Uhm, this can’t be happening, were my first thoughts. My second thoughts were. Aaaaargh!

Somewhere, over the ringing of hammered metal and the roar of the forge I could hear Les laughing. I mean, suddenly appearing as a child was bad enough. But to find myself in a tight linen skirt and bodice with a grimy cloth tying back my hair was impossible.

Not to mention I had this kid looking at me, goopy eyed, from the other side of the forge, holding a letter in one hand and stammering.

But, no, that wasn’t to be the worse of my fate. I had to go over, simper, smile and do the seven year old flirt thing with him.

It is sooo embarrassing. I knew I had to pay Les back for this one.

“Good luck kid,” he laughed.

God, or Satan, knows why. But I had to live this twisted life of being Meli and not being Meli for 21 years. Following Anso, and falling in love, even when I saw him turning bad, there was nothing I could do to stop him.

Until the day the Bishop’s men arrested us, on charges of heresy…