The moonlight shines just enough to give them a light to travel by until they find the small weald that the Keeper told them about. They hop down and, almost immediately, Duncan unloads their supplies for the night and sets up camp. Ana, pulls her cloak closer around her as a cold breeze blows through. Soon, they have a small crackling fire going and sit on either side. Over the flames of the fire, Ana watches Duncan as he pulls out a whetstone and sharpens his dagger. She has no idea how long she watches but she feels her eyes growing tired and starts to close her eyes when Duncan suddenly rises from his seat, newly sharpened dagger in hand.
"Come here." He says, walking towards her. Her eyes fly open and she scrambles back, clumsily reaching for her sword.
"What are you doing?" She exclaims, unsheathing it only to suddenly drop it. Calmly, Duncan kneels beside her. Her heart pounds loudly in her chest. Is this it? Has he been in alliance with Howe this entire time? "Is this because of how I acted earlier?" She cries.
"Ana, I'm not going to hurt you." Duncan says gently. "Remember earlier when I said we need to disguise you?"
"You're going to disfigure me?" She gapes.
Duncan shakes his head. "No, fatat eaziza." Why would any man ever want to disfigure such a beautiful creature like you? He thinks to himself. The image of her in the spring resurfaces and he clears his throat. "We've changed your clothes but noblewomen like yourself are known for their long hair."
Her brows furrow as she shakes her head. "No! You're not cutting my hair!"
"Ana—"
She scooches backwards. "No! I refuse."
"Ana, this is not a matter that's up for debate." He frowns. "Your hair will grow back and it will give you a better chance of blending in." He leans back on his heels. "Need I remind you what blending in does for you right now?"
She turns her face away, sulking. "It keeps me safe." She mutters. She shuts her eyes tightly. "Fine."
Leaning forward, he gently gathers her hair into a loose pony tail, his eyes sweeping over the flawless fair skin at the nape of her neck. For a moment, he wondered how she would react to a man kissing her neck, starting at the nape and moving inward.
"Is it done?" She asks, her tone laced with a subtle nervousness. Since his callused fingers first touched her skin, she felt a shiver shoot up her spine. It reminded her of how Roderick used to come up behind her when she was alone in the library. Sliding one hand around her waist, he would often slide her hair to the side and kiss the sensitive areas of her neck in between whispering sweet nothings in her ear. He knew all the spots to kiss to make her giggle or make a soft moan escape. Now, just like in the past, this familiar touch awoke her nerve endings and all the other sensations that came with it.
"Just about." He says huskily. Lifting the hair from her neck, he begins to hack away until her hair goes from the middle of her back to just below her shoulders. Immediately she felt the difference and felt the first angry, rogue tears break free of the waterline and silently slide down her cheeks. He was right in that her hair will grow back but the reason she was crying was not because of her hair begging cut short but because it was similar to her life. Things are different now and while they may recover, things won't be the same as they once were.
"There." Duncan says, leaning back once more to look at his handiwork. "How does it feel?"
She says nothing as she silently weeps and he gently touches her shoulder, turning her. She looks up at him as another tear slips down her cheek. Acting purely on instinct, he reaches up to cup her cheek. Their eyes meet as he wipes her tear away with his thumb. Her lips part slightly, her heart pounding in her chest. She waits, expecting him to close the gap between them and press his lips against hers but he doesn't.
Maker… look at her. He thinks, his eyes looking down at her lips as he traces her full lower lip with his thumb. She's practically waiting for me to make a move. I could probably take her here and now on this grassy ground if I played my cards right. It was tempting until his conscience decided to weigh in. She's too young for you, you old fool. Not only that, she already has a lover and she's vulnerable. She just lost her home, family and social standing in one night. She needs to be comforted not fucked, no matter how tempting it is. He meets her gaze once more. "Everything will be alright." He says, his voice straining slightly at his restraint. "Soon, we'll be at Ostagar. We'll tell the king and Howe will get what's coming to him. I promise you."
She takes a deep breath and Duncan feels his arousal pressing against his trousers as he watches the tops of her breasts rise and fall from the loosely laced opening of her shirt. She nods. "I hope so."
With every ounce of restraint that he can muster, he retracts his hand. "You should head to bed, My Lady. We have more long days of journeying ahead of us."