Hey guys!
Please comment, vote, and follow!
Sorry for any grammar and editing mistakes!
Enjoy
-&-
Chapter 16
It's been almost a week since I tried to go off on my own, and I've been stuck in my large bed ever since. I wasn't feeling well at all the day after and had to sadly cancel my plans with Aeyron, and I've only been feeling worse since.
My stomach kept grumbling. I was hungry, but every time I tried to pass food through my eager lips- my stomach would immediately reject it. I groaned and rolled over on my side, my hands pressing firmly against the pain in my abdomen.
I hoped this sickness would pass soon.
Two more days past, and besides some chicken broth I forced down my throat, I haven't eaten anything. But I felt too sick to care. Aeyron hand came by to check on me more than a couple of times- but he only seemed more worried with each visit.
I had even stopped answering the door, or calling out for him to come in. My head hurt just as bad as my stomach, and moving too much made the pain throb.
It wasn't long the next day before he knocked on my door, but like the night before I didn't answer. My head was pounding painfully, and if I tried to get up my stomach would only flip. I just wanted to sleep, but even that was painful.
"Lady Emrie? Are you feeling any better?"
I still didn't answer him, and I felt too sick to feel bad about it.
"My lady?"
He left after that, or at least I thought he did. My mind kept traveling in and out of sleep, and I had no idea how fast or slow time was passing. But it couldn't have been too long before he was back and knocking again. I still didn't answer. Maybe if he just left me alone for a few days everything would go back to normal-
My eyes shot opened when something gruff, but surprisingly warm brushed my hair from my face, and a gasp tore from my lips. The King was standing beside the edge of my bed, his electric blue eyes shining down at me in worry. My heart slowly sped in my chest.
"K-King..." I stuttered rather miserably and tried to ease myself up on the pillows, but my body was too heavy and sick to work properly. The last thing I wanted him to see was me sick like this. It couldn't have been a pretty sight.
"Sh, don't move." His strong hand left my cheek to push gently on my shoulder until I was laying down once again.
I closed my eyes against the candle light and he lit on the bedside table, and tried not to flinch as his heavy body sat slowly on the bed beside me. The action made me move painfully and I tried to hold in a groan as my stomach twisted.
"I'm so sorry, little Emrie." His tone was so sincere and remorseful that it made my chest ache as my lips pulled into a frown.
"It's not your f-fault." I wanted to cringe at how weak and frail my voice sounded, but it would only hurt if I did.
"Yes, it is." I watched through heavy eyes as he leaned over and placed a cool, wet cloth across my forehead. I sighed in relief the minute it touched my hot, aching head.
"It is a blessing when my kind find their mates, and they are hardly separated afterwards. I did not think of the repercussions from staying so far from you. I haven't had to in a very long time."
I frowned in confusion, which only made my head hurt even more. "W-hat are you talking a-bout-?"
"Sh, don't strain yourself." He murmured softly as he his fingers brush across my heated cheek before pulling away.
He sighed. "Being so physically near each other, but mentally far away is taking its toll. Mates are supposed to be together, not separated like this."
I wanted to roll my eyes and tell him he wasn't making any sense, but I was too tired to bother. "Don't be silly." I pretty much wheezed as he smoothed out the heavy blankets covering me. "It's just a bug, it will pass."
"Hm."
"D-Did Aeyron tell you?" I murmured sleepily as his beautiful blue eyes stared at the wall in front of him, his dark shirt clinging tightly to the muscles of his thick arms and chest.
Of course Aeyron had told him, what a stupid question that was. But I wanted him to talk. I wanted to hear that beautiful voice that only seemed to visit my dreams.
"Yes, he was worried. And he should have. I should have realized this would happen."
That time I was able to roll my eyes, even though he didn't see.
"Here, sit up a little." He suddenly urged, but I barely made a move when his strong hands were slipping under my arms and pulling me up onto the pillows. He was lifting a spoon to my lips before I could ask why. I automatically frowned, my stomach twisting unpleasantly at the smell.
"I'm not hungry-"
"Open." His voice was so stern, so no-nonsense that my lips automatically parted and let him pass the spoon between them. My stomach surprisingly didn't try to reject the warm sweet soup that slid down my throat. My eyes widened.
"I want you to eat all of this. It will help." Eirik spoke softly, but his voice held such a gruff authority I knew not to disobey. So I sat propped up against my pillows, a cool cloth on my head as the King of the North spoon fed me soup.
"It pains me to see you like this." His voice had suddenly turned sad, all gruff authority gone as his lightning blue eyes gazed down at me.
