To Save A Princess

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

By sundown, Liara did not feel better. Sadly, although she had nothing left in her stomach but water and about a quarter of an apple, she still held her stomach in discomfort and had a bit of a fever. She felt entirely too lazy not getting out of bed all day, and her back was starting to ache from the lack of physical activity, but her body simply wouldn’t have her getting up any time soon.

Later in the day, Eirik came back to visit her, asking about how she was faring. She couldn’t help but smile at how thoughtful he was. He really seemed to be concerned about her, and he even seemed to feel guilty for some reason that she wasn’t feeling well, although she tried her hardest to allay that silly notion. It was no one’s fault.

As Eirik stepped into the room, he brought a chair over from the corner of the room so he could sit next to the bed. His dark hair was out of its usual tie, a few pieces hanging down in front of his eyes. She had noticed, however, that it was a bit too short for the tie in the first place, so even when he had it tied back his hair still managed to free itself. Nevertheless, she found herself thinking that she preferred it when he didn’t tie it back.

She was so busy observing him, watching how he moved with grace, but confidence and strength as well as he did something so simple as sit down, that she did not hear the question he had asked her. He was looking at her with an expectant expression and she realized she had to say something.

“Um, I’m sorry… what?” she replied intelligently, sitting up a bit straighter and wanting to look anywhere but his eyes.

Eirik gave a soft chuckle, probably (hopefully) attributing her lack of concentration to the fact that she wasn’t feeling well. “I asked if you were feeling any better.”

“Oh, right… Unfortunately, not really. I still feel feverish, and if I ate something I fear I might not be able to keep it down,” she told him honestly, watching as his eyes narrowed slightly at this new information.

He nodded and stood suddenly, and Liara reached out her hand to sit him down again, but her grasp fell short as he was already across the room. “Do not go firing cooks!” she scolded him without thinking.

Eirik turned to her, and she immediately regretted opening her mouth, feeling heat in her cheeks. He gave her a smile, an expression on his face that said he thought she was funny. “There will be no firing of cooks. I was going to fetch a maid to get you a drink and some towels, if that’s alright with you.”

She felt herself blush even more, lowering her eyes and nodding that of course, that was fine. The captain left the room for no more than a minute, and then came back inside after having sent a maid downstairs. Sitting in the chair beside her again, he had a smirk on his lips that she did not like at all. “So. I fire cooks left and right, do I?”

Liara lifted her gaze to him, worried that he was offended, but he wore a grin. She rolled her eyes, not able to keep herself from smiling back at him. “You were quick enough to want to dismiss the cook this morning!” she defended herself.

Eirik laughed, and she found herself thinking that the sound of it was soothing. It was also nice when he smiled. When they were traveling south with the soldiers, he occasionally gave a smile but mostly she felt that he was all business. Here, in the comfort and privacy of his own home, he smiled more.

Liara changed the subject quickly, afraid of getting distracted and missing another question like before. “What has occurred today in my absence? Anything of interest?”

Eirik shrugged one broad shoulder. “Not particularly. I went over the accounts with my main servant, who I entrusted to keep the estate running smoothly while I was away. But those are tedious financial matters that you probably don’t want to hear about.”