Right, this is my first Fable fanfic. This story takes place a little bit after Sparrow recruited Reaver and before the final battle. Sparrow prefers Skill and some Strength but only uses Will in some situations. If anything is wrong then leave a little review, I don't mind if its criticism.

Disclaimer: Lion Head Studios owns the Fable series, but I own Mr Heffrer.

Enjoy:

Chap 01: Traveling Companions

Sparrow lay outstretched on her stomach, under the light sheets of her bed, fast asleep. Her vigorous tossing and turning about was due to all too vivid dream of the Crucible. She enjoyed the competition when she had taken part, but afterwards her body felt as though it would shatter into fragments. She had twisted herself around in the sheets so much that they were wrapped about her like a cocoon. Sparrow had torn her way free from what she thought was a Balverine entangled around her.

Her arm draped over the edge of the bed and her hand rested on the wooden floor. A very wet, very warm sensation formed on her hand. Sparrow pulled her arm back under the sheets and continued to dream. But that wet sensation crept onto her face and wiped itself all over her open mouth and nose.

"Russell!" She tried shoving her dog off but he was a persistent hound. He jumped up next to her and wagged his light, shaggy tail. Sparrow slowly opened her eyes a fraction and saw the sun shining brightly through her windows. Her lithe fingers ran themselves through her short black hair and wiped some of Russell's saliva off of her face.

Sitting up, she stretched her arms up as high as she could above her head before she got out of bed. Without bothering to lift her feet off the floor, she walked to her clothes cupboard. She shrugged off her night shirt and reached for her red dyed shirt and pulled it over her head. The shirt was tight on her torso, especially her chest. She jumped into her grey Highwayman pants. Sparrow sat at the foot of her bed and pulled her grey and white Highwayman boots out from under the bed. As she pulled on a pair of socks and buckled her boots, she looked around her house.

It was one of those typical one room farmhouses that one found in Oakfield. Her bed was against the back wall in the centre, facing the door. To her left was her clothes cupboard and a nice cozy fire place with a comfortable arm chair by it. To her right, on the other side of the bed was another shelf and another cupboard, but that she used to keep her food and supplies in. Next to that was the stove and sink. A little yonder that was a dining room table with chair at the window and by the door was shelves for her books, and cupboard for her china and cutlery.

Manure Manor may be small, but it's my house, Sparrow thought to herself. She heard the Town Crier call for the stalls to open. She disliked that man, he was always too loud. Sparrow walked over to her food cabinet and plucked out some celery, apples and carrots. A thick chopping board was on the dinning table and she dumped all the food on it and took a big butcher's knife from the cutlery cabinet and chopped the fruit and vegetables, alike into bite size chunks. Sparrow scrapped everything into a bowl and sat down in the chair, with a fork in hand and started eat her crunchy morning concoction.

Once she was done, she put the knife, fork, the chopping board and the bowl, all in the sink. She went to the front door and grabbed her Highwayman coat hanging on the coat stand. She swung her grey coloured coat with red dyed sleeves over her shoulders and snaked her arms through the sleeves. People often thought she looked intimidating in her Highwayman outfit, but she really didn't understand why. The only reason she was wore it was because of the beautiful blue embroidery on the coat. The young Hero was about to go out when she remembered to take her weapon and hat with. Her Master longsword was leaning casually against the bookshelf and her hat on the coat stand by the door. She strapped in the last strap to keep her sword from falling off her back, but also so that she could easily draw the blade out in a quick draw and then strode to the coat stand. Sparrow mounted her grey dyed Highwayman hat on her head and stepped outside, into the warm autumn sun.

"Mornin' Bridgette," she greeted the egg herder she hired when she bought Manure Manor.

"Top of the mornin' to ya Sparrow," Bridgette greeted back before she continued herding the eggs together.

The Hero continued on her way to the carriage house next to Rookridge Road and checked if her produce was securely packed into the carts that were going on the next carriage for Bowerstone and straight to the produce store she owned in the Market Square. She then strode leisurely down the dirt pathway, between the farm lands to the Sandgoose.

The morning traffic were all bustling in the bar, shouting at the barmaids and ordering refills from old Charlie. The tables were packed on double with jolly farm workers downing their drinks before they had to make off to the fields. Sparrow snagged an empty chair by the bar and smiled warmly at old Charlie.

