†††Hall†††

Hall walked at the back of the group, keeping a respectful distance.

Eirik had lost blood but was in good enough condition to move, leaning on Siegfried's shoulder.

Bolverk engaged them in discussions and the occasional banter, but it was apparent that their hearts weren’t in it. Their steps were heavy, and the mood was subdued by the heavy blanket of death.

It felt awkward to be the only one not grieving, and Hall wished they could arrive earlier at their destination. Until Svana, who walked slightly to the left of everyone, started to slow until she was right next to him.

Hall’s pulse started to quicken as he desperately racked his brain for something to say. Empathy wasn’t his strong suit, and he hardly felt anything about Agnar’s death. Luckily Svana saved him by initiating the conversation.

“You fought admirably today, Hall,” she said without looking at him.

Her face hidden behind a curtain of blonde hair, Hall had no way of judging her emotions. His own face took a slight blush at the thought of Svana watching him, but it should have been obvious. Bollverk’s lantern had been the only source of light in the corridor, so where else should she have looked?

“I’m sorry I wasn’t much help back there,” she added, giving him a lopsided smile that formed a cute dimple on her cheek.

Hall was stunned for a moment, caught by the vision that was Svanas face. He forced his own eyes up front again, a hand on the pommel of his sword as if it could ground him again. "Bolverk was right. This wasn't your job, a guard's job,” he said with conviction. “Any of us could have easily lost our life fighting that monstrosity. Being frightened when confronted with a natural predator is a normal reaction. Just proves that you are mentally healthy." The last sentence was added with a self-conscious smile on his lips as he faced the young woman again.

Svana arched her brows at that before her gaze softened. "Maybe. But I was really impressed by you there,” she said with a slight tinkle to her eyes. “Your bravery and skill with the sword are admirable for your,” she stopped for a breath, cocking her head, “sixteen or maybe seventeen years?" A mischievous grin slowly crept upon her lips.

"Uh, I'm sixteen..." Hall answered, fighting the urge to scratch the back of his head.

Svana's smile widened. "Sixteen, how convenient, right above the legal age in Nemeah," she stirred his emotional cocktail further.

"Oh, go get a room, you two," Eirik interrupted, inducing a fit of good-hearted laughter from the whole group and saving Hall from having to reply.

Svana sped up her steps to rejoin the others, and Hall failed to keep his gaze from wandering over her shapely rear. He forced his eyes closed, only to see her dazzling smile in his mind. A fuzzy feeling fluttered alive in his stomach, and while it irritated him to lose his focus, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

The absence of social contact for the past years seemed to make him vulnerable to that charm, but Svana was part of his team and not someone he had to be wary of. What harm could it do to let down his guard a little bit once in a while?

Then his brain caught up, and a dark hole swallowed the butterflies in his middle. What if she was really just teasing him? Svana was a gorgeous and likely experienced woman. Were her advances just a form of friendly play?

On the other hand, she seemed honestly impressed by his battle prowess.

Frustration warred with irritation over his emotions as Hall’s thoughts jumped back and forth. No wonder few men his age could match him with the sword if this was what they put up with daily. He wouldn’t be able to focus on training with those tumultuous feelings distracting him.

†††Siegfried†††

Bolverk relayed the relevant information to the stationed officer and arranged for Agnar and the children's bodies to be recovered upon reaching the guardhouse. The stone-built structure accommodated an office room, which doubled as the infirmary, a dormitory with eight beds for male guards and a small bedroom for the fewer female guards. With Bolverk tending to Eirik in the infirmary and the officer gone, Siegfried and Hall were alone in the dormitory.

When Sieg saw the forlorn look on the younger recruit, he decided to address the apparent issue. "Hey, Hall, everything okay?"

"Yes, of course... I'm just still a bit shaken by everything that happened today."

"Mhmm," Sieg hummed. "Come over here and sit down for a spell," he instructed while making space on the bed he had claimed.

A wary expression on his face, Hall sat down.

