When they reached the doors to the castle, Hrollief had to shoo away the men and staff that had accumulated behind them. Apparently Tove’s nighttime-stroll had been extremely interesting, almost the whole castle seemed present. She hid her burning face in Hrollief’s cloak. She had made an utter fool of herself, and once again Hrollief had given her the cloak off his back, and she enjoyed it! She loved his smell and the warmth from his cloak, but she was trying to stay away from him, and trying to avoid intimate moments. She thought about how close they had been when he had helped her up and felt her blush deepen. Why must you think of him this way! You were sent to kill him. You must avoid him. It is the only way he will be safe… She reprimanded herself the entire way back to her room, and dared not glance towards the man at her side. They reached her door, and he opened it for her.

“I hope you will not mind my posting a guard outside your door for the remainder of the night. I will be leaving at dawn, and it would not be safe for you to take any more nighttime strolls.” His hard face softened, almost to a smile, and she could only glance towards him before replying.

“Of course, I understand.” She replied. He nodded, and she took the cloak from her shoulders and gave it back to him. His cheeks reddened a little, then he bid her goodnight and left down the hall. Tove quickly shut the door as two guards came over and stationed themselves on either side of it. She sunk against the other dies of the door, her legs feeling weak. She tried to remember what her dream had been about, but all she could think of was Hrollief’s faint smile, and she could swear she had seen a faint redness to his cheeks. She climbed into her bed and slept well, without any dreams for the rest of that night.

* * *

Hrollief finally got back to his room and fell asleep for a few hours. When he woke the dim light of dawn was streaming through his window, giving everything in his room a gray hue. He dragged himself out of bed and pulled on layers of clothes, then laced his heavy leather boots. He took his sword in his lap and fingered the tip. It was as sharp as always, the glowing steel cold in his hand. The magic embedded in it kept the blade perfectly sharp, and it had inspired fear in many men’s hearts. He sighed, he had never truly liked war, but it was necessary. In order to maintain his kingdom, he had to keep up a fierce and mighty appearance, and he had often been forced to fight viciously to protect his people.

He sheathed the sword and strapped it to his waist. Today he must travel, and he would fight only if necessary. He pulled on his cloak, his mind wandering to Tove’s face again, and then went to a wooden cabinet in the corner of his room and pulled out his crown. He hardly wore it except for occasions like this. Times when he knew people needed to see it, when they needed their mighty king to lead them. It was made of solid silver, with some delicate gold melted on, and only four gems, one on each side to symbolize the balance of the north, east, south, and west. It had been a long time since he had worn it, but the weight was familiar, and it fit his head perfectly. He strolled down to the kitchens and was surprised to see Tove sitting at the table in the corner, just beginning to eat her breakfast. “Tove, I had not guessed that you would have been awake at this hour,” he said, taking a plate of food from the cook and sitting opposite her.

“I did not think so either, but the sunlight through my window woke me.” She blushed a little, and fidgeted with her wool dress. Hrollief guessed the sun was not the reason she woke at this hour, but he did not want to embarrass her. They ate in silence, Tove glancing at his crown and kingly outfit every now and again. I doubt she thought I had such rich clothing, or even a crown perhaps. I do not blame her, my reputation does not leave much room for ornaments. They finished, and she walked with him to the entrance hall, where his men waited on him. He nodded to them, and they filed out, then Hrollief turned to Tove.

“I will be gone perhaps a fortnight. However, if there is little trouble, then it will be a shorter expedition.” She nodded, and then he did something that surprised them both. He took her hand in his, and kissed it. Her held her hand in his for a long moment, as blue eyes looked into gray. Then, he finally released her, turning around and strolling out into the courtyard, a slight spring in his step.

“Hrollief!” His head whipped around when she called his name. It was the loudest he had ever heard her voice. His men watched them both with interest. “Do not trust my father or his men, whatever he may say or offer you, do not accept his terms.” There was panic in her eyes, mixed with fear and a hint of something else. “Please, swear it to me.”

He gazed into her eyes, then spoke. “I swear it.” She nodded, and retreated further into the warm hall. He and his men mounted their steeds, and with one last glance at Tove, Hrollief led his men away from the castle and beyond the woods.

