Morning turned to noon and Lorelei had little time to ponder over the strange emotions swirling in her chest. With the help of Jessup and Rish, she began her tour of the camp, trying to talk with some of the people and learn whether they needed medical or other help. Immediately, she was met with mistrust and sometimes even with hostility, masked behind deep bows and polite words. This didn’t discourage her. She talked and smiled, and went away, but during all this time she was watching and remembering. Were there children living alone? Were there elderly or any pregnant women? Did they look sick, or were they just tired? Any signs of wounds or other ailments? Who had only a single thin shirt on? Who looked like dying from hunger? Whose shack was about to collapse? She went and saw everything. And remembered.

After her round, Lorelei returned with her escorts to the tent only to find a pleasant surprise there. The supplies, of which Noah had spoken, had already arrived, and with them – a dear and familiar face.

“Saya! What are you doing here?” Lorelei greeted the young woman warmly, albeit confused.

“Well, I’m here to help. I can’t leave you alone, doing all the work.” The other woman smiled brightly. “Don’t worry, I have permission from both Gerash and sir William to assist you. I might not look like it, but I have some experience in relief-work thanks to assisting my aunt.”

“But I have Jessup and Rish here. Besides, what about your son?” Lorelei was not quite convinced.

“About those two hot-heads, one of them thinks mainly with her muscles and the other goes with his gut.” Saya puffed her cheeks. “I bet Rish has almost started a brawl or two already. Fiery temperaments and poorly thought decisions aren’t the best when trying to cope with frightened distrustful people.”

Taking into account the events from yesterday, Lorelei had no other choice but to agree.

“And as for Soraishu, Gerash is with him,” Saya continued. “In the past six months our son has almost forgotten his own father’s face, so I think it will be good for the two to spend some time together. Soraishu’s fever is down thanks to your medicine and he was starting to get wild again. And Gerash was throwing a tantrum for being left behind by his highness for the raid. So, I decided it is time for him to man-up a bit and be a responsible father to his son. The two will surely get along perfectly.”

‘You left a sick overly active two-year-old in the care of your still recuperating husband!’ Lorelei thought and shivered. Poor Gregor must have done really something to incur the wrath of his wife. Nevertheless, she was very happy to have Saya here. With her help and the assistance of some of the knights, all supplies were inspected, listed, and prepared for distribution. It was a demanding task – handing over rations, watching for cheaters trying to cut the line or lineup multiple times, preventing brawls. Thankfully, with the help of the knights, all the heavier physical work was done in no time and without accidents. Still, she had to keep an eye on everything, checking and re-checking so that no one was left hungry. With several hundred refugees, the distribution lasted late into the night. But it was all worth it. At the end of this tiring first day, Lorelei saw for the first time the sliver of a smile on these strained and haggard faces.

The days started passing one by one. Anuk’s condition improved by leaps and bounds and soon she was running around the camp with delighted laughter, helping Lorelei and Saya with some small tasks. The little girl’s greatest contribution, however, was winning the trust of the vagrants. One by one they started to open up to Lorelei and her people. During all this time, Lorelei visited again every single hut, distributing extra provisions, depending on the needs of the inhabitants – here an additional blanket for an elderly couple, there some dried apples and herbal tonic for an expecting mother. The refugees she spoke to thanked her and showed their respect as usual, but the fear and suspicion were starting to melt little by little. This time there were glimpses of sincerity and real gratitude in their actions.

The improvised field hospital also slowly started to fill up. Soon there were so many patients that Lorelei wondered if she can attend to them all. Luckily, on the third day, a pharmacist and two members of the medical guild arrived. It would have been a lie to say that the four of them cooperated smoothly from the get-go. The physicians, although pretending to follow Lorelei’s orders, did what they thought was best behind her back. This made her angry but she couldn’t blame them. She might have been the duchess Norden, but she was still a woman trying to interfere in a man’s field. Luckily for her, the two physicians were, albeit young, overconfident, and haughty, still unbound by the rigid mindset of their older colleagues. Lorelei had a valid suspicion that Noah had chosen the two exactly for that. And they didn’t disappoint their lord. By the end of the seventh day, one of them proclaimed his undying loyalty and willingness to be her student and the other offered her a heartfelt apology.

Nevertheless, the four of them would not have been capable to handle all the patients, was it not for the help they received. The sisters from Widow island, led by the mother prioress, also came as an addition to Lorelei’s camp. The women provided council and spiritual support to anyone in need and also willingly helped in taking care of the sick, elderly, and children.

With all the medical help they received, the overall condition in the camp improved. But it wasn’t only that. The mother prioress had called it a wonder. To Lorelei, it was just an example of Norden’s values.

