"No, Ro. That incident was my fault. You were ten, I should have been guarding you better. Or I should have been to smell him, but I didn't...and you paid the price. You were nearly killed Ro. All because I was careless. I can never forgive myself for that," he said softly, sorrow in his eyes. Giving her a soft smile at her words, he gently returned her kiss. "Nor can I stand the fact that I was not able to save you from this attack," he whispered softly. "I should have been there with you," he added softly averting his gaze.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Gareth, can you-" Calista asked started to ask but her voice faltered when she turned and saw the expression on his face as he watched her move in pain.
"Gareth, what's wrong?" Calista asked softly.
"I'm sorry, Rose. You never should have had to endure what you did. You shouldn't be in this pain," Gareth remarked, sorrow mingled with regret in his eyes.
"My dearest mage, I blame you for nothing. You couldn't have protected me from this," she whispered as she walked stiffly up to him and gently cupped his face between her palms.
"I am your guardian. My place is at your side."
"Father sent you on a mission, remember?" Calista asked softly. "You have a duty to him as well. And you, my dear, may be powerful but you are not omnipresent. You couldn't have been there to help me."
"I could have, if I finished the mission faster. My delay nearly cost your life. Calista-you could have died!"
"And yet I live in part because of you. You are my hero, Gareth. I would be so lost without you," Calista remarked gently before standing on tip-toe to kiss him lightly on his lips. Returning her kiss gently, Gareth sighed as he pulled back. "I just can't help but remember five years ago---when another nearly ravished you."
"Gareth---that event is in the past. I would have been defiled if not for you. Never forget that YOU saved me."
"Yes, but the memory is not gone. I know you still have nightmares, Calista. And I could have prevented all of that if I didn't enter that gambling game."
"My dear mage, you cannot protect me from the world. And you need time to just enjoy yourself. You could not have anticipated what was to come. You are not to blame."
"My point is that I should never have left your side. If I stayed with you..."
"Shhh," Calista remarked before pressing her lips against his to silence him. When she pulled back she gently wrapped Gareth in a gentle embrace despite the pain coming from her body. "I love and need you, Gareth. Please don't ever doubt that," she whispered as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. She remembered what happened after her near ravishing. Gareth had offered his life in payment for his failure and her heart just about stopped. Now as she gazed at the sorrow and self-loathing in his eyes, she could only hope that he could forgive himself. For she did not blame him for anything and she needed and loved him more than he could possibly know.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"Dary, Had you not killed the lion, saving my life, I would have died." she brought his face to look at her. "Please, it pains me to see you in such a state. Please." Rosalina kissed him again. "You have always been there for me. You helped me escape my fathers keep instead of tellling I had to stay. Nor did you go and tell my father. You came with me. Your my world Dary. I can not see my life with out you. So please, don't think so low of yourself."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Sighing softly, Darius gave Rosalina a forced smile, not wanting to trouble her any more. Returning her kiss, he decided to say nothing more on the matter. "Thank you, Ro. You are the sweetest and most encouraging woman I know. I could not let you stay in a place where you were being abused. Nor could I tell your father. I love you, Ro. You are my world. And if anything happens to you, I will have no reason to live," Darius remarked softly before kissing her again.
------------------------------------------------------------
Sighing softly, Gareth did not reply to Calista's words, not believing any of what she said.
"Do not doubt your worth to me," Calista said softly. "You have saved me time and time again, and when I needed someone to confide in or a shoulder to cry on, you were the one who eased my sorrows," she said softly.
"But what about the times I couldn't be there? Rose, do you even realize that you were mere millimeters away from death?"
"I know," Calista replied softly and a bit too quickly for Gareth's liking. Pulling back then, she gave him a tender smile. "Do not live in regret, love. It will only make you miserable and seeing you that way hurts more than any wound a man or beast could ever inflict on me. Besides..." she added, trying to lighten the mood though she was terrible at it. Gareth was so much better than she ever was. "Couldn't you put that energy to better use?"
"Doing what?" Gareth with a half-hearted smile.
"I don't know..." Calista remarked a bit coyly. "How about charming me?" she asked with a warm smile as she flashed her blue eyes at him.
Chuckling in spite of his mood, Gareth gently took her hands between his. "Since when did you become such a tease?" he asked her, with a small smile. "I may just have to bind you to me and make you my prisoner until you behave properly."
"Then chain me to you Gareth. For that is a sentence I will willingly serve," Calista added with a smirk.
Laughing lightly, Gareth pulled her into his arms and kissed Calista lightly on the lips. "Thank you. You truly are an angel sent down to earth," he whispered after finally pulling back.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina smiled. "As you are mine." she kissed him again. "No matter what happens, we will survive, if we are together." She said, feeling whole as she kissed him again. Just then her stomach growled, making Rosalina realise she had not eaten since when she and Darius woke before coming to the town

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Nodding at her words, Darius kissed Rosalina again and chuckled when he heard her stomach growl. "Looks like we better find you a meal," he remarked with a small smirk. "I can't have my lady hungry, now can I?" he remarked with a slight chuckle. "Besides, I'm a bit hungry myself," he added with a grin.
