They slept two more nights in the forest before they came to a town again. During those last days in the forest, Saga once again sat with the knights when it was time for food. She still didn't know how to interact with them though, and they seemed to stay clear of her. Except for the squire who happily took the seat next to her, and who had introduced her to a friend of his, another squire named Evind. The mage also struck up conversations with her, and if Kai's presence made her feel lighter, then the mage's continued to make her feel unsettled.

Viggo was never far away when Hrafen tried talking to her, however. He would insert himself into the conversations and glower at the other man when he was acting imprudent.

"We aren't far from Sinkbek," Viggo told her as she got out of the carriage and entered the bustling town they had arrived at. "But it's a bit too far with the little light we have left, so we'll rest here for tonight, and then tomorrow we'll arrive at home."

Home. Saga had never felt any particular way about that word. Her home had always felt more like a prison. But the prospect of reaching Viggo's home, her new home, made a small beacon shine in her.

"There is a market," Viggo went on to tell her. "We need to get you new things, so would you like to see if you can find anything to your taste?"

A blush spread over her checks. "But I don't have any..."

"Saga," Viggo interrupted her. "We are married. My money is your money."

Her cheeks warmed even more as she lowered her head automatically.

Viggo extended his arm for her to take. "Just stay close to me."

She wrapped her arm around his, and together they went toward the market. It was full of different stalls with various goods. Jewelry, fabrics, clothing, weapons, even a few which sold foods, and some which sold monster parts. The whole place swarmed with people, and Saga pressed herself closer to Viggo. The foods filled the air with clashing scents, and the sound of people haggling came from everywhere.

"What do you want to look at first?" Viggo asked, looking at her with gentleness and encouragement.

Saga's eyes swept over the place. There was so much, and she had no idea where to start.

Likely sensing her uncertainty, Viggo steered her to the closest stall. It had various hats and ribbons.

"Oh, what a beautiful lady!" the stall owner exclaimed. "Such a rare beauty deserves only the best, so it's a good thing you came here. That hair of yours would look exceptional with one of my ribbons braided into it."

The stall owner waved at a wall on which ribbons of all different colours hung. Saga looked them over. All of them were pretty, and her eyes found no rest.

"Is there any particular colour the Lady likes?" the stall owner went on to ask.

"I... No," Saga admitted and shrunk back a bit.

"Ah, well, doesn't matter, any colour would look beautiful on you."

A lump began to build in her throat, and she turned her gaze to Viggo, silently pleading with him to take her away from there.

"We got lots more to see," he said, and pulled her from the stall.

"I'll be hoping for you to return," the owner said as they left.

The interactions were the same at every stall. They would compliment her appearance followed by showcasing something they thought she should have. And every interaction made the lump in her throat thicken. Made her feel more and more overwhelmed by it all.

She wasn't beautiful, after all. She wasn't worthy of any of the beautiful things they displayed for her to purchase. She wasn't worthy of the care and attentiveness Viggo showed her.

Useless and cursed was what she was. Not deserving of any type of kindness.

And everything in the market was too much. All the scents confused her; made her head ache. People would brush by, and every time someone accidentally touched her, she felt phantom pain on her back. The sounds grew in volume to the point that she wanted to clasp her hands over her ears.

It made her fingers heat, though it had never done it before. The only times it had, had been when real danger had been present. That wasn't the case now. Logically she knew she was safe, and that the overwhelm she felt was nothing more than that. But still the heat in her fingers grew, and it made it impossible for her to concentrate on anything other than keeping it away.

When they had walked through most of the market, Viggo steered her away from the crowd, and Saga felt as if she could breathe again. Being away from the crowd removed the different types of ache in her, and the heat in her fingers retreated as she gained space to move in without being bumped into.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her when they were walking along the road back to the town's inn.

"Yes," she answered and forced a smile on her lips. "Just a bit overwhelming."

He gave her a look, which felt as if he could see into the deepest parts of her. She averted her gaze to the side, pretended to study a few of the wooden houses there.

"You can tell me if there's something more." His voice was low and soft. It made the lump in her throat grow even more.

Afraid the lump would come out in some way if she spoke, she simply nodded as an answer.

