Darkness…..That's what she sees.
Pain … That's what she feels.
Is this the end ?..... That's what she thinks.
Ilona is in the carriage. Grey covers her with a blanket and looks at her with worry. Putting his forehead on hers he whispers a blessing.
The girl didn't give any signs of waking up for the past few days. Her face is paler and her eyes are still closed. The wounds on her back are not healing and her body is hot. A fever is upon her.
"Take care of him Lily …" Grey hugs the little lady who is having a sad face. She hugs him tight and a tear falls unnoticed. She still thinks that Ilona is a boy.
"What if …he is not going to ..be fine?" Her voice gives away her worry. Her almond-shaped eyes are staring at Ilona who is lying in the carriage. Then she looks at Grey.
"He will be fine. The doctor will take care of him." The man lifts Lily and puts her in the carriage. She leans on the edge and waves a little to Grey. The carriage is moving as the soldier whips the horse.
Grey stares in the distance as the carriage enters the forest. A soldier comes to him.
"Capitan, the troops from the enemy kingdom are dead. What should we do now?" Grey looks at the village behind him and sees the fire rising from few houses, the corpses on the ground and his soldiers eating around a fireplace.
  For the past few days, they struggled to fight against the enemy, and they won. Grey knows that Ilona killed at least half of the troops alone. If she wasn't with them, the enemy would have won easily.
"We kill the villagers." His frown is visible as he glances at the soldier.
The soldier is gulping and remembers why were they here in the first place. The victory made them forget their purpose. The commander's orders were clear, "Kill the villagers and the enemy alike."
"Yes, sir." The soldier leaves to inform everyone. Grey sighs and looks again towards the forest.
....
The path is stoney. The carriage is slowing down.
Lily looks at the redhead constantly. Ilona's face is having a blush as the temperature grows. Lily checks her forehead.
"Stop! Stop the carriage!" The little girl scares the soldier with her screams. She jumps down and runs to the river that accompanies the path they are going on. She rips a part of her dress and soaks it in the cold water.
The soldier understands why Lily yelled. He looks back in the carriage and sees the redhead being in a worse condition.
Lily is coming back in a hurry. The soldier gets down and helps her get in the carriage. She wraps the cloth and after brushing aside the strands of hair off the forehead, she puts the improvised cold compress.
Her hand brushes the cheek of the 'boy'. Her face saddens more as the fever is still as strong as ever.
"We need to hurry …." The soldier hears her mumble and whistles to the horse.
The forest gives them a cool shadow and Lily can't be happier. Wasn't it enough that the 'boy 'had a fever? The hot sun would have cooked the 'boy 'in his skin.
Her sighs are heard by the soldier.
"You have to calm down .." His voice is heard for the first time by Lily. She frowns and sighs again.
"You can sleep a little …. we still have a long road ahead of us. "The soldier looks behind him and sees Lily glaring at him.
Well, the sun is already setting, and sleeping in the night would be a good thing for the tired little lady. The moon shines bright and the soldier doesn't have any thoughts of camping somewhere.
"As I can be this nonchalant like you …" She mumbles shifting her glare not wanting to confront him. He was after all a soldier. A soldier who could kill her easily.
The soldier giggles and this makes the girl look at him with courage.
"I just went through more unfortunate things than you …." The soldier looks ahead and leads the horse through the pointy stones.
Lily watches his back for few minutes and can't seem to come up with a reply. He might have killed his feelings in the process of killing other people. His job might have made him this nonchalant.
"Do you still …. have parents?" Lily couldn't help but talk to the man who seemed to have stories to tell. Maybe he went through what she went through.
He looks absent at the horse that moves in his rhythm without responding for few minutes.
"I …am sorry." The girl mumbles and covers herself with a small blanket as she stays in one of the corners of the carriage.
"Don't be …You probably miss your parents. I can't relate to that though …." His voice sounds cold but a dim warmth is felt by the girl. She gathers all her courage and asks him.
