This day of celebration had been ruined for me as soon as the chanting started at breakfast. How could the people of Gilvary name me as king while my mother still lived? Honestly, Delano had done me a two-fold favor when he dumped me on the ground. The spill had kept me from having to attend the festivities for the rest of the afternoon, and it allowed me more time to spend with Gwen.
I wondered if she realized how she wore such a satisfied look on her face while shutting the door on Arlana’s receding backside. “Now, maybe you can tell me where you are injured.”
“It is nothing really. I fell on my hip. It is probably just bruised.”
She grabbed a piece of sheeting from a shelf above the bed and covered me with it. With Clare’s help, she relieved me of my boots.
“We will need to remove the trousers to see if there are any flesh injuries. Clare, reach beneath the sheet down there, grab the bottom of his pant legs, and start pulling. I will help wiggle him out from the top.”
“He is like the king. I cannot undress him.” I was glad to see that Clare had not moved from her position at the foot of the bed. She was pale as a ghost and had both hands in front of her mouth while she looked at me with her eyes stretched wide.
“I am not the king, and no one is going to undress me.”
Gwen did not say anything at first. She stepped back, taking a hard look at her assistant and then at me. I held the sheet down tightly around my waist. I recognized the determined look on her face.
“Clare did not say you were the king. She said you were like the king. How is she supposed to get used to the idea of healing royalty if you are going to be so touchy? We need to take care of your injuries, and we cannot do that without your cooperation.”
I had not expected her sound reasoning. She was right. “I am sorry, Clare. It has been a long, trying day, and I should not have taken it out on you.”
Her face was still pale but at least she had dropped her hands back down to her sides. “No need to apologize, Your Highness.”
Gwen took charge once again. “Clare, if you would, tell whomever is standing outside the door to send for ice and then mix up a poultice for the prince’s hip. I am sure he is right. There must be bruising, at the very least.”
Gwen did not speak until Clare had made the request and then entered the adjacent workroom. “You hired me to be a healer. This is part of my job. You can keep your undergarments on, but the trousers have to go.”
I had known she would not give in, so I had come up with my own plan while she had been instructing Clare. “Okay, but I will work the top and you can pull from the legs.”
There was some pain, but I was distracted with trying to keep the sheet from going down with my trousers. I was relieved when the job was done, that is, until she tried to take a peek under my shorts.
“I just need to pull them down on the side to see your hip. Come on, Reagan, I only want to make sure your birthmark is still intact.”
This shocked me into releasing my shorts which surely was her objective. “How do you know about my birthmark?”
“You seem to forget, I have seen you unclothed before.”
“When?”
“Remember that time you showed up at Aisling half dead? Who do you think undressed and bathed you? Of course, I only got that one look since Agata insisted on taking care of all your personal needs after that first time. Still, I remember it well.”
Judging by the deadpan look on her face, she was clearly not as embarrassed as I was at this conversation. I could feel the heat creeping up the sides of my face.
“Brianna’s old nursemaid has seen my naked body?”
“Surely it was nothing special to her. It is not her specialty, but she has been helping out in the infirmary for years. No doubt she has seen plenty.”
“Trust me, that is not reassuring.”
She placed her hand on my arm. “Reagan, I was just trying to lighten the mood, but allow me to assure you that I am serious about my job. This is the second time I have seen you injured. When I am working on a patient, I want to do whatever it takes to see them well again. All other thoughts fade away.”
I was spared a reply as Clare entered the room with the poultice in hand. Gwen instructed her to come around to her side and stand near my head. She pulled the covering back just enough to expose the large purple bruise. Clare’s hands were shaking as she applied the poultice.
A cloth packed with ice was applied over the poultice, which did help with the pain. I laid back and relaxed while the two women worked around me bringing the infirmary back to order. This had been the most soothing part of my day. A part of me wanted to just close my eyes and enjoy the unusual peacefulness surrounding me here, but I could not ignore Gwen’s presence.
“Prince Reagan, unless you have another injury that I am unaware of, it seems that Clare and I have done all we can for you. Of course, one of us will have to check on you tomorrow, but I see no reason to hold you here any longer. I can call someone to assist you to the dining hall, or I can have you taken to your own chambers if you would like.”
I reached for Gwen’s hand. “Can I not stay here with you just a little longer? I have had enough celebration for one day, and I would rest better here in this quiet room.”
I was trying to be charming, but more than likely I was coming off as pathetic.
The corner of her mouth turned up just a little. She turned her attention to her apprentice. “Clare, you may go on to supper. If you would, go by the kitchen and make a request for food to be sent here for me and our patient.”
Clare curtsied and left the room without another word.
Gwen had a table set up next to the bed by the time Glynis came in with a large tray of food. She was followed by her little helper who carried a much smaller tray with two slices of chocolate cake on it. After setting down her tray, the little girl came and stood by the bed looking up at me with her emerald green eyes.
“Are you hurt bad?”
“Gemma, come away from the prince. Remember what I have told you. You do not speak unless spoken to. Sorry, Your Highness.”
Glynis curtsied and then tapped the little girl on the shoulder to remind her to do the same thing. I knew she was only trying to teach the child proper etiquette, but it was so tiring sometimes.
