Page 63 of A Touch of Royalty

No, she wasn’t going to jump to conclusions, she was going to go find him and find out what had happened.

“Now, tell me what has you so fired up, Cas?” That was Asan’s voice, and he’d been talking to Cas. All she had to do was follow the voices.

“Look,” Cas sounded distressed and Emryn moved faster. “I woke up like this, Asan. They weren’t there when I went to sleep.”

“Fascinating.” Asan was saying as Emryn burst through the door. “Good morning, your Highness, come and see.”

Emryn crossed the room to stop at Asan’s side. “What is it?”

“These,” Cas held his arm out, twisting it in the light. “I seem to have come down with some sort of rash in the night.”

“Let me look,” Emryn said, peering down at Cas’ arm. The follicles were raised, red, warm to the touch. “It seems to be a mild skin infection.” She said, looking up at him. “I can heal it, or send to the kitchen for a poultice.”

“I’ll poultice it,” Cas said, relaxing his shoulders. “No sense in you healing something so minor.” He smiled at her. “Good morning, Emryn, did you sleep well?”

She nodded, smiling back. “You were gone.”

“I wanted Asan to look at the rash.” He said. “I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“I don’t mind.” She took his hand. “I’ll send to the kitchen and order the poultice and some breakfast if we’re all awake.”

Asan nodded, giving her an oddly lingering look. “I can agree with that.”

“Is something wrong?” Emryn raised an eyebrow at the First Wizard. “You are looking at me oddly.”

“Nothing of note,” Asan said, turning that look on Cas and nodding. “It is good to see the two of you happy, that’s all.”

Emryn didn’t believe that for a moment, but she also wasn’t going to try to pry anything out of the shell that surrounded the First Wizard. The man was as stubborn a nut as she had ever met, and he would tell her what he was thinking when he was ready.

She left the room, going down the hallway to the kitchen and ordering breakfast and the poultice for Cas’ skin. “Right away, Highness.”

“Thank you, Marta.” Emryn smiled at the cook. She was young, but she was a very good cook. “Whatever you have and feel like serving this morning.”

“Very good, Highness,” Marta turned and went back into the kitchen, coming back a few moments later with a cloth and a small bottle. “The poultice for his Highness.”

“Thank you,” Emryn took it and waited until Marta went back into the kitchen. Then she pulled the cork and sniffed the bottle. It was bitter, potent, and immediately brought tears to her eyes from the fumes. But there was no malice in it, no poison.

It was what it said on the tin. A poultice for the rash. Rather noxious, but they usually were.

Emryn went back, only to catch the tail end of a conversation.

“Then tell her.” Asan was saying as she walked in.

“Tell me what?” Emryn set the bottle down on the table and motioned Cas closer. “Come here and let me take care of your arm.”

He walked over, a blush high on his cheeks. “It’s nothing, Emryn. I just forgot to take precautions last night and-”

“If I fall pregnant, the nation will rejoice,” Emryn said firmly, turning herself inward and running a quick diagnostic before looking back at Cas’ arm. “I don’t see that I’ve caught. I’m not even at the proper part of my cycle, so we’ve nothing to worry about.”

“Alright.” Cas looked relieved and then guilty.

Emryn smiled. “It’ll happen when it happens, Cas.”

“I know, I was just hoping to have you to myself for a while longer.” He gave her a rueful smile as Emryn poured the poultice on the cloth. “That smells awful.”

“They always do,” Emryn said, capping the bottle. “This might sting a bit.” She laid the soaked cloth over the rash, quietly firing a little bit of healing into the rash.

Cas hissed as the poultice hit. “It does,” he said through clenched teeth. “But they always do.”

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