It had been a month since Cecelie had fallen ill, yet people in the Eder Kemo were still dying. There was less and less getting sick every day and now it was down to a handful of people, but in that handful was the mother of three children. A single mother that she knew so closely who had a newborn at home and two children in her class. What else was a girl to do other than go find the cure she knew existed?

Trying to get into Riven to find the cure did not bode well with the guards who caught her. She had barely gotten through the portal before the two men grabbed her and tore her dress, ripping a slit up the side of her thigh. She fought and tried to explain herself, but soon they carried her to the fire. There had been a hunt and the men had returned home with plenty to cook and celebrate over.The fire roared and the men in Riven grew drunk as they watched the women dance, but soon all the commotion came to a halt and the people spread around the girl who was thrown to her knees. She did not weep as the men smirked and tried to tear the dress higher upon her thigh, but instead spit at them and growled something in Narayan.

The fire within the girl caused Noel to stare longer than her than at most thieves. “Where do you come from, thief?” He asked, drinking his wine with Lorelei at his side. The people around grew busy with whispers. “I come from a lot of places.” She replied smartly, a Narayan accent mingled with her words.

Lorelei was enjoying the festivities, happy to have her husband returned from the hunt safe once again. She had wondered lately however about the Urun soldier, if he had been able to save the woman he loved or if the plant had done nothing. What was lucky was it seemed he had kept his promise to not speak of it, for a army of soldiers had not come storming into Riven to steal the plant. When the commotion came she frowned where she sat beside Noel and internally sighed, thinking it yet another man trying to venture here to find a cure, which meant another useless death. However a woman appeared instead and she sat up straighter.

When the men messed with her she glared “Do not touch her!” She shouted at them defensively, for whether she was a thief or not she was a woman and did not deserve to be treated like some whore. Her smart remark made Lorelei frown, knowing it would get her nowhere good with that attitude. She could hear the hint of Narayan in her voice but she did not look like anyone she knew from J’nanin “Please, answer him properly. Make it easier upon yourself”

Lorelei shouting made the men take a measly step or two back from Cecelie. They stared at Lorelei then looked to Noel who gave no order against his wife, and they shifted uncomfortably. Most of the men crowding her were drunk and looking at her like they were starved animals. Starved for blood, starved for drama, starved for the way her body would look under her ripped dress. Noel saw the look in their eyes and his face became colder to keep them in line.

“I do not enjoy repeating myself, girl.” He said in a lower tone. She hesitated, looking down to the dirt beneath her then looking back to him. “Uru. I come from Eder Kemo, where people are sick.” Noel let out a sinister laughed. “You think we will hand over our medicine? Do you know nothing of Riven?”

She knew almost everything about Riven. She knew the plants, the animals, the people, the customs. She knew that if she didn’t convince this young leader that he would hand her off to the jackals that drooled over her, and that she would never see Uru again. “A mother of three is sick. She’s single and all th—” Noel cut her off quickly and stepped forward, his voice still low and seething. “I don’t care who is sick. You need to learn your lesson girl. You must pay the price for entering Riven. We do not give away our medicine for free.”

“I will do anything. I will give anything.” She looked up to him with a strong, brave expression and a man near her stepped forward. “Anything?” He asked and reached to touch her but she slapped his hand away, only to receive a swift kick in the ribs that knocked her over. She got back up to her knees and struggled to regain her breath.

“Why would I want something from you? Are you rich, little girl? No. Are you pure?” He stepped closer and bent down to tilt her chin up and look her in the eye. Though Cecelie didn’t like it she managed her only expression to be a sneer. “Maybe we should fix that and send Uru a message.”

Lorelei sat quietly, worried for the woman as her husband addressed her. Lorelei did not enjoy it when she saw Noel like this, though she knew as leader it was necessary. She was used too and preferred the man she saw in private, but she often had to remember that her husband was the leader of Riven and a dangerous man to not be messed with. The girl should have not said she’d give anything…those were not wise words to use in Riven. Those were words that would get you in much trouble, especially for a woman. When the man kicked her Lorelei stood, anger fueling her “STOP IT” She said fiercely “I said to not touch her!” She didn’t care that a leaders wife had virtually no say, she was not a typical Rivenese wife, she would not let a woman be abused.

