It was the day of his father’s funeral. Appropriately enough, it was raining. Elsurion’s face had been a mask for the last few days because he had cried through the nights, mourning. The young successor to the throne he now was, Elsurion was overwhelmed, unable to process the loss of his father and the responsibilities he saw himself confronted with now. Fortunately, he had servants and advisors to organize the funeral and taking care of the usual business for a moment, so he could focus on his grief. Standing on a podium, the king gave a speech in honour of his deceased father, trying not to cry in front of all the citizens gathered around the coffin. It was extravagantly decorated with flowers and strips. The oak coffin was covered in beautiful ornaments, worthy of a great king. Elsurion addressed the crowd and said:

"People of Solaria, today is a sad day for all of us. five days ago, a great man has left this world. For many of you, he was your ruler. A loved ruled, a great ruler. To some, a friend. To me, a teacher, a great example of a man! My father often told me, that there is a reason for everything. I cannot see the reason behind him having to leave us so early, but, we must not ask, we must look forward! As his only son, I am taking the heavy burden of the crown. A burden, but an honour as well. I ask every single one of you to give your trust to me as you have trusted my father. We faced hard times before. I think any of you remember the Halvorian crusades, it was a terrible war, but together we overcame it. Even in times of trouble, when you are out of hope, there is something left to fight for, for everyone." The crowd applauded their new king. The cheering comforted Elsurion, he did not like the speech he just gave if he was honest with himself. The young king waited for the crowd to settle down to continue with a few details to the plans he had for the kingdom, when a voice cut through the settling cheers like a knife through warm butter:

“What about us, who have nothing left to fight for, king?”

The voice came from a hooded woman in the second row of the masses. Everyone went silent. The cheers stopped and the people around the hooded figure backed away. The woman did not flinch. The king could not see her face, he could not identify her voice either. The guards around the stage were instantly on edge, hands on their weapons. Finally, Elsurion curiously managed to ask:

“I beg your pardon citizen?”

“You heard me. What about us, who have nothing they could fight for? Explain that to me with a speech!”

One of the guards snapped: “Shut your mouth woman! How dare you talk to the king like that?”

The same guard grabbed her arm in order to arrest the hooded person. Way too fast for Elsurion to follow, the figure took a sidestep, twisted the guards arm behind his back and had him face down in the dust. Elsurion’s jaw dropped. He completely froze. A few of the citizens began to panic and scattered. The more guards rushed to their incapacitated companions aid. Jumping off the guards back, the woman kicked one of the approaching guards into the leg. He stumbled and fell down. The figure ducked an incoming sword strike and punched the third guard with her elbow. Her speed was incredible. A knee strike to the groin and another guard went down. An arrow missed the woman’s head by inches and ripped her hood off. Apparently, the guards posted on the walls had opened fire on her. That was the first time Elsurion saw Sarenya’s face. Her blonde hair, free now, was blown in all directions when she turned her head up to the walls to spot the sniper. Another arrow came, which she dodged. More guards came running now, surrounding her. Like a caged animal, she looked around, searching for an opening. Seeing how fast she sent their colleagues down, none of the guards wanted to make the first move on her. It was at this moment, when Elsurion yelled out in anger:

“STOP!”

The king’s fists came crushing down on the podium.

“STOP THIS MADNESS! WHAT IN SOLARIA’S NAME IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL?”

Thinking back, Elusion was pretty sure to be having released a wave of arcane energy by his anger at that moment. Flowers from the coffin were blown away and the podium got a few cracks on it, which could not have come from his punch. The citizens that were still there looked at their ruler in fear.

“Seize her!”, Elsurion pointed at the woman. This time, the guards did not need more motivation. The woman was able to punch two guards, sending them stumbling back a few feet, but she was eventually overwhelmed and brought down to her knees.

“Should we arrest her my king? Or do you wish her executed on the spot?”, One of the guardsmen asked. While being honestly tempted to kill the woman himself, the king answered:

“Neither.”, he looked at the woman directly now. Elsurion took her chin and pressed it up. He wanted her to look at him.

“I want to know what you are up to! You have the audacity to just step up, insult me and dishonour my father’s funeral! What is the matter with you! Answer this instant!”

Elsurion was furious. A part of him wanted to punch her. A part of him wanted to stab her. And a part of him wanted to burn her alive. Who was this woman? Elsurion just lost his father! Did she not care in the slightest what pain he must feel?

“Go on. Kill me. Torture me. I care not. You cannot answer me. You are as hollow as your words.”, the woman answered. After hearing that, Elsurion backed off in shock. Her words stung so deep. The sorcerer feared his eyes to literally catch fire any second now, he felt them burning with so much fury. Had there not been a voice of reason inside him still, Elsurion, without hesitation, would have lit up a fire in his hands and melting her face off with it. The sorcerer’s hands were already getting hot, but at the last moment, he snapped out of it. He was struck by the realization that he had a responsibility and a face to lose. The king acted like a mere child that had it’s toys snatched away. Blinking a few times to clear his mind further, Elsurion gave his order:

“I will not stand for this. We will continue the funeral ceremony. Take her away. Imprison her. I wish four men guarding her at any time. I will see to her later. There are matters more important to all of us now.”

Elsurion continued, looking at the two guards holding the woman specifically:

“Do not harm her and give her rations to eat. We treat our prisoners with dignity.”

The king looked around and said:

“Gather back the people of Solaria. In half an hour, the funeral will continue properly.”

There were not many citizens left, that was why Elsurion wanted to have them gathered again. However, the few still standing there, showed a few signs of trust in her king. While overly cheesy, they surely were convinced by his words. Convinced that he was a king they could trust. The young king was furious. But curious at the same time nonetheless. This woman was at his mercy, the king could have killed her. Yet, it seemed she cared not. Not at all, actually. Either she was insane, stupidly brave or…and then Elsurion realized it: Or she truly had nothing left. Just the way she said. He was even more curious now. He wanted to know her story.

But first things first. The king had the decorations restored and the plaza tidied up, so the funeral could continue later in honour. Elsurion even helped with the cleaning, which was completely beneath a king. But he wanted to excel with the picture he was painting of himself here. In all honesty, he did not mind that much. Over the course of his life, Elsurion adapted to the lifestyle of having everything handed to him. Secretly however, the king never took the servitude for granted.

