Page 108 of Reign of Light
“Yes, of course. Don’t insult me, young man, by ever questioning my loyalty. That girl is like my own.”
I can hear the fondness and gratefulness in his voice when he responds. “Thank you, Tila. Thank you.”
The hinges squeak as the door opens and then clicks closed again, and the rustle of Tila’s dress gets closer until she appears in the doorway.
“My gods,” she mutters as her hand settles on her chest. “My dear girl, what in the heavens has happened to you?”
“Hi Tila,” I say weakly, and watch as her gaze flickers to my neck then back to my face.
She pivots on her heel, leaving me alone in the bathing chamber once more. Her footsteps stomp along the stone floors before she’s yanking the door open again and barks commands outside.
“I need hot water drawn for the queen immediately. You go yourself and pull some food from the kitchen. No one enters this room unless it is the First Guard himself allowing it. Understood?”
There’s a mumbled response before the door slams closed, the bolt secured once again. Her footsteps pound again, faster this time, until she appears in the doorway, her mouth a thin line.
“Let’s get you cleaned up. Everything will be fine, Your Majesty.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The exhaustion from the emotional and physical abuse I endured today is overwhelming, and I fall in and out of consciousness for most of the day. Weston still hasn’t returned by the time the light darkens in my windows, and worry stirs in my chest the longer the night goes on with no word. It feels like I startle awake every few seconds, anxiously checking to see if he’s back, but am only met with the steady crackle of the hearth and the slow turning of pages as Tila reads across the room.
When the murmuring of voices wakes me some time later, there’s no way of knowing how late it is. Fighting against the weight of my eyelids, I open my eyes, just barely enough to see the shadows of two people standing near the door.
“She has been resting all day, but only finally fell asleep,” Tila whispers. “She’s in a great deal of pain. I propped her pillows beneath her so she would not move, but she hasbeen restless.”
Relief washes over me at the answering rumble, and my body instantly relaxes. “The healers sent me with something that will help as soon as she wakes. Did she eat?”
“Barely a thing. It was too difficult. I’ve already instructed those you’ve already cleared in the kitchens to prepare soups and broth for her tomorrow. She needs strength to get through all of this.”
Weston’s voice lowers even more, and my ears strain to hear. “Thank you, Tila, for looking after her. I couldn’t leave her with someone I didn’t trust.”
“You know there is no reason for you to be thanking me.” Soft footsteps click as she walks closer to the door, and his follow behind.
“The crown isn’t thanking you, Tila. I am.”
There’s a pause as Tila’s skirts swish around, and her voice is hushed when she responds. “You care for her, don’t you?”
Weston doesn’t answer, not with words I can hear, and Tila starts again.
“Well, it is not my place to ask questions. I’m much too old to care about such things as propriety. As long as the First Guard puts the queen above all else, I’m sure that is all her father wanted.”
“I do,” he grumbles.
“Good. And the king? Are you at liberty to say?”
“There was an assassin. He was someone from the king’s past. He tried to harm her too.”
She lets out a huff. “Then we are lucky she is still with us.”
“We are.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, mister Rowe. It is a loss for us all, but I’m sure it is a great deal harder for you. I remember how close you were to the king.”
“Thank you, Tila. It was not an easy day.”
“You are correct. So, it is high time this day was over for us all. I am going to retire. I will check in on her in the morning. Goodnight, mister Rowe.”
A strip of light expands across the room as Tila slips out the door, but it is extinguished quickly as Weston closes and locks it softly behind her. His footsteps cross the room, followed by the sound of a log being added to the hearth. The orange glow flashes brighter, followed by more crackling and popping as the flame catches the bark. He’s rounding the corner of my bed in the next moment, and there’s a clink of glass as he sets something on the bedside table. His fingers trail over the curve of my head, and I feel his lips press into my hair.
