Failure of a Hero? (PastelCreme and SilverKnight)

Arianna strolled through the forest on a path between two towns that were relatively close in distance. She had been traveling for about a week now, bringing with her only the bag on her back. It contained a pouch with several gold coins, food and water, and finally a few herbs for quick home remedies. She didn't need much on her journey as she could always use her powers in a pinch. Her only weapons were the two little daggers on her thighs and her walking stick which could become a staff if need be.

She thought of herself as a pretty girl with long black hair, bright green and a tall and strong yet curvy figure. As upsetting as it was, she knew she couldn't go around with her normal appearance so before leaving the kingdom, she transformed her appearance. Her hair was now a light brown, curly and shoulder length. Her eyes now a rich brown. In addition she was a little shorter with a more delicate frame.

It was traditional for an heir to the throne of Gehenna to spend a few months or even more out on an adventure prior to accepting the throne. It was necessary for the next ruler to have first hand experience in an assortment of things. This escapade was meant so that they could learn whatever they might miss from books inside the castle walls.

Eric was walking in the woods as well, heading towards a castle that he hard heard had been haunted by something. He was sure that if he went there and was able to stay there for a night that it would enhance how people viewed him and they might not look down upon him as much as they did at that moment. He needed that as he knew that people thought of him as a waste of time and a useless person who was seen as a waist of talent for the martial academy that he went to. He hated how people saw him, thus he had gone out to try to do something to change the view that they had about him. He walked down the path, as he was not sure what he would fine along the path. Maybe he would run into a bandit or two, maybe he would be able to save a beautiful woman who knew.

Eric was a bit on the shorter side, with dark brown eyes and short messy brown hair. The young man was shorter then most any female or male, which was one of the reasons people looked down upon him. He was strong, but that was hidden by the fact he was on the short side. The young man carried a short sword by his side as he walked. He wore the leather armors of a man who was training to be a mercenary who would be hired by some powerful kingdom in the future at some point. He walked with some confidence and a look of knowledge which he had. Yet, the confidence was a flighty thing as when things went bad it tended to affect his outlook more then it should.

As he walked he saw the woman traveling alone, he blinked as he hurried to the raven haired woman. "My lady, have you seen any bandits or monsters in this area," he asked as he came to catch up with the woman. "I have been traveling looking for such a threat to take care of, and so far I have not been able to find any such thing. I am sure that you might have," he said pausing for a second. "Um, why is a beautiful woman such as yourself traveling alone, this is a dangerous road, that might not be the best ideal, well unless your a horrible succubus who is traveling the road and sucking the souls out of men," he said backing away looking carefully at the woman. "Are you a succubus, you look beautiful enough to be one," he said his native apparent.

Arianna looked to the man who had walked up to her. "Bandits or monsters? No. Thankfully I haven't come across any threats in my journey." she said with a small chuckle at the irony. She herself was a monster after all, exactly what he was hunting. "So far your the only soul I have seen on this path." The princess added with a smile as she brushed a light brown curl behind her ear. She still couldn't get over how odd and lightweight her hair felt in her disguise. All day her hand would go up to play with the strange curls.

She had been shocked by how perceptive the male was. No one before had questioned her travels yet he managed to guess what she really was. He guessed her motives wrong but still she was impressed. Arianna didn't show it though and she laughed "Why of course I am, why else would a woman be traveling?" She teased in a sarcastic tone. Then she felt she needed to offer up some sort of explanation. "I'm flattered you find me attractive, but I'm not a monster. I'm from a small village a ways from here. I thought I'd do some traveling and see new places. I'm just looking for a little adventure while I'm still young." As she spoke her smile changed from teasing to sweet.

Arianna eyed the man up and down briefly. He was short, but he seemed strong. Perhaps he could be a good companion to have on her travels. If they ran into any danger on their travels, he could provide protection without her having to reveal her identity. Having a companion would be even more useful so that no one else would question why she was traveling alone. It seemed perfect so she asked "Perhaps you can accompany me for a ways? It would be nice to have someone to talk to while traveling..." She bit her lip before adding "And it would be nice having someone who is both capable and willing to fight off dangers by my side."

Eric looked at the beautiful woman figuring he had it right, he had never seen a woman as beautiful as the one on this road, he figured that she had to be something special for there could be no other reason for her unique beauty. The sarcasm in her went over his head at first as he looked at her, he would have to fight such a beautiful woman, could he. He looked at her, her face, and blushed openly, as he thought about it, he knew something, he would have a hard time harming such a beautiful woman. It was a weakness sure, but it was one that he had, and he knew he had at that moment. He blinked hearing her statement about being a normal woman and let out a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to harm such a beauty as this woman as he looked at her he thought about something.