After the plaza was all tidy again and the crowd gathered once again, the procession could continue. The king however, was not giving his speeches with the same passion as he was before, and he hated himself for it. Hopefully, the people would not notice too much. His mind could not take focus of this mysterious woman. Elsurion felt like at terrible son. Mentally, he apologized to his father so many times for his insolence. Blaming the woman for her disrespect not too long ago, he now did the same thing basically. The king regretted having Marius ordered to stay in the palace specifically, for he wanted to take on this alone. Elsurion wished for Marius to be standing at his side, strengthening Elsurion’s back during the speeches. Well, what has been done, could not be changed anymore. He would bark up that wrong tree to the end alone. Marius would learn the story after the funeral meal, when Elsurion talked with the woman, even though it felt a bit wrong to shut his friend out for the time being. The king kept mostly quiet during the dinner. The mood of course, was not very cheerful. Elsurion ordered a harp to play a quiet melody for the meal. The king thanked the guests from the other kingdoms for their condolences, but that was it. Elsurion’s advisors did not think too much of it, but Marius most likely caught up. The king’s friend gave him sorrow-filled looks the whole evening. Of course, Marius was discreet enough not to say a word during the feast. After all the guests left, his friend approached him and asked:

“Elsurion, a word please.”

“What is it Marius?”

“I noticed you being even more off than you’d been the last five days. Are you…alright?”

Of course, he knew that Elsurion was not alright at all. But the pause indicated that Marius was asking specifically if something additional happened. His friend just knew the king too well. Still, Elsurion stuck to his plan. Marius would hear the news soon enough. Come to think of it, perhaps Marius already knew or would learn it quickly from someone else.

“I’m alright Marius, thank you. Seeing the coffin before me, talking about my beloved father and having to hear all those condolences was a bit too much for me.”

Marius look was scolding. But he granted Elsurion the benefit of the doubt. He placed his hand on the king’s shoulder.

“Alright. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you, Marius.”

Marius nodded: “Have a good night’s rest, my king.”, and bowed, before he left.

The way Marius said, ‘my king’, stung Elsurion. It was Marius’ way of telling him once more that he saw through the lie but let Elsurion be out of respect. The king took a deep breath, turned on his heel and went to his quarters to change from his black funeral garb to different clothing. Then, went on his way to the prison cells. He had an appointment still.

When he arrived, the guards jumped and pointed their swords at him, not expecting the king at this late hour. Quickly, they realized their mistake and apologized with a bow.

“My king, we did not expect you here.”

Elsurion simply answered: “I have business here. The woman that caused a scene at the funeral. Which cell is she in?”

“The last cell to the left, my king.”

“Thank you. Now, all of you, leave at once. Wait outside the prison block.”

He did not need any eavesdroppers. Bowing, the guards did as he asked and left. There was some chatter after a few seconds behind the door, then silence. The king did not think much of it, he simply waited for everything to turn silent. Taking a torch, he went for the last cell on the left, as the guard told him to. The cells had wooden doors, with a small hatch in each that could be opened and closed from the outside to hand over food or talk to the prisoners. The king had to admit, he had no overview if there were any other prisoners, nor did he really care. The king knocked at the door respectfully.

“Hm?”, came from the inside. The king opened the hatch.

“Good evening.”, The king simply said.

No response.

“I would like to talk to you, woman. Come to the door so I can see you.”

Still she did not answer him. But for some reason, she approached the door. Although only in the light of the flame, Elsurion could see her face and study it for a moment. Her face, be it clearly exhausted and dirty, was gorgeous. He gave her that. Her garnet green eyes were vigilantly staring at him.

“Do you have a name?”, he asked, half-absent, being way too focused on her face.

“Sarenya.”

A name he never heard before.

“Hello Sarenya. I am king Elsurion of Solaria.”

The answer was a disinterested grunt. Elsurion got angry. Never had he been treated with such disrespect on the palace grounds. She really did not care what he could order being done to her. The king did not walk away though. Elsurion was not used to this. As the thrones future heir before and now king, people bowed and respected him wherever he stepped. Yet this Sarenya did not care. His title, his power, all meaningless. She let him feel it with every passing second. Of course, he could order the guards to kill her on the spot. Heck, the king could do it himself. But he did not want to, despite his anger. He went for a little test:

“You are aware that I can order your death at any time, right?”

“Do it then, if you so can, ‘king Elsurion’.”, she spat out his name like it was bad language.

Elsurion sighed. This really was getting him nowhere, He could not threat this woman in the slightest. His curiosity had not died off. It was burning. He had to play along or leave. He settled on the latter.

“You asked, what about those who have nothing left to fight for. Why?”

“There is nothing left for me.”

“Have you got no home?”

“No.”

“Relatives?”

“None.”

“Any friends?”

“None.”

“Where were you born? What kingdom?”

“I don’t recall.”

“Do you have a profession? Or a place you work?”

“Profession.”, it was not an answer, neither was it a question. She said the word like she did not understand what it was, therefore just echoing the king.

“You truly have nowhere you belong?”

“No.”

The king saw a tear rolling down her cheek. Yet she did not change her facial expression.

“But…how? Did you lose everything you had?”

“The last thing I had, were my daggers, before your guards robbed me of them too.”

The king’s eyes widened. Did she say daggers? The king felt a wave of fear creeping over his back. The woman was armed? Thinking back to how effortlessly Sarenya fought the guards off, the king was afraid now. How would the scene today have ended if she’d made use of her weapons? On the other hand, why did she restrain herself from using them?

“You were armed?”, a considerably stupid thing to ask, especially with the awe and surprise mixed into his voice. Sarenya gave no answer to that.

“Why did you let yourself get overwhelmed then? You could have killed them easily.”

“I would not have needed weapons for that.”, she answered, her expression was cold, she avoided the king’s look.

“I’m tired of you and your questions. You cannot give me a reason to go on either. Leave me be.”, With that, Sarenya turned around and backed away into the darkness of her cell again. Disheartened, Elsurion hanged his head. He kept staring into the darkness for a while, then turned around. The king did not know why, but that woman made his spirits return. This mystery surrounding her fuelled the fire in his soul. Perhaps it was just a distraction, perhaps he was just being selfish, but he wanted to know more about her. He had one last trick up his sleeve. He closed the hatch and went back out to the guards.

“My king?”

“Guard, where are the woman’s belongings stored?”

“Erm…in the storage room right over here, my king.”, the guard looked a bit confused.

“Hand me her daggers.”