The rest of their stay at the inn was uneventful. Saga felt her insecurities threaten again as she laid in bed with Viggo next to her, and again she wondered what made him not want to touch her. If it was only that he loved someone else, and not that he found her repulsing. Wouldn't men generally still have a difficult time keeping their hands to themselves when in such close proximity to a woman even if they loved someone else? There had to be something wrong with her since he had no interest in her like that at all.

But even though her insecurities told her she should be worried about his lack of interest, a part of her was glad he held none. On their wedding night, she had been terrified about laying with him because of the potential pain. Now the thought of him touching her naked body in such a way knotted her stomach because it felt wrong. She wasn't worried about him hurting her, the thought of such intimacy with him simply didn't feel right.

They woke up with the first rays of sun the following day. When they got outside, Saga made for the carriage as usual, but Viggo took hold of her hand.

"Ride with me today. It will only be a few hours, then we will arrive, and you'll get a better first view of your new home from the back of a horse than in the carriage," he told her, and without waiting for an answer he pulled her over to a big black horse. "This here is Luna," he introduced the horse, then let go of Saga's hand to instead place it on the mare. "And this here is the girl I told you about. Saga."

The horse turned its head in her direction. It was the first time Saga was so close to a horse. She had, of course, seen plenty from a distance. Both in the stables and as her father or his knights rode them. But, though she liked animals, horses had always been intimidating to her. The sheer size of them was enough to make her cower. The strength of the muscles made her swallow, knowing she wouldn't stand a chance at holding one back.

And this horse was no different. With her black coat and pride emanating from her eyes, Saga felt very small standing next to her.

"You needn't worry," Viggo reassured her. "She might act above it all, but deep down she is a sweetheart. Try petting her."

Saga swallowed again and again, but took a deep breath and reached out. The movement halted, however, for she had no idea where to place her hand.

"Here. Best place is her shoulder." Viggo showed the spot with his own hand.

Holding her breath, Saga stepped even closer to the horse. Her hand hesitated another moment before she placed it on the spot Viggo had shown.

It was both softer and smoother than she had expected. Moving her hand over the horse, her lips tugged upwards.

"She likes you," Viggo smiled at her, but his words caused Luna to huff. The sudden sound made Saga jump back, losing her balance in the process. Viggo's arm wrapped around her, steadying her. "My apologies," he said and scowled at the horse. "She doesn't like to be called out for liking someone."

"It's... It's okay," Saga mumbled and looked away from the horse, who now seemed to glare at her.

"Come now. Let me lift you up." With ease Viggo lifted her to sit on top of the horse, then got on behind her himself. He wrapped an arm around her to hold her steady against him. Then he turned back to the rest. "Let's ride home!"

Behind them the knights cheered as they set off. It went much faster than riding in the carriage had, and Saga knew that if Viggo hadn't been pressing her to him, she would have fallen off.

She wasn't sure what she preferred. Riding in the carriage had been uncomfortable in some ways; the wooden bench was hard to sit on, and bumps in the road made her bounce. But it had been much less bouncing than riding on a horse. Though she had to admit it was nice to see the nature passing them by and feel the wind caused by the speed.

"You can relax," Viggo said behind her. "I'll make sure you won't fall. I'll have to teach you how to ride some other day, however."

It became easier and easier for her to relax as she watched the surroundings. The lush green and fresh scent of nature filled her completely. The only thing which could have made it more serene would have been if she could hear the forest over the hooves over the earth.

When Saga had completely got into the rhythm of the riding, the forest cleared, and Viggo pulled lightly on the reins, causing Luna to come to a stop.

They were up on a hill, and down below, Saga could see a town with a high wall on three sides of it and a mountain behind. Close to the mountain was a castle of grey rocks. It was rather long in shape and lower than her father's estate. But on one side a tall tower rose, which looked to compete with the mountain about how close to the sky it could reach. The castle looked a bit haunting, but only in a way which made it eerily beautiful.

"Sinkbek," Viggo announced behind her, and Saga didn't need to turn to know he looked at the place in pride. It was evident from his voice. "Home. I know it's not as grand as what you're used to, but I hope you will find it comfortable enough."

"It's beautiful," Saga answered in all honesty. A wide smile spread over her lips. "And I'm sure I'll like it very much."

She twisted herself around to meet Viggo's gaze. As she did, he smiled back at her and what looked like a quiet adoration entered his eyes.