But she was not a dreamer. She did not anticipate excitement around every corner. She did not rush out to meet life, like her daughter.

Christophe, on the other hand, had been four when Ilsa was lost to him. He was now eight, almost nine.

He remembered her. Those memories were elusive due to his age but he’d carried a locket with his mother’s tiny portrait in it since he’d found it on Apollo’s dresser when he was five.

He was never without it.

He was also not excited to meet Ilsa. He tried to hide it from his father and sister.

But he failed.

This concerned Apollo but he intended to have a word with Achilles about it.

Achilles would keep an eye on things.

On this thought, the door opened and Ilsa moved into the room.

Apollo clenched his teeth and braced inwardly at the sight of her.

She looked exactly like his wife. She sounded like her. She even smelled like her.

But she didn’t move like her. Not her gait. Not a tilt of her head. Not a movement of her hands.

Nothing.

Her eyes came to him and those eyes were not his beauty’s eyes.

His Ilsa had lived a life full of abundance and serenity. When she was a child, she broke her toe, but that was the biggest difficulty she faced until she faced the difficulty that ended her days on this earth. They met young, fell in love young and married young. They had a marriage full of promise and passion, laughter and contentment. His Ilsa had a good life from her first breath, but not to the last one.

No, six months she suffered from her illness. Actually longer, though they didn’t catch it at first.

Then she took her last breath and that breath, as had the ones before it for months, had been pained.

But this Ilsa, what lurked behind her eyes was so deep he could mine it for centuries and never get to the bottom of it.

He also didn’t know, if he made that effort, if he would find riches…or despair.

What he knew, what he’d come to understand in their brief time together, and what he must guard against was the overwhelming desire he felt to find a shovel and start digging.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” she said, taking him from his contemplations and he knew by her expression she might not know his exact thoughts, but she suspected they were of her twin.

She was right as well as wrong.

There was also pain in her eyes, perhaps for her, perhaps for him, maybe even both. Further, there was sorrow, and that was probably for him.

But she also looked angry.

And that was a surprise.

“I didn’t know you would be here so fast,” she carried on. “I had something to eat, some wine and a bath. If I’d have known, I would have delayed the bath.”

He most assuredly did not need her talking about having a bath. It brought thoughts of her pressing close to him when she was in his arms in his bed in Fleuridia and when she did that, she’d been fully clothed in her world’s garments. Thoughts of that, and worse, thoughts of her naked, were thoughts he did not need.

Therefore to end them, he stated, “I should have given you some time to refresh yourself. But now we’re both here, we should proceed.”

She nodded, took a step into the room and began talking.

And when she did, Apollo couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’re right. We should proceed so we can move on. And I’d like to start by thanking you for the guard and the clothes and, well…everything.”

“It’s my duty to—” he started but she spoke over him.

“And I’ll ask that you allow me to keep them when I leave.”

He blinked. Slowly.

She carried on.

“I’ll also ask for a loan. A small one and I’ll leave it up to you how much it is because you’ll know better than me how much it should be to get me to where I need to go so I can do what I need to do. But it’ll need to be enough to get me back to the Vale, maybe Fleuridia, and help me to get set up.”

She lifted a hand and quickly continued.

“I want to assure you that it’s pretty obvious in your world you’ve got a wad, or about seven of them, of cash, but still, I’m not taking advantage. I’ll keep track, and when I have a job, I’ll start to pay you back.”

“When you have a job?” Apollo repeated her words in a question because he was not sure of every word she’d said, but he thought he was sure of her meaning.

He just couldn’t believe it.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“A job in Fleuridia or the Vale,” he stated.

“Yes. It’s pretty here but it’s also pretty cold and, uh…well, kind of close to you,” she replied.

Apollo said nothing.

But he felt a number of things and none of them were good.

“I’d actually like to be on my way tonight,” she informed him. “Is that too much of a rush for you? To get me a loan, I mean. That is, if you agree to the loan. If you don’t, I understand. I’ll ask Achilles. Or Derrik.”

He had something to say to that.

“You’ll not be seeing Derrik for some time,” Apollo declared and watched her head give a small jerk.

“Sorry?” she asked.

“You and Derrik will not be in each other’s company for some time,” he stated.

“Um…I…well, I know. As I said, I’m going, like, tonight. And I’m not good at good-byes so if I could ask one more thing of you and that is for you to tell all the guys I said adieu and thank them”—she put her hand to her chest— “from the bottom of my heart for being so cool, I’d appreciate it.” Her head twitched again and she clarified. “I mean, I won’t see Derrik again unless I have to ask him for money. After that, I probably won’t see him at all.”

She said this and she didn’t like saying it. There were many ways she was surprising him but that message was clear.

She would miss the men, and specifically Derrik.

Apollo felt his skin start to prickle again.

“You won’t see him again not because you’re leaving to go somewhere to get set up.” he said, attempting to keep the annoyance out of his tone. “You won’t see him again because I’m not allowing it.”

Her back shot straight and she whispered, “You won’t allow it?”

“No,” he replied.

“But—”

“You’ll also not be going anywhere but Karsvall.”

“I—”

“And you’ll not be working at all. An Ulfr woman does not work.”