The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 54

When Henry awoke, Chlodomer the cat was in bed with him but Mavis was not. He looked around for her, his eyes groggy from sleep. He slept so soundly last night. He had hoped to wake up with Mavis still in bed with him and wondered at what point she had gotten out.

He stretched in bed before sitting up. Then he braced himself for the usual morning pain as he stood. His leg throbbed and he reached for his crutch to help support himself. Quickly he threw a shirt on, not worrying about all the buttons.

His only concern was finding Mavis. He wanted to make sure they were okay, that she wasn't going to start pushing him away again just because they cuddled last night; A memory he was all too happy to recall. It had been nice, having her close to him, her head resting on his bare chest.

When he opened the bedroom door into the kitchen he found Mavis cooking breakfast. She smiled when she saw him, a blush quickly rushing to her cheeks. "Good morning," she murmured as she scrambled the eggs.

He set his crutch to the side and made his way over to her. She could sense him approaching from behind but made no effort to stop him. He stood behind her, watching as she worked on the eggs, waiting for them to heat up. Moving a fraction of an inch closer to her made his body warm and tingly. He peered over her right shoulder, as if examining her work.

She turned her chin ever so slightly and smiled shyly. "Can I help you with something?"

He eyed her lips, tempted to help himself. Instead he took a step back, distancing himself from temptation. He cleared his throat. "Did you sleep okay?"

She turned and eyed him, as if she knew what he was really asking. Did you stay in bed or leave?

"I left after a couple of hours, I didn't want Wilkin to wake up and find me missing. Who, by the way, is outside getting more eggs and will be back any minute. So...stop looking at me like that."

Henry laughed. "I apologize. I will stop looking," he covered his eyes. She laughed.

"None of this flirting stuff either," she warned. "I don't want Wilkin to think we're getting attached."

"Aren't we?" he asked, his voice hopeful. She stared at him, then turned back to the eggs.

"We shouldn't be," was all she said. Henry couldn't help the disappointment those words brought him. He wanted to be close to her, wanted to say more things that would make her blush. He wanted more and more from her as time went on. Part of him thought she might be using Wilkin as a crutch of her own, letting him unknowingly take the blame for keeping their relationship from growing too fast. If she was scared, that was one thing. But he didn't want her blaming Wilkin.

Speaking of which, the young boy came trotting inside with a basket full of eggs. "We should have plenty for the week," he announced cheerfully. He smiled at Henry, "Good morning Henry!"

"Good morning," he replied, moving over to the small table to take a seat.

When breakfast was ready they ate together and then cleaned the kitchen. Despite the cold weather, they all bundled up and moved outside to begin their chores. It was still early morning, the sun barely out, so the air was bitter cold. Henry tried to keep warm by moving around, but the more he moved the more his leg ached. He wished it would stop hurting him all the time. There were so many things he wanted to do. He wanted to go riding with Mavis, to show Wilkin how well he could really sword fight, and help Chlodomer chase the chickens around the coop for fun.

It was another long day of hard work, but Henry enjoyed every minute of it. He grit his teeth through the pains in his leg and the occasional sharp twinge in his abdomen. He wanted to be as helpful as possible to make up for all he had cost this family.