Chapter Six:
The Huntsman
Cole woke under a weighted blanket, woozy and stiff but far from in pain. A chair had been added to the end of the cot to extend it for his size. Someone, another dwarf with wheat-coloured hair and rosy cheeks, was changing his bandages.
“Good morning!” said the dwarf cheerily. “You look brighter than you did last night. Cole, was it?”
“Um... yes. Thank you.” He thought about mentioning his title, but he doubted she was unaware of it if she knew his name. It probably didn’t matter to her, if she’d had a princess under her roof for half a decade.
“I’m Garnet.”
“You seem a lot nicer than Snow and the other chap yesterday.”
“Eira? What are you talking about, pet? She’s a delight.”
“If you say so.”
Garnet beamed, and her gaze drifted to the corner of the room. Cole followed it to a chair beside the fire. Eirwen was curled up in it, sound asleep. Her black hair spilled out over the shoulders of a milk-white nightgown. It was frayed and tattered, but embroidered in places with tiny blue flowers. Roses. The flower of the Aberthinian Royal family.
She looked very peaceful sleeping, and a lot prettier than he remembered.
“She stayed with you last night, you know,” said Garnet. “Although maybe she was worried Wren would come back and finish the job…”
Cole blanched. “Will she?”
“Ha! She didn’t drag you through the forest for nothing. My husband might, if he thinks you’ll tell your mother where Eira is.”
“I wouldn’t– I promise–”
“You can convince him later,” Garnet said, patting him on the arm. She handed him his shirt. It had been meticulously mended, the stitches as small as... well, the ones in his shoulder.
“Get dressed, pet. I’ll get you some breakfast together.”
Eirwen stirred just after Garnet dropped off two bowls of porridge. She flashed him a faint smile.
“Good morning. How’s your shoulder?”
“Better, thank you.” He handed her one of the bowls, holding back a wince. She took it gratefully. “You mended my shirt.”
“I didn’t think any of the others we had would fit you.”
“You did a really good job.”
“Sewing is my thing. My talent.”
“Other than beating me at sword fights?”
“You remember that?”
“Having my arse handed to me by a girl half my size? Pretty hard to forget.”
Snow blushed. “I wasn’t half your size…”
“No, but you’re getting close to it now.”
“Cole,” she said. “Why are you here?”
“I told you. I came to give you back the amulet.”