A word had spread that the duchess is helping the refugees in the outskirts, even personally healing many of them. The people of Yalda were surprised and skeptical at first. A limerian noblewoman mingling with the common folk? Personally taking care of dirty beggars? It was unheard of. Well, she was the wife of their beloved, albeit rather eccentric, duke, but still… And there were the rumors. The new duchess was supposedly a cunning and calculating schemer that had forced duke Norden into marrying her. Every person in Yalda knew that duke Norden was not a ladies’ man, and yet he suddenly came back from the last campaign with a wife… it was suspicious. What is more, not even two weeks after coming back, his highness had left the city on a hunting trip, leaving his new bride behind. The more knowledgeable insisted that this was irrefutable evidence that the duchess definitely does not have the duke’s affection. That was why she was pretending to be charitable and pure to win him back. How could their poor duke end up with such a woman!?

Still, having witnessed her actions during the mourning-ritual, many were doubting such theories. But it was still possible that everything had been an act and the duchess was just pretending to care for the people, just like all of those nasty mainland nobles. And now the unbelievable story that her ladyship was spending her days in the beggar’s shanty town... Who could believe this? There was also the rumor that a lady from the castle was assigned to chaperone the duchess so that she does not shame the duke’s name with her lack of knowledge. People had just scoffed at the thought. Still, a few curious gossipers personally went to the beggar’s camp to see everything with their own eyes and brought stunning news. It was no lie! The duchess was there day and night, even sleeping in a tent near the encampment. She was bandaging wounds, distributing food, mixing medicine with the physicians. And she was even eating at the same table as her servants! At that moment, the people of Yalda sprang into action. How could they idle when her highness duchess Norden was willing to dirty herself for the ones in need?

The first to arrive one rainy evening was the very same baker Kai had stolen from. He had bowed deeply to the duchess and her escorts and then had given them two bags of bread.

“I baked too much yesterday and this was left. No one wants stale bread,” he had mumbled, nervously squeezing his hat in his hands. “It would be a waste for it to go bad.”

After that he hurriedly went away, leaving them with the sacks of, as Jessup didn’t miss to remark, suspiciously fragrant ‘stale’ bread.

This was only the beginning. Some of the wealthier families in Yalda donated blankets or old clothes. Others helped by bringing food and small everyday items. Some workers even volunteered and helped repair or rebuild the run-down shacks.

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Looking at them, Lorelei felt her heart warming up. No words could express how grateful she was. These were good, honest, and caring people. Just like their master.

***

A week had passed without any news from the Duke and his men. On the seventh night, a snowstorm swept over Yalda for the utter amazement of Lorelei. She had never seen anything like that. Where had the spring gone? In just a few minutes everything turned white. Lorelei sat together with Rish and Saya in her tent, listening to the howling wind and the rustling of the snow. Jessup had insisted to guard outside together with the knights from the first shift, stating that it is part of his training as a squire. The guards’ voices came muffled from the other side of the flap. Someone laughed roughly.

Lorelei’s thoughts wandered about, checking and re-checking the camp’s condition in her mind. Did the braziers have enough wood? Were the soldiers cold? And what about the people of the camp? Did they have enough blankets and fuel for their fires? Luckily, the housings had been fixed, but would the thin make-shift roofs hold out? Still, no matter how hard she tried to distract herself with other issues, her mind constantly returned to the same starting point over and over again. Was he all right? Was he cold? Was he in danger? Her hand nervously squeezed the white pendant around her neck.

“Don’t worry, Lorelei. The lord will be fine,” Saya’s words suddenly came.

“No, I… I wasn’t…” Lorelei tried to deny it but the other woman’s mischievous look made her capitulate. “You are right, I do feel a bit nervous. With this horrible snowstorm out of nowhere, it might hinder their plans. It must be even worse in the mountains.”

“Are you calling these tiny flakes snowstorm, my lady?” Rish laughed heartily. “One can really see that you are from the South. Just wait till winter comes. This is no storm at all. It will be barely an inconvenience to them.”

Lorelei remembered the large white clumps falling heavily from the sky and the biting wind. In a few minutes, they had put the whole camp under thick icy cover. But now it turned out that it was nothing!

“Rish is right. You’ll see, it will be melting again by tomorrow.” The mischievous look in Saya’s eyes intensified. “Still, it is so cute to see you worry about his highness. No one in his right mind would do that. His highness truly is lucky.”

“How can you say such a thing, Saya!?” Lorelei protested vigorously. “What if something unexpected happens and he… they get injured, or worse? These aren’t just some simple bandits they are facing!”

She was starting to get really angry. For a moment Noah’s helpless body lying on the ship’s cot came back to her mind. Never, ever did she want to see this strong, energetic person reduced to such a miserable state again. What were they thinking? He was not invulnerable! She hoped from the bottom of her heart that he will come back to her… to them safe and sound.

“Well, if something were to happen, all you need to do is tend to his wounds and nurture him back to health, right?” Saya nudged her gently.

“Yes, Saya is right!” Rish’s face was glowing with strong admiration. “But there is no chance of anything like that happening. After all, the duke is the best warrior in Norden. He can trek the wilderness for days and fight a mountain lion with his bare hands. Even five knights can’t defeat him in combat. His sword is swift and his body is hard as a rock and nimble like a mountain goat.”

