Hrollief and his men pushed their horses as hard as possible. He left some of his men behind at points along the border, until just himself and a few men were left. He took as few breaks as he could manage, but he knew his men and the horses could only handle so much. They took shortcuts through different forests and fields, and arrived at the castle is just under three days time. He left his horse in the courtyard with the soldiers, then hurried into the castle.

He was met at the door by the captain of the guard, who had stayed behind to watch the castle, and Tove.

“Your majesty, Tove is missing.” Hrollief felt the color drain from his face, and he hurried to search her room. The captain followed him, explaining what had happened. “She was accompanied by myself and the other guards into the courtyard, sir, she asked for some fresh air. We had only been outside a few minutes before a gale swept past us, and when it passed she had simply vanished.” They had reached Tove’s room, which was completely empty. There were hardly any signs that she had been living inside it for almost a full month. He looked about and saw that the cloak he had given her was missing. At least she should be warm still. “We searched everywhere, sir, even deep into the woods, but we found no sign of her. I am sorry sir, she was my responsibility. I should not have-”

“Stop.” Hrollief closed the door to Tove’s room, towering over the captain. “You were responsible for her while she remained in the castle, but no one can defy the powers of the woods. It has been calling to her for some time now, no doubt it took the first possible opportunity to test her.”

“But, sir, we checked inside the woods, and we found no traces of her.”

“No doubt she was hidden well. How long has she been missing?” The captain looked nervous, but at Hrollief’s gaze he spoke.

“This would be the third day, sir.” Hrollief felt felt his stomach drop. It had been three days since his dream, three days since she had disappeared in front of a whole squadron of guards, and three days without her getting any substance and being out in the snow. He was running out of time. He ran to the entrance, out the gate and towards the woods. He paused at its border, one hand on his sword. He had no idea why the woods had been calling to her in this way, or why it had used its magic to steal her away. It usually waited for people to enter and tested them then, but this was something new to Hrollief entirely. He had just decided to enter into the woods himself when he noticed something. A golden glint of light came from somewhere to his right, and as he looked for its source he saw something that made his heart sink into his stomach. There, lying in a pile of snow and half covered by it, was Tove.

He dug her out and pulled her free of the snow, her body light as a feather. Taking her in his arms he stood and began making his way back to the castle. As he left the woods behind him, he felt her stir, and paused to look down at her. Her eyes were open and glazed, and a tired smile broke out on her face. She reached up a heavy hand and gently caressed his face, heat rising in his cheeks.

“I knew you would find me.” She whispered, and he barely heard her over the sound of the wind and his own heavy breathing. He felt a real smile grace his face.

”Of course I would, Tove.” Her hand fell back into her lap, and her eyes closed. “I will always find you.” He said, carrying her quickly to the castle.

Two days passed, and Tove did not fully wake again in that time. The cook fed her in moments of consciousness, and the maid kept her fire well stoked and fueled, as well as kept layers of furs on top of her. Hrollief visited as often as he could, but after spending the majority of the first day sitting next to Tove, his maid, cook, advisers, and captain of the guard all insisted he keep about his duties, and the maid and cook both promised that they would inform him if she woke. He tried to keep about his duties, and even went back into the forest to hunt, but he kept wondering what had happened to her in the woods.

Finally, in the afternoon of the third day, when he returned from his hunt with a buck slung over his shoulder, two guards came out to meet him, informing him that Tove had finally woken up. He handed them the deer, and rushed to go see her.

* * *

When Tove first woke, she felt herself being carried in strong, warm arms. She opened her eyes, her vision blurry, and could just make out Hrollief’s face. He looked tired and worried, and she could see his breath warming the air. She shifted slightly, then reached up to touch his face. He was so warm, so comforting, she never wanted him to put her down. “I knew you would find me,” she whispered, with barely enough strength to stay awake.

“Of course I would, Tove.” He smiled, and then her vision gave out, her hand fell back into her lap, and her mind sunk back into darkness.

When she next woke, she was in her room, tucked beneath heavy layers of blankets and furs. Her mind was foggy, and she had barely registered being awake when the woman sitting next to her began to shovel food and drink down her throat. Tove chewed and swallowed on command, but soon fell back asleep. This happened many times, but Tove forgot each instance as soon as she fell back asleep. Soon, though, she managed to stay awake for a few hours and eat by herself. She still felt very weak and tired, but the chill from her bones had gone, and she had feeling in her fingers and toes again. She sat up in bed, propped up by pillows and still covered in furs, the fire in her room roaring cheerfully. After she had spent some time watching it, a knock rang out on her door. The maid went to open it, and in walked Hrollief, looking slightly ruffled. Tove stifled a giggle at his disheveled appearance. It was a drastic change as opposed to when she last remembered seeing him, riding away on his steed with a silver crown perched on his head.

He walked over to her, looking as though he was trying not to run. The maid motioned to the cook, and they left Hrollief and Tove alone together, casting them sly glances. He sat down beside her bed as the door closed. “How are you?” He looked at her with worry in his eyes.

“I am much better than I was, though I do not feel as though I will be able to leave this room for some time.” She gave a small laugh and felt herself sway. Hrollief’s hand caught her shoulder and helped her to straighten up again. His hand stayed there for a long moment, and she made no effort to move it. Eventually his hand dropped, but she caught it with her own and held it next to her. Both of their cheeks flushed. Finally, she asked something she had been wondering about since she had woken up. “Do you perhaps know, just how long I was…asleep?” Hrollief hesitated, then told her what she had been dreading.

“You were in the woods for three days, I found you at the end of the third day. You have been sleeping since for almost another three days.”

“Ah, I see… that is, quite some time…” Silence fell between them, and they both listened to the crackling of the fire. “Did you, meet my father?”

“Yes…” Hrollief seemed reluctant to tell her more, but she didn’t pressure him. Tove knew what her father was like, he could be very persuasive, and very manipulating. He had bonded with his demon in a way that allowed him to pinpoint an enemy’s weakness. She could only guess what her father must have threatened to try and make a deal with Hrollief, but the warmth of his hand gave her a strong idea. As they sat there, enjoying each other’s company, Hrollief absentmindedly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, making her flush with color.

They spent another hour like this, with little conversation, and Hrollief only got up when Tove began to nod off. “I will leave you to rest now, goodnight Tove.” He kissed her hand, very gently, and she could feel the hairs of his beard brush the back of her hand.

“Goodnight, Hrollief.” They smiled softly at each other, and she watched him leave, locking the door behind him. She then sunk beneath the covers of her bed and fell asleep, a smile still on her face.

* * *

As Hrollief walked back to his room, his heart much lighter than before, a realization struck him. Something had happened to Tove’s collar. He had seen a crack in it when he had pulled her from the snow, but he’d been so busy trying to get her back to the castle he had barely registered it. Perhaps that was why the woods had drawn her in- perhaps they had been trying to help her be rid of her demon. He mulled this over in his head as he undressed and fell into his bed, finally feeling relaxed enough to sleep well.

* * *