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father, and as good looking as me!” Galen said with a tight-lipped smile before slamming back his drink.
    “Ye must tell me, have ye accepted the offer for Lady McFadden’s hand? Tis all everyone has been gossiping about. Ye two would make such a lovely pair, and tis about time there was a Lady of the castle,” Evelyn asked.
    “I dinna know my love life was up fer discussion. And ye obviously dinna know Lady McFadden!” Galen replied. “I would no’ marry Lady Braelyn if the King himself demanded it.”
    “She cannae be that bad. E’en in good lighting she is quite bonny,” Warrick added.
    “The lass is a trollop. It would be easier to train a stubborn horse than make an honest wife out of her. Besides, I no’ wish to settle down. I dinna have time for such things as a wife or a bairn.”
    “Oh, of course ye have time. Perhaps I can introduce ye to one of the available lassies in the village!” Evelyn suggested before Galen quickly turned her down.
    “I appreciate the thought, Ev, but if I were to consider marriage, I think I would prefer finding me own lass. Preferably one with a firm backside and who does no’ need a lot of attention,” he joked.
    “Ye men are simply incorrigible!”
    Galen had knowingly lied to his cousin when he said that he did not wish to take a wife. It was more a half truth. Even though he often times felt that women had outlandish ideas about how the world worked, he admired their compassion towards even the simplest of things. A woman’s psyche was a dangerous place, but they could live and love with conviction.
    Like others of his stature, the demands of his clan kept him from pursuing a leisurely lifestyle, and he saw no opportunity to find a lass to marry. The prospects were few, and his clan already had alliances with the neighboring clans, so there was no need for a union. But it was more than that; he did not want to settle with just any lass for the sake of marriage or duty. He wanted the impossible, a lass who could challenge him and win his heart. But that was never going to happen. He had yet to meet a woman who could live up to his standards. He felt he was a doomed man with a troubled soul and a bleak, solitary future.
    “Well, Evelyn, I wish to thank ye for a fine dinner, but I must be off. If ye continue to cook meals like this I may have to employ ye as our cook instead of our healer.”
    “If ye keep sending these men off to battle I’m afraid ye may no’ see a meal like this in quite some time.”
    Galen stood from his chair and donned his cloak. Bidding goodbye, he headed towards the barn to retrieve his horse. Soon, he was heading back towards Dunquest. There was still so much to do before the night came upon him.

~ Chapter 5 ~
     
     
    With eternal darkness cast over the land it was hard to distinguish day from night. The fortress, built deep in the earth, was the only thing that remained untouched by the curse.
    Once her bag was packed, Ella tossed it over her shoulder, then ran up the stairs and outside into the forest. With a high pitched whistle, she called for her horse. The horse came at her command within moments. Swinging a leg over its side, she mounted. Snapping the reins, Ella led the horse through the dark forest towards the ruins of Lochmoor.
    Had Ella shared her kin’s magical gift of wings, it would have made this journey much faster. Even at full speed it would take three days to reach the Kingdom of Greylyn. With little time to waste, she slammed her foot along the horse’s side, urging him to ride harder.
    After several hours of riding, Ella finally came to the river, which she must cross to reach Lochmoor. Ella pulled hard on the reins, making the horse come to an abrupt halt. Scanning the tree line, she watched the woods for any sign of life. Her mission would be over if she was caught by Greylyn guards. Knowing it was too deep and dangerous to travel by horse, she quietly dismounted. She would have to travel by foot the rest of the