The brown eyes of the young man looked up at her as he heard her request and then a warm and large smile emerged upon his lips as he looked at her, "Yes, I would love to travel with you, it would be a great honor," he said as he then bowed before her, his eyes upon her the whole while as he looked at her, "Yes, I think that by following you and helping you, I will have a chance to do what I am after, my lady," he said respectfully, as he thought about the chances to save this beautiful woman from danger and also finding other threats which he could get rid of and things he could do that would be considered heroic. He also knew with her around he would have a witness to prove that he had done something heroic, after all if a tree fell in a forest and no one heard it did it really happen.

"My name, is Eric, my lady, it is a honor to be your guard on this trip. I am on a trip my self or journey to achieve heroic deeds and honors for my goals in life," he said honestly and openly as he walked with her. "I know there are some odd places along this trail, it was why I took it myself to look for trouble makers, as I thought it would be the best place to look," he said as he smiled. "So you might actually need my help as we travel. I would hate such a beautiful woman as yourself to get into any real trouble on your adventure. I would hate for such a beautiful and kind woman as yourself to get into any such thing."

Arianna was glad to see the other was willing to accompany her on her journey. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Eric. You may call me Anne." she said, using a nickname. Already he had thought she was a succubus, she was sure his suspicions would only grow if she had shared the name of the succubus princess. The woman was confident in her ability to overtake the man if need be, but she wanted to avoid such things so early in her journey. Traveling in peace seemed to be the easiest route. She was curious as to why he felt the need to look for trouble and defeat it. A heroic reputation was a nice thing and all among humans, but she didn't see it as anything terribly special.

"Charming, but there is no need to flatter me. I'm only average in fairness." His compliments pleased her, however only so much, as they were only directed at her disguise and not her true beauty. She smiled teasingly "Unless you are trying to be flirtatious. If that's the case then you would need to try a little harder."

"Let's get going, the day will be ending and I'd hate to still be traveling in the woods after dark." she said as she continued walking in the direction of the nearest village. Arianna didn't mind traveling in the dark as she could take care of herself, but now she had a companion and keeping up her disguise was tiring. She would rest and refreshments. "Tonight I'll treat you to dinner at whatever inn we stop in." she added, "It will be my thank you for joining me."

The walk was nice, he felt that it was best to tell the truth as he had told Anne earlier that day, but he figured that no harm came from it so it was not a problem. He enjoyed the walk, he had not seen any bandits or anyone who would cause problems for them all day which was annoying, but he had to remember that greatest didn't happen after one day. It would take a lot of work and effort to make himself great and that was something he would do and felt he had to do. He walked with her towards a town,t he lights of the town apparent at night as he heard the kind words of Anne to him. He nodded his head in reply as he continued to walk towards the town. "That is very kind of you, I am really grateful for your help," he replied politely as he walked.

The town itself wasn't very big at all, it was easy to find the one Inn as it happened to be on the only big road into town and also out of town as well. He wondered about Anne, where was she from and why did she want to go on an adventure. It wasn't that common for young women to want to go on such an adventure, most of the time they worked at home and helped around the house till they happened to be married off to some male who it was agreed that they would marry some time in the future. Maybe that was why though why she was on an adventure to have one last bit of fun before a unwanted marriage. It seemed possible, but he best put that thought out of his head, as he had his own things to focus on and that was not one of them.

Walking into the Inn he smiled as he talked to the woman at the counter, it would seem that there was only one bedroom left in the whole hotel for the night, something about a large parade and festival starting the following day in the town. He turned and looked at Anne, he figured this might be the type of thing she might want to see on her adventure, but he wasn't sure if it would be or not.

Arianna enjoyed the rest of their walk together through the rest of the forest and the small town. Time had seemed to move faster and for the short distance they traveled, she found it was more enjoyable to have a companion then not. This was good to know for any more traveling she might have to do in the future. Eventually they made it to a place they could rest. The inn was full of people so she wasn't surprised when they said they only had one bed left. This didn't bother her at all as she always found it more comfortable to sleep beside a warm body anyways. It was the woman's next words that caught her attention.

"A festival you say? Interesting. Anyways, we will take the room." Soon after saying this the innkeeper made a note in her books. She had never been to a human festival before. Ari had been to several parties and gatherings inside the palace but never a festival with common folk. Eric looked to her and she smiled widely asking "Do you think we have time to stop and see the festivities before traveling again tomorrow?" This town was small, so she didn't expect anything grand or exciting, but it was a chance to experience something new.

