Page 31 of Quest for her Knights
As soon as I’m back, I hand the food off to Draven and Blaze to cook and decide to check on Elora. She’s lying on her side, facing away from the camp, so I move around and kneel in front of her. Immediately, I see her wide, glazed-over eyes as she stares off into the forest.
“Sweetheart?” I ask gently, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
Her eyes shift up to meet mine, and she gives me a small frown. “Arrow? Is it morning already?”
“Have you even slept? I’ve been gone for over an hour, you should be asleep.”
“I can’t,” she whispers as tears fill her eyes.
“Why not? Tell me what’s wrong, I want to help you.”
“I don’t know. I just keep thinking about what’s out there, who else wants to kill me. I can’t even close my eyes. I swear I never used to be like this... so afraid. I don’t know what’s wrong with m–me,” she stammers, her voice breaking as tears spill down her cheeks.
Fuck. Seeing her like this kills me. Ranger warned me to keep my distance, but I can’t let her suffer. She slept just fine when Draven was holding her, so maybe that’s what she needs to fall asleep, being held by someone sworn to protect her.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll help you sleep.”
I set my quiver and bow on the ground, then pull my chainmail over my head and drop it to the side. As I start to take off my pants, Ranger calls out, “Arrow, what are you doing?”
“She’s still awake. I’m going to hold her so she can fall asleep. You got a problem with that?” I ask as I strip down to my boxers. I watch him grind his jaw before giving a brief shake of his head, turning his attention back to the fire.
With that settled, I lean down and lift the blanket she’s under. “Scoot over, Princess. I’m coming in.” She shifts closer to the fire, giving me space between her and the forest she’d been staring into. I crawl in beside her, pulling her into my chest as I wrap my arms around her. Something in my chest settles. She feels right.
I rub her back slowly and whisper, “Sleep, sweetheart. I’ve got you now.”
“Don’t leave me,” she murmurs so softly I almost don’t catch it.
“Never,” I whisper back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Within minutes, her breathing slows and I know she’s finally asleep.
My eyes meet Ranger’s across the fire. He lifts an eyebrow in silent question and I give a small nod in response. Yes, she’s asleep. And she stays that way for hours, until I desperately need to move to relieve myself.
I catch Blaze’s attention, and he moves to her other side. Together, we gently roll her into his arms. I take care of business, then grab some rabbit meat and stand close to the fire for warmth.
“You did good, kid,” Ranger says, coming to stand beside me. I raise an eyebrow in surprise. I expected him to chew me out.
“What? Not going to scold me for getting too close to our beloved princess?”
He rolls his eyes. “I don’t think it’s wise to make it a habit, but I hate seeing her in pain as much as you do. If you hadn’t gotten in there with her, I probably would’ve done it myself.”
“Really? And would you call her a good girl while you do it?” I tease, grinning.
“Shut it,” he grumbles, shoving me lightly as I laugh. Then he grows serious. “Seriously though, Arrow. We need to pay more attention to her. We can’t let her get that bad again. If the kings and queen saw her like that, they’d have our heads.”
“No offense, but fuck what they think,” I say with a scoff.
“Excuse me?” he asks, turning fully toward me.
“I mean, we shouldn’t be protecting her just because of their orders. We do it because we want her to be happy and safe. It just happens to align with our job. You have to be careful talking like that around her, Ranger. It hurts her feelings when you make her feel like a job.”
“She is a job.”
“Sure. Just keep telling yourself that,” I say, shaking my head as I walk back to where she’s curled against Blaze. I slide in behind her and wrap my arms around her, holding her tightly between us.
“I’ve got her if you want to get up,” I whisper to Blaze.
He’s silent for nearly a full minute before replying, “I’m good here.”
I think about that for a moment. I don’t need to stay, Blaze will keep her feeling safe through the night. But no part of me wants to leave. So I just snuggle in tighter as I reply, “Me too.”
