The west tower was silent, the roar of the party below fading into a dullness. I pushed open the door to his- our chambers, the hinges making a creaking sound that earned me a growl instantly.
"I told you, Aldwin, I have no need for—"
Lord Kaldric's voice was cut off. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his upper armor discarded on the floor. In the flickering candlelight, his face twisted into immense distress and pain.
My breath hitched. The goblet rattled on the tray.
His side was injured deeply. A deep gash ran along his ribs, exposing the flesh, too painful to watch.
He was trying to stitch it himself, his large, scarred hands trembling as he fumbled with a needle and thread. The floor was stained with fresh drops of his life-force.
"You're bleeding," I gasped, the tray clattering onto a side table as I rushed toward him. My body instantly reacted in worry to find him hurt.
"It is nothing," He growled, though his face was ashen, a fine line of sweat coating his brow.
He tried to pull his tunic over the wound, but the movement forced a sharp, pained hiss from his lungs. He shut his eyes, trying to subdue the ache.
"Go back to the hall. This is not for your eyes."
"You ordered me to not appear before you again, My Lord. Did I listen?"
I knelt on the cold stone between his boots, ignoring the way his body stiffened at my proximity, eyes opening, widening slightly at the voice I newly found.
"You are becoming an exasperation that is getting harder to deal with each passing heartbeat, Ardelle."
I suppressed a smirk and took the needle from his shaking fingers. My own hands were steady– a byproduct of a life where I had to mend my own rags or go naked.
But, my heart was hammering swiftly, the concern overflowing in me.
"You were going to let me die," I whispered, my voice trembling only slightly as I dipped a cloth in the wine to clean the wound.
"Was it because of….this?"
He looked away furiously, gripping onto the sheets with an unexpected frustration.
"You knew you might not be able to reach on time nonetheless and wanted to etch the fear, at the very least?" I pressed further, wondering if it could shake him.
Lord Kaldric stared down at me, his silver eyes wide and unblinking, once again on the line molding perfectly between my breast into his clear view, drying his throat.
"And yet," he rasped, his voice thick, trying to endure the pain.
"Here you are. Tending the monster who left you regardless of the reason."
He swallowed hard and shifted his attention this time. He watched as I worked, my fingers moving with a gentleness he clearly didn't know how to process.
I flinched every time his muscles spasmed, my own chest aching as if the blade had pierced me instead of him. The sight of the unbreakable being damaged was unbearable for me.
I looked up, my face inches from his. A single tear escaped, landing on his bare skin, mingling with the blood.
"I am a fool, My Lord," I whispered, my gaze locked on his, resting my forehead carefully on his bare chest, whimpering.
"But I find I cannot watch you bleed, even if you wouldn't blink to see me fall."
Lord Kaldric didn't move. He didn't speak. He simply stared at me, probably to comprehend a non-existent feeling buried in his heart. Unintentionally, he extended his hand out, lifting my chin up.
"Truly?"
"Yes." I nodded without thinking.
His eyes closed, not a glimpse of satisfaction or disgust. Instead, he looked puzzled as if he was struggling from inside. His face almost turned enraged but this time, it was indicated to his own self.
Shifting back, I moved across the stone floor to reach for a clean bandage, but a sudden, sharp hiss of air from Lord Kaldric made me freeze.
"My Lord?"
He wasn't looking at my hands anymore. His silver eyes were fixed on the floor, on my bare feet peeking out from beneath the forest-green wool.
The skin was red, mapped with small cuts and bruises– the lingering signature of being a beggar. I had no shoes. They used to throw or burn them.
"Your feet," he paused, inspecting the only part of my body that was scarred, "They are ruined."
I looked down, feeling a flicker of the old shame, and shrugged it off, hiding them quickly.
"I have walked without shoes since I was five, My Lord. The stones of a castle are no harsher. It is nothing."
"It is not nothing," he muttered, his jaw tightening.
He looked as though he wanted to say more, to bark an order or a rebuke, but the words seemed to stick in his throat.
I finished the last stitch and tied the thread with a trembling hand. "There. Try not to break them again."
As I attempted to stand, my legs, weak from the night's terror and the long vigil, betrayed me. My heel caught on the heavy, intricate hem of the emerald gown.
I gasped, the world tilting as I began to fall toward the hard stone.
Before I could hit the ground, a massive, warm weight slammed into my waist.
Kaldric had surged forward, catching me with his unharmed arm. The strength in his grip was staggering, pulling me flush against his bare, scarred chest.
"Be careful, Ardelle," he whispered against my temple. I stood stunned, the heat abruptly began to settle in me, weakening me more.
"I find I have no desire to pick you up off the floor, unless you want me to open the stitches."
He held me a second longer than necessary before releasing me and my hips landed on the ground. My mouth gaped.
What was the point of holding when he was going to let go and let me fall? Still, I fled the room before the heat in my cheeks could consume me.
The next morning, the camp was a hive of activity as we prepared to move toward the next spot. Sir Aldwin approached me as I stood by the horses, holding a new bundle.
"A gift, My Lady. This is perfect to move." he said, handing me a new blue gown with a midnight blue cloak of wool. It had embroidery, the finest one which left me in awe.
Moreover, it was shorter. Cut just above the ankles to allow for movement. Tucked into the folds was a small ceramic jar too.
"And an ointment for the... travel-weary."
I opened the jar, the scent of lavender and cooling herbs drifting up. I looked at him, bewildered, accepting his gift instantly.
"But... how did you know I needed this, Sir Aldwin?"
Sir Aldwin glanced toward Lord Kaldric, who was currently terrorizing some squires ten paces away.
A mischievous glint danced in the knight's eyes, "I saw it in a dream, My Lady."
"A dream?" I whispered, my eyes twinkling.
"Aye. A demon visited me in the middle of the night." He grinned, shifting his eyes back to me.
"He was very grumpy, and threatened me if I didn't find a seamstress and an apothecary before first light for the Lady, he would eat me!"
Intrigued, a small, genuine laugh escaping my lips, "Really? Dreams have meanings like that?"
"Absolutely," Aldwin grinned, giving me a playful bow.
"In this army, dreams usually come with iron boots and a very short temper. It's better if you follow them."
"Thank you, your dream demon. I truly needed that." I beamed, returning the bow of respect when my requirement was presented to me.
I clutched the ointment, a strange warmth blooming in my chest. I hurried back toward the Commander, hesitant, wondering if he would scold me for accepting more gifts.
"My Lord," I said, breathless as I reached him.
"Sir Aldwin gave me these. He said he saw my needs in a dream. Is it... is it alright?"
Lord Kaldric stopped his shouting and looked at the cloak, then at the jar in my hand. He didn't look at my face.
"Where is the hat?" He barked, I blinked in confusion, his threatening glare turning to Sir Aldwin who shouted from his side.
"In the bundle!"
"Oh the demon mentioned the hat?"
"The what?" He paused, raising his brows.
"The demon of his dream, My Lord. He informed Sir Aldwin about all this. I didn't know dreams work this way too."
He reached out, picked the beautiful hat and replaced the previous hat with the current one with thundering speed so none could get a glimpse.
He grabbed the strings of my hat, tying them under my chin with a sharp, familiar tug.
"He is a fool," Lord Kaldric muttered, his fingers brushing against the skin of my neck for a lingering second.
He hoisted me into the saddle with a single, effortless motion. "And you are a fooler."
"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, looking down at him in confusion.
He didn't answer. He simply reached up and tugged the brim of my hat down over my eyes, plunging me into the familiar shadows, blocking my sight again.
"Nothing," he growled as we left for our next destination.