Every moment Saga had to herself that week she took the dagger out and held it. She went through the three different grips Astrid had shown her, getting a better feel for all three of them. And while she did, she remembered Astrid's words about faking confidence.

Saga had no idea if it gave any results; she still felt silly while holding the knife. But every day she still did it.

The night leading to her next lesson with Astrid, as Saga lay in bed to sleep, a voice in her kept saying she was foolish for believing she could learn to fight. Though a small fire in her longed to find out if Astrid could see any improvement in her way of holding the knife. A fire which made Saga fall asleep with a tiny smile on her lips.

The smile was mirrored on the woman in Saga's dream. The woman who looked almost exactly like her. The surroundings were a forest. Thick trees grew all around with crowns which blocked the sun. The ground was littered with flowers and bushes of berries, and by a bush was the boy from before. He had one hand full of raspberries, the hand half-way to his mouth, but frozen as he stared at the woman.

"Keep eating. I won't tell anyone," the woman told the boy and winked at him. He stared at her for a moment longer before shoving the berries into his mouth.

"Do you know who they are yet?" a voice at Saga's left said. A voice silky and dangerous.

Turning around, she saw the hooded man again. He didn't face in her direction, however, but stared right at the woman.

"How are you here? Do you also dream of the future?" Saga asked the man in equal parts curiosity and anxiety. This man was dangerous, and the way he seemed capable of visiting her dreams, he was powerful as well.

"When you sleep, your mind is more open than normal. I can then come to you, talk to you and experience what you are experiencing," he explained, making Saga shudder. Her mind ought to be a private place, the one place she didn't need to hide and pretend. But apparently that wasn't the case. Whoever this man was, he had stolen her one truly safe space.

"So you know what I'm thinking?" she asked to make sure, to get it clarified. And to her relief, the man shook his head.

"It is not quite like that. It is more that I've projected my consciousness into your dream. So yes, I can view your dream, but I do not have access to the rest of your mind."

The answer settled some of Saga's emotions, though the tension remained in her. He was still intruding. Still an unwelcomed presence.

"Don't worry, Saga of the house of Sejd," the man went on. "If you ever want me out of your mind, then you can force me away. It only takes a bit of strength and determination."

His words sounded like mockery to her. Strength was, after all, something she had none of. So she was forced to accept that her dreams would forever be shared by this man, no matter how unsettling the thought was. How much it made her wish she could go without sleep.

Though a fleeting thought passed through her mind. The man hadn't done anything bad to her, she just assumed he wasn't anyone good. But maybe he was, so maybe it would be a good thing to talk to him at times. Maybe he could help her somehow.

"Who are you?" she asked, like she had done the previous time they met.

"A more important question is, who they are." The man nodded toward the woman and the boy. "Do you have any guesses? The woman you should be able to figure out at the very least."

Saga was about to shake her head when the woman kneeled down by the raspberry bush with the boy and they together picked the berries.

"Raspberries are the best kind of berries," her mother had told her.

She wasn't seeing the future like she normally did. It was the past she was getting glimpses of. Her mother's life from before she married the Duke of Fyris.

"She's my mother," Saga voiced her conclusion and the man nodded.

She felt foolish to not have realised it before, but then again, she had been so certain she only saw the future. This was the first time she was aware she saw the past. And her mother also didn't look like how Saga remembered her, nor how she appeared in the one portrait of her which hung at her father's estate. In her memory, her mother's hair had streaks of grey, and her cheeks had been hollow. In the portrait, she looked stern; lacked all the joy she displayed in the visions.

"And the boy?" the man prompted.

Saga's focus went to the boy instead. He smiled at the woman. It was a gentle smile, a smile Saga recognised, but she didn't know from where.

"In due time you'll figure it out," the man said, just as a spider the size of a dog jumped out from a tree attacking the woman and the boy.

"No!" Saga screamed. A scream which carried with as she woke up.

"Nightmare again?" Viggo asked, his arms around her in comfort before she even properly registered she had woken up.

She nodded, then closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of Viggo. It was of nature. Of forest and wind, as if the outside clung to him. But most importantly, it was a scent Saga had come to associate with safety, with protection. A scent which helped calm her, something she desperately needed.

If it was her mother in the dream, if it was of the past, she knew her mother would have been fine. If the spider had hurt her, then it hadn't been anything severe. But since Saga didn't know who the boy was, she couldn't be as sure about his survival, and the thought of the unknown boy getting hurt plagued her. Stabbed at her heart and twisted. And she wouldn't know. She might never find out what had become of the boy.

Then there was the man as well. She didn't know what to make of him. If he was one to trust or one to shield herself from. Maybe it was better if she learnt how to guard her dreams from him.

But a tantalising thought simmered in her mind. The man had to be a mage, and a powerful one to project himself into her dreams. Such magic had to be complicated and require a lot of skills. So maybe he could do what Hrafen had refused. Maybe he would be willing to help her rid herself of her magic.

