Saga saw the dire wolves and goblins as they attacked through the window of the bedroom. Saw how they latched on to the first few knights on the scene and tore at them. Saw how someone, who she thought had to be Astrid, had to physically rip a goblin from her body.

Not thinking about anything else but needed to ensure Viggo remained safe, she took a robe out of the wardrobe to cover her sleeping gown with. When it was on, she left the bedroom. She ran through the corridor and to the stairs. She took the first step down as Kai took the first step up at the opposite end.

"Lady Saga!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

She didn't answer as she rushed down the stairs, but as she reached half-way, Kai was there, blocking her from moving further down.

"Lord Viggo wants you to remain in your bedroom," Kai said and reached his arm out as if offering it to her to hold as he guided her back.

Again, she didn't answer, but tried to side-step the squire to get further down. His movements matched hers, and he continued blocking her path.

"I need to see how he is," Saga admitted and tried again to get past Kai, who again blocked her way.

At the same time, her fingers grew warm, making her aware of panic building in her she hadn't acknowledged.

Maybe it would be better for her to return. Her magic held the potential to make everything worse.

But her dream flashed in her mind. Viggo, surrounded by monsters.

She tried getting past Kai yet again, but failed once more.

"He'll be fine, milady. He's fought much worse. But you need to return to the bedroom until it's safe," Kai insisted.

His sunshine was gone from his voice and the look he gave her was almost stern. The squire would not relent.

She sighed. A deep sigh, a bit too deep to be real. "Alright."

Kai's expression eased, and he moved to stand next to her while again offering his arm for her to take.

The moment her path was unblocked, Saga ran down the remaining steps.

"Lady Saga!" Kai shouted behind her, but she didn't so much as glance back at him.

She got to the door outside, which had been left wide open, and stared at the scene before her.

Knights had their swords drawn as they fought off the massive dire wolves and the tireless goblins. Crimson stained the scene, just visible in the moonlight. Snarls, cackling laughter, and shouts came from all directions. And in the middle of it all, Saga caught sight of Viggo, all well as he fought the incoming enemies.

Then Kai was before her, cutting off her view of the scene. "You need to go back inside," he insisted, and moved closer, invading her personal space as if hoping it would make her back away.

But Saga only tried to get around him again to continue watching over Viggo.

"Lady Saga, if you don't go back inside, I am going to have to force you," Kai continued, his hands reaching for her, though yet still to touch her.

"I just... Watch out!" she shouted as three goblins moved towards them.

Kai turned, and with quick work of his sword cut the goblins down. Saga swallowed as she watched him. Terror spread in her body, numbing her from all but one sensation, and she realised it maybe hadn't been a good idea for her to storm down there.

Her magic swirled and buzzed in her hands. Travelled up her arms, to her chest, to everywhere inside of her. The heat pressed and begged to be released, to deal with the danger she faced. But the magic wouldn't know friends from foes. It hadn't before, so she clenched her fists to keep it away.

Then Kai turned back to her. His eyes were harder and colder than normal, but not yet quite like ice. Only enough for her breath to hitch as she saw him and take an automatic step away as her father's voice whispered in her ears about how undeserving she was.

The slight coldness melted from Kai, and he moved back in front of her. The view of the battle was again obscured from her eyes, but this time she felt a sense of relief over it. Though her magic ran through her body like lightning searching for an exit, not seeing the danger made it easier for her to keep it in control.

"Let's head back inside," Kai murmured in a soft voice, and Saga nodded at his suggestion. He reached his hand out, took hold of her elbow to steady her.

But the contact made her flinch, made phantom pain slash through her body. Made something burst inside of her, which nothing could hold back.

A bush a few metres away from them exploded. The sound pulled the attention of everyone as golden sparks erupted. Where the sparks landed on the grass it caught on fire.

Saga gasped and jumped away from Kai, who placed himself between her and the small explosion. More than ever did she need to get out of there. The magic didn't press as much, having just found a small release. But she still felt it active in her, still moving, building again. If she didn't get out, it was impossible to tell what next would be the victim of her magic.

But the explosion had drawn the attention of the dire wolves and goblins, though it wasn't the bush they stared at, it was Saga and Kai.

A wolf howled, then danger darted toward them.

Kai moved forward, his sword in a tight grip. The first wolf had its head separated from its body. Then a goblin got its chest sliced. Followed by another goblin being pierced.

Saga took a step back. Her magic tried to find an escape again, only this time with a clearer goal. Kai couldn't be harmed because of her foolishness.

"Saga!" she heard a shout above everything else. Her head turned to it and saw how Viggo, with his eyes on her, moved through everything else to reach her.

