Chapter 3

Wulfric was sitting at his desk, anxiously working on paperwork. As soon as they had gotten back to the estate, she was carried off to one of the guest bedrooms with Markus in tow. Markus had left to watch over her while he handled any official matters that he needed to deal with. Plus, Markus was going to look over her injuries, and did not want Wulfric in there and in the way.

Wulfric was worried about her. 'She is the one, but how do I handle this? She is so young. What if Markus is right and she does not understand the concept of Imprinting? Her lack of knowledge could be deadly to the both of us. Plus, I want to know who did this to her. From the injuries I could see, she had been going through whatever it was for some time. Someone really wanted her to feel pain. But WHY?'

"Your Grace?"

Wulfric looked up. Kranston was looking at him curiously.

"What is it Kranston?"

"You slammed your fist on the desk. I wanted to make sure you are okay."

"Did I? I did not even realize it… I guess my mind is in its own little world right now."

"That is possible, your Grace. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Have you heard any news from Markus?"

"No, but it should not be long now, your Grace."

Wulfric nodded.

"Your Grace, may I ask you something? I may be overstepping, but as your advisor I think it is important for me to know."

Wulfric looked at Kranston. "Proceed."

Kranston took a deep breath, before saying, "Who is this young woman to you? Why has she been brought under your care?"

Wulfric glared at Kranston. "You are right Kranston, you are overstepping, but you also have the right to know as my advisor. I do not know who she is, at least not who she was in her past. But from the moment we touched I knew who she was to my future."

Kranston's eyes widen. "You Imprinted?" He whispered.

Wulfric nodded.

"Understood. Is there anything I should do to make her more comfortable? Or to properly welcome her?"

"No. For now she is just my ward. Do not speak of what I have said, not even to her. We need to be very delicate about this matter.

"Yes, your Grace."

Knock. Knock. They both looked at the door.

"Enter."

The door opened and in came a middle-aged, brown-haired woman.

"Ah, Ellen, what is the news?"

"Markus says you are welcome to come to her room now, your Grace. He gave her some medicine to help her sleep a little longer. He says it would be a good idea if you were there when she wakes up."

Wulfric stood up instantly.

"Then lead the way, Ellen."

~~~~~~~~~~

After Ellen left, Markus was sitting at the young woman's bedside, contemplating what to do next. He had done a perusal of her larger injuries, most of which were fresh. Probably from running through the woods for so long. Her feet were the worst injury he could see. He figured she had been barefoot the entire way. There were cuts and bruises that were fresh as well. What really caught his attention were the older bruises, the scars, and the older marks that he had found while treating her. Around her wrists and ankles, he found marks and bruises that looked like she had been restrained. There were burn marks on different parts of her body. Whip marks and scars on her back. There were also other scars that he was not sure of. On top of all that she was also malnourished, and it looked like it had been going on for some time.

There was a quiet knock at the bedroom door. Markus walked over to the door and opened it. With a finger to his lips he let in Wulfric, Ellen, and Kranston. Ellen and Kranston gathered more chairs to put by the bed, while Wulfric walked to the side of the bed.

"How is she?" he whispered.

"I was able to dress her worst injuries. However…"

"What is it?"

"I… I think whoever had her before we found her was abusing her… possibly even torturing her. In fact, I do not believe she was with them willingly. She has marks on her wrists and ankles that would imply that she was restrained. When she wakes up, I would like to ask her permission to document all her injuries and scars. If we do ever find out who did this to her, we can use the documentation against them."

"If that is what you think is best."

"It is, but only if she is up to it. If her physical injuries are this bad, I can only imagine the injuries mentally and emotionally."

"Poor thing," whispered Ellen.

"Yes, poor thing," murmured Kranston. "Your Grace, what is the plan for when she wakes up?"

"I believe Markus should lead the way for this. We do not want to startle her."

They all looked at Markus.