"I've known Svana for quite a while now," Sieg started, ignoring the blush on Hall's face for being so easily seen through. "She is definitely an amazing woman, no question, and always up for a little bit of mischief —"

"But I shouldn't get my hopes up, " Hall interrupted him. "That's what you want to tell me, right?" A faint jitter in his voice betrayed the calm exterior the boy tried to project.

"Wrong," Sieg negated his assumption. "I want to give you counsel when you are set on playing her game." He gripped Hall by the shoulder with a serious expression. "Take whatever she is willing to give and enjoy what you get as much as you can, instead of hanging yourself up on what more could be possible. I don't believe Svana is ready to commit herself to a relationship, but that doesn't mean you can't just savour the moment."

Siegfried barely held back a snicker, seeing how Hall's face lit up just to turn into a frown of confusion as if he was unsure about his own emotion.

"So, you think there is a chance?" Hall asked with the caution of a man contemplating the risk of looting a dragon's hoard.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

This time, Sieg couldn't stifle a short laugh. "Can't say for sure, but if she has that much fun teasing you, there must be a spark of curiosity at the very least,” Sieg answered, patting Hall’s shoulder. “She's not cruel, just always trying to live her life to the fullest. Just be yourself, Hall. If that's what picked her interest, it will also be what keeps her interested."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind,” Hall intoned, relieved. “I think I need some fresh air. Thanks again."

As soon as the boy left the dorm, Siegfried's expression turned into a frown. Svana had never before shown interest in a guy younger than her. The whole thing seemed suspicious from the start. But he honestly did not believe the young woman would tease Hall just to hurt him. So it was still the best advice he could give. Maybe he just read too much into it. She was a slaphappy young thing, after all.

††† Hall †††

Despite the reasonably long day, Hall couldn't calm down enough to sleep. After changing into a simple brown tunic and matching loose trousers provided by the guard, he chose to go for a quick night stroll instead. The guardhouse was situated near one of the grand aqueducts, which supplied the city with drinkable water. It was raised to the height of a single-family building, wholly from stone and in the form of multiple arches. The generous dimensions of the structure allowed a safe walk on the edges, and the quiet rush of the water, reflecting the soft moonlight, created a beautiful scenery.

The destination decided, Hall climbed the ladder intended for maintenance purposes. Usually, one would hardly find people walking the aqueducts after sundown, but it seemed someone else already had the same idea on this particular night.

Some twenty steps in front of him, bare feet dangling in the water, sat the most enticing woman he had ever laid eyes on. She wore a light blue, sleeveless shirt, the colour of her eyes and a pair of snug, blue shorts. Her loose, blonde hair seemed to glow under the moon's pale light, her delicate, girlish features illuminated in the most flattering way.

For all that she appeared lost in thought, Hall still managed to stare long enough for Svana to first come out of her daydream and recognise his presence.

"Hall," her sweet voice was accompanied by a half-questioning, half-knowing, cocked eyebrow, "How long have you been standing there?"

"I... —" abruptly pulled back to the real world, his mind was not ready to follow, "I was just —"

"Can't sleep either?" she helped out innocently.

Hall just managed a quick nod.

"Well, you're welcome to join me," the charming young woman hinted at the space next to her. Instead of stumbling further over his words, the blushing teenager marched mechanically forward and sat down cross-legged.

"Nice outfit," Svana smirked at his slightly oversized clothes.

"Not my choice. They don't have anything that fits in that chest," he answered defensively. It was a miracle how easy it was for her to get a rise out of him. "How is it possible that you found something that looks tailor-made from the standard-issue they keep at the guardhouse?"

Hall’s mouth went dry as Svana arched her back, emphasising the skin-tight fit of her own garb.

"This? Of course this isn't standard-issue. My parents live in the next district, and I always leave a spare set of clothing here in case I visit after duty." Svana replied coyly, entirely aware of the effect she had on him.

The tantalising display forced Hall's gaze to wander over the athletic body of the bold temptress. Her medium-sized bust, in perfect relation to her slim waist, the tight-sitting shorts, hiding nothing of the shape of her firm backside and her toned, long legs…

Coming out of his trance, the glint in her eyes and her signature-mischievous smile revealed that she knew precisely where his own had roamed.

