“He was attacked. He said it was a savage. A large man dressed in animal skins with a crazed look in his eyes. He spoke a strange language, and my boy could not understand him. He said the man just attacked him for no reason. He only got away was because the man was slow, as though he were drunk on mead.”
When Torben returned with the basin and rags, I rinsed my hands in the water. “Dump this and get me more clean water,” I ordered. Then I ripped the tunic away from the boy’s body. He cringed but didn’t move or make any noise. That wasn’t a good sign. He was going into shock.
“Forgive me, Cook, but both of your boys look similar. Which one is this?” I motioned to the child.
Despite the situation, Cook smiled. “This is Evan,” she said affectionately. Her hand reached out and ran across his forehead, and I could see the fear in her eyes though she held it behind her familiar iron will.
I took the towels that Torben had brought me and pressed them to the wound in an attempt to staunch the blood flow, then I soaked one of them in the clean water and squeezed it over the opening and watched as the blood and small amounts of debris flowed out. When the wound finally appeared clean, I laid my hands over it and closed my eyes.
“Damaged cells and jagged skin,
Listen to my words, heal from within.
Mend the nerves and muscle and tissue,
Fix it all so it is like new.
Gather my power and use what you will,
Let nothing slip by and any disease kill.
Prevent infection, wash out any sickness,
Make flee the evil and wickedness.
Heal this child, heal his flesh and mind,
Show him not all who are unknown are unkind.
Let there be no damage or pain,
I, Allete, so speak this and pull power from my name.
I felt the energy flowing from my body and into Evan’s. I felt the blood flowing from his body abate, and the skin begin to knit itself back together, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to erase the horror that the young boy had faced. How scary it must have been to stand before a strange warrior who was hell bent on killing you. How would a young boy recover from that without nightmares? I hated what he had been through. I could only imagine how Cook was feeling.
Once I was done and I was sure the wound was completely healed, I stepped back and nearly collapsed. Had Torben not been there to catch me, I would have sprawled out indignantly on the floor like a tossed towel.
Cook pointed to a chair. “Rest, child. You have done much, and I am so very thankful.”
“You aren’t scared of me?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “Why should I fear someone with a heart as pure as yours who gives so selflessly of herself? No, I am not scared of you. I am humbled that you would take your time to heal my boy, and I will be forever grateful.”
Torben brought me the bowl of water and allowed me to wash the blood from my hands and then handed me a clean towel. After a half hour of rest and several cups of water, I finally felt that I had the strength to return to my chambers. “If you need anything at all, please let me know. Send your other son to my room and I will be back in a heartbeat,” I told her. I wanted to stay, but she refused to allow that and Torben was not too keen on the idea, either.
We left her small home. Once outside, I took a deep breath of the cool air. It felt good to be outside, free from confining walls. “Would you mind if we walked to the gardens?” I asked him.
“As you wish,” Torben said and walked beside me with Brant trailing just behind us.
“You don’t have to pretend you are my guard anymore,” I told him, finally having the nerve to tell him that I knew about him.
“Perhaps not for your sake, but for the sake of everyone else, I need to appear as though I belong here,” he explained.
We walked the rest of the way in silence. In the garden, I found my favorite spot to sit beneath one of the large trees. Dawn was slowly breaking, and the light from the morning sun was illuminating Torben’s handsome face. He appeared deep in contemplation, and I wondered at the thoughts swirling in his head. I couldn’t feel his emotions as I had before. A sudden sense of loss overcame me. I hadn’t realized it fully at the time, but having the privilege of feeling what he was feeling, with no words spoken between us, was an intimacy the likes of which I’d never experienced before. We sat there in silence, and I considered how frustrating it was not being able to have free access to his emotions when it was convenient to me. I was curious to know if he wondered about what his mother had told me. Did he care about whether she approved of me? I wondered if he would ask me if she’d told me things that maybe he didn’t know.
He chuckled and sat across from me, leaning against the base of a stone statue that portrayed a great bear. He motioned for Brant to keep watch and then set his eyes back on me. “Go on and ask,” he said with a small grin. “I know you’re dying to, so might as well get it over with.”
“Ask you what?” I asked, playing coy. It was ridiculous of me, but I was embarrassed that he read my face so easily.
“My mother came to see you. I can only imagine all the interesting things she shared with you. Not to mention, I am curious as to how she acted. My mother can have a wicked sharp tongue,” he laughed.
I couldn’t help but laugh with him. “She does at that,” I agreed. I paused to gather my thoughts. “When did you find out about the prophecy?”
“A few months ago,” he admitted without hesitation.
“How did you feel about it?”
“I was shocked, naturally. We have never had a foreign queen,” he explained. “My people have always believed other races to be beneath them. We have always been the better warriors. I am still unsure how they will accept you.”
“Do you still believe others are beneath you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not after meeting you. You are every bit, if not more, worthy than a Norsewoman to be my queen.”
My insides quivered at the mention of me being his queen. It felt so real when he said it, and I had to admit that I liked the way it sounded. Part of me really wanted to be his queen, wanted to be his, but another part of me dreaded the idea of leaving my family. How could I possibly leave them? But that was the way of it, wasn’t it? Young girls grew up, were courted until one of their suitors met their father’s approval, and then they married and left the home to start their own families. It made sense, but it did not make it any easier.
“I did not expect to like you,” he said as his face grew serious. “I did not have any idea that I would be able to love you.”
My pulse picked up, even though he’d said the words before, it was still so new and I really liked hearing him say them. But then I considered exactly how he’d worded it and wasn’t sure if I should be offended.
“I just mean that I didn’t know what to expect. I had assumed that all princesses were spoiled brats, but you surprised me.”
A single brow rose on my forehead. “Spoiled?”