Castle life

Today is the day, he thought, today I will do this. A deep breath, senses to the max, eyes trying to see into the deep darkness. Today he would do it. Today he would...
“Connor, where are you going? You know you cannot leave without taking your brother with you.” His mother said.
And that was that day and he failed, miserably. He looked down. “Yes, mom.” He whispered. He was just a small boy, maybe ten years old and already sticking his nose into someone else’s business. “Daran, take your brother.” His mother called his older brother. The young man, about roughly six years older than Connor, came into the house and looked down. “Where too?” he asked.
Conner knew his brother did not mean it like that, but he always felt so tiny and unimportant. His brother was the soldiers that got into those fights, could go on adventures. He was just the little brother that had to stay home to take care of the parents. “Nothing. Never mind. I’ll just go to the lake.” He muttered and then he left.
He had put his hands into his pockets and trudges towards the lake. He had loads of time, too much time really. Actually, he thought to himself, i think too much. I should think less, maybe then I’ll be a warrior?
He arrived at the lake but then saw there was already somebody there. There was never anyone here, never. It was his place, only he knew how to get to the upperlake of the three that lay in these parts. It was a girl, she looked upset and so he found himself in a whole lot of doubt yet again. Should he go to her? Should he just stay the hell away from this place?
When he finally made up his mind he went to the girl and cleared his throat in order to announce himself. “Are you ok?” he asked her and he sat down next to her. The girl was quiet and then she nodded. “Fine.” She whispered.

There was a horrible noise and the man woke up. He moaned when he looked at the window and saw that the sun was already shining. Why, why did he had to go and drink last night? Conner thought to himself. He got out of bed, almost tripped over his dog as he went down stairs to wash himself.
Years had passed and many things had happened. His brother had died in a barfight, his mother had not been able to handle that and so she and his father had left, leaving him old enough to be on his own. Well, not entirely on his own that was. He lived with his uncle who had learned him more about anything than his parents ever could. He was now fluent in three languages, he could fight like a proper warrior and he had been on the road with his uncle about a dozen times. To be quite honest he loved this life, he loved everything about it. Also since that day in the lake he had seen the girl more than once. They had continued to meet each other once in a while. They would speak, talk about nonsense mostly. He never spoke to her about her upbringing, and she did not ask him in return.
Today was that day again. A day he would see her after a few months of travel. He had come to see her as a close friend but still... time does strange things to a human being and so in time he had started to see her in a different perspective.
Anyhow he got dressed, said goodbye to his uncle and left the house. Like always he brought his sword with him and his bow, he loved the bow.
Within minutes he found himself in the woods and he stopped there. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It had been months since he last set foot in this forest. He had missed everything about it. The smells, the animals, the noises coming out of every direction. For a moment there was only silence around him and the smell of damp wood, because it had rained that night.
Somewhere far away there were some people roaming around, he could hear them speak and break away branches, bastards. He sighed and walked on. He could not do anything about that but well, he just cared somehow.
Connor was only in the woods for half an hour when he heard a scream that made his hairs stand up and made him shiver. He instantly knew the voice and made his way to where he heard the screams. “What is a proper girl like you doing in these dangerous woods?”he heard a man say. He heard them all before he saw them but he felt the anger building up inside. He hated men like these. Those were men from the king’s guard, always roaming the area like boars, always destroying everything. Conner even liked boars more than he did those men.
Conner, he spoke to himself, you are now 22 years of age. If you don’t make it soon, you’re never going to make it anyway, and so he grabbed an arrow, put it on his bow and stepped out of the bushes. “Leave while your hearts still beats.” He said with a dark, low voice. his dark eyes scanned every man, looking already for their weaknesses. He was lucky that his uncle had trained him well, though he did not know that his uncle had once been a trusted captain in the king’s forces.
The leader of the men looked at him for a moment and then started to laugh. “You know, you remind me of someone I used to know, Novik.” The men said.

For the ones that did not already know this, yes, they knew each other. Since well.. since Conner had almost been killed by his son and almost had gotten into prison because they told the officer in charge that it had been him who had tried to kill his son. Long story short: They did not like each other very well.

Dove
"You know what will happen when you're older, don't you?" Her older sister gave her the Grown Up Look, which often meant Dove had said something silly. She bit her lip and looked up, shaking her head, feeling tremendously stupid. "No?" She asked, sounding insecure. The Grown Up Look thickened on the face of her sister, and she crossed her arms. "Well, promise me first you won't tell it to Circe," her sister Avis said. Dove nodded immediately, now growing curious. 
"When you're old enough, mummy and daddy will make you marry a man, so they can use his money," she said. Dove's face fell. "But what if I don't want to marry a man? They always smell," she said, feeling the worry rise in her stomach. Avis shook her head. 'Doesn't matter. They will make you, you don't have a choice."
Dove could feel her lower lip quiver and she blinked to keep away the tears. 

The memory of Avis telling her the horror story still felt fresh. Most of her childhood she had spent scared or crying: it was the burden of being the middle daughter. She wasn't young or cute enough to be told white lies, but she wasn't old or responsible enough to be told the truth either. That had often left her scared to death about her future with the scraps of information she had collected. She didn't mind it that much now, though. If it had been any different, she wouldn't have met Connor. She smiled a little at the memory of their first meeting. It had been right after her sister had broken the news of the marriage that would be coming, that she had ran away to the lake.
She liked Connor. She liked how he always just told her the plain truth: her whole life he had been the only one to. She felt a little guilty knowing that she hadn't done the same. The first time they had met, something had kept her from telling him the real reason she had gone to the lake. Instead she had pretended to be a normal peasant girl. Sometimes she wondered if that life would be better. She still wasn't sure. 
She didn't give herself any time to dwell on the thought, however. Instead she pulled the brown cape a little closer, hoping the fabric didn't look too expensive and Connor would start to doubt her story. She didn't want him to go, she had grown too fond of him for that. She hopped over a branch, enjoying the moment of freedom she granted herself. When she was younger, she used to slip away from the house all the time. But the more years went by, the harder it got to get away. Her mother kept thinking of new idiotic things she needed to learn to become a real Lady with a capital L, and her father started taking her with him to his Important Business (capitals as well) more and more. Every time she thought of the reason for that last part, her stomach turned itself inside her belly. So, well, the obvious solution was to just not think about it.
Just as she saw the lake in the distance, where she would meet Connor, her foot got stuck behind a branch and she plunged forward. A small grunt escaped her lips as she fell face first into the ground covered with mud and leaves. She said a quick prayer to thank the Gods that Connor didn't see her. She sat up to her knees and brushed the leaves and sand from her face, when she was suddenly yanked up. She couldn't help herself: she screamed. Very loud, to be honest. Her cheeks immediately flushed red, forming a stark contrast with the strands of almost white hair framing her face. She looked straight into the eyes of one of the king's guards. "What is a proper girl like you doing in these dangerous woods?" He asked her. Her muscles stiffened, and she tried to remember one of the defences she had learned herself long ago, while her mouth did its best to form words, but came with nothing. She was quite sure of the fact that she looked like a stranded fish. "I- eh- I was- You know- I," she stumbled over her words, but no explanation came to mind. Just as she started thinking about what her parents would say when they'd find out she had sneaked off to the woods, someone stepped out of the bushes. "Leave while your hearts still beat." She recognised that voice. She shrugged herself free of the man's grip and looked towards Connor, her knees shaking with relief. Surely nothing would go wrong if Connor was here, she thought, maybe a little naive. One of the other men - not the one who had grabbed her - started to laugh, and suddenly she wasn't so sure anymore. Her eyes flashed from the man to Connor and back. "You know, you remind me of someone I used to know, Novik."
"Novik?" The word escaped her lips before she could stop herself and she bit herself. Luckily for her, no one of the men payed attention to her. She was just a woman, after all, she thought bitterly. 
She wasn't sure what was going on, but the tension in the air was almost touchable. So she scraped her throat, and this time she did get payed attention. "Surely, now you see everything is alright, you can continue with your task, right?" She asked, hoping the guards would just leave. Instead, all the men suddenly glared at her. She swallowed. "Are you saying we were wasting our time before, girl?" The man who had grabbed her asked. Her eyes widened. Okay, obviously that had came out wrong. "No, no!" she quickly said, shaking her hands, but immediately leaving them next to her sides when she could hear her mother's voice. Don't act as if you're a little boy, Dove. You are a lady, and you will behave like one. She licked her lips and lifted her chin just the slightest bit, hoping to give herself a little more confidence. "Of course I know men of the king's guard wouldn't do such a thing as wasting time on duty. I understand you were just trying to help, and it was very noble of you." She was sure to make her voice sound coaxing just as her mother always did. Dove had learned long ago that however strong men may be, they always had a weakness for admiring women. So she did her best to look like one, even though there were probably still leaves stuck in her curls, and mud across her pale cheeks. "I was acting silly, and I got lost in the woods. I am very lucky to have encountered you, but I do not wish to waste your precious time." She saw the man closest to her frown. Was it too much? She threw him a quick, innocent smile. His face softened a bit, and she breathed out. At least there was some benefit to all the boring lessons her mother had taught her. She just hoped Connor wouldn't be too freaked out. The most naive scenario she could come up with, was that he'd still believe she was a peasant girl, just one very good at bluffing.

