“I’m sorry I’m late!”
Valerie turned away from the throne room column she’d been studying to look at Darren. His hair was sticking up at all angles over dark-circled eyes as he jogged up to her. “What happened? You look like hell.”
“Council meeting. We’ve been up since dawn trying to get things on the coast settled.”
She frowned and grabbed his arm, towing him over to the marble dais where she shoved him into a sitting position before dropping down beside him. “What happened on the coast that’d take so long to get fixed?”
“A freak snow storm, that according to witnesses blew up out of nowhere, hit the coast late last night. We’re still getting damage reports.”
Val shook her head. “But it’s summer! How does a snow storm come out of nowhere in summer?”
He dropped his head into one hand. “I don’t know. We’re investigating. The only good thing was that it hit the rocky hills close to the border. It’s mostly sheep and goat herders out there not farms. If it had hit our croplands…as it is, a lot of people lost animals to the sudden cold. It’ll be months before we can get proper records of who lost what. We’ve sent one company of the army out already with supplies to help but that is only a temporary fix. We haven’t been able to come up with a proper solution. When we began repeating ourselves for the sixth time, my father adjourned the meeting so we could rest.”
She stared at him for a moment before grabbing his head and pulling it up so he was looking at her. “Then what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be resting!”
“But-but it’s time for your dance lesson.”
“Oh for the love of…Darren, my learning to dance is not important. It’s definitely not important enough for you to be shorting yourself on rest when you need it. Now, we’re going to go get an early lunch, then you’re going to nap until it’s time for the council meeting. If I have to, I will drug your food. Those circles under your eyes are proof you’re exhausted. Here,” she said standing and holding out her hand.
He stared at it. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling back on it until he finally stood. She nodded but didn’t release his hand. She gently dragged him behind her, hip checking the door open and leading him out into the hall. Isaac and Erramun jerked their heads up from where they’d been chatting to watch her pull Daren along like a children’s toy.
“What-” Isaac began.
“Darren’s tired and needs a rest. I’m taking him to get food and then putting him to bed. Come or stay, it’s your choice,” she said, not bothering to stop.
The two men exchanged looks before hurrying after them. The first pink hall they walked down was empty but the second went through a roofed courtyard that had a cluster of ladies who stared and whispered to one another when they caught sight of their parade. Valerie and Isaac ignored them while Erramun bobbed his head in a half-bow.
Five more hallways, and three strange looks later, and they arrived at Darren’s rooms. Val shoved the door open and pushed the prince in ahead of her. She glanced around and found herself looking at a masculine version of her own room. The first thing she saw was a heavy wood table was surrounded by slightly scuffed upholstered chairs. She pressed Darren into one of the chairs before looking around at the rest of the room.
A dark blue rug covered most of the pink stone floor. A bed and armoire of the same dark wood as the table stood farther in. The bed was covered in blankets of blue and grey, the curtains surrounding it the same colours.
The window at the far end of the room had light pouring through it, illuminating the weapon and armor stands that were set up near the door to what Valerie assumed was the bathroom. A chest of a lighter wood had designs burned into it and a large brass lock in the clasp. A small part of her wanted to ask him what was inside, but the more reasonable part of her overruled her curiosity.
“Alright,” she said turning back to look at the others. “Err, where’s the kitchen?”
He shook his head. “No my lady. I will go.” Before she could argue with him, Erramun slipped out the door.
Valerie stared at the door for a moment before shrugging and looking at Darren. From the moment she’d grabbed his hand he had gone quiet, like he was in some kind of exhausted daze. She leaned in close to him. He stared back, his blue eyes wide and blank, like he wasn’t really seeing her. She sighed and grabbed his hand again, pulling him to his feet.
He followed her obediently across the room. She pushed him lightly so he fell back onto his bed. Like he was a living doll, she rearranged him so he laid comfortably there, pulling a blanket over him as she made a quiet tsking sound over his condition. Only when his eyes closed and his breathing evened out did she walk back over to the table and fall into one of the chairs.
Isaac chuckled. “And here I thought your taking care of people only happened when you’d been drinking.”
She snorted. “He’s a mess. He needs rest and if I don’t force him to, he won’t. I just hope whatever Err brings back will keep until he wakes up. I’m sure he’ll be hungry by then. And I’m not letting him go to the council meeting until he’s eaten.”
Her friend grinned. “Why do I have a feeling you’re going to be going with him to the council meeting?”
Val replied in kind. “Because you know me too well. I’d always planned on sitting in to a get a feel for what goes on in this place. I’m just going to be going a bit sooner. And I have a few things I’d like to say to them.”
“Ooh! Can I come? Can I?”
“Since you’ve been playing my bodyguard since we got here and been at it even worse since last week’s incident, I don’t think anyone’s going to say anything. Besides, Err’s there when Darren is so it’s not like they can object.”
“Oh goody. This is going to be so much fun. I haven’t seen you tear someone apart since we visited the godmother. I was about to go through withdrawal.”
She shook her head. “You have issues.”
A wicked edge lit up his grin. “That’s because I’ve spent too much time around you.”