The sun was winking at me as it slipped below the trees. I was walking out back to check on my chickens and to give them their dinner when I noticed a strange black lump close to the tree line where my property ended and the forest began. Cautiously, I began to approach it. I gasped when I grew close enough to realize—it was a man! I raced up to him and knelt beside him. He was unconscious, and I could tell by the blood on his clothes that he was injured.

I don’t remember how, but I managed to drag him back to my house and onto my couch. I knew I had to tend to his wounds, and in order to do that, I had to remove his clothes. As I peeled off his shirt, I started to feel nauseated at the sight of so much blood. He had several long gashes in his chest and abdomen. After cleaning his wounds as best as I could, I used my sewing needle and some thread to stitch the wounds shut. Now, I had to remove his pants. Fortunately, his legs were bruised, but they didn’t have any open wounds.

Since I couldn’t do anything else for my patient until he woke up, and it was getting late, I went back outside to feed my chickens then went to bed.

The next morning, I rose early and began my daily routine. I had forgotten about my encounter the night before until I heard a soft moan coming from my couch. Remembering my patient, I walked over, my heart racing. As I stepped into view, our gazes met. I saw confusion in his ice-blue eyes as he rasped, “You helped me?”

“Yes, I did. Are you hungry? I was just about to cook some eggs.” He simply nodded and closed his eyes again, resting. I got to work making scrambled eggs. When I turned to give him his plate, our gazes met again, and my heart flipped. He had managed to sit up, and I realized he had been watching me.

I grabbed my plate as well and sat down beside him. “What is your name?” I asked as I passed him his food.

“Titus.”

I smiled. “My name is Sarah. How are you feeling?”

I had caught him in the middle of a bite of egg, and he finished his bite before replying, “I’m a lot better then I was when you found me. Still feel weak, though.”

“I’m not surprised. You lost a bit of blood.” His recover to that was a nod.

We ate in silence until Titus murmured, “Yer a pretty good cook. I ain’t had something this good in a long while.”

“Thank you.” I hesitated before asking the nagging question that had been on my mind since I’d found him: “How did you end up here?”

Titus tensed up, and I could see his eyes were darting back and forth as he considered his answer. “I was riding in the forest when my horse spooked and bucked me into a bush. I managed to make my way to your place before I passed out. Then I woke up to discover that an angel had taken me in and tended to my wounds.”

My heartbeat began to quicken. An angel? I looked back at him, and he was smiling at me. Oh, how handsome Titus was when he smiled! I could feel myself flushing and turned back to my breakfast, hoping that my cheeks have just betrayed my attraction to him. Something didn’t sit quite right with me about his answer to my question, but since I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, I let it pass. We continued our breakfast in silence.

I thought he was starting to look tired and said, “You should probably get some rest. It will help you to heal faster.” Titus nodded before lying back and closing his eyes, and I took the dishes we had used to the kitchen. As I pumped water, my mind spun. Who was this man I had invited into my home? And why did I feel so against his leaving?

One evening, about two weeks since Titus had arrived, as we walked around the edge of my property together, Titus asked, “Sarah?”

My traitorous heart flipped at hearing my name on his lips. “Yes?”

“Do you have a husband?”

The old sadness crept into the edges of my heart and I turned away. “No, not anymore. He died early on in the war.” A tear began to trickle down my cheek as old memories began to flood my mind. We hadn’t even been married a year before he left to join the war. The day he left was the last time I ever saw him.

“I’m sorry,” Titus murmured. Suddenly, his arms were around me as he held me close to his chest. My heart began to race as he whispered, “Do I have any competition for the heart of such a gor’gus woman?”

I shook my head “no,” breathless. I hadn’t been approached by anyone in three years. Now this, it was all happening so fast, and yet, it felt so natural. Titus felt so natural.

He released me with a smile. “I’m glad to see yer not sad anymore.” Cupping my face in his hands, he brushed his thumbs along my face and kissed my forehead. “Yer too beautiful to be crying.”

Two more weeks passed, and Titus’s wounds were healing nicely. He would soon be able to leave… if he wanted. The thought brought a pain to my heart. I brushed it away, and set out our breakfast on the table. Titus was taking care of the chickens while I prepared our meal. When he walked in, I could tell something was wrong by the way his shoulders were slumped.“Titus? Is everything ok?”

He looked miserable as he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “No.” He paused for a few long seconds, and I waited. Finally, he continued, “I’ve been keeping somethin’ from you, and I fear that—once you know—you will want nothing more to do with me.” His tormented gaze met mine. “I love you, Sarah, I truly do. I’ve never met another woman quite like you. And I don’t just mean yer outward beauty. I love seeing ya talk to yer chickens. I love the way yer brow furrows when yer focusing on somethin’, watching yer cheeks flush, the way you laugh—“ He broke off and held his face in his hands as his suppressed tears began to come out in choking sobs.

My heart was racing as I approached him and said, “Titus, I love you too. Surely, whatever your secret is can’t be so terrible that we can’t overcome it.”

His hands fell to his sides, and he stared at the floor as he whispered, “I’m from Alderia.” My eyes widened—that was the kingdom who was fighting against us, Zarzamora, in the war! He fell to his knees and continued, “I don’t expect your forgiveness, knowing who I truly am. I also didn’t tell you everything about my injuries. I did have a horse, and I did fall off of him, but it was in the middle of a battle that took place about five miles west of here. My wounds were from swords, and my bruises were from when I fell off my horse because he was shot. After I fell, I pretended to be dead, and that was what saved me. I managed to crawl my way to your farm before losing consciousness.”

He slipped a dagger from his boot and held it out to me, his hand trembling. “I can’t go back to Alderia, not since I met you. My heart is yours. If you can’t forgive me—I’d rather that the last thing I see be the woman I love.”

I burst into tears and fell on his neck. The dagger fell to the ground as he clutched me to his chest. “Titus—“ my throat caught, “I love you.” We held each other for a long while, breakfast completely forgotten.

When Titus finally let go, he held me by my shoulders and whispered, “Can I stay here? Would you be my wife? Yer all that I want, Sarah.” I nodded and he embraced me again. I never wanted him to let go.