Dangerous Waters

To say that Dagena hadn't had second thoughts about sitting under a frozen tree, on snow-covered ground and in what she'd call a blizzard all while waiting for the arrival of a man she'd never seen, would be a blatant lie.

She'd bolted out of the inn the moment Seinerd no longer gave a physical response to her prodding, it didn't take long at all. She had to be here, in the now frozen forest at the front of the northern gate waiting on the man she'd been communicating with before midnight struck complete.

In her hands, she held a clutter of enveloped papers, their entire correspondence and proof of her identity upon the man's arrival. She held tightly onto them as her fingers began to ache and her toes curl from the pinch of the cold.

She looked about herself, not much life was around her and the trees were parted enough so the light of the half-moon shone brightly on her. She pocketed the papers in favour of rubbing her hands together, she could no longer ignore the biting cold despite all her coverings.

She'd been exposed to the elements for quite a while. The northern gate was the northernmost gate away from where the inn was, meaning she'd travelled halfway around the entire town from the southern gate. As stayed waiting for what had been over an hour.

Needless to say, she was having second thoughts about the legitimacy of this- she looks at one of the letters looking to remember his name- Dieter Von Lange. The man had originally just been a prospective suitor for her. But after she accidentally let it slip that she wanted the power to determine her fate and love, the man changed his tune. Promising exactly that and more.

She looked about herself once more and rose up. Unwilling to freeze to death waiting for the man of many words. She might as well get to fire while a fire was still up and burning.

She began trotting back in the same direction she'd come from, her footsteps had long since been buried under new snow. She walked kicking against the snow a bit harder each time she remembers the hope such few words gave her and how easily she gobbled it all up.

"Should've expected nothing less from a man!" she screamed into the night, looking up to the moon she felt tempted to howl just like the wolves did in the background, letting her frustrations into nature.

Dagena came to a stop, suddenly realizing she'd made a horrible mistake screaming into the night.

Aaaaaoooo!!!!

The wolves' howls had gotten louder and at her front, she could hear a primal growling deep within the forest of white trees.

She looked around and soon saw and felt she was surrounded. Tears began to well up in her eyes and her lips quivered from fear and cold all the same. She stayed perfectly still as the wolves' gold eyes watched her closely as they all simultaneously stalked upon her.

She closed her eyes and tried to measure her already hampered breath. In hopes of stories about men and women taming wolves to hunt beside them by simply being still and fearless were true.

The deep menacing growls filled with hunger and savagery did nothing to inspire her though.

They barked loudly at her jumping around in place, ready to eat her whole but yet to decide who among them to take the first bite. It seemed the largest and seemingly calmest one of them all would. The alpha. As he stalked closer than anyone of his pack, his maw stretched open and he readied himself to pounce.

He jumped up, right atop Dagena as she shielded herself.

At that moment the alpha was violently thrown sideways away from Dagena and fell to the ground with a loud and painful thud.

"Run woman!" she heard in the distance, she looked about herself and saw the wolves distracted by the sudden occurrence, not hesitating she took off at speeds she only just discovered.

She looked back and saw men on horseback, crossbows and swords in hand. She'd been too frightened by the growls and roars of the wolves she failed to hear the sounds of a horse galloping to save her. She was even luckier that the wolves failed to notice the horses as well.

She ran and ran, her lungs burned and ached begging for a break, but she was too far away from the men who saved her to discern whether they did so at the cost of their own lives and the wolves were on her tail at full momentum, seeking to reclaim their lost prey. For her own sake, she wouldn't stop till she saw a wall.

Looking back all she could see was the light of a flame in the forest. And for the first time, she prayed.

In her heart she prayed to the Goddess of the Hunt, Hertia, to protect and give triumph to her saviours. Let at least one survive.

And then, she heaved and fell to her knees gasping desperately for air, her eyesight had been narrowed and her ears rang a high pitch of 'something is really wrong' and then noticing her heart beating faster than it had ever beaten, she fell on her face unconscious.

***

Dagena awoke groggily to many as of yet incoherent sounds. She quickly propped herself up, she could feel her joints popping as she did so and with her open eyes she was she had the attention of the room.

Scrubbing her eyes clear she asked, "Where am I?" looking about at the audience she found herself in front of.

They were all men. Most wore armour, light and heavy alike, and had swords and shields strapped by their sides or otherwise around their vicinity. Only one man stood noble.

A handsome dark-haired man sat crossed legged with a chalice in his hand. He had the impression of royalty and the air of elegance he gave as he set aside his cup and made his approach to Dagena made her believe for a split second that noblemen were indeed a different breed from peasants.

He sat by her and took her hand in his, it was then she realized she no longer wore her clothing. Instead of her red, thick fur coat, she had on a simple and modest-looking nightgown, yet one laced with pearls and made with the rarest material, silk.

"Lady Dagena, I presume?" Dagena looked up at the calling of her name, she snatched her hand away from the man as well, shuffling to the end of the couch they sat on.

"And you are?" she asked in turn, her face scrunched up as she scanned the room for any means escape, sizing up the armoured men as well.

The man sees this and waves them away. The four lot of them all begin filing out, taking with them their weapons and shields. "I am your friend, your ally," his smile and voice are smooth and seductively low, especially for a dimly lit room, "I'm your suitor still Dagena."

Her eyes widen at his revelation, "Dieter!?" he only smiles and she immediately places her foot in his chest, sending him spiralling onto the floor pushing away random objects as well as spilling the contents of the chalice he'd set aside on a table.

Slow in finding his bearings, Dieter received another kick for his troubles, "Ah! Ah! Wait!" he shouted out, holding his hands up in submission resigning to her mercies.

"You kept me waiting hours in the cold!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Hell, I almost got eaten, you terrible bastard of a man!"

However, the man showed little remorse as he finally had himself seated once more. "I'm sorry that happened. I was hampered by my brother's guards watching myself as well as my loyal men. I've had to take extreme measures just to get away and get the chance to meet you." His voice no longer soft and seductive but honest, but he was a noble, their tongues took all forms of tones.

"And I still had to take measures against the very possibility that you might be a trap set by my brother," he continued, explaining to his best his plight, "I carried all the men loyal to me alone as well as a few riches just in the event I had to start a new life. It was my men that saved you from those wolves."

"However," he says, getting onto a knee and caressing Dagena's hand, "No matter the excuse, a man should not keep a woman waiting, for this failure, I am sorry." He said as he placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

Dagena once again snatched her hand away and with a roll of her eyes sat down, ready to talk, "Enough of this. Can we go over the plan to claim your brother's title and give me the power you promised?"

He shook his head, "That is not the plan. The plan is to reclaim my rightful rulership over Harsem and grant you a fief worth your mettle."