Since the revelation that their connection was by fate's design, Soren kept himself closer to Victoria, appointing himself her personal guardian. The shy awkwardness they exuded toward one another before had begun to morph into comfortable familiarity. While they didn't become shamelessly affectionate with one another, it was clear that something had shifted between them; a fact that Jasper picked up on immediately and intended to confront his son about.

  The town of Charveil crept into view just as the sun was reaching the western horizon, bathing the settlement in orange-gold light. The travelers breathed a collective sigh of relief as they reached their destination, eager to spend a night indoors. They drew up before a simple building marked by a hanging wooden sign bearing a pair of crossed iron arrows, indicating the Crossroads Inn. They dismounted, removing their packs and handing their mounts over to the waiting stable hands, while Ozan quickly slipped inside to arrange for their night's lodgings. Captain Bechard ordered Adriene Cellier and William Lafaille to stay with their injured comrades in the wagon until they were assigned a room to take them to. Slinging their personal effects over their shoulders, they filed inside. Soren took Victoria's pack and shouldered it with his own, laying a possessive arm around her waist as they followed the others inside.

  The wizard concluded the transaction in short order, turning to rejoin the group. "They've given us the largest room to share, the women will be across the hall, and I've procured the services of the bath house." He paused, turning to address Victoria and Astrid. "I took the liberty of ordering yours drawn immediately. I didn't think you'd object."

  Object? To a hot bath? Hell no! Victoria thought to herself, shaking her head.

  "No objections here, wizard," Astrid said. Fatigue became eagerness at the promise of a hot bath. "Get your pack and let's go, Victoria.

  Not needing to be told twice, Victoria obeyed Astrid's instruction without hesitation. Soren's arm lingered around her waist as she pulled away from him to follow Astrid. His eyes smoldered and his chest burned from within as he watched her disappear from his sight. He barely noticed when Jasper came to stand in front of him, pinning him with a disapproving stare.

  "Come put your things in the room, I'd like to speak with you," Jasper said in a stern whisper as he turned to join the line making its way down the hall.

  The tone in his father's voice brought Soren abruptly back to reality, and he moved quickly to follow. They were led to the large room they would be sharing, and after selecting two beds for themselves and leaving their packs, Jasper backtracked through the front door of the inn with Soren close behind. They walked nearly around to the back of the inn before he stopped to speak, spinning around to look his son in the eye.

  "What are you doing, son?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "You know damned well what I mean. You and Victoria. I told you even before we reached the city; be a gentleman, but don't pursue it," Jasper said, keeping his voice level. "Now all of a sudden you both have a look of smitten idiots, and you hold her to you as if she belonged to you." He paused to heave a frustrated sigh. "I told you not to get involved with something that's not meant to be. That is not why I brought you with us."

  Soren took a slow breath as he held his father's disapproving gaze. "What if it is meant to be, father?"

  Jasper gave an exasperated sigh. "Soren, I know you think you know what you're feeling. But what kind of future do you think to have with someone who intends to leave and never return? Where is the sense in knowingly setting your heart up to be broken? I can't sit idly knowing that my son is willing ensuring his inevitable future heartache."

  Soren laid his hand over his heart. "What else could set my heart ablaze this way, if not something that is meant to be?"

  "Soren," Jasper sighed again. "I didn't think it would be necessary to explain this at your age, but lust effects every young man differently."

  "No, dad, this isn't like that." He stopped his father before he could continue. "I promise you, my actions are not guided by my loins. Something...happens to me when I look at her. I feel drawn to her like a moth to flame."

  "That doesn't usually end well for the moth," Jasper interjected.

  Soren held his father's gaze a moment longer before continuing. "I kissed her today. When I did, the stone engulfed us in white fire that only she and I could see. It spoke to us; it said 'the heart holds the key.' If the heart is the key, mine is pulling me in earnest to be at her side, and it burns with a fire that I've never felt before with any other."

  "Soren," Jasper began to speak, stopping when he found no words, and released a deep sigh.

  "What if she's mean to stay?" Soren asked. "Fate has revealed that our paths were destined to come together. What if by that same fate, she chooses to stay here?"

  Jasper's expression softened to one of commiseration. As Soren's father, he wanted to protect his son from the pain of a broken heart. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to protect him forever; some lessons he would have to learn on his own. For now, he would relent. "What if she doesn't? What if your paths are destined to part in the end?" Jasper asked gently.

  Soren paused for several moments, and his eyes became cloudy as he gazed into the distance. The thought of losing Victoria turned his mood somber. He dropped his head with a defeated sigh, before returning his father's gaze with a rueful smile. "Then I shall have to be content with just knowing that, even if only for a brief moment in time, she was mine and I was whole."

