Basil, his best friend Tom and their mate Joe Doe borrowed Joe's dad's cart and rode to Novum Charonium south of their home town. Basil had been dreaming of going there for months now. The other guys had been telling him about that tavern called Fallen Unicorn where, on the first Saturday of a month, there are the best minstrels and troubadour bands giving performances. The beer was supposed to be good, maybe not the cheapest but not a total rip-off either. They were saying there are always lots of girls listening to the singers and players. Basil had no financial means to go such a long way with no friend to stay with nor money to pay for lodging. He had no horse he could ride to save time, even if he had he wouldn't know how to use the beast. But then Joe came up with an idea to take the cart. It took them months to agree on a date ("I can't go this week, I am doing my shift on the field", "Can't do this time, my dad says he needs the cart for business", "Can't do Saturday, my dad's back is bad, I have one killing to do", "Let's postpone it. It's going to rain all day tomorrow"). Finally, the day came, Joe's dad let them take the cart with a horse ("Don't forget to feed Ptolemy and I don't want to see any scratch on the wheels!"), the weather was nice, and no prisoners were awaiting execution, the work was done or covered - so off they went.

When the boys entered the Fallen Unicorn tavern, the concert had already begun. The tavern was full, as soon as they entered Tom and Joe waved to some friends they met here the last time.

Basil was bewildered. He never had much money to waste in a tavern, he'd been to one twice before. It was cheap Barnabus & Barbaria in Mimasium, where everyone knew him and avoided him. Was it because he had killed some of the drunken bullys' companions or because his back used to lifting a heavy axe was protecting him, or both, he didn't know. He spent two afternoons trying the bitter beverage every looser in the barrelhouse would trade their wives for. He liked it.

The Barnabus & Barbaria was just a counter with stools, two dirty tables and candles to lit the evenings. Here, in Fallen Unicorn, it was a different world. The space, air, big windows with real glass! The walls were covered with wooden panels, the ceiling was very high above with a big round chandelier above the scene where long-haired troubadours were playing a song. The room was filled with people, young like Basil, and grey-haired. There were many women too. People were sitting by and on the tables, standing in front of the scene, squatting on stairs right to the stage. Tom tried to introduce him to some other guys in vain - a drummer was putting all his heart into drowning out two lutes and a sintir. The singer was having a break holding a large mug in one hand and a waitress' waist in the other.

Basil squeezed towards the bar on the right and ordered the cheapest beer before his companions tried to convince him to take something more "fancy". Soon Tom followed him, leaving Joe and his mates behind, and they both trying to stay attached to the mugs in their hands, found a nice narrow spot to stand. Basil looked around listening to music. His eyes were running up and down around the room filling blood rushing in his veins. There were so many girls! With their brothers or fiances, he saw some married ones with hair covered with laced head scarfs. Those who had no male company were in groups of four or five, pretending they were just looking around, not spying on boys.

The singer left the waitress and put his mug on a stool. He moved slowly towards the front of the platform, accompanied by applause from the crowd. The instrumentalist, including the drummer who looked like he had not alcohol but something of a completely different kind, lowered the volume. The frontman started a very well-known song about a guy who wants to ride his horse and he wants it above anything else. His high-pitched and beautiful voice with a surprising hell of a volume for his skinny chest filled the hall. The song had been rumoured to come from Britannia two years ago. Since then, it has spread south across the continent, to Iberia and Italia, from the Atlantic to the wild Germanic borders. It was already named by troubadours a song of the decade. The crowd joined in the refrain and Basil, who loved these funny lyrics and catchy melody, sang with them: 'I want to ride horseback all day, I want to ride my horse!'

