“Are you enjoying yourself Alde?” Alexander asked. He thought that Alde was more beautiful than ever. There was an eagerness and sweetness in her face, a face that otherwise had a tendency to look a bit too sharp. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. He realized that he hadn’t really given her a fair chance.

“This feast has overtrumped all my expectations. I told your father, his Majesty the King, that I’m very honored by all his efforts for our wedding. Can you believe that we finally will be husband and wife tomorrow? We must travel to visit my father soon after the wedding, don’t you think?”

“I look very much forward to meet King Knut and your brothers.” He didn’t add that after all the most important purpose of their wedding was to tighten the bands between the two kingdoms.

He took her hands in his. They were small and soft with long slender fingers and he realized that he had barely touched Alde at all during the time that they had spent together. They had never been alone of course, but except for courteous and gentle kisses on her hand he had never touched her. He could feel that she smelled like roses when they were standing close to each other.

“I must not keep you all to myself tonight,” Alde said. “There are so many people here who want a word with you and we will have plenty of time to talk after tomorrow”.

He saw her wander off to a group of Ladies who were delighted to have her attention. Alde was the center of the hall and was obviously enjoying herself. Wherever she went eyes were following her and she seemed to charm everyone.


As Alexander followed Alde with his eyes, thinking that he should be proud to have such a wife, a well known feeling overwhelmed him. It was a very strong feeling of someone watching him. But he knew that if he turned around no one would be there because this had happened once or twice a day for some time now. Of course there would be people watching him in this room but not with that intense stare that he felt touching his very brain. Maybe he was turning mad after all.


Before he had regained control over his own mind he almost fell forward as Erik patted him hard on the shoulder.

“Hi, there little prince, you look pale and tense. Are you nervous about tomorrow? Would you mind if I speak with Princess Alde for a while?”

“Of course not,” Alexander replied, still confused by the feeling of being watched and by almost losing his balance.

“She has charmed all the nobility I believe,” Erik continued. “That girl was born to become queen.”


Erik strolled off to speak with Alde and Alde’s giggles were soon mixed with Erik’s loud laughter. Erik was very much like Alde, Alexander thought, he filled a room with his presence. It was good, Alexander thought, that Alde and Erik seemed to get along so well together. Maybe she could help to unite their families.


Alexander said good night. He had already stayed longer than he was expected. After all, tomorrow was his wedding but he knew that he would probably not be able to fall asleep anyway. Alde had already left with her entourage a long time ago and it was obvious that the party was not the same without her presence. She was like a light that the other guests cirkled around, eager to have her attention. He could hear giggles from different corners of the castle mixed with the music coming from the great hall. Some young couples had obviosly been able to sneak away from their guardians he thought with a smile.


Alexander passed Alde’s door in the long corridor as he went to his room. This was the last night that he would not be alone in his bed and he didn’t really know if that was good or bad. Although Alde had been like a light in the center of the party he had not been able to avoid thinking about Aliendre. It felt like he had a hole inside. He opened the door and entered his empty room.


He couldn’t sleep and it wasn’t because he was thinking about the wedding. As soon as he closed his eyes he could see Aliendre’s face and he felt so empty that it hurt. Suddenly he jumped out of his bed. There had been a strange sound in the corridor outside his room. A sound that he couldn’t really identify, some kind of buzzing that he had never heard before.

He opened the door and went out in the corridor just to find a cat with a mouse in its mouth. He breathed out and realized that he must really be tense if he overreacted like this because of the cat.


But as he turned around he froze. In the end of the corridor was a slender figure with a hooded cape. He remembered the intruder that had been killed outside his room many years ago and cursed himself for not bringing the sword. The figure was small and looked like a young boy rather than a man, but it must be a really cunning boy to be able to pass all the guards. This night would of course be one of the best occasions an intruder could wish for, because there were guests everywhere and he suspected that even the guards might have sipped a little too much wine. He looked around to see if he could find something that he could use as a weapon or maybe throw at the intruder to get some time to get his sword.



“Alexander, it’s just me.” The voice was clear and soft like music. It was the voice of a woman and it sounded almost pleading. It could not be possible, indeed he was turning mad. He took step closer and saw two large wide open blue eyes looking pleadingly at him.

“It’s me, Aliendre, don’t you remember me?” She threw off the hooded cape and her long brown hair fell over her shoulders. The years had made her even more beautiful than he could remember.


“How is this possible?” He could hear his voice trembling as he didn’t really trust his eyes and ears. He closed his eyes and opened them again. She was still there.

“I couldn’t forget you Alexander, so I had to come here to see you.” she said quietly.

Still not knowing if this was real or not Alexander asked “How could you pass the guards?” He could hear his voice coming out more sharply than he had intended.

“Oh, I have shielded myself and I teleported here,” she said as if there was nothing more to it. “Are you angry that I came?” Her voice trembled and her eyes were wide.

“Aliendre I can’t believe that it’s really you. I have not thought about anything else but you lately.”


At his words her tense shoulders relaxed and she threw herself in his arms. She felt real enough. The hole in his body was gone and he was complete and happy.

“Aliendre, how could you believe that I wouldn’t remember you? How would it be possible to forget my one and only love?”

Her laughter was like sparkling water.

Reluctantly she backed slightly from his firm grip. “We must hurry, she said. They cannot see me but I don’t doubt that my father is keeping an eye on you.”

Not even her mentioning the powerful Eraldor could diminish the happiness Alexander felt.

“Yes, we must hurry,” he replied and smiled foolishly without knowing exactly what Aliendre had in mind.