Duty-Bound [ Lore of Penrua: Book II ]

40

One night, exhausted after an evening on patrol, Uachi came to his chamber with Farra at his heels and saw an Arcborn soldier standing outside; he knew it meant Ealin awaited him within. The soldier gave Uachi a crooked smile, and in that look, Uachi read all of the suspicions of what happened within those four walls when the door closed.

With a sigh, Uachi turned to address the shadowcat. "I'm going to bed," he said. "Go on."

Farra gave a purring chirp, cocking her head in question.

"No. If I let you in, you'll cry at the door all night. Go."

Sparing a look of irritation for her master and for the guard at the door, Farra turned on her heels and stalked off down the corridor, her ears laid back. Uachi watched her go, and then he opened his door and stepped into the room. There was a lantern burning on the small set of shelves; Ealin was used now to Uachi's distaste for spirit globes and had coaxed one of the guards into bringing her the light. She sat on his bed, a small book in her hands.

"Enjoying it?" Uachi asked. He was not much of a reader himself, but he had borrowed a few books off of the lorekeeper to give Ealin something to occupy her time. She had been permitted to go walking, but an hour's walk a day could hardly save her from the boredom of hours alone.

"Very much," she said, looking up at him with a smile. She had braided a section of her hair back to fall behind her ear, so more of her face was visible in the golden light of the lamp. "You look tired."

Uachi shucked his leather armor and tossed it onto the chest at the end of his bed. "I am."

Ealin slid to the side and patted the cot beside her. Uachi hesitated, but then he went to sit down. He would rest just for a moment before he settled in for the night on the cold floor. Sleeping in snatches of time, sitting upright against the wall, had begun to take a toll on his body.

She studied his expression for a moment, a frown on her lips, and she set the book aside. "You should lie down and sleep."

"You're the one who needs sleep, if you're here," he replied. "I'll sit for a moment, and then I'll leave you to it."

She fixed him with a serious look. "I have told you many times, Uachi, I do not mind if you lie down beside me."

"I'm not fool enough to think that you mean it," he muttered. "Besides; the world already believes there's something unseemly in our friendship, Ealin. I would not prove them right."

"What's unseemly about sleep?" she replied, looking away. She hugged her arms around herself and frowned down at her knees, and Uachi felt a strange sense that he had offended her in seeking to preserve her dignity.

"You are naive if you do not know the answer to your own question," he said.

Ealin rose, turning to look at him with a sad smile. "I'll go."

"Why go? I've slept many a night on the floor; I don't mind it."

"I mind it, Uachi. You are kind to me, but you disregard yourself. You'll be an old man before your time, crouched on the floor every night for my sake."

Uachi hesitated. He had come to look forward to their evenings together, as strange as it was; although they made an odd pair, the unmarked Arcborn mage and the ranger, Ealin's regard for him and her concern for his well-being touched him. Even Matei, Uachi's best friend, did not tend to notice when Uachi went without sleep, but Ealin did. She had invited him to share her bed often, and he knew it was with modest intent, but something in the almost childlike invitation unsettled him.

"Good night," she said. Under her dark lashes, the shadows of her own exhaustion were clear, and Uachi knew that if he sent her back to her own room to lie alone, she would not sleep.

"Don't go," he said. "If...if you will not have it otherwise..."

Her expression softened. She sat down beside him, pulled her feet up onto the bed, and scooted back until her shoulders touched the wall. Then she stretched her legs out along the cot, thereby making room for Uachi next to her. He looked down at the empty space; the cot was narrow, and they would be close.

An uncomfortable feeling settled over him, and sweat prickled between his shoulder blades. The last time he had lain so close to a woman, he had been just a boy, and there had been nothing comforting or tender in that experience. He knew that for most men, company in the night hours was a pleasant thing, and moreover he knew that there would be nothing so intimate as that in sharing a bed with Ealin...but for Uachi, although he had felt hesitant desire for women or men in the past, the thought of lying down next to someone had never been an appealing one.

"Lie down, Uachi," Ealin murmured. "Don't be afraid."

Brusquely, he said, "I'm not afraid." He knew there was no way for Ealin to know the root of his discomfort; she could never guess why the thought of lying next to her caused his pulse to race with trepidation. He kicked off his boots, then lifted up the blanket and slowly, awkwardly, he wiggled underneath the covers.

Ealin slid down to lie at his side. She looked up at him, her dark eyes gleaming in the light of the lamp. Uachi leaned over to blow out the light, and then he lay his head on the pillow. His body was rigid, his hands clasped over his stomach.

"The emperor would have me whipped if he could see me right now," he muttered.

"Why?"

"You cannot be so innocent," he said. "Do not pretend not to know what I mean. You know what the world must think."

"I don't care what they think," she said. She had closed her eyes; he studied her face, pale in the very faint light from the hall filtering in through the high, narrow window.

A soft rustle came from beneath the blanket, and cold shock broke over Uachi when he felt her gentle hand coming to rest on his chest. Her palm was warm through the thin fabric of his tunic. He wondered if she could feel the uneasy beating of his heart; he fought the urge to pull away. "Ealin," he said, his tone one of warning, "That's—"

"Shh," she murmured. She sounded content and sleepy. "You're anxious, Uachi, but no one will know. Be calm...Take your rest."

He closed his eyes, clenching a fist into the blanket, and lay there stiffly. He knew he would not rest with her so near, but he could tell that Ealin was already well on her way to slumber, and he did not wish to disturb her when he knew she struggled as much as he did to fall asleep. So he lay still, breathing slowly, and she lay still as well, never moving her hand. Gradually, he began to relax.

The next morning, he woke alone in his bed, surprised to find himself well-rested for the first time in many long months.

Who would have guessed? Our Uachi is normally so self-possessed, it's a bit disorienting to see him so out of his element around this comely mage. 

As always, I'm eager for your thoughts and your reflections, my friends. Thank you so much for reading and supporting Duty-Bound as we cross the 40-chapter milestone!