Trust me, it pained me for him to see me like this. I could only imagine the state in which I looked. Sweaty and sick. It couldn't have been a pretty sight.
"I know you do not think so, but this truly is my fault. I will fix it- I will fix this. Soon."
"How?" I stammered around a cough before letting him feed me another spoonful. He gave me a small, sad smile.
"There is this place I would like to take you too when you are feeling better. That is, if you would like to go."
If I wasn't so sick I probably would have jumped to the sky in happiness. Of course I would want to go! But I had to rein my happiness and excitement in for the time being and only give him a simple nod- my eyes bright in hope.
"Yes please."
His smile turned more genuine and that bright blue gaze seemed to glow as it washed over me. "You are very dear to me, Emrie. I'm sorry I make that so hard to see."
My heart was suddenly beating erratically in my chest, my breathing turning hard in my lungs. I was- dear to him? He was here, in my chambers, spoon-feeding me soup with such a soft tenderness in his gaze it made my chest ache.
"It's okay." I mumbled around the spoon before he took it away again. What a great response.
He smiled anyway, and his bright eyes glowed in the darkness of my room. My stomach filled with warmth, both from the soup and the- the caring look he was giving me. I hadn't seen that much affection from him in- in pretty much forever.
"Seeing you like this bothers me. Get better soon, yes?"
All I could do was nod as he set the now empty bowl on my bedside table and stood to his feet. My lips instantly pulled into a frown.
"Don't go..." I hadn't realized I said that out loud until he paused and glanced back down at me. Heat rushed to my cheeks in a traitorous blush.
"You need to get some rest. I will stay until you fall asleep."
I wish he would stay forever.
Instead, I just nodded again and squished back down on the bed as he readjusted the blankets for me. "Sleep, little one. I will try to be here when you wake."
Staring into his blue eyes like I was, listening to that beautiful voice of his murmur softly into my ear, was the best lullaby that I had ever heard. It wasn't long before my heavy eyes were closing, and his warm fingers were gently smoothing out the ends of my hair.
I slept more soundly than I had in weeks.
-&-
"What's going on?" Despite the loud clash of armor and voices sounding around the large room, my voice seemed to filter through every wolf-borne's ears. The sound quickly turned to dead silence.
The King's head snapped up, his lightning eyes widening briefly before he relaxed once again. I rubbed my hands nervously together in front of me.
I had started to feel better a few days ago, and then yesterday I was able to leave the room and walk around again. I was way too excited for the King to take me to the place he had promised to- but looking at him now, at all his Generals- I knew that probably wasn't going to happen.
All seven of their gazes were staring over at me, even Aeyron who was the only one without an ounce of armor on him. I wanted to cower under their unwavering stares. I knew I shouldn't have left my room without Aeyron, but he hadn't checked on me all day and I was starting to get worried.
I had followed the loud voices and clamoring all the way from my room to this large armor covered room. Servants and warriors had all filled almost every hall of the castle in bustling crowds. As if they were preparing for something.
My chest squeezed tightly. They were leaving. I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I knew something was going to happen, or that the King would change his mind. We wouldn't get to spend time together, and I doubted we ever would. I wasn't supposed to have him anyways.
No one moved as the King dropped whatever odd-looking weapon he had been holding before walking slowly over to me, his blue eyes hard as they flashed in the dim light of the room. Nervous fluttering began in my stomach.
"Come with me."
I'm sure if he had spoken those words to me in any other situation, I would have been thrilled. But at the moment- with the way all his council was dressed and their ready-fighting stances- it only made me feel nauseous. Not even the giant warm hand he rested on my lower back settled my nerves.
I could feel all their stares as he held the door open and eased me gently through, and I looked back long enough to see those familiar gold and brown pair following our retreat. Terif's eyes flashed and he grit his jaw before looking away. I felt unease pooling in my stomach.
Whatever was happening definitely wasn't good.
"What's going on, Eirik?" I asked again once the door closed heavily behind us. His blue eyes flashed at the name and he crossed his strong arms over his chest, the clunky metal clanking as he did.
"I'm glad you are feeling better."
"Don't change the subject." I didn't know what gave me the right to talk to him like that, but even the knowledge that he was thinking of my well-being didn't ease the tight grip around my head.
His eyes flashed and he clenched his jaw before speaking again. "The Northern Raiders are attacking the Galacian Islands. We must leave to fend them off."
His words sent an icy fist straight through my heart. The news shouldn't have affected me so much. He and his army always fought the Northern Raiders, but the Islands had their own military. They didn't need his. My lips pulled into a frown as I forced my gaze away.
