Page 8 of The Princess and The Warrior

“Some deep bruises, but there’s nothing to be done about that,” I shrugged.

She poked and prodded me slightly, assessing the damage. Her thick eyebrow arched, as she pulled out a jar of murky liquid that looked like it had been dredged from a swamp. “Drink this.”

Unscrewing the lid, I took a whiff and nearly fell over. It smelled like my boots after a three-day march, but her wrinkled face was insistent.

Chugging the warm brown fluid quickly, I managed not to retch. As she packed up her things, I felt a sort of strange warmth spread within my body. Taking the empty bottle from me, she handed me another filled with dry herbs.

“In the morning, pour boiling water over that, wait twenty minutes, then drink it. You’ll heal much faster, and your hand won’t become infected.”

“Thank you very much,” I said to the quiet woman, who simply nodded. She left and then the two ladies-in-waiting slipped out, leaving Althea and I alone together for the first time.

“I’ve always wished that I could do that,” Althea called from behind the screen.

“Do what?”

“Mix healing herbs,” she said, coming around the divider and causing my heart to absolutely stop. “It just seems so earthy, and it would feel incredible to be able to heal people. For now, I’m hoping to grow some herbs. I already mix some tea blends for myself, but I’d like to learn more about that.”

I could barely hear her. She was wearing a sleeveless, knee-length pink satin nightgown that skimmed over her luscious curves perfectly. Her long, dark hair was down, brushed in glossy waves.

As Althea walked barefoot toward me, I realized that I was the only man in the kingdom who would ever get to observe her this close to being truly naked. Even though we weren’t exactly a real couple, at least I had this.

She walked around to the far side of the bed, slipping in and turning her back to me so that I could undress. In a room this fine, it didn’t seem right to merely toss my clothing on the floor, so I draped everything over the elegant chair nearby instead.

Leaving my underthings on, I slipped into the bed beside her. It was so enormous that there was easily room for us never to touch. Yet I felt a little hand on my shoulder.

“Did you enjoy your first day of being royalty?” she asked.

“I enjoyed my time with you, your highness,” I said, rolling toward her and propping myself up on an elbow. “I hope that I didn’t make you nervous, keeping my arms around you so much. I wanted to make us look like a proper couple for the elders, and guests.”

She moved closer, lying on her side, facing me. “I’ve been trained in so many elements of royal protocol, but there are some things that people just don’t talk about. Women are often given to strange men, and it’s just expected that they will simply get used to each other, whether that means they are happy, or end up miserable.”

“I definitely want to make you happy,” I smiled, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear. Snatching my hand away, I quickly muttered, “Sorry.”

“No…I like it,” she said gently. “After not being touched for so long, it’s really nice to be close to someone.”

Watching a delicate blush skim across her cheeks, I knew that she must be thinking of our time in the ceremonial chamber.

“Your high…Althea, I must beg your forgiveness for pinching you so hard earlier today. There was no time to explain what sort of cry was expected.”

She surprised me by laughing. “There’s nothing to forgive. It’s certainly worth a little bruise to save my real first time for a more comfortable location.”

The urge to spread her creamy thighs to examine her for bruises made both my spine and my shaft stiffen. I brought my face close to hers, shaking my head. “No, those old men were certainly not going to keep their eyes glued to the carvings on the walls.”

She reached out to stroke my arm. “It was incredibly kind of you to ask my father to bend the rules and allow us a sheet. You have no idea how much that meant to me.”

Reaching out cautiously, I slid my fingertips along the edge of her j

aw, then around the back of her neck to tangle in her silky hair. “Althea, I will never forget those other little noises you made.”

Her eyes blazed, but there was no way to tell whether it was excitement, embarrassment, or possibly exhaustion. Certainly she couldn’t expect me to lie naked with her when she didn’t even know me?

“It’s been a long, strange day,” I said. “And we will be making plans soon to travel. Perhaps you should get as much rest as possible.”

She nodded, then I felt her shiver against my hand.

“Are you cold?”

“A little, but I’ll warm up in a minute. Now that I’m married, it’s expected that I’ll wear silky little nightgowns instead of warm flannels. Plus, it’s colder out here in the north tower.”

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