She put a hand over her growing stomach and looked to Noel with a frown and spoke to him softly in Narayan so the others of the village wouldn’t be able to understand as she pleaded with him “Noel, please. She is just a woman. There is no need for this”

Noel did not like his wife to see him like this, but the Rivenese needed to be reminded that their leader was fierce. He was not some tamed, kept man like the men of J’nanin, or any other Age for that matter. He was a Rivenese, a strong, brute warrior. When Lorelei addressed him in Narayan he tilted his head to listen to her, watching the man who touched the thief carefully. “No worries, my love.” He told her lowly in Narayan, the tone of his voice low as though he was telling her to be quiet but there was a small light in his eyes as he looked to her that quickly faded when he looked back out to the people.

“Enough.” He said and stepped to the Urun girl, the man who touched her stepped aside quickly as Noel approached. Cecelie looked up to him as he approached and rose to her feet bravely, standing tall though she was so small compared to this giant. He looked down to her coldly and opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first. “I am from the Atreyu family. The travelers. The ones who saved your people when they were sick so many years ago. My father told them—” Noel rose his hand and the people of Riven quieted around him. “I remember.” But he said nothing more and Cecelie stepped closer. “Then you must do me this favor!” As she approached Noel with haste the man from before stepped forward to grab her but the look Noel gave him made him stop in his tracks. Instead it was Noel that stepped forward and put his hand on Cecelie’s throat, lifting her chin but he did not grab her hard. Her small hands wrapped around his wrist but she kept a strong expression as she stared back at him. “If any more come here looking for medicine I will find you and kill you myself.” He squeezed, then threw her forward but she caught her gait and managed not to fall. With that he began walking towards the healer’s hut. “Come.” He told her in Narayan, and looked to Lorelei as well to follow him to the healer.

When he told her not to worry she nodded and lowered her gaze as if obeying her husband’s command, but she saw the light and knew he was not cross with her. If it had been a man instead of Cecelie Lorelei would not feel so passionate for defending them. Except one soldier who had gained her remorse, the rest of the Uruns caught had snarled and spat at the Rivenese, disgracing them with profanity and fought tooth and nail against everything. Those men were now dead. But this was no man, she was merely a woman, a woman who had been brave enough to venture to Riven on her own and she thought that demanded some respect. She didn’t want to see the woman killed, but knew if the Rivenese or Noel demanded it she could do absolutely nothing.

Atreyu? She did not know the name, but apparently it meant something to the Rivenese. She worried for a second as Noel grabbed the woman, but felt relief when he released her and seemed to be giving in to her request. Noel had sworn to the soldier before he was the only one he’d help, yet now he helped the woman. It made a tiny smile touch her lips but she quickly wiped it away and followed Noel and the woman to the healer “The solider said he would not tell anyone” She murmured to Noel with a frown. The man had seemed honest, but this woman knew of the plant and searched for it…but if the soldier had told, why this woman? Why not an army of soldiers? Or did Uru finally become smart and knew a poor lonely woman had better luck then an army of men?

When they walked Noel ushered the woman in front of him, glaring at her as she moved ahead and giving her a rough shove when she passed him. Cecelie stumbled a little but did not lose balance and walked forward with her head held high, keeping her gaze from the rough stares of the Rivenese. Some lurched at her but she did not flinch, but they all kept back with the expression on Noel’s face. Some of them expected him to punish her but other’s remembered the Atreyu’s and how they had been the one’s to discover the healing root. It had helped save hundreds of people in Riven when illness swept through so many years ago.

