"Dag, someone is looking for you. She's a young woman, she says she knows you" exclaimed an unknown voice.

He jumped out of bed.

"Freydis? Is it not possible, how did you know that I was back here? She came to me! I knew!" he thought, opening the door of his room and thanking the young warrior who had warned him, continuing to run to the courtyard.

"I can't wait to see you! Where are you, where are you?" he thought aloud, as he ran along the corridors of the dormitory, crossing them in a few seconds.

When he arrived in the courtyard, Gridd and Reidar were talking to someone, just outside the Temple's front door.

Dag slowed down, catching his breath.

Chills ran through his back and neck, and his hands began to tremble with emotion. 

Gridd turned backwards, noticing his presence and looked at him smiling.

He could not understand much from that position and remained focused on the figure just behind the large metal door. 

Although his hearing was incredibly developed, he could not hear any voices, due to the emotion. 

The only thing he saw was a gesticulating hand as if that hidden person was explaining something to Reidar and Gridd, nodding their heads and listening.

After walking a few more feet, breathing deeply, he finally saw the girl's long black hair.

His happiness vanished, slipping on him. 

His hands stopped shaking and his heart started beating again. 

He knew that girl, but she wasn't Freydis. 

"Dag!" she exclaimed, running towards him and jumping on him, hugging him tightly.

After a few seconds of reluctance, due to his false expectations, he too reciprocated the embrace.

"Claire! What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see her.

"I couldn't resist on that farm anymore, nothing interesting ever happens there!" she exclaimed, spreading her arms, to better look at him.

Her large green eyes were s.h.i.+ny, full of happiness, and after only a few seconds she noticed Dag's purple one.

"What happened to you? Are you ok?" she asked again, stroking his face.

"Yes, I'm fine, don't worry" he smiled, rea.s.suring her.

"Captain, I didn't know that besides being a Warchief and a Master at the same time, you were also dedicated to saving damsels in the past! Hahaha!" chuckled Reidar, trying to make Dag look good in front of that beautiful girl.

Claire wore a green silk tank top, which showed off the graceful shapes of her proportionate breast and the curves of her back, tucked into a pair of skin-tight leather trousers, which highlighted the lower parts of her body.

" She told you that? That's not exactly how it happened, she saved me! I was locked in a cell, sealed with a rune that prevented me from using my powers, and she managed to steal the key to open its lock, risking her life for a complete stranger" Dag continued, looking at Claire fondly.

"I knew you were a terrestrial too, and when I looked you in the eye, I saw hope and empathy. I couldn't leave you there, I knew you'd get us all to safety!" she smiled, her voice full of grat.i.tude.

"Reidar, I think I need a little help picking up my things and taking them to the dorm... can you help me?" said Gridd, contriving a diversion so they could walk away and leave Dag and Claire alone, after noticing with what languid eyes that girl was looking at her brother.

"Of course, Gridd. Dag, Claire, excuse us for a moment" Reidar said, according to Gridd's game and walking away to the horse stable.

"Master, Warchief... well, you've sure come a long way! You've become very popular! I'm so much happy for you, Dag!" exclaimed Claire, grabbing Dag's wrists, which seemed distracted.

"Uhm... th... thank you!" he stammered, embarra.s.sed.

Before she could say anything else, she dragged him to a stone bench just outside the Temple's main entrance, not far from Thor's statue.

The two sat next to each other, which made the situation even more intimate and increased the embarra.s.sment of Dag, who did not know how to behave.

As she talked about this and that, commenting on the incredible landscape that could be seen from up there and recounting some of the boring events of the farm, he continued to look at her, distracting himself from her words.

She was a beautiful, young woman, her face was flawless and her voice was kind and not annoying at all. 

As she spoke, she touched her hair, moving them backward and giving off a pleasant smell in the air, very similar to that of freshly caught berries.

At one point, he interrupted her: "How did you get here? And why did you come?" 

"I told you before... after being locked up for years in Mork Castle, where those b.a.s.t.a.r.d Renegades wouldn't stop giving me orders, treating me like a slave, I felt like I was wasting my time on the farm. I know, it was a safe place where no one could hurt me, but... I decided to leave" she said, continuing to look at the view, which despite the darkness was clearly visible from the top of Mount Torden.

"Thalos? How's he doing?" 

"The little puppy? Fine! When you left, he was in pain, he missed you a lot... but we fed him every day and slowly we managed to get closer to him. The girls were initially scared, he's still a huge grey wolf, but after about two weeks he became one of the family!" said Claire.

Dag sighed with relief when she suddenly turned to him, grabbing his hands: "Teach me to be a s.h.i.+eldmaiden! You're a Master now, aren't you? Let me be your first student! I want to fight, Dag, I feel like I possess hidden abilities that I've never had a chance to improve!" 

"A s.h.i.+eldmaiden? Do you really want to learn how to fight? So that's why you came this far, even though I still can't explain how you did it... the road from Magni's farm to the Temple is long and winding, and I don't think you rode a horse" said Dag, who continued to question the nature of that visit.