Chapter Text
After Paige and Walter walked off into the brush following the stream Happy walked over to Victor who was relaxing with his pipe as Sara continued cooking. "Victor, might I be able to get you to take Ralph to look for some more firewood? I want to have a discussion with Sylvester and it might get a bit heated and I don't think Ralph needs to be subjected to the conversation."
Victor looked up in surprise but nodded. "I can do that."
Happy giggled. "Just go to the north or west, I doubt Ralph would appreciate seeing his Mom and Walter bathing together."
Victor smiled as he tapped his pipe and left it on the table. He stepped over and kissed Sara before looking at Ralph. "Ralph, how about you and I go look for some more firewood?"
Ralph looked up and nodded as he got up and together they followed the stream to the north and west.
Happy walked over and nudged Cabe and jerked her head towards Sylvester. Cabe nodded and stood up and walked over with her.
Toby examined Sylvester's nose after setting it. "Okay Sly, that's got the cartilage taken care of. I'm going to pack it with some cotton. It will make it a bit uncomfortable but I want you to leave it in overnight. If it gets to be too much, let me know and I'll take another look at it."
Sylvester nodded. "Thanks Toby, I appreciate it."
Happy grabbed one of the chairs and spun it around backwards and sat down straddling it. "The four of us need to have a discussion Sylvester."
Sylvester eyed her cautiously. "What exactly do you want to talk about?"
"What do you think?" Happy got a bit hostile before Cabe put his hand on her shoulder. Happy nodded as she tried to calm down. "I'm talking about your animosity towards Walter of course. I know in the beginning some of us were on board with trying to get rid of him but with the exception of you the rest of us have come to accept him. For me it started changing after Toby explained how he saw that they both were interested in each other."
"Of course the fact that he is a stand up guy who protected Sister Ann and then helped to fight off that disgusting Lady Benji. And then after hearing through the temple Mistress that Athena had brought them together completely changed my feelings on him."
Sylvester frowned. "Lady Benji? Who is that?"
Happy laughed. "That was what Walter called Lord Benjamin when he came calling last Friday and wouldn't listen to Paige."
Cabe looked at Sylvester. "Happy is right Sylvester. Even before their wedding our Lady had made her intentions clear concerning Walter. What you are doing now is just childish. You're a Cavalier for crying out loud, unless…"
Sylvester frowned. "Unless what?"
Cabe looked at Happy. "Unless Happy was right earlier. Do you have feelings for Lady Paige you haven't ever acted on?"
Sylvester shook his head. "Well of course our Lady is beautiful, gracious, talented, compassionate, so anyone would be attracted towards her. But not like Happy was suggesting. It just kind of rankles me that a Bard, someone with such loose morals, a love them and leave them type, gets someone as special as she is."
Toby laughed. "What makes you think any of that applies to Walter? How much time have you actually spent with him? He has been respectful of all of us, even forgiving that horrible prank you played on him. He didn't even let Lisa tell our Lady what you guys did to his backpack. It's not that she couldn't guess who did it once she found out about his backpack. He's stood up for someone who couldn't stand up for themselves. Even allowed himself to be incarcerated when he probably could have beaten the constable unconscious or caused him to forget what happened. He helped defend our Lady from Lord Benjamin. How about entertaining all of us at meals?"
"Our Lady will forgive a lot, but if you keep this up you could be the next person I have to brand and that is if she doesn't end you where you stand. The four of us are pretty good friends and I'd hate to see you dead or driven out but if it happens it will be solely your own fault. And I'm not risking my family to protect you through stupidity."
Sylvester slowly nodded. "You guys make excellent points. I've been too judgmental towards him. I'll have to figure out a way to apologize."
Happy looked at Cabe and then to Toby. "I can't believe we got that through his head so easily."
The three of them laughed quickly and Sylvester joined in with a little embarrassment on his face.