Once they were at the healer’s hut she stepped inside and turned to look at Noel, then Lorelei. Her jaw was tense and she watched Noel move around the healer’s hut, adjusting a few things. “I heard all the Atreyu’s were slaughtered.” He spoke as he packed away a piece of root in piece of cloth, raising a brow as he looked her up and down.

“All but a few. I believe the others are in hiding.” She responded, watching Lorelei rather than Noel. “Cowards?” Cecelie shook her head. “No. Smart men who wait for the soldiers to forget their faces… but yours is a hard face to forget, Noel.” She said and finally looked to him. He stopped his packing and looked to her, holding back words and he changed the subject by standing to get the honey. “You are the girl the soldier came for, are you not?”

There was a moment of hesitation before she answered. “Yes.”

She followed beside Noel, watching the woman but even closer she watched the Rivenese men to make sure they behaved themselves, though she could see on Noel’s face that he was doing the same and she was sure it was only because of her own wishes. Once they entered the healer’s hut it brought déjà vu to her when they had come here with the soldier, and now another person. She worried how many more would come…how many could she convince Noel to spare? So far only the soldier and Cecelie had shown any respect, the rest had not and had not gained Lorelei’s favor to try and spare them. Once she would have tried to spare every single person, even Uruns, but Riven had toughened her a bit and she did not allow herself to be as meek as before.

Lorelei looked between them curiously “You have met before?” She wondered at Cecelie’s comment about his face but then turned to surprise and looked to Cece once more “You are the one he came to save?” So he had told her…and now she was here for more? She frowned and looked displeased for a moment “He was told not to return. So he sent you?” What kind of man sent a woman into such a dangerous place to risk her life? It seemed odd, considering he had been willing to do everything to save her.

Over the last moon there had been less and less trying to come into Riven. Either word had gotten through that no one survived the trip, or the people were getting better. From what his warriors had heard there was less sickness and it had eased Noel’s mind until this traveling Nanite came stumbling through his portal.

It made Noel proud that Lorelei was becoming more bold as the days went on. She was no longer the meek quiet girl from Riven. Now she questioned the strangers of Riven and demanded respect as she walked through the crowd. When she questioned Cecelie he stayed quiet, looking to the foreigner for her response.

“Yes. I saw him when I was a girl, but I believe I went unnoticed.” Mostly because she had been a little eight year old girl and he was a booming thirteen year old who paid no mind to children, only other thirteen year old girls. To her next question she nodded. “Yes, the soldier came here to save me… he does not know I am here now. If he did know he would be very upset, so I must hurry.” She hoped he would think she simply had to stay late for a student or needed something from the market. At the remark to hurry Noel stopped and looked at her with annoyance, but finished wrapping the root and honey and handed it to her. “Go. Move with haste, I cannot stop all the men from chasing you.” He wanted her gone so he wouldn’t have to answer more questions about his childhood, a time in his life he was reserved about. With that Cecelie nodded and took the medicine. “Thank you.” And without thinking she stepped in quickly and hugged Noel with one arm, making him stiffen but he patted her shoulder before stepping back. Why did all these Nanites want to hug?

She knew Noel when he was younger? Oh if only she could ask questions. She knew perhaps the past two years of Noel’s life, but other than that she knew nothing. Her husband didn’t like to speak of things in the past, a custom way of the Rivenese, but she had always been curious of his life growing up and this woman had known him, even if briefly, in a time Lorelei knew nothing of. “Well then it seems the soldier did keep his promise after all” Though she could only imagine his anger and despair if something had happened to her and he knew she had perished in Riven. When Noel gave her the root she smiled softly, relieved once again her husband had the heart to listen and help.

When Cece hugged him she stiffened herself, expecting Noel to push her away and snap at her. She was almost ready to step in and apologize for the woman hugging him and getting her safely away from Noel, but his reaction surprised her when he returned the hug with a pat. She looked at him curiously before to the woman “Do you wish me to go to the portal with you?” She asked, just concerned for her safety around drunk Rivenese men.

