Stay

You check on your men. All have eaten and are accounted for. It's probably not best to dilly-dally. It probably won't do if you arrive late and keep Duchess Eliza waiting. "I think we'll-"

Hermann interrupts abruptly, "Before you answer that, why don't you go have a walk around the town?" You raise an eyebrow. "It would be good if you give the old town a visit." He nudges at you.

You roll your eyes at your granduncle's urging. "Oh all right. I don't see what's the harm."

"My King," Otto steps forward together with four more men, "we shall accompany you."

"NO!" Hermann snaps at them.

"'No'?" Otto is justifiably skeptical of the old monk's attempt of preventing them from guarding their king. "Pray tell why not, monk?" He demanded.

"I assure you. The King will be fine. No harm shall come to him." Hermann stammers to say.

Otto looks beyond Hermann to you. The lieutenant keeps quite but his eyes are asking for your orders. You aren't quite sure why Hermann is so insistent that you go alone but you trust him and his judgement. "Stay here. That's an order." You command your soldiers. "Otto, I leave the men to you. Keep them out of trouble."

Otto and the rest bow slightly. "It will be as you command, my King."

You make your way out of the monastery. You barely get past the gate and you already see someone, a woman in her late thirties. Short blonde hair falls past her shoulders and shrouds her green eyes. She wears clothes of a woman of common birth. Of course she would, as she is one of the townsfolk. She lacks the beauty that a wealthy lifestyle would have provided. Years of hard work has not been kind to her. Her hands rather than smooth and soft, are calloused from toiling the field. Just as you had done while you were here. But that didn't mean she was unattractive. Her eyes widen as she sees you. "Is it... is it truly you? You've returned?" She walks closer to you, almost losing her grip on the basket of fruits she is carrying.

"Hello, Lucinda" You greet her. She immediately drops her basket, not at all caring if the fruits spilled out, and hugs you. Your head is **** down between her breasts. You slowly wrap your arms around her. You are stunned by her actions and even more so when you hear her sob. "We did not think we would see you again." You gently push her away.

Before you can say anything, she takes you by your hand, taking great care to intertwine her fingers with your own and hastily leads you to the town's center. There you find to be full of people. But it is not the normal assortment of random townspeople, it is exclusively women. The day before it was practically deserted, but now it is crowded. "WOMEN OF OUR TOWN!" Lucinda loudly declares, catching the attention of all the women present. "Our young hero who has become a King has come back to us!"

Some women approach you. Lucinda's hand still intertwined with yours. One of them draws much closer than the rest. She resembled Lucinda in some way. Same blonde hair and green eyes although her hair is longer; it reaches down her mid-back. The key difference was simply age. She was younger, no older than you are. "Wanda, hello." She doesn't respond. She starts to caress your face with both hands and tears start to form in her eyes. 'Wow, didn't think she'd miss me this much that quickly!' you think.

Seeing this, one of the women ordered, "Inform the others now! Now we can start!"

Wanda whispers you name. The affection in her voice was not lost to you. With your head still in her hands, she quickly leans in for an impromptu kiss.