His hands in my hair is what wakes me up the next morning. I glance up at his face and he’s smiling down at me.
Briefly I look around and see that there is no one else is in the room. “Where did everyone go?”
“The fever has not returned. The healer said my leg looks better, so they left us alone to get some sleep.” He moves his hand to my arm and starts rubbing slow circles there while he talks. Goosebumps pepper my arm immediately, and he laughs. “You’re awfully reactive to my touch, aren’t you?”
I bury my face into his chest, trying to hide the blush worming its way up my neck and face. “Don’t be embarrassed, Callie. I like that I can affect you this way.” He uses the arm that’s wrapped around me and starts rubbing up and down my back.
We’re interrupted by the door opening. I glance back and see Kenna. “We need to get you ready, miss. The messengers are back.”
Looking back at the beast, I give him a questioning look. “I need you to be my eyes and ears in this meeting, Callie. Now is not the time to show weakness. We’re trying to prevent a war. The king of the opposing side being indisposed would not show a strong front.” It’s the most kingly thing I think I’ve heard him say.
I scramble out of bed and follow Kenna back to my room. Today, she has a different type of attire for me. She dresses me in what I imagine must be men’s clothing here. I’ve only seen the women wear dresses. “One of the servants brought this from his son’s clothes for you to wear today.”
The pants cut off mid-calf. She lets me wear the bra from my world beneath the rest of the clothing, a corset having no place with this ensemble. Again she braids my hair back, this time teasing it and making me look more fierce than I’m used to. She takes the time to braid it intricately. I look like a Viking princess.
I follow her down the hallway to the war room. When we have almost reached the door, I stumble. My hand connects with the wall as I steady myself, my heart pounding while flashbacks from the last time I was here scroll through my mind. The surrounding hall disappears, and I’m stuck replaying the moment he was shot over and over again. I grasp my chest, breath coming in quick gasps. A soft touch on my arm jolts me out of the memories and I look into the face of Kenna.
“Are you okay, miss?” She grips my arm more tightly, nodding her head in a show of support and understanding. Her hand glides down my arm to grasp my hand in her own. We walk the rest of the way to the door in this manner. Fingers tighten on mine one last time before she lets go and opens the door to the war room.
All eyes in the room turn toward me when I enter, back straight, steps sure, faking confidence as much as I can. The messengers are the only ones who seem surprised by my presence here. The rest of the men nod in acknowledgement and go back to what they were discussing. I approach the table they surround, and I can see how the other kingdom has moved since the last time I was here. They have covered significant distance and have arrived back at the edge of the water.
The messengers let us know that their sources have still not reported any boats or larger ships on the water. They tell us they continue to watch and have been instructed to ride as fast as possible to report in if they see any.
“And what of the scouts sent looking for other settlements?” I ask, hoping they have found signs of other life.
“What is she even doing here?” one of the men asks with a sneer.
Kenna surprises me when she steps forward and responds in a stronger voice than usual, “You will respect your king’s request for Callie to sit in on these meetings.”
The man averts his eyes, and I look back at her. I didn’t realize she had entered the room with me. Their response to who I thought was just a maidservant confuses me but, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?
“No one has returned yet, miss.” Beady Eyes looks away, I’m sure hoping I don’t explode like I did the last time.
“They’ve been traveling, what, about a month now?”
“Yes, miss. It took only a couple of days to prepare them for the journey. They left as soon as we had sufficient provisions for a long journey,” the tall one answers.
Every time I see these two, they seem to speak with one mind. I assume they have been working together for a long time to answer questions on the same topics so succinctly.
Raising my eyes, I look at the man who seemed to be in charge the last time. “What is your name?”
He blinks back at me for a second before realizing I’ve asked him a question. “Theodore, miss.”
“Theodore, I’d like you to report directly to me or His Majesty if there is anything else you think we need to know.” I turn and walk out of the room after his nod of acknowledgment.
Kenna follows me out, and I deflate as soon as the door closes behind me. She walks with me as we go straight to his room. When we enter the room, my hand flies to my mouth. He is out of bed and walking slowly across the floor, supported by one of the men who has been looking after him. His eyes find me and he stumbles. The man helps him sit in a nearby chair.
“You’re standing.” A wide smile spreads across my face as I make my way to him and fall to my knees in front of his chair.
His hand rests on my cheek, thumb brushing gently back and forth. “Leave us,” he says, eyes focused on me, not looking at the other people.
Behind me, I hear the door click closed. I lay my head on his uninjured leg, allowing him to continue stroking my cheek.
“Tell me.” Immediately, I know he wants an update on the other side.
“They have moved back to the water’s edge. No boats have been spotted. And there has not been a return of the people sent looking for settlements.” I feel a quick and complete description is best. “And Theodore will find either of us if any more information needs to be shared,” I finish.
“Theodore, huh? Why him over the other men?”
“He seemed the one to know the most, the one who was actually processing the information.”
“He’s been with me the longest. He will make a good general if I’m not better in time.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Don’t say what, Callie? We don’t know if or when this is going to happen. I can barely walk ten steps in a row. No one knows whether or not I’ll be able to support my own weight for any length of time, let alone ride a horse.”
“Then I suppose you better get back to practicing, huh?” I stand and extend my hand to him.
He smirks before engulfing my small hand in his own.
As we pace back and forth across the room, he grows increasingly tired. Finally, I force him back into bed with the promise of staying with him again.
The open window reveals it grows closer to dinnertime, and right on cue, my stomach growls. The beast chuckles.
“It’s not funny,” I mumble.
“I’ve never heard a stomach make so much noise before.”
“Lucky me,” I say under my breath.
A few minutes later, Kenna comes in holding a tray with enough food and tea for the both of us. She sets it on a side table and smiles at me before leaving the room.
Her coming here reminds me to ask him, “Who is Kenna?”
“What?” he responds.
“In the meeting, the men started to question me and Kenna stepped forward and defended me.” His frown returns at my words. “They listened to her. Which makes me wonder, who is she? Because up to now, I was under the impression she was just a maid.”
“Kenna has been here longer than I have. She is well respected by our people. She survived on her own here for a long time.”
“Is it possible she knows about other settlements?”
“I don’t think so. She told us she kept to herself, mostly. Until she moved in here, that is. How about that dinner?”
I climb down from the bed and hand the tray to the king to set on the far side of the bed, so I don’t accidentally knock it over while I climb back onto the high mattress. Then he grasps my arm, helping me up. Thankfully, the pants I wear make this maneuver easier than a dress would.
“What exactly are you wearing?” He looks down at my ensemble.
“They thought I needed to dress the part.” I grab a grape from the tray and pop it into my mouth.
He grabs another one and holds it in front of my mouth, waiting for me to eat it from his fingers. When I’ve finished the one in my mouth, I wrap my lips around the one he’s holding, biting into the sweet, juicy globe. He brings his fingers to his mouth and licks the juices off before grabbing and popping one into his own mouth.
We continue much in the same way, alternating between feeding ourselves and each other. When we get to the tea, we opt to drink from our own cups, not wanting to make a mess across the bed.
Once the tray is empty, he leans back against the headboard, drawing me into his side. “I’m glad you’re alive,” I say, my face downturned so he can’t see the unshed tears welling in my eyes.
“I’m rather fond of being alive myself.” He chuckles and I gently punch his stomach.
“You know what I mean.”
He sighs before saying, “Yes, I know what you mean.”