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“I wish to be the first of those allies, Queen Elinor, to pledge my fealty and protection to you and Prince Ronan. I will be forever grateful to you for saving my life that night in the Dark Forest when I hovered so close to death at the hands of Prince Mikil.”

Again, I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “You remember everything about that night?”

“Yes.”

“Then I must ask, when you see the prince, to please not reveal the part his brother played in your injuries.”

He nods. “I understand.”

I’m more than a little taken aback by his response. “You do?”

“Yes. I know the prince and how much he cares for me and Barra. And I know exactly what he would do to the men who caused our injuries, regardless of whether one of those men was his brother or not. I'm aware of your plan to make him your king and the time-sensitive nature of that plan. I understand the last thing you need at this moment in time is the prince making his way back to Ellerban to seek justice for Barra and me.”

I shake my head. “But how can you know all these things and my plan? Only those closest to me, my most trusted Khaleeni, know I intend to make the prince my king.”

“I don't know how to explain it, Queen Elinor,” he says in a low voice, as if he himself is at a loss as to how he knows these things, “but when I was unconscious I developed an awareness. It was as if I could pick up on certain things happening around me.”

He squeezes my hand. “I apologise. I don’t mean to cause you any discomfort. Please know, I will serve you with all the honour and integrity with which I have served Prince Ronan. I pledge you my body, mind and abilities to whatever purpose you wish.”

When he mentions his body, the warmth transferring from his hand to mine turns into a molten heat and moves along my veins like a hidden promise. Silence sits between us like a gaping hole waiting to be filled, but I instinctively know he is aware of the effect his touch has upon me.

The first toll of the night bell sounds and he releases my hand. “Thank you for coming to see me, Queen Elinor, I know you must go now. The prince awaits. Please tell him I look forward to speaking with him on the morrow.”

I rise and find I am speechless. I don’t know what to say to someone who already knows my innermost secrets. I reach the door and turn to find those diamond blue eyes on me. “Goodnight,” I say in a subdued voice, unsure of the exchange that just took place and myself, “rest well.”

He doesn’t reply but gives me a contented smile as if he has achieved some task unknown to anybody but himself and as if he is the keeper of secrets yet to be revealed.

***

The final peal of the night bell sounds and I make my way along the queen’s passage to the prince. He greets me with a kiss filled with such breathtaking passion I’m soon falling into his arms with a need for him that’s so powerful it almost causes me alarm.

Sometime later, as I’m lying naked in his arms, my body sated from his touch, I tell the prince about my meeting with Aaran.

“So, he continues his speedy recovery from his injuries?” Prince Ronan asks.

“Yes,” I reply, “it’s quite remarkable. His face is practically fully healed and I can see what he looks like now.”

The prince smiles. “He's a handsome fellow, is he not?”

I'm unsure as to how to reply so I simply tell the truth. “Yes, he is most striking looking. However, if I'm being honest, I also found him a little unnerving.”

“Ah,” the prince exclaims, “his eyes?”

I look at him in surprise. “Yes, I felt as if he could see into my very soul.”

He gives a low chuckle. “If it's any consolation, you're not alone, he has that effect on most people.”

“He's so different looking to you and Barra and the other people I saw in Ellerban, is he from a different part of your realm?”

The prince pauses before replying, as if considering his response. “In truth, no-one knows where he comes from. I first came across him selling rabbits to the cooks in the castle kitchens when he was a young boy. Back then he lived in the Dark Forest, and it took me some time to discover he didn't have any family and was fending for himself. I asked the Devotees to take him in and care for him, but by this time the wildness of the forest had become part of him and they found him challenging to deal with.”

“The Devotees?” I ask.

“Yes, the Devotees of the Goddess, women who remain unmarried and without children who devote their lives to the work of the Goddess. They typically care for the elderly, the ill and those without family such as Aaran, but the longest they could ever get him to stay with them was over the winter months. However, once the frost was gone from the ground he would disappear back into the Dark Forest, only reappearing to sell rabbits or, when he was older, deer to the castle kitchens.”

“So how did he come to be one of your most trusted men?”

“When he became older, he not only sold his kills to the castle but also his expertise as a tracker and hunter. He quicklygained a formidable reputation and I asked him to join my army as one of my elite soldiers. It's a decision I take pride in to this day. He is a superb warrior, but even more than that he has instincts and insight that are second to none.”