The men from the king’s kept on smiling, laughing at him. As if they did not believe that he would do what the threatened to do. But the head guard did look at him with this look in his eyes. There was always determination in his eyes and now he seemed cautious. They attention was drawn by Dove who cleared her throat.
"Surely, now you see everything is alright, you can continue with your task, right?" She asked. Her result was probably not what she hoped. She only got glares from the men and Conner pulled the string even further back. He had the strength in his arms so he could handle this for some time really. "Are you saying we were wasting our time before, girl?" The man who had grabbed her asked. Connor’s eyes watched every movement of the men. He felt the tension growing inside of him but somehow it seemed like this was a scene he was not supposed to be in. something started to gnaw at his mind but he put it aside for now, following the ‘conversation’ again.
"No, no!" Dove said, he could see that her hand were shaking and he started to worry a little. Maybe she was just trying to out bluff the men? He thought. When she started to speak again she sounded totally different, unlike anything he had heard before. She sounded well educated right there. Almost like she had some power over these men. "Of course I know men of the king's guard wouldn't do such a thing as wasting time on duty. I understand you were just trying to help, and it was very noble of you." She said, her voice sounding like she was praising a small boy for being good when he had done as his mother had told him. "I was acting silly, and I got lost in the woods. I am very lucky to have encountered you, but I do not wish to waste your precious time." She added and then she smiled. That smile was it, at least so it seemed. The men seemed to agree that this was some misunderstanding and so they left. Leaving her and himself at that spot.

He calmed down and relaxed his bow. He put the arrow back in his shaft and looked at her. His eyes were narrowed while he looked at her. She had changed during the last couple of months. Of course that was absolutely normal but still there was something not right there. But since he had not seen her for such a long time he felt happy and so he put the restless feeling away, walked to her and put his arms around her. “It is so good to see you again!” he said happily to her. He let her go after some seconds and looked down at her. “You look good.” He said with a warm smile on his face. His eyes were sparkling, like always when his smile was a real smile.
“So what have you been up to? Seems like things are going easier on you too.” He said, since she looked a little less upset then most of the times they met.
He smiled now, well it was more like a grin, he shook his head and looked into the direction the men had gone. “I don’t know how you did it but you did a very good job there. If it had been up to me those bastards had been lying here dead with an arrow in their hearts.” He said, looking at her. “I am sorry, should not have said that.” he added quickly. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his thick darkblonde hair. “So, where do you want to go? And this time it is your turn to tell me first about what happened the last few months.”

Dove
As soon as the men left, she let out her breath and her polite mask fell. "Thank god the men of the king's guard are so incredibly vain," she muttered, before turning to Connor. He looked at her with narrowed eyes and she felt her heart drop. No, no, no. Please, don't let him find out. Before she could say anything to defend herself, he closed the distance between them and took her in his embrace. She laughed, relieved, and hugged him back. "It is so good to see you again!" He said, mirroring the same happiness she felt. "It is," she agreed, smiling. It wasn't the sort of smile she had used to get rid of the men. This one wasn't meant to be pretty, so she didn't hesitate to show her teeth (Not a little boy!, her mother already screamed in her thoughts), or to crack open her whole face. As he let her go, he had to look down to watch her face. Her smile faded a little. She hated how small she was- even Circe, who was two years younger, already had grown taller than Dove. "You look good," Connor said. Her smile returned and she shrugged his words away. "It's the mud," she said in a very serious tone. "I heard it's really good for your skin, so I wanted to try it out," she joked, trying to scratch the already dried up mud from her cheeks. 
"So what have you been up to?" Connor asked, and she immediately liked how wonderfully easy the world seemed when she was with Connor. "Seems like things are going easier on you too." She didn't need to think about how to word her sentences to prevent from insulting any one, or how she didn't need to look to eager, since that wasn't very ladylike either. Nothing fun was ladylike. "Not much," she answered, brushing the leaves from her cloak. She didn't tell him things weren't really that much better, but she just got better at hiding her worries. Worries weren't very ladylike.
When he grinned at her, it was hard not too as well. "I don't know how you did it, but you did a very good job there," he suddenly said. She held her breath for a few seconds, afraid he'd found out despite of her little prayer. "If it had been up to me those bastards had been lying here dead with an arrow in their hearts." Dove's eyes widened as she looked at him. "I am sorry, should not have said that," he added quickly. Dove gave him a little smile and pushed his shoulder. "No, you shouldn't've," she agreed. "They're the king's guards, you can't call them bastards." Her eyes drifted off to the bow in his hands. "Is it hard?" She asked him suddenly. "Shooting arrows, I mean," she added to clarify. Immediately after that, her eyes went from his arms to her own, comparing them. She didn't think she'd be very good at archery. 
"So, where do you want to go?" Connor asked her. She only needed to think about it for a few moments. "Let's go to the lake first," she said, already grabbing his hand and dragging him along. This time she made sure to avoid the branches that lay scattered on the ground. "I need to clean my face." 
"And this time it is your turn to tell me first about what happened the last few months," Connor added to his earlier words. Dove let go of his hand as they reached the lake and kneeled down to see her own reflection in the water. Fortunately, her face wasn't as dirty as she had expected, though there were a lot of leaves stuck in her hair. She pulled one of them out and wetted her hands to clean the mud from her face. She stayed silent for a while, using the cleaning of her face to postpone answering his question. For a moment she thought about telling him about the arranged marriage coming closer, but she immediately let the idea drop again. What farm girl got married off to a rich guy? She wasn't sure, but she didn't believe it happened much. 
She sat down in the sand, using her cloak to keep her dress from getting dirty, and tried to get the dirt from under her nails. "Not much happened," she lied, since she couldn't tell him about all the men their parents kept inviting. "I mean, my father keeps getting grumpier, but that's nothing new. I think he just regrets having no sons," she said. It bugged her she couldn't tell him about anything major that happened. All those things would give away her status, and she didn't want him to know. She was afraid he wouldn't behave the same if he did. "My mother decided I should know how to embroide," she said, making sure to word it like something that would happen inside the house of a peasant family. It would help if she actually knew how those were. Instead she was constantly walking on eggs shells. "I can assure you there is nothing more boring than using needle and thread to put one of those fat little angels on a piece of cloth," she said, rolling her eyes. She turned slightly more towards him now. "What about you?" she asked. "I'm sure no one taught you how to embroide," she joked.

"They're the king's guards, you can't call them bastards." She said to him and he looked to the ground. He didn’t agree with her on that point. They were all bastards, at least they acted like they were. The men looked and acted like they were the top of society around the normal farmers and peasants while they were nothing more than common criminals in his eyes. Over the years he had not said anything to Dove about his growing hate towards the kings guards. He had also never told her about the role they had played in his brother’s murder, he simply couldn’t.
He looked at her, how she stood there with those bright and shining eyes. She always seemed happy when she was around him and it made him feel special somehow, it felt good to have her around him.
"Is it hard?" She suddenly asked him, ripping him out of his thoughts. For a moment he did not understand what she meant until she explained what she meant. He looked at her and shrugged. “Not really. It’s just something you can’t do out of the blue, you need to practise.” He said to her with a smile. He saw her looking at his bow and he started to laugh. “If you would ever shoot an arrow you will have to use a lighter bow. Woman are better archers than men anyway.” He said to her as they walked to the lake. She had indicated that she wanted to go there, since her face was covered in some of the mud she had fallen into.

They reached the lake in no time. They both knew this place inside out and so they always knew where to go and where the other would be. He remembered the time when they had played together in these parts and most of the time it was her who suddenly had to leave. She always told him stuff about her parents but she had never showed him her home. She had seen his home once, when his uncle had been away for a few days. He had wanted to show her something he had found in the woods. Still, he never pushed her to show him her home. If she ever wanted to show him he would find out, he thought.
"Not much happened," she said to him while she cleaned her face with the lake water. Connor sat down on a rock as he looked and listened to her. She continued quickly, speaking about her parents. "I mean, my father keeps getting grumpier, but that's nothing new. I think he just regrets having no sons," she said to him. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Fathers always want sons. But they like girls just as much. It’s a society thing I guess. I know for a fact that my mother had wanted a daughter too but I heard my father tell her it was for the better to have boys. He said that boys were able to defend them and could keep them safe, provide for them and a woman.” He said and he shrugged. “I think it is just easier to have a son because they can be more independent and can care for themselves, just laziness really.” He spoke his thoughts out loud. .
"My mother decided I should know how to embroide," she now said. He thought for a moments, knowing he had heard the word somewhere and that he knew what it meant. His uncle had taught him allot and he had seen more than any commoner ever had. Still, it did not make sense. Most girls never learned anything like that. it was for no use, no commoner had clothing or anything that needed allot of decoration. He did not speak his doubts though and he just nodded. “Sounds boring.” He said, grinning.
"What about you?" she asked. "I'm sure no one taught you how to embroide," she joked and he laughed. “No, lucky for me no.” He said, shivering at the thought of that he had to sit there for all eternity with some needle and fabric.
“My uncle took me on a trip again. I have seen the work of the Romans in Bath and he took me to Hadrian’s wall.” He said, gleaming with excitement. He always was excited about going on another trip. It meant seeing more things, learning more things. He had spent a few weeks in the lands to the east, where the Saxons lived and hunted. He had learned to hunt bears and live with the minimum in the mountains high. He sighed and looked a little distracted for a moment. “Anyhow,” he resumed, thinking about what his uncle had told him, “my uncle wants me to find a job. He thinks I can do well as a blacksmith’s apprentice or in the kings army. I’d rather go back to the Northern lands than go into the kings service.” He said, spitting on the ground. He held the king responsible for the current situation of the peasants. There was sickness and people were poor, unable to find money to pay for a physician. “I just don’t get it. Why doesn’t the man use his brain for this one time. He just can’t see through all his own wealth. He spends it all, raises more taxes to provide for his fancy parties and in the meanwhile his people starve and die because they are to poor to care for themselves. Instead of doing something he just sends his dogs out to kill everyone who doesn’t pay the taxes.” He said, his voice started to sounds more angry when he talked more about the subject. “The only thing he cares about it good marriages for the crown and that his line continues to exist.” He said and he spit on the ground.
He was catholic in name but he had more of a pagan in him than he let on. His uncle was the same but they both respected any religion. It was just another perspective, his uncle had told him. He took a deep breath in order to calm himself and he looked at the ground. “Never mind. I.... I... just don’t tell anyone I said that. He would probably have me killed if he heard that. probably would claim me arranging an uprising.” He said mocking. He shook his head and looked at the lake.
“But you haven’t told me everything have you?” he asked her with a soft voice, almost breakable. He did not dare to look at her and stared across the lake. “You are old enough to be married already.” He said.