"Follow me." the woman said as she lead them up the stairs to a room at the end of the hall. Upon reaching the door she unlocked it for the two of them. "Enjoy your stay." she said before leaving them. Arianna put down her bag beside the bed. It was cozy but would comfortably fit two. "This will do for tonight." She turned with a smile adding "When your ready, lets go down and get some dinner in you."

Eric nodded his head as he looked at the woman who had checked him in, the idea of a festival sounded rather fun, he couldn't remember the last time he went to one of these things, but he always had fun when he was a kid going to them, so he figured he would have a lot of fun with this festival. He followed her to their room, and looked around the nice room, putting his things over to one side as he kept them out of the way of the young woman he was traveling with. He didn't want to get in her way during their trip and he wanted to help. He was surprised that she had agreed to share a room, most women he knew wouldn't do such a thing, but then again, he knew already that Anne was different then any woman he had known up until that moment.

"Yeah, dinner sounds like a good idea," he commented as he took his armor which was under his shirt off and put it aside and put his sword down as well. He wouldn't need them for the meal, he of course had a short sword on him hidden well, but that was all at that moment. He always knew he had to be on guard the best he could be. He never knew after all when he could run into evil that he might be able to stop and win a name for himself. He put his shirt back on a moment later and then his cloak which had hid his bag while they traveled and then motioned Anne to walk with him down to the dinning hall as it was time to get something to eat.

The dinning area was simple, with a handful of tables and a young woman walking between them helping those who were getting food at this time which was small in number as it was later in the night. Finding a seat, he looked over at what they had and asked for some ale, as well as some bread cheese and ham if they had it. He figured that something light would be best for this time of day and would make the morning a lot easier then it would otherwise. "Now I think we should stay for the festival, I mean there could be a chance to have fun, and find evil people to stop maybe."

In the dining hall, the conversation was only a low hum. Those there, like them, arrived later and taking only a moment before bed to refresh themselves. Most wanted to keep fairly quite so as not to disturb the guests who already were a sleep. A couple of men had stayed up late drinking, but the lush were far too gone to make any noise. The atmosphere was mostly calm and relaxing, contrary to what these halls would have been at an earlier time.

Arianna sat across from the other at the table. When the other agreed to go to the festival she nodded happily. A small chuckle escaped her as once again the man mentioned fighting evil. It seemed as though he had a bit of a one track mind as it seemed heroic deeds always came up as a topic of conversation. That, or there is a very important reason why he needs to prove himself in such a way. Curiously she asked "If I'm not probing too much, why exactly do you need to defeat evil or commit a heroic deed? If that subject is personal then I understand."

It wasn't long till the young woman came back with ale and food for the two of them. This was the first time Arianna drank ale. Usually in the palace she drank a variety of fine wines, fresh juices or purified waters. Ale had always been available but only as a second thought to the other drinks available. Until now she had always requested red wine. The female sipped the drink, contemplating it's taste. It was quite a bit harsher than what she was accustomed to but it wasn't bad at all. She took another sip before munching on their dinner.

Eric enjoyed the meal a great deal, it was well made and he had the promise now of a fun day the next day. Of course he would need to be on guard for danger as danger could pop up from time to time when a person wasn't aware or prepared, or that was what he had heard before. He at least heard that danger could pop up at any time, that was in his lessons at least. He blinked, as he knew he had never really had to come face to face with any such person or force, but that was why he was out here to find the dangerous foe, and to corner them and then to defeat them in total, before returning home with his trophy to show that he was worthy and that he was good enough, but until then he knew he had to just keep working his ass off to prepare for that moment.

"Well, it is to prove myself, if I can't prove myself, then I am not allowed to do some um certain things, and well, I really need to prove myself to um someone um.. important and all," he said giving no details about why he had to do this, but he gave some idea of why he was on this quest of his. "Till I do so, I can't return home, I would be nothing but a shame to go home nothing but a fake and a loser after all," he added in as he then took another bite of his food.

Yeah the next day would be fun, he enjoyed the meal, and the company, Arianna was a odd person, there was something different about her that he couldn't place, but whatever he figured that he could figure it out in time. He smiled as he finished the meal and got to his feet. "Well now, it is time to head off to bed, I want to get some sleep, I am sure that tomorrow is going to be so much fun. He paid the bill for the meal and then offered Arianna his hand as he wanted to help her up from her chair.

Arianna listened as she enjoyed the meal as well. His answers were quite vague, having to prove something to someone before he could return home. She smiled and teasingly asked with a wink "Is this someone a pretty lady?" She was curious if the other had a special woman in his life, but wouldn't inquire further seeing as the other was holding back personal details. This didn't bother her at all, seeing as she herself had secrets to keep, at least for the time being. When they had finished the meal, he had helped her stand from the chair. "Thank you." she said with a smile before looping her arm around his as they began to head back to the room. "I'm sure tomorrow will be wonderful." She said in agreement.

