Bathed in the golden rays of the spring sun, castle Ildemar was bustling with activity. Servants were taking tapestries, duvets, and blankets to air out in the fresh wind; carpenters were climbing the roofs and assessing the damage from the heavy winter snowfall; a flock of bubbly little pages was laughing and chatting in one corner of the inner courtyard while sorting and preparing to clean their masters’ armor. The sound of a horn flew over the walls carried by the breeze and accompanied by the wild barking of dogs, indicating that the game-master and his people were going out to inspect the duke’s hunting grounds. The white smoke rising from the chimneys of the large kitchen carried a bouquet of aromas that made one salivate in anticipation of supper.

On this fine spring morning, two people slowly walked through the bustle, seemingly oblivious to everything around them. Their presence, however, did not remain unnoticed, gathering curious gazes and lively whispers.

“Oh my, look over there! It’s the duke. Wait, is he…?”

“No doubt, he is smiling.”

“Mother Above! Hurry up and pinch me!”

“So, the lass with him must be the duchess?”

“Shush! How dare you call the mistress lass?”

“Yea, it might be seen as insult, you know.”

“Ye’r such worrywarts. She gotta be a nice lady for making his highness smile like that. Besides, lil Milly says she’s polite and meek like a bunny.”

“Indeed. Look at them side by side – a mountain lion and a bunny. The lord and the lady sure are total opposites.”

“Wouldn’t bet on that. You see, she put her foot down before the lord and took over the shantytown. You think a meek bunny can do that?”

“Yea, you two! Lady Shimshi is not some trembling damsel. My nan heard madam Karusa praising the lady. It seems that when she was kidnapped, our lady fought like a she-wolf and almost managed to escape with little Anuk.”

“Ye’r dreaming! From them Red Hands?”

“Yep. And, you see, I even heard little Jessup is still alive only because of her! She’s more than meets the eye, you know.”

“Also, my nan was called to help take care of the lady’s wounds. She said the lady was all black and blue but didn’t scream or cry and just smiled and said “thank you”!”

“Oh, thank the Two Gods that she is all better now!”

“Damn them bloody bastards! Hope the duke slaughters them to the last soul!”

“Yes, yes, I hope the Father of Darkness tosses them in the hottest tar-pit of the Nether Realm!”

“May the Mother Above feed them to the Star-hounds!”

“Gimme a knife and I’ll chop off them hands that dared touch our lil lady myself!”

“Hey, you four! What are you whispering like old crones? The tapestries won’t dust themselves.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

On the other end of the courtyard, far enough from the ears of their bloodthirsty but well-wishing retainers, Lorelei and Noah were strolling seemingly aimlessly. At first, Lorelei felt a bit tense but little by little, as they talked about some small matters, the atmosphere became more relaxed, reminding her of their time on the ship to Norden. She stole a glance at Noah’s face and noticed that he had been smiling quietly.

“You seem in a good mood, my lord.”

“I am, indeed,” he nodded taking a deep breath. “It is a wonderful day, the sun is shining, the wind is warm, we managed to clear the name of my best friend. I couldn’t dare ask for more.”

“Once again, I am sorry for suspecting Sir Gregor.” Lorelei felt her cheeks warming up.

“And once again I am telling you, let it be. We cleared the misunderstanding, no one got hurt, and Saya will be fine. Leave the past in the past.”

Noah stopped and for a moment his gaze was focused on the giggling group of young pages doing their chores close by. His smile grew bigger but there was some sadness in his eyes.

“Time flies so quickly,” he said, more to himself than to Lorelei. “I can’t believe Gerash is a knight and a father already, and even Jess is now a squire. It was just yesterday that they gave me their oaths.”

“The quick growth of the students reflects the prowess of the master,” said Lorelei and chuckled. She observed the children, who were doing their best at their work and pretending not to notice their lord but still stealing a secret glance or two at him. Seeing them trying to act mature was really cute.

“You flatter me, my lady.” Noah started walking again and Lorelei followed suit. “Both of them are bright lads to begin with, so I can’t take much credit. If anything, I am the one constantly putting them in dangerous situations.”

“I believe I can contest you for that title.” Lorelei looked at the fluffy clouds slowly drifting over Ildemar’s towers. Then she continued quietly. “I almost killed both of them.”

All of a sudden, she felt a large warm hand lay gently on her shoulder. Turning around, Lorelei saw her husband’s calm face looking down at her. His other hand presented her with a neatly-folded handkerchief. At that moment, Lorelei realized that there were tears streaming down her cheeks.