When the song finished, he saw her. She was sitting on the stairs, not the best place to watch the troubadours since the stairs were behind the platform. But the sound was spreading around the instruments, the singer's voice was bouncing back and people sitting behind had a better experience than those standing in front of him but further away. She listened, tapping her left foot to the rhythm. Unlike most the people here, she was not singing, just listening and watching the crowd. She had light brown hair done in half-plait dangling over her left shoulder. The braid ended on her collar bone and the hair was loosely falling in waves to her breast hidden behind a grey blouse embellished with ivy leaves crotcheted around the square neckline. Her right hand resting on her knees was touching the material of the chemise's sleeve, and her left hand moved to the dangling strand of hair under her right ear. She caught Basil's eyes and smiled without averting her eyes that could be brown or could be black. Something strange happened to Basil. His whole body was struck by a heatwave, the music filled his brain and even though the words bore no meaning to this place, the brown or black eyes or her fingers touching a strand of hair, the music seemed to sing about her and him, about things that can happen and things he daydreamed would happen. Suddenly he and Tom were pushed back by another group of listeners who moved in front of them. For the next hour, Basil tried to get a glimpse of the stairs. He saw a brown plait through a gap between someone's shoulders, he saw a foot in a light leather shoe dancing to the rhythm. When the troubadours finished he was dragged with the crowd towards the wall opposite the bar. There he tried to focus on conversations with Tom, Joe and their friends.

"Are you looking for someone?" his diligent search was interrupted by the question. Taken back to reality, he focused on the lad speaking to him.

"He doesn't know anybody here" Joe answered for him, and that irritated him slightly. I can speak for myself - he thought but aloud he said,

"I know only you but I wish I would make tonight some more acquaintance, with a person of a different kind."

Joe and his friends momentarily became very interested in Basil's search. One of them, who had introduced himself as Iulian, who was much taller than the rest of them, asked Basil vigorously about where he saw her and how this certain "her" would be described. A few moments later he exclaimed:

"There is our little flower our new friend wants to pick! She's looking for someone. She looks like a girl who wants to sin! The breast is medium size, she covered the cleavage but I'm assuming she does not mind someone finding it. Judging by her pose. Oh, the hips, what a smooth movement! Our new friend will be lucky tonight!" Julian laughed, the rest joined, and Basil was not sure if this encouraged or angered him. Not being sure what to do, he did what he wanted to do: he took a long sip from his mug for courage, put it aside on the nearest table and he followed to where Julian pointed in the crowd, feeling the blood rushing to his face and ears.

"Good evening. Very nice concert, don't you think?"

"Hi! Yes, I liked it."

"Yes, yes."

"..."

"..."

"So... do you come here often?"

"No, it's my first time. I mean... yes, first time. Here. Unicorn. Isn't it too loud for you?"

"Pardon? What did you say?"

"It's loud. Should we go outside?"

Basil could swear he heard Iulian and Joe's cheers. He didn't look at them, he focused on the brown hair and the curves on the skirt.

"Are you from here?", he asked when they stepped into a windy evening. Her eyes were definitely brown.

"Yes, I live here. In Novum Charonium. I come to this place quite often. Are you local too?"

"No, I am from Mimasium." He first wanted to add that he actually lives outside the town but didn't. After all, their hut was closer to the town walls than any village and his mum was originally from there.

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They stood for a few moments thinking about what to say, she was nervously playing with her hair, and he looked around in panic searching for inspiration. He wanted to touch her arms and feel the warmth of her radiant skin. He was relieved to have found something to talk about.

"Look! That parchment says the troubadours will be playing near my town in two weeks!" he led her to the small poster nailed to a wooden pillar next to the tavern entrance. Pluralis Majestatis - said the capital letters neatly calligraphed on top of the parchment - playing and singing your favourite songs including such hits as I Want to Ride My Horse and I'm a Castle Girl Never Touch My Hair followed by dates and places scribbled on the bottom.

"Look, here is today's date, they're travelling east and in two weeks, on their way back, they will play in Mimasium! In the Barn. I know this place. It's outside the walls, it used to be a real barn!"

He looked at the girl, she wasn't checking the parchment but looking strangely at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked completely taken aback.

"You can read!"

"Oh! Yes, I can. My mum taught me."

"Your mother can read!"

"Ehm, yes. My dad taught her."

