on the stairs. "I was actually referring to Maron."

Lia's mouth twisted. "I thought you two had gotten closure over the whole thing?"

"I mean, we talked and got closure on some past stuff, but we didn't talk about our future. It's not like the words 'we're over', or 'I'm breaking up with you' were ever said. Even when we met back up, it was so easy to just slip into old habits."

Lia leaned back with Kerri. "Do you want to slip back into old habits?"

The bard sighed as she turned her attention to the sky above her. "I don't know. I mean, the main reasons we had stopping us before are gone. He's no longer a prince, we're not in Liratha, and this stupid mark on my back isn't stopping me from being with him."

"You also haven't seen him for months." Lia pointed out. "There is such a thing as too much history, you know."

Kerri turned her head towards the elf. "I know, but the only reason I have this mark on my back is because I wanted to be with him. Doesn't that mean that I'm obligated to be with him? To prove that I didn't blow up my whole life for nothing?"

"Personally, I don't think 'being obligated' is a good enough reason to be in a relationship. My advice, next time you meet Maron, define what you are. If you're broken up, then say the words. You can't stay in a point of limbo, that's how people get hurt."

"You're right." Kerri sat up. "I don't even know where he is to have that talk though."

Lia opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a group of guards making their way to the stocks.

Three guards escorted a handcuffed Carric, and a handcuffed Iados. Jun followed behind.

"What happened?" Lia asked as she and Kerri moved out of the way.

Jun grinned. "Iados threw a bit of a fit while they waited for his name to be cleared. He broke the warden's desk, so now Carric's going to have company in the stocks."

Lia rolled her eyes and looked over at her boyfriend as his hands and neck were affixed into the stockade. "You couldn't just sit there and behave?"

Iados pouted. "You weren't there."

"Well now you're here." Carric stated as he was similarly locked in. "Where's Elaine and Ander?"

"They decided to get a head start on their shopping list." Kerri placed a hand on her hip. "Also, we managed to luck out. On our way to the inn we passed the Vowilian church. Elaine stopped to check in, and the head priest said that we could set up the tower next to their stable, free of charge."

"Nice," Iados nodded with his head down at the bag at Kerri's feet. "What's in the bag? I hope its lunch because I'm starving."

Kerri and Lia shared a grin, before the two of them reached in.

"This isn't for eating." Kerri held up a slightly rotted tomato. "Back home, it's a tradition to pelt those in the stocks with fruit."

Jun reached in and pulled out his own tomato from the bag. "We've got something similar in Nydag, though we usually use horse dung."

Lia laughed as she palmed a large pear. "Who should I aim for?"

Carric shrugged. "Does it matter? You won't hit."

"Those sound like fighting words." Iados laughed. His laughter was immediately stopped when the pear hit the wood next to his face.

Jun laughed at the druid's attempt. "Not quite. Kerri, you're up."

The half-elf threw the fruit, but it sailed over the heads of both prisoners.

Carric laughed. "Who were you aiming at?" Kerri stuck out her tongue.

Jun stepped up. "Let me show you how it's done." The berserker threw the fruit, but his aim was as bad as Kerri's as it splattered at Carric's feet.

The prisoners shared another laugh.

"I'd quit laughing." Kerri held up the bag. "We've got more than enough fruit still."

The next five hours passed quickly as the three of them took turns at target practice. Some of the local denizens, and guards, even came forward with their own fruits to try their hand. At the end, both Carric and Iados were doused in fruit juice.

Kerri used her magic to clean up the worst of the fruit, before all five headed to a nearby tavern for dinner.

"I never realized how hungry a guy could get just by being pelted by fruit." Iados spoke around a mouth full of chicken.

Carric paused in taking a drink of his ale. "Really? I'd assumed that you'd be a frequent flyer in the stockade."

"Haha," Iados rolled his eyes. "I was actually pretty good at staying away from the guards. Besides, pirates don't usually end up in stockades, they end up in a noose."

Jun pointed with his chicken leg. "That's because you guys are like cockroaches, for every one that swings, five more take their place."

Iados shook his head. "It may seem like that, but that's just because there's a high turnover rate. A lot of people who go to sea only stay on a ship for a year or two at a time. Being a pirate is hard and dangerous work. To make a living as a pirate is even harder."

