“Come down from your horse, Alexandru,” she commanded, and he obeyed promptly, if hardly willingly. Once free of its rider, the horse wasted no time before cantering away into the forest. The lady, meanwhile, slinked gracefully from the altar and took slow, swaying steps towards her panic-stricken prey. With a desperate effort, Alexandru took a single step backwards, but her reaction was immediate and decisive:
“Stop. Don’t resist me. You have nothing to fear. I know of your chivalry towards me, Alexandru, and I mean to reward it. Kneel, my poor, weary knight.