“No worries. Gemma and I are friends.”
I gave the little girl a wink, and she smiled shyly back at me. Glynis just nodded her head and turned to leave the room taking her helper with her.
Gwen had everything ready for us to eat by the time they had closed the door behind themselves. She helped me to sit up on the side of the bed, and then took a chair across from me. “So, did you see any interesting inventions today?”
“I gave the top reward to a fellow who had invented what he called a steamcycle. Do not ask me how it worked exactly, but it went on two wheels and was powered by steam. The downfall of the contraption was it did not have a large enough holding tank, so you could never get too far away from a water source, and you would waste what little time and energy you had saved by having to stop to refill the tank.”
“I am surprised it won with those flaws.”
“It was the most complete invention out there, and it was functional. Most of his competitors only had concepts to show. One man had a design for a flying machine. Can you imagine?”
I took a moment to admire the huge grin on Gwen’s face. “Not really, but it is fun to think about.”
“Do you like these types of creations?”
“Yes. I always have been interested in this sort of progression. You just do not see things like that coming out of Aisling.”
“Filib has been trying to talk me into investing in a type of trade school where people can go and work on their inventions. He believes in that type of environment the inventors can feed off of each other’s knowledge while helping them to advance their own ideas. He says Gilvary would profit from the taxes collected once these inventions are complete, and it could also help advance our kingdom above the rest in this area.”
“It seems like sound advice to me. It is apparent that Filib is thinking toward the betterment of Gilvary. It is good that he is on your side.”
I reached for Gwen’s hand. “Are you happy here?”
I knew it was an abrupt change of subject, but I had wanted to know for days.
She did not answer immediately. She looked to the side and then back at me. “Overall, I would say yes. I do miss Aisling some. I mean, my family is there, and I miss talking to Brianna. I do love the fact that I have a defined job to do here. And this may seem silly, but my suite here is beyond anything I ever could have imagined. I know I have you to thank, and I have been meaning to say so.”
“That suite has always belonged to the healer. All I did was have it spruced up a bit, and believe me, it was a necessity. You may remember what shape the infirmary was in, well, that suite was in worse condition if you can imagine.”
“Still, it is nice, and I appreciate your efforts.”
“You are most welcome.”
“So, have you even had a chance to open any of your gifts?”
“As a matter of fact, I have not. I saw you handing a gift over to Arlana this morning. What did you get me?”
The shy smile she gave me sent my heart racing. She had to be the most attractive woman I had ever seen, but she did not seem to realize it.
“That gift was not from me. It was from your brother and his wife.”
“Oh, I bet it is armor then.”
“How did you know?”
“Because both of them have stressed my need to not only continue my own training, but that I should build up our military here as well. And I know how proud Garrett was of the set Brianna got him for his birthday. Mine does not have the lizard embossment like his, does it?” The dragon represented the kingdom of Aisling. I knew they would never send me armor with their emblem on it.
“How dare you? That is the symbol of my kingdom you are referring to. It is better than Gilvary’s old bird. What is so special about a falcon? Our dragon would turn your little bird into a snack.”
“And to think, I had planned to introduce you to my pet falcon. Seeing as how you do not care for them, I will refrain.”
“You have a pet falcon? What is his name?” The previous banter was forgotten.
“His name is Allister. He was a gift from my father to mark my nineteenth year. I had convinced him that we should have one considering it represents our kingdom.” It seemed strange to be reminiscing about anything positive concerning my father. I had surprised myself by bringing his memory into the conversation.
“I was not even aware that you could have a falcon for a pet. Where do you keep him?”
“There is a cage in the private garden off from the family suite. I have been meaning to show it to you anyway. I had an archery range set up there. You are welcome to use it any time. I know how much you enjoy it.”
Gwen had taught me how to perfect my archery skills while I was staying in Aisling, but I doubted I would ever be as good at it as she was.
“So, have you been practicing?”
“As a matter of fact I have. Maybe we can practice together sometime.”
We had both finished eating during our conversation. I watched as Gwen stepped over to retrieve a package from the bottom of a basket on the shelf across the room. She returned and sat on the side of the bed next to me as she placed the present into my hands. I did not hesitate to open my first gift of the day. Inside were two leather arm sheaths to be worn on the forearms for protection. Both were embossed with falcon images.
She ran her finger along the outline of one of the falcons. “I hope you like it. I drew this falcon myself and the tanner used my design to do the embossing. I know it is a little different than the view commonly used here, but I thought it fit better for this space.”
These falcons were of a side view whereas Gilvary’s falcon was usually seen from the front with the wings spanned. I knew this gift had more thought put into it than any of the others that were probably waiting for me in my chambers by now.
I leaned over and placed a kiss right at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes went large. She immediately stood and began gathering everything on the table, placing it on the tray. I knew I had surprised her, but I could not be sorry for the kiss. It was nothing compared to the one I had wanted.
Regretfully, I knew it was time for me to leave her. It had been a long day for both of us. I could have sat talking all night, but it would not have been fair to her.
She agreed to turn her back while I dressed if I agreed to call out if I needed help. Then she got the warrior standing guard outside the door to help me to my chambers.
How much longer before I could ask for her hand in marriage? Then I would never have to part with her again.