Soon they were upstairs and had entered the room. When the door had closed she made her way over to a small table. She started by kicking off her flats. Reaching behind her she pulled on one of the strings, untying it and loosening the top half of her deep red dress. Arianna then pulled the outer layer of her dress up over her head and laid it out on one of the chairs. She also removed her garter belts holding the two small daggers and placed those on the table. "That's more comfortable." she breathed wearing just the white silk under dress. Ari found the clothes of humans to be heavier than her own back home. Often she she would not have worn more then what she was currently wearing.

Walking over to the bed she pulled the sheets back and slid in on one side. "This isn't bad." she said with a smile. The bed wasn't nearly as comfy as the one at the palace but was alright in comparison to her sleeping arrangements over the past week. She laid back, her head laying on one of the pillows. She could already feel exhaustion setting in. This was due to the constant use of power when keeping up her camouflage. Sleep used to never be anything she needed much of, sleeping eight outs a night more out of enjoyment then anything else. Now she felt she needed that full nights sleep.

He didn't reply as he figured that it would only get him in trouble somehow, he took a deep breath as he nodded his head in agreement as he got to the room. He had not thought about the possiblity of her undressing in front of him but she did, and damn she was a hot woman. Eric was sure that she was not normal, and the feelings he had around her were unlike any other woman he had ever meet and he had meet a number of them before. He blushed slightly as he looked at her only in her under dress, itself was something amazing and beautiful as well. He looked at her for a moment longer before he himself started to change, going down to his boxers, as he then worked his way onto the bed. He didn't get close to Arianna as he didn't want to bug her as he slept, but it had been a long day and a good night sleep was something he was so very much looking forward too.

He went to sleep quickly as he did so he moved closer to Arianna during the night, in the morning he pulled away as he got up at sunrise. He went and got ready, taking a bath away from the room to avoid risk as he then got ready. He knew that the future was going to be a fun, this day was going to be so much fun. He grabbed two plates of fruits for breakfast and carried them upstairs and put them on the table as he waited for Arianna to get up so that they could share the breakfast together. He looked at her sleeping form, what was this feeling in his chest he felt when he looked upon her. How was she able to affect him so completely, he had been worried about this, why had he been attracted to her. It wasn't like he didn't know other women, but non could get the reaction that she could from him. He sighed as he knew his father and mother would most likely be laughing at him for being such a situation as he was in. Yet, he couldn't help it, as he was who he was, and well Arianna was a unique and most beautiful female.

He reached down and tried a berry as he looked outside the window to see the people setting up for the days actions. He could see the people moving from place to place, people from all around in the country flooding in to the city making up market and many of the people showing off their skills. He wondered if Arianna had ever seen anything like this, he had only once, when he was younger and following his uncle out on one of his trips. He didn't know the country well, as he lived in the big city, the capital of a major country, and well he was trained to be in the military as he came from a family of knights, and heroes. He was the youngest of five brothers the other four already heroes in his homeland. He was the black sheep and so far had been unable to prove himself, but soon he would do that.

"Good night." she said to him as she closed her eyes. Unlike many men he was considerate, and gave her space in the bed. She wouldn't have minded if he slept close, but she did appreciate the show of respect. It made her happy and had the opposite effect of making her want him to sleep closer. It didn't take long for Arianna to fall into a deep sleep. While she slept she was like a heat sinking missile and had worked her way towards him in the night. Ari had always slept best when she was with someone else. That night she slept exceptionally well as she curled up against the other.

Morning came and she woke up feeling the warm sun on her face. She took a deep breath, rolling onto her side and stretching under the sheets. Her brown eyes opened and after a moment adjusted to the light. Arianna saw Eric's figure standing by the window eating berries. She smiled, just watching him for a minute. He made the perfect traveling companion, kind, respectful, strong and he even was willing to take the time from their travels to stop at a festival. Ah, the festival, she couldn't wait to see it. Having been stuck in the palace all her life she had never experience a festival.

Her disguise had maintained though out the night and the curly brown hair down her shoulders as she stood. Walking across the room she ran her hand through her hair, taming it down. "Morning, did you sleep well?" She asked before noticing the two plates of fruit and berries on the table. She grabbed a strawberry "Did I sleep in quite late?" she wondered, pushing the berry between her lips as she made it towards the window. The female leaned against the wall, looking out the window at the scenery. "Is that what a festival looks like?" she asked herself. She looked to the other with a smile "I never really got out all that much till now so this would be my first one." she shared before taking another bite of the berry. "Breakfast is delicious, thank you." she added.

