meaningful. It was not easy to find that place at night, but the moon was shining brightly, and the girl listened intently, hoping to hear the familiar murmur of the streamlet. But instead, she heard the quiet hooffoot, which was getting closer, surrendering to the drumming in her head, causing her to stumble to run through without dismantling the road.

- Not! - she cried, when strong hands grabbed her around the waist and pulled on the horse, who had sobbed from the increased weight, - Do not touch me! - She pounded her fists tightly clutching her hands, - Release!

“Quiet,” a familiar voice said calmly over her ear, instantly causing her to stop struggling.

Alessia, surrendering, relaxed in the hands of a man. The horse from the gallop gradually moved to a quiet step and walked slowly, taking them to their enchanted place.

On the edge of the cliff, the horse stopped. Radovan easily jumped off, pulling it behind him. Then, firmly grasping his hand, began to descend to the water. Alessia trembled with a great shiver, not knowing what to say and being afraid to break this truce between them. Radovan embraced her as if wrapping her in his body with a large blanket, offering support and protection, which he so scornfully refused several hours earlier. The girl wanted to break free, but he only pulled her closer to him and buried his face in the silk of her hair. Unable to endure this sudden tenderness, the girl began to cry.

- You ... you ... you - this is it! - sobbing, she accused, - you are a murderer, conqueror, enslaved us !!! Shouted Alessia. The words, once burst from her mouth, no longer seemed insane - everything fell into place. Without knowing it, she attracted the attention of the Great Assassin herself.

“Hush, everything is fine, I am I, I have not changed, I am still the same Radovan as I was,” he tried to calm her down.

- No, you lied to me! - the girl struggled in horror, feeling like wine with an iron hand squeezes her heart. She betrayed her family, her people, wanting the attention of the tyrant who destroyed them.

“I did not lie,” he calmly admonished her, “my name is Tigran Radovan Adalard.” Tigran is the hereditary name of my family, and only a few of my relatives call Radovan.

- It does not matter! You, on your order, plundered my village, because of you my father and brothers died, your people sold my brothers and sister into slavery. You are a ruthless monster!

“I am who I am,” he answered in no way embarrassed, “my people have always been bellicose, this is the law of life — the strong defeats the weak.” If it were not for me, someone else would enslave you, but I don’t need enemy bastions so close to my borders!

Alessia, shocked by his words, crushed by her own helplessness, could only weep, blaming fate for what had happened to her. And the worst thing - she herself is to blame. Radovan stood silently, giving her the opportunity to get used to him. Feeling that the tears did not subside, he picked her up in his arms and, like he was in clothes, began to go down into the water with her. Water, icy compared with the hot summer night, burned the girl.

- What are you doing? Stop it! - she clung tightly to his neck.

“Everything will be fine, Ma Khaz, my joy, trust me,” he asked, “didn’t you want to get a powerful person as your patron?” - he teased.

“No,” the girl burst into even more tears, broken by his reminder of her plans, “I wanted you, not him,” she uttered through sobs.

“I am he,” the man whispered, coaxing.

In his embrace, Alessia was warm and cozy, it was so easy to succumb to his hoarse voice and forget about who he is. Here and now they were just a man and a woman, and she knew that he wanted her.

When his lips began to cover her cheek with tender, tender kisses, she no longer had the strength to resist. He did not hurry, allowing the water to caress their bodies, gentle streams, tickling them under clothing.The kisses were light and unobtrusive, like a breath of breeze on the skin flushed with tears.

- Do not worry, - he whispered, - I will not touch you. “From these familiar words, the words of her lord Rado, when she first believed him, the girl's head aches and young blood boils, calling for herself.”

When he let her body slide down and stand up to the chest in the water, clinging to him, the girl only gasped. He still hugged her tightly by the shoulders, but did not press his whole body, not wanting to scare her. His hands slowly slid over her shoulders, caressing through clothes, fingers intertwined with her slender fingers. When she looked up at him full of agony, wanting to look into her eyes, she saw only a sea of ​​tenderness and anguish desire in them. From his kiss dizzy, and goosebumps ran through the body.

Taking her shaking by the chill, he again picked her up and went ashore, then, as if she were a fluffy, he easily climbed up the slope. Alessia understood that they were leaving and she was sorry that the tale was coming to an end. It is time to return to reality, where he is a formidable conqueror, and she is a simple, powerless slave.

Wrapping her in a cape pulled out of her saddlebag, Radovan arranged it in the saddle and jumped up behind him.

- Do you understand what will happen now? He asked quietly.

She only sighed, bowing her head.

- I accept your offer. And I promise protection in exchange for loyalty.

“Yes ... but ..." the girl began to speak in embarrassment.

“And the day will come when you will share my bed, but it will not be here and today.”

Alessia lowered herself: - Am I so ugly?

Radovan from her words unexpectedly burst into merry, boyish laughter:

“Never heard a more ridiculous statement.” Can fairies not be beautiful? He asked sincerely.

“I'm not a fairy,” the girl replied, wincing at his mockery, “I'm just a peasant girl and your maid.”

“This is so, I am glad that you understand your position, but this does not change the essence of the matter - you are my fairy,” he said confidently.

Alessia decided not to develop the topic further. When they reached the camp, the girl noticed with alarm that they did not stop near her carriage.

- Where are we? She asked in a whisper.

“How are you going to serve me, being so far away from me,” he teased, “of course, to me.”

- But the foal? How is he without me? - frightened startled girl.

- Do not worry, he has long been there.

Indeed, the foal was already waiting near the rich commander's tent, next to him, sitting on the ground, sleepily kimaliel Sepp. When the master approached, he jumped up and became confused. Radovan only dismissed it, letting him go along with the Black Wind.

- Where can I lie? - confusedly asked Alessia, glancing at the rug from the skins in the hallway of his tent.

- You will sleep with me, it is not discussed! - He added, noticing her indecision.

“But the foal ...” she began to explain, biting her lips, “he often wakes up, he must be fed ...”

“Nothing, it won't hurt me,” assured Radovan.

Passing her inside, he gently pushed her toward the large low box, and he lay down beside him, as he was not undressing, just laid a big hand on her and quickly fell asleep.

Alessia lay for a long time, not closing her eyes, trying to understand what had happened. There was so much at heart that it was difficult to single out what she really feels ... Despite the pain from realizing who he was, her soul was filled with hope that everything might not be so bad, with her he never was not cruel.

- My lord Rado, are you sleeping? She whispered.

- Mmmm? He moaned.

“I figured out what to call a foal ... I’ll call him Spikelet,” she said softly.

He just purred enough and pulled her closer to him.

Maybe for this land, as for them with a foal, there is still hope?