Richard was the first of them to wake. He checked the position of the sun, judging by that alone it had to be around mid-day or later. Once he rubbed his eyes and looked around, he proceeded to wake his traveling friends. He started with Daniel, by shaking him a little and when it didn't work he grabbed his friend's foot. It scared Daniel a moment but did the job. He then woke Stergis without much trouble.

"Come on guys, I think we should get something to eat in the village before we finally get to go home." Richard suggested to them.

"That sounds good to me I'm starving." Stergis agreed, so did Daniel.

The three of them walked through the forest and kept going until they reached the village. They had a quick bite to eat at the pub, just a little something to fuel them on the way. None of them took long, eager to get back home to the ones they loved. They knew they had quite a walk ahead of them before they'd be home. The enchanted forest was gigantic. They just kept going, every few hours they would take a short rest, and then the warlocks would push on. They kept going through the dips and valleys, deep into the forest. It had become nightfall by the time they took a second rest stop. The trip home seemed to take longer than it did to get to the mountains. While they were taking a break Richard sat down with the newest friend.

"Stergis, can we talk for a minute?" Richard asked.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Daniel and I wish to make a proposal of sorts." Richard told him.

"What sort of a proposal?" Stergis asked.

"We want you to join us, not as just our friend but our brother. We would like you to be one of the warlock brethren." Richard explained to him.

"I am honored, really. Officially I must discuss it with Ravenessa, but count me in." Stergis spoke with a raw emotion he rarely shared.

"Welcome to our little family." Richard congratulated him.

"I wonder what the women are up to?" Daniel chimed in.

"They are probably worrying, I'd say." Stergis commented.

"Veronia is probably going little nuts by now. I've never been gone this long since we met." Richard pointed out.

"She's probably been staying at the castle with my Rae, so she wouldn't sit at home alone." Stergis suggested.

"You're probably right." Richard agreed with him.

"Don't worry brothers, we'll be home soon." Stergis assured them.

The other two knew he was right, they were getting there, it just seemed like it would take forever. The three of them walked in silence, picking up speed the closer they got. It was very late by the time they reached their end of the enchanted forest, when the three of them split up to go their separate ways, Stergis hugged them.

"Thank you guys for your help as well as your good natured kinship. I'll not forget your help this day" Stergis told them.

"You're one of us now; we do whatever it takes to help our own." Daniel told him.

The three of them said their goodbyes, as Stergis picked up speed hoping to get home to the castle, to his dark enchantress. He couldn't wait. He hoped she would still be awake when he got there. He couldn't wait to see her; to just be near her would make the quest worth going. He loved her more than life. He thought of his companion kept him going. 

              Her image in his mind gave him the strength to push on until he had finally reached the castle grounds. He was almost there. He let out a sigh of relief. Almost there he told himself. He took a deep breath and sprinted across the wide landscape until he reached the front of the enormous castle. He stood at the castle's huge door and yanked it open. He ran into the castle and didn't stop until he found her. She and his sister were sitting in the library reading and having a little wine. Veronia looked up and saw her little brother had returned, she smiled and waited for Ravenessa to turn around.

In nearly the same instant Rae turned around to see her companion standing there with the staff. Her eyes widened, she felt as if her heart was going a hundred miles an hour. She ran across the library to hold onto him.

"Thank the goddess you are home safe and I love you." She blurted out.

"I love you too my dear. I see you've been keeping my sister sane." He joked a little.

Veronia walked up to the two of them and hugged them both. She was glad that her brother was okay, but she was ready to see Richard.

"I'm glad everyone made it back safe. I will see you both later, I missed my Richard."

"Go on, we understand." Ravenessa assured her.

Thank you so much. I love you guys. Veronia told them as she hurried through the castle to get back home to her Richard. She couldn't wait to see him again. She ran as fast as her legs would go. She sprinted through the castle grounds. Then once into the forest she moved faster than a cheetah, practically flying through the forest as opposed to running through it. 

She went so fast she almost didn't feel the cold earth beneath her feet. Veronia didn't care how fast she sprinted through the forest, it wasn't fast enough. She increased her speed just by thinking of her hero, her Richard. She didn't stop to rest until she had gotten through most of the enchanted forest, taking a short break close to the forest pathway that led near his cottage. She was so happy that they returned home it made her heart ache.

She stared at the moon and the stars, thanking fate for bringing her back from that awful asylum. She also was thankful that Richard loved her the way he did. He didn't care that she spent her twenties in a place for the mentally insane. He just loved her. That was all she really needed, love. Veronia stretched for a few minutes, then headed down the long pathway that would lead her home to her companion. 

             She even missed the way he smelled, a mixture of man sweat and nature. It was intoxicating to her, just by memory alone. She got moving on the pathway sprinting as if not her life but her very soul depended on it. She moved like the wind, running down the middle of the pathway, keeping an eye out for anything in the way. She couldn't believe she was almost there. She had enjoyed her friends, they were great company, but it still wasn't the same as being in his arms. She missed him so much it caused her to physically ache with need for him. She was close only a little further and she saw the cottage far off in the distance.

The sight of his cottage made her heart swell twice it's originated size. Her only focus now was to keep going, don't ever stop. Knowing that her twin soul was right behind that old wooden door was all the encouragement she needed to keep running. She was exhausted and out of breath, her muscles were dragging themselves to keep up with her. Raw need to be near him kept her from collapsing in the woods. After what seemed like eternity sprinting the path, she finally made it to the front of the small cottage she shared with him. She took a few minutes to regulate her breathing before bursting into the cottage. When she ran inside, there stood Richard with a smile.

"There you are, I've been waiting for you." He told her as she ran into his arms. Veronia held him so tight she could have cut off his air supply. When she let go of him, he kissed her, a long kiss of need.

"I missed you too." Richard whispered to her.

She smiled at him, holding onto him for a little longer before snuggling with him. She wanted to hear all of the details of his adventure with the other two warlocks. She knew one thing, being with Richard there were always great stories. She still couldn't believe he was home. She couldn't remember being happier. He told her about the villages, the forest and climbing the mountain. When he told her about the hurt gargoyle he could see the excitement on her soft angelic face. Then he told her about the Grigori.

"You won't believe what else happened." Richard told her.

"What is it?" She asked with fear in her eyes, hoping nothing was wrong.

"Daniel and I decided to make your brother a member , to join us as a warlock brethren."

"Wow really? Did you tell Stergis?" Veronia asked eyes wide with excitement.

"Yes we asked him and he said he'd be honored to join us." Richard informed her.

"I'm so happy for him, I'm glad that my brother has found happiness." Veronia told him.

They continued to talk and cuddle up into the late hours as they fell asleep together. They slept right there in the living room undisturbed in a slumber of contentment .

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