  In that moment, Jasper saw firsthand the change that had taken place in his son. A few weeks ago, the boy he knew would've balked and protested his attempts to dissuade him, arguing that he knew what he wanted and didn't need his father's permission to pursue a woman. The boy he's raised would have sulked and pouted at his father's disapproval. The young man who stood before him now was no longer that boy. This young man stood resolute, driven by what he believed was his destiny, even if it meant losing it in the end.

  Jasper sighed deeply as he stared up at the first emerging stars. "There isn't a thing I could say that would change your mind, is there?"

  Soren shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry."

  "I only hope you'll be ready to bear the pain when the time comes," Jasper said calmly. "I won't lie and tell you that I approve, but if you truly believe yourself to be guided by fate, then I won't stand in your way."

  Soren stepped forward and embraced his father. "I know you just don't want to see me get hurt. It's always been your job to protect me from the things that could hurt me, and you've taught me well. Now it's time to let me forge my own path and follow my own destiny."

  Jasper squeezed his son before releasing him. "I only hope your destiny leads you to happiness."

  They lingered in silence a few moments longer, watching the sun disappear behind the distant hills. "I guess we'd better get back in before someone sees fit to come looking for us," Jasper said. "Besides, I'd like to avail myself of the services of that bathhouse and enjoy a hot meal before getting some much needed sleep."

  "Agreed," Soren said with a smile, and the two men strode side-by-side back inside the inn.

* * *

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Victoria and Astrid entered the bath house as two young ladies were pouring buckets of steaming hot water into two matching tubs, between which a wooden screen had been set. The older-looking of the two girls informed them that their garments would be washed while they bathed, and provided them with a selection of soaps and oils. They finished quickly, leaving their guests to their privacy.

  Victoria disrobed as quickly as she could, and groaned unapologetically as she slid herself into the copper tub filled with steaming, rose-scented water, letting the soothing heat seep into her bones.

  "Never have I ever thought a tub of plain old hot water could feel so good," Victoria purred as she submerged her head.

  The two women were content to simply soak in the hot water for a time, allowing themselves to completely relax for the first time in days. Victoria reached for the ball of soap she had chosen, inhaling deeply of its light rose and lavender scent, before working it into her hair, scrubbing to produce a rich, silky lather. She flinched reflexively when Astrid abruptly broke the silence.

  "Alright, spill it," Astrid said. "What's going on with you and my brother?"

  It caught Victoria off guard, leaving her grasping for a response. "Uh...what do you mean?"

  "Do you really think no one's noticed you two getting more comfortable with one another?" Astrid's tone was light and amused. "Don't give yourselves so much credit. Neither of you are half as discreet as you pretend to be," she chuckled.

  Victoria chuckled nervously. "Um...well... what has he said is going on?" she said timidly.

  "Relax," Astrid laughed. "This isn't an interrogation. I've noticed something different about him since the night we spent in Drumlin Brae, he made mention of it that next morning before you joined us. Then the night we stayed in the castle he opened up to me about it somewhat more. I've never seen him act this way with a woman."

  Victoria ceased her scrubbing. "Act what way?"

  "That night, he paced around the room like a caged animal. Going on about how something about you was different, and it didn't feel right leaving you in that room alone, and feeling like something was pulling him to you." She stopped to rinse the mint and honeysuckle soap from her own hair. She sat up as she squeezed the excess water from her long, dark locks, wrapping the length with a towel atop her head. "He's asked me to keep what I know quiet from our father."

  "Mind if I ask why?" Victoria asked as she bound her own hair in a towel.

  "Soren's no stranger to a woman's company. I hear the young maidens gossip when they chitter on about the benefits of being 'in love' with him." Astrid rolled her eyes. "If our father thought for one second that he only wanted to come as part of some lust-driven quest to bed you, he'd have sent him back home without a second thought. Anyone else would've been a notch in his bedpost by now, I'm actually impressed by the restraint he's shown with you." Astrid rose from the tub, stepping out to begin drying herself. "Especially after the wolves. I had honestly expected him to see the privacy as an opportunity to make his move."

  Victoria stood, wrapping herself with a towel and stepping from the tub. She dried herself and dressed quickly; donning another of Astrid's hand-me-down nightgowns. She picked up the stone, staring into its crimson depths as she placed it back around her neck. "Astrid?" She hesitated. "Do you think it's true? Or am I just a well-timed conquest?"

  Astrid stepped around the wooden screen as she was braiding her long, damp hair. "My thoughts?" She eyed Victoria with a contemplative gaze. "I don't think it much matters what I think, or what my father thinks. We aren't the ones being pulled about by forces we don't understand. But, I have seen a big change in Soren in the short time since you arrived. Whatever is meant to happen, will happen. In my opinion, it isn't wise to stand in the way when fate chooses to make its intentions known." Her expression turned curious, and she stepped over to help Victoria with her hair, spinning her to face a wide mirror on the wall. "What about you? Do you feel drawn to him as well?"