Dove
"Not really," Connor answered her question about the archery. She threw him an unconvinced look. It sure did look difficult. "It's just something you can't do out of the blue, you need to practise," he added. "You need to practice for everything," Dove pointed out, sounding a little annoyed about that fact. He laughed when he caught her looking at his bow. "If you would ever shoot an arrow you will have to use a lighter bow. Woman are better archers than men anyway." Her eyes lit up at that. "Really?" She asked him, immediately growing enthusiastic. "There aren't many things women are better at, if I have to believe my mom. Well, except for embroidery maybe," she said. "If I ever have a bow, will you teach me?" She asked him. 
As they reached the lake, she breathed in the typical air of the woods. There weren't many places around here that she liked more than the lake. She told him about her family, or at least as much as she dared to, and he listened quietly.
When she pointed out her father must be so grumpy because he only had three daughters, Connor shook his head. "Fathers always want sons. But they like girls just as much," he said, but Dove wasn't really convinced. "It's a society thing, I guess. I know for a fact that my mother had wanted a daughter too but I heard my father tell her it was for the better to have boys. He said that boys were able to defend them and could keep them safe, profide for them and a woman," he told her. Dove shrugged her shoulders and looked at the water. "Women would be just as good in defending themselves," she argued. "It's just that no one teaches us how to."
"I think it is just easier to have a son because they can be more independent and can care for themselves, just laziness really." Dove crossed her arms and pulled up her legs. "Well, women could care for themselves if they didn't make those damn dresses so complicated," she muttered, but then suddenly remembered the women in town did in fact wear easier dresses. She looked the other way so Connor wouldn't see her face and quickly corrected herself. "I mean, in general. Like, the type of dresses the Queen wears look like a pain to put on."
When she told him about her mother's idea to learn her embroidery, he didn't say anything for a while. "Sounds boring," he replied finally, grinning. She grinned back at him. "It is."
When she asked him about what he had been up to the past few months, he started telling and Dove sat back. She always liked his stories about the places he had been. "My uncle took me on a trip again. I have seen the work of the Romans in Bath and he took me to Hadrian's wall." He sounded just as excited as she would have been in his place. "Anyhow," he said after a short pause, and Dove looked up again. "my uncle wants me to find a job. He thinks I can do well as a blacksmith's apprentice or in the kings army. I'd rather go back to the Northern lands than go into the kings service," he said and spat on the ground. Dove couldn't help but flinch a little at his words. She always felt a little uncomfortable when he spoke about the king. Though he had never put it in words before, it was obvious he didn't like the way he ruled the Lands. "Maybe you could try to find a job that would allow you to keep travelling," she said, desperate to change the subject again, but he didn't seem to hear her. "I just don't get it. Why doesn't the man use his brain for this one time. He just can't see through all his own wealth. He spends it all, raises more taxes to provide for his fancy parties and in the meanwhile his people starve and die because they are too poor to care for themselves." Dove stared at the ground, thinking of all the parties she had been to. It wasn't like she really had a choice about going or not, but still she felt guilty. "Instead of doing something he just sends his dogs out to kill everyone who doesn't pay the taxes." Dove flinched again. Did that really happen? She bit her lip. Although they talked a lot about what happened in their country or those around them during dinner, they never spoke about the more poor people living here.
"The only thing he cares about is good marriages for the crown and that his line continues to exist," he finished his story. Dove was almost a hundred percent sure her stomach just literally dropped. Well, at least she knew about his obsession with good marriages, she thought dryly.
"Never mind," Connor suddenly said and she looked up again. He was staring at the ground. "I.... I... just don't tell anyone I said that. He would probably have me killed if he heard that. Probably would claim me arranging an uprising," he said mockingly. She chewed on her lower lip. "I don't like it when you sound so bitter," she whispered truthfully. Did the king really kill people? She hated more than ever the way everyone kept her ignorant, refusing to teach her anything other than things like embroidery or literature. She played with the fabric of her dress, twirling it between her fingers. She had picked out the most plain dress she could find in her closet, but when she compared it to the clothes Connor was wearing it still looked  stupidly expensive.
"But you haven't told me everything have you?" Connor suddenly asked in a soft tone, and her head jerked up. "What?" She asked in a voice that had turned at least an octave higher. "You are old enough to be married already." She felt relief, but just for a few seconds. He didn't know.
She pulled her hands away from the fabric and instead folded them in her lap. "I know," she said with a hoarse voice. "It's not fair, there are plenty of older men who still don't have to marry," she added, and now she was the one sounding bitter. "I don't want to marry, not yet at least."

"I know," she said with a hoarse voice. "It's not fair, there are plenty of older men who still don't have to marry," she added. "I don't want to marry, not yet at least."
He looked at her, his face a mixture of feelings. He still felt anger for the kings actions, maybe even because his uncle had suggested that he should join the king’s army. Connor looked at Dove and with a pang it hit him, he did not want to lose her. He knew he would have to let her go eventually, they were just not meant to be somehow, maybe they were only meant to be friends. How many times hadn’t he prayed to the gods for answer and guidance? Sometimes the young man thought that the gods had forgotten mankind, not that he blamed them. Men had let them down, had forgotten them and damned the ones that still paid their respects to them, heretics... in his eyes the catholic were the heretics. They were the ones who had betrayed their old gods and he still waited for the day that the old gods and that so called ‘one god’ would fight in the heavens, he hopped that the old ones would finally regain their former glory somehow.
The time with his uncle had learned him many things. he was well educated, he knew how to ride, fight and hunt. Still he was a peasant but of choice and he knew that he was not ready to let this all behind for a life of service to a man he despised. Lately everything seemed to go wrong and now he would also have to lose Dove to a man he did not know.
“You don’t have a choice.” He muttered softly, unable to look her in the eye for that moment. It was like he was in distress, he had no idea what to do or how to do it. He just wanted to leave here with her and never return. He wanted to grow old in some country on some farm with her, have kids. Connor didn’t feel anything to serve time in the army, though he knew that he probably had no choice, he had to fend for himself some day.
“Dove, promise me you won’t tell anyone what I said about that prick.” He said to her, now looking up at her with a dull look in his eyes. The last thing he could use right now was a trail or anything because someone would tell one of the kings men.
He rose from the stone he had sat on for the last quarter of an hour. He wanted to walk, stretch his legs and hunt. The hunt was one of those things that could relieve him from his worries and thoughts. Connor liked hunting. It was simple, there were rules and sometimes it was even a challenge. It could take hours or days before one found and killed what he was looking for. Swiftly Connor thought about what Dove had said some time earlier about the bow. “I could learn you how to hunt if you want to? Maybe it will get your mind from your busy life of embroiding.” He said, smiling.
He desperately wanted to change the current tension in the air. He had known that Dove did not like it when he spoke about the king or anything they did not really agree on but still he had done it and he did not want to ruin their friendship because of some faint idea he knew could never be. “Prove to me that women are better hunters.” He dared her as he offered her his hand to help her get up on her feet.
“Hey and don’t worry, the man is probably not that bad, and if he is old maybe he will die soon.” He said, his way of trying to help her feel a little better. He meant well but sometimes he was just too... too... manlike. He had not really grown up with a mother who would learn him about compassion or anything like that so he could be a little too harsh at some points.

Dove
Connor looked at her with an expression that she found hard to read. She started fidgeting with her dress again, growing a little nervous under his stare. She never liked it when people looked at her for too long. Maybe it had something to do with what her older sister Avis had taught her long ago. It was safer for a lady if she could manage to blend in with the background, although she found it harder and harder to do, especially now the word was out her parents were looking for a good party to marry her. "You don't have a choice,' Connor muttered, looking away. Suddenly she felt annoyed, and she buried her fingers in the sand next to her. "I know," she snarled, but then bit her lip. "Sorry," she added quickly, already apologising for her non-ladylike behaviour without even realising it. "Sometimes I just think of going away, living in the woods," she admitted, looking around her. "It's kind of a child's dream, I know. I used to think of it as romantic, but the truth is I'd probably get lost in one day and I'd get eaten by some wolf or something," she said.  
"Dove, promise me you won't tell anyone what I said about that prick," Connor said and she looked up at him, a little surprised he had to ask it a second time. "Of course I won't," she replied. "We're friends, right? Friends should be able to say what's on their mind without worrying the other will tell someone else," she said. Her mind drifted off to the marriage that soon would be coming again, and just as she wanted to propose to go somewhere else, Connor rose to his feet. She looked up.
"I could learn you how to hunt if you want to?" He asked. Immediately her eyes lit up. "Maybe it will get your mind from your busy life of embroiding," he added with a smile, which she returned. "It is really busy," she agreed. "Sometimes I can't even sleep because of all the worrying. What if I get a stitch wrong?" She said with a serious look on her face.  
"Prove to me that women are better hunters," he dared her, and held out her hand. She took it and pulled herself up, brushing the leaves from her brown cloak. "That would be difficult, since I've never even hunted before," she said. "It wouldn't be a fair fight, because every time I see you, you seem to be hunting," she added. "Let's go that way," she said after that, and started walking. "Hey, and don't worry, the man is probably not that bad, and if he is old maybe he will die soon," Connor said. She knew he meant it to sound reassuring, but nevertheless her mood went down. "If he is old," she said slowly. "The more desperate he will be to have children who can carry on his name." She stared ahead, not allowing her thoughts to go any further than that. "I think I'd prefer someone who doesn't have as many wrinkles as I have hair," she said. "Even if it means I'll have to live the rest of my life with him." She let out a deep, long breath and shook her hands, as if she could lose the thoughts that way. "So what are we going to hunt?" she asked him, already growing enthusiastic with the thought of it. "I'm not even sure I know anything about it," she admitted. "What do you normally hunt? Bears? Vampires?"

