‘Be gone!’ he whispers, batting me lightly with one hand while pushing himself up with the other. A way off, on the other side of the curtains, I hear one of the dogs stir upon hearing his master’s voice. I must do something to make him understand, to make him see me, but what? A giddiness is swamping me now, my limbs losing their wild strength. Soon I shall succumb to my injury. I open my mouth, but as I am I cannot speak. There is only one path left to me. I pray my actions will not be too slow. I dare not leave the prince’s side, for his dogs would surely find me now. Quickly, I stretch out beside him. He is too bemused and too sleepy to react roughly, and before he has time to push me from my place I close my gimlet eyes and let myself fall backward, away from this furry form, back to my true self. I am in darkness as my shape shifts once again, so that I am not able to witness the astonishment on my prince’s face as he watches the small woodland animal at his side quiver, fade, and pulsate as it dissolves and then, miraculously, reforms.

‘Seren!’ I hear him gasp. And then I feel him take me in his strong arms as the agony returns to my head and I slide back into oblivion.

*   *   *

The first of my senses to return to me as I wake is that of smell. Woodsmoke. Boughs of oak, hot and slightly bitter, with some green hazel, hastily gathered and hissing as it burns. Beyond this I detect male sweat, both sweet and sour at once. And broth of some sort, several days old. And, oddly, lavender. Such a fragrance does not seem to fit. I try to open my eyes, but this causes me such pain, any brightness as my lifted lids allow stinging my eyes and sending a bolt of heat through my head. I remember now my injury, and attempt to raise a hand to examine the wound. My limbs are leaden, my movements clumsy. The effort of such a small activity causes me to cough, spluttering at the dryness in my throat, the fire smoke irritating me further as I gulp air.

Suddenly there is someone leaning over me, grasping my wrists, preventing me from moving! I hear mumbled words and am unable to discern their meaning. I struggle, but am weak as a newborn lamb. My eyes, painful or not, spring open. A man kneels beside where I lie, holding me fast, determined I should neither raise myself up nor wriggle away from him. He speaks more loudly.

‘Be at ease, woman. You are safe. All is well,’ he says.