"No, I don't think so, I figure that it is perfect for having the time needed so that you can go and get ready and then we can head in and the festival should be starting soon after that. The bathroom happens to be down the hall on the right," he informed her figuring that she would want to take a bath that morning before heading out, who knew if they would be taking a bath after the following day for a while. One never knew when they would or wouldn't not be able to run across a town to sleep. They could end up spending a number of nights out under the stars away from places to take a bath. "Your welcome, the food was free, the people were kind enough to give me the berries, it would seem that they were extras that they had, what nice people," he commented as he ate some raspberries."

"I figure that we can walk the grounds till launch and then we can head out to the east. The owner said there was a large city that way with a haunted house or something that has to be a place for evil. I am sure that if we go there we can well find some evil to take care of and well also it is a haunted house, there are ghost there. That has to be checked out, I mean ghost are such a wild and crazy thing that it has to be checked out," he commented sure that she knew his plans, he wasn't sure her plans, but he figured he could change up his own if they didn't line up. Still a haunted house seemed like a hell of a fun adventure that would be great for the both of them.

Eric smiled looking at his partner well sorta travel partner. "Now, um, what types of things do you want to look at down there. Do you want to find some food, or some clothes, or jewelry, or just play games?" he asked figuring that he could learn more about her from her reply.

Arianna nodded her head with a smile "I find more often then not people being kind and generous." Before her travels, she never expected to come across so many people willing to aid or even going out of their way to be kind to a traveler. This was usually the opposite case for the demons she ruled over. Often they would behave rudely or ignore travelers or even their own neighbors. Demons of a higher social class were more civil to one another but few had hearts like humans. Ari had enjoyed her time among the humans during her travels and knew she would miss it when she would finally return home to claim her throne.

"A haunted house." she repeated as she munched on a few strawberries. "That sounds interesting, and a difficult task to take care of." Real ghosts were rare and a difficult evil to vanquish do to the fact that they can't simply be killed with a normal weapon. Sometimes what is said to be ghosts are other demons mimicking them to scare humans for amusement. If this was a real ghost problem things would certainly be exciting. She nodded her head "That certainly would be an interesting adventure." She enjoyed the idea of seeing the knight handle that situation.

Usually, Ari would have wanted to look at clothes and jewelry first, however on her travels she didn't feel it was necessary to fill her bag with items she didn't need. Plus it was so early in her adventure, she didn't need to collect any souvenirs today. "Why don't we try out a couple of games and listen to the music?" she said before turning to the table and grabbing her dress off the chair. "I'm going to go bathe" she said, sliding into the garment momentarily. Though she felt comfortable in such little clothing in front of Eric, she didn't want to attract unwanted attention from others by roaming the halls in her under dress. Once her dress was on she exited the room "I'll be back shortly."

She made her way to the bathroom, locking the door behind her she proceeded to undress. With this alone time she took a rest from her disguise, her brown curly hair becoming long black and sleek, her eyes changing from the warm brown to a vibrant green. Her body also changed just slightly and a sigh of comfort left her lips. Arianna felt more herself in this form, and revived as she slipped into the water. Ari took a quick bath as she wanted to continue on with the day and experience as many new things as she could in the time they have. She could have easily soaked for hours longer but no longer had that sort of luxury.

Once out of the bathe she dried, reverted back to her disguise and dressed herself again. She left and returned to the room they had been staying. As she closed the door behind her she commented "That was much needed." Ari lifted her dress up as she slipped the belts on her thighs again, placing the small daggers in their holders. She slid her bag onto her back before looking to him with a smile. "Are you ready to head out?"

As she took a bath, Eric sat watching people move around, thinking about waht she had said, he hoped that they were not getting in over his head and he wasn't causing her any problems. Arianna was a beauty he had to protect and wanted to protect in any way that he could. He knew that she was over his head, but he found himself so very attracted to her. Only his duty and pride in his duty as a knight kept him from acting and admitting his attraction openly to the beautiful woman. He of course had no clue that there was more to her then meet the eye, but at this point, he wouldn't of been nearly as affected by the knowledge but it would confused the hell out of him to know that she was a demon.

He looked up to see her and smiled looking at the beautiful woman, she knew how to dress with style. he nodded his head and then walked outside and then headed out to the festival. He figured that he would have his fun, as he walked to the games. There were so many of them, he looked at the various games and figured there were some were similar to the training he did when he was training to be a knight during his early days. He played a throwing game and got a good score. He looked over to see what Arianna was up to, and then then refocused as he threw a few more balls at the targets. He smiled as he had won a prize. He turned his head as he looked over at Arianna, it was the males job to win a prize for the female, or in his old fashion mind that was what he should do.