"You referring to hunting sea monsters?" Kerri asked.

"That's part of it, but the real danger is from the unknown." Iados set down the bare chicken leg. "I've seen islands disappear and then reappear miles away, waves so large that they can take down a ship in one swipe, and then storms that just appear out of nowhere. The sea holds a lot more mystery than the land does."

Kerri tilted her head. "If it's so dangerous, then why does anyone go out there?"

The akudaem grinned and leaned forward. "Because out there, you fly under your own flag. Out there, you aren't under some governments thumb, paying taxes so that someone else can get rich. On a ship, you form a bond thicker than blood with the men and women by your side. Your ship is your home, your world, your meal ticket. In some ways, your worldview shrinks to that ship, and to that job. In others, when you look over the blue waters and see nothing for miles and miles, you realize just how large the world is. When a creature swims under your ship, and it's fin is larger than your whole vessel, you realize just how small you are. You dive under the surface, and swim down the street of a whole city that sunk beneath the waves, you appreciate how precious life is, and how fast it could all end. In the same token, when you swim down those streets, and the inhabitants of that town swim up to meet you, you realize how resilient life is." Iados' eyes were shining as he spoke. "Everything that life is, was, or could be, can be found at sea. No one who goes out to sea is ever the same person when they come back. It's that sense of mystery, adventure, and the draw of the unknown that keeps people going back out."

Lia reached over and covered Iados's hand with her own. "You really miss it, don't you?"

"I do." The akudaem seemed to deflate as his gaze went back down to his near empty plate. "But, seeing as I don't have a deathwish, I'll just have to continue to stay landlocked."

Jun clapped him on the shoulder. "Keep your fingers crossed that we'll find you some answers. That's why people on land go exploring, to find answers."

Iados reached up and patted the hand on his shoulder. "You're right, besides, this isn't the time to mope around." He reached into his pack, rustled around, and pulled out two scrapes of parchment that he then handed to Lia. Iados stood up and gave Lia a quick kiss. "Well, I'm out to go find me some twins. Anyone wanna come with?"

Jun drained the last of his ale before he stood up. "I might as well see what they have to offer." He looked at the remaining three. "How about you guys?"

Carric shook his head. Likewise, Kerri and Lia both declined.

"You two have fun. Do you know how to get to the Vowilian church?" Lia asked.

"Pretty sure we passed it on the way to the stockade." Iados shrugged. "If we get lost then we'll just ask for directions. Don't wait up!" With a final wave, the two of them left.

As soon as they were out the door, Kerri turned to Carric and Lia with a twinkle in her eye. "What do you guys say to getting out of here? Last time I was here, I heard about a place called The Crooked Raven. Good music, good drink, and good times is their motto."

Carric grinned. "Sounds like fun. Should we stop by and get Elaine and Ander?"

Kerri crinkled her nose. "It's not really Elaine's scene, and I'm not sure it's Ander's either. Let's check it out, then we tell them about it later and if they want to go we can go back tomorrow night."

Lia stood up. "I think we should stop by the tower, I want to drop off some of my gear. This staff is not exactly 'club' material."

Kerri sighed. "Fine."

The three of them left and headed to the tower. Inside, Ander was in the middle of some sort of bread preparation, and Elaine was surrounded by a mountain of stained and ugly pillows. She didn't even look up when they walked in, as she ripped the seams and pulled out the stuffing. Both her and Ander declined the offer to go out.

Kerri led the way to The Crooked Raven. It was nearly on the other side of the city, and the sun was fully down by the time they approached the two-story structure. Instead of going through the clearly visible front door, Kerri instead went around the side, where there was a small staircase that led to a basement. She knocked on the door, and a slit opened up near the top.

The bard stood up on her tiptoes and looked through the slit. "We're here to party with Shamser's children."

The top slit closed, and a second slit in the middle of the door opened. A small tray poked out. Kerri reached into her coin purse and pulled out three gold, which she then put on the tray. The tray was pulled back, the slit closed, and the door opened.

Kerri looked over her shoulder at her companions, and winked. "Come on."

The three of them went through the door that opened into a hallway. Sconces on the wall offered little light. There was no one else in the hallway, only a beaded curtain at the end. They quickly made their way down and through the curtain.

