Jeemo woke in her large bed and stretched. A glint of light caught her eye and she twisted herself to see a large diamond ring with jewels sitting on her bedside table. She sat up, a large grin spreading across her face. She slipped the ring on her finger. Jeemo couldn’t believe he had asked on their first dinner together and that she had said yes. She hadn’t wanted to be tied down to a quiet life, so when he offered her a chance to see the world and maybe even make an impact she had jumped at the chance. Jeemo now had everything she had ever wanted—a life of adventure and someone to share it with. She had to tell someone, someone who didn’t already know. Her mother most likely would have made an announcement to Jeemo’s brother and sister-in-law. Jeemo stood. Maybe she could tell her nephew—Araki was in Ashford, that would make an excellent first adventure. A quick trip to Ashford to catch up with her nephew. With a new sense of exhilaration and joy, she swung around on the post of her bed, marched to the wardrobe and threw on a simple white tunic, belting it with a golden cord. She strode out of the room and reached the door before a cough stopped her. A hand on the door handle.

“Where do you think you are going?” a stern male voice asked from behind her.

Jeemo smiled to herself and turned to face Albert. “Just going out to see my new fiancé.”

“What?” Albert’s face fell into astonishment, “Without breakfast?”

“I don’t need food,” Jeemo said, twirling around, the skirt of the tunic billowing. “I have love.” Jeemo grasped the door, pulled it open and dashed outside.

Outside was grey in the predawn light; a light fog settled over the city.

“Albert ...” Jeemo said. “What is wrong with the outside?” She stepped back from the doorway.

“My dear, that is fog,” Albert said. “It rolls in just before dawn. The sun will burn it away in a few hours.”

“Why have I never seen it?” Jeemo asked, turning to Albert her face pale.

“I would assume because you never get up at dawn,” he said, smiling at her.

“What time is it?” Jeemo asked.

“Dawn. Today half past the fourth hour,” Albert said.

Jeemo blinked. Why did she wake up so early? She was never up before the eighth hour. What had happened to her?

“I think that that excitement of the engagement has changed your internal clock,” Albert said.

“I need to sit down,” Jeemo said, her face going very pale.

“Let me take you to the tearoom,” Albert said.

Jeemo nodded and let herself be led to the tearoom. Albert sat her down on a sofa.

“I can’t believe I am awake at this awful time,” Jeemo murmured to herself. “What are you doing up at this time, Albert?”

Albert chuckled at her. “I am always at this time. Your mother rises early and meditates. It is protocol that I have breakfast ready when she is finished.”

“My mother meditates?” Jeemo looked up at Albert, in his neat black and white suit.

“There is more under the sun than you seem to be aware of, young lady.”

“I would assume so,” Jeemo agreed. “I always wanted a life of adventure, but I never did anything to pursue that goal.”

“Until last night.”

“Yes, I am now engaged to man who has promised to take me out into the world,” Jeemo said, her face shining with joy.

“What will be your first adventure?” Albert asked.

“I think I want to go to Ashford and tell Araki,” Jeemo said. “He would be so happy.”

“That he would,” Albert agreed. “He was always getting into things.”

“So, what do I do, until the fog is gone?” Jeemo asked.

“You can walk in the fog,” Albert said, his face flat.

“You can?” Jeemo leapt up and brushed past Albert as she raced out of the tearoom. “Sorry, Albert!”

“Jeemo?” Albert called out. He walked out to the foyer. “I don’t know what man your new betrothed is, but he might not be the type of man that likes to be woken up early in the morning.”

Jeemo smiled a mischievous grin at Albert. “We will soon find out.” She threw open the door and rushed out into the morning fog.

Albert stood at the door. “Be careful, you can’t see very far in this weather,” he called out after Jeemo as she disappeared into the fog.

Jeemo felt alive, like nothing she had felt before. She ran along the road, the trees whipping past her as she ran to the quarter’s gates. At the gates, she found them closed and a man with a spear leaning against the outside. Her bare feet made no sound on the paved road and at the gate she called out to the gate guard. He spun around, looking for the source of the sound, his face pale with fright. He clutched his spear in both hands and he pointed the spear at her.

“Please let me out,” Jeemo said, panting.

“You scared me,” he declared. “Coming up behind a man when he is napping is not good for your health.”

“Please let me out. I need to get to the merchant district,” she breathed.

