Kaylein returned to her room, still breathing hard and with her heart drumming in her chest. Without a word, she took off her clothes and used the cooled water Millicent had put in her bathtub.
“What happened? I thought you had gone to the river,” Millicent said, with a frown, as she jumped up from the chair she had been sitting on, while she waited for her lady to return.
“Let’s say the river was occupied, and leave it at that,” Kaylein muttered, quickly bathing.
Millicent opened her mouth wide, astounded, but one look at Kaylein’s face told her all she had to know, and she didn’t insist on the subject.
“Will we be allowed downstairs for dinner?” she asked, as she finished washing with Millicent’s help.
“I’m afraid not, milady. Your mother told me to warn you not to go anywhere near the visitors,” The maid reminded her.
Kaylein snorted and got out of the water. “I really don’t understand why all of the mystery around those men,” She protested.
“I have no idea, milady, but for your sake and mine, please, stay in your room,” Millicent begged.
Kaylein scowled but nodded. “I’ll die of boredom here,” she said, furious.
“I’m sure you could work on that tapestry you’re supposed to finish before Christmas,” Millicent suggested, already knowing her reaction.
“Are you mocking me, Millicent? I rather throw myself out the window she said, in a dramatic tone.
“The window is too small for you, milady,” Millicent replied, dodging the pillow her lady threw at her as they laughed.
“I’m sure they won’t stay here much longer.”
“I wish you were right, but deep down, my instincts tell me they won’t be leaving soon,” Kaylein said, sighing, as she looked out the small window of her room. The sun had long disappeared in the skies, and now the moon was the one lightening the village with its silvery light.
“I better go get your dinner, milady. I won’t be long.”
“Thank you, Millicent,” she said, sighing. She was still feeling the effects of her encounter with Cuyler. Her heart seemed unable to go back to her normal pace and just thinking of him could make it start beating faster.
Cuyler returned to the castle, trying to find the best way to bring up the subject that interested him with Lord Arryn. They had been away from home far too long, and he was looking forward to returning, but not before he had what he had come for.
Dinner was served in the main room, again with all of Lord Arryn’s men and servants assembled in the place, but unfortunately, he couldn’t see or sense Millicent anywhere around. That disappointed him greatly.
After dinner, he gathered his men at one of the tables, so that they could talk about their discoveries.
“Well? Have any of you found your mate?” he asked them.
“We haven’t seen many women around, my king, other than the ones they call servants, and most of them are aged,” Haskell said, sighing.
“I haven’t seen her… but I’ve sensed her,” Igor said, with a deep frown. “Does that even make sense to you?” he asked. “I’ve captured her scent in the air several times, but I’m never able to see her.”
"Why do you think she's special if you haven't seen her?" Eirik asked him.
"Well, because just her scent can make my whole body tense up in sheer need,” he replied in a self-deprecating tone. "Perhaps this place is driving me crazy; I don't know."
“You’re not crazy,” Cuyler assured him. “Her scent was the first thing I noticed as well. Now that I have seen her, I know she’s the one,” he confessed.
His men cheered him, but he shushed them.
“That’s amazing. Who is she?” Haskell asked, excited.
“I haven’t seen her much, and only once here at the castle, but I’m sure she’s around.”
“Do you think they are hiding some of their women from us?” Eirik suggested.
“It makes sense. We’re not exactly common visitors,” Cuyler replied. “Either way, tomorrow I’ll talk to Lord Arryn and see if he’s willing to sell some of his women to us.”
“Yes, that would be great. Otherwise, we’ve been wasting our time here.”
“Just be prepared for anything, because I’m not leaving this place without her,” he warned his men.
They all nodded, and after talking a bit longer, they all went to their rooms, except Igor and him.
“I’m too restless to sleep,” His friend confessed. “I think I’ll walk around the place to see if I get lucky and finally see her.”
“Go ahead. I’ll go for a walk in the forest. I need fresh air.”
They parted ways at the main door, and soon Cuyler was walking through the trees.
Wandering around, thinking of her, he lost track of time. Deciding it was time to return to the castle, he turned around to go back.
But, once again, her scent reached him before he could see her. Apparently, she was fond of the night walks as much as he was.
But this time, he wasn't hiding from her. He would meet her halfway.