"Now, which one of the prizes do you want to get," he asked looking at her, letting her pick the prize that she would want, they were trinkets and not that big, but it was a way he could get something for this remarkable woman. He wondered what she would pick, but he looked around and felt a odd feeling as he looked at various people, something was up, but he couldn't put his finger on it, where they perhaps being watched by someone or something.

Down at the festival they walked around a bit looking at various games. Eric stopped to play one as a woman stopped Arianna, trying to get her to buy some of her sweets. She looked over the woman's sweets, asking questions about how they were made and their different flavors. Finally she chose to purchase a nut and raisin brittle. The brittle was placed in a bag and weighed. She then paid the woman before taking the bag and going back to her companion's side. Back at his side she was able to admire his aim and skill at the game "Have you ever played the game before?" she questioned.

She smiled when he allowed her to pick the prize. "Are you sure? Alright then." she said before looking over her options. Arianna selected a simple necklace, a polished piece of quartz on a black cord. "That way I can always wear and look at it." as she said this she look the necklace and hung it on her neck. The stone fell between her breasts. Turning to thank him she noticed him looking around suspiciously. "What's wrong?" she asked, reaching out to touch his arm. It was then that she felt something tug on her bag. It came as such a surprise that she hadn't had time to fight it and it left her possession.

The thief was a werewolf, having slipped in between the tents and stalls as a human, he hid till he found the right victim. The furred beast then ran through the festival in the direction of the forest. People screamed as they jumped out of way of the barreling figure. Her eyes were wide in shock as she whipped her head around in the direction of the thief. "My bag!" she gasped. The only contents of her bag of value was the gold coins which was no great loss to her. What she was most worried about was the loss of her herbs. Many of which could not be bought among humans, several could only be grown in her kingdom and a few grown only in her greenhouse.

Eric was not going to have this and he was not going to let a theif get away from under his thumb, he moved after the werewolf moving though the crowd, he was used to dealing with large crowds as the smaller knight slip between people and followed him out of the festival and out of the town into the woods. He was not going to give up and was going to fight against whatever stole and did something so bad as take from Arianna. He moved into the woods not noticing the theif was not human till he saw him coming out at him out of the corner of his eyes, his foot flying down and forward at Eric. Eric threw up his arms as he was knocked down, onto his back as he rolled up and got to his feet.

Eric looked at the werewolf seeing his tough claws flying at his neck he blocked with his short sword which he kept on himself as he kicked the werewolf on his back, he wasn't as fast or strong as this creature, so he had to out think him and figure out where that he would attack before he did. Otherwise he would have zero chance of getting out of here fine. He watched him as he just dodged a slash, as he watched his movements closely figuring him out as best as he could knowing that learning his motions and attacks would help him learn his motions and patterns. He attacked forward, testing him and found that he had to black up after a moment, but he gained more experience from learning how he would react to him as well. Eric was a smart fighter, tough and smart, he used this to his own advantage.

He soon had his motions figured out as he dodged them with ease, moving around him, he kept himself at a safe distance, as he waited for the right moment, the movements were more rushed as the werewolf was frustrated by not landing a strike. Eric figured that not hitting and taking out some short simple human had to be annoying, he watched him as he then found the moment, a sloppy attack against him, he grabbed him by the wrist and used his own momentum throwing him as he did he grabbed the bag from him and threw it over his shoulder. He saw the werewolf charge him, as he did he jumped him as he came down on top of him kicking him in the back of the neck. He could finish him but he didn't feel like it, he turned and started to head back to look for Arianna to return the bag.

Arianna chased after the two. She greatly disliked her human form at this point. If she was in her normal state she could have kept up with them. She came to a stop at the edge of town. She didn't know if the werewolf and Eric had entered the woods or turned somewhere along the way. A heavy sign of frustration left her chest as she looked around. It would be best for her to return to the festival, where she had been standing before. At least there she can wait for her companion's return. Just as she was about to turn and head back she noticed a figured coming out of the woods. A wide smile formed on her lips as she noticed who it was.

"Oh good you're safe!" she said approaching his side. "Where you hurt at all?" she questioned, hoping the answer was no. She didn't want him to be injured for her sake. "What happened to that thing?" she asked, not having had a close enough look to know what it was. All she knew was that it wasn't human. Arianna was so full of questions for him but felt it was best if she didn't ask anymore. She figured that after a fight he would be tired and in no mood to detail the crazy event.