He looked at her and shook his head. “Besides, you know that life on the run is not as great as you think it is.” He said to her with a faint smile on his face. He decided just not to talk about it anymore. She obviously did not want to talk about the marriage that was likely to happen and he did not want to talk about it either. He looked down while they walked on. His thoughts brought him far away. Actually he thought about what had happened on his late travels.
His uncle had taken him more than once to see the world. They had been to the north, the south and the east, but never the west. His uncle always told him that there was only water to the west for weeks on end until one would maybe find the land to the west. He had been there and told Connor stories but he never encouraged Connor to go that way himself. “Nothing but green and natives, very boring.” Was an often used sentence. He had been so far to the east that they had reached the Chinese, tiny men with yellow skins and weird habits unknown to the men of his homeland.

"So what are we going to hunt?" he heard Dove ask him. There was enthusiasm in her voice and he felt his spirit lift a little. He didn’t need to think about what was to happen to her, he did not need to worry, her father would probably pick a nice guy to take care of her. At least he hoped. “We need to go further into the forest, until the thick leaves block out the sun, well almost.” He said to her with a smile. “there we will find allot of beasts to hunt down.” He added.
"I'm not even sure I know anything about it," she admitted. "What do you normally hunt? Bears? Vampires?"
When she said that he almost fell over because he was laughing so hard. He shook his head while he stopped walking and sat down, laughing. “Vampires?” he asked her when he had caught his breath again. “What makes you think that there are vampires in these woods? They don’t even exist.” He said to her. Soon he got a little more serious and he rose from the trunk he had been sitting on.
“But yes, we hunt bears and boars. Also deer is a good prey and sometimes something smaller. Some hunters use birds to and some are looking for adrenaline or something so they search for the biggest bears and maybe even mythological animals such as dragons. Some never return.” He said to her, in the end his voice sounded very mysterious. He started to laugh again and shook his head. “Let’s keep it with the easy preys today.” He said to her and then he started to walk again, straight to the darker woods ahead.
“I could take you home today if you want? I won’t let you roam around alone now that we encountered those pesky guards.”

Dove
"Besides, you know that life on the run is not as great as you think it is," Connor said, shaking his head. Dove let out a long sigh, as if she was growing tired of reality. "I know," she muttered. "Like I said, it's a child's dream." He didn't mention the marriage any more, and she was grateful for that. It would be hard to forget about it for a moment if he would go on about the subject. 
When they walked farther into the forest, she asked him what they were going to hunt. "We need to go further into the forest, until the thick leaves block out the sun, well almost," he told her. "There we will find a lot of beasts to hunt down," he added.
She jokingly tried to guess what he would normally hunt, and he laughed so hard in response he had to slow his pace. Dove couldn't hide her smile even if she'd wanted to. "Vampires?" he asked her when the laughing had subsided a little. "What makes you think that there are vampires in these woods? They don't even exist," he said to her. Dove pushed him against his shoulder. "I know that, thank you very much," she said, laughing. "I'm not as young as I look, Connor. I was just joking," she told him. He had sat down on a trunk, but now he rose again. "But yes, we hunt bears and boars," he said, and Dove's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked him. "But bears are like- really big," she said, hearing how stupid she sounded, but not being able to keep in the words. "Also deer is a good prey and sometimes something smaller. Some hunters use birds too and some are looking for adrenaline or something so they search for the biggest bears and maybe even mythological animals such as dragons. Some never return," he said. Dove frowned.
"Do you believe dragons still exist?" she asked him, suddenly curious. "Let's keep it with the easy preys today," he said and started walking again. She followed him, almost skipping. "Like what?" she asked him, still feeling curious. "Birds?" A frown appeared on her face. "I'm not sure if I can do birds," she admitted. "Besides, they're really hard to catch, aren't they?" she added.
"I could take you home today if you want?" Connor suddenly proposed. Her pace slowed down a little. "I won't let you roam around alone now that we encountered those pesky guards," he added. Dove bit her lip, not answering immediately. Even if she'd want him to, he couldn't walk her back. Her father would be furious if he'd find out she had spent her midday with someone from the village. "No, it's alright," she said, not looking at him. "I can manage myself. Besides, I don't think they'd dare bother me a second time," she added. Desperate to change the subject again, she pointed to the sky. "Are we far enough into the forest yet?" she asked him.

"Do you believe dragons still exist?" she asked him. He looked at her and laughed. He shook his head while he kept on walking. “No, I don’t. I’ve never seen them before and I don’t believe in stories. I do like stories but not in the way that I think them to be true.” He said to her with a gentle smile on his face. He walked on silently and he heard her say things about birds. “Hm... I don’t know yet. Let’s see what we’ll be up against when we get there alright?” he said to her.
He had heard what she said about him not taking her home and he kept his mouth shut about that. he wanted her to be safe and so if she would not want him there in the open he would follow her anyway, just to make sure. He had made his decision and he was not going to change that in a million years. He just walked and heard how she changed the subject to the hunt yet again. “Yes we are. But if you want to learn how to hunt you need to know the basics and hold your tongue for a little while.” He said too her with a soft laugh in his voice. “so be still, Dove.” He whispered now and he shook his head while he walked along.

Once they got out of the forest he let the deer fall from his firm shoulder. He whipped his hand over his forehead and sighed. “So, that was a hunt. Are you alright?” he asked he as he sat down on the nearest rock, looking at his leg. He had pursued the deer for his dinner tonight but he had been caught off guard by a root sticking out of the ground. He had fallen headfirst into the mud but his leg did hurt. He looked at Dove again and laughed. “It’s a good thing you caught that bunny, you’re a natural. Let’s say i’ll see you again in two days? We can practise some more and I could take a spare bow?” he suggested to her.

Dove
He laughed again when she asked him if he believed in dragons. "No, I don't," he answered. "I've never seen them before and I don't believe in stories. I do like stories but not in the way that I think them to be true." Dove nodded slowly. "I like stories more when they're made up, anyway," she told him. 
When she asked him what they were going to hunt, he didn't give her a very satisfying answer. "Let's see what we'll be up gainst when we get there alright?" He said to her, and she let out a sigh. As they walked further into the forest, Dove looked around her. She had never been to these parts before, mostly because she didn't dare go there alone. 
She started talking again, and he answered with a soft laugh in his voice. She liked it when he did that. "If you want to learn how to hunt, you need to know the basics and hold your tongue for a little while. So be still, Dove." She already opened her mouth to ask more about what the basics where, when she realised he just told her to be quiet. She shut her mouth again with a guilty look in her eyes and hoped Connor hadn't noticed.

When they got back from the forest, Dove was sweating and grinning wide. She couldn't remember the last time she had done something that had made her feel so alive. It certainly was more thrilling than embroidery. "So, that was a hunt," Connor said. "Are you alright?" He sat down on the nearest rock and she followed suit, sitting on a rock not too far from him. "I'm great," she replied, not being able to keep in her enthusiasm. She could already hear her mother gasp with shame. When he looked at his leg, she followed his gaze. "Are you?" She asked. 
"It's a good thing you caught that bunny, you're a natural," he said, and Dove rolled her eyes. "If I really was a natural, I would've gotten a deer like you did," she said, trying not to be too obviously jealous as she looked at the deer. "Let's say I'll see you again in two days? We can practise some more and I could take a spare bow?" He suggested, and Dove's eyes immediately lit up. Immediately after that, her face fell, and she pointed her gaze at the ground. "I'd love to," she assured him. "I'm just not sure if I can manage to slip away that soon again," she added, thinking about how lately her mother seemed to notice everything. She kept silent for a while, not knowing what to say. "I'll try, okay?" She said finally and looked up at him.  When she suddenly realised how long they'd spent in the woods, her face went pale. "Oh god, I need to get home," she breathed, just barely keeping in the curse words her mind came up with. She rose from the rock and tried to brush the stains out of her dress. "I'm sorry, but I really need to- I never meant to stay this long," she said, sounding hasty. She took a step towards him, hesitated, then decided to give him a quick hug to say goodbye. "I hope I'll see you in two days," she said, before she let go and walked away, trying not to run when he could still see her.

Conner just looked at Dove for a moment. She seemed to realise something because all of a sudden she stared to the ground. “It’s quite all right. I just hope you’ll be safe.” He said to her with a grin on his face. It lit up his eyes.
She can’t know that i’ll follow her, he thought to himself as he smiled at her. “Just be safe and if you won’t be there in two days I know that you had no chance to get away.” He said to her. Before she left he grabbed her arm and hugged her tight. “You’ll be alright.” He said before he let her go again and she got away.

