Beorn slumped forwards in his saddle. The adrenaline from the fight had finally worn off. He struggled but managed to sit up straight. The strain from the effort caused him to shiver despite the cloak. Lifting his armor he checked the bandage on his waist. Blotches of red. At least the burning had stopped.

He shifted around on the saddle trying to find respite for his aching thighs with no success. Beorn felt his eyes close despite all the pain and the wounds. He slapped himself on his already red cheeks.

‘You need to rest Beorn.’

Beorn shook his head. 'Not so close to Ingoldtshold. The Wolvenrych is still dangerous, especially with all this blood on me. Striga, bruxae, not to mention any other monsters creeping around will be able to smell me a mile away.'

Wilhelmina insisted, ‘If you chance upon a safe location, you must sleep. If you are attacked in your condition…’

'I know, I know.’

Beorn urged Tyvjyo forward. It was getting harder to maintain his alertness.

So tired. His eyes closed.

A moment later the temperature warmed. He felt cozy like he was under his covers with a roaring fireplace. Which immediately set off alarm bells in Beorn head. His eyes snapped upon as he pinched his thigh.

Bright green vines, with blooming flowers, covered the entrance to a glade right in front of him. Insects buzzed about and the cheerful chirping of birds from beyond the veil promised peace and tranquility. Which made him even more cautious.

A fragrant breeze carried through reminding him of the Olfssons and the Whole Hog.

Somehow he'd walked into a spring glade right when he needed some rest.

In the middle of winter.

In the bloody Wolvenrych.

If this wasn't faerie trickery he'd eat his boots.

Beorn groaned. He really didn't need this right now, but it was his responsibility as a ranger to check if it was dangerous. Gritting his teeth against the pain he dismounted Tyvjyo and tied the reins to a nearby tree.

"Stay here buddy, I'll be back soon."

Tyvjyo snorted pawing nervously at the moist mud.

Beorn patted his snout.

"Me too, Tyvjyo, me too."

He tightened the sword belt across his shoulder by two holes and kept the hilt within easy reach. He didn't draw the blade in case the fae wasn't hostile. No point creating trouble where there wasn't any.

He entered past the hanging vines to see a small lake with pink flowers floating on the surface. A doe drank from it unafraid of Beorn's arrival.

Across it was a small hill with a house on top. The house was made of wood with a red roof complete with a chimney, and windows with flower pots hanging below them. The door was slightly open.

Beorn walked cautiously towards the house. Pausing for a moment before the open door, he decided to step inside.

A beautiful woman dressed in white sat on a chair at the head of a dining table, empty except for a white tablecloth. She woman sat up straight in her carved wooden chair. She had a regal bearing like a queen atop her throne. On her hair rested a tiara of blooming flowers, it suited her like a crown suited a queen. Her rich hair was the color of mahogany. Her eyes were kind but carried a deep sadness in them.

Beorn couldn't make out her age or her features. But she somehow reminded him of Mother and Hilda combined, he instantly trusted the woman.

He stared at the lady before realizing with a start that he'd just entered her home without so much as a knock.

"I'm sorry my lady," for nothing else felt appropriate to address her with. "I wished to check something…. " Beorn couldn't for the life of him remember what he was doing before he entered the house but it felt unimportant.

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The lady spoke with a melodic voice that calmed Beorn, "You look injured. Why don't you sit down and rest awhile?

Beorn's feet moved to sit down at a chair next to her immediately. "Thank you for your kindness, my lady. I do not wish to inconvenience you for too long."

"Do you want some tea?"

"Please."

She pointed to a steaming cup of tea in front of him. Beorn could've sworn there was nothing on the table before. Something felt odd about the whole situation but Beorn couldn't bring himself to disappoint her. He sipped from the cup.

The warm liquid felt heavenly. It was unlike anything Beorn had ever experienced. The warmth spread through his entire body, from the throat to his chest, to his stomach, to his fingers and toes. He was surprised at the taste. It tasted like the freshly baked bread Hilda used to make when he visited as a child.

