-Lunos, Castle of Linda Lunos – 7335, beginning of winter-
The snow had been falling for three days without stopping. The sky, red and purple, was rarely visible behind the low, heavy clouds. The dark stone towers of Lunos Castle looked like fingers stabbed into the sky, and the stained-glass windows of the great hall shone with the pale light of the lit fireplaces.
Zirinos woke with the stone ceiling trembling slightly from the wind. Luna's tower was in the north wing, isolated, with a high window overlooking the snow-covered mountains. The cold came in through the cracks, but the thick furs covering the bed kept him warm.
He got up. His body, now recovered from the wounds of the fight with Trussum, ached only when he stretched his right arm. The scar on his chest – the newest – was a thin red line, hidden by his tunic.
He dressed: leather trousers, a thick wool shirt, a polar bear fur coat (a gift from Linda, in thanks for saving Luna in the cave). His gold-and-blood hair fell over his shoulders, shining in the half-dark.
"Zirinos?" Luna called from the other side of the door. "Are you awake?"
"I am." He opened the door. "Have you eaten?"
"No." She smiled. "I was waiting for you."
They went down the spiral staircase to the great hall. Lunos Castle was less luxurious than Decatry's, but more welcoming. The stone walls were covered with thick tapestries depicting hunts and ancient battles. The iron chandeliers lit the corridors with a weak, flickering light.
In the hall, Linda Lunos was already seated at the long table, with some vassals and servants. Her silver-white hair, tied in a ponytail, shone in the candlelight.
"Zirinos," she greeted him with a nod. "The girl Mira wrote me a letter. Baron Ander says she is well. She asks about you every day."
"I know," he replied, sitting on the wooden bench next to Luna. "I write to her whenever I can. But the letters take weeks to arrive."
"Winter delays everything." Linda tore off a piece of bread. "Snow, ice, the monsters that come out of the Torrus-Endras. The messengers often don't return."
"That's why Luna and I will leave in the spring," said Zirinos.
"If spring ever comes," murmured one of the barons, seated further down. He was a thin man with a grey beard, eyes that seemed not to blink. His name was Sanderá, and he was loyal to Linda.
"It will come," Zirinos replied. "Ice always melts."
"In Lunos, not always," the baron retorted with a yellow smile.
---
After breakfast, Zirinos and Luna went up to the library.
The room was small, circular, with dark wooden shelves from floor to ceiling. The books were ancient, some on parchment, others on thick paper, with worn leather covers. The smell of dust and candle wax was strong.
"We're going to study geography," Luna said, pulling a map from the shelf. "My father… Merius… brought this map from Ban. He says merchants use it to navigate."
"Why is Ban warmer than Lunos, even though it's further north?" asked Zirinos, sitting in a wooden chair by the window.
"Because of the sea currents," Luna replied, unrolling the map on the table. "The warm waters from the south come north, go around the island of Mercius and warm the beaches of Ban. Lunos is inland, surrounded by mountains. The cold air can't escape."
"And the mountains protect you from the warm winds."
"Exactly." Luna pointed at the map. "And here, to the east, is the kingdom of Aryster. They say the climate is similar to Decatry's. Milder."
Zirinos looked at the map. The lines were thin, the names written in ancient calligraphy. There were drawings of monsters in the margins – dragons, sea serpents, creatures he had never seen.
"Where is Lucinar's church?" he asked.
"An hour's walk from the castle." Luna rolled up the map. "Do you want to go?"
"I do. I need to think."
"About what?"
"About the future."
---
Lucinar's church stood on top of a hill, isolated, surrounded by Carterá pines. The building was strange – made of **white iron**, a rare metal that shone even without sun. The walls reflected the pale light of the red and purple sky, and the narrow windows let in only slivers of brightness.
The interior was dark, cool. The wooden benches were empty. A stone altar at the back had a crevice where a blue flame burned – an eternal flame, Luna said.
"The Lunos believe that Lucinar protects those who have already suffered the worst," she explained, sitting on a bench. "They say bad luck is armour. When the worst has already happened, nothing else can hurt you."
"Do you believe that?" asked Zirinos.
"I don't know." Luna looked at the blue flame. "My mother believes it. My father… doesn't."
"Merius is not a man of faith."
"Merius is not a man of anything." Her voice trembled. "Sorry. I shouldn't say that."
"You say whatever you want. I won't tell anyone."
They fell silent. The blue flame crackled. The wind outside whistled through the white iron cracks.
"Zirinos," Luna called after a long time.
"Yes?"
"Are you afraid of dying?"
"No." He looked at her. "I'm afraid of not living."
"Is it the same thing?"
"No. Dying is quick. Living is slow. And painful."
"Then why do you keep going?"
"Because Mira needs me." He hesitated. "And because I haven't killed all the monsters yet."
Luna didn't ask which ones.
---
That night, Linda received a letter.
The seal was red wax, with the crest of House Refibus – a polar bear with red eyes, pierced by a spear. The messenger, covered in snow, handed over the parchment and withdrew to the kitchen, where he was given soup and bread.
Linda read the letter in silence. Her face went from tired to pale, then red with anger.
"Mother?" called Luna, who was in the room with Zirinos, playing chess. "What is it?"
"Baron Refibus…" Linda crushed the parchment in her hand. "The old man is asking for your hand in marriage for his son. For **Seru**."
"Seru?" Luna paled. "The one who…"
"The one who was expelled from Decatry for trying to rape a maid." Linda threw the letter into the fire. "I answered him no. That I will not speak of the matter again."
Silence weighed. The flames devoured the parchment.
"Is Seru like me?" asked Zirinos, surprising both women. "In character, I mean."
"Worse," Luna replied. "You… you're complicated. Seru is just evil. Arrogant. Violent."
"And proud," added Linda. "Prouder than any man I've known."
Zirinos stored the information.
"Refibus won't give up," he said.
"I know." Linda poured herself wine. "But as long as I am marchioness, my daughter will not marry a monster."
"Monsters don't ask permission," Zirinos replied. "They just take."
Luna looked at him. Her light eyes, where the candles reflected, were moist.
"Will you protect me?" she asked.
"I will."
"Why?"
"Because you're the only friend I have in this world."
Linda said nothing. She just drank her wine and stared at the fire.
---
In the room, already late, Zirinos and Luna danced.
There was no music. Only the sound of the wind outside and the crackling of the fireplace. They moved slowly, her arms around his neck, his hands on her waist.
"Why did you teach me to dance?" asked Luna.
"Because you needed to learn." He spun her gently. "Nobles dance. Heroes do too."
"You're not a noble."
"I was. Long ago."
"And now?"
"Now I'm just a man who pretends."
She rested her head on his shoulder. Her silver hair shone in the candlelight.
"I like you, Zirinos," she whispered.
"I know."
"You're always so cold?"
"I'm honest. It's different."
She didn't answer. She just kept dancing.
The fire crackled. The wind howled.
Zirinos felt desire. The old lust, the one that had been with him since his youth, stirred in the pit of his stomach.
'I could have her', he thought. 'Here. Now. She wouldn't resist.'
But he didn't. He just held her against his chest and kept dancing.
'Mira', he thought. 'Fenísia. Lysara.'
'The monster inside me is watching. But he's no longer the only one who speaks.'
The fire went out.
The dance ended.