“Yes, my king.” The guard bowed and went into the room next door to get what the king asked him to. The guard returned and handed Elsurion the daggers. So Sarenya spoke true. Elsurion held the daggers close to the torch to inspect them. The king was not educated in the art of forging, but the daggers seemed to be of high quality. The hilts had an eye engraved. An opened eye, but the pupil was purposefully blackened out. As if the eye was blind. He did not know this symbol. On both blades, there was another gravure: To Elsurion, it looked like a rune from his spell book, but it wasn’t a rune he’d ever seen. He could not even try it out in a spell to see if it really was a magic rune. On one hand, he did not know its name, on the other hand, even if he did, it was too dangerous. The rune was on a weapon, Solaria knows what it was capable of.

“Thank you.”, the king said. “Stay on your post, I’ll be back soon.”

The young king went back to Sarenya’s cell and knocked again to announce his presence. He opened the hatch and said:

“You said you had no reason to go on. I don’t know what happened in your life to make you say this, but I make you an offer: I want you in the ranks of my military. Or better, as my personal guard. There will be assassination attempts on my life, now that I have taken over the crown. I could use someone with your ‘skills’.”

He paused to rest a moment and inhale deeply, before he continued:

“I think these belong to you.”, he put the daggers on the bracket.

“I will come back tomorrow to hear your answer. Should you accept, you are welcome in my kingdom. Should you decline, I promise that you will not be harmed, but you will leave our borders.”

With that, the king closed the hatch and walked away from the cell. He swore he could hear the daggers being taken from the bracket after he took a few steps away from the cell. Elsurion made his way up the stairs and told the guards to return to their posts. The king ordered them not to approach Sarenya’s cell until he would return tomorrow, as she was armed now. The guard looked at Elsurion with clear disbelief but knew better than to question his decision. There it was again; the obedience towards a king as it was due. The only person that did not give a damn about who he was before her was Marius, and he became Elsurion’s closest friend. Marius however did not have the same impact. For ever since the conversation with Sarenya that night, there was an itch of boredom whenever Elsurion was treated with the due obedience. Like a curse that followed him around.

The king hoped that Sarenya would take his offer. He mentally prayed for her to do so. He hated to admit it, but he was scared. He was afraid of his life being snatched away from him. Solaria’s military was still weak. Having seen Sarenya tearing through the men was not exactly helping him with feeling secure. With Sarenya as his guard, he would be safe. Also, he wanted to unravel her secrets so badly, she just had to take the offer. She had to.

On his way to his chambers, just as he was opened the door, a hand suddenly grabbed Elsurion’s shoulder and turned him around where he stood. He was greeted with Marius face. It was a mask of pure anger. The two looked at each other for a moment, the Elsurion asked:

“Marius? What…?”

Then Marius threw a punch in Elsurion’s face. The hit came so unexpected, that Elsurion was thrown against the half open door, fell through it and came crashing down on the ground. Marius closed the door and looked down on the king in angry silence. Elsurion was completely surprised and did not know what to make of it. He could not even bring himself to ask. Marius kneeled to grab Elsurion and said in a voice that could cut fabric:

“Are you out of your fucking mind Elsurion?”

“What do you me…?”

Marius shook him heavily to cut him off.

“Don’t play dumb Elsurion! I heard all of it! What in Solaria’s name is wrong with you?”

Marius heard him? Was he listening in on the king’s conversation with Sarenya? How?

“You were following me?”

“You bet I did!”

That was enough to make Elsurion snap. He punched Marius off and jumped on him.

“How dare you follow me! I thought we were friends!” It was now Elsurion’s turn to shook Marius.

Marius slapped Elsurion. “Right back at you! I asked you Elsurion! I asked you if something was wrong! I could tell something was off!”

The two men rolled around trying to punch and slap each other like children.

“That gave you no right to stalk me!”

“Good thing I did, you idiot!”

“None of your business you backstabber!” It was at this sentence, that Elsurion realized what he was doing. Did he just call his closest friend a ‘backstabber’ after he himself lied to his face? Dear Solaria.

“Backstabber? Are you fucking serious Elsurion?” Elsurion got another punch straight to the face for that. Elsurion, seeing his mistake, now tried to bring some distance between them. He catapulted Marius off by placing his foot in Marius side and shoving him away all the strength he could muster. The king got up and raised his hands as a sign of truce.

“Alright, alright Marius, stop! Stop, alright? I screwed up, I’m sorry.”

Marius stood there, still in stance.

“You heard the conversation I had with Sarenya?”

“I did. And I have to say Elsurion: I was shocked to learn that you threw your kingdom to the wolves just like that. What is going on in your head?”

“Why the metaphor?”

“You acted completely irresponsible! You must see that! I was informed of what happened within minutes, as were your other advisors. She is a dangerous prisoner, most likely an assassin sent to take you out! What is the first thing you do? Hand her weapons and offer her a job! This is madness Elsurion! You compromise the security of all of Solaria!”

Elsurion had to admit that he did not see that side of the medal.

“Alright, I can see that. But you heard the conversation, she was armed and did not use her weapons.”

“Perhaps she overestimated herself Elsurion. Maybe she plays you.”

“But why should she Marius? I could have ordered her dead at any given moment. She was at my mercy. If she really was out to kill me, her behaviour does not add up! I believe that there is something more to this woman.”

“Blind is what you are, my friend. A pretty girl spinning your head, nothing more.”

“Excuse me?”, Elsurion was shocked to hear something like that from his friend, “Is that all you see Marius?”

“I see a pretty dangerous assassin that uses every tool at her disposal to achieve her goal. Heck, she could have escaped at this point already after you so stupidly rearmed her!”

The king threw up his hands. “Come on Marius, you cannot be serious! Do you really think I am stepping into a ‘venus trap’ here?”

“Are you telling me that I’m wrong, then?”

“Yes, I do. I admit, I was compromising my security and the security of Solaria, but not for the reason you accuse me of.”

“Why did you do it then? Do you really want her as your guard? I mean, for real?”

“Yes. And I want to uncover her secrets. There is something mysterious about this woman that fascinates me.”

“And here we go again!”, Marius pointed his finger at the king dramatically.

“Let it go Marius! Think about this! I could really use someone with her skills. We all could. I saw her fight. She was so quick, so agile, it was like magic.”

“Don’t bring your hocus pocus into this Elsurion.”

“Don’t digress Marius. Also, you out of all people should know that magic is not just some hocus pocus, don’t give me that crap now. She is an extraordinary fighter and I want her in our ranks. I don’t want her to decline my offer. I rest my case. We need someone like her. You know how weak our military force is. Don’t you see the potential?”