"Why?" Her voice echoes in the night.
A simple question …. but a hard question for the soldier that realizes he doesn't know what to say.
Why? The question repeats in his mind over and over again. How can a little girl put such a weighty question? His mind stops.
"I don't know …. What is it like to miss someone dead? Can you tell me?" His words make Lily pity him a little. The girl wonders if not her feelings that she hated feeling were to be wanted rather than not feeling anything like the soldier.
"I cry…. I want to hug my mom …but …she died right next to me. I can't stop thinking of her …she is always in my mind…." Lily tightens the blanket around her and buries her face in it.
The soldier turns his head towards her and blinks coldly.
"I have never felt like this …. I hope you will be fine." The girl raises his face and sees the icy light that shines in his eyes. He was serious and his wish was sincere. 
"...You too …" She glances at the man and shifts her eyes to the red-head.
The soldier smiles and turns his face to the horse in front of him. No one wished him to be fine, excluding his parents. The girl made a statement he would not forget for a while.
The moon accompanies the soldier as Lily falls asleep in the warm embrace of the blanket.
The carriage is moving little by little towards the Windsor village. If only the hills and forest weren't slowing down their way! The soldier has to move the carriage day and night to arrive in two days, or else the journey could be even four days.
...…
Anise is putting some wood on the fire. The house feels empty …just her figure is moving relentlessly from the wood crate to the fireplace and so on. If Ilona was with her now, she would have someone to talk to.
It has been already three days since her sister left but she was still not used to being alone. At least when Ilona left the house back then, she had her granny stay with her. Now she was alone. As she just arrived from school, the fact that Ilona left is more evident.
"Fire, fire ….na na na …. putting the wood on fire ….la la la …." Her voice echoes as she sings randomly what she thinks. At least the house was a little noisy now. The silence makes her lonely.
Knock! Knock!
Anise stops from her strolling back and forth. She gathers her free messy hair in a bun and beats the wooden remains off her sleeve, as she carried the wood before putting it in the fire. Her steps take her to the door. With a smile on, Anise opens the door that could have been opened if the person knocked the third time.
"Good evening, Miss Anise." The boy takes off his hat and reveals his brownish hair. He looks as if he came in a hurry.
"Good evening …What's the matter? You look like you ran till here. Come inside!" Anise opens the door and leads the boy into the kitchen. She puts the teapot on the hob grate and turns to face the boy.
"I don't know if we met before …. Are you in school too?" She looks intensely trying to find a clue about the boy that she just let inside without a second thought.
"I never went to school … and we never met before. I was sent by Ilona to stay with you till she comes back. "The boy puts his elbows on the table and reaches for the cookies that caught his attention.
"You know my sister? "Anise gets closer to the table and pushes the plate towards him. She raises her eyebrows and waits to hear more details.
"I know her very well …but that's all I can tell you. "He winks as he munches on the third cookie.
"Can I ask something more personal?" Anise sits on the chair, facing him and her mannerism makes the boy stop from eating. He swallows and looks attentive at her.
Despite her messy appearance, her behavior is screaming that she went to school.
"Say it …." He is slightly curious about what she has to ask.
Anise leans forward and looks straight into his eyes with a fiery look.
"Are you her boyfriend?" The girl keeps eye contact and observes his reaction.
He leans back on his chair and sighs. "I wish ….."
Remembering that she has tea boiling, Anise rises and takes the pot. She pours in the two cups she has on the table and puts the pot on a wooden plate.
"Sorry to ask …. I am sure she is very cold towards love. "Her face is saddened as she feels sorry for her sister. It wasn't even Ilona's fault that she had that attitude. The way of life got her like that.
"Leo …" The boy stretches his hand and waits for the girl to give hers.
Anise places her hand in his "Glad to meet you, Leo."  Lifting himself over the table he kisses slightly the top of her hand.
The night is slightly more bearable now. The tea keeps them warm as they talk sitting in a room that no longer has an active fireplace.