Upon closer inspection she could see him carry something in his hands. "My bag!" she exclaimed in surprise. She hadn't actually expected him to get it back, and in one piece! The two met at the edge of the woods, Arianna tossed her arms around him. "Thank you so much!" she said during the embrace. Smiling she looked at him "I hope this is a suitable award for my hero." she said before closing her eyes and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "And the brittle in the bag is all yours." she added when her lips left his cheek a moment later. Of course she was going to give the candy to him as a gift anyways.

Eric looked to find Arianna standing as he came out of the woods, he looked at her and smiled glad that he was able to help her and that he was able to at least one good deed this day. "I am fine, it was a interesting fight, but I handled the werewolf, he ran off into the forest. I figured it best to not run to far in chase of him and well there could be more of them in the woods and running into an ambush would be really bad, pluse I was able to get what I was after," he replied as he offered up the bag back to her knowing that she would want it. He figured it was hers and it was important as she had it with her when he meet her and it looked like she had it for a while. He smiled not thinking that she would hug him, but that caught him completely off guard and by surprise as he blushed a fair bit for that moment. "Well you are welcome, I figured it was important to you."

He was glad she closed her eyes, as she wouldn't be able to see the crimson on his cheeks when she kissed his cheek. He looked at the bag and nodded his head, the idea of some sweets sounded rather good, he was glad to have that as a reward, but the hug and kiss were more then enough for him, that was something that made him really quite happy as he looked at the brunette in front of himself. "Well now, it was very much welcome, thank you, I do have a sweet tooth, to be honest," he commented as he stepped back looking at her with a half smile on his lips.

"Now, I figure that it would be best that we head into town and get something to eat, best to have real food before we split those sweets that you got," he commented taking her hand into his own as he walked towards the city. "Now, I guess I am just glad to get back what was yours, I said I would protect you and that includes your stuff, as I am sure that is important to you," he reasoned as he walked. "Now, I should of noticed him before he took it, I just was um, off guard for that moment, and I am sorry to say that, but I will do better in the future."

The moment the attack happened, he had been checking out her breasts as the necklace slipped right there, he blushed and he had not paid any attention for a good moment to anything that happened to be around himself. A error, one he would need to work on, but it seemed to be okay as all that ended well and all. Still he learned a lesson about being more careful from this that he could use in the future.

When she kissed his cheek, though she couldn't see his deep blush, she certainly felt it on her lips. Arianna took a bit of self pride in the fact that she could evoke such a reaction effortlessly, without intending to do so at all. Especially without her true beauty or using her powers of charm. Soon she released him from the embrace. "Yes, I did have some important items in there. Thank you again for returning it safely." she said with a smile spread across her lips. Hand in hand they walked back into the town. "I'm surprise that you reacted that quickly, but I'm glad you had." She gently squeezed his hand as they walked, "You certainly are my hero."

Soon they made it back into the town, the smell of festival food and sound of laughter filled the air surrounding them. Ari hadn't felt to hungry before, but now she was feeling just a little peckish. Perhaps it was the result of the previous situation, or the smell of food entering her nostrils again. Either way they should eat something plenty filling before beginning with their travels again. "What are you interested in?" she asked looking around. "We could eat here or sit down at a tavern for a bit." She didn't really lean to one idea or the other. The festival food was mainly composed of treats or specialty items not sold all year long. The taverns however had hardier meals that would fill their bellies and better prepare them for long travels.

Eric nodded as he looked at the beautiful woman for a moment and then he went from place to place walking with Arianna as he was sure that they were going to find good food to take with them. He found fresh herbs that he could take with him, salted meat with himself and fruits and vegetables that were easy to travel with himself. It was food that would be able to last along his travels. He was sure that the foods would be good and then get them to the next city easy and though the next adventure easy as well. He looked at Adrianna and wasn't sure what she thought of him, but he found her to be a remarkable woman. He wondered who she was, he figured she wasn't anyone normal, perhaps a lady from a foreign court who came to this land to see around. He would know if she was of the native court, well cause he was, a member of that family.

"Now for our meal, I think we should get something and then head to find a spot to watch the performances tonight," he commented as he looked at her, walking over and getting a plate of chicken and some other veggies to go with it. He looked at Arianna and put his arm around her, "Now, having a beautiful woman in one hand and food in the other, pretty much what any man could dream of and want," he said teasing her for a moment and then letting go of her arm as he let her get the food that she wanted to get. He figured she would get what looked good to her.

