Griffa sat in front of the fire in the middle of the night. She stirred her potion slowly, looking in the kettle. She saw that it had turned a lighter red color. The potion’s smell had turned sweet, and its consistency was thicker. She stopped stirring and took the large stick out of the kettle, laying it against the wall by the fireplace. Griffa quickly looked at the scroll on the floor and read over the instructions. Satisfied her potion was correct, Griffa leaned back a little on her stool and stared at the fire.

Griffa was tired, but she didn’t want to sleep. She had a lot on her mind, and she wanted to think through some of it. If she went to sleep now, it would not be peaceful. She would lay half asleep on her sofa worrying about the past and the future. Griffa always told herself she couldn’t change the past, but that didn’t stop her from constantly second guessing her decisions. She supposed that’s what came of making a lot of bad decisions.

Ansel had decided to show up back into her life. Not by choice it seemed, but by necessity. She wondered how long he would have avoided her if he could. She had not heard from him since the spring. She had missed him terribly. She could admit it to herself. She almost hated that she did. She wanted to be angry at him. She wanted to tell Ansel to leave her alone, but she couldn’t. There would never be a time she didn’t want him in her life.

The Spring Festival in Abscon was something Griffa wished she could take back. She hadn’t planned on going. She had planned on going to the Valley and visiting her friend Talon Wendell for the Valley’s Spring Festival. She knew that wouldn’t have been the best choice, either, but at least she would have had fun. At least she wouldn’t have felt like a fool for weeks after. Why did she ever kiss Ansel?

Griffa hadn’t planned on doing it. She didn’t know what had come over her. It all seemed like some strange dream looking back on the event. They had been dancing. There had definitely been wine. He had taken her for a walk. They had found themselves sitting against some trees not far from the village center. She couldn’t even remember what they had been talking about.

She remembered Ansel staring at her. Griffa remembered leaning forward. Ansel had had picked up a curl of hair by her face. He had run it through his fingers and looked a Griffa intensely. She remembered he had claimed her lips quickly. It had not been a quick kiss or a chaste kiss. It had been a hard, hungry kiss. There was no hesitation. He had broken it off eventually. He apologized and walked off, leaving her there to wonder what had happened. She had to walk back to the manor alone. When she got home that night, she almost went and knocked on his door. She went to her bed instead. When she woke up the next morning, he was gone.

If only she had kept her original plans. She had been perfectly content with her plan to go to the Valley. Talon had been pestering her for months to come see him, but instead Ansel had shown up for her birthday the first day of spring. He had said he planned to stay through the spring at her home, Keene Manor. He had practically grown up there, so she could not deny him. Besides, she liked spending time with Ansel. They spent the early weeks of spring, riding horses through the fields, and staying up late talking.

Griffa had known for a while she had feelings for Ansel beyond the usual fondness of long-time friendship. She found him very handsome. Physical attraction was always the easy part. There were others she could be with if physical attraction was all that matter. What she felt for Ansel ran deeper than physical attraction. She was drawn to him. He was kind, clever, and a powerful magic user. He was usually quiet in large groups, but when they were alone, he was open with Griffa.

He was steady. Throughout her life, he had usually been there for her in times of need. When her father died, he became one of the only things in her life that kept her together. Ansel never judged her for who she was. Griffa knew she was a little too wild and independent. She spoke her mind too easily. She sometimes lacked tact in situations where discretion was needed. She could tend to be impulsive.

She knew may in Abscon didn’t approve of her. Griffa was the only living member of the Keene family left in the kingdom. Her family had long been the most powerful family in Abscon. Before that they were second only to the line of Adalwen in terms of power in Aurumist. Griffa knew she had a responsibility to her family name. She would need to settle down at some point. She would have to attend to all the responsibilities that came with being a Keene.

She heard a noise come from the bedroom. She looked to see Ansel stumbling into the room. He was barefoot. His hair was tussled from laying down in the bed. His eyes looked sleepy, but he seemed alert. Griffa leaned back on her stool and looked at Ansel.

“Do you need something?” asked Griffa.

“Something woke me up in the night. I’m not sure what it was. I was thirsty, so I came for a cup of water. Why are you awake?”

“I was finishing up my potion. I believe it is ready. Do you want me to get you a cup of water?”