Things had been so different in Riven when Cecelie last visited. They were still the same savage seeming men, but she knew deep down they could be reasoned with. They may have seemed barbarians to most, but all men could be reached if only given the time and attention they deserved. It was something her father had taught her and Noel remembered how this girl’s father had reached out to his people when they were ill.

After she hugged him Noel stepped back and looked her over, as if trying to connect her face with the young girl he had once seen. He cleared his throat and stepped out of the healer’s hut leaving the two women alone. Cecelie looked to Lorelei and clutched the medicine closer to her. “Yes. If you would not mind.” If she went alone she may have never made it to the portal.

Walking through the villagers she could feel all eyes on her, especially the hungry hounds who had been without a woman in a while. It made her heart race but she kept her head high and proud like a Nanite and walked with haste. A few men followed after her and Lorelei, claiming they were just making sure she got away from the village. Once they were further from them Cecelie looked to Lorelei. “My name is Cecelie. We have all heard of the brave Nanite girl who wed the savage Riven leader. It is quite the topic among bored women in Uru.” It kept the attention off of Cecelie and Hawke. “Rivenese are not so barbaric after all, are they?” She asked, glancing over her shoulder at the girl as she walked quickly towards the portal.

She nodded and stepped out of the hut with her, staying close to the woman’s side and as they walked through the village she put an arm protectively around her to make sure the men understood Lorelei would not let them have her. She knew as long as she was there they wouldn’t dare try to touch Cecelie, for that would mean getting too close to Lorelei and men by now had learned to mess with Lorelei meant getting gutted. She was impressed by the woman’s bravery, especially a woman from Uru, where women had much more freedom then women in Riven but were hardly like women in J’nanin. However she kept quiet until they had left the village and were on jungle island.

She looked to her when she spoke “I am Lorelei” She then looked curious and smiled “I would not think Uru would bother with rumors about one Nanite girl” She glanced behind them to see if any men had followed them but only spotted her wolf who like any true predator had followed them with stealth. She shouldn’t be surprised, he was always around her even when she didn’t know it. “No…they are not as terrible as people say. Especially Noel” She then paused, eyeing her “What is it about your family that earned respect from Noel?”

There were lots of things that one wouldn’t think Uru would bother with but the women there grew bored easily. People in the Eder Kemo enjoyed gossiping over booze in between trying to seduce men for all the money they had. “Word travels quickly among ladies of the night. They know everything because men talk openly to them.” Men trusted a woman who held his balls in her hand, and those close to Cecelie were sure to tell her that and give her unwanted pointers on how to get Hawke to better trust her.

“Many people of Riven trust my father’s name. Many years ago we traveled into Riven so that my father and his comrades could better understand there plant life. We did not stay long enough to discover all of it, but this root,” She lifted the cloth with the root in it then held it closer to her chest. “This root can save a lot of things. After my father and his brothers realized that they were able to save people of an illness that came to Riven. Noel’s mother had been sick by the same illness that took his father.” She eyed Lorelei as they came closer to the portal. “Has he never spoken of that? His father had already been killed by it, but it saved his mother.” Once she was close to the portal she knew she had to hurry. For a moment Cecelie paused to take a good look at Lorelei. "Thank you." She spoke and ignored the warriors who stood guard and looked them over, one in particular looking to the slit in her dress that went to her thigh.

She frowned “You are a whore?” J’nanin didn’t have prostitutes like Uru and there woman were not allowed to be whores and sleep around with men like in Riven. There were no gentle words in J’nanin for prostitutes, whore was the only word used. When she mentioned gossip between women of the night she assumed that Cecelie was one of them. A soldier had risked his life for a woman who slept with other men? Uru men were strange. She tried not to think too harshly against them however or make comments, since many of the women she knew in Riven had slept with several men before their wedding night.

