Without a reply, the king went around the sleigh and sat down too. The wolf followed him and this
time took a seat directly on the bench between him and Lyana. The animal laid its head on Lyanas
lap.
Completely confused and also a little worried, she looked over at King Ulric. He too had noticed the
animal's gesture, but didn't seem as surprised as she was. "He trusts you. Wolves are smart animals.
You stood up for him. He won't forget that," he said calmly.
She looked down at the wolf, touched. "Can ... can I touch him?"
The king was silent shortly before answering. "I don't believe in treating wolves like pets." Lyana lowered her gaze sadly. That was probably a no. "You cannot treat him like an ordinary dog. But as long as he lets you, you can touch him ", the king finished his explanation and the princess couldn't suppress a smile.
She gently touched the wolf on the head. He opened his eyes with a growl, but calmed down
immediately when he saw that it was Lyana who had touched him. So he closed his eyes again and
the sun princess dared a little more. She just stroked his head very gently. As soon as she was sure
that the wolf had no problem with it, she stroked his body too. His fur was relatively firm and didn't
feel very soft. In return, she enjoyed the feeling of warmth and closeness.
Even the animal had slowly got used to the petting. When she stopped briefly, the wolf nudged her
lightly with his wet nose and she began to stroke him again. "Where do the wolves actually go when
we're back at the castle?" She asked the king. By now she knew that she could expect an answer to
questions about his wolves or his kingdom with a high degree of certainty. This time she was not
disappointed either. "I've had a large area cordoned off for the wolves outside the castle."
"Oh." So she would only meet the animal when they drove to the village? "May I check on them from time to time?" She tried to ask him as insignificantly as possible. She would love to see her new friend, whom she had secretly named Alesh, again. But the king did not seem enthusiastic about this idea. "I will not allow you to leave the castle."
But Lyana didn't give up that easily. "What if I went with you? You will definitely go to them more
often to see if everything is alright. Today I was allowed to leave the castle because I am near you.
Isn't that so?"
Now she seemed to have him. He looked at her in surprise. "You would voluntarily spend time with
me just to be able to see this wolf again?" He must have noticed that she did not feel comfortable
with him. Either that or it was the fact that he was her kidnapper and that she should hate him. But she didn't. She was afraid of him, but there was no hatred. Something was stopping her from this kind of feeling. "I would," she explained, looking directly into his ice-blue eyes.
King Ulric averted his gaze and Lyana took a deep breath. That had just been more difficult than
this morning when she was supposed to look the wolf in the eye. She was not able to do this for
long with the king. Every time it was like he was looking straight into her soul.
"I will think about it. However, you shouldn't disturb me. Should you try to escape or have anything
else planned, then I will throw you back into the dungeon."
Happy about her triumph, she promised him to be no burden and was already sure that he would take her with him.
The time on the way back seemed to fly by and so Lyana was not surprised when she saw the castle
before it got dark. The sight of the magnificent building reminded her of her arrival and how impressed she had been despite her fear. Nothing in her admiration had changed. Even now she was
overwhelmed by the beauty of the glittering castle. If it weren't for her prison, she would probably
have been happy to be able to spend time in such a place.
The sun set directly behind the castle and above all made the bridge glitter even more, like millions
of small stars in the most dazzling colors. "I've never seen anything so beautiful. As if fairies had put a spell on this place." She did not say this to the king, but rather to herself.
She would have loved to get out and watch the sunset until the end. But the wolves were fast and so they reached the castle before the sun had completely set.
Some of the servants carried the shopping into the castle, the rest took care of the animals.
But Alesh was still lying on Lyanas lap, which the king had noticed. He looked at her and the wolf and then got out of the sled. "Do not forget. He's not a pet," he reminded Lyana again.