“Give me a moment. I need to collect myself,” he said, raising his spear. “Where are you going at this time?”

“I am going to see my fiancé,” she said.

“Lucky man. What’s his name?” he asked, pulling the keys off his leather belt.

“Rolando Vera,” she said, her face beaming with joy and love.

He found his keys and looked up at her. “Then you don’t need to come out of there. Your fiancé lives that way.” He pointed back the way they had come. “You are betrothed to this man, but you don’t even know where he lives … Are you sure you are engaged?”

“He asked me last night,” Jeemo declared. She showed him the ring on her finger. Her teeth started to chatter.

“Well his house is third up on the right,” he pointed. “Down that small street. It’s the one with the funny-shaped trees in the front garden.”

Jeemo shivered. “Thank you.”

“Now get inside before you freeze.”

Jeemo was off, running along the path. She slowed when she came to a small street heading off to her right and she turned down it. Two houses stood at the end between the hedges. The one to the right was covered in an array of flowers organised into an intricate pattern, while the one to the left was a green lawn with shaped trees lining the edge. Each tree was cut into a various collection of different shapes, some simple like cubes. One was cut to resemble a large winged dragon, still others looked like they were in the progress of being cut and someone had stopped trimming them. Jeemo walked down the street and turned onto the wet lawn. Her feet were cold, and she began to shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she had worn more than just a light tunic, which was becoming damp and sticking to her body. A small stately manor sat at the other end of the lawn. She approached it and knocked on the heavy wooden doors. The door was opened by a man dressed in a black and white suit. He gave her a look that was a mix of distrust and curiosity.

“I am Jeemo Rosethorn … I want to see Rolando Vera,” she stammered out.

“What makes you think the master wants to see you?” the butler asked in a deep gravelly voice.

“Because I am his fiancé,” she said through clenched teeth. “Oh, never mind.” Jeemo pushed past the old butler and stepped into the house. “Rolando!” she shouted.

The inside was modest but tastefully laid out in a comfortable setting. The warm carpet was deep burgundy. The walls, a gentle cream, were covered in paintings of beautiful vistas of meadows and gardens.

“Rolando!” she shouted again, walking into another room.

“The master will not be happy,” the butler complained.

A door at the other end of the room burst open and Rolando charged out of it, naked, sword in hand. He laid eyes on Jeemo’s wet tunic and dropped the sword to the floor with a dull thud.

“Rolando,” Jeemo breathed.

“What are you doing here?” he said, gathering her into his arms.

She leant against his warm arms and shivered. “I wanted to see you.”

“Is everything alright?” the butler asked.

Rolando nodded.

“Why did you come over? If I had known you would be coming, I would have told Larry.”

“I woke up and wanted to see you,” she sniffed. He smelled great like lilacs and something else something earthy. “I want to introduce you to my family.”

“I met your family last night,” he said.

“Not them,” she said, hitting his chest. His scent wafted over him. “I want to go to Ashford so that you can meet my nephew. You would like him; he is adventurous.”

“My trading ship left for Ishtaree yesterday,” Rolando said. “To get to Ashford you have to navigate the Ashford River from Ishtaree.”

“I know,” she said, running her hands through his dark chest hair. “Is there another ship going that way?”

“We have essentially two choices,” he said. “We could wait the six days until my ship comes back or we could take another trading company’s ship that leaves tomorrow to Pergasus. We could catch a ship I know that goes from there to Ishtaree. We could be there in five days.”

“Yes, let’s!” Jeemo said hugging him. She felt his manhood press against her. She stepped back and looked down at it.

“Sorry you came to me before I had had a time to dress,” he explained. He ran a hand over his head. “Then you come to me wearing that.” He waved a hand at her white wet tunic.

Jeemo looked down at her tunic it was damp and conformed to her body and had become transparent.

Rolando laughed nervously.

Jeemo unbelted it and let the golden cord drop to the floor, then lifted her tunic over her head. It joined the belt on the floor.

Rolando swept her off her feet and carried her into his bedchamber. She giggled as he did so and wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his firm lips. At last she felt like she belonged. She belonged to this man that had tried to convince her to marry him for many years and had, thanks to her mother, finally done so. For the first time in her life she felt true joy. She hoped she would be able to live like this forever. She squealed with joy as Rolando threw her onto the feather mattress of his large bed and jumped on after her. Jeemo gathered him into a deep embrace, wrapping her legs and arms around his firm body.