Then what she had seen in her dream came true. He was surrounded. But as quick as he had been, the wolves and goblins dispersed. And he wasn't alone in fighting as he had seemed in her dream. The lawn was full of knights and guards, fighting alongside him. Even as he made his way to her, he wasn't alone in doing that. Audun had appeared to fight right by his side.

Fear and dread was joined by shame and guilt. She had thought he would be in danger, had wanted to keep him safe, but if anything her presence there was the danger. From how he dealt with the wolves and goblins, it didn't look like they were a threat. Not like how she could be.

A shout of pain snapped her eyes away from Viggo. A goblin had its claws digging into Kai's side.

"No!" she yelled and moved forward. If she had just done as he had told her, if she had remained in the bedroom, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. He would be in the safety of the castle, guarding her door. It was her fault he was bleeding.

That knowledge made her magic buzz at the surface with renewed strength. Made it find a hole to escape through, and as she reached for Kai the ground only a metre from him exploded like the bush had.

The stars shot out, catching wolves and goblins, making them burn. But flecks also fell on Kai, who shouted in pain again. He brought his arms up to cover his face as he stepped away from the explosion.

Saga's body became numb. Cold dread worse than anything she had experienced filled her body as a memory she had done everything to forget forced its way forward.

Her mother on the floor, covered in wounds from blades and burns alike.

Hands grabbed hold of her. Dragged her inside and away from the scene. They pushed her to the side so she couldn't look out the open door. The force made her stumble and fall, but wind caught her and steadied her. Pushed her so her back was against the wall.

Looking to her side, she saw Hrafen, who had one arm stretched out toward her while the other made movements to the outside.

"Still don't want me to teach you to control it?" he asked in a darker voice than usual, his eyes on the fight.

"I... I didn't," she mumbled the lie because he couldn't know. Or rather, Viggo couldn't find out. He had been angry with her already before the attack, but now she had also defied him by not remaining in the safety of the castle. If he found out about her magic on top of that... It wouldn't surprise Saga if he would want nothing to do with her.

Hrafen scoffed. "The Lady is insulting me by expecting me to believe those explosions had nothing to do with her."

The tears welled up in her eyes, and her body grew too weak for her to stand. She slid down the wall until she sat on the cold stone floor.

"Please, please don't tell anyone else," she begged the mage through her tears while her mind imagined Viggo throwing her out of the castle. His gentle eyes would look at her in fury.

"Well, then, Saga of the house of Sejd. Seems like you are asking me for another favour. Then first tell me what day you first used your magic." Hrafen's eyes left the outside to look down on her with a sneer.

Saga gulped, unsure if she had ever felt as small as she did in that moment. The mage's disdain made her shrink in a way not even her father's anger could because it felt as though Hrafen already knew, already could see into the deepest parts of her. As if his question wasn't because he didn't know the information and wanted it, but because he knew the answer and wanted to make her aware of it.

"My... My sixth birthday," she answered with a tremble, excluding what more that day was.

"And I take it you want to keep it a secret you foresaw this attack?" he asked next.

"How... I didn't..."

"Are you trying to tell me it is only a coincidence you went looking for a book about dire wolves and goblins? Tell me instead, Lady Saga, when did you first foresee an event?"

Her voice was a whisper even wind could overpower when she spoke. "When I was four."

The mage lowered both of his arms. "Seems all is over," he said, the sneer was gone and he looked at her with narrowed eyes instead. "Do seriously consider my offer to teach you," he pressed on her before walking out the door.

No sooner had he left before Kai burst through the opening instead. His eyes found Saga straight away, and she was glad to not see any ice in them, only the sky.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked softly as he moved forward.

"You got hurt," she answered as her tears fell with new strength.

"It's nothing bad," he waved the concern away as he took steps closer to her. Though he remained at a distance, his last step only half a step, as if he was afraid of getting too close to her. "Hrafen will fix it later."

"He was just here. He should fix it now." Saga dried under her eyes. All of her attempts that night had been pathetic and caused more harm than good, but she was determined to now at least not be even more of a burden.

"There are others who are worse off. He has to tend to them first," Kai said as Viggo entered.

Just like Kai's eyes had found her immediately, so did Viggo's, though his was much harder as he looked at her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked in a clipped tone.

She shook her head before directing her eyes on the floor. He was upset with her, worse than before. And he had every right to be, and though he hadn't punished her in the morning, he certainly would somehow now after all of this.

"Take her to the bedroom. And guard her. You have my permission to use force if she tries to leave it again before I return," Viggo ordered.

"Yes, sir!" came Kai's answer, followed by him moving closer to her. She saw his hand reach to help her up, but she pushed herself to stand on her own, and then started walking without another word being exchanged. And all the while she kept her eyes on the floor, too afraid of seeing Viggo's anger.

"Do you need anything?" Kai asked her when they reached the bedroom.

