Chapter 38

Ayla nodded, dried her tears, and rushed to help, but he looked at her with soft eyes and then pointed at a chair, "Sit. You have been through a lot, and you need to rest." She tried to convince the King that she could help, but he would not have it. In the end, Ayla gave up and went to the table.

"Where are the others?" she asked once she put her cloak on top of a chair and sat.

"They went ahead to visit the remaining mines. I will meet with them once I leave you at the castle. You will be safe there."

'He is taking me back to the castle? But I have to find Nixx, and then I have to find Uzriel,' Ayla thought.

"I can't stay at the castle. I haven't found Nixx. And I – I have been having these dreams," she said.

The King, who had lit the fire, turned to look at her, "What dreams?"

Ayla stared into the flames, "At first, I made nothing of them. But I think, no, I know I have to find someone."

The King frowned, "Find someone? Who?"

"Uzriel."

"Uzriel?" the King asked in a surprised voice. "As in Uzriel, the warrior that helped the first Paladin?"

Ayla cocked her head, "I don't know. She never tells me. Just urges me to find me."

"Her?"

"The Seer. She comes into my dreams and tells me I have to find him before the seven undead brothers."

The King looked at her for a few moments before saying, "If you ask me, they are just dreams."

"I don't think they are just dreams. I think that whoever this Seer is, she is trying to warn me about something. She says that the Darkness is spreading through the land, and if I don't find Uzriel, everything will be lost."

King Rhobart looked into her eyes for a long minute, not saying anything.

"You don't believe me," Ayla said when the silence became too much.

"Is not that," he said. "You changed. The last time I saw you, you were still a child. And now you are a woman."

Ayla snorted and folded her arms. The gesture reminded her that her shoulder was still hurting, but she ignored the pain.

"I have been a woman for quite some time."

The King roamed her body with his gaze. Then he looked back into her eyes, "And a beautiful one. The most beautiful I have ever seen."

Ayla blushed. How could she not when the King thought she was beautiful?

"Thank you," she said in a low tone.

The King cleared his voice and started preparing a soup. He worked in silence for a while.

Ayla was lost in her thought when the King said, "You should talk to Milton."

She looked confused at him, "About what?"

"Your dreams. Some of the Fire Mages study dreams. And if it is someone to guide you, that would be Milton."

"That means I can come with you?"

The King nodded, "I am not sure it is the best decision I made, but yes, I will take you with me so that you can talk to Milton."

Ayla smiled, "Thank you, my K –"

She looked at him, afraid the King would snap at her, like the first time she called him 'my King.' But instead, King Rhobart put soup for both of them and sat at the table.

"Eat," he said.

"Thank you for the food, King Rhobart."

"Rhobart."

Ayla almost choked with the food. She drank from a glass of water before looking at the King, who had already eaten half of the bowl.

"I don't think I understood what you said. Could you explain?" Ayla asked.

The King looked at her with his onyx eyes, "I would like you to call me Rhobart."

Ayla opened her mouth to say something, but the King continued talking, "Just Rhobart."

The King – Rhobart, always managed to surprise her. Ayla did not expect the King to ask her to call him only by his given name.

"You are not eating. Is the food not to your taste?" he asked her.

Ayla grabbed a spoon full of soup and ate.

"It is delicious." And it was. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"In the war. I had to learn a lot of things to survive."

Ayla put the spoon on the table, "I am sorry. I am sorry that you had to go through all of that."

Rhobart looked at her, "It is not your fault. Now finish your food and then you should rest. It has been a hard day for you."

Ayla looked at the bed. Kerra was already there, waiting for the princess.

"I am not sure I want to sleep. What if I have nightmares?" Ayla asked and shivered.

Rhobart put a hand on top of hers, "And I will be right here watching over you. Trust me to keep you safe. Even if it is from nightmares."

As she looked at his big hand on top of her small one, she knew she could trust him.

Ayla looked into his eyes, "I trust you, Ki– Rhobart."

Once she finished the food, Ayla walked over to the bed and then looked at Rhobart.

"Where will you be sleeping?" she asked when she realized that not only was there only a bed in the cabin, but it was the only one available.

Rhobart pulled a chair in front of the fireplace and sat.

"You can have the bed," Ayla said when she realized he wanted to sleep on the chair. Could someone sleep in a chair?

"You don't have to worry about me. I slept in even worse places. At least the chair is dry and doesn't try to eat my face," Rhobart said and chuckled. "Before you go to bed, you should drink another healing potion," he said and gave Ayla another vial, which she accepted gladly.

Before getting under the furs, Ayla removed her jacket and the dagger, afraid that she would stab herself with it while she slept. When she got in the bed, Kerra snuggled up against her and started purring. Soon, Ayla, too, drifted to sleep.

Her sleep had been restless; imagines of Scar haunted her all night. Of Scar killing Nixx and her. But among all the nightmares she had, Ayla had one wonderful dream. It was of her and Nixx riding a golden dragon.

Ayla woke up screaming. Strong arms pulled her against a hard chest. She recognized him from his scent, and she relaxed.

"It was just a dream," Rhobart said.

She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with his scent. It soothed her like nothing else. There was something so familiar about his scent. But what?

Once she calmed down, Ayla tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes.

"Teach me how to fight."

Calloused hands cupped her face, and Rhobart looked into her eyes, "If this is what you want, I will gladly teach you."

The blizzard lasted until noon, and then Ayla and Rhobart went to search for Nixx once more.

Hours later, when they couldn't find any tracks, Ayla looked at the horizon. She never learned Nixx's family name, so she gave him one.

"Nixx Dragon-Rider! I will always remember you! Now and forever!" Ayla shouted as hard as she could.

The wind carried her words over rivers and forests, through human villages. And when the wind entered Elven villages, Ayla's words could still be heard.