Chapter 10 – Between Echoes and Glances

Violet

It felt like I was right next to the cabin, but none of it was real. My hand, which had almost touched the doorknob, now felt damp grass between my fingers. I heard footsteps all around me, but I didn’t have the strength to even look at what was approaching. My head throbbed. A dull pain pulsed behind my eyes, as if invisible hammers were forging a memory that refused to form. I tried to open my eyes, but the gentle starlight blinded me for an instant. A distant sound—perhaps the rustling of trees—wrapped me in a dissonant song of wind and water.

And then, a voice. — Hey, hey! Calm down. Are you alright?

I opened my eyes suddenly. Everything was spinning. And, to my complete horror, there was a man leaning over me. — Don’t touch me! — I murmured, more with fear than strength, trying to move away. The pain in my ankle screamed in protest. — I’m just trying to help,— he said, raising his hands like I was a wild beast ready to bite. His eyes were intense, but not threatening. — You fell, princess. Your ankle is... well, I’ve seen better.

My heart raced.

He wore the uniform of Espadaris. Crossed silver swords on dark fabric. It was him. The warrior I had seen before everything went dark.

— So you know me? How do you know my name? — Is that good or bad? — Depends... do you usually capture unconscious maidens in the woods? — Only on Tuesdays — he replied, not losing his sarcastic tone.

I huffed. Even in pain, I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me. He seemed more nervous than I was, which was... oddly comforting. Still, my whole body was on alert. I couldn’t trust him. Not yet.

I tried to sit up, groaning as I moved my ankle. Draven instinctively came closer to help me, but I immediately pulled back, as if his hand were fire.

— No touching — I warned, raising my palm like an invisible wall. — Understood. Boundaries respected. I have no desire to be stabbed by an angry princess — he said, stepping back with his hands up. — Even if you probably don’t have a knife. — You’d be surprised what I can do with a stick — I replied, and he laughed.

Draven looked up at the sky, thoughtful. He was searching for a way out of this strange situation we found ourselves in.

— The cabin is close. You can lean on me... or would you rather walk on your own while I guard your rear?

The way he spoke—careful, yet witty—disarmed me more than I wanted to admit. I swallowed my pride and nodded.

— Support... with limits.

He approached slowly, as if I were a wounded animal, and offered his arm. When I touched his sleeve, an electric current ran through my arm. It wasn’t magic. It was something more human. And because of that, more dangerous.

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The walk to the cabin was slow and hesitant. Each step drew a groan from my ankle, and each time I stumbled, Draven was a solid presence by my side, always respecting the line I had drawn between us.

When the cabin appeared among the trees, my heart tightened.

Even covered in moss and partially hidden by low branches, I would recognize it anywhere. It was her. The cabin from the painting. My mother’s cabin.

— Wow... — I whispered, forgetting the pain for a moment. — It's still here...

Draven raised an eyebrow. — You know this place? — My mother painted it when I was a child. She said it was a refuge, a safe place.

He nodded respectfully. — Then I suppose this is exactly where you need to be.

We entered. The interior was dusty, but the details... the details were still there. The embroidered flowers on the faded curtains, the small shelf with old books, the neatly hung copper pots, the glass jars with handwritten labels.

It was as if my mother were still there. As if time had paused for a moment.

— You can lie down there — Draven said, pointing to a couch covered in floral fabric.

I sat down carefully, feeling every muscle protest. Draven took off his cloak and placed it over my legs like an improvised blanket.

— Thank you — I murmured, surprised by his kindness. — It’s nothing. Considering the last time Espadaris and Cardan crossed paths there were wars and broken treaties... I’d say I’m doing alright.

— Yeah. For an enemy, you’re surprisingly... considerate.

He shrugged. — And for a princess, you’re surprisingly... stubborn. — Stubborn? I almost died being attacked by a wolf! — I don’t blame you. He found you intimidating too.

We laughed together. And for the first time since I entered the forest, I felt something different. It wasn’t fear. It was... lightness. Almost joy.

Draven knelt beside the couch and pulled a canteen from his belt. — Drink some. It will help with the dizziness.

I drank. It was just water, but cold and refreshing as if from a sacred stream.

We remained silent for a few moments. He watched me discreetly, as if each second near me was something he didn’t quite know how to handle. I could see the tension in his shoulders, in the way he pressed his fingers together. Draven, the feared warrior, seemed flustered. Because of me.

That was... unexpected.

— Are you okay? — I asked, breaking the silence. — Me? — I’m great. I saved a princess, got accused of kidnapping, took a verbal beating, and now I’m sweating trying to figure out if I can look into your eyes. — So... not great? — Let’s just say it’s not what I planned for today. But... it’s not as bad as it seems.

Our eyes met for a moment too long. And it was in that instant that I felt it.

Something changed.

There was a spark. Something burning faintly but steadily. It wasn’t just gratitude. Nor mere attraction. It was a connection. Unexpected. Intense.

I looked away, confused. What was happening to me?

He stood up and left without saying a word. He returned a little later, carrying a small leather pouch filled with leaves and roots.

— You weren’t dancing, were you? — Draven asked.

I laughed again. But this time, it wasn’t just a laugh to break the tension. It was a laugh full of something new. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Hope. Joy. I can’t even describe the feeling.

While Kael treated my ankle, I looked out the window toward the forest. The mist was already starting to fade, revealing the colors of dawn.

I was still hurt. Still afraid. Still not fully trusting Draven.

But there, in that cabin forgotten by time, surrounded by grass and memories, something inside me began to change.

And I knew—even if I didn’t know why—that this was only the beginning.