He stood there for just a moment, then he made a decision. He put down the deer and the few smaller animals they had caught together. His bow he put on his back again and then he started to run after her. He just had this feeling that she was going to be in trouble somehow and he simply wanted to keep an eye on her, at least until she was home.
She moved fast for a woman, he could give her that. she didn’t make it easy for him to track her down but he was one of the best trackers and hunters in these parts so it wasn’t that hard on him. But why in seven hells did she had to chose the worst paths?! He thought a little irritated. Still he followed her but he got more cautious as soon as he knew that they entered royal grounds. Why would she go here? He wondered.
He put his feet as softly down as possible so that he would make only the slightest noise.
Here and there he saw some guards, they were unable to miss with their posh outfits and shining blades. He snorted and shook his head quietly. He hated them with his guts.

Then he suddenly stopped. He eyes fixed on the woman before him. One of the guards had stopped in front of her and... bowed?! What was the meaning of this?
He could see them talking but he was to far away for him to hear what they were saying. This didn’t make any sense. How was this possible? Though he knew it was a bad idea to follow her he continued to follow, keeping his guard even more than usual. After a while of walking they both stopped and he was in hearing distance. He stopped to and kneeled down, keeping his eyes on the both of them. When the man spoke to her with ‘princess’ he felt like he just got a hard hit in his face. Princess? Was this really... no it couldn’t be true... this was just a joke.... he thought, his mind unable to grab what was happening in front of him. While they got away he still sat there, frozen in his place. After a time he swallowed, got up and just moved away as fast and quiet as possible. Little did he know that he was not followed himself by the secret king’s guard.

Dove
"It's quite all right,' he said after she told him she had to go, and she threw him a quick, grateful smile. She was glad Connor never seemed to grow mad with her; this certainly wasn't the first time she told him she had to leave out of nowhere. 'I just hope you'll be safe,' he added to his earlier words, and she rolled her eyes. 'You can be so extremely protective,' she said in a complaining tone of voice, though she didn't really mind. Not when it was Connor.
'You'll be alright,' he said as she gave him a quick hug. She didn't reply, not sure how to respond to those words when she knew he couldn't be certain about that. 

As she walked away, she managed to keep a normal pace until she couldn't glimpse the lake anymore. She gathered her skirts in her hands - her mother would already be furious enough about the state of her dress as it was right now - before she quickened her pace.
She dashed through the woods, allowing herself one last moment to enjoy the smell of wet dirt and dry leaves before she would be locked up in the house again.
When she reached the end of the woods, and she could see the large houses starting in the distance, she slowed again. It wasn't appropriate for a lady to do anything but running.
She could see her own house appearing in front of her, and the amounts of guards walking around thickened. Dove remembered the time when she was little, and the guards would still talk and laugh with her. Now all they did were give her distant smiles with just the smallest amount of recognition of the small girl she used to be.
It didn't take long for one of the guards to recognise her, and Jonathan stopped in front of her and showed her a quick, polite bow. 
"Your father acquires your presence, miss," he told her. "He has been searching for you."
Dove couldn't contain the snort, and she could see Jonathan's eyebrows reaching towards his hairline. Oops. Not very ladylike. She wetted her lips and straightened her back a little, trying to get rid of the girl she was when around Connor, instead bringing all the lessons her mother had taught her to use. "My apologies, Jonathan. I just don't find it very likely my father would search for me first-handed," she explained. Jonathan gave her a short, odd look, before saying, "Well, he has ordered us to search for you."
Dove gave him a quick smile as he guided her towards the entrance of the house. She hated the way they filled heavy silences with awkward, polite words. Jonathan wasn't that much older than her, and a long time ago they used to play together in the gardens, throwing balls or riding horse together. Then her mother had told her it wasn't appropriate, and Jonathan had went into training, and their meetings had become suddenly rare.
"Your father is waiting in the library, princess," Jonathan said, and immediately Dove's spine stiffened. "Princ-," she started, but fell silent as she saw Jonathan wide eyes. It was obvious the word had slipped out. "My apologies, miss," he muttered, and Dove waved the apology away with a quickly paling face.
He couldn't have meant it, could he? The only reason for someone to call her princess would be for her to have married the prince.
Surely her father couldn't have already giving her away without even giving her a warning?
Though, what other reason would her father have to talk to her? As Jonathan held open the entrance for her, she asked him with a numb mind to fetch one of the maids so she could change into a clean dress.

"Dove, you may enter."
Her father was seated in one of the large leather fauteuils, surrounded by books. Dove could see the mostly hidden gaps on the shelves; left behind by books she had smuggled to her room. The one she was currently reading was about a man's travelling, visiting the same lands Connor had talked to her about not more than a few hours ago.
She stepped into the library, holding up the skirts of one of her more expensive dresses. Her father didn't like it when she walked around in the more simple ones. Her father motioned for her to sit down, and she chose the chair opposite of him.
"You wished to speak to me?" She asked, and hated how high and tense her voice sounded. She just hoped he wouldn't notice.
"Yes, indeed. Where have you been all day?" Dove could feel her chest clench, but luckily her father didn't really expect an answer, since he was already talking again.
"You will be glad to hear I have finally found an appropriate match for you, my daughter. In fact, he is more than just appropriate." Her father didn't seem to notice the way her hands were shaking as he beamed at her with pride.
"I wanted to keep it a surprise to you, but the prince has shown a liking towards you. I have already arranged it with his father. He said his son had fallen in love with you since the first time he glanced upon your silver hair," he told her, as if it was a great gift. 
Maybe it was, but Dove suddenly didn't feel grateful. Instead she felt nauseous. How could she be a princess when she could barely manage being just a lady?
"You might want to know it is his second son, so you won't become a Queen. Still, a Princess is already quite something to be proud of, don't you think?" He smiled. Her father frowned just the slightest bit when seeing her white face, before turning his face towards the window. "My daughter, a princess!" He exclaimed happily.
Dove sat still, the tops of her fingers feeling a little numb. "I don't want to," she breathed, the words leaving her lips before she could stop them.
Her father turned back to her, frowning a little deeper now. "What did you just say?" He asked her, his tone suddenly very controlled. 
Dove looked away. "Nothing, father," she muttered. "May I have permission to go to my room now?"
She was glad to hear her father say yes, thought he sounded less happy than a few seconds before, and a little more bitter.

He was crawling through the bushes when he suddenly realized that there was someone following him. Instinctively he tried to look for a way out but no matter where he went there always was the sound of footsteps following him wherever he went.
After a while, when he was nearly at the end of the nobleman’s lands, he was stopped. A stern looking man was standing in front of him now, his arms crossed, his eyes looking down at Connor. He looked like a tree on legs. “So what do you think you’re doing? Sneaking around our lords property like that and thinking that you will get away?” the man said, not really expecting an answer on those questions. Behind Connor three other men appeared, one stood back and the other two each grabbed one of Connor’s arms. “Take him away boys.”
That was when Connor started to move again. First he pulled one arm lose, hitting the other fellow in the face, then he ducked away and started to run. It was a great plan but he didn’t get far. The huge man was again standing in front of him and struck him down. The blow was like thunder in his head and Connor’s head connected with the ground an instant later. “Nice try.” The man said, now picking Connor up himself. “Let’s see what our lord thinks about having a peasant sneaking around his property.”

Connor was tossed into a room. It was a very large room, mostly made of stone. The window were of painted glass and behind a desk sat a man, authority was pouring off of him sort of speak. “What is it Garret?” the man asked his servant without even bothering taking his eyes of the papers.
Garret, the man who had dragged Connor to the house, cleared his throat and started to speak. “We found this little lad here sneaking around your property, my lord.” He said.
That was when the man looked up from his papers and to Connor. “I have heard of you, I think. You’re the one that sometimes bothers with the king’s men, aren’t you?” the lord asked Connor. Conner however wasn’t planning on answering, only after a persuasive blow to the head by Garret he grunted agreeing. “Yes..” he grunted, “My lord” he added with a foul tone after Garret threatened to hit him again. “No respect.” The lord mentioned as he observed Connor.
“Put him in the dungeons first, Garret. I’ll see what to make of this.” The lord said, making a dismissive gesture with his hand and that was all. While he was resisting Connor was pulled away, through the halls, to a cell. In one of these halls he saw Dove. When he looked at her Garret pulled him even faster forward, telling him that if he lay eyes on the lord’s daughter again he wouldn’t have any eyes to look with.

