Faren was quite shocked to see Samantha bolting around the corner. It surprised him even more however that she tackled him to the floor. And the words she spoke nearly stilled his heart from the excitement.<br/><br/>He smiled and held her close, tears of joy dripping from his eyes. Seeing how much his love had grown in such a short time frightened him slightly, but at the same time made him very glad. Now he knew that he no longer needed to do all of the protecting, and that he would be able to trust her to keep him safe as much as she could trust him.<br/><br/>"You will always be the first to me." Faren said, gently kissing her brow. "My heart will only ever belong to you."<br/><br/>---------------------<br/><br/>"Get down!" Varatt shouted, throwing up a magic shield as he leapt off his horse.<br/><br/>The barrier blocked another few shots from the hidden bowman, giving the old knight enough time to pull Nimue behind a large boulder nearby for cover. As they settled behind the natural shield, he grasped at his knee and groaned in discomfort.<br/><br/>"I am getting too old for this." The paladin huffed as he flexed his stiff joint. "People my age shouldn't be jumping off mounts like that."<br/><br/>Very carefully, Varatt peaked around their shelter for a moment before turning back to Nimue.<br/><br/>"The archer is over along the edge of the trees." He said in a hushed voice. "We are safe for now, but they are moving along the bushes to get a better angle on us.<br/>"Listen carefully now." Varatt continued. "I cannot make it to him in my current state. You can though. However, you will need my aid. I will distract him, keep him busy. Deflecting his arrows should be an easy task, but pain like this makes it difficult to concentrate. Once I move, you will need to move fast to disarm them. Can you do that Nimue?"