A few minutes later a soft knock rang on the door, and a middle-aged woman walked through the doorway with a bundle of clothes in her hands. She dropped them onto the table and left, glancing towards Tove, but not saying a word. Tove pushed herself off the bed and grabbed a fur dress off the table, feeling the soft blue fabric between her fingers. She kicked off her shoes and stripped off her tight-fitting gown, peeling off the sleeves and rubbing her sore skin after finally getting out of the restricting garment. She slipped into the fur dress and sighed. It was by far the most comfortable thing she had ever worn. She stretched for a moment, savoring the feeling of the warm room and comfortable clothing, even if she was in a stranger’s home, then fell back onto the bed. The sheets were soft, and the fire and furs had warmed her and calmed her mind, easing her into a deep sleep.

She dreamt her shadow was chasing her through a dark and thorny wood. It slowly morphed into a demon as they ran, its fangs and claws reaching towards her, dripping with blood. She raced further onward, willing herself as far from the creature as possible. She turned a corner, but as soon as she thought she had gotten away she felt its claws grasp her neck and begin to choke her, its red eyes glaring into hers, the demon slowly stealing her will and peace.

* * *

Hrollief lay in his bed watching the fire. He had felt a strong darkness present inside King Hagen, and a similar, but weaker, darkness inside Princess Tove. He remembered this feeling from the time he had visited Hagen’s castle, but he had ignored it for the sake of his late friend. Hrollief had thought that separating them would free her from it, but it did not seem to be getting any weaker. He could feel the dark energy even from across the castle, but he knew only priests could feel it as well. He had a rare gift with demons and spirits. It was because of this gift that he had been able to forge his spirit blade. It was the only blade in existence that could harm a demon. Hrollief thought over why the darkness had been so thick about Tove, gradually falling asleep as his thoughts and memories tumbled about in his mind.

He dreamt of running through a dark wood, following the sound of footsteps ahead of him. He could just barely see a figure on the path ahead, a woman with light blonde hair. She rounded a corner, and a moment later he followed, coming upon a gruesome scene. The maiden was being choked by a demon, it claws and fangs dripping with blood. He took a step towards it, but froze when it turned its eyes on him. They were bright red, and held him where he stood. The demon threw the maiden to the ground and stepped towards him. Hrollief's sword slid into his hand, and the demon paused. Then, quick as lightning, it turned, grabbed the maiden, and ran deeper into the forest. He called out and began to chase them down, but his own voice woke him from his dream.

The fire in his room had died out, leaving the air cool, and a cold sweat had broken out on the back of his neck. She is in trouble. He thought, and pulled on his other cloak, hurrying down the hall. Early dawn light streamed through the thin windows in the hallways, showing that morning had come. He walked quickly, giving brief orders to the few servants he passed, coming at last to Tove’s room. The dark energy had grown stronger, and his hand strayed to the sword he kept at his side. He would only dare use it on her if the demon came out of her, if it was indeed a demon, but there was little chance of that. A demon rarely strayed out of its host, but it could be forced out. Different ideas ran through his head as he knocked on her door. Silenced answered, so he knocked again. This time he heard a squeak of surprise from inside, and felt a grin twitch on his lips. The door swung open slowly, and Tove’s pale face appeared, looking as though she had just woken from a long nightmare. Hrollief’s face instantly fell back to it’s normal sternness, and he spoke curtly. “I will show you the castle now, while the day is young.”

* * *

In her dream, she could feel herself actually choking. The demon’s claws sunk into her skin, and the woods began to fade. Then, suddenly, a pale blue light appeared, and the demon threw her to the ground. She gasped for breath and tried to get up and run, but her body was glued to the ground. She watched the demon turn to face the pale light, and she thought she could just make out the tall figure of a man, a glowing sword in his hand. Then, in the blink of an eye, the demon turned from the light, grabbed her body off of the ground and ran off into the woods with her. A distant voice called out to her, but she was too far to hear its words. The demon carried her deep into the woods, its claws tight on her torso. The farther into the forest it ran, the tighter its grip became, and the harder it was for Tove to breath. Finally, it stopped, and dropped her back onto the ground. It lowered its bright red eyes to hers, and spoke in a hissing whisper, You are running out of time, Princess, I am waiting… and watching. It smiled, bearing its bloody fangs at her. A harsh knocking sounded, reverberating through the forest. The demon’s form wavered. The knocking sounded again, and Tove woke from her dream with a start, sweating and light-headed. She untangled herself from Hrollief’s cloak, and went to open the door. Behind it she found Hrollief’s stern face, looking at her closely.

* * *