“No, I can do it myself,” replied Ansel as he walked over close to the pantry. He grabbed a cup and poured some water from a pitcher that laid on a table. He came over and sat by Griffa on a small chair by the fireplace. He looked at her as he drank his water.

“Have you slept at all tonight?” asked Ansel as he put his cup down on the ground.

“A bit. I dozed on the couch for a while between times I needed to stir my potion. I will sleep a few more hours now that it is ready.”

Ansel nodded. He picked up his cup and drank the rest of the water in it.

“Are you sure you want to travel with us to Abscon?” asked Ansel as he put his cup down.

“I am. If you would not like my company, let me know. I will not press in where I am not wanted,” said Griffa turning back to the fire.

“I will never not want your company, Griffa,” said Ansel softly.

Griffa gave a short laugh. “Is that why I haven’t seen you in almost seven months?”

“I’ve had things to do. I needed to see to training the protector’s guards in the Valley. I had ignored them too long. Then, I had to prepare to retrieve our king.”

Griffa didn’t believe him. She knew he had avoided her because of what happened at the Spring Festival in Abscon. She wasn’t going to argue with him about it, not tonight. She had been lonely, lately. Usually she would travel the kingdom. She would visit people she knew or find places to make new friends. After this last spring she had spent most of her time in Abscon or the forest. Besides the few folk who staffed the manor, she had kept mostly to herself.

“What are you thinking, Griffa?” asked Ansel after a few minutes of quiet.

Griffa shrugged “I was trying to decide if I had actually missed you or not.”

She saw Ansel smile slightly out of the corner of her eye. “When you figure it out, will you let me know?”

“Probably not,” replied Griffa. She turned away from the fire to look at Ansel.

“Are you worried about the boy’s reception by the Ring? He may not be what they are expecting,” said Griffa.

“It doesn’t matter what they expect, he is the one who is chosen. They will accept it for that fact alone. Once he starts his training and understand who he is, there will be no question.”

“You seem very confident. I hope you will look out for the boy and his interest,” said Griffa leaning back.

“It is my duty to see after the boy. We are bound magically together. I will not fail him,” answered Ansel.

Griffa sighed loudly. Ansel was too stuck on this idea of his duty. She was afraid he would see this boy, Max, as nothing more than another thing he had to do to keep his respectability as a protector.

“What?” asked Ansel. “What did that sound mean?”

Griffa shook her head. “It is nothing. At least nothing I want to go into tonight. I am suddenly very tired. You should go to bed as well. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

Ansel looked at Griffa like he wanted to say more. She would usually welcome it, but she wasn’t in the mood for an argument. Perhaps she would be tomorrow. Griffa stood up and adjusted her skirt. Ansel stood up as well.

“Before you go back to sleep, would you mind if I grabbed a few things from the bedroom for in the morning?” asked Griffa.

“Not at all, after you.”

Griffa walked into the bedroom. Ansel followed behind her. He sat down on the bed, watching her. She went to a large trunk on the wall by the bed. She dug through it until she found a suitable dress for traveling. She grabbed a comb and a ribbon off of the dresser, so she could pull her hair back in the morning. Griffa turned to Ansel as she was ready to leave the room.

“I guess I’ll say goodnight again. I hope you can sleep for a few more hours,” said Griffa. She turned to go.

“Griffa,” said Ansel stopping her. “You do realize I missed you, don’t you? You may not know if you missed me, but I know I missed you.”

“I missed you, Ansel. I wasn’t sure how much until I saw you. I’ve had felt very alone lately,” said Griffa softly.

Ansel stood up and walked over to her. He took her free hand and held it as he looked at her.

“I am sorry. I hope you know that if you ever need me all you have to do is send me a message. There is not much in this kingdom that would keep me from your side if you ever needed me.”

Griffa looked at Ansel. She stared at him, not knowing what to say. She finally nodded slightly.

“Thank you,” said Griffa quietly.

Ansel bent down and kissed her hand tenderly and let it go. “Good night, Griffa.”

Griffa walked from the room. She put her dress, brush, and ribbon on a chair. She took a deep breath and looked around. She stomped her foot slightly. Why did Anel affect her so much? Why did she have to feel this way about him? She flopped down on the old sofa and laid down. She tossed and turned trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. She finally curled up on her side. She was kept awake for another hour wondering if offering to accompany Ansel on this journey was a smart thing to do. She didn’t know the answer by the time she felt herself drift off.