"Your father can read!"

At this point it was Basil who looked at her, pondering. Was she joking or there was something wrong with her? No no, she must have been joking.

"That's right."

"He must be an educated man. From upper class or rich family."

Basil didn't want to get deep into the subject of his family. Not yet. She was too nice and pretty to let her go too soon.

"What is your name? I never asked," he finally thought of a proper and adequate question.

"I'm Lucy."

"I'm Basil. Nice to meet you, Lucy."

The rest of their conversation was nothing original or new. He didn't remember much anyway, he focused on the smell of her hair and her brown eyes behind black eyelashes. He remembered thinking that she promised to be there in two weeks and that when she said she needed to go she let him kiss her on her blushed left cheek. It was smooth and soft.

When, a few minutes later, he was sitting on a cart, he felt he was the happiest person in the world. He knew it was nothing, it was just the beginning, but the feeling was so sweet and like nothing ever before. Yes, being in love was what they said: outstanding among all the feelings.

Joe wanted to know everything. He seemed to pick up some of his friends' vulgar humour and kept making remarks about the girl's body and her obvious want for some sinful activities. Basil liked that. There was something satisfactory wild in thinking outside society's norms, yet he wanted to maintain a well-behaved citizen image. With his profession, it had to be considered. So he reacted.

"Shut up Joe. She is a normal girl. Not a slut like those you like to meet." Joe winked at him.

"Don't insult the girls I like with this obnoxious word, Basil. In my world, they are normal girls. Exploring, funny, not the marry me and make me fat real quick boring monastery standards."

"Have you ever seen a monastery?" Tom interrupted with a smirk. He had a great-aunt in Saint Lucifer's order. When he was a kid, his mother used to drop him there from time to time when she and her husband were too busy during harvest. He knew how the life in a monastery looked like and despite no one believing him, he always claimed nuns were cool.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Joe exclaimed.

"We guess what you mean, yes," Basil said. "Do you guys... think she would let... you know... that she would..."

"Open her stable to your horse. Who knows, she's a girl. Girls are like next Spring, you don't know if it rains or shines or hails or snows or fogs... you know. Girls."

"Aww, why didn't I say something more!? Ask her where she lives, tell her she has beautiful..."

"Tits"

"...Eyes."

"You take this... Lucy? Seriously, I see."

"Whatever seriously means."

"Have you at least made any arrangements to see her again, Basil?" Tom asked his friend.

"She promised she would be in the Barn in two weeks."

"A barn? What? And you ask if she would give herself to you?"

"No, Tom! The Barn. The Barn! Pluralis will be playing there again. In our Barn, you stupid."

"Pluralis? What are you talking about?'

"I know!" suddenly Joe exclaimed, "that's what girls were talking about. Those troubadours, they will play in the Barn. In two weeks you say? Tom, we have to go, the girls, man, the giiirls!"

"In two weeks? Fine. We all go and we spy on our friend with his beau. Don't worry Basil, we will give you privacy. Right boys? No peeking! But no, seriously, we will. We don't want to mess with the guy with an axe."

Basil's behaviour worried his parents. He was often absent-minded and didn't eat much. They knew he and his friends were soon going for some sort of meeting, or a festival in that new place, the Barn, outside the town. The closer to the date, the more weird Basil was. He was constantly daydreaming and you had to ask him the same question not twice but three or four times before he realised someone was talking to him.

"Do you think he made enemies the last time and how he's scared of someone he might meet? Do you think he deals with hate because of what he does now for the living?' Cyril asked one morning when the kids were out. Anne turned away with a smile.

"No," she said softly.

"No?"

"No."

"How do you know?"

"He is not scared, he is excited. He is in love."

"What?!"

"He fell in love."

"No."

"Yes."

"I don't know..."

"But I know."

"He told you?"

"No."

"No?... Jesus! What kind of dialogue is this!" Cyril turned impatiently and sat on a chair. "Don't say anything, please," he said with an almost begging tone.