Finally, Elsurion saw some gears turning.

“I still think this is too dangerous, Elsurion.”

“Maybe, but it’s too late to turn back on that now. I made her an offer and that offer stands. “

Marius treated him with silence. The king sighed.

“I’m for lying to you Marius. I should have told you beforehand. Perhaps deep down I knew that it was risky and that you would have tried to talk me out of it.”

Elsurion reached out his hand to Marius. “Can you try to trust me on this one? As my friend? Please?”

Marius was clearly suspicious, but he eventually demanded:

“Alright. I have no idea why I’m doing this, but…fine. If she accepts however, I want her guarded 24/7 until we know if we can trust her. Promise me this.”

“Promise.”

Marius sighed and shook Elsurion’s hand. “I really hope you know what you are doing.”

“Thank you, Marius.”

“Yeah. Better thank me now as long as you have your head on your shoulders still.” The threat was dripping with sarcasm. Marius tried to hide how scared he was for Elsurion. Regardless, he trusted him. The king was very thankful for that.

“You sent the guards in front of my chambers away, right?”

“Would I have been able to kick your sorry butt like that if I hadn’t?”

“At least you seem to trust in my guards to be able to stop YOU from killing me...”

“Phah, I want to see them try.”

“Yeah. But on another note: You sending guards away is not compromising my security. Right.”

Marius had to laugh. Their mutual humour always had been cruel. Perhaps due to the circumstances of their acquaintance. The king wondered how Marius managed to send the guards away before the king arrived. He could ask, but refrained from doing so.

“One more thing Marius.”

“Hm?”

“How did you sneak after me the whole time without me noticing?”

His friend raised an eyebrow and gave him a tired smile.

“How do you think I would have survived all the years if I did not have a few tricks up my sleeve?”

Elsurion shrugged his shoulders. “Alright. Points for you.”

“Thought so.”, his smile was warm now. “Or need I remind you that it was you that blew our cover in that alley all those years ago?”

That one hit the king a bit. Probably deeper that Marius intended it too. True, it was Elsurion who screwed up and gave away their position. All those years ago, when Marius was trying to sneak them both out of the back streets.

“No…no, you don’t.”

A pause occurred. Marius patted Elsurion on the shoulders and then said: “I see you tomorrow. You better take me with you when you go back to her for her answer. Or do I have to stalk you again?”

Sometimes, Marius did not know when to stop.

“You are in for the ride this time.”, Elsurion simply responded. He did not want to risk further arguments, so the king just faked a smile.

“That’s what I wanted to hear!”, Marius patted his shoulder again, softer this time. He went on to leave, saying over his shoulder: “Have a good rest Elsurion.”

With that, the door was shut, and Elsurion was alone. He sighed. The king went straight to bed, and as his eyelids got heavier, the foggy memories of the day the two were chased by strays became clearer again. Though never able to remember it himself, that was the day the gift of magic awoke in him. Burnt faces of people he’d never seen before followed him through the streets, calling him a monster, an abomination! No matter how fast and far he ran, Elsurion could never shake them off. Safe to say, he did not awake rested the next day.

The king had breakfast and overlooked the final burial of his father’s coffin after. The servants did so with great care and Elsurion was content. Already, gardeners were busy planting the weeping widow he wanted near his father’s grave to express his grief. Others were digging to create a pit and a few small canals throughout the memorial site for a mere to be built later. A final funeral march was scheduled for the afternoon.

The king sighed and said to Marius who accompanied him during the procedure:

“It is time.”

Marius nodded without looking at him. The two men went to the prison block of the palace, together this time. As before, the king sent the guards away, as the two did not need any eavesdroppers. They approached Sarenya’s cell and Elsurion knocked at the door.

“Sarenya. I came to get your answer.”

The king’s response was silence. He knocked again, more forceful this time.

“Sarenya?”

No response, once more. The king looked over to Marius, who, by the looks of it, was just as confused as himself. Elsurion opened the hatch and peeked inside. The small window on the opposite wall of the cell, though barred, provided enough light to see that it was empty. Elsurion jumped back and looked at Marius in shock. The king pressed his head to the hatch and yelled: “Sarenya? Are you there?”

Silence.

Elsurion was unable to speak. Marius, now too realizing that Sarenya was gone, shoved Elsurion away from the hatch and had a look himself. He unlocked the door and ripped it open and stepped inside. Marius returned a moment later and turned his head towards Elsurion in an intimidatingly slow pace.

“You fucking simpleton!”, he screamed! “She is gone!”

Marius shook the king to make him break out of his stupor.

“Do you realize what I’m saying Elsurion? SHE! IS! GONE!”

Marius, grasping more of the situations extend by the second, let go of the king, overwhelmed by fear.

“By Solaria’s mercy, do you even understand what you did Elsurion?”

The king was still frozen in place.

“She could be everywhere by now…I will inform the militia at once.”, his voice was a mere whisper, but sharper than any blade ever could hope to be.

Somewhere, from another cell, the king heard laughter. Probably, it was another prisoner making fun of Marius outburst. The king walked into the empty cell and looked around. Sarenya was truly gone. He could not believe it. His mind danced around a single question: How? How did she escape? Through door? No. The barred window? Impossible. He stumbled out of the cell in reverse. Trying to clear his thoughts, the king just walked up and down along the corridor in a trance. Marius returned.

“Elsurion! Come on! You need to leave the prison block. You’re not safe here.”

Marius tried to drag him along.

Absent, the king whispered: “I was hoping…I was hoping that she would take the offer…”

“Move!”

Marius shoved him out of the corridor.

“I will inform the city’s guard and your advisors at once. The city must be swept!”

Guards were assigned to Elsurion, so they would escort him back to his chambers. The king did not resist. He went along, drowning in his own thoughts, not even nothing the additional insults that Marius perhaps threw at him. His friend, since they were older, never dared to argue with or insult him in front of guards or subjects. This day however, he’d completely lost it. Marius was right however: What had Elsurion done? He acted like a naïve child. What was he thinking? Of course, she would be gone. He was such an idiot.

Back in his chambers, Elsurion walked around in circles, helplessly thinking about what to do next. He prayed to Solaria for forgiveness, asked for a chance to make up for his naivete. He wanted to go to his father’s grave, rip the coffin open and beg his father to awake and be with him. 23, but still just a boy is what he was. The only thing left to, probably, was to wait for Sarenya’s return. She would come back, he was sure. And she would kill him. He dared to imprison her, and she would find her way to him and have her revenge. Elsurion did not feel like a king, much less like a sorcerer. She would get him. It was only a matter of time. The guards in front of his door did little to nothing to make him feel safe. The king thought back to the moment he saw her face up close. She was pretty, but a thousand times deadlier, he was sure of it.

