Hi! I´m back with a new chapter. It´s short but I hope you like it. Let me know what you think. I wish you all a merry Christmas!

Translated: Cleo28

Beta: Moonjat54 (Thanks Jat)

Betsal: Thanks for your review. Yes, Lily is a strong woman but also weak.


Misunderstanding

During the entire ride back to the castle Gabriel had not spoken a word to Lily. What was she thinking when she disregarded his orders? And not only that, she had also put herself in danger. He did not understand why Samru had peacefully let her lead him, but that did not matter now. In fact Lily had ignored his instructions completely. He could not argue with her in the city, but he would rebuke her in the castle in private.

Now as they were both in a room of the castle and Gabriel looked angrily at Lily. However, her behavior caused him to pause and think. She had neither apologized nor given him an explanation. She was silent, and Gabriel could see from her expression that she did not know what she had done wrong. He could feel her insecurity, but also some slight anger. Apparently she thought it would be better to say nothing first.

"I'm waiting for an explanation, why did you ignore my command?" Gabriel said, speaking quietly, but his voice held authority and power.

However, Lily was less than impressed, Gabriel could clearly determine. "Your command? To me, it sounded more like a request. And just so you know, I don´t let anyone order me around for anything!"

Gabriel could not believe his ears. Did she actually just said that she would not allow him to give her any commands?

"What?" He said in confusion.

"You heard me right," Lily said loudly.
Gabriel could not believe it. She was not only stubborn and obstinate, no, she was also defiant. And what had caused her to talk so disrespectfully to him in the first place? Gabriel took a deep breath to absorb his anger.

"Lily," Gabriel said in a threatening voice, "you can not just ignore my commands. Apparently you are not aware of with whom you are talking to."

Lily laughed briefly at him, then to threw the following words back at him. "Oh, I know who you are. A feudal lord, and also the Count of Everstein. Just because you have a title of nobility, it does not give you the right to order me around as if I am not important."

"However, I do have the right, Lily," Gabriel said angrily and coldly.

Lily glared at him with angry eyes. "No, you do not! No one has that right!"

In indignation Gabriel took a deep breath before he said to her with a scary threatening voice: "Lily, you have to follow my orders, whether you like it or not! There are no arguments! I may have to put you over my knee, so that you understand that."

Gabriel walked to Lily determinedly. To Gabriel's surprise Lily showed no trace of fear, on the contrary, she was incensed with her head held high and she raised her index finger threateningly in Gabriel's direction and said indignantly: "Don't you dare!"

Irritated, he stopped briefly in front of her. Gabriel did not understand the world anymore. Normally, his tone had always had the effect to intimidate his opponent, at the very least, but it seemed to have no effect on Lily. Just as he wanted to put his threat into action, Jack stormed into the room followed by Azrael.

Jack pushed his way between Gabriel and Lily, and eased her gently back a bit, so now there was more distance between them. Azrael was further away, watching the tense situation and said to Gabriel in a frequency that was not clear to humans, "Gabriel, what happened? Your dispute could be heard almost all over the castle." Gabriel gave Azrael no answer. His gaze was still on Jack and Lily.

Jack had placed himself protectively in front of Lily. His profession was to be Lily's guardian angel although while she had made a mistake and Jack would not be able to protect her against it.

Gabriel now instructed Jack: "Jack, get out of the way. If you do not, I will force you."

Jack said breathlessly almost pleading, "This is only a misunderstanding, Gabriel."

But he remained exactly where he was. Gabriel had expected anything else. A guardian would never give up his charge that fast. But he had to warn Jack. And if Gabriel was honest with himself, he did not want to force Jack. Jack was a good guy who didn´t have it easy with his Valkyrie. And actually he did not want to discipline Lily, but such behavior, he could not just ignore.

"A misunderstanding?" Gabriel repeated questioningly and then declared unequivocally: "It's not, Jack. She ignored my command and then has even the audacity to say to me, she would not recognize my noble rank." Jack now looked at Gabriel with understanding.