A few hundred yards from the roadway, about a hundred yards before the place where Walter and Sylvester talked earlier, was an area where the ten foot wide stream pooled into about a forty foot wide pond. Walter and Paige had admired it on their way back to camp when they came up with the idea of coming back to bathe together. Since they returned they spent more time sitting in the water kissing with Paige straddling Walter's lap than actually bathing. Neither of them was in any hurry to get back.
Even though the stream was fed by the glacier of the mountain far to the north the water wasn't that cold at this point, which promoted their lack of urgency. They needed the time together after spending all day on the road separated from each other. It wasn't about sex but recapturing their intimacy with each other as a newly wedded couple.
At least until Paige felt Walter as he began to rise to the occasion that their kissing and caressing elicited. Paige was only too happy to amend their plan as she rose up on her knees and reached down to hold and guide his manhood as she lowered herself back down.
Victor and Ralph emerged from the brush to the north, with full armloads of branches for the fire. Sara looked back and smiled as she nodded to Victor at his unspoken question. He looked over and saw the four friends as they sat playing cards. Victor grinned at Sara before dropping his armload a dozen feet away from the fire pit.
Victor and Sara shared a tender kiss just before she announced that supper was done.
Ralph looked around and frowned. "Aren't Mom and Walter back yet? Should we go look for them?"
All the adults coughed and shook their heads. Happy got up and walked over to him. "Don't you worry about them, squirt. Your Mom is the greatest Paladin we know and Walter is a heck of a Bard. They are more than capable of defending themselves, if needed."
Ralph nodded reluctantly as he walked with Happy to the table and sat down next to Alicia after Happy sat down. "I hope they get back before supper gets cold." Ralph finally said.
Sara smiled. "Don't you worry Master Ralph I'll keep their dinner warm for them."
Ralph smiled and nodded.
Sylvester retired as soon as he finished eating. Cabe sat by the fire with Victor, both of them smoking their pipes. Sara sat darning some socks as Happy and Toby played with Alicia. Ralph sat facing the south east as he tried reading the book he was to do a report on in a few days. He spent at least half of the time looking up from the book to see when his Mom would come back.
"I wish I could hear as well as Walter can. I hate not knowing if Mom is okay." Ralph complained at one point.
Happy looked over and smiled. She stood and walked over and pulled a chair over and sat in it next to him. She put her arm around him. "I know, squirt. You are a little worried because of what happened with your Dad."
Ralph looked up and slowly nodded.
Happy smiled. "You just got to remember, your Mom is a well trained and seasoned fighter. And if you had seen how Walter fought against Lord Benjamin last week you would know how well trained he is. You got nothing to worry about, I promise you."
Ralph nodded just before they heard the bushes move and they looked up and saw Paige and Walter emerge. Ralph grinned and put the book down and flew over to his Mom. Paige scooped him up and kissed his cheek as they hugged.
Walter smiled as he looked at his wife and her son. He kissed her cheek before walking on over to the wagon and looked through the supplies and found the leather soap.
Happy stepped up and poked his arm. "Welcome back."
Walter smiled. "Well thank you."
"The three of us had a talk with Sylvester about his attitude. I think he finally gets it. I know I kind of had my head up my butt initially but I hope you realize how much I appreciate your love for my friend." Happy told him honestly.
Walter smiled. "Thank you, Happy, that means a lot to me. I hope you had some success with Sylvester. As companions we can't afford to be at odds with each other."
Happy nodded before she turned and walked over to where Paige was speaking with Toby. Toby grabbed Alicia up and took her to put her to bed while Paige and Happy talked.
Walter walked past Cabe and Victor and they both nodded to him as they smoked their pipes. Sara smiled as he walked past the fire. "Are you ready to eat yet Sir Walter?"
Walter grimaced. "Just Walter will do Sara. I've been an ordinary man for many years. I don't need a title slung around me."
Sara grinned. "Very well, Walter. Would you like me to fix your dinner?"
Walter shook his head. "I want to clean these leathers first but I can serve myself when I am done if you want to retire."
Sara just nodded as Walter walked over to the stream and scooped up a pail of water. He walked back to the table and sat down and began cleaning the leathers.
Everyone turned to look at Walter as he began softly singing as he worked on the leathers.