After eating dinner, Kaylein paced her room, trying to appease the restlessness she was feeling to no avail. She needed her night walk, but she still remembered the strange creature she had encountered the other night. So, she paced her room for a few more minutes, but it definitely wasn’t enough. Throwing caution to the wind, she decided to leave the castle, though not before she grabbed her sword, just in case.
The cold air of the night immediately made her feel better. Being confined to her room was killing her, and she couldn’t wait for the moment her father would allow them to go downstairs. She still couldn’t understand his reluctance, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.
When she was deep in the forest, again, she sensed a presence. Fearing another encounter with whatever was in the woods the other night she looked around and shouted: “Who’s there?”
The minute she pronounced the words, she could see the silhouette of a man, a very tall man walking towards her. The speeding up of her heartbeat gave her the identity of the man walking towards her.
“Good evening, Millicent,” he greeted her.
“Sir Cuyler,” she said, trying to sound normal and not let him know the effect he had on her.
“I guess we both enjoy walking through the woods at night,” he said, as he finally reached her. “But I would say it’s a bit dangerous for a woman alone to wander these woods,” he said, worried about her safety.
She snorted. “I know these woods better than I know the village. I’ve spent my whole life here.”
“I’m sure of it, but this place could hide threats for a woman like you,” he insisted, thinking of the wild boar they had hunted that afternoon.
“I assure you I can take care of myself, Sir Cuyler,” she said, in a cold tone. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to continue with my night walk,” she added, wanting to put distance between her and that man, feeling her heart hastened its pace in his presence.
He disturbed her way too much.
“Allow me to walk with you,” he suggested, in a determined tone.
“Again, I assure you I don’t need someone to watch over me.”
“I’m sure of it. But still, I would like to go with you, if you don’t mind,” he insisted, eager to be with her, even if it was in a dark forest, in the middle of the night.
Kaylein opened her mouth to say she did mind but then decided not to. She couldn't be that rude to him. He could go and tell her father about her behavior, and she would get Millicent in trouble.
“Very well.” She finally nodded as she walked away, not waiting to see if he was following her.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, but she could feel his presence behind her all the time. “So, Sir Cuyler, where are you from?” she asked him, tired of the tense silence.
“I come from a land called Zuvrak. It’s very similar to this one, perhaps just a bit colder.”
“I’m sure you must miss your home,” she asked, curious.
“Yes, I must admit that I do.”
"And you miss your family too, right? Your wife… and perhaps even your children?" she asked before she could stop herself. Why would she care if he had a wife and kids? And yet, she did, very much.
“No, I don’t have a family, nor wife or children, but that’s something I intend to change,” he said, in a soft tone, looking at her.
She frowned, bothered by the tone in his voice, so eager, anxious, and she quickly changed the subject. “Are you enjoying your stay with us?”
“Yes, much more than I expected,” he admitted.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
They walked a bit further, and when she was about to open her mouth to tell him it was time to go back to the castle, he silenced her, covering her mouth.
The moment he wrapped his arms around her and covered her mouth with his hand, her body was enveloped in a wave of heat that took her breath away. She wouldn’t have been able to speak, even if her life had depended on it.
“Listen,” he whispered in her ear, slowly uncovering her mouth.
“I can’t hear anything,” she protested, whispering, breathing hard and trying to hear whatever had startled him.
Remembering his ear was a lot more accurate than hers, Cuyler asked her again. “Are we close to a village or something?”
“No, the nearest village is almost ten miles away from here,” she explained.
“I can hear several people assembled in that direction,” he explained, making an effort to ignore her closeness and focus on the possible problem ahead of them.
Taking her by the hand, he guided her through the woods, until they could see what looked like a camp, with several tents, just a few yards away.
Startled, she forgot her feelings and the passion rushing through her body, as she focused on what she was seeing. Looking at it carefully, she turned to look at Cuyler. “Can you see any flag?” she whispered.
He looked at the camp, using his night vision. “Yes, there’s one at the center of the camp.”
“
“What is on it?” she asked him, shaking.
“It has some sort of animal in it, like a dog, but with a mane,” he tried to explain.
“Oh, god… we need to go back, fast.”
She started running back, and he followed her, admiring her speed and the way she ran across the woods.
They reached the village in about half an hour, during which, she never stopped running, or diminished her speed.
He had imagined she would enter the village by a hidden door or something, but she went through the main door, waking up the guards.
“Close all of the gates, now,” she yelled at him.
“Milady… what’s going on?” one of the men asked, startled.