Liam blushes the sweetest shade of red, glancing down at the ring and up at my face, and then he laughs nervously. He is adorable when he's flustered.

"No... uhm... no... that would be pointless," he says, and now I feel insulted and quite hurt. Why would marrying me be pointless? He rises from his knees to sit beside me instead, probably trying to avoid any further misunderstandings. He must see the hurt expression on my face because his eyes widen, and he takes my hand in his. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I just meant... I mean..."

I don't think he knows what he means, and he is starting to look rather desperate now.

"You would be an amazing person to marry," he assures me. "But it would be pointless for you to marry me."

Now, he's just insulting himself and making even less sense. From what I've experienced of Liam - and seem to know about him when I really shouldn't - he is a wonderful person. He is strong, honest, steadfast and intelligent, with more humanity in his pinky than most people have in all their bones. He is perfect husband material.

"Please always wear this when you leave the mansion," he says, and I watch as he lifts my left hand and slips the ring onto my ring finger. It fits perfectly, and I blink at him in surprise. This is possibly the strangest situation I've been in since my arrival on Peacehaven.

"It... uhm... has... uh... some health benefits," he tries to explain, and I wonder why he is lying.

"Aren't those just emeralds?" I ask, narrowing my eyes on his face.

"Never underestimate a good emerald, Aubrey," he says, blinking his eyes, pretending to be offended. "They're... uhm... known for supporting heart health... and they can heal some issues. They also bring calm and will soothe you."

"I thought you were a scientist," I say, giving him a sceptical look, grinning now, no longer hiding my amusement. He is terrible at lying. I know those properties have been attributed to emeralds; I just don't think he is giving me the ring because he believes that.

"Yes... well... I'm open to all kinds of medical ideas."

"Shouldn't it be on my right hand?" I ask, letting him off the hook... for now. I have no idea why it is so important to him that I wear the ring, but I trust Liam. I wish he would tell me the truth, though, but I've put him through enough discomfort for one day. I'll bombard him with questions later when I feel less terrible for making him so sad. "If I wear it on the left ring finger, it will give the impression that I'm engaged to... well... the lord of calming energy."

Liam chuckles and evades my eyes, running the tip of his finger from the ring up my hand, tracing an invisible path along my arm.

"There's an important vein that connects this finger to the heart, which is why this is the finger wedding rings are symbolically worn on," he tells me, and when he meets my eyes again, I can see that he is feeling a bit frantic, which doesn't give me much confidence. "Please trust me and wear the ring, Aubrey. Will you?"

"Yes," I assure him. "If it means that much to you, I'll wear it." I'm definitely returning the ring to him when my work is done, and I leave, as it is clearly a very valuable heirloom.

"Thank you," he sighs, looking truly relieved which has the opposite effect on me. Still, it's just a ring, and it is really pretty. What harm could it possibly do to wear it... unless I get falsely accused of stealing it.

"If you suddenly pluck out a wedding dress, I'll be a bit put out, though," I warn him, and he laughs, standing up and pulling me to my feet.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning any surprise weddings... yet."

He laughs when I give him a bug-eyed look and picks up the tracksuit, handing it to me.

"Now, how about we go play with some sticks?"

"I don't want this to get damaged," I smile, slipping the ring from my finger and replacing it in the box, which I put in the nightstand drawer. "I promise I'll wear it tomorrow when I go into town," I reassure him when he watches me, biting his lip with a troubled grimace.

Sometime later, fresh air streams into my lungs and stirs in my ponytail as I try to mimic Liam's motions as instructed. The stick he gave me from a container holding many similar sticks kept in the stables is heavier than I thought it would be, but pretending to be a Samurai is rather fun. I've only accidentally hit Liam in the head once... when I wasn't attacking him... and he had to grab it from the air, saving me from braining myself a few times when I lost hold of it.

Still, it's fun. Liam is a very patient teacher. In the same calm way he'd taught me to use the coffee machine, he is teaching me how to hold the stick and move my feet in the Kendo style. My movements are becoming more fluent, and my stick handling can almost pass for approaching dexterous.

At first, he had me practice striking wood and rope dummies set up in a corner of the clearing near the stables where we're doing our training. I haven't been required to do any flip-flops yet, and we're both staying off the walls. The terrain is covered in hard-packed dirt, solidified by many feet using the area for practice through the years. We've churned up quite a bit of mud, and I have slipped in it many times.

A few minutes ago, he told me to use him as the dummy because he wanted to show me some basic blocking techniques. I was, of course, reluctant to strike out at him. I have no desire to hurt him or anybody else. Now, after many minutes of attacking him without any success, while he teaches me evasive and blocking moves I don't think I would ever be able to master, I'm no longer hesitant in striking out at him in the way he'd shown me.

I stop, huffing in frustration, bending over to catch my breath when Liam keeps on dodging and blocking my strikes without any effort.