Hall instantly blushed and turned his head towards the water, eliciting a joyful giggle from Svana. "Goddess, Hall! How can it be that someone so brave and resolute can be so shy at the same time?" she asked in a cheerful and honestly curious tone, shaking her head in wonder.

Suddenly having the obvious pointed out added an even deeper shade of red to his blush. He racked his brain to find a response that would distract from his shyness and instead impress her with bravery as Siegfried's words came to his mind again.

Just be yourself, Hall.

Taking a calming breath, he let his thoughts slow down and focused on the steady stream of clear water. His voice was low-pitched but steady as he tried to just let the words flow. "Because this feeling is quite novel to me. I’ve not had much contact with women after my mother died,” he explained.

Remembering that Svana wasn’t present when he told his story, Hall curtly reviewed the day that changed his life. His mother didn’t have the will to live on after a changeling claimed his younger brother and father.

All the cheerfulness was gone from Svana's face. She did not interrupt with unwanted condolences, which was a welcome change.

"As for myself," Hall went on, "I continued the only way I could and hung onto the feelings that remained." Although he didn't voice it, the cold look in his eyes likely spoke volumes to Svana. "I dedicated myself to training until I was finally old enough to enlist for guard service myself."

A pang of anxiousness interrupted Hall's explanation. Fear of what she would think of him after he went into self-exclusion for years, fuelled by nothing but the desire for vengeance. But there was no look of disgust or apprehension on her face. Only sympathy and maybe a sliver of guilt that he couldn't comprehend. But it was gone a moment after his eyes met hers. Maybe he just imagined it.

"I'm sorry, if I had known—" Svana apologised.

"No, please don't apologise," Hall cut in, wanting to get the difficult part out before his courage failed him again. "I've lived on nothing but those feelings until I've seen you,” Hall said, swallowing nervously. “And I know we just met, but I think you are amazing, Svana. You are confident and lively and astonishingly beautiful — not that you don't already know this," he rambled on as he started to trip over his words.

"I do," Svana replied with a provocative smile, "but please continue showering me in compliments."

Hall let out a chuckle, some of the tension leaving him again.

"What I want to say is —" he searched for the right words, and looking into that stunningly pretty face, he realised something that made him all the more grateful for Svana stepping into his life. "Today, for the first time in four years, I felt something different than my hunger for vengeance. A kind of desire that was strong enough to blend out the hatred that became my only reason to live. A feeling strong enough to show me that there might still be something else worth living for."

That was it. He had laid himself bare before her and waited anxiously, unable to read the half-amused, half-wondering expression on Svana's face.

"You know," she said in a slow, alluring manner while moving closer to him until their legs were touching, "for someone who never had any experience with a woman, you can be awfully romantic albeit a bit clumsy in your advances."

Her face was now directly in front of his. Hall's mouth was suddenly so dry that he had to swallow. Her lips parted slowly as she ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. Hall opted to do the same, albeit with a shaky hand and quick breath, until their lips finally touched.

Chaste as their kiss was, every fibre of Hall's body seemed to explode in a myriad of feelings, ranging from excitement through arousal to a kind of happiness unknown to him. As she opened her mouth again, gently probing for entrance with her tongue, Hall obliged without hesitation and was nearly overwhelmed to find that those feelings could intensify further.

When they parted after an infinite, yet far too short, moment, Svana grinned again at the stunned young man. "Not bad for your first kiss. I'm looking forward to continuing what we started when we get a day off. Although for tonight, I think this was enough excitement," she said, her grin touching into the realm of mischief once more.

It took Hall a few confused blinks to understand what she was implying until he became aware of his trousers' suddenly much tighter space.

As he quickly turned a nearly scarlet red, Svana let out her sweet-sounding laughter. "Akali's grace, you're so sweet," she said, kissing him on the cheek and standing up again. "I need to get some sleep before Bolverk chases us out of bed again," the playful siren announced. "Good night, Hall."

“Ah, yes — good night,” Hall muttered. Despite the drowning feeling of shame, he couldn't help the broad grin stealing across his features. I'm looking forward to continuing what we started.

And for the first time in years, Hall genuinely looked forward to what the next day would bring.