The guards regularly checked on the king, giving him a sword even, making sure he was well and delivering reports. Sarenya had not been spotted. When dawn came, Marius appeared and suggested having a large table brought to the king’s chambers and Elsurion having dinner in solitude. His friend wanted to make absolutely sure the woman would not sneak in during the banquet or disguise herself as a noble guest. Elsurion did not even think of that, neither was he hungry. Tired, he ordered Marius to have soup brought to him for dinner, he would then eat in on his desk. The terror that struck Marius face when the king gave that order would have been funny, where the circumstances not so dire. Marius set out to lecture Elsurion again, how unworthy that would be and if he purposefully tried to spit on the last remaining bits of dignity the king had left. The king shut Marius up by yelling at him, that he was tired of him and his disrespect. Elsurion went on that he would die anyways, then he threw his friend out of his chambers and slammed the door.

Elsurion sat down at his desk in desperation, telling himself that he would never be the king his father was. He sat there until a servant knocked at the door some time later and brought the soup that the king had ordered. The soup was placed on Elsurion’s desk as he wished. Then, Elsurion was alone with his thoughts again. The king ate the soup slowly. He cared no more. He would probably be dead within the next days or hours. Why eat? Sighing, the king looked up. His whole body jerked as if struck by lightning and his spoon went flying on the carped. Eyes wide open, his gaze met Sarenya’s face. There she stood, Elsurion could not even feel fear. It came too much out of nowhere. The woman’s expression was resolute, but still soft. The king expected her to jump on him and slit his throat, but she did not move an inch. The king found his voice again: “How in Solaria’s name did you get in here?”

“Why did you give me my daggers back?”, Sarenya asked, ignoring the King’s question.

“What?”, Elsurion asked in disbelief.

“My daggers. You returned them to me. Why did you do that?”

Elsurion blinked a few times, then slowly answered: “I…guess…I guess I was trying to show you that I trust in you being more…more than what you are being accused to be. You had many opportunities to kill me. Yet, here I am, breathing still. Why?”

Sarenya seemed to think about his words.

“It never was my intention.”

The king felt the impulse to just approach her and reach out with his hand. He did not have the words, so he tried to show her what he wanted to tell her. Sarenya looked at his hand. As if she never saw the gesture of two people shaking hands before.

“You said that you were hoping so much that I would take your offer. Was that true?”

His eyes widened. How did she…? When? His hand stared to shake even more, yet he remained steadfast.

“It was. I want to know who you are.” The words came without Elsurion thinking about what he was saying. He bit his tongue. Sarenya, hesitatingly, lifted her hand and reached out slowly. When their hands touched, a knock was heard on the door. They both froze and looked at the door. The door swung open and Marius entered the room. Elsurion mentally cursed Marius for doing this sometimes: Barging into his privacy without warning. He had done this since he was taken into the palace. Elsurion always let him have his way, since they never kept secrets from each other. There never was a moment when the young king regretted it more than at this very moment. The second his friend spotted Sarenya, he drew his sword and charged at her, yelling: “Sound the alarm! She’s here! Protect the king!”

“Marius no!”, Elsurion screamed at him.

The king threw himself at Marius and pushed him to the side. Marius stumbled and crashed against the wall. Marius, not even trying to comprehend what his friend just did, shoved him aside rudely and got up. A few soldiers barged in and ran towards Sarenya.

“Stop! I order you to stop!” Elsurion screamed at them.

Marius was at the woman now and swung his sword at her. She easily parried and kicked Marius away. He coughed and went down. Grabbing a book from Elsurion’s desk, Sarenya threw it at the guard leading the assault coming at her from the side. Out of reflex, the guard protected his face against the assault. Distracted, he had no chance of defending himself against Sarenya’s jump-kick. The fell behind, tearing down another man behind him.

“FOR THE SAKE OF SOLARIA, STOP!!!”, Elsurion’s voice was so loud, he felt like the walls were shaking. He felt this burn in his eyes again, wishing to set the room on fire with the glimpse of an eye. Everyone, even Sarenya in the room froze. The king got up slowly. His voice felt like it could melt stone.

“Stop attacking each other this instant.”

The soldiers still standing took a few steps away from him. The king looked over to them.

“Leave. Now. Shut the door behind you.”

The soldiers walked out backwards in terror. Elsurion glanced over to Marius and Sarenya.

“What about attacking each other, didn’t you understand?”

“She was attack…”, Marius started to explain his actions. But Elsurion cut him off: “She was Trying to reach out for my hand Marius!”

The king, to this day, did not fully understand what got a hold of him that moment, or the moment he feared bloodshed on his father’s funeral. But whenever he got angry, he felt like he was not himself anymore, he felt like fire. It was not just rage, but something else. Something different. He looked at Sarenya again: “Do you want to take my offer? Take a chance to find a new purpose here?” The king reached out his hand again. He then realized, that Sarenya was staring at Marius still, holding up her daggers, ready to parry an incoming strike. A second later, he realized why.

“Put away your sword.”, he commanded his friend. Marius, not daring to object, obeyed instantly. As if she was just waiting for this moment, Sarenya put her daggers away as well, and reached out for the king’s hand again. Only when feeling her warm hand in his, the king felt literally cooling down. The king hearably exhaled. Sarenya and he rested in the handshake for a moment.

“Marius.”, Elsurion eventually said, “Tell the guards that the sweeping is over. Prepare the dining hall for the real dinner. Have a meal prepared for only the two of us, all other guests are disinvited. I will have a discussion with my new personal guard regarding the details of her new employment. I want something as close to a bed as possible next to mine, when we return.”

Marius’ face was a mask of discomposure. Eventually, he answered: “Never before have I ever regretted rescuing you from the strays all those years ago more than at this very moment. After all those years, that’s what you give me?”

With that, Marius turned around and left, denying the king any opportunity to answer. Elsurion always felt a sting in his heart when remembering his friends’ words. Marius was more than a subordinate and they both knew it. But that evening, he did not treat Marius better than a servant. And still, Marius did not break his loyalty after. Not once. Elsurion understood now, as he understood then, that Marius was just concerned and doing his best to protect his boyhood friend. But at this evening, there was no room for such thoughts. Elsurion, after days and nights of mourning and self-doubt, felt like a king for a brief moment. He was the ruler of Solaria and his will was his subordinates command. If he felt something special about this woman, no one would second guess him. Not Marius, not anyone else. Of course, things were not so easy. They never were. But after all of Marius’ care and all the years his father, Solaria bless him, protected him from the outside world, it felt good to finally having his own will. Snapping back in the moment, the young king took his eyes off the door, turning back to Sarenya.