Finishing his cup. He thanked the woman. She smiled at him, and Beorn instantly felt fuzzy inside. "You look famished. Would you like something to eat, child?"

If it was anything like the cup of tea he'd just experienced…

"Yes please."

There was a plate with a slice of triple-layered strawberry cake with fresh cream and a silver spoon beside it. Beorn savored each bite of the scrumptious sweetness. The woman sat there watching Beorn eat with a sad smile on her face.

Beorn finished the slice of cake. He looked up and felt like he couldn't bear to see her unhappy.

"What is troubling you, my lady? Can I help?"

The lady shook her head, "A child of mine, very much like you, in fact, is headed on a dangerous journey. And there is nothing I can do to help him directly. I fear he will be unable to cope with what he has to face."

Beorn hesitantly laid a hand on her arm and tried to comfort her, "I-I am sure everything will be alright…"

Suddenly he was swept up in a hug. Gently stroking his head. The lady murmured, "Oh what a sweet child. I'm so sorry…"

Despite his surprise, Beorn didn't move to get away from her. He wanted to ask why she was sorry but decided not to. Instead, he stayed still.

The lady's scent reminded him of Mother. Of his childhood. Of better days. His eyes grew moist.

After a while, she released him, Beorn rubbed the tears from his eyes slightly embarrassed.

The nagging feeling had returned, Beorn felt like he had somewhere to be, he recalled his brother. But he hesitated, he did not want to disappoint the woman who had treated him so kindly.

The lady looked into Beorn's eyes and seemed to read his thoughts. "You have to leave, don't you child? But you could stay here and accompany me for as long as you like. You can lay down your worries. Let the world sort itself out."

Beorn nearly agreed, but he remembered the Dragonstone. He decided not to burden her with his problems. As long as held the stone, people would be pursuing him. He could not bear to put this lady in harm's way.

"I am sorry, I wish I could stay but I have to find my brother. I hope your son returns to you soon."

The woman gave him another sad smile before holding his face between her hands. She placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Go forth with my blessings Beorn. We will meet again soon." The lady patted him on his head and added as an afterthought, "You also do not need to eat your boots dear."

As he exited the house, Beorn never remembered giving his name. And that reminder of the boot... Slightly puzzled he walked out of the clearing.

'BEORN!!!' Wilhelmina's roar filled his mind.

'What?!'

'Finally, you respond to my calls.'

Beorn repeated dumbly,' What?'

'You went silent when you decided to enter the clearing. You stood still like you were asleep on your feet.'

'Huh, didn't we just step into a glade with the house'

'Glade, what glade?'

'There was a glade and a house and a woman, she gave me tea...'

'Woman? Tea? Are you alright Beorn? Have you lost too much blood?'

'Yes! It wasn't a hallucination I'm sure of it...', Beorn patted his body.'Look all my wounds are healed'

He felt better than ever like he’d been made anew but...

'Now that you mention it I can't remember what the woman looked like. Or what the food tasted like.'

Warmth through the brooch probed his body. Wilhelmina was surprised, 'You’re right. You are much healthier than you have any right to be. All your wounds are healed, not just the ones you suffered in the last few days. There is also an aura of Vitality around you.’

'See? But who exactly healed me?'

'Probably a faerie as you suspected. Must be highly ranked. They are the only ones skilled enough to hide from my perception and unpredictable enough to heal a random stranger.'

'But that house and that lady. They felt so real…'

'The high-ranked ones are known to be able to manipulate souls with their illusions. Count your blessings and get a move on.'

'I guess I should be thankful it was a blessing rather than a curse.'

Beorn touched his forehead before shaking off his thoughts. He unhooked Tyvjyo reins from the tree, the stallion licked Beorn's. Beorn patted his snout before mounting the saddle.

He turned around to see that the green vines had disappeared. All that was left were lonely pines and the occasional shrub. He headed back to the main road.

It was time to head to Ingoldtshold.