Page 68 of His Runaway Princess

As she relaxed, he was able to take her hand and pull on it until she lay on the bed next to him, her head resting on his chest on the good side. His injured leg had been left closer to the edge to make it easier for people to get to, he supposed.

With the arm wrapped around her shoulder, he pulled her slightly closer, enough that he could rest his cheek against her head. “I’m glad I was there to help you.” He leaned back enough to look at her.

She moved until he could see her eyes. “What?”

“Do you really have original artwork by Van Gogh and Picasso?”

A grin crossed her face. “I don’t. There’s some in the palace. I just came up with the most outlandish things that I could think of. You jumped right in with Shakespeare and Guttenberg. I tried not to choose things remotely within the realm of reality. A trip to Mars crossed my mind, but that seemed a bit too much even for what we were doing.”

“Good point.”

They stayed where they were long enough Ryker dozed off. When his head snapped back up as he startled awake, Amalia stood at the door.

“He’s sleeping,” she told whoever waited on the other side.

“I’m awake,” he said just loud enough to be heard.

She turned back to look at him. “Are you sure you’re up for a little company?”

He nodded. “For a few minutes.” It might be longer, but that gave them an out if they wanted to use it.

When he realized Princess Betlinde and Prince Erik were walking in, he tried to sit up a bit straighter.

And when King Benjamin followed them, he tried even harder.

They all looked so serious. What could this be about?

20

As she let her parents and King Benjamin in, Amalia could see the tension in Ryker increase. Why would that happen?

“How are you?” King Benjamin asked the first question.

“I’ve been better,” Ryker admitted. “But it could easily have been so much worse.”

Her mum turned to the other king. “This is the second time one of your men has saved the life of one of my daughters. While I wish neither one had been necessary, I am grateful, nonetheless.”

The king gave a nod. “I am, as well. I can hardly take credit, though. Thor secreted Regina away long before I became king. Now, the reality is that I have little to do with most personnel decisions.”

“I understand, but the ones you do have a say in - like your head of security - has to be someone who makes good decisions. In that sense, you are responsible.”

He seemed to acquiesce but didn’t say anything more on the matter.

“Is there anything you need, Ryker?” Her father asked the question. “We owe you so much, but what can we do on a practical level?”

Ryker looked at Amalia, and she could tell he didn’t know how to respond.

She jumped in. “I ordered some food for us. Nothing that has to be eaten right away so Ryker can eat as much as he wants when he’s ready. It seems that, at the moment, the doctor wants him to rest more than anything.”

“We’ll let you momentarily.” Her father and the king moved closer to the bed to talk to Ryker, though Amalia couldn’t hear what they said.

Ryker seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, though she didn’t think it had to do with her father or King Benjamin. Could it be that he still wore scrubs given to him at the hospital? They were clean but a bit small.

Amalia slipped through the door into the closet and wondered what he would like to wear. Most of his things were in the room he’d been using, but she thought there might be a few things in hers.

She dug through a drawer and found a pair of pajama pants and a shirt he’d worn in Ravenzario. Would the pants fit over whatever bandages he had on his thigh?

They could find out later, but maybe she could get her father and the king to leave shortly. Her mum would go with them.

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