She would need to know if he was one to trust before that, but it was an option she didn't want to let go of.

"Feeling better?" Viggo asked after a while.

Saga moved away from him and looked at his face. He wore a gentle smile, one very similar to the gentle smile the boy in the dream had looked at her mother with.

"I am," she nodded.

His smile grew a bit. "You should rest. You've been doing so much lately, so you should take a day to rest to not risk overworking yourself."

Saga's body stiffened as she nodded again. Rest was far from her mind. Her training with Astrid would be that day, and she needed to take full advantage of all sessions if she were to learn anything.

But the lying left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She waited in the bedroom until it was almost mid-day, when she felt sure Viggo had left to inspect the wall. Not until then did she leave, dressed in pants and a shirt she had asked to be made for her right after Astrid had agreed to teach her. She figured it would be very impractical to train in a dress.

Like the previous week, Astrid showed up as Saga pretended to oversee the garden-work and together they went toward the same spot.

For every step, Saga's nervousness increased to the point that it felt as if it had a pulse of its own when they stopped, and intrusive thoughts multiplied. What if she hadn't improved at all? What if Astrid would be disappointed in her? What if she was unteachable? What if Astrid gave up on her?

"I like your clothes. It looks good on you," Astrid said with an appreciative nod.

"Thank you," Saga mumbled, as heat travelled to her neck and face.

"You got the dagger with you?"

Saga answered by taking it out from where she had hidden it underneath her clothes.

"And you've practised simply holding it?"

Saga nodded and took a firmer hold.

"Good. Then pretend you're holding it up to threaten an incoming attacker."

Taking a deep breath, Saga followed Astrid's instruction.

She still felt ridiculous. There was no enemy to point at, and even if there had been, they would surely see in a second she wasn't a threat in the least, but someone weak and easily dealt with.

"Raise your chin and bit more," Astrid said, and Saga followed. "And relax a bit. You're so tense your nervousness is obvious."

Then Astrid approached her. The knight did so slowly without any sign of being about to attack. But Saga's body reacted still, as if the fact she held a knife as if to protect herself was enough for her body to send signals that danger was coming. And with that, her fingers warmed as her magic surfaced. Her grip on the knife grew tighter again as her breathing hitched and her concentration went from holding the dagger to push her magic away.

"You need to spread your legs a bit more," Astrid said when she stood right in front of her. "They should be about as far apart as your shoulders."

Saga did as told while the heat spread to be all over her hand.

"And bend your knees a bit. You'll be more stable that way."

Her magic crept up her arm while she bent her knees.

"You're leaning forward too much." Astrid pushed a bit on Saga's shoulders to straighten her back. "And relax. Your shoulders are almost all the way up to your ears."

Forcing them down, Saga released the tension in her shoulders, though the magic had travelled all the way there.

Astrid took a few steps back. "How does it feel standing like that?"

"Weird," Saga admitted, the way her legs were placed felt rather awkward.

"From where I'm standing, you look stable. As if you could stay standing like that even in a storm."

Saga frowned a bit. It was utterly ridiculous. She could never be strong enough for that. But as the initial doubt of Astrid's words settled, Saga felt what she meant. That she could stand through a storm was a complete exaggeration, but Saga could not remember having ever felt as strong, as stable as she did standing there in the forest holding a knife she still didn't know how to use. She still lacked in strength, but she better understood Astrid's words about faking confidence. Something about the position she was in made that task less difficult.

And as Saga realised that, her magic grew fainter. It was still at the surface, still ready to defend her. But it was as if it was aware Saga was better equipped to defend herself.

"The idea of this is that you'll hopefully never even need to use the weapon. An incoming attacker will halt and decide you aren't worth the risk if you look strong and confident enough. So simply learning to look intimidating can be a much more effective self-defence than knowing how to fight. Gods know I scared off plenty like that before I knew how to throw a proper punch."

Astrid laughed a bit at her own words, while Saga wondered what Astrid's life had been like. But like last time Saga had wondered the same thing, she decided against asking. It was up to the other woman to decide what to share and when.

"It is better if we don't do more today. Just remember how you're standing now, and then practise it for next time. The goal is to make this stance become second nature to you," Astrid concluded their lesson.

Together they walked back out of the forest, but when they were at the front, Astrid turned to the knight lodging while Saga walked back into the castle.

When Saga was on the other side of the closed doors, when no one was around to see her, a shaky breath left her.

The magic was now all gone from her fingertips, but she still felt where it had been. Could still feel lingering heat in her hands. Though the magic had never been at risk of escaping her body, it was too close for Saga's liking. And her training with Astrid would inevitably become more intense. If this had been enough to trigger it, then how would it react during more combat training?

With that thought in mind, she hurried to the library. As expected, she found Hrafen pouring over whatever it was he was working on still.

Walking up to him, she reminded herself of the stance Astrid had shown her. Legs shoulder-width apart, her shoulders down and relaxed, chin up.