"Let me talk to her and explain it to her," Jack begged. Whereupon Gabriel nodded in agreement. If she apologized to him, he would accept it. Gabriel was surprised again that he felt so forgiving. What was going on with him? Lily had been trying all along to free herself from Jack's confining grip, but without success.

Gabriel watched now, as Jack turned around slowly and held Lily by her upper arms. Jack took a deep breath before he began to talk with Lily.

"Lily, remember," Jack said with a calm and slightly deliberate voice, "you were to yell at me if you're angry." Gabriel furrowed his brow quizzically. Jack breathed deeply again and Gabriel could feel that Jack was tense now.

"Lily, do you believe that we are in the Middle Ages?" Jack asked gently. Lily nodded and Jack´s tension subsided. And Gabriel again realized that she was a fate traveler. He had forgotten that fact. His anger had made him forget. But in the end it did not alter the fact that she had behaved wrongly. He did not know if ever fate travelers had been questioned on their social order.

"Lily, you know I respect you and your rights. I not only respect them, but I hold exactly the same opinion of things," Jack began and Gabriel did not need another way to ask what Jack wanted to say. These words said it all, and there was definitely more behind them, of that he was sure.

"I can understand your anger, Lily. I also find it difficult to adapt myself. But ..." Jack paused. He appeared to search for the right words. "... Lily, please recall what you know about this time in history. Think about how people lived and what they thought. Which views and ideas they had. And the consequences if you opposed the rules and laws. Lily, we are in the Middle Ages and we have to adapt, whether we like it or not."

Gabriel could feel how Lily's anger slowly subsided. She seemed to understand Jack's words and to consider them carefully. However, now questions were buzzing around in Gabriel's head. What was the time which the two had come from? Inevitably, Gabriel thought that she perhaps had not been disrespectful, but just had reacted as she would have behaved in her time. Jack had not reproached or rebuked her for disregarding his orders.

Jack let go Lily now, and took a step aside. Lily took a deep breath and he could feel that it was anything but easy for her to look at him and talk to him. As she it was she jumped at her own shadow.

"Gabriel," a deep breath again, "I want to ... apologize. Well, ... I really thought that it was a request ... and I thought if I got Samru in the meantime, we could save time." Lily looked at him expectantly and then he nodded in understanding. Lily took a deep breath calmly, and then continued. "I would also like to apologize for my behavior and that I have offended you."

She had not lied. Her apology was sincere and honest, but Gabriel could feel that it wasn´t easy for her, as if she had just done something that she would not do normally.

Gabriel also took a deep breath and nodded accepting her apology and then wanted to say something to Lily, when the door was flung open, and Walter entered the room. He had such a strange grin on his face that Gabriel could not help but to turn to the castle guard and speak to him severely with raised eyebrows, "Walter, since when do you spontaneously burst into a room without knocking? Have You lost Your manners?"

"Excuse me Sir, but I have heard of Your dispute and because Lilian doesn´t know our way of life, I thought I should intervene and instruct her on our morals."

Gabriel looked at Walter carefully. His words seemed to be spoken with understanding and even helpful at first, but they were not. His whole body posture and the joy that resonated in his words meant something else. He saw a chance to punish Lily and Gabriel wouldn´t allow it to happen in any case. Gabriel accepted Lily's apology. It was up to him and no one else to punish her and if it was necessary it would not be Walter´s task, but his! She had explained her actions, and he also knew that her behaviour had everything to do with the time she came from.

On one point, however, Walter was right, Lily and Jack did not know this time not very well. And it looked like, they would make mistakes over and over again through the lack of knowledge of how their behavior put them in dangerous situations. And Walter seemed to just be waiting for it. Gabriel had to do something to prevent it from happening. He would teach and explain to Lily and Jack the habits, customs and laws of this time.

Gabriel put a smile on his lips and said with false friendliness, "Walter, frankly, I don´t need to tell You, but because You´re apparently so concerned about Lily's well-being, I'll make an exception. There was no dispute. It was simply a misunderstanding that we have now done away with."