On the other side, was a large octagonal room that seemed to be larger than the building above them. The room was also two floors. The doorway they came through emptied onto a balcony that encircled the perimeter, and had couches and standing tables strewn about. Three spiral staircases led down to the main floor. The main floor had two large bar set-ups, a stage along the wall with a dance floor in front. Multiple tables of varying sizes and lengths were strewn about the rest of the room. Games of cards or dice were played here or there, while waiters and waitresses zoomed about the room with trays laden with drinks. Two large chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, their multitude of candles lending light to the room.

"How did you hear about this place again?" Carric had to lean in close to the bard as the band on the stage started up another song.

Kerri grinned. "From a friend."

Carric rolled his eyes as he watched her skip off down towards a staircase. He and Lia followed, and they soon found themselves at the bar. They ordered a drink, and settled in. It wasn't long before all three of them hit the dance floor.

Kerri knew that Lia wasn't the best dancer, but she had no idea that Lia was a terrible dancer. Lia however, did know, and owned it. What she lacked in skill, she made up in confidence. It helped immensely that both Kerri and Carric managed to add actual dancing skill to her random movements. To anyone watching, they'd have sworn that the three of had practiced the seemingly random wriggles, turns, twists, and bows.

After two hours, an exhausted Kerri and Lia collapsed onto one of the sofas on the balcony. Carric had disappeared into the crowd.

"This was a great idea." Lia said as she sipped at her drink.

Kerri reached up and wiped some sweat from her forehead. "I'm glad you think so. We should bring the others here tomorrow."

Lia shook her head. "Maybe just Iados and Jun. Did you see those tables downstairs? I don't think Ander should be near them."

"I know he said he has a gambling problem, but come on, it can't be that bad."

"From what Iados told me, he lost his spellbook due to his gambling." Lia drained the last of her drink. She stood up. "I'm going for another one, you want one?"

Kerri shook her head. "No thanks." She watched Lia leave and head downstairs. A few moments after she had left, a waiter came up to her.

"Someone sent you a drink." The waiter held the tray out to her. On the tray, was a glass flute, filled with a pale drink. A blue ribbon was tied around it.

"Thank you," Kerri reached out and took the flute. After the waiter had left, she untied the ribbon and set the glass on the ground. On the ribbon, was written a short message.

Fourth sconce on the right.

Kerri looked up and scanned the room. The only light source besides the chandeliers, were the candlesticks placed upon tables in the more shadowy corners. No, the only place she'd seen sconces were in the initial hallway. So, she stood up, ribbon in hand, and headed towards the hallway.

She went to the indicated sconce, and pulled it.

The wall next to it slid to the side, and revealed a hidden door. With a smile, Kerri opened the door and walked into the pitch dark room.

"Really?" A voice called out from the darkness. "You didn't even hesitate to walk in."

Kerri held up the ribbon, her form silhouetted from the light in the hallway. "I considered making you wait, but I know how antsy you get." The ribbon began to glow, and lit up the room.

Across the room, Maron sat on a crate. "You look good."

With her foot, Kerri closed the door. "I thought you were in Nydag?"

Maron shrugged. "I got stuck doing scut work for the thieves' guild here. I need these connections, so I have to earn them, same way I did back in Liratha."

Kerri took a few steps closer to Maron. She tossed the ribbon over to him. "Still using the same tricks, too."

He stood up. "Well, you don't mess with the classics." He walked up to Kerri. "Have to say, I was surprised to see you in the bar."

"Why? You know I'm a sucker for a hidden bar." Now that he was so close, Kerri could see that his face was a bit thinner than the last time she'd seen him. She reached out and cupped his cheek.

Maron turned his face into her touch. He reached up, and covered her hand with his own. "I've missed you." Before Kerri could say anything, Maron had reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace. He wrapped his arms around her form, and cradled her head into his neck.

Kerri felt herself melting against him. His body was so warm, and just like before, she fit like a puzzle piece next to him. Unbidden, her arms went up and clenched around him. The two of them stood there, just holding each other. It was as if they both needed a moment to just acclimate to each other again.

Finally, they loosened their grips, and looked at each other. Kerri wasn't sure who moved first, but his lips captured hers. The kiss started tenderly, as they both hesitantly moved, making sure that it was what the other wanted. Soon enough the kiss deepened, and became more insistent.