~~~~~~~~~~

She stood in the haze, watching a dark form approach her. As it got closer, she saw the bright red eyes staring intently at her. The figure sped up, and once directly in front of her, it grabbed her by the throat whispering, "Forever mine…"

~~~~~~~~~~

With that she jolted awake and found herself in a comfortable bedroom, surrounded by worried faces. She had a vague recollection of two of the faces: one was the kind man who said he wanted to help her, and the other… the other was the one she had felt that intense connection with when he touched her arm and their eyes met. The other two faces she had never seen before.

"Wh-Wh-" Cough. Cough.

"Shh. It is okay. Let us get you some water," said the kind man. He nodded at the only other woman in the room. Who brought over a glass of water and gently handed it to her.

"Drink it slowly," she said.

She nodded as she took the cup. When she took her first sip she started coughing again. The woman gently took the cup from her as she continued to cough. When she finally stopped, she had an apologetic look on her face.

"There is no need to feel sorry, Miss. This was expected. You were running for a long time, were you not?" asked the kind man.

She nodded.

"You are definitely dehydrated, but you need to take things slowly for now. Same with your food. We will have some soup brought to you shortly, and that will need to be eaten slowly as well. We do not want you to get sick. Now go ahead and drink up. We will introduce ourselves."

She nodded as the woman handed her back the cup.

"I am Markus Loter, I am a Shaman and a Healer," said the kind man. "I will oversee your recovery. This," He gestured at the other man she recognized, "is Duke Wulfric Igor Bertram. He is the Duke of this estate, and you are officially a ward under his care while you remain here."

Duke Bertram nodded at her. Though he avoided meeting her eyes.

'What was that intense connection I had felt to him', she wondered. 'Whatever it was it must have guided me to him. Could it have been that tugging feeling in my chest?'

"This is Kranston Antar, the Duke's advisor."

Kranston bowed to her.

"And this is Ellen Lente, the housekeeper. She will be looking after you and your needs while you are here."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. Please let me know if there is anything I can get for you."

"Th-Thank you. It is a-a pleasure to m-m-meet all of you." She rasped out.

Markus smiled at her.

"Markus, I think we should move along," the Duke chimed in.

Markus looked back at the Duke, nodded, and proceeded, "There are some questions we would like to ask you. Is that okay? We can stop at any time."

She nodded.

"Well, first things first. Can you tell us your name, my dear?"

"Lyra."

"That is a lovely name. Do you have a last name, Lyra?"

"I-I-I…" she trailed off.

Ellen and Markus looked at her with concern, while Kranston and the Duke's expressions remained impassive.

"It is alright, my dear, you can tell us." Markus soothed.

"I am not sure. I grew up with people I believed were my parents until I was fifteen, but they eventually told me that they were not my real parents. That someone had paid them to raise me, … but they never told me who…" Lyra looked down at her hands. I do not know why I am telling them this. How will it help me?

"It is okay. We do not have to talk about that anymore if you do not want to."

Lyra nodded while still looking down at her hands.

"Lyra, I know this might be hard, but can you tell us where your injuries came from?"

Lyra pulled her knees up to her chest and started rocking back and forth. Markus was quickly by her side, "Shh-Shh-Shh. It is alright. You are safe here. I can ask the others to leave, and we can talk privately. Will that be okay with you?"

Lyra quickly nodded. Ellen and Kranston immediately headed out the door. Though the Duke remained where he was seated.

Markus did not look away from Lyra, "Your Grace, please."

"No, she is my ward now and it is important that I this hear from her."

Lyra glanced at the Duke. He was staring at her with his silver-grey eyes. She quickly looked away. There was a slight pause.

"Lyra, would it be okay if I stayed? It is important."

"Y-yes," she stammered.

Markus noticeably relaxed.

"Lyra, we will take this as slowly as you need. All right?"

Lyra nodded.

"Do you know who did this to you?"

Lyra shook her head, "Th-they n-never told me their names."

"Do you know how long you were with them?"

"I am n-n-not sure. I-I-I was f-f-fifteen when they t-took me. Does that help?"

"Yes, it does, Lyra. What do you remember about when they took you?"

Lyra closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and began: "I was living with my caretakers. It was an evening in the middle of the summer. I had just turned fifteen so that would have been the summer of 1293. I was out at the barn feeding the animals when I heard shouts. I ran back to the house to find men restraining my caretakers. They told me to run, but one of the men got ahold of me before I could get away. They then set the house, the barn, and the crops on fire. They forced me to my knees and-and made me w-w-watch as they killed my caretakers. After that they dragged me to a wagon, and I was taken to the place where they kept me."

Throughout her story, tears started falling down Lyra's face. When she finished talking, they sat there in silence for a moment. She did not want to look at either of them. She did not want to see the pity on their faces.

"Lyra, it is now the fall of 1297… That was four years ago."

~~~~~~~~~~

"F-f-four years?"

Markus turned and glared at Wulfric. 'What was he thinking?'

With a sigh Markus turned back to Lyra, "Yes, Lyra, it has been four years. I did not mean for you to learn something like that in that manner."

"Four years… I was trapped there for four years…" She was looking down at her hands with wide eyes.

"Lyra, would you be up to telling us some of what happened during those four years?"

"It was a living hell."

Markus nodded and waited for her to continue.

"I was locked in room with no windows. My wrists and ankles were chained to a bed in the middle of the room. That was the room they kept me in when they were not experimenting on me… I-I am sorry I do not think I can talk about this anymore right now."

Markus looked at her, wanting to press on. 'Experimenting? She must know what they were hoping to find.'

"My dear, perhaps you could tell us a bit m—"

"I think that is enough, Markus." Interjected Wulfric. "You said we would stop if she wanted to."

"You are right. I am sorry. How about we get you that soup I spoke of. Would you like that?"

Lyra nodded.

Wulfric reached for a pull rope next to the bed. Within moments there was a gentle knock at the door.