“Rish’s been the duke’s devoted admirer ever since she saw him and Gerash spar on our wedding tournament,” whispered Saya in her ear and giggled. “Poor Gerash had to get so drunk that he challenged the duke to a ritual fight. Well, he soon suffered the harsh consequences when his highness swept the floor with him. After that, he almost wasn’t able to fulfill his nuptial duties. Almost. Soraishu is the best proof of that.”

She giggled again, making Lorelei and Rish blush simultaneously.

“Aw, Saya, that’s gross!” The young binshi furrowed her nose.

“It is a natural process, dear Rish.” The other woman snuggled in her blanket with a wide devilish grin. “And quite pleasant at that. But there is no way you could know, miss ‘I am never going to marry and be a warrior for life’.”

“And why should I marry and be at some man’s mercy?” the binshi huffed. “What is so great about that anyway. Even the dogs and horses do it.”

“Poor delusional child.” Saya put a hand on her brow theatrically. “You are talking about the greatest bliss of all with such disdain! I could tell you tales…”

Suddenly she caught Lorelei’s intense gaze and went silent, lowering her head in shame.

“I am sorry, for being so impudent…”

“Now, now, lady Saya,” Despite her utter embarrassment Lorelei realized that somehow her friend’s… lax and unbridled attitude had rubbed onto her. She was surely going to burn in hell for this but… well, there was still time until then. Besides, if it would get her mind off of the matter with the raid, she was ready for anything. “When you start something, you should see it to the very end. Now, you were saying...?”

A devilish expression immediately lit Saya’s face. The women huddled closer together, blushing and giggling. Three pairs of eyes glowed with excitement at the soon-to-be-tasted forbidden fruit, as one of them started whispering.

Outside of the tent Jessup rubbed his hands and put them closer to the brazier. For some time now it had gone quiet inside. Occasionally, however, there would be some muffled exclamation.

“What?! No way?”

“He did what!?

“Dear saints! How… how long!?”

“But didn’t it hurt?”

“Afterwards he still did… No way! Really?”

“No! Gross!”

“Impossible! You must be joking! For how long?”

In the end, Jessup couldn’t take it anymore and lifted the flap, peeking inside.

“Everything alright, ladies?”

Rish’s well-aimed boot almost hit him straight in the face.

“Get out of here, Jess, you moron!”

The young squire hurriedly returned to his post, shaking his head vigorously. Women were so strange!

Inside the tent, three flaming faces leaned towards each other again. Lorelei felt her heart racing like crazy. The things Saya told them… Dear Lords, have mercy! They made her feel like her body was on fire. Was… was it truly like that when two people who loved each other… did it? It sounded unbelievable. Would a man really be gentle when satiating his craving? Could it really feel nice? Her own tragic experience, as little as it was, was pointing otherwise. Well, Saya had no reason for lying, but still… Lorelei thought of her own wedding night. At that time, she had been drowning in fear so every touch, no, even Noah’s mere presence had felt disgusting. But right now, this memory was making her blood boil and her skin tingle. Lorelei realized that she is remembering details about him that had slipped her mind before. Like Noah’s face, masterfully contoured by the moonlight, possessing a kind of wild, savage beauty. His gray eyes, deep like the endless winter sky and filled with suppressed emotion, were no longer evil but hypnotizingly attractive. His stern lips that looked unable to do anything else but shout orders were actually always ready for a sarcastic smirk or sometimes even a rare gentle smile. And what about that time they had to hold hands during the mourning ritual… his big palms had felt so rough, yet their grip was firm but gentle and not repulsive at all… No! Enough! Such thoughts were… wrong? Inappropriate!

“Y-you’ve made up at least half of it, be honest!” Next to her Rish stuttered, covering her ruby-red face with her hands, completely decimated by Saya’s vivid storytelling.

“I’m totally honest. In no time it starts feeling… heavenly. Tell her, Lorelei.”

The two women looked at her with impatience. Oh, no! They wanted her to tell them about her own intimacy! There was no way she could tell them the truth about their first and only night. Noah’s honor and reputation depended on it. Of course, she could refuse to answer based on her position as duchess Norden. But then they would probably start speculating…

“Well,” she squeezed her white twin-drop seeking support, “I am not at liberty to say much. But I can assure you, Rish, my wedding night is something I’ll never forget till the end of my days.”

It wasn’t a lie. She had thought that her wedding night would haunt her for the rest of her life. But lately, the only things that remained burned into her mind were Noah’s expression, full of sadness and self-mocking, and his words. ‘I am a monster’ he had said. At that moment she hadn’t realized it, but there had been so much pain in his voice. The memory made her throat tighten. What nonsense! She knew very well what true monsters looked like. She had lived with them for twenty years. Noah was no monster! He was the most noble, caring, and honorable person she had ever known. For some reason, she suddenly felt the need to embrace and comfort him... No! This was… impossible. To him, she was only a burden. A medal of shame, given by that cruel second prince to humiliate him. It was a wonder that he even considered her his friend. Yes, a friend should be enough. She would repay him his kindness in the year she had left and then go away.

Lorelei clutched her white twin-drop and sent a silent prayer to the Gods.

‘Fathers of Light and Darkness, mother Morning Star, please, protect my husband!’