Paige kept watching Walter as she talked with Toby and Happy, as they told her about the conversation they all had with Sylvester.
Happy finally laughed. "Why don't you go on over there and sit with your husband? You're clearly not that interested in what we're saying."
Paige blushed a little. "I wouldn't say I am not interested but you are correct that I am distracted by Walter." Without another word she turned and walked over and stood next to Walter as he worked on their leathers. She smiled seeing how studious he was in cleaning them. "You are very fastidious, my Love."
Walter stopped singing as he looked up and smiled as he laughed. "Well sometimes when your income is rather low you have to make everything last as long as possible. So properly caring for my gear became second nature to me. And as your husband I don't want my bride to look anything but her best."
Paige laughed as she kissed his cheek. As she pulled the chair next to him back to sit down. Walter stood up before she sat down. She smiled as he sat back down and then he winked at her.
Sara looked at her. "Are you ready for me to serve you, my Lady?"
Paige smiled and nodded. "Thank you Sara. Go ahead and bring Walter's too. He can put the cleaning off until after."
Walter looked at her and rolled his eyes. But he nonetheless finished the area he was working on before pushing it to the side so they could eat together.
After Paige prayed Ralph stepped up to Walter before going to bed. "I'm sorry if my going to my Mom when you came back seemed like I didn't care about you. I was just worried about her."
Walter smiled as he pulled Ralph up on his lap. "You didn't offend me or make me think you didn't consider me Ralph. And you never have to apologize for considering your Mother before me. I wouldn't want you to do anything different. I know you care about me. You sleep well young man." Walter kissed the top of his head as Ralph hugged him.
Ralph slipped off his lap and ran over to his other side to hug his Mom and then dashed off for the tent.
Paige smiled at Walter. "Thank you for not making a big deal over that."
Walter leaned over and kissed her. "It isn't a big deal, my Love. Ralph should always be more concerned about you than me. I'd be worried if he wasn't. I know how he feels towards me and that is enough."
Walter and Paige took turns feeding each other bites of their supper as Happy watch bemused. She saw Toby imitate gagging and she elbowed him. The grunt and accompanying expletive cause Paige and Walter to look over but they both acted like nothing was wrong.
Sara and Victor said goodnight and retired.
After Paige and Walter were both finished with dinner, Walter turned back to their leathers and resumed cleaning them. Paige sat watching him smiling. If she was to be honest, if asked, she was actually watching his muscles move under his skin. Several times she reached over and felt along the muscles in his forearm as they moved and contracted with her fingers.
Walter would turn his head and kiss her tenderly each time. As he finished each piece Paige picked it up and hung it on a line to air dry. Once they finished Walter stood and yawned a bit theatrically.
Paige grinned. "What a shame you are so tired now. I had hoped we could." She leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Repeat last night."
Walter's opened wide and he quickly bent over and scooped her up in his arms and bid Happy and Toby a good night as he quickly took her to their tent even as she began giggling.
Happy looked at Toby. "Remember those days?"
Toby nodded. "Alicia being with us puts a little damper on such things, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, she'll be able to either stay home in a few years or have a tent of her own instead of sharing ours and we can go back to acting like teenagers."
Happy grinned. Her grin grew bigger as they heard Paige make an excited squeal from their tent.
"You know, all the times we were on the road with Paige and Drew I don't recall her ever being so vocal, hell now that I think about it I don't think I ever heard her when they had sex."
Toby nodded. "Maybe Walter is just willing to go the full distance for her. Nothing has really changed with Paige. Drew was more reserved, which was weird considering she was the Paladin. She did little things with Drew that she does with Walter. Though I will admit she is more physical with Walter as well as in addition to the visual. She held Drew's hand a lot but she never felt Drew's arms like she does Walter's, like she did while he was cleaning the leathers."
They both heard a loud moan and they both grinned.
Happy grinned impishly. "Sounds like Walter's getting as good as he's giving. I'm really glad though."
Toby wrapped his arms around Happy. "Me too, we shouldn't be the only happy couple in the Keep."