He lead her to a field where they could see a stage where people were preparing for plays and musicals that were going to go on during the night, stuff from ancient times being performed to the masses. "I love things like this, back at home we would have traveling performers who would perform all of the time, it was so amazing and fun," he mused as he started to eat upon his meal. He moved a bit closer to Arianna as he finished his own food, as he felt a odd need to be near her, and a odd feeling inside himself he never felt before meeting her. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was a nice warm feeling.

"Sounds perfect." she said in agreement. She wondered what sort of performance there would be at this festival. More often than not performances at the palace were based on skills specific to the species giving it. There were a number of entertaining skills shared among the various types of demons, singing and dancing for example. Arianna wondered what sort of skills humans commonly displayed in performances. She supposed it wouldn't be too much different then back home and didn't ask. A human would probably already know these things anyway, and she was trying to appear to be like any other human.

She enjoyed the feeling of his arm around her, making her feel safe and comfortable by his side. A small chuckle left her lips as he teased her, "Men and their simple pleasures. I suppose women aren't much different though." Women don't need much in life to make them happy. Generally a good man caring for them was all they needed. Good food was always welcome too. Ari took a plate and filled with with chicken and various vegetables as well before following him to the field.

Eric was unlike any other man she had met in her own court. He made her feel safe and comfortable. Though she felt those things in the luxury of her palace, it was different with him. It was a feeling she couldn't put into words yet. Arianna was sure she would find them the longer she spent with him. As they ate, she sat sat close to him. By the end she found herself sitting closer. Her right leg rested against his left as they enjoyed the show. She allowed herself to lean against his arm. "I haven't enjoyed a day as much as I enjoyed this one in a long time." she said while playing with the necklace he had won her earlier. "Thank you for today." she added looking up at him with a smile.

"Good, I am glad that you had a lot of fun, it was the goal that I had for the day, to make sure the beautiful lady had as much fun as she could," he said with a happy little smile upon his face as he looked right at her. He leaned in towards her for a moment before pausing so close to her. "Now, please forgive me for this, if this is offensive for you," he said softly looking into her eyes for a moment. After he made the statement, his lips moved forward and pressed against her own lips, kissing her on the lips. As he kissed her he could feel how soft and nice her lips were to kiss. He hadn't really kissed anyone before, so he had nothing to compare this experience to, but he was sure that there was something that was beyond the normal about how good kissing he was. He felt great kissing her, and he could at the same time feel his heart beat faster in his chest as he kissed her.

Eric let the kiss linger more then he thought he would, the passion within himself increasing as his heart rate was increasing faster and faster, before he had to pull away. He felt his face flush as he looked at her after the remarkable kiss. There was nothing he could compare this to, it was a kiss beyond the normal kiss. He was looked at her with a bit of a dazed look in his eyes as he gathered himself after the amazing kiss with her. He took a deep breath, to calm his mind and heart down a bit more. Would she have the reaction to the kiss that he had, he doubted it, as it was so amazing he couldn't even see another person having a similar reaction that he had in his heart. It was a sad thought, but he was at the same time very content with the thought as well.

Looking at the end of the show, he looked down at Arianna and smiled, "Now, it would seem it is time to head back to the hotel, best to make use of the comfortable bed while we sleep tonight cause it would be able to enjoy it," he said as he got to his feet slowly, slower then he thought he would as he then offered Arianna his hand to help her up to help her. "Now it has been far more fun then even I thought and I have that to thank you for Arianna."

For Arianna, the kiss was bliss, passionate, but gentle. She reached up, placing a hand on his cheek as she returned the kiss. Oddly her heart had skipped a beat. She had kissed both men and women, mostly in a friendly manner but several passionately. None had managed to make her chest ache in the same way Eric had managed. It different, it felt more real then ever before. Was it because he didn't know who she truly was? Because she felt more comfortable now to be herself than ever before? Whatever the reason was, it was beautiful, and she could have easily continued to kiss him.

When their lips parted she had a soft blush across her cheeks. She smiled up at him before nodding her head. "That would be a good idea." she replied before taking his hand and standing. Once on her feet she placed a hand on his upper back, the other was placed on his arm. "We will definitely have to attend more festivals in the future." she said before they began heading back in the direction of the inn. At that moment, Ari wished that they could travel together forever. She tried to push from her mind the thought that all good things must come to an end eventually.

Back at the inn, they bought another night's stay, the keeper giving them the same room as the night before. Tonight two rooms were available, but she asked for just one. Arianna looked up at Eric making sure it was alright. She figured it was alright, after having shared a bed last night and the kiss they exchanged it shouldn't have been a problem. Smiling, she lead the other up the stairs, heading to the cozy room they had left earlier that morning.