The blister glowed dimly at first and then flashed so brightly, Sage believed for a moment that she might be going blind. When the light finally faded, the blister too had disappeared. Sage rubbed her hand. It was as smooth as it had ever been with not even the slightest sign of a scar.

"Thank you!" With fear now gone, Sage quickly hugged Silver around the neck before he could object. He had been so focused on her small wound that he was unprepared for her show of affection. Silver disentangled himself from her limbs, but could not bring himself to move too far from her reach. The hug had not been an entirely unpleasant experience from so beautiful a woman.

"You are welcome," he said with a cough as he scratched the back of his hood.

Sage was too busy with her thoughts to notice his discomfort. She stared at her unblemished hand again in disbelief. "That's amazing!" she exclaimed with delight. "You should bottle that stuff and sell it. You could make a fortune!" Her eyes glittered like gold.

'Greed,' the Guardian recognized the gaze. He had seen it in many men's eyes just before they met their doom.

Silver shook his head. "I am afraid this potion will never be for sale. This is all I have of it. Some old lady gave it to me many years ago. I only use it when it is absolutely necessary."

"And my hand qualifies as an emergency? I am flattered." Sage smiled sweetly and place both hands on her heart.

Silver laughed, "Do not be too flattered. You are my guest, and you were just trying to make me dinner. I figured I owed you a favor. Are you sure it is ok now?"

"I am quite well," the auburn-haired woman assured him.

Satisfied, the Guardian returned the vial to his room and then sat beside her once more.

"Thanks again." The woman fluttered her eyelashes.

"You are beginning to sound like the towns people. No need for thank-yous, I owed you." Silver did not want to have any more debts to repay.

"If you owed me something, then I would have much preferred to see your face as a favor." Sage leaned toward Silver. Her eyes begged something which he could not oblige.

This time the guardian backed away quickly. 'Don't lose your head.' "It would take something much bigger than than a blister for my face to be a comparable reward," he responded coldly.

"We will just have to see about that, I guess..." Sage's pleasant mask fell for a moment, but was quickly put back in place with a coquettish smile. "I am kidding, of course. You are allowed to have your secrets."

Silver once again ignored her. He turned and took two bowls and two spoons from the mantel above the fire. "Would you care to join me?"

Instantly, Sage beamed almost as brightly as the vial of light that had healed her. "I was hoping you would ask! I would be honored to have dinner with you."

Silver set the bowls down and sat across from her at the table. "I would not be so quick to be honored by me. As I told you, I am not a good person."

Sage laughed uncomfortably and served the soup. "Who is? But you do provide our town with what it needs to survive. Surely that is honorable."

"Yes, but I steal to do so… Where exactly is the honor in that?"

Sage pulled her lips to one side with a small nod. "No honor, I suppose, but at least you get a full belly. Tell me which will matter more to a man in the dead of winter."

Silver appreciated the point, though he was not sure if he could reach the same conclusion. He chuckled lightly. "It is a wonder you are not married, Sage. You would make some man a proud husband." The Guardian took a spoonful from his bowl. The stew was warm and earthy, just what he was craving.

Sage cocked her head to one side and raised her eyebrows defiantly. "Husband? Oh no, I will never have a husband."

"You just say that because your true love has not come along." Silver was confused by his own words. 'What am I babbling on about? Ugh, it is much easier to eat without idle conversation.'

"Ha, love?…a figment of the imagination! It would take a prince's treasure, an angel's heavenly looks and a true gentleman's kindness and charm to hold me down long enough to marry." Sage paused and smirked. "Or perhaps it will only take the mysterious ways of a hooded Guardian."

At her words, Silver choked on his soup. He gasped and sputtered to clear his blocked airway. She was shameless, but he needed to keep her at arm's length. When he finally recovered, he held up his hand in warning. "Rest assured that I will never marry either. And I wish you would not comment on my choice to mask my face. I have my reasons."

Sage nodded, changing tack slightly. "I will not press you further about revealing yourself just now, but you cannot blame me for my curiosity. You know that some rumors say you have a face like that of an angel. That it is so bright that one cannot look on it without going into complete rapture before dying."

Silver laughed heartily, surprising himself. "Those are only rumors I assure you."

The woman cut her eyes at him. "Oh? Then there are others who say you are so ugly that you once gave an old lady such a fright that she died in her tracks, and that is why you hide your face."

"Also fiction written by jealous men…"

"Then why hide yourself?"

"Because, my dear…" Silver hesitated. "I am more an idea than a person. Legends don't have faces, only names."

"That is a silly reason, if you ask me…" Sage teased.

"I didn't ask you…" Silver's voice was flat.

Sage openly frowned. Her charm melted for a moment. "You are making it very difficult to have a conversation."

"As are you, my dear." The Guardian responded seriously.

The woman was shocked. Her mouth formed into a deep pout. "How?"

"Your beauty is entrancing and you know it. That makes it very hard for me to be difficult."

"You aren't making sense." Sage once again was playful. His comment caused her to blush, which was not an easy feat.

"I think that must be your fault as well." Silver chuckled. He grinned in spite of himself. His mood, it seemed would not be cowed. Tonight his gloom would not win.

Sage laughed. It was a real laugh, and Silver found his heart delighted in it. "I knew you could not be as horrible as you pretend to be," she declared.

"I am every bit as horrible as I pretend to be, but tonight I shall be polite." Silver nodded his head in conviction.

"Because of me?" Sage ran her fingers through her hair, pretending to be uninterested. Silver shook his head.

"Because I am tired of quarreling…" he announced, raising his bowl in a mock toast.

Sage followed suit. "Now that we can agree on."

Silver and Sage talked through the evening. It was pleasant conversation, and for once Silver was grateful for the company. They spoke of the weather, winter preparations, business at the inn and even a little gossip. Sage was a skilled conversationalist, and her easy manner put Silver at ease. Silver studied Sage's features and in his heart he knew she would be far more at home among courtiers than thieves, but he decided he would not dwell on this fact. Tonight he was her captive audience. As time passed, the fire waned and lowered to merely a glow.

"I guess I should add another log to the fire," Silver said, the night air hanging about them even inside the cottage walls.

"I should probably go. It is dark outside…"

"I will walk you back. I've got a torch."

"No, do not worry about me. If you walk me home, I fear we may never part paths."

Silver nodded slightly. 'She's not wrong.' "Have it your way..." Silver opened the door. Sage strolled through the door and stopped just outside.

"Goodnight," Sage whispered softly. She leaned in for a kiss. Silver was just quick enough to move away.

"Goodnight," he responded tersely. He shut the door. 'She probably thinks I am an idiot, but I cannot trust myself around her. She clouds my judgment.'

Dismissing his thought, Silver poked the fire gently and banked it for the night. He should do some scouting in the dark, but his heart wasn't in it. Too much was on his mind, and only a night's sleep could clear his head. He stood and headed to bed, placing his cloak on the peg as he passed.

He felt the chill as he removed his boots. 'It is going to be another cold night.' With effort, Silver stretched out on the bed. He could feel every muscle in his body complain. It had been a while since he'd stolen livestock, and it required a different kind of effort. Silver tried to relax. He wrapped his blanket around his torso and forced his eyes shut hoping sleep would take him quickly.