Dove
As soon as she reached the privacy of her own room, she tore at her dress, feeling as if there wasn't enough air in her lungs. The process didn't exactly go very smoothly, as her fingers were shaking and the dizziness she felt made her panic even more, but finally the fabric fell to the ground and she sat down on top of it in just her undergarments, just trying to breathe for a while.
She could not, would not marry the prince. First of all, she could barely take the pressure of having to be a lady, let alone being a princess. She wouldn't be able to run off to the woods, ever. It was the last bit of freedom she had, and she refused to give that up as well. 
Second of all, she had learned first handedly that with power came arrogance, and with arrogance almost always came violence. Dove took in a shaky breath, blinking away the tears. She wouldn't cry, she told herself sternly. She just- she needed to make a plan, she could try and escape and run away and-
Oh, what was she thinking? There wasn't anywhere else for her to go. That, and just this morning she had proved again how badly she would manage to live on her own. She could tell herself what she wanted, think she had always stayed rather normal despite the nobility she was born into, but she had still grown up with servants and maids and cooks that worked for her. 
With a sigh - a little less shaky than before, that was progress at least - she rose back to her feet, collecting the dress in her arms and dumping it in the corner of her room. 
Maybe she should get dressed again first, she thought a little sheepishly. She pulled on of the more simpler dresses out of her closet, putting it on, but soon she found herself having a hard time doing the buttons at her back. More proof that she would never make it on her own, she thought grimly as she searched for a shawl to cover her back and shoulders with, before she walked out into the hallway to look for a maid who could help her. Just as she saw Emily, one of the girls working in their household she had always liked, two guards came walking through the hallway. Dove looked up, a little confused when she saw they were holding someone in between them. "What is-," she started, when suddenly the man looked up and she recognised who the guards were forcibly dragging with them. 
Connor.
For a few short seconds, they looked at eachother, and Dove's mouth went dry as she saw how Garret - she recognised the guards as well now - shoved his head down again, telling him something about taking out his eyes. 
As they disappeared around a corner, it took Dove three bare seconds before she rushed into action. 
"Miss?" Emily asked her, a little confused as she had probably seen Dove approaching her at first, as Dove turned around and ran towards her father's quarters. She would fix this. She had to fix this.
"Let him go, please let him go," she spoke the words in a rush as she pushed open the doors of the library, where her father was still seated in his favourite chair.
He looked up, a little annoyed at the fact that she hadn't addressed him first, and growing even more annoyed when he noticed she was a little out of breath. "Did you run?" He asked her incredulously. Dove didn't react to his words, instead went on with her pleas. "The boy, I saw him- you have to let him go, please, father," she said. Her father slowly rose to his feet, watching Dove with a frown on his forehead. 
"He was seen sneaking around. I cannot allow such suspicious behaviour from a peasant," he told her. "What if he had been after one of my daughters? I am not a stupid man, I know Circe has been getting some attention of late." 
Dove ignored the fact that he immediately skipped the idea of someone having interest in Dove - she was used to his subtle mean remarks anyway - and shook her head. "No, no it must've been a mistake. Connor would never do something like that, I swear. You have to let him go," she pleaded. A moment later, when her father fell into eerie silence, she realised her mistake.
She did her best not to flinch when her father took a small step closer, eyeing her. "Do you know this boy, Dove?" He asked her in a low, warning voice. "I-," "Did you hang around with a peasant? A peasant boy?" 
Dove paled a little at the suppressed anger in his voice, knowing already what would come next. "I- it wasn't- I just-," she stammered, not being able to come up with a good excuse her father would accept. There probably wasn't one.
Even though she had seen it coming, she was still a little surprised when his hand made contact with her cheek, and she fell a step backwards by the force of his hit. She balled her hand into a fist to prevent herself from touching the already burning skin of her cheek and to bite back the tears. 
"When will you ever stop disappointing me?" His father asked her, and his calm voice was what scared her the most. "Be grateful for the fact that no one else has found out about your meetings with this boy, because I'm certain the prince wouldn't be as interested in you if that had been the case," he told her. Dove nodded numbly, not looking at her father's face.
"Go to your room, don't bother coming out for dinner. I'll make sure none of the servants will hand you anything," he told her. Dove bit her lip. She had already skipped lunch to meet with Connor. She didn't protest, though. Her punishment was fairly light to be honest. Probably because the prince would want to see her soon.

He was thrown into a cell. It was relatively dark around him. He felt the wall right next to him, it was filthy and he could feel the green moss on it, there was probably a water leak somewhere, he thought miserably.
Now what would happen to him? He wondered. Perhaps the lord would let him go, though he doubted that was an option at all, or perhaps the man would only give him a slight punishment. As long as he could go home, he hoped he could see his home at all. Maybe the man was in a bad mood and that might cause to be his death. But, he thought, the lord would not execute him for this small a crime. He was only trespassing, that was not cause for death, he had never heard of that before in his life.
Connor got out of his gloomy mood, at least a little bit. He let himself fall back a little so he could sit on the damp straw mattress that was in the cell. He pulled a face, disgusting.
Some hours later, Connor lost track of time in that place, one of the doors was opened and then another. Through a hole in the door a plate appeared and Connor eagerly grabbed it, he was so hungry. “Tomorrow the lord wants to see you, boy.” The man on the other side said, again calling him a boy. Connor however was not that much of a boy, he was about eighteen years old damnit. So Connor didn’t say a word except for a ‘thank you, sir.’ And then he started to eat.

The night had been horrible. It had started to rain about midnight and he had been proven to be right. There was a leak somewhere in the building. When he noticed he was already wet and he was shivering. So he had gotten up and he had slept against the other wall, which was dry luckily for him. So when the guard came to pick him up he had a backache and he felt like he was made of wood.
“Come on, boy. We don’t have all day.” The man said, ushering him forwards through the halls.
There were already some people walking around the mansion. Servants probably, Connor thought, but he was already pushed forward... again. It started to irritate him and just when another door opened he pushed one of the guards off of him. “Don’t touch me.” He growled at the man.
“What big words for such a young man.” The lord said, who was again seated behind his desk. This time however there was something different, Connor could feel that by the chill in his bones.
“Yesterday after I put you in my dungeon an little bird flew in. You know what it said?” the man started, stopping right before the young man. “It said that you have been seeing my daughter in secret. That you didn’t even know that she was a noble lady. How strange don’t you think?” he continued, walking around the room slowly now. “So I have been thinking about what to do with you and last night something was sent to me by Him.” The lord said.
“You are to serve in the royal army, effective immediately.”
With that Connor felt like he was falling into a dark hole that opened right beneath him. Everything he had hold dear, everything he lived for... he lost that in the blink of an eye, only because he had not known about Dove and her father had decided his faith in an instant.

He wasn’t that aware of being brought to the harbour, a bag of stuff on his back, sitting on a chart. They were going to ship him away to the north, were all the young recruits for the king were sent to ‘man up’. He was, with luck, only there for about four years, then another task was to be assigned to him. But to Connor it didn’t matter, he didn’t even really notice that the other king’s men were ushering him to the boat.

Dove
"Dove!"
Her sister threw her arms around Dove's neck so fast she almost fell backward. With a laugh she petted her sister's back. "I'm glad to see you as well, Circe," she told her. Her younger sister beamed up at her, before she retreated her arms and took her hand. "Come on inside, we have lots to talk about, and your father still wants to see you as well." Dove tried to keep a straight face at that, not wanting to show her sister how much she dreaded the conversation with her father. She could already guess what it would be about. It had been four years since she had married Prince Caspian, but yet they still didn't have a child. Pursing her lips a little, she followed Circe inside her old house. She hated the fact that her father even could talk to her about such things: it was none of his business, if anyone would ask Dove.
Of course, no one ever did.
God, she had even almost been denied her visit here. The conversation she had had with her husband still lay bitter on her tongue.

"Why do you need to go to your sister? She has managed fine without you for a long time." Caspian had looked a little annoyed after she had asked him for permission. Dove forced a smile on her face, something she had grown very good at lately, and touched her hand to his shoulder. "She is going to be married soon. I'm afraid she will be worried, and I think it will help her if I speak to her about it." Caspian gave her an odd look. "She can finally do what she is meant to do. Why would she worry?" For what was the first time in weeks, Dove's smile faltered a little. How men could be so blind, she would never know. "Oh, you know how we women are. We worry over silly things," she tried. Caspian sighed, as if what she asked of him was a great burden to bury, and turned back to his desk. "Fine. You can go, but just for half a day."

Circe led her to her bedroom, the place where she and Circe used to have long conversations about the new maid, or the odd food they had had for diner, before Dove had been sent away. She smiled at the memory, allowing herself to relax for a while. Circe started talking about the man she was to marry, sounding happy and excited. She was lucky, Dove thought, because with both her and Avis married off to a good party, their father had allowed Circe to have a say in who she would marry herself. Their midday was over way sooner than Dove would have liked, and suddenly one of the maid's came in, telling Dove her father had asked for her. She took in a small breath, placing the fake smile she had grown used to back on her face, before she said her goodbyes to Circe and followed the maid towards the library. Her father was waiting for her, and her smile fell away when she saw his face. There was no use pretending, anyway. 
"Dove, it is good to see you," he said. Dove bend her head, making a small bow and muttering a polite "father". She didn't return his pleasantries.
"I haven't heard from you for a while," he started, and Dove straightened her back, preparing herself. "I would have thought you would bring me good news after two years in the least, but it has been much longer than that."
Dove rose her chin a little, watching as her father rose from his chair. The little hairs in her neck prickled at the sight, and she clenched her jaw. "I'm aware of that, yes," she said, maybe a little bluntly. Her father's eyebrows grew a little closer together and he took a step towards her. "Are you sure you're trying enou-," "I am in no way obligated to talk to you about that," Dove snapped, something of her restrains breaking. She could almost see the thundercloud materialising above her father's head, and he took another threatening step closer to her. "My own daughter will not speak to me in that voice," he rumbled, but Dove stood even more straight, looking him right in the eye.
"I am Caspian's wife, and therefore the princess, before I am your daughter. You will not touch me, and you will certainly not ask me about matters that only concern me and my husband," she told him. "Circe will be married soon, and mother has died two years ago. There is no reason left for me to allow your behaviour towards me." 
While she said the words, she could feel her body lighten, and the smile she threw him was a little more genuine this time. "Now, my husband expects me to be home early, so I'm afraid I must go. It has been a pleasure to talk to you, father," she said, and with a quick bow she left him and his anger alone in his library.

Jonathan was waiting outside by the carriage, and she threw him a wide smile. He seemed a little surprised at that, but managed to keep it mostly hidden. "Home, I assume?" He asked her, and she gave him a quick nod. When she had married Prince Caspian, she had asked her father if she could take Jonathan with her. It had taken some persuasion, but her mother had taught her how to do that long ago, and eventually he had agreed. It was good thing, because Dove hadn't just asked because she still liked his company. She was the only guard she would trust, and after some more persuasing, he had agreed to help her learn how to protect herself.
She had never forgotten what Connor had said about women being good archers. It turned out he had been right.
When Dove thought back to Connor, she felt a small pang of guilt in her chest. It had been her fault, after all. Her father hadn't even wanted to tell her what he had done to him. After a lot of pleading he had only told her he hadn't been killed, but nothing more than that.
She wondered what had happened to him more often than she would like to admit.