"No," she answered as her fingers wraggled around each other.

"I'll be outside then. Try to get some more sleep."

He walked away, but with her eyes on the floor, Saga saw the drops he left behind.

"You're still bleeding!" she exclaimed, her head looking up again.

He turned back and gave her a soft smile. A bit of his normal brightness returned to his eyes. "It's nothing bad. Nothing you need to worry about, Lady Saga."

She walked over to him, and not thinking about anything other than needing to make up for the damage she had caused, she grabbed hold of one of his hands with both of hers to keep him from leaving.

"Please, let me look at it. Clean it and bandage it. It's... It's my fault you got hurt."

His smile grew as his eyes travelled to look at their hands. To where their skin touched. His fingers moved to wrap around her as best he could. The contact spread a pleasant warmth to her finger tips. So unlike the one she associated with her magic. A warmth which calmed her instead of frightened her.

When he met her gaze again, all brightness was back in his eyes.

"If Lady Saga insists."

He sat down on a chair and pulled his shirt off as Saga fetched the water they kept in the bedroom to wash their hands with. When her eyes fell on his body, heat spread over her cheeks. She had never before seen a man's bare upper body at such a close distance, and for a moment she couldn't do anything other than take it all in. The muscles of his arms and chest so clearly defined. Muscles which twitched and tightened as her eyes strayed over them.

Then she saw the wound on his right side. Claw marks at waist height with blood still dripping out of it, ripping the otherwise perfect image apart.

It felt like her body fell into a bath of snow while her mind darkened like a moonless night.

"It looks worse than it is," Kai said, snapping her out from staring at the wound. "I've had much worse. And I can clean it and bandage it myself if you just hand me what I need, milady."

She shook her head and moved forward. "It's my fault you're hurt," she repeated as she reached him.

Then she sank down without a thought of rules and expectations, without caring about how it could come across, without considering that she was the Lady of the household and he a mere squire. She sank down to kneel on the floor beside the chair he sat upon.

Kai sucked in a breath as if air was something scarce, but Saga barely took notice.

She thought of nothing but cleaning his wound as she dipped the cloth she had brought with her into the water. Didn't focus on anything other than the broken skin, as she wrung the cloth. Had eyes only on the red drops, as she touched the cloth to him.

His muscles tensed a bit. The only sign of any pain while she cleaned the claw marks.

"It isn't your fault," Kai said in a voice as warm as a fire in winter. But like a fire it cracked a little. "Don't blame yourself for it, Lady Saga."

"But if I had..."

"Please, don't blame yourself. I... I don't want you to feel bad on my account."

She looked away from his wound and up to his face again. He almost looked pained, as if the thought of her blaming herself caused more ache in him than the wound she had cleaned. So she nodded, though that was a lie. It had been her fault in more ways than one.

She rose again to hide the lie further by hiding her expression. Got some bandages out of a chest they had by the door, then returned to wrap it around him.

His eyes followed her movements, made her aware of every twitch she made. And when she kneeled again, she thought more of the action. Of how inappropriate it was. But it was easy thoughts to push away. No matter their statuses, he had protected her, so kneeling for him just this once was a way to show him gratitude. Nothing more.

"You need to sit a bit straighter," she commented with the bandage in hand. "So I can reach around you."

Kai followed the instruction. Straightened himself so his back didn't rest against the chair's back anymore. Then Saga reached her arms around to begin.

As she wrapped the bandage around his body, her fingers brushed his skin at times. Every time she did, warmth, like the one from when they had held hands, travelled to her heart from her fingertips. A warmth so comfortable she became less careful and let her fingers linger on his skin. An addictive warmth. And one which spread from her heart, to her stomach, and further down in a way she wasn't familiar with and had no idea what it meant. Except that it made her wish the moment wouldn't end.

But it did.

"All done," she said after having secured the bandage. She knew her face was flushed from the warmth in her body, so she kept her eyes on the floor. But Kai's hand reached out. His fingers pressed under her chin, his thumb landing right below her lips, and she tilted her head up to meet his gaze.

If his eyes normally looked like the sky, and when he fought they looked like ice, then they now looked darker, like a lake. It made her cheeks warm even more and her mouth go dry as she lost the ability to think clearly. All she could focus on was those eyes and how close he was to her. How she could easily let her hands feel more of his naked skin. How he could easily brush his thumb against her lips.

Then he broke the eye contact. Looked to the side, removed his hand from her, and put on his shirt again.

Air flooded Saga's lungs, and she realised she had forgotten to breathe for a moment.

"Try to sleep now, Lady Saga," he said with his back to her as he exited the bedroom leaving her confused as to why he had left so abruptly. And even more confused about what that darkened look in his eyes had meant and her reaction to it.