"It's like trying to hit a very fast eel!" I accuse him, and chuckling, he lowers his stick and pats me on my back until I'm finally breathing normally again.

"You almost got me... uhm... well... one... once..." he says, peeking at me from under his fringe, which is falling into his eyes now that he is not impeccably neat and tidy anymore.

"Liam, no offence," I grin, straightening up to look at him. "But you're a terrible liar."

"That's..." he laughs, shrugging. "True."

I'm startled to hear thunder rumbling and look up at the sky. The clouds have been gathering while we were out here doing our training, but it doesn't look like we're about to receive more rain; at least, not yet.

It's not thunder.

I frown, realising that the thunder doesn't boom and fade the way thunder usually does. It is a steady rumble, progressively growing louder and turning my head towards the sound, I am surprised to see the most beautiful animal I've ever laid my eyes on coming towards us.

It is a huge, powerful-looking black horse, galloping from the forest, effortlessly scaling walls and obstacles in his way. His mighty muscles are bulging, and his nostrils flare while he tosses his head temperamentally, causing his long mane to stream in the wind.

There's a rider lying low on his back, moving in harmony with the horse. I almost don't recognise Alaric right away. They're like one animal, united in their goal of reaching the stables. When they are a few feet away, Alaric pulls his feet free of the stirrups and leaps from the horse's back in a way that seems to defy gravity. I'm about to call out in fright, but he lands on his feet, running alongside the animal without missing a beat.

So, Alaric can run after all, and he does it startlingly well. His black shirt is billowing in the wind, and his hair is even more dishevelled than Liam's. I cannot stop staring at him. His agility is mesmerizing.

The horse and his human stop just outside the stables, where Alaric removes the animal's saddle and bridal expertly, disappearing into the building with it. The horse shakes his body, tosses his head and turns to look at Liam and me, silently admiring the show. Seeing the horse take a step towards us, I instinctively try to hide behind Liam.

Why didn't Alaric tie the horse to something?! Surely, he cannot allow this strong and dangerous beast just to wander around as he pleases.

"It's okay; he knows you're not the enemy," Liam tells me.

"What?"

I watch, wide-eyed, as the horse continues to walk towards us, picking up speed as he approaches. I dig my fingers into Liam's T-shirt, wondering if I would be able to outrun the animal if he charged at me. Do horses charge people?

"It's okay, Aubrey," Liam murmurs, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Try to stay calm. He's just curious. You don't want to scare him."

"Me scare him?!" I ask incredulously, nervously keeping an eye on the horse as he approaches at a trot, growing larger and larger as he nears me until I'm certain that he is going to run me over and plough me into the ground with his robust hooves.

"Hey, Sprinkles," Liam smiles when the horse stops right in front of us, sniffing the air with puffs strong enough to stir my hair. If he wanted to, he could sniff me up those nostrils. I'm sure of it. He is close enough for me to smell his intimidatingly strong, though not unpleasant, fragrance while he moves his huge head around, looking at me. He headbutts Liam in the chest with the kind of force that would've sent me flying, but the man just chuckles and runs his fingers lovingly through the animal's thick mane.

"He is so beautiful," I whisper, surprised that I'm able to speak. I'm petrified, waiting for the animal to bite me, but he doesn't, and when Liam lifts my hand and places my palm on the horse's nose, he doesn't reject my touch; he leans into it, making soft snorting noises.

I stroke the soft skin of his nose and the hard length of his face and finally run my palm down the sweaty side of his neck, smiling when his lips nibble at my cheek and neck, tickling me. How can such a powerful animal be so gentle? I can feel its pent-up aggression, but he is not letting any of it out on me or Liam. He is being surprisingly affectionate.

"See, he is just a big old puppy when he likes someone," Liam smiles, pulling his head away when the horse tries to chew on his hair. "Fine, you're not a puppy," he laughs, patting the horse's neck. "You're a calf."

Honestly, I wouldn't mess with this horse.

I doubt that the animal understands what Liam is saying, but I'm not willing to take that chance. I'm startled when he rears his head and whinnies softly, turning to look back to where he'd come from. Alaric is standing at the door to the stables with a blue towel in his hands, and without any further ado, the horse trots back to him.

"Wait," I say, tilting my head to look at Liam. "Sprinkles? That's Angelica Sprinkles?"

"Indeed," he chuckles.

"What kind of weird name is that for an animal that powerful... and... well... clearly male?"

"Ask Ransford," Liam laughs. "Alaric lost a bet, and Ran got to name his horse."

Though I have no idea what he is talking about, hearing Ransford's name in the mix does lend a measure of sense to the situation.

"Do you have a horse?" I ask, and Liam points towards the enclosed meadow beside the stables where a couple of horses are grazing and frolicking not far from where we're standing.

