Magdaleena laughed and her laughter reminded of the light chiming of a small bell. She glanced up at Theron and her eyes sparkled with delight. There was not a man in the world she respected or admired more than she did Araziel. He was a father of many, genetic father of only two boys, whom where somewhere around Theron's age. He was considered the elder of the 'family' not because he was the oldest but because he was the wisest and the one who protected the said family against any sort of threat. Needless to say, he was one of the best fist fighters around and at the same time a marvelous musician.
- Thanks. I'll protect you some day, you'll see! - she said with a childish laughter and a happy glimmer in her brown eyes.

Magda nodded eagerly as he suggested composing a new tune. She'd heard his works before, many of the gypsies sung them around the bonfire and Magda has always wondered why nobody ever called Theron himself to perform them. Perhaps they respected the solitude of this young man, who appeared to be far too wise for his age. Araziel had always spoken about Theron with a great amount of respect and the others would never dare disagree with him that Theron was indeed a unique individual. Only Magda had dared step into his personal space, only to find that he wasn't all that different from the rest of them. She reached up to remove a wet lock of hair from his eyes and smiled again. She pried herself away from the embrace, which had left her whole being with the cozy feeling of warmth. She swam to shore and shook her head, her long honey blond locks releasing themselves of a certain amount of water before she pulled her panties on. She threw her white shirt on and decided to wait until she got further dressed, drying of her legs and feet with the towel, which had been thrown to the side.

The young gypsy sat on one of the bigger rocks, which was situated between the water of the river and the soil of the forest.
- I don't know when he reached the decision, but he announced it a few days ago, when we were around the fire. He told me I had a few days to get the thought settled in. - she said with a light shrug as she bend her legs to the side and leaned forward, her fingertips tracing over the smooth surface of the river. It was one of the calmest rivers she'd ever seen and her own image was almost flawlessly projected by its clear waters. - I guess I was too shocked to decline right then and there. Plus, the 'family' seemed rather excited about it. Fatma's already started on my wedding dress. - she admitted as she glanced back at Theron again, her eyes withholding some sort of silent plead for him to help her out. She knew that Araziel would want reasoning as to why she didn't want the marriage. She was yet to figure out what to say though.

She glanced up, only to see that the sun was settling in the middle of the clear blue sky. It had to be around noon, maybe a few hours earlier. How time flew by so fast, she had no idea. She glanced back at Theron and sighed with a warm smile before answering his question:
- The "lion tamer". - she replied in a low voice. It was a nickname for Araziel's youngest son. He was almost twenty and was known with his brute strength and the fact that he was rather short tempered at times. He had earned his nickname by stopping an escaped lion from the circus, which had threatened to destroy their whole camp. The animal had obviously been hungry and irritated by the overwhelming heat. Tarian was a brave soul, indeed, but he had no appreciation for anything other than strength and physical beauty. He couldn't stand being defied. He had his eye on Magda ever since Araziel had taken her as a daughter. Everyone knew that. And since he was Araziel's favorite child, it was only natural that he would satisfy his desire of having her. Magda knew she would only be a possession and there were rumors about how Tarian treated those who opposed him, no matter men or women. And Magda had no intention of being ordered what to do. Which would, in time, prove to be a problem, that much she knew.