Nora followed Martin towards the hotel and beyond, into a small park spreading around a large lake. The warm, greenish water which filled it, made it seem alive-- the heat rising from its surface in coiling wisps looked like the evanescent breath of some sleeping creature.

Martin pulled at her sleeve as she stood in silent wonder on the bank. The moment he got her attention, he pointed to the opposite edge of the lake, where a green pickup carrying the Count's coat of arms was parked under the trees.

A man walked in their direction from the car.

"Over here, Martin." he called, indicating a clump of tall reeds growing in the shallows.

Martin nodded and made his way over, Nora in tow.

"Alan," Martin greeted the ranger dressed in what looked like a uniform-- a pair of trousers, a jacket, and a hat, all as green as the pickup. "Where...?"

Alan touched the rim of his hat in greeting as he looked at Nora and she smiled at him, before the man led them towards the reeds.

A huge swan sat nestled in their midst, hissing at them in warning as they approached.

Martin, not paying attention to the bird's protests, squatted next to it, his boots sinking ankle deep in the water as he ran his fingers lightly over the swan's wing, half spread at a strange angle from the animal's magnificent, snow-white body.

Seeing that the veterinarian was not afraid and would not leave, the swan gave up on wasting its energy on useless threats, and stuffed its head under its other, uninjured wing.

"Is she in pain?" Nora asked silently, the thought that the poor thing might be suffering making her stomach clench.

"He might be feeling a little pain, but not much, otherwise he would have attacked me, to defend himself, the moment I touched him." Martin replied in a low, tranquil voice, then he turned to Alan, "However, his wing is broken and it's not wise leaving him here, he won't heal properly without treatment."

"And here's his lady..." Alan said, eyes glued to the surface of the lake where another swan, a little smaller, appeared in the meantime. "She'll be lonely..."

Martin sighed, observing the second swan, "As much as I hate taking him from her, I must ask you to drive him to Victoria. Please, tell her to do an ex-ray for me as soon as she can. I'll pass by later today and decide what to do. Most likely he will need to spend a few nights in the stables, with my other patients."

Alan nodded, jogged off towards the pickup and returned with a large cage, big enough to accommodate the swan comfortably.

The bird only protested feebly when Martin picked it up and put it inside the cage, then let Alan carry it to the car after they said their goodbyes. More protests were coming from the second swan, left on the lake in the company of a few curious wild ducks which appeared the moment the sound of the car's engine vanished, attracted by the unusual noise and commotion.

There were too many things Nora wanted to ask, so many questions bubbled up to her lips at the same time that she didn't know where to start.

As if he could read her mind, Martin washed his hands in the lake quickly, then gestured for her to walk with him back to the hotel and the trail even as he started to explain.

"The female will wait for him unless we keep him away for too long. They do mate for life, but should she think he died, she'll try to find a new mate."

"That's interesting," Nora said. "I didn't know that. But where did you send him? I thought you were the veterinarian..."

"Yes... Not exactly. I mean, I am, but I do not have practice. When I moved here, there already was a good veterinarian in the town. And I'm more than happy to look after the animals belonging to the castle and its forest only, I would never have time to do more. Victoria is kind, she always helps me with the more serious cases, she has all the necessary equipment." He shrugged.

They only met a few people as they walked towards the forest-- even though it was midday, the weather was cold enough to keep the spa visitors indoors, in the warm pools, super modern gyms, and posh restaurants. Then they were back on the trail, alone under the canopy of trees again.

"So... what do you do apart from looking after the animals?" Nora asked after a while, unable to resist her curiosity. She found him... intriguing. And, for some reason, mysterious. As if there was... more to him than he was telling her.

He turned to face her as he replied, observing her reaction. "I help in the castle, and the hotels."

"Hotels?" There was only one hotel he could mean, the one in the castle...

They stopped to recover their breaths on the crest of the hill, at the bottom of which the spa lay, nestled in a valley. The picturesque view they could see through a gap in the trees rendered Nora momentarily speechless-- the smoke raising from many chimneys perched on crimson roofs in white, shimmering ribbons, the lakes glimmering like scattered jewels through a thin veil of mist, some jade-green, others, the deeper ones, sapphire blue... It was awe-inspiring, it made her heart brim with happiness and her eyes with tears.

"Yes... Not long before he died, the Count bought the spa."

"Hmm... this whole place? All the hotels? Wow." Nora said, tearing her gaze off the view to meet Martin's eyes again. "Talk about ways to invest one's savings," she giggled. "Well, I'm actually sorry for his son, he must be a very busy man to make this all work well. The castle, the spa, all the surrounding land... It must be stressful..."

She shook her head as she followed her companion up the trail again, thinking that the young Count was lucky to have someone like Martin around, someone who seemed so friendly, multitasking and reliable.

They only took a few steps deeper into the forest, when he took her hand in his again, quite naturally, making her heart flutter. And, quite naturally, she let him hold it, reveling in his warmth, until they reached her cottage some twenty minutes later.

"Would you like to come in? I could cook lunch..." Nora offered as she let go of his hand reluctantly to search her pockets for keys.

Martin shook his head, looking regretful. "I can't, I'm already late and I must check on the swan..." he said, looking first at his watch, then at Nora, who, standing on the second step of her porch, was nearly as as tall as him. "But... unless you want to come for dinner with me, I could come after work, for a glass of wine, like the other night..."

"That sounds great. I'll wait for you." she said, beaming at him, then, realising how excited she sounded, ran up the remaining stairs, out of his reach.

She wasn't sure how she was to say goodbye to someone who had been holding her hand most of the morning. Surely a kiss would be... inappropriate... You shouldn't have let him hold your hand, Nora reproached herself, blushing at the mere thought of this unexpected friendship taking a different route. You don't want that, Nora reminded herself. You'd only lose a friend...

As if he could sense the sudden change in her mood, he simply smiled at her in lieu of a goodbye. "I'll see you later then."

She nodded and then he was off, striding down the hill, turning around once to wave at her as if he could feel her eyes glued to his back.

Nora waved back then walked inside, promising herself that she would not let this... thing between them go beyond holding hands.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts as the door closed behind her, she looked around the sitting room, focusing on reality-- she had a lot to do to make the house look presentable by tonight.

She should buy a new bottle of wine, too, and cook something for dinner-- Martin looked so busy that she wouldn't put it past him to skip a meal just to not let her wait too long.