Maron reached underneath and pulled Kerri up onto him. She wrapped her legs around his torso, as he pinned her against a stack of crates. Their breaths started to became ragged as they forgot to breathe. The two of them let muscle memory take over, as they got reacquainted with each other intimately.

After, Maron laid on the floor, his breathing still coming in gasps. Kerri laid next to him, a smile on her face, as she traced circles on his bare chest.

Kerri looked up at him. "I'd almost forgotten how good you were at that."

His eyes softened. "What can I say, you bring out the best in me."

Kerri sat up, and reached for her clothes. "Now that the fun stuff is out of the way, we should talk."

"You're right," Maron sat up. "Honestly, I'd planned on doing what Carric had told me, and staying away from you until I'd finished my mission."

Kerri scoffed as she pulled on her shirt. "There's always another mission, and then another one after that."

"That's what I realized." Maron grabbed Kerri's arm and gently turned her back around towards him. "Kerri, I love you. Even after all this time, my feelings are just as strong for you as they were the first time I held you in my arms. We've been through enough hurdles to know that we can get through them. I believe in us. I want us. I want that commitment."

Kerri's mouth went dry. "You want us to be together? To date again?"

Maron shook his head. "No, Kerri, I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife, and I your husband. Will you marry me?"

Kerri's mind went blank. She pulled her arm out of Maron's grasp and stood up. "Are you serious?"

Maron stood up as well. "I'm more serious than I've ever been. Kerri, I'm tired of not knowing exactly where we stand. Carric told me not to face you again until I was ready to commit, so here I am, ready to commit."

Kerri laughed. "Wow, so the first time I see you since you fake your death, you fuck me and then ask me to marry you. Talk about whiplash." She reached down and pulled on her pants.

"Ok, to be fair, I didn't plan the first part." He reached up and scratched his chin. "But the second part, the proposal part, that one I planned."

"Hypothetically, if we did get married, how would that work? Would you give up your mission in Nydag to join M.A.? Would I have to give up M.A. to join you in Nydag? Do we both give up our jobs and just settle down? I mean, what's the logistics here?" Kerri took a deep breath. "You do realize that long-distance relationships in general, are near impossible, right?"

"Ok, I'll admit that I hadn't thought that far ahead, but Kerri, I need something to show that you are as committed to us as I am." Maron's voice was almost pleading.

Kerri stopped and looked at him. "What if I'm not?" She could see his face fall. "Maron, it's not like I've been faithful to you since we last saw each other. I haven't felt like we were truly a couple for a long time, even before the whole mark fiasco. I only accepted that deal from Maccus, because I was on the verge of breaking up with you."

Maron took a deep breath, and then took a step closer. "That's in the past. All we have to do is focus on the future. Kerri, I am ready to make a commitment to you. I can't live in some purgatory."

"Maron, I can't commit to you. We can't just ignore the past. We've both been changed by it. Neither of us are the same as before we left Liratha." The hurt in Maron's eyes nearly broke her, but Lia was right. Kerri went up to Maron, and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for loving me, but this is where our story ends."

Maron grinned sadly. "It ends in a hidden tavern storage closet?"

Kerri cupped his chin once again. "It ends with us being honest, more honest than we've ever been. I might never stop loving you, but I can't give you what you want. You deserve someone who can." Kerri stepped away, grabbed her boots, and headed for the door.

"You deserve someone like that too." Maron called after, and Kerri paused at the door. "You deserve someone who will hold your hand in public, and support you as you take the biggest stages in the world. Someone that you'll never have reason to doubt, and who will always have your back. I'm sorry that that person couldn't be me."

She left. She went out the main door, paused in the alley to pull her boots on, and then just ran. She wasn't sure where she was running to, but eventually she couldn't run anymore. She ducked into an alley, and crouched down next to a wall. She wasn't sure when the tears started, but she couldn't make them stop. She buried her face in her knees, as she cried for all the pain she felt in her chest.

Suddenly, someone had their arms wrapped around her. She looked up, ready to fight.

Jun was knelt down in front of her.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" His eyes were full of worry.

Kerri tried to smile. "I dumped him. I dumped Maron." The smile fell as her tears took over again. Jun reached out and scooped her into his arms. He let Kerri curl against him and cry, cry for the love she lost, and for the girl she'd been.