“Everyone back to your stations! There’s nothing to see here.” The commander shouted after he had pulled the two men apart. When the crowd had gone, only three men were left. The commander, who was a stout looking man with a huge beard, Garren, who was just another soldier but a good friend of the last but not least, Connor.
The two friends had decided to work together on this one. They had been serving in the northern countries for about four years now and they were done with it. Both had been sent to the army at about the same time. Connor for trespassing and talking with the daughter of a lord while Garren had been sent because he had done more than just talking with the daughter of a lord. The two of them had been laughing at each other the entire night after they had exchanged stories. After that they were the best of friends because the two of them were so much alike.

After two years Connor’s hair started to darken a bit. Not exactly brown now but really on the edge of it, he was changing but he wasn’t sure if it was for the better. He now knew how to kill a man with one blow, how to separate a head from one’s body without as much as a wink. He was battle hardened now, he had seen his share of blood and he had participated in a great number of battles since he had arrived at the front, but he had a plan. Garren and Connor both wanted to leave this dreadful place of murder, blood, screams and the rotten smell of bodies, behind. That was there plan and that is why they had been fighting in the middle of this square.

“What were you two thinking. If anyone else had seen this you would surely be punished severely.” The commander said, letting the two of them go and he looked at them. “I know about your plan. You two are good guys, truly, but you’re both as subtle as a brick stone. If you want to leave this place you should play a totally different game.” The commander said to them. The two men looked each other in the eye and them eyed the commander. “What is it you’re trying to say, commander?” Garren asked carefully, not daring to show the little bit of hope he felt In his heart.
“I say that I will go and talk to my superior. Tomorrow you two will know more about this.” The commander said, now turning around and waving with his hand. “let the surgeon look at that arm, Connor. A scratch like that can be dangerous.” The man said, a little sarcasm in his voice. “Yes, sir.” Connor said with a smile on his face.
“Come on Connor, let’s go and stitch that.” Garren said with a wide grin spread across his face. With a hard slap on the shoulder the two of them walked off. It was already getting late so after this they would be going to the barracks to get some sleep.

The next morning they were woken up by a pageboy. The commander had spoken to his superior, the lord of northumbria, and the man wanted to speak to the two of them. Connor and Garren looked at each other, was there something to be suspicious about? They both wondered.
However when they got to the large tent in the middle of the camp they were surprised. The lord had spoken with commander Leifsson and had decided that Garren and Connor should go and serve in the prince’s army. After a quick description, handing a piece of paper and giving some sort of speech, the two men were dismissed. As quickly as possible they ran to the barracks and grabbed their garments. “Unbelievable isn’t it?” Garren said enthusiastically. “We’re finally going away from this hell of a land. Isn’t the place near where you used to live Connor?” he added.
“Yes. Yes it is.” Connor said. While he was getting his things together he couldn’t stop thinking about one thing in particular, Dove. He had thought about her for four years and now he was close to her again. Little did he know how close he would be to her, for she was married to the prince he was now heading to too serve him as a faithful servant, a warrior in his guard.

x
Dove
In the privacy of the carriage, she allowed herself to slump a little in her seat. She felt victorious over the fact that she had finally spoken up against her father, but it had tired her nonetheless. She just had to hope he wouldn't take it out on Circe. Dove already had enough reasons to feel the guilt heavy in her bones. Connor was the most obvious reason, but she worried about Jonathan as well. She didn't think Prince Caspian would be very merciful if he found out he was helping her learning to fight.
Fighting, after all, was one of the most non-ladylike things she could do. That, and working against his will behind his back.
Dove grimaced. She had never been good at playing the nice lady anyway.
"We've reached our destination, princess," she heard Jonathan say, and she had just enough time to straigthen her back before he opened the door of the carriage. She smiled thankfully at him and accepted his offer to help her step out of the carriage. When she had first married Caspian, she had denied all help, thinking it would hurt her pride and dignity in some odd way. Now, however, she had learned that, despite all the things she had learned and discovered, getting out of a carriage wearing a heavy expensive dress like this one was more than she could manage on her own.
"Thank you, Jonathan. I swear, you don't get paid enough for all this," she smiled. Jonathan turned a little red at the cheeks, like he always did whenever Dove gave him a compliment, and he muttered something about it being a pleasure to help the princess. Dove fought the urge to roll her eyes. She liked Jonathan, she honestly did, but sometimes he was a little too courteous for her taste. It just made her miss Connor all the more. 
"I expect Caspian will want to ask me about my day, so could you ask one of the servants to prepare a bath for me?" She asked him. Jonathan nodded and muttered something about taking care of it before he was off. Dove let out a small sigh and collected her dress in her hands. Fashion, she decided as she struggled her way to the entrance of the mansion, was a horrible thing.

"Dove." Caspian greeted her with a smile as she entered his study room, and she tried to answer it. To be honest, she just wanted to lay down for a while. It had been a tiring day. "How was your family doing? Have you soothed your sister's worries?" He asked her, and Dove's smile grew a little more genuine. Caspian might be a blind and arrogant man, sometimes he seemed to genuinely care about her. Fortunatly, because Dove wouldn't know if she had survived her time with him otherwise. 
"Oh, she was delighted to see me. I think she will do well," she answered. "See? I told you so," Caspian answered, and Dove tried to hide her grimace. Well, like she said, he was still blind.
"I have received a message from the north," he told her. "We will finally get two new guards. You know how I've been asking for ages since Damien left." He smiled at her, and Dove tried to return it. She never really liked the guards, especially those from the north. It seemed they were even more diminishing towards women than the guards that had been trained around here. Caspian had been disappointed when one of his favourite guards had been sent off to fight somewhere else, but Dove had just been relieved. Damien had been suffocating. "Wonderful," she said, trying to make it not sound as a lie.
"We will invite them to dinner tonight to celebrate," he told her. With an enthusiastic smile he walked towards her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I've had a dress made for you. It's waiting in our room, I've already asked the servants to help you prepare. I want them to see how beautiful my wife can be," he told her, stroking a strand of her hair that had gotten loose from her braid. Dove gave him a thankful smile, secretly hoping the dress wouldn't be of the choking kind. She would at least like to be able to eat something tonight. Knowing Caspian, the dinner would be nothing but perfect.

Small drops of sweat were visible on his forehead. Connor was so hot, the sun was high in the sky and the air was all drained of moisture. “I hope that there will be rain soon.” Garren said, looking at the sky with That look. “Why?” Connor asked is friend, sounding a little exhausted after the journey so far. “Just because of the crops you know. If the farmers can’t do their business than we’re all in some deep shit.” Garren answered. There was a silence after that, while Connor thought about Garren’s answer. “You’re right.”Connor said eventually. “I know, that’s why I said it.” Garren answered and he passed his water bag on to Connor. “Drink, before you die of dehydration.”

Garren and Connor had been walking for about five days now. It was probably another five days until they reached their destination. The weather had been against them right from the start. After they had left the camp in the northern lands the sun had started to shine brighter, making it even more warm than it already was. So that was why the two men were walking bare-chested across the country to their destination. They slept at the inns close to the road, their salary hadn’t been that bad in the army so they could pay, and every now and again they bought new supplies in a village they passed through.

“I hope we’re nearly there.” Garren moaned after another three days of walking. “Do you already know these parts, Connor?” he added.
Connor was already taking the environment in consideration. There were some familiar features in these parts, so he know they were going the right way. He remembered one of those days that his godfather had taken him for a hunt around these parts. “Yes, I know where we are.” He answered, stopping there for a moment to figure out which way to go. “It’s at least another day until we get there. I know that there used be a cottage somewhere, it was already in ruin when I still lived near this place but I think it will do for one night.” Connor said. With that the two men went on their way again, going towards the cottage that had to be somewhere in this forest…. Somewhere in a forest that was twice as big as York.
That night they found the place, put on a fire and ate their dinner. After that there was a nights rest, Connor already felt more at home then he had felt in years. Even the howling of a wolf didn’t wake him up, it only made him sleep calmer… he was home again, in a way that was at least.

“Damn it Connor. Why are you already awake?” Garren grunted that morning. For him it had been a restless night. He hadn’t slept that well because of all the unfamiliar sounds in the area. “I am going to take a look around. Perhaps I’ll catch us some food. Just make a fire, moron.” Connor said, grinning as he avoided a blow to the head. “Shut it, ugly.” The reply came.
So that was how Connor got a little time of his own to reconnect with the country around him. On his walk he found that little had changed over time. Maybe the people had, of course they had, but the forest hadn’t and he was very glad with that. At least he knew that he could keep himself well occupied while being a guard for that Prince Caspian fellow.
About an hour later Conner returned, carrying some dead rabbits over his shoulder. “Nice.” Garren said, pointing at the fire. “Fire god.” Connor joked.

They were on their way by midday, Connor now knew for sure that they were so close to the prince’s property that they only needed about three hours to get there. After they reached the property some guards appeared, questioning them right away.
“Who are you and what is your business here?” the tall guard asked them with a grumpy looking expression on his face. “We’re sent by the warlord in Northumbria because the prince requested new guards.” Garren replied before Connor had the chance to open his mouth.
Because they were friend now for four years Garren knew Connor well enough to know when he was getting angry. Connor had already recognized the man but luckily for him he had changed allot over those four years, so that that sickly guard didn’t recognize Him.
“Well enough.” The guard answered Garren and he pointed out that the two men should follow him. “You’re to serve Prince Caspian in his personal guard. The Prince and Princess are in need of loyal guard so tonight you will swear fealty to you new lord. Back at the estate you’ll receive all the details.” The man said. “Great.” Connor muttered, soft enough so that only Garren could hear him, who chuckled softly.

