Saga didn't know what was the worst the next day. The way the knights had glanced at her with pity. That Kai hadn't looked in her direction at all. Or that Viggo now wasn't in the carriage with her. He had claimed it was because if he was on horseback, he'd notice any potential threat faster. She had smiled and said it was fine when he had asked if she would be alright in the carriage on her own. But truthfully, she longed to have him take up the space with her. Though felt guilt and shame, which caused her to curl up in one of the corners.

The two of them hadn't talked much while being in the carriage together. But he had been another presence. Someone to serve as a small distraction. Without him there, she was completely left to her own thoughts, and they were a spiral staircase down a dark hole.

The staircase consisted of two different types of steps.

One type made her feel shame and embarrassment over how pathetic she had to have been in front of Viggo. She wasn't exactly sure what had transpired after the attack, but she knew he had comforted her. She had been a burden he had never asked for or deserved.

The other type was filled with shame as well, but it was guilt instead of embarrassment which accompanied that shame. It was for Kai she felt those feelings. He had been nothing but sweet to her in all of their interactions, and he had fought to keep her safe. That she had seen her father in him for even a second gnawed at her. From what she could tell, they were quite the opposite of each other.

What made it worse was that a part of her had been relieved when he hadn't approached her in the morning. Relieved because she was scared about looking him in his eyes again, unsure about what she would see there if she did. If it would be the sky or the ice.

And the absolute worst part of it all, a part she scarcely let herself even think about, was how close she knew her magic had been to acting up. Magic she hadn't used since she was six and magic she never wanted to use ever again because she knew the consequences of it.

When they stopped for lunch, Viggo brought food directly to her, making it obsolete for her to approach anyone else. She thanked him, more for being allowed to avoid everyone than the food.

She sat in the carriage while eating, not even on the steps leading up to it. Hiding away from everything else.

"The sun is far too bright," Hrafen exclaimed as he stepped into the carriage to sit opposite her. "And no shade in sight. So I do hope the Lady will be alright with sharing this space."

He put his feet up on the bench next to her and took a bite out of an apple.

"Yes, that's quite alright," Saga answered. It wasn't like she had any other option with how he had made himself at home. And it wasn't like she knew how to say no.

"Good, good. I swear, those men's skin are made of leather. Mine is much more delicate and cannot handle this amount of direct sunlight. How I long for autumn to settle." He took another bite of his apple with eyes fixed on her. The intensity of the stare made Saga bend her head. "How's the Lady feeling today? You gave us quite a scare yesterday," the mage went on.

"I'm good," she answered. Her voice came out curter than she had expected, and she bent her head even more.

"Excellent. You look to be doing much better. First time meeting dire wolves, huh? They can be quite intimidating but they are child's play for these knights."

"Dire wolves?" Saga echoed and looked up a bit at him again.

"Yes. You do know what dire wolves are, don't you?" His eyes narrowed a bit as he studied her.

"Of course," she replied, slightly offended. Everyone knew what they were, after all, seeing as they were the most common among the different monsters inhabiting their lands, and she had read plenty about all the different types. But though she had read plenty, she had never come face to face with any, and she hadn't even considered the possibility of the wolves being anything other than normal wolves.

They were in appearance like normal wolves, except bigger. But they were stronger than wolves, and their abilities to heal wounds inflicted on them were much greater. There were different types of them as well, and some had other magical abilities.

"It's a shame Lord Viggo wanted us to leave so fast," Hrafen sighed in an overdone manner. "Only got hold of a bit of blood and some teeth. Not that it is hard to buy different parts of dire wolves, but why buy when you can get something for free? Does the Lady know of the different uses these things can have?"

"Yes," she said in a clipped tone, feeling even more offended, because again, who didn't know that some spells and magical devices needed things like bones and blood of monsters to work. "I've read plenty."

"That is good then. Makes it easier if I would ever require your assistance. Being a lone mage can be hard work, and none of the knights are proficient enough in reading, writing, and counting to be of any help. But you, Lady Saga, certainly should be."

Saga bent her head further again. Viggo's warning about never doing the mage any favours rang in her head, and she should have put an end to Hrafen's suggestion then and there. But she didn't know how to say no, and besides, the way he had said she should be able to help irked her. It was as if he doubted her abilities, and could it be that he already suspected she wasn't as noble as she ought to be? If that was the case, she needed opportunities to prove she was capable.

"If you bend your head any lower you'll risk straining your neck," the mage said with a voice thick of amusement.

Saga's head shot up again as if his words had been a whip. "It is impolite to talk to a lady like that," she huffed.

"Is it? I've never cared much about etiquettes and such." The mage took another bite of his apple. Then while still chewing he said, "Caring too much about what is proper is a certain way of killing all fun." He closed his mouth and swallowed. "Moderation is the key. As it is with most things in life."

She opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't think of anything good to say. Instead, she turned her head to look out the window. The man was not acting in any way a man should act. She knew that if her father would have heard him speak, seen him talk while chewing, he would have humiliated him with his word.

Then later her father would have beaten her with his belt.

"Hey, now, don't look away from me again. The conversation was finally turning interesting. Or is there something more entertaining outside the window?"

Next moment, Hrafen had his face right by hers to peer out the window. Saga jumped back, placed her hand down where the mage's shoes had been on the bench. Snatching her hand back and looking at it, she saw dirt now stained it. If her father would have known someone left dirt on his furniture like that, he would have thrown him out of the castle.

Then later her father would have beaten her with his cane.

"Tsk, nothing there," Hrafen returned to his seat and propped his feet up again.

Saga opened her mouth to tell him to lower them. But before the words came out a voice whispered in her head, asking her why she cared about what her father would think. He was miles and days away. He would never know about the mage's behaviour. He would never be angered by it and then take that anger out on her.

"Your skin is turning paler again," Hrafen pointed out, tilting his head and studying her. "I think we have talked enough for today, and I better take my leave before Viggo comes and questions my abilities in politeness. I'm looking forward to our next conversation, Lady Saga."

He slipped out of the carriage leaving her alone with her thoughts. With her realisation.

Her father wasn't there. She didn't need to spend her days worrying about when and how he would beat her next.

She was free from his tyranny. Had been for the past few days, but not until then did that feeling start to settle in her.

Standing from the bench, she sat down on the step of the carriage. The sun was indeed bright, warming her skin. A bit away, the knights sat in small groups. Eating, talking, laughing.

What would it be like to be a part of that? To have the sense of comradery they shared?

Her eyes swept among them until they landed on Kai. The relationship she had with Viggo felt secure, but it didn't feel quite like a friendship. In truth, it felt more as if he cared for her the way a father should. With Kai, however, it felt as if he had the potential for becoming a friend. That was if she hadn't destroyed all chances for that the day before.

Kai laughed at something a knight sitting next to him had said, and as he laughed he moved his head so his eyes locked on to hers. She held her breath, but it came out as a deep sigh when all she could see in his eyes was his sky and none of her father's ice.

He looked away from her, only to have his eyes returning to hers a second later. The action was adorable, like a child worried you would disappear when out of their sight, or maybe a child worried what they had seen wasn't real.

It made Saga's lips form a smile, and as Kai smiled back at her with his pure brightness, her lips turned upwards even more.

He turned and said something to the knight next to him before he stood and made his way over to her.

As he had done before, he sat down on the ground opposite her.

"Are you feeling better, Lady Saga?" he asked, his eyes searching over her face.

"I do," she answered as her fingers began to fidget. She wanted to apologise to him for how she had reacted. With how he had avoided her, she feared he had taken her reaction personally, and she wanted to explain it hadn't been. But she couldn't do that without admitting how she had been treated, and that felt impossible. He looked at her, had looked at her from the very start, like someone to admire. If he knew the truth, then he wouldn't ever look at her like that again.

"Thank you for protecting me," she said instead.

If it was possible, he shone even more. Brighter than the sun in the sky. "You never have to thank me for that, Lady Saga. It's my honour to protect you and I always will as best I can."

"Then I better always stay close to you when there is danger."

He opened his mouth to speak, but then slowly closed it again. His cheeks grew a bit pink and the smile he gave her seemed timid compared to before, almost shy.

Having him look at her like that, made Saga's chest feel all warm.

He leaned back a bit, placed his hands on the ground behind his back with his legs sprawled out in front of him. His eyes closed as he turned his head up toward the sun. He looked so casual, so at ease, and Saga hoped she could at some point feel comfortable sitting like that as well.

"It's a shame summer is coming to an end," he said. "It's so nice when it's warm. Though autumn is beautiful with all of the colours. And it is fun during winter to play in the snow. Oh, and spring with all the life coming back is such a magical time. What is your favorite season?" He looked back at her with curiosity in his eyes.

"I've never thought about it," she admitted, but he didn't say anything more. Just waited for her to continue. And Saga considered the question.

She really had no idea, all the seasons had always seemed the same to her. It hadn't mattered if it was summer, autumn, winter, or spring. Her life had always been the same. But the more she thought, she realised that the few happy memories she had from before were all with her mother out in their garden.

"Spring," she answered. "It's beautiful when the flowers start to bloom."

The boy nodded with enthusiasm. "Yes, you're absolutely right. Spring is always a pretty time of year. Do you have a favorite flower?"

She shook her head, and a sound which was half-way to a laugh left her lips. "Now that I have definitely never thought about."

"Well, if you ever figure it out, I would be happy to know."

She shook her head again. He was being both silly and cute, but sitting there talking about completely unimportant things made her smile more than she could remember ever having smiled before.