"Single Hobbe Water?" he checked as he poured the clear liquid into a glass chalice for her and settled it down in front of her. She never understood by it was called Hobbe Water, when it was a liquor. Sure, it has been known to cause blindness after bottle and a glass straight of just pure Hobbe Water. It was a silly name. It reminded her more of Hobbe piss than a good, expensive drink, but at least it didn't put her off it entirely.

Sparrow lifted her chalice in thanks and took a sip at the liquor. She tried to visit the Sandgoose whenever she was in Oakfield and Charlie knew well enough to serve her a single chalice of Hobbe Water. A crowd was forming at the opposite side of the bar, where the bigger tables were.

"It's true I tell yee!" A rough, slackly voice shouted at the crowd as they howled in laughter.

Sparrow took another sip of her liquor and tried to listen to the voice, over the loud laughter. She recognized the voice but she wanted to savor her rum, she hated rushing a good drink down.

The crowd was harsh on the speaker, saying things like: "Go to the Gypsies where they'll maybe listen to you, old nutter!" or "No one cares, you old sack, your jus' an inconvenience to everyone!"

Sparrow finished her drink and stormed over to the crowd. "Ain't you all got to go to work?" They all froze and scattered as they realized they were late for work. "Thought so!" She walked over to the old man leaning against the wall. He was dirty and dressed in equally old and dirty breeches and a thin coat and a tattered clothe hat on his gray head. "C'mon Mr Heffer," she motioned towards an empty table and sat down with him. "Hey Rosalie, can you get me a Sandgoose Rum for Mr Heffer." The blonde-haired barmaid nodded and went off to Charlie.

"Thes' no need ta do tha' Sparra," he said, leaning back into the chair. He was a stubborn old man, but she knew he had a strange liking for Sandgoose Rum. But Mr Heffer was then again, a very strange old man.

"Of course there is. I want to treat you, and there is nothing you can say about it." She smiled at the old man she had come to love as a grandfather over the past few years. Rosalie set the rum down in front of Mr Heffer and went off to serve the other customers. "So, what were you telling that bunch of Hobbe snorts?" Sparrow knew he loved his wild stories, and he knew she would always listen to them no matter how impossible they sounded. In truth, it reminded her of Rose when she was just eight and her older sister told her wild stories of a female warrior that fought ice monsters.

"It's a vision I tell yee! A vision sent from Avo himself!" He took in a generous amount of rum before he continued. "Thes' this far away land ya see, a land much like ours bu' tis sandy and dry. This land has them talkin', flesh-eating rabbits an' small humans, the size of them Hobbes! Tha' ain't all young Sparra! A dark magic, shadow, thing, lurks under the ground and from it pops up some foul creatures. There's a chicken ya see. Tha' leads those things. It's a very foul thing that! It'll melt ya with a single glare of its huge purple eyes. I tell yee one thing: there's dark days commin' in that place. Dark days. Bu', I've seen some hope!

Sparrow sat on the edge of her seat and waited for him to go on with his tale. Mr Heffer took another large gulp of rum before he continued. He saw the young Hero was very engrossed in his vision he was telling her.

"Thes' this band of Heroes ya see. Maybe two or ten of em, I didn't count. They didn't even introduce themselves ta me! Ain't that rude?" Mr Heffer always knew how to make people laugh; well, the people that would listen to him anyway. "Sept this one looked more like a giant Hobbe ta me. Sparra ya have ta believe me! This place exists and there is great trouble comin', and ya the only one that can help 'em!"

Sparrow winced; this was the first time he said anything about her being involved in anything. "All right, Mr Heffer, if I find this place and I come back, alive then I'll get you a whole crate of rum. You have my word on it."

"Oh, I remember now!" he shouted. "Susie says 'hi' by th' way." Susie was Mr Heffer's gentle wife, and how she got married to him was anyone's guess. She was probably already hard at work in one of the fields, supervising.

"I'm right here, you old goon," a voice said from the door of the bar. Susie seemed out of breathe from just walking from the field to the bar. "Why Susie," Mr Heffer exclaimed, "you forgot your clogs!" The old woman sighed and stood next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I told you, Billy, I don't have clogs. It's all just your imagination."

"Oh, well then – wait twas Old Man Burrow tha' wore clogs! He was the old sly he was; always sneakin' off to ge' a drink and leave us youngins ta do the work. But by Avo th' man could play Keystone!"

Susie sighed. "Are you sure that wasn't you dear?"

"Hm… well, no I ain't never played Keystone before. Wait- twas me Uncle Jeremy that was th' Keystone player. I'm sure of it!"

