Change of Heart - A Cahir X Reader story

Chapter 4 - What's your weakness?

When I woke up the next morning, I needed a moment to realize where I was and how I got there. I looked around the room to find the sun shining through one of the windows and Cahir lying next to me, still being asleep. This gave me the opportunity to look at him for a moment, to see who this man that freed me was.

But then, when I looked straight at him, he suddenly opened his eyes,staring right into mine and there was this smirk again. It was the same one that I saw on his face yesterday after dinner, except this time, I was able to see it more closely.

In this moment he even looked kind of... handsome? No, I couldn't think that so I banned the thought from my mind as quickly as it came. If I wanted to hate him for the things he and the other Nilfgaardians did, I wouldn't be allowed to think about his cheeky smirk, his beautiful stormy eyes or the way his robes fitted his body just perfectly. But unfortunately, I couldn't let go of the thought, it was just too present in my head.

While my mind was still wandering, Cahir got more awake and quickly stood up. Later, I stood up as well, brushed my teeth and everything and then Cahir told me to sit down and eat breakfast. What he didn't know was that I couldn't eat much in the morning, or otherwise, I would feel sick all day long. So he just watched me and said: „Just like the dinner, this food isn't poisoned, you know." I didn't answer him and he didn't mention it again. After a while of silence, he asked me if I slept well and I only gave him a small nod. Then again, he commented on my behaviour, saying „Damn, you're really not a morning-person." and, of course, smirk again.

Why did he have to do this? Not only the smirk, but also the way he wanted to force me into a conversation which got annoying pretty quickly. What the hell was up with this man? Then I saw him opening his mouth again and just thought to myself 'Won't he ever shut up?'

„You're family is free." That came out quite surprisingly. „We freed them, gave them some gold and two horses. They'll be able to start again somewhere, as you wished."

I didn't know if I could believe him, so I quickly asked him if he could prove that or if I just had to believe it. „They're beginning their journey in a few minutes. Look out the window and you'll see them riding away." That was exactly what I did. I saw my father, my brother, my sister and my mother, all sitting on two brown horses. My mother was crying as they were slowly riding away. When they were out of sight, Cahir ordered me to sit down at the table again, which I then did.

„So...what is you biggest weakness?", he asked out of the blue. This question caught me off guard and I couldn't answer it. I thought he meant a weakness of my body, maybe it was important for making me a healer, so I answered with „My lungs." He gave me a questioning look, so I tried to explain what I meant. „My lungs aren't very good at what they're doing. Got that from my grandfather. And also, when I was a child, I've had a lung infection pretty often. They're pretty useless now." Cahir nodded slowly and then got up to tell me that it was time for teaching me now.

He brought me to an old-looking woman and then went away, saying that he had to train some of the new recruits. I spent all day listening to the woman telling me about different herbs and their functions. I tried to follow her, but it was just to much stuff to learn on one day. When the woman was done, I tried finding the way to the library. In a fort this big, there must have been one for sure. On the way, I met a girl who lived there as well. Her name was Cecilia and she was there because she was forced to marry one of the knights who was pretty important. She was around my age and told me that her husband was horrible. Not only that he was much older than her, but he was also cruel and disgusting. She also told me about a man who lived there as well. He had a baby, only some month old and his wife died when she gave birth.

Again, this was very much information to get on one day, so I asked her where the library was and then left to get some books and to go back to the bedroom and started reading until Cahir would come back.