------------------------------------------------------------
Smiling, Calista stood on tip-toe to gently kiss Gareth once more. "I am no angel, but you, my mage are my prince and knight in shining armor who has no equal on earth," she added softly. "Now, I must continue this meal or I fear there were be many hungry stomachs in a matter of minutes," she added with a smirk.
Chuckling, Gareth nodded as he watched Calista walk stiffly back to the pot and check on the fish.
"Can I assist you in any way?" Gareth asked her.
"Will you get the lamb and deer?" she asked him.
Nodding, Gareth went to their small storage space and brought out the lamb and deer. He then helped Calista cut the meat to give her a short break before letting her cook it.
"There, finally finished," Calista remarked, letting out a slightly tired sigh.
"Rose-" Gareth remarked, concern in his voice.
"Will you help me carry the food out to the table?" she asked him.
"Yes, my lady," Gareth remarked as she grabbed the bread and cheese while he took the lamb and deer and they walked to the main room where they set the food down. Calista then returned to the kitchen to grab the fish while Gareth brought in the platters and placed them on the table.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina laughed, and kissed Darius. Just then she saw the food come in. "Shall we attend to the meal." she said and got up, going to the table. She looked at the woman as she came back. "It pleases me that the tea has helped." She said with a smile.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Someone is a mind-reader," Darius remarked with a smirk as the food came in. "Yes, we should," he replied to Rosalina with a warm smile before she went over to the table and he followed behind her.
Looking up after she set the fish on the table, Calista smiled as Rosalina approached her. "Yes, it did help," she said softly. "Thank you. I am in your debt," she added with another sweet smile. Frowning slightly as she realized that she failed to get the name of this lady and her companion she silently chided herself for her lack of manners. "Please forgive my rudeness, but I neglected to get your name when we first met," she remarked as Gareth stood silently at her side.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina blushed. "I must aplogize as well, for I had not offered. My name is Rosalina." she said, not wanting to mention she was a lady, a lords daughter. "And with me, you may remember, is my compainon and protecter, Darius." she said with a smile.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Smiling at the pair, Calista curtsied slightly in differentiation before them--- especially to Rosalina for helping to save her life. "I am pleased to have the both of you here," she said as she smiled at each in turn. "My name is Calista. And this mage beside me is Gareth, my dearest guardian and most loyal companion for many a year," she remarked with a smile as she glanced up at him and he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before he nodded his head in greeting to both Rosalina and Darius. "I thank you for the aid you offered Calista," he remarked with a smile. "And now I think our ladies should be seated," Gareth remarked as he led Calista to her seat and Darius pulled out a chair for Rosalina.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina sat, thanking Darius before looking at the two. "Your welcome." she said and reached for her drink, and again the cuts on her wrist were out for all to see, but she did not notice.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"You're welcome," Darius remarked as he sat beside Rosalina.
Gareth then pulled out Calista's seat for her and the young woman smiled in thanks to the mage before he took the seat on her left and her father came to take his seat at the head. The other women then proceeded to the other chairs around the table. "Thank you dear," Calista she told Gareth softly before turning her attention back to Rosalina. Seeing the cuts on the woman's wrist, Calista bit lower lip in agitation. She could just guess that those cuts came at the woman's own hand. "Your wounds need to be tended too," she remarked softly. "Have you any herbs left? If not let me see if I have any that will be suitable," Calista offered.
"And if not, I will gladly go out and search for some," Gareth volunteered before Calista had to ask for his aid.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina saw her wrist. "oh, ah, I do have some left . . . " she said, feeling shame about her self inflicted cuts.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

"Let me look at your wounds afterwards," Calista remarked gently. Sensing her shame, Darius gently took Rosalina's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "And have you rested enough?" Calista asked clearly worried about Rosalina, knowing full well that Drake had probably ravished the woman as brutally as Russell had her. "You are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish to."
"Indeed," Daniel remarked. "I cannot deny shelter to the lady and her companion who assisted my daughter."
"And I shall look for more herbs immediately to replace the ones you gave to us," Gareth remarked.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina nodded. "Thank you, all of you." she said. "and I am well rested. And please, do not worry about me. I may have been . . . as you know, but it is not the first time." she confessed looking down a bit.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Darius averted his gaze at Rosalina's confession, not liking to hear it again. Meanwhile, Calista could only stare at Rosalina in shock as she inadvertently drew in a sharp breath, her face growing pale at the woman's words. Reaching out, Gareth gently took Calista's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze but said nothing. When he had talked to Darius, the mythical creature had hinted of this, but Calista had been unconscious, and knowing her as well as he did, he knew this news was going to trouble her. Giving Gareth a weak smile as he took her hand, Calista averted her gaze for a moment before speaking, finally putting the pieces together. "So that is how you knew? Why you tried to warn me not to fight?" she whispered softly as Darius gently took Rosalina's hand.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina nodded. "Yes. The man . . . my father had arranged my marrige to him. So bit by bit we were to spend time together . . . He is much older than I, and cruel. He had done many things to me, and when I tried to tell my father, he would not listen. Then one day he wanted to . . . have me, and I refused. He hit me and I kept refuseing. It was only when he treatened to kill Darius did I give." Rosalina said, knowing Calista would understand now. "I did not speak of it, not until I told Darius shortly before we came here before the raid." She looked at her wrist. "I planned on ending it all then too, but never tried."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)