They reached the estate in another half an hour and that was when they were again led away by a servant who would lead them to their new rooms. The servant also explained them shortly what was to be expected of him. “Tonight you will also dine with the prince and princess. This is a great honor.” The servant pointed out. “Who is the princess? I lived in these parts some years ago and I can’t recall that the prince married in that time.” Connor asked curiously. “The prince married about four years ago, with a lady called Dove.” The servant said curtly, but that was enough to knock Connor of his feet. The girl he had seen as a dear friend, and maybe more, was now the princess and his new mistress… and he had to serve her husband while pretending not to know her. Garren already noticed the change in Connor’s behavior and he started to talk allot more than before.

x
Dove
Just as promised, Dove found a dress spread out over the bed. The fabric was of the same green as her eyes, and even she had to admit, despite her annoyance with the complicated dresses she was expected to wear, it was beautiful. "Prince Caspian asked me to prepare you for tonight, my lady."
Dove looked up when she recognised the maid's voice, and she gave her a weak smile. She still didn't like the fact that almost no one in this mansion would call her by her actual name, but she had given up asking the servants to call her Dove since the first time Caspian had overheard her. He hadn't been very pleased.
"Oh, right. Thank you," she said. "I've already taken a bath," she added, before the girl would run off to boil the water for her. "Right, my lady. Shall I help you in your dress first, then?" As Dove closed the doors to her chambers, the girl dared to look up at her. "Please do," Dove answered, and allowed the girl to help her out of her current dress first.
When they managed to put on the dress, Dove was surprised to find it was still quite light. "He has paid attention to me when I complained about my dresses," she stated, almost not believing her own words. 
"Of course, my lady. Prince Caspian cares a great deal about you." Dove stared at her reflection in the mirror as the girl combed out her blonde hair. "I know," she sighed, feeling a pang of guilt. She didn't think she would ever feel the same way about him. After four years she had given up that hope. "It's just too bad he doesn't understand women at all."
The girl looked up in slight alarm, and Dove gave her a quick reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I care for him too," she said. It wasn't a complete lie. It just wasn't the whole truth either. "He just talks about women sometimes as if they are an entire different species. Do you believe we are, Elena?" The girl shook her head, spreading Dove's hair over her shoulders. "No, my lady."
"Neither do I," she muttered, before she changed the subject into something more innocent. She didn't want the girl to fret too much. After some time, she got the girl relaxed enough to talk about her family, and Dove listened with closed eyes. Elena braided her hair into something that emphasised her long, thin neck, and Dove found a hanger that went well with the dress. 
"I think you're ready, my lady," Elena said after some time, and they both looked at Dove's reflection. "I think I should go to the dinner hall, then," she said. "Thank you, Elena. You can go home if you like. I'll ask one of the other servants to help me when the meal is finished. You deserve a good night of sleep." Elena bowed quickly, muttering a genuine sounding thanks, before she disappeared out of the room.

Caspian was already seated when Dove entered the hall, but he rose to his feet as soon as she walked in. "Dove, you look beautiful," he told her with a smile. Dove returned it, though she already felt herself growing tired with the idea of an evening filled with manly talk about wars and fighting. Not that she didn't find them interesting: oh no, there were few stories she listened to as gladly as those. It was the fact that she was a princess, and princesses were expected to be delicate and naive. They didn't enjoy stories filled with blood and weapons, and they certainly weren't supposed to know anything about them.
"Thank you, Caspian," she told him. She smiled again as he took her hand and guided her to her seat. "I think the new guards will be here soon. I know how you dread these kinds of things, but I wanted them to have a chance to know about their boss before they will be sent off to work." Dove waved away his apology, trying to sound sincere. "Oh no, don't worry. I know how you like their stories. I'll gladly endure it for your sake," she lied smoothly, and sat down on her chair.

“what was that about just then? It seems like you were having a seizure of some kind.” Garren said. It had been some time after they had been led to their room and were told to put on the garment on the beds. The clothing was very nice and it fitted them well enough, they were just guardsmen so there wasn’t going to be any fuss if something didn’t quite fit perfectly.
“Nothing...” Connor said hesitantly, while he closed the last button of his blouse. “You’re lying.” The reply came.
Connor sighed and turned around, then he seated himself on the bed and put his face away in his hands. “When we first met back in the north, do you recall that I told you I was sent there because I had been trespassing and had seen the daughter of a lord?” Connor then continued. Garren only nodded and sat down on his own bed, across Connor’s. “The lady who is now married to the prince was that girl...”
There was a sharp intake of breath when Garren put one and one together. “That sucks.” He said not so elegantly and he shook his head. “To bad... faith isn’t letting this go by easy. I have the feeling that you’re going to be tested my good friend.” Garren said, then he rose and held out his hand.
“No need to drown in your own self-pity now, is there? Come on, let’s go and have dinner with our new superiors.” Garren said. His friend took his hand and for a moment there was a feeling of understanding, then they headed to the dining room.

Both men were wearing white blouses and dark pants, they were wearing dark riding boots and a sword at their belt around their waist. “We almost look like real guardsmen.” Garren joked, poking Connor on the side. “Lighten up a bit my friend. Who knows, maybe you’ll be a lucky man after all.” Garren said, trying to sound motivating. “Alright alright.” Connor grunted and then they were already at the door to the dining room. There was another guard there who asked them to wait so he could introduce them to the prince and princess.
“The men who were sent from the north are here.” The guard announced and with that the two men entered the hall.

It was light enough in there, the windows illuminated most of the room because of the last rays of sunlight but there were already candles burning just in case. Connor suppressed an intake of breath when he saw her. She was sitting there, next to the prince on the head of the table. She was wearing a green dress, like her eyes, he noticed. Even after the years that had passed she was still looking stunning as ever. It was Garren who pulled him back into reality and together the men bowed. “Thank you for having us here, my lord. My lady.” Garren said, giving Connor the chance to regain his intellect... as far as that was possible.
Connor and Garren sat down at the sign and waited for dinner to be served. Wisely, Connor kept his mouth shut for the time being. “I am sorry about my friend. The travelling had been a little hard on him.” Garren said apologizing, Connor only nodded in agreement.

x
Dove
Dove looked up as one of the guards stepped into the door opening. "The men who were sent from the north are here," he announced. Dove braced herself, not sure if she were to look forward to the stories or dread the presence of two guards from the north. She watched as the guard stepped aside, making space for the two others to enter. Dove was about to take a sip of her wine - the alcohol sure would help her get through the evening - but she almost dropped the glass as she recognised one of the faces walking in.
She must have made some noise, because Caspian turned towards her, looking a little worried. "Dove, are you alright?" He asked her. Dove coughed, placing the glass down with a shaking hand. "Yeah, I- I'm fine," she lied. "I'm... just surprised at how young they are." The excuse rolled smoothly from her lips, and Caspian threw her a hesitating smile. "Well, a man is never too young to learn how to fight," he told her. Dove tried not to roll her eyes. Instead she looked as both men bowed, and Dove pressed her hands flat against the table to keep them still.
His hair had turned a little darker, and his shoulders were a little broader, but there was no mistaking it: it was Connor. Alive. Standing in front of her.
For a moment she was confused, until she realised her father must've forced him to join the king's army. She felt a little sick at the idea, knowing it was because of her.
"Thank you for having us here, my lord. My lady," the other guard said. Caspian, having no idea about who exactly was standing in front of him, gave them a generous smile. "Please, sit down. You must think it a little strange for me to have invited you to dine with us," he told them. "But I found that it is a lot more pleasant working with my guards when we know a little about each other. Besides, you must understand my curiosity towards your stories from the north."
"I am sorry about my friend. The travelling had been a little hard on him," the unknown guard said. Dove watched as Connor nodded, biting her lip. "But he's alright, isn't he?" She asked, the question escaping from her lips without her own consent. Caspian next to her laughingly placed a hand over her own. "Dove, my dear, you mustn't worry. I think our guest is just tired. Men aren't as weak as not to survive a little travelling, after all," he told her. Dove was glad that just at that moment the servants arrived with the food. "I propose we eat first, and you can tell me your stories afterwards. I reckon you are quite hungry after your trip," Caspian said, gesturing for the servants to serve the food. Dove kept her gaze fixed on her plate, not daring to look at Connor. She didn't even know if he would be mad at her.

Dove almost had the same reaction on seeing him as he had had when he heard that she had married the prince. She was shocked in a way, at least so it seemed. Connor had decided it was best for both parties if he just shut up for the moment, he wasn’t planning on talking much anyway. Garren took the lead in talking about all sort of things, he also told them about how they met in the north and from there he continued on talking about the years there. “I am not going to bore you by telling you about the details, also because of the lady of course.” He said to the prince and princess. Still Connor had been quiet, eating in complete silence and when Garren asked for conformation sometimes he nodded.
"I propose we eat first, and you can tell me your stories afterwards. I reckon you are quite hungry after your trip," Caspian had said, but instead of talking himself, he let Garren tell them a piece of his story. Just very quickly something about him coming from this places, that he didn’t speak that much. It was kind of awkward, at least so it appeared to Connor. He just didn’t really feel at ease here and in the end, he did speak. “I am sorry but can I be excused? I am pretty worn out and I want to be of good service tomorrow.” He said with a flat voice that didn’t betray anything.