“You will stay close to me tonight, tomorrow you will get your own room. I’m afraid one of my subjects would try to stab you in your sleep if you rest at any other place.”

Her garnet green eyes looked at him intensely while he spoke, but she remained silent.

“Do not get me wrong, I know none of my staff poses a threat to you, but I think I owe you a night in a warm bed and a good meal after making you spend a night in the cell.”

Sarenya chuckled absently.

“What’s so funny?”

“I haven’t slept in a bed since…“, her smile faded. “…since…I think I haven’t.”

Elsurion was shocked to hear such a thing. He wanted to ask her how this came to be, but he didn’t.

“You should have your room checked, though. I could easily enter through a large crack just under the ceiling.”

The king blinked a few times in disbelief. “A crack?”

Sarenya pointed to a dark corner under the ceiling. Up there? He did not see a thing.

“I…I will have it fixed.” He paused. “Thank you.”

Sarenya kept looking around. Then something struck Elsurion and he spurted: “How did you escape the cell?”

“I walked out the door.”, Sarenya calmly stated.

“When?”

“When you and the man you call Marius came back in the morning.”

“You were gone when we arrived.”

“No. I was still there. I was on one of the wooden beams running across the ceiling.”

Elsurion’s eyes widened so much one was afraid his eyeballs would fall out of their sockets any second now.

“The…the wooden beams. Across the ceiling.”, The king paused, then yelled: “Preposterous! They are far too high up too reach!”

Sarenya kept her cool: “No. I could hold onto tiny cracks in the wall to climb up there.”

“The cells are almost completely dark, you couldn’t have seen cracks.”

“I had plenty of time to feel the along all the wall for any weaknesses or openings.”

“You are serious, aren’t you?”

The woman nodded.

“I’m astonished. I really am.”, the king shuddered. “Let’s just…go to the dining hall.” Elsurion felt the terror creeping up his back. If he had an assassin against him with her skills…he dared not to think about it. Sarenya followed him. The king noticed the looks the guards gave him and Sarenya. Virtually every guard had been on alert, they all knew who Elsurion was with now. He had not felt such discomfort when walking through the palace before, and a part of him did not blame them, so he let it pass. When the pair arrived, they took a seat. It did not go unnoticed that Sarenya sat down without the king inviting her to, as it was custom. The same mixture of anger and excitement came over him again. The servant brought in the appetizer, another soup. The servants were ordered to bring in a bell and then then leave the room completely. The king would ring when he wished the next course to be served.

“Enjoy your meal.” The king said to Sarenya. She gave him a puzzled look, then answered:

“You too?”

Elsurion noticed her sentence being more question than answer but ignored it. He began to eat but noticed that Sarenya did not touch her meal.

“Is something the matter?”, he asked.

Sarenya grabbed her wooden spoon and asked: “Did you not want to talk?”

“I did not want to be the bull to come straight at the gate, but…yes.”, how impatient she was!

“So?”

The king shut his eyes for a moment and let his spoon sink to calm down. He wasn’t used to this. People usually waited for him to start a topic. He inhaled, and continued: “From this day onward, I want you to be my personal guard. Protect me and accompany me during my travels.”

“I figured that.”, she simply responded.

Elsurion’s hand slammed on the table. Now, it was getting too much. “For Solaria’s sake! Have you never been told how to behave around a king?”

Sarenya thought for a moment. “No.”

Elsurion closed his eyes in utter frustration. “Around a king, a ruler, you show your best and respectful behaviour! How could you not know that?”

“I never interacted with a king so far.”

How would you deal with someone who doesn’t know that?

“But someone must have…did your parents never teach you the slightest bit of manners?”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember my parents.”

Elsurion raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean…I remember you saying that you had no more relatives. I figured your parents died, but how can you not remember them?”

“I don’t remember them. It’s as easy as that.”

“But…but who raised you then? An orphanage?”

Sarenya did not answer and instead started to eat her soup. Feeling ignored, the young king wanted to throw his spoon across the room out of frustration, but he refrained from doing so. He seemingly touched a nerve there. He was so curious, but did not push the matter, so the two ate in silence. The atmosphere was heavy and soured the meal for him. Once they were done with the soup, Elsurion rang the bell and the next course was brought in. The servants placed the platter with meat (Elsurion remembered it being deer) on the table and left again. Sarenya grabbed the knife in front of her and cut a slice of the meat. She grabbed it and took a large bite out of it. In the king’s eyes, she had once again overstepped the line.

“Sarenya!”, Elsurion yelled red-headed.

The woman stopped chewing and looked at him.

“That’s no…”, he took another deep breath and calmed his voice. “That is not how we eat here, Sarenya. Please put the deer down on your plate.”

Hesitatingly, she obeyed. In Elsurion’s head, some gears started turning. He was a prince his whole life. He knew the rules of royalty or the table. Naturally, he expected that knowledge on her end as well. But, maybe, she did not know better. Letting go of his pride as a king, he rose, and walked over to Sarenya. He took her knife and fork and cut the meat to little pieces. It felt highly unnatural to him.

“There. Clean your hand with the napkin before you touch the instruments. Then use the fork to spike a piece.”

Sarenya looked at him in confusion.

“Why? The hands work just fine.”, Sarenya asked after a while.

“Because, it is uncivilised.”

Only now he noticed that he sent out the servant before they had the chance to pour the drink for them. But he passed over that detail. “Also, we…serve wine during the main course.”, the king said and poured wine into her chalice. He sighed. “Actually, chalices are normally filled by rank. That is why the king’s chalice is normally filled first.” The king filled his own chalice, then went back to his chair.

“Why did the servants not pour the wine?”

Caught. Curse this woman. He shut his eyes and ignored her question.

“Let’s just eat. Do it the way I just instructed you to.”

Sarenya grabbed the instruments and ate the way the king told her to without objection.

As Elsurion took the first sip of his chalice, Sarenya broke the silence: “I’ve never had wine before.”

Elsurion’s hand froze. “Never?” a moment later the king had to admit, this wasn’t uncommon. She was no royalty. “But you had beer or other kinds of alcohol before?”