"Well, Susie you look tired, why don't you sit in my seat." Sparrow offered. "I have to go do some things anyway." The young Hero set off, leaving poor Susie to listen to her husband.

She slowed her pace as she got to the pathway leading to the Temple of Light, she needed to make her monthly tithe after all. The over grown grasses were swaying in beat with the soft breeze. Russell was running about frantically, his golden coat shinning in the sunlight. His Collar of Brooding looked out of place with his gentle face and shinny coat of fur. But Sparrow was scarred that someone thought he looked too cute and then would whisk him away in the night; the collar gave him that little dangerous edge.

Hello, Hero, a voice whispered in her head. Sparrow was beginning to think that what the citizens thought of the Guildmaster was right: they were annoying. Theresa did prove herself to be annoying, very annoying. There is a matter that needs your attention. I want all of you to come to the Heroes Guild. You'll need to travel to Bower Lake and use that cullis gate. The others will meet you there. The blind seer's echoing voice faded away and the young Hero sighed to herself. Her work never seemed to end.

Sparrow turned on her heel and went back up the big, grey stone stairs. She could not help but glance at the Wellspring entrance as she passed by, half expecting to see Hammer sitting on one of the half collapsed walls, drinking and singing. She missed her red-haired, ogre sized monk friend. She suddenly wondered if Hammer had bashed anyone's face in lately. She shrugged and told herself to ask her when they met at the Guild. Russell was happily chasing after a lone moth in the grass.

Sparrow pressed her lips together and whistled for him to come over. The golden hound gave a slight whimper when his master beckoned for him to stop playing, but he went to her none the less. The young Hero hummed softly to herself as she and Russell walked side-by-side over towards the bridge in front of the Sandgoose. Small children scurried about her feet as she tried to get back to her house. They were demanding to get her autograph, but in the current economy, paper was expensive even the little square cuts were over priced. Eventually when she took the long route home, the children started to sulk and ran off to play in the fields where their parents weren't working.

Sparrow walked back to her house and gave the produce seller a curt nod as she passed by him. Bridgette was still there, herding the eggs together. The workers were piling crates and sacks in the young Hero's mill, by the river. The field workers that worked for Sparrow on her patch of farm land were tilting the soil and plucking out all the new weeds that had shot up over night.

The door to her house stood wide open. No one dared to enter her house in fear of being bashed in the face with a mace or cut in half with a sword. She pushed herself against a brick wall and listened to the intruder's footsteps. The sound was heavy, so it had to be a man. Sparrow drew her longsword quietly and clenched her fists about the hilt tightly. She burst through the doorway, expecting to see an assassin or a really retarded bandit.

The red-clad intruder was sitting all too comfortably at the dinner table with his booted feet propped up on the table.

"Quite a cozy little house you have, Sparrow. It suits you," he said, weaving his gloved hands together.

"Reaver what are you doing in my house? A better question yet, what are you doing in Oakfield?" She asked furiously. Her face blazed with anger. Reaver was annoying enough by himself when they went on jobs for Theresa. She didn't need or want him commenting on her house or lifestyle. The young Hero lowered her sword but she did not let go of it.

The pirate noticed her immediate anger to his presence in her abode. "Well, I was in the neighborhood, my dear, and I decided to drop in. But it is very difficult not to get mud on your shoes in this forsaken place."

Sparrow tossed her blade onto her bed that she had not even bothered to make before she left and pulled a chair out from under the table and sat opposite Reaver. "Mind telling me why you're not on your way to the Guild yet?" She didn't ask for him to answer, she demanded an answer.

"I had the most splendid idea when the old seer told me about that," the pirate exclaimed, "why don't both of us travel there together? Think about it, you can kill all those dirty bandits and giant bugs for me, so that I don't have to soil my clothes."

Sparrow left out a sigh. "You're a selfish bastard you know that?"

Reaver smiled and winked his green eyes at her. "I know my dear, but I usually get my way. So are you going to be my beautiful traveling companion, temporarily of course?"

"NO!" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave the pirate a rather dreadful glare. She wished she hadn't put her kitchen knife out of reach when she needed it. "You might jump me while I sleep and then I'll just end up severely hurting you and torturing you with a blunt spoon. Then we'll be sitting without the Hero of Skill, and then were would we be?"

His green eyes sparkled. "My, my, what a dirty mind you have, my dear. So what if I end up seducing you? I swear on it that you'll enjoy it and in the end, beg me for more." He licked his lips and stared at the young Hero lustfully.

