Northern Legends

Chapter 4

Cassandra. So her name was Cassandra. A truly beautiful and noble name, just like the woman who wore it. He was already fascinated by her when she lay asleep in his arms, but now that she sat before him, alive and in the flesh, she was even more beautiful. Her purple eyes shone towards him like amethysts in the sunlight. Hraerek had never seen such eyes before, except as vestments, as the great churchmen in Soleia wore them. She was truly extraordinary. But the way she sat there, frightened of him, only the need to take her in his arms and protect her from all the world.

"Now then, Cassandra Heyner. Since you're here on my land, it's my duty to see that you get back to your family quickly."

No sooner had he uttered the words that were so difficult for him than Cassandra's face darkened and a sad expression lay in her eyes.

"It is not possible. "I have no home. I have no home."

"Why not? Was your family wiped out by the Soleian soldiers?", Hraerek asked. It would not be unusual; many of the citizens of Soleia had to suffer under the usurper who ruled the empire with an iron and merciless hand.

"No, they all perished in a fire. A long, long time ago. Since then, I have been alone."

Her words struck him. He knew all too well what it meant to lose loved ones. His mother had died of an illness when he was just 12 years old. He lost his father four years ago when the raids on Cielon began. A Soleian soldier had tried to attack Hraerek from behind, but his father intercepted the blow intended for him and lost his arm. He had held out for a few days, but the fever that the gangrene caused caused him to fall. His father had always said that he would rather die on the battlefield with a sword in his hand than languish in a bed, old and grey.

Cassandra looked around searchingly until she reached for the bundle she was carrying on her shoulders earlier. She did not rummage around in it for long and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately," she whispered softly. Cassandra held a jewel in her hand, which she pressed to her lips. What could it be? She pulled a ribbon from her bundle and threaded the jewel on top of it before tying it around her neck. Unintentionally the fur she covered herself with slipped down. The moment when he enjoyed the pleasure of admiring her well-formed body again was unfortunately only short, because she quickly pulled the fur back over her shoulders. Instead he could finally have a look at the thing that seemed to be so important to her.

A ring. A small ring in a golden setting with a single large gemstone. A strange glow emanated from the stone, which shimmered bluish-red in the firelight.

"A beautiful piece. Is it your husband's?" Hraerek asked straight out. Cassandra looked at him in surprise, but then she smiled tiredly.

"No, it is a memento of my father. The only thing I have left of him."

It was only natural that she didn't want to lose it. He himself had inherited several pieces from his father; most notably a bracelet with two dragon heads that he always carried with him. as well as his sword, which he left behind before going hunting. In his mind Hraerek looked at the entrance of the cave and saw that it was already dawning. Night would soon fall. He got up and went to his equipment and pulled out a drinking bag with mead and some dried meat. It would be enough for Cassandra, but not for him. Hraerek walked towards Cassandra, but expecting her again she didn't shrink back this time.

"Here, eat and drink something. You must be hungry."

Cassandra was already about to refuse, but the growl of her stomach was unmistakable. A fine blush formed on her cheeks before she took the meat with one hand and held the fur with the other. It was really too bad that she hadn't let go of the fur this time. From his bundle he pulled a piece of cloth. His nose had stopped bleeding by now. He took the bag of mead and soaked the cloth with it before wiping off the blood.

"Thank you," he heard Cassandra whisper. He looked over at her and noticed how fragile she looked under the thick fur. Hraerek forced his eyes away from her and began to put his shirt back on. He packed his weapons together and strapped them to his back.

"Fenris, Hjalmar! You stay," he said in a firm voice to his wolves. They raised their heads and pricked up their ears. Hraerek did not need to say anything more to them. He knew that they had understood him.

"Wait, where are you going?"

Cassandra looked up at him in fear and he tried to stick to his plans. As much as he appreciated her company here in the wilderness, he now had to take care of himself. Without food he would not be able to bring himself safely back to Cielon or wherever she wanted to go.

"Don't worry, I'm going hunting. We'll still need food when we head home tomorrow."

The answer seemed to satisfy her, for Cassandra lowered her head and set about eating the meat. Hraerek pulled his cloak tighter as he came out of the cave and was greeted by a frosty wind. The icy cold gusts cut into his face. It would be hard to find something to eat in this storm, but he had no other choice. Hraerek stomped through the deep snow, but his footprints were wiped away by the wind. As if he had never been there.

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Is all this perhaps just a dream? Cassandra wondered. After she had eaten the meat and taken a hearty sip of the spicy brew that Hraerek had given her, she felt better already. But the cold wind that kept coming into the cave proved her wrong. The hairs in her neck stood up, despite her long hairs that went down to the ground far above her hips. She looked for her clothes, which were lying next to the fire. Fortunately they dried quickly. She quickly slipped into her jeans and sweater. She put the hiking boots next to her, as they were not yet completely dry. Back at her seat, Cassandra rummaged through her backpack and took out her mobile phone. But this was no longer usable due to her unexpected dive. But if it really was true that she was no longer on earth, she could forget the WLAN and phone calls anyway.

She kept on digging and found her hairbrush intact. Lost in thought she started to brush her still wet mane. A cold was really the last thing she needed. Her hair had always been very unruly, her mother had always said when Cassandra was a child. Still, she couldn't be stopped from giving her daughter an elaborate braided hairdo every day. The memory of her mother still hurt, even after this long time. It had already been six years since this terrible tragedy happened. Cassandra was now twenty-four and still the good and bad memories were still present in her mind as if they were yesterday. The loving touch of her mother, the fire that raged up the walls of her home, the combat training with her father, the arms of the fireman that stopped her from rushing into the burning house, the intimacy with her brother Caiden, the explosion that shattered her beloved home into a thousand pieces and the laughter of her little sister Cherry.

Thick tears ran down her cheeks and a sob escaped her throat. Suddenly Cassandra noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. The two wolves came slowly towards her until one of them, the one with the grey fur, sniffed at her face. The other wolf, whose black fur shimmered in the light, came around her from behind and lay down on the ground close behind her. His friend did the same and took a seat in front of Cassandra, placing her big head in her lap.

"Well, you two. Will you comfort me?" she whispered softly and stroked the grey wolf over the soft fur. The animal seemed to enjoy it and moved closer to Cassandra. The black wolf also came up and nudged Cassandra's arm with his nose. She also crawled him behind the ears. It was strange to be so close to these wild creatures; to be accepted by them so easily. Was it because their master had saved them?, Cassandra wondered in her mind. Fenris and Hjalmar had told Hraerek She did not know which animal listened to which name, but that did not matter to her at the moment. The wolves gave her much warmth and security.

"It could have been worse," Cassandra thought quietly. "She suddenly felt very tired, despite the previous adrenaline rush. The soft crackling of the fire calmed her and her two protectors lay peacefully beside her. Slowly many of her eyes closed as she snuggled up to the wolves. Is that nice and warm... just like her rescuer before, who didn't take much time to reappear in her dreams.

Translated with the help of DeepL.