Daughter of the Forest

Part 3

My heart dropped, fear sprouting in my soul. The one person I had to avoid had been living in my house for the past several days. I had saved the life of the one person who could end mine, and with magic, nonetheless.

"My Lord, we looked everywhere for you," one man chimed in.

"If you had done your job properly, you wouldn't have had to look for me at all," Silas scolded them. "Have you caught the intruders?"

"No, milord. They have escaped."

"Never mind. I know who they are. I won't let them get away with this."

I stood there, listening and waiting, unable to believe my ears. Silas turned back to me, and grabbing my shoulders, said, "I need to go back now, but I'm not confident about leaving you here alone." I furrowed my brows, not understanding where this was going when he continued. "Come with me."

My mouth fell open for a second, but collecting myself quickly, I shook my head, removing his hands from me.

"Will you at least tell me your name? I've heard you sing. I know you can talk."

"My name is Alana, milord," I answered, clumsily bowing my head.

"You two, wait here!" he ordered the men and, putting his arm around my waist, Silas led me to the hut, closing the door behind us. I stared at him, bewildered.

"I will ask you again. Will you come with me?"

"Is that an order, milord? Even if I live out here, as one of your subjects, I cannot refuse a direct order."

"Stop calling me that," he grimaced.

"Excuse me?" I slightly tilted my head.

"Stop calling me milord! I want you to call me by my name."

"I don't think that's acceptable..."

"It is if I say so."

"Silas," my heart pounded as I said his name, but I pushed myself to look into his eyes. "I can't leave the forest. Please believe me when I say this is for the best."

"You are scared," he said, unwavering. "And I think I know why, but I can protect you. I have the power to do so."

"I don't know what you are talking about." I took a step back.

"Alana, I know what you are. And before you even think about running away, I know you are not evil in the slightest. In my region, there are plenty of people who would benefit from your talent, and you, in return, would live a worry-free life."

"Why would you want to take such risks? You may be an open-minded person, but most people aren't like you. They would have me dead with the snap of a finger."

"Just think about it," Silas went out the door, and I rushed after him. "I will come back for you."

"Don't." I said flatly, and slammed the door behind me.

For a while, I believed his last words to be nothing but the empty promise of a noble, but I believed him when he said he wouldn't harm me. Days passed, and there was no sign of Silas. I continued my routine of gathering herbs in the morning, hanging them to dry in the afternoon, or smashing them to make ointments and oils. Still, from time to time, I surprised myself searching for him in the little hut. That was until one early morning when a soft knock on the door woke me up. Jumping off my bed, I looked around, alarmed, when whoever was on the other side knocked again. Stealthily, I drew closer to the window, just enough to see who was out there, but without being seen. My eyes widened, and something swelled in my chest as I hastened to the door, eager to see that wide grin. Opening the door, my wish was fulfilled, but my surprise didn't end there. Silas held in his arms an enormous bunch of flowers like I've never seen before. Their smell was sweet and intoxicating, and all the vivid colours pulled my attention from one to another.

"Do you like them?" Silas asked me.

"They are absolutely gorgeous! I've never seen or smelled such flowers before." I answered, still unable to peel my eyes off them.

"I had them brought from the capital. For you."

"For me? But why?" I furrowed my brows and glanced at his face.

Silas placed the flowers in my arms, and looking to the side, scratched the back of his head. "I just felt you might like them."

"I do. Thank you. But I'm not coming with you."

"I said nothing about that. Did I? I am not ready to accept the answer you have for me, and you are not ready to give me a different answer, so for now, I'm here to see you."

"Oh..." was the only thing I could say. After all, for a man, he was quite tenacious.

"Listen, I realise you can't trust me, and I understand. I wouldn't trust myself either if I were you."

"How does that make any sense?" I chuckled.

"Let me finish. We have more in common than you think."

"I doubt that. As far as I know, you are a noble who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, not having to work a single day for anything, while I was judged, chased, and persecuted my whole life. I don't really see any common points." My remark came out colder than I would've wished, but it was true.

"Oh, you don't know how wrong you are, but I'll tell you another time." he sneakily pointed towards the men who waited behind him. They were far enough not to hear our conversation, yet close enough in case something went wrong.

"I see you trust me just as much." I smiled sweetly, yet a heaviness weighed in my chest.

"It's not like that." He scratched his head again, embarrassed, then his expression turned serious. "One of those who ordered my assassination escaped, so until we catch him, I'm under constant protection."

"So, you know who it is? Do you have any leads?" I asked, squeezing the flowers to my chest.

"He's as good as caught, so you don't need to worry." he caressed my cheek.

"I'm not worried." I pulled back, trying to act offended by his assumption. The last thing I needed was to encourage that overly friendly behaviour of his.

"Of course you're not." He answered, unbothered by my reply. "I'll visit again soon, hopefully without the tail."

"You don't need to bother yourself, milord."

"True, but I will anyway."

"I'm sure someone of your importance has better things to do than visit a lone woman living in the forest. People might gossip."

"They already do." He leaned closer and whispered. "They believe I am fulfilling a special quest to receive permission from the Forest Spirits to bring their Daughter into town to heal our sickling."

"So, is that what you are after? My healing abilities?"

"No. That's just a mere excuse and a potential way of protecting you. I fear my genuine reasons are beyond selfish."

The way he looked at me weakened my knees, but I had to be firm. I closed my eyes and pushed him back softly, putting a decent distance between us.

"I said I'm not coming."

"And I'll say I'm not giving up. See you soon."