Sparrow flushed and jumped off her chair and grabbed her big butcher's knife in the sink and stalked towards the perverted pirate. Her knuckles went white with the amount of pressure she was gripping the knife.

Reaver stood up and grabbed her wrist with such a speed that Sparrow could not follow the movement with her eyes alone, less react to it. His hold was strong and forceful about her wrist. His free hand also snaked itself around her other wrist and pushed her against a part of the wall that was bare. The momentum had knocked off the young Hero's hat, leaving her face curtained by short, curvy black tresses.

The pirate slammed her hand into the wall with an extra force that it weakened her grip on the knife and it clattered down next to their feet. He locked his green eyes with her brightly coloured blue ones. Neither evaded the other's gaze. The pirate slowly tilted his head down, still locked in his gaze with her. He shifted her hands up along the wall until they were above her head.

Her soft pink lips seemed to tease him as they opened to protest but then silenced as he surprisingly with a tender force, brushed his lips over hers. He was rewarded with a light gasp that escaped her throat. The pirate took advantage of the moment to steal her lips. Without much effort he snaked his tongue through and explored the warm cavern of her mouth. He danced his tongue around hers, but the young Hero was too stunned at the contact to respond to him.

Sparrow was too enthralled by the pirate's kiss to have noticed that he had let go of one of her wrists. His free hand rid itself of the glove and snaked down her torso and under her shirt. Her skin was soft, but he felt the goose bumps his fingers had left on their venture up her chest.

The young Hero began to panic when she realized that his deft fingers were itching their way closer to the centre of her chest. She shoved Reaver off, breaking all contact between the two of them. She pushed past him, turning her back to him while she straightened her shirt and ran her fingers roughly through her hair.

Sparrow avoided his gaze as best she could and the effort made the pirate chuckle deeply in his throat as he savored the taste of her mouth. She lightly treaded to her clothes cupboard that was thankfully on the other side of the room. Swinging the doors open, she grabbed a large brown duffle bag and held it in her one hand while the other tossed varies items inside the cupboard aside. She folded an extra shirt, a pair of black explorer pants, a light-weight coat, and her all important in-case-of-emergencies knife into the bag. She tossed the bag onto the bed but made it her point not to look at Reaver.

Her Steel Rifle, lined with light-weight oak was gathering a slight layer of dust on the bottom shelf of the cupboard. She really couldn't even all the cupboard a clothes cupboard at all. Only half a shelf was actually used for her clothing, the rest was all weapon space. Her favourite weapon was lying neatly and carefully on the middle shelf. She only used her longsword when she needed to make a trip into town.

A smile crept onto her face as she took the hefty weight of it into her hands; the simple sensation of holding it made her forget Reaver was even there.

"Calavera," Sparrow whispered its name every time she it in her hands for what seemed like the first time. The mace belonged to the legendary warrior-witch known as the Viperess. The grip felt like silk that ran between her fingers. The top end of the mace was a pure white, perfect human skull. Two thick, golden metal strips ran over the contours of it and they were adorned with well sculpted spikes that had a great deal of damage to any part of a body, given the wielder knew how to use it.

She strapped both the rifle and Calavera onto her back and closed the doors. Sparrow glanced over at Reaver, who was looking over her literary collection. Taking the duffle bag in hand she walked over to her food cabinet and wrapped three small breads into a cloth and did the same with some salted meats and dried mangos. All she needed now was her bag filled with her gun ammo and her bag of gold. Three medium sized pocket bags hung from the coat stand: one was a deep, royal blue and the other two were bags of stitched leather. She tied the blue bag with gold to her belt, as well as one of the two leather bags with her ammo in. The remaining bag she stuffed into her duffle bag and looked furiously at the pirate who was taking his time -still- examining the bookshelf.

He took one of her expensive hardcover books in hand and flipped through it. It was her favourite book: The Fabulous Creatures of Albion and Beyond. Once he was done, he flopped the book down onto the shelf with total disregard. Sparrow was not nearly as surprised as she should have been at his absolute disrespect towards her possessions. It was Reaver, the infamous Pirate King after all.

"Reaver…" Sparrow tried her best not to snap at him, "are… you… done… yet?"

He ignored her and went to her clothes cupboard. He swung the door wide open and inspected every item inside. Sparrow begged to Avo that he would bore before he reached the box on the bottom shelf. But Reaver scanned everything thoroughly. He held up each piece of clothing he found and threw it aside in distaste.

