Alis could not help but wake up whenever Klarric climbed out of the narrow cot they shared.

It was not the cold, from the lifting of the thin blanket, or the loss of the heat his body gave off.

It was not the way the cot creaked from the loss of weight, nor how the fabric, which had been once pulled taught, settled her into the centre of the cot.

It was the loneliness of not being with him, that had woken her up.

She lay there, under the thin blanket, on the cot watching the sky brighten through the ill fitting and partially rotted wooden tiles.

Being not only an orphan but an unwanted child, she had slept in many worse places. She had also huddled up with lots of children in the hope of some sort of warmth in the depths of winter.

When she heard the calling of Aggard she walked into a random, run down, temple in the city of Presogue. Somehow, she had been allowed to join their military order. After which she had believed her troubles would be over.

It was not true. She still had troubles, sure she had a safe place to sleep. And warm food to eat. She was also not worried about getting sick. Instead, now she was worried about how to keep turning down that forceful fellow trainee who wanted to bed her.

She also worried about how to hide her feelings towards Klarric.

The bells rang for morning prayer. Soon Klarric would be back. It would be easy to get dressed before he came back but she liked the way he looked at her body. Liked the way it made her feel somewhat more womanly rather than just another of the trainees.

It was a foolish thing to do, tempting fate like that. She had been homeless before and could go back to being homeless. Maybe, with her new skills gained in the order, she could travel up to the Isles of Dunkeltal and join an outfit there.

It would be lonely without Klarric, but he was so dedicated to Aggard it was painful to see from the outside. Sure Aggard had been good to her, had given her a place of her own, but she didn't have the fanatical focus Klarric did. In fact, right now she was more grateful to Klarric than Aggard. It was the way he treated her like a person, gave her someone to strive alongside, and someone who treated her right.

Alis climbed out of bed and stretched. Her lanky body was looking more womanly now, yet her skin was as pale as ever and covered with annoying freckles. She took out one of her two sets of clothes from the chest at the bottom of the cot.

Using the small pail of water than Klarric drew for her last night she wiped herself down with a small rag.

A waft of cold air, and a moment of brightness indicated that Klarric had returned. She snuck a glance before he took off his tunic. The wet crimson tunic plastered against his body, which was almost as small and slender as hers, but there was a definite tone of muscle and masculinity.

Nothing like the slender and semi-wasted body of that fool who had thought that seeing him with his top off would make her weak at the knees. How could it when she had to be strong around Klarric all the time?

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A loud crack and blinding brightness brought an end to her idle daydreams.

Next thing she knew, she was sitting on the edge of the cot with Klarric. She was still naked, but he had dressed. There was also an unpleasant sensation of someone staring at her.

It was the same sensation that had happened the one time she had tried a wash in the river. And very occasionally felt it when she washed in the morning.

With gentle hands, Klarric helped dress Alis and guided her into the temple.

Unlike for Klarric, for Alis, it wasn't quite the same feeling of sanctuary.

Everything was a blur. Only the angry face of Aggard and the snobby, high-handed attitude of that slender giant of the priest had any impact on her.

Just as she thought her life was over, a gentle feeling settled within her.

'Daughter Alis, you have no need to fear over this. For your aid has already arrived. I know how much you love Klarric, how much you rely upon him. There is no need to hold back now, I give you my blessings.'

Her blessings?

Did not only the most important of her followers get blessings from her?

'You are indeed right. I seldom give my blessings to those whom follow me. But the young man you are in love with is one such person. He is special to me, and it would not be good for him to live in loveless isolation as I myself am forced to. For he already has sacrificed much for me and will sacrifice more to come.

'Please may you watch over him, and help him, and give him someone to love?'

A mission given to me by the goddess Aggard herself, and to do with loving Klarric, there was no reason for her to decline.

She accepted the orders given to her.

'Child, please, this is not an order, but a request. If at anytime you no longer desire Klarric, be trueful to yourself and to me.'

Alis was unable to see a time when that would happen.

In an embarrassed sense of jubilation, she held onto Klarric's arm and followed him to the guest quarters over the Northern Gate.

She admitted part of what Aggard had told her.

Then whispering into his slender, but strong and toned, arms she declared her love for him.

But now, unlike this morning, she was tied to him not only by Aggard's wishes but by her honest acceptance of just how important he was to her.

Not only that, her greatest fears of being torn apart from him at squire placement would not now come true.

She pulled herself away from his arm and looked up at his kind smile as he looked at her. Once more, she was reminded of just how much she loved him.