She was there, in the Barn. In fact, she had been waiting for him near the entrance. Basil made sure his friends didn't come close and spoil the fragile acquaintance. This time they had a chance to talk a bit more. Thanks to ale Basil's tongue and wit relaxed and the evening ended with a kiss and promises for a meeting.

Lucy still didn't know who his parents were. Basil mentioned his father being of noble descent and his mother a merchant's daughter. As for her family, they were wealthy townsmen involved in trade with southern Iberia.

She thought he was a very good match and he didn't think about anything apart from here and now.

#

All the time Basil could only think about that girl, how much he wanted to see her again, look at her brown eyes and listen to her voice. The distance to Novum Charonium was approximately twenty kilometres. If you had to go back in the dark it seemed like a very long way. The path was leading through woods and swamps where wild animals could attack you, you were risking stepping away from the safe path and falling into a deadly trap created by nature. Coming back on foot after dark equalled being out of mind, but during the day it was not a problem. He could go there in the morning and return a few hours later. He wanted to do it many times but had to think of an excuse. At home, he had his duties like taking care of his sister, Agnes, who was six years old.

The opportunity arrived when Tom's cousin from another village visited him. She knew Basil and his sister, and she had always adored Agnes. She was more than happy to spend a day with the girl. Anne had a commission from the leather dyer, and Cyril was away for a few days looking for small jobs. Basil felt excused to leave for the day.

He found Lucy not far from her home. She was doing some shopping on her street. When she saw Basil she stopped what she was doing and stared at him.

"Hello, Lucy. It's me. Are you surprised to see me?"

"Basil??? What are you doing here? How come you are here?!"

"I wanted to see you. To talk to you, spend the day with you. If you are free."

"But how did you... You live in Mimasium!"

"So? I walked. It's been only a few hours."

"But... I thought you could only get here by horse. From your town."

"What? Why? Who told you that? There is a normal road and a shortcut through the forest."

"But it's so far! My father says it's at the end of his map."

"It's not so fat. I don't know what map your papa has. Look, I am here. Do you want to spend some time with me?"

"Of course I do, are you silly? Where are you taking me?"

"How about a nice stroll outside the walls? In fresh air. The weather is so lovely. I have water and bread with me, and I passed a huge coppice with the biggest raspberries you have ever seen."

#

The sun was warm and Her hair looked like copper. Her breasts looked intriguing, and the smell of the skin on her neck was entrancing. They have been seeing each other for two months now, hardly talking, mostly caressing, living in the sweetness of their youth and, feeding by the ambrosia of first affection. They stayed within the boundaries set by customs and religion but stretched them as far as they could.

Basil wasn't sure any more about her. She was pretty, eager and... rather stupid. But her hair looked like copper, she had lovely ankles, soft skin and oh my goodness, what her body was doing to his body!

Yesterday they talked about a new mansion being built off the road between Iapetusville and Mimasium. Lucy asked where exactly it was located. Basil said "North of that new bridge". She asked where the north was. He said that the river flows there in the straight south-north line between the two cities. Then added, seeing her puzzled face, that if she walked from Mimasium that would be after the bridge. Then he had to explain, that the road goes in parallel to the river, so it is "after the bridge both looking from the river AND the road. With your back to Mimasium. Yes, and facing Iapetusville. On the left. You don't cross the river. No, after the bridge north-south, not... never mind." He was day after day more annoyed with her, which didn't make him think maybe he should do something about it. Stop pretending. He didn't want to stop, he wanted his desires to be fulfilled.

Today they walked a bit further into the woods, where in a clearing they found an empty lodge. It was unlocked and well-maintained. They entered to escape the heat and rest on a straw mattress.

When they lay next to each other, kissing and

Basil was ready to say anything and promise anything if it was going to put him closer to fulfilling his desire. He was convinced he would explode if he didn't have her now. He lied to her about how she was perfect and how wonderful a future they would have together. His thoughts were occupied with himself.

She believed his every word, too young, inexperienced, naive and in love to stay vigilant.