"Sparrow, my dear, you should really buy a better attire, especially one that would do that body of yours some justice," He said, glancing over at the young Hero who was standing with her mouth wide open in utter disbelief. The pirate finally reached the bottom shelf and withdrew the dust coated box. "And what dirty secrets lay within you?" He asked with a mischievous glint in his green eyes.

Reaver laid he box down on the dinning room table and turned to Sparrow and motioned for her to come over. She crept her way over to the other side of the table, her face as white as ash. "Righto, this is how this is going to work: I'll ask you one time what is in the box and if you don't answer or if I think it's a lie, I'll open it. So, what's in the box, Sparrow?"

The young Hero settled her eyes on the box and thought about her answer. "I… It's personal, something I put behind me some time ago."

The pirate smiled. "Lies. When you have something like that, you bury or burn it, not keep it in the house. So, I think I have earned the right to open it I believe." With the very point of his fingertips, he popped the lid. What was in it had surprised the pirate; in fact it made him grin wolfishly. He moved the folded translucent paper aside and admired the ebony black lace covered silk corset, complete with matching black lace panties.

"My, my. Sparrow, my dear, why hide this?" He picked up the corset and held it up against Sparrow's chest. "Much better."

Sparrow flushed a deep pink and brushed the corset off and stomped her way to the door. "Are you gonna come with or shall I leave you behind?" Russell sprang up and jumped his way over to the gate.

After hours of snide comments and complaints form Reaver's part, Sparrow was glad to make camp over the remains of the Temple of Shadows. She had to go out and collect the fire wood while Reaver lounged around, doing nothing useful. She returned with an arm full of branches she collected form the old abandoned carriage house. Once the fire crackled to life, the young Hero settled down next to the orange flames and dug around in her duffle bag for her salted meat.

She crossed her legs casually and folded the cloth open on her legs and started wolfing down on big slice of meat. She licked her salted fingers happily, trying to remain oblivious to the pirate's presence.

"Urgh. How can you eat like that?" Reaver asked as he watched Sparrow licking her fingers. "It's revolting."

She simply shrugged and wiped her palms off against her pants. "Well, Reaver, it's either starve or eat with what you got and in this case, my fingers are all I have to use to eat with." Sparrow rose up in one fluid motion and walked about the crumbling cathedral. The stars were bright and heavy in the night sky. The soft sound of waves crashing against the rocks seemed like a sweet melody.

She glanced down at herself and with shocking disgust realized that she was covered in blood; not just bandit blood but there was some Hobbe in there too. Turing profusely on her heel she climbed her was back to the camp fire and snatched up her duffle bag.

"Were are you going?" Reaver asked as he watched her storm off behind a wall. "You stay right there, Reaver!" Sparrow howled back at him. The young Hero made sure that there was no way the Thief was able to spy on her without her knowing. Tossing the bag into a corner, she shrugged her coat off and laid it down over a rock. She kicked her boots off and set them next to the rock and pulled her shirt over her head. Next Sparrow loosened the buckle of her belt and pulled her pants off and folded them moderately neatly and up it down atop her coat.

The pirate stood atop one of the walls not too far from Sparrow. He was completely concealed in the shadows cast by a larger wall. He stood admiring her creamy moon lit skin, and her well muscled body, she knew not to over do the muscle in order to keep her feminine figure. He gently jumped to the ground and slowly made his advance to the unsuspecting Hero. When she bent down to pull clothes out of the bag, the pirate saw the full extent of her full, firm buttocks. Pity about the bland underwear, but it will have to do, he thought to himself as she stood straight again. The pirate's arms encircled Sparrow's body and his warm breath misted down the nape of her neck. His fingers splayed over her smooth stomach and traveled around her abdomen as he muzzled her neck with his teeth. The young Hero tried to struggle free but her efforts were futile as the pirate trapped her within the cage of his arms.

Sparrow felt panic sink in the pit of her stomach. She didn't want this. She promised not to do this, but… He felt so warm against her skin; even with his clothes on, she still felt the heat that radiated off of him. A gasp escaped her throat as Reaver kneed at her buttocks. Her body involuntarily responded in a shiver. The young Hero clenched a fist full of the pirate's lush brown hair.

Reaver sucked on her ear lobe, earning a soft moan from her. He didn't want her to moan, he wanted her to scream her lungs raw with the effort. He slid his hand over the contours of her ribs and traveled up to her chest. Sparrow had yet to realize that she had even closed her eyes.