  Victoria stared into the mirror, looking past their reflections as she recalled Soren's fingers massaging her neck, caressing her face, his lips on hers. Her heart began to flutter and she could feel the heat of the white flames grow within her.

  "I'll take that as a 'yes,'" Astrid said.

  Lost in her thoughts, Victoria hadn't noticed that the stone was glowing again. Shimmering white light shone through the fabric of the nightgown, then faded as her heartbeat returned to normal. "It doesn't feel like reckless teenage lust. That's all I thought it was at first, so I tried to ignore it. Now?" She watched the fading glow. "It's like my soul is pulling me from the inside, reaching for something that's missing." There was something almost liberating in saying it out loud.

  Astrid was silent as she finished with Victoria's hair, turning to gather her pack and slip into one of the robes left for them. "I feel it's safe to assume that this mingling of fates has something to do with that." She pointed to the stone. "Maybe it's got somewhat to do with how to use it?"

  The heart holds the key.

  Victoria froze as the words the stone had spoken echoed in her memory. "Yeah...maybe. She said as she absentmindedly tied the belt of the robe around her waist.

  "Maybe this witch we seek will have the answer," Astrid said, heading for the door.

  "Hopefully. She's apparently the only person with answers where this thing is concerned," Victoria replied as she followed Astrid from warm, relaxing bathing room out into the cool air of the darkened hallway.

  Out in the hall, the younger of the two girls from before jumped from the chair she had been lounging in. "Good evening, my ladies. Come this way please, I will show you to your room." Taking a lantern from a hook on the wall, she motioned for them to follow as she led them to their rented room, pausing at the door. "Will you take your meals in the hall or would you like them brought in?"

  "In the room is good, thank you," Astrid said, not bothering to hide the fatigue that had crept back into her features.

  "I'll be back shortly then." The girl bobbed a curtsey before shuffling down the hall and disappearing around the corner.

  Astrid went in first, passing a small table and chairs and dropping her pack just as she unceremoniously flung herself face-first onto the first bed she came to. "I may forsake supper tonight and just sleep," she joked, speaking half into the mattress.

  Victoria laughed as she closed the door, crossing the room to the unoccupied bed on the opposite wall. She dropped her pack on the floor as she collapsed onto the bed, reclining back and stretching lazily.

  "I'm just gonna rest my eyes 'til she gets back," Victoria mumbled, yawning as she pillowed her arms behind her head.

  She was just teetering on the brink of oblivion when light knocking on the door jogged her awareness. Ugh, I'm not even hungry anymore. She thought to herself. "Leave it on the table, please," she groaned as she stretched, resettling herself into the mattress.

  The door opened quietly, a tray tinkled dully as it was set on the small table, the door closed again. Victoria felt herself slipping back into unconsciousness when she felt the unmistakable feeling of a hand caressing her face. Her eyes flew open to see Soren's face take shape in the low lamplight.

  "Don't panic, it's just me," He whispered, smiling down at her. "I just wanted to come tell you goodnight."

  Her hand rose to cover his, cradling her cheek against his palm. "Goodnight," she breathed.

  "Goodnight," he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers.

  Their hearts beat faster as the golden-white flames rose around them. The stone flared to life between them, illuminating their faces through the fabric of her nightgown. They parted breathlessly, gazing into each other's eyes. He stroked her cheek tenderly with his thumb before gently pulling her back to him; an urgency began to grow as their mouths melded, tongues exploring. A soft moan escaped Victoria's lips as she reflexively arched her body toward him, to which he responded with a low, panting groan. "Victoria..." he panted. "I--"

  His thought was cut short as, out of nowhere, something came flying across the room, connecting with a resounding thwack with the back of Soren's head.

  "Get a room," Astrid grumbled, rolling over and pulling the blanket over her head.

  "I'm in one, thanks," Soren chuckled as he threw Astrid's pillow back at her.

  "Pig," she muttered as she reclaimed the pillow with a smirk.

  Soren returned his attention to Victoria, brushing the loose hairs from her face. He took her hand in his, turning it to lay her palm against his cheek. He inhaled deeply before releasing a shuddering breath and placing a lingering kiss in her palm. "Goodnight," he whispered again as he rose from her bedside, turning to leave the room as silently as he'd entered it.

  Victoria laid in the bed staring at the ceiling for several long minutes, breathing slowly and willing away the pulsing light that emanated from the stone. When the light finally subsided, she released a deep sigh and rolled onto her side, squeezing her eyes shut and massaging her temples. Well, this is going to make going home a bit more complicated. She wrapped herself in her blanket, concentrating on keeping her breathing even, and eventually succumbed to the darkness that closed in around her.