* * *

As she walked about the castle that day, a pair of guards following her closely, she held her hand close to her heart. He had been so gentle when he had taken and kissed it, and he had sworn to her not to take any sort of deal her father would try to make. She had been anxious about him leaving, which was why she had woken up so early even though she was exhausted, but with his promise and the fact that her collar had loosened somewhat, her mind was at ease. She trusted Hrollief would keep his word, and, knowing her father, Hrollief would come back home alive. Home… she thought, her mind absently wandering back to her father’s palace, her sisters, and then to her mother’s grave. Their mother had died when Tove was very young, so she had few memories of her, but she could remember one moment very clearly. The night before her mother passed, she had taken Tove into her room and shown her something. It was her mother’s golden collar; she had managed to take it off, and only wore it to keep her father happy. Tove hadn’t understood the significance of this until now, and thinking about Hrollief, his blue eyes and golden blonde hair, she knew what she needed to do. She must find a way to rid herself of this cursed golden collar, and the demon that lived within it.

The next many days passed without excitement. Her nightmares had ceased, although when she did dream she could feel a darkness present somewhere, though it never showed itself. The main gate had been locked and bolted into place, and every door to the outside locked as well. Tove guessed Hrollief was worried she would try to run off into the forest again, but no such urge overcame her. After a few days with nothing to do but wander the halls, she returned to the armory. Her guards seemed hesitant to let her near the weapons, but she persuaded them that she could do no harm to a man who was nowhere near them. She swung the blade she had found a while back and practiced the few sword techniques she knew. Her father had not objected to giving her a few lessons, but he never let her learn more than the very basics. With this to occupy some of her time, she asked if there were any other activities inside the castle she could be allowed to participate in. The staff all seemed hesitant at first, but she reasoned with them to the best of her ability, and eventually they let her do a few more things. The cook let her help in the kitchen by baking bread and crushing dried herbs, the maid who had dropped off her new clothing showed her where they washed and folded the garments, and the captain of the guard (who had stayed behind) showed her the library. This she instantly took to, and spent most of her time there. Hrollief had a much larger collection of novels and tomes than her family had ever had. Many were listings of deeds Hrollief’s ancestors had achieved, but there were a few that had legends and tales written in them. She read quite slowly at first, never having had much time or resources to devote to reading, but it was a skill her mother had given her, and Tove was glad she had learned it. The guards and staff slowly became more at ease around her, and she around them, and many showed her kindness. One evening, as she helped the cook to mix bread-dough, she had a very interesting conversation.

“Thank you for your help ma’am, but you needn’t do any more than what you’ve done. Royalty shouldn’t have to bother with tasks such as this.”

“Ah, I do not mind it. It is quite nice to be able to do something useful instead of simply being a burden.” At this the cook stopped in her work and looked at Tove, shaking her head in disbelief.

“You are as unique as they come, ma’am, I can see why the king would be smitten with you.” The cook said, looking Tove over as though she might discover some great secret. Tove blushed furiously at the cook’s words.

“I-I doubt he… he certainly is not… he could never be…” The cook winked at her then continued with their work.

“Many a young maiden have been sent to this castle to win his heart and his power, but none have ever succeeded. Why, we’ve hardly ever seen him give them a second glance! Eventually they all left, and I doubt he noticed when they did. But with you ma’am, well, you seem to mean a great deal to him.” The cook continued to bustle about her work, but Tove’s hands slowed, her mind in a frenzy. Certainly Hrollief didn’t love her? They had barely known each other for but a few days, and that was hardly enough to be able to say that they loved one another. And yet… her mind trailed back to the morning he had left, when he had kissed her hand. It was a gesture she would never have suspected from him, especially towards her. She had just supposed he let her stay out of pity for her relationship with her father. Somehow Hrollief had known she needed help without even having to see how her father treated her. Of course, Hrollief had visited her father’s castle once, but that hardly seemed like enough interaction to be able to guess what her father was like.

Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She rushed to finish what she had started, then hurried to the library. With all those books on his family, surely one of them must tell how he was so in tune with the ways of demons and dreams.

* * *