"When will you be done with the storage stone?" she asked the mage.

Hrafen slowly looked up from the papers, then his eyes travelled all over her, took her in fully. Saga's mind screamed at her to bend her head, hunch her shoulders and retreat. But she stayed in the position she was in. Met Hrafen's eyes firmly as he quirked an eyebrow.

"I have more important tasks at the moment," the mage answered, but his voice lacked its usual mocking quality. "But if the Lady insists on wanting it done at her pace rather than mine, then the Lady can do the prep work for it."

He shifted around the papers and pulled out a piece depicting a teardrop shape with three crescent moon shapes lying down in it, which all had three drops hanging from them.

"This shape needs to be carved into the bone shard used for the storage," Hrafen explained, then pulled several bone shards from a pocket. "Pick one of them."

They were all in different sizes and shapes. Some jagged, others smooth. The smallest about the size of a pebble, while the biggest was the same size as Saga's palm.

She reached out for one of the smaller ones, since she would need to carry it with her everywhere, it was better if it was small and unassuming. But her fingers brushed against one of the larger ones, and a soft warmth came from where she had touched it. A warmth which felt welcoming, almost protective even. But the piece of bone was large. It would be hard to keep hidden on her person.

"Choose one which feels right, not one which feels practical," Hrafen said, as if her thought-process had been displayed for him to see.

She hesitated a moment longer, then picked up the larger piece of bone.

"Wraith bone. One of the rarest there is, especially such a big piece as wraiths have a tendency to blow up when destroyed," Hrafen explained as Saga turned the piece of bone over in her hand.

"I didn't know they even had bones. Aren't they just shadows?" she asked. The warmth of the bone spread further in her body. She could feel it was magical, but it was a very different magic from her own. It felt less dangerous, more simply powerful and safe.

"Most of the time, yes. But they have a more solid form as well, one which is more flesh and bone than shadow."

She nodded, though she barely paid attention to what he said. Her mind too preoccupied with studying the bone. It felt at home in her hand. As if it belonged there.

"It is no surprise you favour the wraith bone. They have strong unstable magic after all. Quite like yourself."

His words were a belt against her back. Her head snapped up as the warmth from the bone felt like too much compared to pleasant as it had moments ago. It was almost scolding in her hands.

What did it say about her that her magic was similar to that of wraiths, the most dangerous of creatures out there? It was all wrong. She was all wrong.

"You'll need this to carve the symbol into the bone," Hrafen said, breaking through Saga's thoughts, and took out a long thin chisel-like object. "It's one of my own design specific for bone-carving. Now sit down and get started."

With a wave of his hand, the chair opposite his at the table went out for her to sit. Looking between the bone, the pattern, and the chisel, Saga sat down. Even though she didn't like the idea of using wraith bone and all which that might mean about her, she needed a way to protect others from her magic. If that meant relying on magic from such an awful creature, then so be it.

Carving the pattern was a difficult task which took all of Saga's concentration. The chisel was sharp enough it was similar as using a feather pen on a piece of parchment, but managing the details of the pattern was hard. Though the bone was one of the larger ones, it was still rather small, and the surface was uneven, meaning she needed to focus on every movement she made.

It didn't turn out perfect. A few of the teardrops looked more like ordinary circles than teardrops, but she hoped it would do.

"I'm finished," she said and placed the bone in front of Hrafen.

He took it between his thumb and pointer and brought it close to him to inspect.

"Did the Lady not see it was supposed to be teardrops?" he tsk-ed and sighed. "Oh, well, it ought to work fine still. I need the Lady to prick her finger so a few drops of blood come out. The chisel will work fine for it."

Saga swallowed, but did not hesitate to do as he said. The chisel barely hurt against her finger, and she only needed to poke herself once for drops of blood to surface.

"Make the drops fall upon the bone," Hrafen instructed next and held the bone out for her.

Seven drops fell on the bone before she couldn't squeeze any more out of her finger. Hrafen then let the bone lie flat in his hand. After a second, blue light shone from Hrafen's hand around the bone, and Saga watched as her own blood moved. It went from being wherever it had landed to fill the pattern she had carved until every line was. The light from Hrafen then dimmed, until it went out completely. The red from the blood remained in the pattern, however.

"All done. To send your magic into it, simply have the stone in contact with your skin—doesn't matter what part of your body so you can make it into a necklace and always have it resting against your chest—and concentrate on the pattern," Hrafen explained and held the bone out to her.

She took it and let her eyes follow the pattern as she held the bone, concentrated on it. The red in the pattern brightened, and Saga felt the bone warm in her hand. It stayed as such for a second before both the light and the heat disappeared, and the bone became dormant again.

"Exactly like that. And now that I've made you the stone, please don't bother me more as I am very busy with important things," Hrafen waved her away.

She closed her hand on the stone and stood.

"Thank you, Hrafen," she said before she left, and she thought she saw the mage's lips tug upwards ever so slightly.