The Emery Chronicles: The White King's Woman (FIRST BOOK)

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten- The King Awakens

Forest... green, lots of green... smells like the forest, thought Gavin. His eyes were closed and the lids felt too heavy and hot, so he didn't bother trying to open them. It was strange: he was sure he could smell the green forest leaves in the air, but he didn't feel like he was in the forest. He knew he was lying down, but the ground wasn't rough and uneven and wet with soil; instead, he felt like he was back in his castle, lying in his large, kingly bed with his fireplace roaring with orange flames. But he was sure there was a smell like in the forest!

Gavin gave up and decided he had better open his eyes. He tried to open them, and the lids began to lift slowly and heavily, but halfway through opening them, his eyes shut again. The light was too strong, his eyes couldn't take it. Gavin tried again, and this time forced his eyes to open against the light in the room. Yes, he was in a room, and on a bed. But this was not his large bedroom in his castle, and this was not his wide, lavish bed. He couldn't recognize the room; it wasn't large, but it wasn't too small either. Quaint, Gavin decided to call it. The bed he was lying on was only big enough for one person, unlike his bed at home that could carry four or five people comfortably. The room only had the bed, a small set of drawers, a minuscule fireplace, and three small windows that were not open, but they didn't have curtains over them, so little rays of sunlight were able to poke through and just barely light the room.

And there it was! The reason for that foresty smell: there were green leaves matted onto his abdomen, sticking to his hot skin, and cooling him.

Gavin tried to sit up, to figure out where he was, but he couldn't move. His limbs felt heavy and he could not feel his toes. Then Gavin realized he was completely naked, save for his trousers. Now he really felt confused.

Just as Gavin was about to call for help, the door to the room opened. A small figure walked in, and tiptoed to the fireplace. Gavin could tell it was a woman, but because of the little light, he had not been able to tell much else.

The woman worked quietly, so quietly that if Gavin had not seen her walk in, he would not know he was not alone in the room. She quickly started the fireplace up again, and the room was suddenly ablaze with warmth and more light. the woman stood up and turned to walk out of the room. Gavin felt himself choke when he saw her face.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She looked young, perhaps not even twenty yet. Her eyes were a sparkling blue, shining in the light from the fireplace. Her hair was a cascading black waterfall down her back; her lips pink and thick, and her body thin but curving in all the right places.

The woman opened the door to leave the room, but Gavin couldn't let her go.

"Wait!" he called, his voice cracking and his throat dry. She jumped at the sound, and turned to look at him. Their eyes locked and they both froze, staring at each other, analyzing each other. She slowly closed the door and walked forward. The woman curtsied low, keeping eye contact until the last possible moment when she had to bow her head to complete the curtsy.

"M'lord," she whispered, her voice echoing in Gavin's ears and making his heart thump slowly and loudly against his chest.

"Who are you?" Gavin asked, mesmerized.

"My name is Arwen Whitewing, Your Grace. You were brought here to my mother's home after your fall." she replied, looking into his eyes again.

Arwen, Gavin thought, still not processing anything else. Then, he realized what else she had said. "My fall?"

"Yes, M'lord. A boar had stabbed your abdomen. Your men carried you here and I healed your wound." she replied.

Gavin slowly remembered the hunt and the boar that had stabbed him, blinding him with the pain. "Many thanks for your services, Lady Arwen." Her name rolled off his tongue, giving him shivers to say it aloud.

"It was an honor to help Your Majesty," Arwen responded, curtsying again. "I should go and tell Sir Finnian you are well."

"No, don't go!" Gavin said, desperate to keep looking at her. She turned to him, confused.

"M'lord?"

"I-I feel some pain from the wound." Gavin replied, thinking on the spot. Truthfully, he felt better than ever, but he didn't want to lose her.

"How silly of me, Your Grace. I should've known to check the wound the second you awoke." Arwen replied, smiling bashfully. Gavin's heart thumped even louder when she blushed, a pretty pink color rising in her cheeks, a small smirk on her luscious lips.

Arwen went to the bed and kneeled down next to Gavin. "May I?" she asked quietly. Gavin nodded enthusiastically. Arwen placed her cool fingers on Gavin's abdomen, and began to slowly peel the leaves from the wounded area. Gavin relished the feeling of her fingers on his abdomen as she stripped the leafy bandage off his skin. He felt his heart get even more fluttery every time her fingers touched his warm flesh, and he internally cursed himself for acting like such a lovesick girl.

Finally, all the leaves were taken off of Gavin's skin, leaving his abdomen uncovered. Gavin forcefully peeled his eyes off of Arwen and looked down to see how bad the wound looked.

Gavin gasped when he saw nothing. Absolutely nothing; no scar, no stitches, nothing.

"You have been unconscious for three days now, M'lord. I came to change your bandages every night and just removed the stitches last night." Arwen explained.

"Three days? How in the world did it heal so quickly?"

"I learned to heal from my mother; she's very good at what she does, so I have learned to be very good as well." Arwen replied. Gavin smiled at her response, feeling himself get even more dizzy with wonder. "You said there was pain Your Grace? Is it here?" Arwen lightly pressed her hand against Gavin's skin. Gavin's heart banged against his chest so loudly with that single touch, he was surprised his chest didn't rip open to let his heart jump out.

"No," Gavin said. Arwen pressed her fingers in another area of his chest and asked if it was painful there. Gavin said no again. She continued to press in different areas of Gavin's tender skin and Gavin continued to shake his head no.

Finally, Arwen gave up and said, "Will Your Majesty please show me where it hurts?" Arwen waited for him to indicate the location of the pain, but instead Gavin took her hand in his and was about to place it on his skin, when he started chuckling. "M'lord?"

"I beg your forgiveness, Lady Arwen. I really do not feel any pain at all. I just didn't want you to go away from me." Gavin continued chuckling and Arwen smirked again.

"There was no need for pretend, Sire. If you had asked, I would've gladly stayed by your side." Gavin and Arwen both realized he was still holding her hand. He tightened his grip and pulled her a little closer to him.

"Then I command you as your king to stay by my side. Let us talk and get to know each other, before we tell the world that I am awake." He whispered against her cheek, and this time they both blushed.

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