Saga slept until quite late in the morning. Partly because her body needed rest still, but also because she had woken up and not found any reason to get out of bed.

Sure, she could have found her way down for breakfast, and Kai would have probably been waiting there for her, like he had since Viggo had left. But everything felt complicated with Kai, and their last conversation had definitely made it even more complicated.

She could have found Astrid to ask for a lesson, but Saga acknowledged that wouldn't be the best in her current condition. As Hrafen had told her, she shouldn't overexert her body for some time.

Her third option would have been to bother Hrafen, to have him explain some medical thing or something else he thought she ought to know. But that was the most impossible thing of it all. She had cut that friendship down, and she knew she had done it for good reasons. The mage was getting too close, figuring out far too much. In the long-run, it was better if they had as little contact as possible. Though that morning, Saga wished she still could consider him a friend.

But with nothing to do, she had rolled over when she had woken up and continued to sleep.

It wasn't until noon that she got out of bed. To her surprise, she wasn't alone in the room. By the fireplace, one of the maids sat with a straight back and eyes on Saga. The stare was so intense, keeping her eyes on Saga seemed like a matter of life and death.

"Are you hungry, Lady Saga?" the maid asked, but before Saga could nod, the maid stood and pulled the string in the room. "Erna will be here with some food shortly, milady."

Saga frowned, but thanked the maid.

She assumed she would be left alone. That maybe she had been there to ensure Saga's condition didn't worsen while she slept. But the maid remained standing by the door, showing no inclination to leave. It deepened Saga's frown and made her uncertain about what to do and how to act.

It was a relief when Erna came with the food. The older woman dismissed the maid and put the food out for Saga by the table.

"Why was she here?" Saga asked as she sat down.

"The Lord does not want the Lady to be left alone," Erna answered, though only one part of the meaning of her words registered for Saga.

She jumped up from her chair again. "Viggo has returned?"

"Yes. He arrived in the middle of the night."

"Where is he?"

"He's asked for his food to be brought to his office."

All thoughts of eating herself disappeared from Saga. She grabbed a cloak from the wardrobe instead and draped it over her nightgown.

"Where is the Lady heading? Should she not eat?" Erna asked, her eyes travelling between Saga and the food.

"I want to see Viggo," Saga answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, which to her it was. She had missed him tremendously, and the idea of being close to him again, to be surrounded by his comforting presence, felt like just what she needed. With everything feeling complicated with Kai, with how she had yelled at Hrafen, to be engulfed in Viggo's stability, to have his care chase away everything bad again felt like the perfect antidote.

"I think the Lady ought to eat first. And get properly dressed," Erna said, but Saga was already out the door.

She ran through the castle, her steps feeling lighter than they had since Viggo had left. With a wide smile, which she felt certain wouldn't leave her all day on her lips.

When she reached the closed door, she knocked. He opened, looking like he always did. As tall as ever, as muscular as ever. Two things which Saga had found intimidating when they had first met, but which she now associated with security.

She flung her arms around him. Hugged him as tightly as she could. Breathed in his scent of nature and let all fears and worries disappear from her body, for Viggo was there; he was back home. Even if something bad were to happen, he was now there and could comfort her.

"I've missed you," she mumbled. "I'm so glad you're back."

His arms went around her, and she expected a softly murmured, "I've missed you too". But those were not the words she received. And his voice was not like a warm fire, but more like an icy lake.

"What are you doing running through the castle dressed in far too little?"

The question made Saga's hold on Viggo lessen a bit, but she remained in his embrace. "I just wanted to see you."

"Did you eat?"

She let go and took half a step back to look at him. His eyes were much harder than usual, hard in a way she couldn't remember him ever having looked at her. It made her question her own decision, think she had acted foolishly and impulsively. But she waved the thoughts away. He would understand she had been excited about seeing him. The hardness in his eyes and iciness in his voice had to be because of tiredness or similar.

"No. As soon as Erna said you were back, I came here."

Viggo's eyes drifted away from her to look over her shoulders.

"I said to ensure she ate as soon as she woke up," he said. If possible, his voice became even colder. Enough so some of it seeped in through Saga's skin, making her shudder. An action Viggo caught. "And how can you let her leave the bedroom dressed like this?"

"I apologise, Lord Viggo. I won't let it happen again," Erna said from behind Saga.

"I'm fine, Viggo. I'm not cold," Saga pointed out, and though it had been true moments ago, it wasn't anymore. Her body froze more and more for each passing second.

"You've just been injured. Poisoned even. You need to be more careful," Viggo told her before again looking over her shoulder and at Erna. "Escort her back to her room. And make her new food. The other food must be cold by now."

"Yes, milord," Erna answered him, then said to Saga, "Come now, Lady Saga. You need to eat."

But Saga didn't move. She stared at Viggo, who continued to look over her shoulder. "They do not need to make me new food. And I... I just want... I want to spend time with you."

Tears prickled her eyes, but she blinked them away.

Something was very wrong, or it was at least not at all how she had imagined. Viggo's behaviour was much more distant and dismissive than she would have dreamt of. He hadn't even been that distant their first night as married.

It was all the opposite of the joy she had thought he would express over seeing her again. So much the opposite, she even wondered if it really was her husband standing before her.

"I'll join you later, and we can spend time together, then," Viggo answered, but his voice was still far too cold.

"But can't I eat here with you?"

"You are dressed in far too little and should return to the bedroom before you catch a cold."

"But don't you have..."

His fist went out and struck the doorframe. Saga jumped back a couple of steps, her breath hitched, and the coldness in her was complete, for it was not her husband standing before her. No, the man glaring at her with eyes filled with ice reminded her more of her father than her husband.

"Damn it, Saga! Do you ever listen?" he shouted at her. "Well, I know you don't. You promised to keep yourself safe while I was away, but it seems you forgot that straight away."

"I..." Saga's voice trembled as much as her body. "I'm sorry."

"But it seems you've been keeping a lot of things from me," Viggo went on with a scoff. "Were you ever planning on telling me about your lessons with Astrid?"

Saga bent her head, unable to meet Viggo's cold eyes anymore as her body racked with guilt. As something broke inside of her.

"Why would you even train? Do you not think we can protect you well enough?"

She shook her head to the floor. Then said in a whisper, "No, that's not it. I just wanted to learn."

"For what? To almost get yourself killed?" he yelled. The words landed harder than a belt on Saga. "You are continuing to act foolish over and over. And I will not have you do that anymore. So you are to return to the bedroom, eat your damn food, then rest. A maid will be with you at all times to ensure you don't get any stupid ideas of things to do."

She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what she felt. So she nodded to the floor and let Erna lead her back to the bedroom.

"I wish to be alone," she said when Erna had closed the door on the both of them. But the older woman shook her head, with pain visible in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, milady, but you heard the Lord. He has ordered us to never leave you alone."

"But I wish to be alone," Saga repeated in a mere whisper.

"I am sorry," Erna answered the same as before, in a broken voice.

The tears fell from Saga's eyes, and Erna was quickly by her side, pulling her in for a hug.

"There now, the Lord is simply upset about what happened while he was gone. You can talk to him when he has calmed down," Erna tried to comfort Saga, but she found no comfort in the words. For she wanted her husband's comfort, the one she had got to know before he had left, and not whatever he had turned into upon his return.