The bruise on her cheekbone was big and purple, with yellow spots in it. Kaden didn't think she was going to be able to go out today, seeing as people would ask what had happened to her. She sighed and went to lie back in bed. There was really nothing else she could do.

Kaden thought of Eadulf. She knew exactly why he was mad. She had spied on him, and he had caught her. She could understand why he was mad at her, and why he had hit her. Where was he now? She didn't know. And she wasn't about to find out, unless she went out in a black hooded robe on the warmest spring day they'd had yet. That would be foolish. Instead, she curled up in bed and fell asleep.

When she woke, it was because of someone who came in the room. She opened her eyes slowly and sleepily, and found that Eadulf had come into the room. He was standing by the door.

"It's time to get up." He said almost coldly.

"Too tired... need sleep." She said half unconcious.

"Kaden, you need to be up. It's almost dawn. Now, we have some important things to work on. Remember, I promised to teach you some shang moves."

"Dawn? What?"

"You've been asleep for long enough. Now, get up." He dragged her out of bed and she fell against his chest. He saw the bruise on her face and looked away. Kaden saw a look of guilt in his eyes and also of hatred and pain. She looked away.

"I'm sorry about the other night... I really didn't mean to..."

"Don't." Eadulf said sternly. He pushed her away. "Go get washed and dressed. I'll meet you in the courtyard outside my room."

"Wait, I have to go out in public? With this?" She pointed to her bruise. "What will I tell my friends? What will people say? What will my fath-"

"You're what?"

"I can't go out looking like this, Eadulf! You know what they'll say! I can't tell a lie!"

"Well what did happen? Truthfully, you only really got what you deserved!" He said with fire, and then his face turned white. "Put this on. It will heal immediately. Hurry." He said with his back to her and left the room in a rush.

She looked at the jar of yellowish substance. If it worked, all of her worries could vanish about what people thought, and if it didn't, Eadulf would probably murder her. 'Oh, what the hell. She thought. What will it hurt if I try? I mean, it couldn't get any worse than this.'

Rubbing the gooey gunk on it hurt more than the stinging it shot through her bruise. 'Oh, maybe I did deserve this.' She thought as she put practice clothes on. 'I did follow him and humiliate him and ruin his plans. He could have done worse to me; he could have killed me, but he didn't. Maybe he still loves me.'

She took one last look in the mirror, and only a small red mark was in place of all the yellow and purple. Eadulf was at least truthful about that.

In the courtyard, Kaden watched as Eadulf kicked and punched an imaginary enemy, swiping this way and that, crouching and kicking, back-flipping and choking. "I'm ready." She said from the doorway, timidly. He smiled at her almost like normal, and she wondered if this was all a joke. What was going through his head? Was he crazy, or did he forget about what was last said?

"Okay, my apprentice." He patted her back assuringly and positioned her in the right place. "This is what I will teach you first." He punched with the heel of his hand, and he taught her the same. When 3 hours of the same kind of punching, kicking and bone cracking had gone by, he sighed and put his hand on her shoulder. "Ready for some breakfast? You look like you could use a break."

"A break? I think I'm through with this for the day." Kaden had gotten more comfortable with him, seeing as he had just had a bad streak and he was back to normal now.

"But we haven't even had a chance to do the fun moves!" He said.

"Maybe tomorrow. I am so tired, and hungry for that matter." She sighed. "But first, I need to clean up."

"Yes, definately. Then I can take you out to breakfast."

"Take me out? Well, I guess we could if you wanted to." He smiled down at her, and leaned in for a breathtaking kiss that left Kaden with no thoughts or worries of the bad Eadulf. It seemed to her he had two sides, and she enjoyed this one much better.

"Did I ever tell you that you were a really fast learner?" She chuckled as they left the courtyard.

"Did I ever tell you you're horrible at flattery?"

"Hey, don't make me tickle you!"

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After a few days of comfort with Eadulf, Kaden thought she was in paradise, never looking back on the day where he could be dangerous, and she knew it wouldn't last for long, but she decided she wouldn't think about how or when or even why.

She was sitting on the bed, waiting for him to come back from practice with the new pages and squires, reading a book about philosophy, when he came storming in with a scowl on his face.

"Bad day?" She said cheerfully.

"I hate kids. Especially those ones." He went to the bathroom without another word, and emerged an hour or two later, clean but still grumpy.

"What happened?"

"Something I don't want to discuss, okay? I just want to go to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"YES, I'm sure." He said a bit too angrily. "Hey, wait a second, where did you get that book?" She looked at the book of philosophy, and shrugged.

"Oh, just from Edvard."

"Who's Edvard?"
"Ambrose's fiancé. Why?"
"I don't like you hanging around other men, Kaden. It makes me... worried."

"Why? I mean, it's not like they're going to hurt me!"

"You're vulnerable, you're young, you're available as far as they can tell. Anything could happen!"

"I know some self defence, some works with a sword and shang from you. Do you think I couldn't defend myself from them?"

"I said, no! I don't want you hanging around them, understood?"

"Okay, okay. Don't freak out on me. If you're jealous, I'll back off."

"I am NOT jealous!" He said with thunder in his voice. He picked her up by the shoulders and pulled her out of bed. "DON'T insult me when I'm mad, okay?" He put her down, and slipped into bed.

She shuddered and guessed that he wasn't going to be happy in a while. She let one tear drop from her face and quickly wiped it away. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"Oh, and by the way, you're getting a bit fat, don't you think? Might want to cut down on the sweets."

Kaden would have taught him a lesson right then and there, telling him that she wasn't fat, that she was pregnant, but knew that it wasn't such a good idea. He might just kill her or leave her to starve. Instead she climbed into bed with him and closed her eyes.

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Is it just me, or do you guys picture Eadulf as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast? It's kinda creeping me out... Anyways, sorry for the LONGEST WAIT IN THE HISTORY OF EVERNESS. I was so stuck, but not really, just kind of lazy. But I got the chapter written and now I think I'm back to normal and I want to write another! Oh, and don't forget to review!