The Castle

When the sun had been up for some time Nawat walked Aly back to her and Dove's room, where everyone was still watching the young girl sleep. Their entrance roused Duchess Winnamie, who shook her head and put on a fake smile.
"Right, we all need breakfast, Dove will wake up when the Trickster lets her go. All we can do is wait, but that doesn't mean we have to waste away." With that, everyone moved out of the room and Nawat walked Aly over to her cot. He tucked her in, very tempted to lie next to her, but instead kissed her on the cheek and firmly told her to rest. As Nawat closed the door Aly's eyes drifted shut and she slept deeply. But Nawat could not, he slid down the door after he had closed it and sat thinking. He had changed into a man to help the Balitang girls, he had not intended on having feelings for the strong woman he met. He could not go back to being a crow, he could never do that now, and he had decided to become a man to serve his God and care for the woman that caused the strange fluttering in his heart.
"Alianne of Pirate's Swoop," he mused to himself, "daughter of the Champion of Tortall and the Kings Spymaster, a woman of 17 whom has captured my heart." He laughed softly in his enchanting voice, he could never give her what she deserved, she was Tortallan nobility and he was Nawat Crow, no-one in the eyes of the world. With a heavy heart Nawat walked away from the woman that had captured his heart.

Aly woke at noon and, for a moment forgetting of the nights troubles, called out to Dove. When she got no response from Dove she remembered everything that had happened during the night. Seeing that Dove was no longer in her bed Aly's mind raced with excitement. She jumped up and almost ran out of the room before realising she was still only dressed in Nawat's shirt. Aly quickly got changed, stopping for just a moment to press Nawat's shirt to her face as she breathed in his scent, and raced out of the room down the hallways to the drawing room where the ladies usually kept themselves. As she rushed into the room though, Aly could tell that Dove had not been there.
"Have either of you seen Dove, she isn't in her bed anymore and I was hoping she had woken up?" Aly's words were rushed together but Duchess Winnamie and Sarai had heard what she was saying, they both shook their heads in shock.
"I shall tell the guards that Dove has gone, and we shall all search for her. She can't have gone far." Stated the Duchess in a powerful voice. Aly nodded and began to search the rest of the castle, she searched every nook and cranny she could find until Nawat found her, ready to collapse.
"No-one has found her, Aly. Come to the dining hall, you haven't eaten all day." Nawat picked her up and carried her in his strong arms to the dining hall where an early dinner was being served. A guard was just leaving and, as Nawat placed Aly in a chair, Duchess Winnamie stood up.
"Dove has not been found anywhere nearby or on the castle grounds. A search team will be assembled but for now…for now we cannot do anything." Aly stared up in dismay, Dove had up and disappeared. With Nawat's careful encouragement Aly ate the dinner placed in front of her.

Later that evening Nawat found Aly in the kitchen, packing food into her small bag full of her possessions. She glanced up at him and smiled wearily, before focusing again on her task at hand.
"Aly," Nawat began cautiously, "What are you doing?" He was looking directly at the bag she was holding, suspicion in his eyes.
"Nawat, I'm going to go find Dove. I can't wait for that search team, we have to find her!" Aly kept on putting more food into her bag, but stopped abruptly and looked up. "It would be a lot easier if I had a companion along with me. Would you like to come, Nawat?" Nawat sighed, he couldn't let her go alone, and what would he do if she never came back?
"I would do anything for you, Aly, of course I will come." Aly hugged him, whispering her thanks, then Nawat left to go pack a bag of his own. An hour later the two were at the gates of the castle, ready to leave for the jungle.