“You did your best to help Jess,” Noah’s soothing words landed straight in her heart. “And you were willing to risk your life to help me save Gerash. None of them is blaming you. Neither am I. It is time for you to stop blaming yourself.”

Lorelei took the handkerchief and pressed it to her wet cheeks. For a few moments, silence fell between the two but, strangely enough, this time it did not feel tense or suffocating.

“I will return your handkerchief as soon as I wash it.” Lorelei gathered herself up and carefully folded the little piece of cloth. “I am sorry. All I’m doing lately is cry.”

“Don’t mention it.” Noah waved his hand. “I would be more worried if you didn’t cry at all. Bottling up feelings can harm a lady’s health.”

“I never took you for an expert on feelings, my lord.” Lorelei couldn’t help but chuckle. “Weren’t you loudly proclaiming your incompetence at the matter last night?”

“Ahem,” Noah coughed visibly flustered, “it is some wisdom I’ve inherited from a late friend of mine. Even though he wasn’t a knight, he was the epitome of chivalry. Or rather, he was someone who was able to get along with everybody to the point of mesmerizing them.”

“A wise man with the innocence of a child, I wish I could have known Sir Yanosh better.” The words slipped Lorelei’s mouth before she realized it. The slip of her tongue did not remain unnoticed.

“How did you know I meant Yanosh?” Noah was surprised but there was also the shadow of suspicion slowly creeping on his face. “I’ve barely mentioned him before you, so how can you describe him so well?”

‘I can’t tell him I’ve met the real person… or rather his spirit!’ Lorelei screamed in her mind, cursing her lack of self-awareness. But on the outside, she gave her husband a shy smile.

“Rish and Saya have told me a lot about him, to the point it feels like I know him.” She managed to regain her bearing. “He sounded like a wonderful person. I am sorry for speaking out of place.”

The tension seeped away from Noah’s face. He nodded.

“Yes, he was a great person. He was gentle, warm, and wore his heart on his sleeve. Without him, Norden would have never become so peaceful. It’s such a pity, I believe that you would have liked him and Orhana.”

Seeing the sadness in his eyes, Lorelei suddenly felt the urge to comfort him but since she didn’t know how, she tried to change the topic.

“By the way, where are we going, my lord?”

Engulfed in their conversation, the two had reached the small southern gate of Ildemar. Beyond it, little waves were washing the cliffs and stony beaches outside the castle walls and a long, white bridge stretched across the fjord to the green shores of Star-gazer Island.

“Well, since you have only seen Norden in the worst of lights ever since you came, I thought I would show you its better sides,” said Noah and offered her his arm.

Lorelei leaned on him and he carefully led her down the couple of steps to the bridge. As her foot stepped on the white stones, she hesitated.

“I don’t know if this is right. I promised Lady Shana to never…”

“I know what you promised Shana,” her husband interrupted her, “but I am the one bringing you over. There should be no issues.”

Lorelei nodded, a little hesitant, but still followed him on the bridge. The wind played with the ribbons in her hair and made her sleeves flutter like bird’s wings. She breathed in the fresh, salty air that carried a tinge of seaweed and shivered slightly. It was the middle of spring and yet the cold still lingered in the air.

Out of nowhere, something warm enveloped her. Lorelei twisted her head and saw Noah who had just casually thrown his doublet over her shoulders. In response to her wide-eyed look, her husband's lips curved in a wry smile.

“You only recently recovered from your injuries. It would be bad if you were to catch a cold.”

“And what about you?” Lorelei tried to take off the doublet but Noah persistently put it back on her shoulders, going as far as to button it under her chin thus turning it into a cape.

“Do you take the Beast of Norden for such a weakling?” There was a pretend anger in his voice. “It takes more than a light breeze to topple me, but the same can hardly be said for you, dear wife.”

“Y-you…” Lorelei felt her cheeks burning against the cold gale. “Fine. If you get lung disease, I won’t treat you!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Noah pursed his lips. “But frankly, from the two of us, who is more likely to get sick?”

“Says the person who spent a whole week unconscious and almost died,” huffed Lorelei, realizing fully well that her devilish husband was teasing her.

“Now that isn’t fair! I was wounded and poisoned. It does not count.”

“And I was attacked by a life-sucking monster! How does that count?” retorted Lorelei and marched away but, despite her protest, her hands grabbed the doublet hanging over her shoulders tightly.

“White Swallow?” mumbled Noah. “More like a lioness.”

The strong wind ruffled his hair and he used his hand to brush the unruly strands away from his eyes. His gaze trailed after Lorelei who was already a good distance away. An incredulous smile crept over his face.

“Or rather a rabbit.” He shook his head and followed after her.