She listened intently, then shook her head “No” She murmured “Noel does not speak of his life before me” She had tried but learned it did nothing but upset him, so she gave up. She then smiled softly “I did nothing” She glanced to the guard eyeing Cecelie and glared at him “Your eyes are meant to be on that” She told him lowly, pointing to the portal then back to Cece “I hate Uru but…I hope the people close to you do not perish”

Cecelie giggled at Lorelei’s question and wrinkled her nose. “No, of course not. If I were I would enjoy the stares.” She left out what she did back in Uru, not wanting to divulge too much information to a complete stranger. She may have been a Nanite sister but she was still unknown.

The young woman frowned and made a slight face. “Rivenese men are difficult, but succumb well to gifts. They enjoy being pampered in private.” Or so she had learned from her travels. With that Cecelie turned and retreated to the portal, giving Lorelei one last smile before going back to Uru.

The moment she set foot back in her new home Age she bent over and caught her breath, feeling pain in her ribs from where she was kicked (not to mention a few other places she had been beaten before Lorelei stopped them). She hurried through the streets to her friend and began making the mixture immediately after she got into the door. She didn’t stay long, not wanting to get sick again but she gave the eldest child instructions before hurrying home. If Hawke caught her out she knew she would be in trouble, but maybe she would be in luck and he would still be out and she could change her dress… In reality Cecelie had no idea that it was late, and she paid no mind to the people that watched her run home. She couldn’t get into her door quickly enough to try and avoid an upset soldier.

Hawke had had the most nerve-wracking three weeks of his life. He had searched and searched and searched for the perfect ring, and had found nothing he thought Cecelie would like. Yes…he was ready to propose. Perhaps to most they had not courted long enough, but after she had gotten ill and before that the nobleman trying to court her, he realized he took too long to do things and someday he would wait too long and miss out. He felt he was ready to make her his wife, but he had not been able to find a ring he felt suited her and he had spent too many agonizing hours in Teledahn for his own liking. So he ended up combining several rings together to create one he felt was her and was nervous today to pick it up. What if it wasn’t what he expected? What if she didn’t like it? But when he picked up the ring a grin lit his face. It was perfect. It was Cecelie.

Yet when he had gone to her home she had not been there, though that wasn’t uncommon. So he had waited outside her door and paced…and paced…and paced…and paced. Hour after hour and she did not show up, and the sun kept getting lower in the sky. So he had gone to the school house, then to some other people she knew but no one had seen her. He started to worry and returned to her home and knocked again, only to feel nerves tighten in his stomach. Where was she? Had something happened? Then all of the sudden she was rushing towards her home and he felt a rush of relief, only to see her roughed up appearance “Cecelie?” He questioned, staring at her “Where have you been? What happened to you?”

The boy would be able to take care of his mother. He followed Cecelie’s instructions and would prevent her from perishing like all of the other’s had. Most children in the Eder Kemo listened to Cecelie’s words as if they were words from a goddess. It was unfortunate that there were so few people that Cecelie herself would listen to that well… but Hawke never had technically told her not to go to Riven.

Her mind was so lost in thought that when she ran up to her home she almost didn’t see Hawke. When she reached him she took a moment to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling deeply until her lungs were satiated. “Hawke I did not expect…” What? Expect him to be there? They had planned dinner. She bit her lip and took his hand, then headed inside. There were too many ears listening in the street. Once inside she shut and locked the door behind them, then brushed her hair back. “I was distracted tonight, forgive me. I apologize I am not dressed for dinner yet.” She stepped closer to him and touched his chest, then stood on the tips of her toes to kiss him. “I will make it up to you, my love. What would you like for dinner?” She asked, avoiding the question as to where she had been for as long as she could, then felt the guilt build up inside of her. “I must wash up first and get the Riven dirt off my hands.” As she spoke she turned on a heel and headed towards the bathroom quickly to avoid a scolding.