"Enter," said Wulfric.

Ellen entered.

"You rang, your Grace."

"Yes, can we have some soup brought up."

"I will have it brought up right away, your Grace."

Ellen exited the room.

Markus looked hesitantly at Wulfric, before asking, "My dear, after you have enjoyed your soup and before we get you cleaned up, would you be up to me documenting your injuries? Including your bruises and scars? I believe it will be important for your care in the long run."

Lyra took a moment, then said, "I think I will be up to doing that, but I only want you and," She looked at Wulfric, "Ellen there for it."

Wulfric nodded his assent.

"So be it. When Ellen returns with your soup, I will have her prepare your bath. I will do the documentation in the washroom so that you can immediately get in when we are done."

Lyra nodded. They sat there in silence for a moment.

"Lyra, do you have any questions for us?" asked Wulfric.

Markus watched Lyra look intently at Wulfric.

"Y-yes. I do."

"Then ask what you would like."

"Who am I to you?"

~~~~~~~~~~

"Pardon?" asked Wulfric. What does she mean?

"Who am I to you? I have felt a strong connection towards you, and I do not know why. Do you?" Lyra responded.

'Does she remember that moment when we touched? What do I say? The partial truth, that will work for now.'

"Lyra, right now, you are my ward. That is it. I will take care of you while you are here in my care."

"So, you know what I am talking about."

"Yes, but now is not the time for you to worry about that. When you are better, we will discuss this. Do you understand?"

"Yes… Your Grace."

'Did she just call me 'Your Grace'? I feel like she already does not like me. Maybe I should change the subject.'

"Are there any other questions you might have? Or is there anything in particular you would like to do while here? I can bring tutors and instructors to teach you. I can get you anything you want for any hobbies you might be interested in."

"Really, anything?"

"Yes, anything."

"I-I loved to work in the garden back when I lived with my caretakers."

Markus chuckled. Both Wulfric and Lyra looked at him curiously.

"Markus, are you all right?"

"I am fine, your Grace. So, my dear, you like gardening?"

"Yes, very much. But it has been so long."

"Do not worry about that, Lyra. I can have the gardener work with you. We have an expansive garden on this estate, and a couple of greenhouses we use throughout the year. Maybe I will have one made especially for your use. How does that sound?"

'Why am I saying all this? An entire greenhouse for her use. My god, I am going insane.'

"I would like that very much, but not yet. I want to make sure I can actually take care of the plants that I am growing."

"Of course. Whenever you decide you want it just tell me."

Lyra nodded.

Knock. Knock.

"Enter."

Ellen entered with a tray of steaming soup in her hands.

~~~~~~~~~~

When Lyra had finished drinking her soup, Markus had Wulfric leave.

"All right Lyra, Ellen and I are going to help you get up now. Your feet are going to hurt when you stand on them, but we will be right here to help you."

Lyra nodded. She took a moment, and then swung her legs off the bed. When she put her feet on the floor, she winced. She went to put her full weight on her feet and cried out in pain. Ellen and Markus were at her side instantly. They each gently grabbed one of her arms to keep her steady.

"It is all right my lady. You can go slowly. Just use us as support," said Ellen kindly.

Lyra took a moment to compose herself, then took a small step. It hurt, but it was not like she had not dealt with worse before. She pushed aside her pain and took another step. Then another. With each step she was able to push away the pain more. It was not long before they made it to a door at the other side of the room.

Ellen opened the door, and they entered a room that was floor to ceiling covered in polished wood. There was a large tub in the middle of the room, that had steam rising from it. There was a beautiful wrought iron wood stove at the far end of the room, with a good-sized fire going in it. To the right of the door was a dressing table, and another door. In front of the tub was a wooden bench that had a comfortable looking robe folded on it.

Markus and Ellen guided Lyra to the bench, where they helped her sit down.

"Lyra, Ellen is going to help you out of your dressing gown and into this robe. I will be over by the woodstove."

After Markus had walked over to the woodstove and was fiddling with the fire, Ellen turned to Lyra, and gently helped her out of the dressing gown. There was a slight pause as Lyra stood there completely naked before Ellen quickly helped her into the robe.

Ellen put a soft hand on Lyra's shoulder and whispered, "You are safe here. I will not let anything happen to you."

Ellen removed her hand and walked over to Markus and whispered to him. He nodded. They both turned to Lyra. Ellen with a kind and gentle smile on her face, and Markus with a look that showed no emotion.

"If it is okay with you, Lyra, I would like to do this going bit by bit. Starting with your head, then arms, shoulders, back, and legs. Then I will move to your face, chest, and stomach." Markus took a hesitating breath, "Is there anywhere else I should look?"

Lyra blushed and shook her head. For a split second both Markus and Ellen looked relieved.

Ellen returned to Lyra and guided her closer to the woodstove, where there was more light, and so the documentation began.