The Heir Apparent - a historical why choose, rh, poly, MMF, spicy romance ✅

Chapter Ten

Riven

The personal guard had his quarters directly beside the ruler's room. In fact, there were two hidden entrances into the ruler's quarters from the guard's room.

The walls of bricks between said rooms were deliberately thinner than the rest in the castle, making it so the guard could hear if their king—or queen—were in some sort of trouble.

I had been worried that the arrangement would not be easy for me. I was both a light and a deep sleeper, somehow at the same time.

Light, because I could jump up at the first sign of trouble.

But deep because I was accustomed to sleeping in large groups of loud men. Snoring and moving around, even getting up to walk off to relieve themselves.

There was no such thing as a quiet camp for warriors.

I had worried that I would not hear my queen should she need me.

All the worries were for naught, however, when I awoke from sleep not long after finally retiring to a sound that I could not place at first.

It was not until I rolled off of my bed and felt the chill in my own room that I understood it for what it was.

It was a sound I had heard countless times in camps during the winter months.

Teeth chattering.

From the queen's room.

I did not stop to think about propriety as I used the connecting door into her chamber.

A chill was dangerous even for a hearty warrior.

It could be deadly for one as frail as our new queen.

I strode through her chambers, piling more wood into the fireplace, then stoking it until the flames caught.

That should have been the end of that.

Or perhaps I should have called for her lady's maid who could warm her.

Did I do that, though?

No.

No, I did not.

I made my way over toward her bed, drew all three sides of the bed curtains that were not in the direction of the fire, then I lifted the covers, and slid under with her.

She awoke with a start, her lovely dark blue eyes looking up at me, confused and half-asleep.

Her eyes reminded me of the conquest I had taken with my father when I had been ten-and-six. It had taken us over the hilly mountain terrain that had pushed our bodies to the limits. But then the mountains had given way to a sight I had never seen before, one I may never see again.

The ocean.

That was what her eyes looked like to me.

Like the ocean.

And like the ocean, I imagined I could find them calm and serene, or wild and deadly.

"Riven?" she asked, voice soft from sleep, her light brows drawing together in confusion.

"You have a chill, lady," I informed her. "Your teeth were chattering loudly enough to wake me," I added, feeling like I needed to offer her more explanation for the intimacy of being in her bed.

Even as I explained, though, her body trembled hard.

"It is so cold," she said, frowning up at me.

"Your fire went out. That should not have happened. I will speak to someone tomorrow. It shall warm soon," I assured her. "If you would like more warmth, you may move closer to me," I told her, already curling my arm under her small frame to curl her into me. "Share my warmth, lady," I told her as I settled her up on my bare chest.