Sparrow shot her eyes open and ducked out under the pirate's grasp. She made an effort to cover most of her chest and yanked on her spare white shirt before Reaver could get to her again. She yanked her pants on and swung her bag and her dirty clothes over her shoulders and swiftly clutched her boots and run off back to the camp fire. The pirate watched her haste off. He promised that he would take her, show her how it felt to melt down with pleasure. When he finally rejoined the young Hero she was fully dressed and to his dismay she was wearing a coat again. He eyed the mace cradled in her lap as if it were a child.

"How is it that you acquired the legendary mace of the Viperess?" he had meant to ask her that question since the day he first met her. Legend was that only the warrior-mage herself could muster the Strength and Will power combined to lift the hefty weapon from the ground, let alone have energy left to even activate its flame augment.

Sparrow thought it a very strange question to ask out of the blue, but what made the question more strange was the fact that Reaver was the one to ask it. "Well, lets just say I had to do some… deeds to acquire access into the Keep. Within was the mace, when I approached, I heard its mesmerizing poignant song for the first time. As I took it in my hands, the song flowed from the mace and is now in me - Wait why do you want to know anyway?" Her passion for Calavera ran so deep that she openly talked about it to the pirate, who looking at both her and the weapon suspiciously.

"I merely want to know how you acquired a treasure I searched for centuries for," he smiled. "What made you special? What did you have that I lacked, in order to acquire the Viperess' Calavera?" his face was dark, and seemed somewhat… disappointed? Sparrow could not fathom that she had something the Pirate King was after with a sore heart. Reaver stood and wondered around the ruins.

Sparrow let the man be and snuggled back into a smooth slab of granite that had maybe once have been part of the ceiling, but now it made for her bed. Russell lay down by her legs and gave a rather human-like sigh before he drifted off to sleep. In the soft glow of fire, Sparrow could see the silver hairs forming around Russell's chin. She ran her fingers over his head and remembered the fateful day that she and Rose saved him. … Fateful? Sparrow echoed that word over in her mind. That day forced young Sparrow out of her childish mind and spirit, and forged a hunger for vengeance. She wondered how Reaver lived on, knowing that he sacrificed an entire village. How did he make himself forget… more importantly; how could she make herself forget her inability to save her own sister?

Sparrow was blessed with a blank, dark sleep. Her backhand rubbed the sleep from her eyes and covered her mouth as she yawned. The coals left from the pervious night were dead cold. Russell greeted her with a joyous bark, but something seemed missing. …Reaver… Sparrow thought that he couldn't have gone far and took her time in packing her bag properly. Once Calavera, her rifle and the duffle bag were comfortably on her back, she set off to find the pirate.

The pirate was in actual fact waiting for the young Hero to wake up and join him at the gates. "Finally, Sparrow," he said as she stood next to him. She was a tall woman, but he was still taller by inches. "Here," the pirate tossed an apple her way, but it flew straight over her head and just above an arm's reach. Sparrow summoned up her telekinesis and made it float into the palm of her hand. "The hell was that about? I'm right next to you." Reaver did not give her an answer and even if he did, she was sure she wouldn't have understood his reasons anyway.

The apple was large and had a smooth, golden-yellow coat. She sank her teeth in and ripped off a large chunk. It was surprisingly sweet and crunchy… and maybe it was a coincidence that it was just the way she liked apples, especially the golden ones. There was no way Reaver could have known that golden apples were her favourite, could he?

The two Heroes made their way through the winding paths of Rookridge with little interference. Soon they were in Old Town, unsurprisingly, Reaver found the place absolutely appalling, with its happy, clean citizens and all the bright flowers.

"It wasn't always like this you know," Sparrow informed him. "It used to be as bad and almost as unlawful as Bloodstone." Memories started flowing back and forth in her mind.

Her fondest memory was when she was about five years old. It was Rose's birthday and Sparrow wanted to do something special for her. She set off early in the morning, before her big sister woke up and raided every garden patch she could find. When she got back, Rose was still sleeping, but young Sparrow made sure not to wake her as she put down her bundle of white daisies. She spent two hours working with the flowers to weave them into a pretty floral crown for her sister. Rose began to wake and Sparrow took the crown gently and put it on her sleepy sister's head.

"Sparra, why as you full of muck and what did you put on my head?" She asked all those questions with a voice thick with sleep. Sparrow gently guided Rose's hand and allowed her to feel the crown she made for her.