“Water diluted beer...only.”

“Then perhaps,”, a curious look appeared on the king’s face, “you should give it a try.”

Sarenya thought for a moment, then pushed the chalice away from her. She shook her head.

Another sigh came from the king’s mouth. They ate in silence for a while, then Elsurion felt he had to break the silence: “Say, aren’t you the least bit curious what other tasks await you?”, picking up the subject he dropped earlier once more.

“You’ll introduce me to my duties one by one when they become important.”

Stunned, the king decided to drop the subject for good and went silent again. It amazed him how fast this woman could kill off any potential conversation in seconds if she so desired. Once the duo finished, Elsurion had the dried fruits brought in for dessert. Elsurion could not avoid noticing the peeks Sarenya gave him when he ate the dessert. She did imitate him, using a new set of instruments for this course. The king pretended not to notice, and did not let his face show, but mentally, he smirked. Also, Sarenya was quick eater as it seemed. The king took his time however, not letting himself get stressed by it. Sarenya patiently waited him out.

“Come on,” he said and rose from his chair, when he was done. “We should rest for the night.”

She followed suit and Elsurion was pleased to see that his order to bring a second bed had been carried out as he wished.

“Are the two of you close?”

Elsurion turned around. “Pardon?”

“Marius, I think. Are the two of you close?”

The king hesitated, then answered: “No relatives. He is a friend I hold dear. Like a brother, you could say.”

“Are you the same to him?”

The question puzzled the young king. “I think so, yes.”

“Why then, did the two of you argue so harshly?”

No servant or subject would dare to ask such a question. They knew better than to interfere with the king’s personal business. He noticed that, a part of him, stopped resisting against her bluntness at this point. He honestly thought about it, then replied:

“Because I rejected his advice.”

“Why?”

“This is none of your business, Sarenya!”, he paused. Then continued: “It, I guess, actually is. I am sick of being treated like a child. Marius grew up to be a hen around me at times. Like my father before him, he always tells me what to do, gives me advice I did not ask for. And, he does not agree with you being here.”

Sarenya simply nodded.

The king sighed again and looked away.

“He means only good. I feel terrible.”, He would not admit it now, but it felt good to get this off his chest. When troubled, Elsurion told his father. Was his father indispensable, Elsurion turned to Marius. His father was gone. The king screwed up with Marius, maybe that’s why he spilled to Sarenya. Elsurion wanted to slap himself regardless. This behaviour was highly inappropriate for a ruler. Tired, he exhaled.

“We should rest now. Let’s…”, the king turned around mid-sentence, to look at Sarenya’s face, but she was gone. He heard the door to his chambers.

“Sarenya?” She was nowhere to be seen. Had she just left? The king stepped outside of his chambers to look for her.

“Sire,” the guard outside addressed the king. “The woman, she came running out of your chambers. Should we have stopped her?”

“No. Let...”, he paused. “Let her go.”, he said absent.

“As you wish my king.”, the guard bowed. The king turned on his heel and went to bed. Had he just scared her away? His words, perhaps they made her question her decision? If so, she was free to go, the king gave his word. He could have had the palace swept for her, but to what avail? He trusted that, if Sarenya did not want to be found, she would not be discovered. Elsurion felt paralyzed. He put so much effort into getting her trust and she just ran away. He was getting angry at her, but also felt selfish. He promised her a purpose, but could he deliver? Perhaps not. Perhaps she realized that. The young king waltzed around, restless. The night was torture. A stinging headache welcomed the king the next morning. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he turned and saw Sarenya standing next to his bed. A cry of surprise emerged from his lungs. She kept looking at him, apparently ignoring his reaction. Elsurion, after catching his breath, stared back at her in disbelief.

“Why are you…back? I thought you changed your mind and left.”, the king said.

“I did not. I needed time to think.”

“About?”

“What is my task today?” Not the answer Elsurion was looking for. He was, however, still overwhelmed.

“I…you…you will be shown the palace and its surroundings. I will attend to this personally.”

There was a moment of awkward silence, then the king harshly ordered:

“Out. I will get dressed for the day.”, the king’s new ‘guard‘ obeyed without any comment, oddly enough. She waited until the king was ready. The fact that she seemingly vanished and reappeared without any comment drove him crazy. This had to stop. He had no issues ordering his subjects around, why was it so difficult with her? Midway to the dining hall where they would have breakfast, the king turned around.

“Sarenya.”

“Yes?”

“Do not simply vanish again without order. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes.”

“Where have you been last night?”

A pause occurred, where she tried to withstand his gaze.

“I slept in the stables.”

“And why that?”

“I’m not used to sleep in beds.”

Now that she mentioned it, the king could smell hay around her. Elsurion exhaled then walked on, ending the parley. He let the servants bring in the breakfast consisting of fish and bread. The king gave Sarenya a speech about the history of Solaria, the economic situation and the remains of the stray problem the kingdom still faced. Sarenya calmly listened and the king was pretty sure to see some interest in the woman’s eyes. Elsurion hoped to make her tell more about herself, though in vain. Elsurion showed his new guard all around the palace, wanting to ensure that she knew every corner. This took them almost the whole day. The tour was only interrupted to eat and for the hour of the people. The king wanted to close it with a visit to the garden before diner, it helped him clear his head at times. He started to wander around on the paths between the beds, already wanting to start talking about the garden. It was then that he noticed that Sarenya was not behind him anymore. He fully turned, only to see her standing frozen by the entrance.

“Sarenya?”

She kept staring at the garden.

“Sarenya? What are you doing?”

The young king walked towards her, speaking to her up close now: “Sarenya? What is the matter with you? Hey!”

Then, he followed her gaze and discovered what exactly she was staring at: The bed with the purple roses. She took a few steps towards it.

“Do you…like roses?”, silly question.

The woman kneeled before the bed and stroked over the petals of one of the roses.

Absently, Sarenya whispered: “River…”

“Pardon?”

“The bed of roses…by the river…”, Sarenya had to press the words out. She put both hands on her head, like she had an intense headache and grunted out of pain.

“Sarenya?”, the king kneeled next to his new guard. A tear ran down her cheek. He started to panic, feeling the urge to comfort her, yet not knowing how. He did the only thing he could think of: He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. Not the most sensitive course of action, he added in hindsight.

“Sarenya! Speak to me!”