He touched her arms when she stopped and breathed heavily. What had she been doing? She looked like she had been harmed somehow, he could see some scratches on her skin and it concerned him. He frowned and look confused “You told me to meet you here” He was going to propose, he had wanted a perfect evening but now all he could think of was her and what had happened, because he knew something had. When she brought him inside he let her without questioning anymore, waiting for her to explain, but like usual Cece avoided his questions and tried to change the subject. Normally he would allow this but not this time, when he was truly concerned for her he did not allow her to push him aside. He sighed and gave her a look “Cecelie, talk to me” He wanted answers.

When she suddenly mentioned Riven his eyes widened and he gawked “Riven?!” He followed her without any hesitation “You went to Riven? Cecelie why-“ He was absolutely floored! “Why would you go to Riven? You could have been killed! What would possess you to do something so reckless?”

There was a bubble of guilt in her stomach growing bigger and bigger by the moment. Hawke was such a perfect man and she always managed to mess up, whether it was being later for dinner or trying to seduce him poorly. She made so many mistakes, yet he seemed to love her anyway. “I am sorry.” She said again, frowning and feeling awful that she had been late for dinner.

The young girl hurried to the bathroom, not shutting the door behind her because she knew Hawke was on her heel. She began to wash up, rinsing her hands clean then wiping her face gently. “Lila is sick…” Lila the prostitute who had three children and no husband or immediate family to take care of them if she passed. She paused while washing her hands and looked to Hawke sadly. “I knew they had medicine and she did not have much time.” She finished washing her hands and face then smoothed her hair over. After her black hair was free from snarls she looked down to her thigh and blushed, glancing at Hawke with a bashful smile. “I was able to get the medicine from the leader and his wife. I am alright, Hawke.” With that she stepped close to him and touched his face, then went to her bedroom and began untying her dress. “Let me change and I will make dinner.” Just as she was untying her dress she bumped her bruised side and winced, pausing for a moment before she turned away from him quickly and looked for another dress to put on. "Or we could always go and swim..." The cool water would feel so nice on any bruises.

He sighed when she apologized and ran a hand through his hair “You should have come to me about it. I could have gone. You could have gotten killed and I would have never known what happened to you” His voice was strained, because the thought made him sick. If Cece had just disappeared he would have gone mad looking for her, would have spent his life torturing himself and wondering what had happened to her. And if he had found out Riven had harmed her well…he would have gone there with his sword burning. He looked her over and her torn dress, still not looking pleased “He could have killed you” But he was guessing that the Nanite wife was the reason she probably wasn’t dead, like it had been for him.

When she went into her room to change he turned around so his back was too her. All he could think of was she could have been killed, yes she was safe but she still could have been seriously injured “You cannot do that again, risk your life in such a way. Especially in Riven, Cecelie, they do not hold respect for women. Killing you would have been the least of your worries” They could have raped her, passed her around and abused her. He didn’t know if he could eat now with his mind all worked up.

This was the part she had been dreading almost as much as she dreaded going to Riven. Cecelie stood still and frowned at how upset Hawke was. “But I am alright.” She tried to console him as she changed her dress and slipped into a prettier, more form fitting dress to please his eyes (since she couldn’t seem to please anything else tonight). As she finished tying the last strands she plucked a flower from her bedside table and tucked it into her hair as she rounded in front of him. “I had been to Riven before. I knew the leader when he was a boy…”

Did he want to know more information or did he want her to just shut up? Either way she stepped close to him and draped her arms over his shoulders. “I am home, safe in your arms.” She smiled and leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek, then kiss his lips gently. “Let’s go swim tonight, Hawke. Then we can come home and I will feed you dessert.” She kissed him again and rubbed his shoulders, feeling just how tense her trip to Riven had made him. “I can help you relax.” Cecelie lingered in close as if she was going to kiss him but spoke first. “I made one of your favorites…” Her hands ran from his shoulders down his side and around his waist as she pulled herself in close against him in an attempt to win him over.

