[Legate of Amon Lanc]

As Saeryn heard Hilderinc's call, he saw her slowing down. With a sigh of relief, he let go and galloped – still with considerable speed, but not with such a deadly one as before – down towards her. It took only a few yards, however, until suddenly Saeryn's horse broke into a gallop again.

Hilderinc cursed under his breath, he was infuriated. Such a thing happened very rarely to him, he wasn't of the kind to get easily agitated, but this time it was so. What new devilry is this? it crossed his mind. Then he looked on top of the hill. She must have seen the incoming riders, too. At the same time, he sped up again, desperate with the effort.

He arrived to the meeting point only shortly after Saeryn. Now he felt stupid. Eodwine and Saeryn were greeting each other, as if nothing special was happening, as if he had ridden this terrible way without cloak with freezing hands and face for naught. Better safe than sorry, it occured to him, but it did not give too much comfort. The fact that he saw Falco riding by Eodwine's side did not add much to his happiness. For some reason, even now the sight of the holbytla seemed instinctively somewhat like an ill omen to him, even though consciously maybe he got to know Falco as rather normal fellow.

As Hilderinc was trying to catch his breath – he felt almost as exhausted as his horse must have felt - he looked at Eodwine with curiosity. So this is the man for whom there's been all the trouble, he thought, remembering all the things that have happened during the previous month, grumbling of Athanar's soldiers about having to move to the middle of nowhere, the clashes between them and over-loyal old Scarburgians and the worries about his illness he had heard from them. Eodwine looked to him like a charismatic type, even though the traces of his illness were still visible in his face; his movements were somewhat weary. Now that Hilderinc was thinking about it, Eodwine seemed vaguely familiar to him – it wasn't unimaginable that he could have seen him somewhere during the years of his service.

There was another rider coming with Eodwine and Falco, and when Hilderinc saw her, he immediately straightened himself in the saddle. It was a young and rather beautiful woman, even though wrapped in a traveling cloak, and Hilderinc caught himself smoothing his ruffled hair. He had no time to further improve his appearance, however, since suddenly Eodwine started slipping from his saddle. Faster than he thought he would be able to, Hilderinc spurred his horse to get to Saeryn's side, even though his heart again almost stopped at the sight of her catching her falling husband.

"Hilderinc, held lord Eodwine back on his horse. Ride behind him to keep him steady. I will take your horse back with mine."

Hilderinc was once again infuriated at the words. As if she was the one to talk about riding in hazardous conditions. However, he did as he was commanded, and he did not let face show any emotion. Feeling the looks of everyone at himself, including the other woman, he acted as if it took him no effort to help Eodwine to the saddle, and then he mounted as well.

"Only you should not have ridden here in your condition, my lady," he spoke towards Saeryn as he had positioned himself on the horse. "Lord Athanar was worried about you. Now you saw that your husband is not well, perhaps you should also be careful when getting back to the Hall." A thought even crossed his mind about asking Saeryn to wait there until he would bring Eodwine to the Hall and then return for her possibly with someone or even with a cart so that she does not have to ride, but it was obvious to him after what he saw that she won't just wait. So he remained silent and only cast a beseeching look at Falco, hoping that if something happened, the holbytla will see to Saeryn not doing anything stupid. In any case, now Hilderinc intended to ride back slowly, despite the biting cold, and thus force also Saeryn to ride slowly, as he hoped that she would want to remain close to her husband.

And so I seem to have found myself with a bunch of people who should, above all, have rest. Both her and him, it seems, he thought. And then a very, very old memory sprang to his mind: Lovers can be driven to do the most irrational things. He chased the thought away.