"The buckskin one with the black mane is mine," he says, and I inhale sharply, seeing the beautiful animal kicking up its hind legs. Its creamy brown coat contrasts wonderfully with its black mane, legs and tail. "He's a bit moody sometimes," he tells me, chuckling. "But he's pretty awesome. He's sulking because he knows I'm here, but I'm not going to ride him today. It's okay," he assures me. "He'll get over it; we had a chat earlier."

"What's his name?" I ask, wondering if Liam is a horse whisperer and if having chats with the horses is something he often does. He did seem to have some kind of conversation with Angelica Sprinkles just now, and the horse reacted to him.

"Tinkerbell," he answers and laughs when I give him an astonished look. Though considerably smaller than Alaric's rather frightening horse, the one Liam pointed out is still large and powerful looking. There is nothing Tinkerbell like about him, though he is esthetically very pleasing to look at. "I lost the same bet."

Giggling, I watch as a mesmerizing white horse canters up to Tinkerbell and playfully nips at his neck before prancing off again with Tinkerbell hot on its heels.

"That's Ran's horse. She's a flirt," Liam chuckles. "She can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes, but... well... she's Ranford's horse, so it's to be expected. She's fearless, though, and can run for hours without even breaking a sweat."

"Now, she looks like a Tinkerbell," I tell Liam, observing the dainty way the horse lifts her feet and tosses her head, making her white mane dance around her. She's pretty, but all her antics and frolicking cannot hide her strong muscles, and if she came running over, I would be just as scared as I'd been when Angelica Sprinkles came trotting up to us. It won't just be because I'm rather wary of horses and other animals bigger and stronger than me.

"She does... and sometimes, she acts like one too," Liam grins.

"So, what's her name? Cupcake? Butterfly? Twinkle Toes? Snowflake?"

Liam laughs, shaking his head.

"No, her name is... uh... Darth Vader," he chuckles. "And there weren't even any weird bets involved."

"You people are doing it wrong," I laugh.

"Tell me about it," Liam says, laughing too.

I watch Darth Vader and Tinkerbell take turns chasing each other like children and laugh. There are so many things wrong with that thought! Still, I smile, enjoying the warm scene. I can imagine Ransford going on runs with that horse cantering ecstatically by his side.

Ransford... My heart twinges when I think of him.

Liam points out other horses in the camp, telling me their names and stories about them, and I bask in the normality of it all. Things like ghosts and blood-filled chalices belong to a different world, far, far away. They belong to the world of my imagination. There is no place for them in reality.

When his phone rings and Liam excuses himself, dragging it from his pants pocket to answer it, I let my eyes stray to where Alaric is taking care of his horse. Seeing him put so much effort and dedication into wiping down his horse is fascinating. I can see that the two of them have a solid bond, but I never thought of Alaric as affectionate or the kind of man who would love a pet.

Not that Angelica Sprinkles strictly fits in that category.

A stable hand appears from the stable, takes the towel Alaric used to wipe the animal's sweat and offers him a brush in return. I wonder why Alaric is doing all of this himself when he clearly has paid staff to take care of the horses until I see the wary looks the stable hand gives the horse and how he keeps a safe distance from him while he assists Alaric. So, it's not just because Alaric loves his horse too much to let others brush him.

I now feel rather special that the horse showed me some affection and didn't once flatten his ears and give me the kind of look he is giving the unfortunate groom.

I'm aware of Liam speaking on his phone in the background, but it all fades to a dull zoom when Alaric lowers the brush he'd been working with and turns to look at me. His eyes are piercing through me even at this distance, and as if they have their own will, my feet take a couple of steps towards him in answer to the overwhelming longing in my heart.

"I'm sorry, Aubrey," Liam says near me, drawing my attention and I stop, turning to look at him. "One of my patients has gone into labour; I need to get to the hospital."

"Oh!" I didn't know that Liam delivered babies too. I was told that he takes care of almost all Peacehaven's doctor-related needs, but I didn't take it this literally. "That's exciting! I hope it goes well. Thank you for teaching me how to hit you with a stick."

"You're welcome. Thank you for not killing me even once," he chuckles. He is about to walk away when he stops, returning to stand in front of me again and lay a gentle hand on my head. "You're safe here, Aubrey. I know it's a lot to wrap your head around, but I'll do whatever I can to help you cope."

I'm not entirely sure what he means, but I find comfort in his eyes and the warm hand he lays against my cheek for a moment before he takes my stick.

"Thank you," I whisper, watching him walk to the stables to store our weapons.

The stable hand cautiously pumps fresh water in one of many troughs, and Angelica Sprinkles tosses his big head, warning the young man to know his place, before he casually crosses to the trough to drink from it. I'm disappointed that there's no sign of Alaric anymore.

"Why would I be disappointed?" I chide myself and tossing my own mane provocatively - hard enough for my ponytail to smack me in the face - I march back to the mansion.

It's almost time for lunch, and I'm in desperate need of a shower.

~~~