“But you could have not been alright” And the thought just keep bugging him, he couldn’t let it go. When she saw the dress she wore it stirred him like usual, but not as much as it would normally with him all stressed about her going to Riven. “Yes but he still could have harmed you or the others could have. You should have told me and let me come with to help protect you. I almost lost you just recently to sickness and I could have lost you this time” What sort of cruel irony would that have been? He didn’t want her to shut up and he also really didn’t need more information he just…he was just upset, that was all. He was out getting her a ring while she was in riven risking her life in the ultimate way and he had had no clue about it.

She was always good at buttering him up though and he sighed when she kissed him and suggest that they go swim. He was still frowning and unhappy, but he just nodded and gave in to her like his usual self “Alright” He agreed but then gave her a pleading look “But please Cece, don’t do this again. Tell me next time, don’t just run off behind my back” She could always win him over, that was never the issue, but still in his mind he brooded but he put his arms around her and held her close against him in relief that she had at least returned safely.

Was the scolding over yet? As Hawke reminded her that she had just been sick not too long ago, and how hard he had worked to save her it made her expression turned to a puppy eyed pout. Her hands moved across his chest and down his stomach to win her way back into his good graces. “I am sorry, Hawke…” When he pulled her close she pressed her head against his chest, sighing contently to be so close to him. “I love you.” She said and looked up to him. “I promise to tell you when I am going to risk my life.”

It wasn’t the first time, and it sure wasn’t going to be the last time that Cecelie got herself into trouble. Instead of dwelling on it she took Hawke’s hand and grabbed her house key. It was time to go swim and forget about the troubles of the day. She led him outside and locked the door behind them, hoping to leave the argument behind. Once they were headed towards the waterfall where they had first told one another how they felt she clutched his hand close to her and ran her thumb over his fingers. “Tell me of your day. What did you do today?” She asked as they walked through the woods, not a care in the world for Cecelie.

He didn’t mean to scold her like some child, but he couldn’t help but be upset that she risked her life so carelessly. “I love you too. With all my heart, that is why I got upset” He didn’t want to control her life or anything, but when it came to important decisions he would like to be included. When she said the last bit he gave her a look “No more risking your life period” He was the man, he was the soldier, it should be him doing the risking not her. He knew she was strong, she wasn’t some weakling that couldn’t defend herself but when it came to such things he had been trained to defend and fight and could do far better as dangerous tasks then her. He hoped it was the last time.

He said no more of it for he had a feeling she had been disciplined enough on the matter and wanted to unwind. He smiled when she clutched his hand, allowing himself to relax “The same as I do every day” He replied, which he mostly did…besides the fact he also had gotten her a ring that sat in the small knapsack at his hip, but he left that part out. “What happened in Riven?” He wanted to know exactly what had occurred, for though she was in one piece who knew how they had treated her.

Cecelie had never been scolded much as a child, or rather she had never really listened when she was scolded. She had been the only little girl in a group of travelers and had always been protected by older boys or grown men. She was fearless, but it wasn’t always to her advantage. She smiled a sheepish smile when he said not to risk her life and nodded, though she knew it wouldn’t be the last time.

Once they were out and walking she felt her spirits raise again. Even though the pain in her side pulsated with every step she ignored it and chose to enjoy her time with Hawke. When he said he did the same thing he did every day she gave him a look and knew how to coax details out of him, but wouldn’t push her luck. “I went through the portal and there were warriors who guard it now. They did not use to patrol there… The leader must be suspicious of the other Ages with all the sickness going on. Perhaps he is worried because his wife is with child, but he has good reason to worry. When I was young my family went to Riven and discovered the plant that helped cure so many people, the leader’s mother included. He was no leader then, just a boy, but he remembered when I said my family name.” As they walked she clutched his hand and brought it to her lips to kiss his fingertips. “The other men did not harm me because of the Nanite girl.” Well, they had harmed her, but she made them stop. That detail was best left out. Soon they came to the waterfall and Cecelie smiled and turned to Hawke. “I wonder if the Riven leader regrets marrying a Nanite. Those women are so stubborn.” She said with a smirk and began to unbuckle and untie his armor for him, running her hands beneath the plates against his skin.