"I thought the Islands had their own armies." I spoke softly into the silence practically swimming in the tension around us. Light seemed to flicker through his blue eyes before he let out a soft sigh and glanced away.
"Yes, but they are still part of my kingdom. I protect what is mine, Emrie."
I didn't bother pretending that I didn't sense the double meaning behind his words, but I chose to ignore it. At least until he left me alone again for weeks on end, and that simple statement would be all I had to remind me that some part of him actually cared. No matter how little I thought that part was.
"I... I understand that." I started quietly, my chest clenching painfully as I kept my gaze pointed towards the armor covering his strong chest. "But I don't understand why you personally have to go." I grumbled as the loud noise of male voices and clanking metal sounded through the door once again.
I could feel the King's eyes stare holes into the top of my head, but I didn't bother raising my gaze to his. The blue there would only make my chest ache more.
"It's my duty to my people."
"Your duty is to stay alive in order to rule your people."
I didn't know what I was expecting when I finally raised my gaze to his, but the soft, curious looking staring back at me was definitely not it. "I have fought in more wars than years you've been alive, and not once have I come close to death."
I couldn't break my gaze from his as he slowly reached up and rubbed the back of his hand across my pale cheek. My frown did not ease.
"It only takes one more for that to change."
His full lips pulled into a small frown as his hand dropped to the ends of my hair. He played gently with a small strand while his blue eyes followed the action. I bit anxiously on my bottom lip as he let out a sigh.
"Which is why Aeyron is staying. He is second in command, the next in line if I were to fall in battle. He needs to be here if anything happens to me."
My heart dropped at his words, at the sad look haunting his beautiful eyes, and the ache in my chest only grew. He was okay with dying. With leaving his kingdom to Aeyron like his life meant nothing. With leaving me. I pulled slowly away from him, and wouldn't let the flash of hurt I saw cross his gaze bother me.
"And what about me?" I couldn't keep the pathetic whimper from my voice as I whispered softly between us. "How do you think I would feel if you die? How do you think I would handle that?"
I knew we weren't necessarily close, but if I learned anything about mates in the few short weeks I've lived here it's that one does not live without the other. Or is that only when they love each other? Because, even though I knew he felt something for me- I wasn't sure it was anywhere close to love.
His bright eyes flashed before falling into a look of curious concern as he slowly leaned back against the wall, his dark hair resting lightly across his forehead as he crossed his thick arms once again.
"The thought hadn't really crossed my mind." He admitted softly, his voice low as he spoke into the empty space between us. I wrapped my arms protectively around my stomach, like that would stop the pain I felt running through me.
I honestly didn't know why I was having such a hard reaction to this, but maybe it was because the light was finally being shone on his lack of regard for my feelings. For what I genuinely meant. Even after he admitted that I was 'very dear' to him. He still didn't seem to care.
"I have always fought wherever I was needed, and I am not used to having someone care for my well-being."
I didn't bother answering him as I glanced away, my tongue darting out to lick my suddenly dry lips. I knew what he was going to say next without even having to hear the words. He was sorry, but he was going anyway. And nothing I said would stop him- but that wouldn't stop me from trying.
I took a step away from his large, intimidating figure, as I gazed up into his blue eyes. "Please, Eirik. Don't go. It's not your battle to fight."
His eyes flashed, a spark of recognition shooting through them, before it disappeared. Then the hard, blue orbs softened as he leaned away from the wall to close the distance between us.
I closed my eyes against the sudden burning in them, against the water threatening to fall. His hand came up and cupped my cheek, his head bowing until he could brush his lips just barely across my forehead.
"Forgive me, little Emrie. But I will not stay behind like a coward. Wolves are proud, and we our strong. Have faith I will return to you." His voice came out as a dark murmur while his lips brushed against the skin of my forehead with each word he spoke.
I kept my eyes closed as he stepped away, his hand falling from my cheek. I didn't want him to see the hurt swimming behind them, to see how much this was affecting me. He was a king, the King, and a warrior.
He always fought in battles- he was practically born to, and I shouldn't have been so worried. But I was, and the fact that he refused to stay, hurt. Pain flared from my heart to the pit of my stomach. He wouldn't stay, no matter who many times I asked. My pleading meant that little to him.
"Do not worry, we will return before you know it."
He was already opening the door and stepping back into the room by the time I blinked my eyes open, his large form sauntering back into the giant loud mass of his General's. I pressed a hard fist into my stomach, but that did little to ease the pain.
-&-
I hope you all enjoyed!
Don't forget to follow the Instagram page and send us covers and pics!