"Happy Birthday, Rosie!" A giant smile grew on her face and gave her sister a big hug. Hot tears fell on her head and she looked up alarmingly at her crying sister. "Why are you crying, Rosie? Don't you like it?"

"No, Sparrow I l-love it," she said without trying to make herself sound like a girl who just had her heart broken in two. "It's just so special, little sis. How did you get all these flowers?"

Sparrow had found the same crown of daisies pressed in Rose's diary when she went back to Old Town for the first time in ten years. The young Hero kept the book and flowers safe and sound at her house in Oakfield.

"Hello, Sparrow?" Reaver snapped his fingers in her ear to draw her attention away from her thoughts. "Come now, I would prefer not to dally here, so come on, Sparrow dear." Reaver called her along and soon he found himself dawdling around the market square of Bowerstone. She's just like any other woman, he thought, always hell-bent on spending money at a square, but… Reaver saw Sparrow practically drooling over a pistol that was on display. She nagged and raved at the old, soot covered smith about giving her a discount. Reaver noted that she handed over her rifle and tied a leather holster to her thigh.

Sparrow walked over to he pirate with a triumphant smile on her lips. He rolled his eyes. Nothing could ever be as extravagant as his .48, no matter how it expensive it may have been towards the young Hero's pockets.

"Yes, yes, you bought a new gun, how exciting," he chanted mockingly. "Now may we leave this place? I want to hear what the old seer has to complain about and then make my way back home." He walked past Sparrow, who followed in silence.

Bower Lake was infested with giant beetles. Sparrow had to kill them all off as Reaver stood a league away from the fight, afraid that the beetles would soil his clothes. The young Hero let one of the beetles slip past her and waited until it was just close enough to Reaver when she fire a single bullet from her new pistol. The beetle exploded into a spray of green chunks and blood, but generous amount was now coating the pirate's expensive red clothes. The pirate stood with his mouth open as he surveyed his clothes.

"You… You did that on purpose didn't you, you she-devil!" he muttered constantly to himself as she tried to smeared the gunk off of him. Sparrow laughed out her content as continued on her way to the cullis gate, not caring if Reaver was behind her or not. Russell trotted his way ahead, often glancing back to see if his master was still there.

The young Hero activated the cullis gate and was blinded by the white-blue glow that consumed her. She waited a few moments for her eyesight to adjust to the dark gloom of the Guild Hall. Teresa was standing by a table scatted with old maps and documents, Garth was minding his own in a corner, far away from the old seer. Hammer strode over to the young Hero and gave her a bone crushing bear hug, lifting Sparrow off her feet for a moment. She lightly returned the hug. Sparrow sat down on a stool by the table and rested her head in her hand.

Twenty minutes passed in stale silence as they waited for the Hero of Skill. "All right, where is he?" hammer demanded, tossing her empty bottle of beer aside. "If he doesn't come soon, I swear, I'll find em and put him in a tiny bag and drag his arse back here." Hammer and Reaver disliked each other like mouse and cat, well, maybe rather a large rat and overweight cat, but it was the same principle basically.

As if there was a greater cosmic power at work, Reaver stepped through the cullis gate, still trying to clean is clothes off. "It's about bloody time you showed!" The red-haired monk bellowed at him. "If you want someone to blame," he began, "blame that she-devil over there." He shot his eyes over to Sparrow who tried to hold her laughter back, but finally gave in and burst out, nearly falling off the stool. "Yes, ha ha." Reaver was not going to let that incident slide past that easily.

"Moving on," Teresa seemed very serious, perhaps even grim. All four Heroes drew closer to the old seer. "There seems to be some new developments in Wraithmarsh; troubling developments. Whether this is by Lucien's hand or not, I need all four of you to travel there and unearth whatever you can."

Sparrow found all this too strange. "But how do you know there is something going on his Wraithmarsh? I mean, last time I was there you said that the mist dampens your powers to be able to see anything there."

"Well, there has been an unnatural tip of power balance over the last few months. At first they were nothing, but then they grew to a troubling amount, troubling enough for me to have to call on all four of the Heroes."

Garth grunted and shifted uneasily beside Sparrow. "Any idea about what might be doing this? Even Lucien that has control of the Spire has enough power to do what you have described. Well, the power that would be needed to bend the very forces of time well, then it may have to be a sorcerer from the Old Kingdom and that in itself is very troubling."