She shoved the king away harshly. The woman screamed. She ripped a few roses out of the bed and crushed the stalks in her fists. Blood ran down between her fingers and dripped on the ground. Panting, Sarenya let go of the flowers. Elsurion was scared of her. Scared to call for guards, besides them having heard Sarenya anyways he figured. Scared to even approach her as she probably would kill him off within the blink of an eye. Helplessly, the king watched her standing there. Surrounded by rose petals sprinkled with blood, crying. A grotesque picture, yet still of beauty to him.

“My king! My king are you hurt?”, guards yelled as they came running.

Instantly, Elsurion rose, reached out his hands and yelled: “Stay back guardsmen! Leave us be! Everything is fine!”

“My king what is with the woman? She…”

“Stand. Back. That is an order guardsman! Do not approach the garden! Leave us be!”

By now, about a dozen guards had surrounded the garden, weapons at the ready. Elsurion’s heart was racing, he did not want the same story to repeat itself.

“Everyone, return to your posts. Now.”, the king ordered as calm as he could.

“But, my king…”

“Guardsman! Return to your post. Everything is alright. Your king is not in danger. Leave.”

The guardsmen exchanged glances, not approaching, but not leaving at first either. Eventually, swords were sheathed back in the scabbards. The guardsmen retreated and let their king be. Elsurion could already hear Marius lecturing him about this. Sarenya, oddly enough, had not moved an inch or drew her daggers to defend herself. Nothing. She was still standing there, frozen in place. The king knew he had to do something. Glancing over to what was left of the bed, he reached out and plucked one of the roses still unharmed. Carefully, Elsurion took a step towards Sarenya. He held the rose in front of her face and waited. Unimpressed by the pain she must have felt at this moment, her hand approached the flower and took it. So tender and careful, like it was a treasure to her now. Sarenya tenderly stroked the rose again with tears in her eyes. Elsurion considered ordering her to get a hold of herself, only to dismiss it seconds later.

“I have never seen this kind of roses again…since…since…”, she stated to hyperventilate.

“I’m a monster, king!”, Sarenya now directly addressed him. “I have no purpose but to kill!“

Elsurion flinched a bit but remained steadfast. Something struck the king like lightning: He inhaled and opened his hand. A fire came to life, putting an orange tint to the young man’s face. His stinging gaze pierced her, it was her turn to flinch now.

“If you are a monster. What am I then?”, he bluntly asked Sarenya and let the flame in his hand die.

“You…you are with them! How have you found me here?”, the woman’s voice was filled with terror now. Her daggers were back in her hands, ready to strike. She hesitated, otherwise she’d already struck him down.

“I am with no one.”, he calmly answered.

“No! You lie! The likes of you exist only in the brotherhood!”

“I do not know anything about a brotherhood. Who are you Sarenya? What are you?”

Her daggers were shacking. Sadness overtook her look.

“Sarenya, please. Answer me. Where do you come from? Who are you running from? I mean you no harm.”

The woman sank to her knees, tears flowing, her weapons slipping out of her hands. The rough grip of the dagger’s hilt made her hands bleed again. The king noticed this and said: “Please. At least let me bandage your hands.” The king barely knew how to properly bandage someone, but he would at least give it a try. Sarenya would not let anyone else touch her, that was out of question. The king had to bandage her himself. She slightly nodded.

“Alright. Stay here, I will be right back.”, he ran to the door to the garden and spoke to the nearest guard. He ordered them to bring him some bandages and herbal ointment, be it from the royal dispensary. The guard made haste to carry out the order and returned within a few minutes. Elsurion thanked the guard and hurried back to Sarenya. She was still sitting on the ground, starring at her hands. Carefully, the king took on of her hands into his own. Luckily, no thorns were stuck. Elsurion applied some of the balm. Remarkably, there was no grunt of pain or anything on her part, even as he, quite amateurishly, bandaged her hand. “At least it holds…”, he sarcastically complimented himself. Elsurion repeated the procedure on her other hand.

“That should hold.” “Cut out the crap!”, he scolded himself.

The woman looked up to him.

“What are you, king?” She, again, spit out the word like bad language.

“My name is Elsurion. And this is the only time I’ll allow you to address me so informal.”

She hesitated at first, but eventually repeated: “What are you…Elsurion?”

“A sorcerer. Not by choice that is.”

Sarenya chuckled grimly.

“What about you?”, the king asked.

“I’m a monster. Not by choice either if it pleases you.”

“Sarenya…”, the king began annoyed.

“I’m a soldier! A killer! A murderer!”, she was yelling at him now.

“Why?”, Elsurion yelled back to predominate her. “What have you done? I haven’t seen you killing anyone yet. To my surprise, I might add. Judging your skills…”

“My Skills? MY SKILLS? To the depths of the kosmos with my skills!”

She picked up a dagger and pressed it against the king’s throat.

“I could end your life in the blink of an eye in more ways than you could ever imagine, Elsurion!”

“Then why don’t you?”

Momentarily, the rage in her voice was gone. Again, tears arose in her eyes. They fell directly on Elsurion’s face this time.

“Because…”, she sobbed “Because I’m tired of it! I don’t want to kill if it’s not necessary! Not anymore!”

The pressure on the king’s throat rose.

“Why are you even asking me this? Why don’t you just…just…”, she glanced to the side. She spotted her other dagger, grabbed it and put it in Elsurion’s hand.

“Kill me!”

“What?”

“Kill me! Kill me or I swear I’ll slit your throat in half!”, she led the dagger in his hand to her own neck.

“Why should I do that?”

“Stop asking and fucking do it!”

“No, Sarenya.”

A mask of pure desperation covered her face. She started to hyperventilate again and clenched her teeth. Seconds passed where none of them moved. Then, Sarenya let go of the king’s hand and lowered her own. His guard sank to her knees and cried.

“You don’t have to kill. You just have to protect me.”

These words stung Elsurion directly into the heart when he remembered them now, two years later. That is what he promised Sarenya back then. Yet still, he asked her to murder the messenger in cold blood. Just because he was angry. He felt so ashamed. Back then, Sarenya rose back up to her feet and asked him:

“How can I trust you?”

“How can I trust you?”, mimicking her.

“Fair enough.”, if someone would have told him, that she was crying moments ago, he would call them a liar. It amazed him how fast she was back in control over her emotions.

“I am as willing to try as I was before.”

Automatically, the king reached out with his hand once again.

“You were not really taking it before, I suppose.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“What about now?”

No answer.

“Then,” he lowered his hand, “do it when you are ready.”

Sarenya nodded.

The king exhaled slowly. “We should eat.”