Hammer seemed very confused and shifted her heavy weight from foot to foot. But Hammer was easily confused by matters involving magic or history, or geography or basically most things. "But how is that even possible, the Old Kingdom ended nearly a thousand years ago. I mean, all those magic sorties should be cold dust in the ground by now."

"I agree with Hammer on this one," Garth knew he was going to be taking a big hit to his ego by agreeing with the monk. "This makes no sense at all."

Teresa smiled shortly and folded her hands in front of her. "Well then, I suggest you move on to make sense of this matter, but I do advise using the Brightwood cullis gate to get to Wraithmarsh. Sparrow was the first one to make her way to the top of the Heroes' Hill and as usual, the other three Heroes had to wait for the pirate. All four Heroes set off for Brightwood.

Between Hammer and Sparrow, they made quick work of any bandits that straggled in their way. Garth was lucky enough that his magic even struck a bandit after he was bashed inside out. Reaver did what he did best; being a total pain in the arse.

"Urgh, how much further?" He started to complain before they even set foot in Brightwood. "My shoes are covered in dirt… unless you would clean them for me, dear Sparrow." The young Hero cocked her head backwards and furrowed her brow. Did he seriously think I was going to fall for that? She mused to herself. He did promise payback for what happened earlier.

They continued walking until the tower was fully visible, but still two hours walk away. Sparrow called for a rest. Hammer threw herself down onto the ground, and Garth leaned casually under the shade of a tree. The young Hero ventured in the wood a little further, to find a clear stream of water to fill the up her provisions. She knelt down on her hunches and held the bottle against the stream and waited for it to fill.

Reaver stood behind Sparrow, who was completely oblivious to the pirate's presence. Once she stood back up again, she clashed herself straight into Reaver. She lost her footing, making her feet slip underneath her. The pirate caught her hand and tried to pull her back up but she was heavier than he had expected and so they both pummeled to the ground.

"Ouch…" Sparrow moaned at her sore buttocks. Reaver seized her lips and stayed locked in the embrace until they had to separate for air. He planted eager kisses along her jaw while his hands occupied themselves by unbuttoning her coat. His mouth moved lower, over to the nape of her neck and Sparrow could nothing to stop, but she had yet to fight against him or protest so far.

"Reaver… don't" Utter desperation massed in her voice. "Have you taken some secret vow of chastity, my dear, mnh?" He whispered in her ear. Sparrow moved her head as far away as she could but he trapped her face in-between his hand and his face. "I… uh, well…" Her eyes locked with his. She seemed to drown in those green orbs of his. "Well then, there is no reason to deny me, is there, Sparrow?"

Twigs and leaves snapped and crackled behind them. "Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing?" a voice shouted and its owner grabbed the pirate's cloak and threw him off of the young Hero. 'Hey, you all right?" Hammer asked as pulled Sparrow to her feet. "He hurt you anywhere?" Sparrow shook her head, and followed hammer back to Garth. Reaver followed soon after.

Everyone was silent for the duration of the walk to the tower. Hammer kept close to the young Hero and cocked her head back on occasion to glare at the pirate. Garth led the way and looked sadly at the scorch marks lined along the walls. Sparrow felt guilty at half destroying Garth's home, but she was surrounded by Lucien's goons that she had unleash an ocean of fire that ultimately scorched the surrounding walls beyond repair. Garth was in all honesty surprised that she had no Will lines with all the power she had. Sparrow only used her Will in very dire situations only.

The cullis was up ahead, emanating its blue light. "Well, there it is," Garth grunted and looked behind him at the other three heroes. "You ready for whatever lies beyond this point?" Sparrow brushed past him and stood at the edge of the gate.

Everything went wrong in one moment.

Eerie lightning consumed the young Hero and stunned the other well out of the way. Sparrow activated the gate and fought her way through, but it was an amount of Will she had never felt before. Everything around her was gone: the tower, Garth, Hammer, Reaver … everything. Another crack of white lightening shot at Sparrow and hit its target. The electricity had burnt the left side of her stomach, where it had originally hit. The pain was unbearable and made her vision blurred, until she collapsed in fatigue. She woke with cold stone pressed against her cheek.

Am I in Wraithmarsh? She tried to collect her thoughts, but her head felt too swollen to think. Sparrow turned over onto her side saw a clear sky. No fog or ghouls, just green grass and a clear sky. A blurred figure stood in the distance and rushed over to her, but Sparrow was unconscious again before he could get to her.

Huraah! Chapter one is done. What do you think? More will be on its way. Bye-bye now! ^^