Kingmaker

Stress #2

As the night drew in, Ava sat with Garret asleep in her arms by the campfire outside. Sir Richard sat at her side, with Sir George on her other side. A fur cloak draped around her shoulders, a smaller one lay across Garret. They talked softly, watching the crackling embers of the campfire. Whilst the men talked, Ava silently gazed down at her son; keeping him close to her as he slept. The gentle rise and fall of his chest was soothing to Ava. It reminded her how her son was still 'untouched' by York, and had been for 2 years. Even as a mother now, she still wore a sword at her hip. Her duties to Lancaster hadn't ended simply because she had a child. In the two years since he had arrived, Ava had paid 4 soldiers to guard her son when she wasn't around. And they had done a fine job over several days where she had left to scout York.
As she sat in silence, she tensed up a little; feeling a pain shoot through her head and chest. The visible cringe of pain on her face didn't go unnoticed as one of her soldiers looked to her. "Ava? Are you feeling alright?" he asked, watching her face. The man that had spoken had became one of Ava's closest friends, and had ridden to scout York with her several times. He had also been present during Garret's birth as he was with her when she went into a very quick labour. He watched her for a moment. Knowing she'd been under a lot of pressure recently to get the paperwork sorted for the new soldiers. It didn't help that some of the new men had repeatedly asked her when the money would be sent to their families. Garret was far from a caue of the pressure and stress. If anything, the little boy eased a lot of it most days. "Just a little chest pain and a bit of a headache. I'm fine" sighed Ava, shifting her arms a little; trying not to wake Garret. "Maybe you should go get some rest whilst Garret is sleeping" replied the soldier, slightly concerned as he glanced down at Garret. That didn't sound like too much of a bad idea. Ava nodded slightly. "I might actually do that. More paperwork to do in the morning and it needs to be done or I'll never hear the end of the... Well.. Begging from the new soldiers. 'When is the money being sent to my family' 'They need the money' It's all I hear every time I walk by those soldiers" sighed Ava as she stood with Garret. Sir Richard stood with her, bidding the soldiers goodnight as he too wanted to head off for sleep now that Ava was. The knight hurried ahead of Ava, opening the large doors between them and their room, before he took Garret from Ava to carry him up the stairs. He knew when Ava said she had a headache, it was usually a migraine. And when she had migraines, she sometimes struggled to see and any sort of light was almost too bright. Even if it seemed dim to others.
As they entered their room, Sir Richard lay Garret in his cot; before pulling a blanket gently up to his torso. Though it was warm in their room, it could get cold later on. Once he was done, he turned to Ava, handing her the soft linen cloth that was lightly scented with rose and lavender. It was supposed to ease the pains of headaches and migraines. And it had worked many times before. Ava pushed the cloth lightly to her nose, just trying to bid away the pain as Sir Richard gently led her to the bed. "You're working too hard, dear. And your new soldiers aren't helping. Have you talked to them?" he asked softly as he pulled her boots off for her. Knowing that even leaning down to untie her boots would have her head spinning internally as though the room itself was moving. "I tried talking to them. All they care about right now is money and that it reaches their family. Most of the men are fine. There's just that one handful that only want the money. I even caught some of the men looking down their noses at Garret as he ran beside me during the morning checks" Sir Richard sighed as he listened. "I'll talk to those men if you can give me their names. But for now, get some sleep. If Garret wakes in the night, I'll see to him. You just get some sleep, love" he murmured softly, his voice still as loving as the day he met her. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and one to her forehead before she moved to lay down. As Sir Richard pulled the blanket over her, she murmured; "The names of the soldiers are on the first page in the file on the table. I brought their names to the front to deal with them first. I feared if I waited any longer on them that they'd cut my throat or attack you or Garret" She yawned lightly. "I'm not sure I trust them right now"
Sir Richard nodded at her words, moving to the table and pulling out the papers with the names on. "I'll speak with them in the morning. I'm going to try and get some sleep myself whilst we have some peace. And I'd rather stay close to you when you're not feeling well. It does my mind no good to be away from you when you're like this" he murmured as he kicked off his boots to lay beside her under the soft blankets. "Stress causes headaches. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before" she murmured softly in response, gently resting her hand on his cheek. "It still worries me. It always worries me when you're hurt or in pain" Sir Richard lowered his voice to a gentle whisper now. "You've dealt with much worse, I know. Just please. If you're ever hurting. Tell me"
"I will" murmured Ava softly, shuffling closer as Sir Richard hugged her close.
"I love you" he murmured sotly in response, kissing the top of her hair gently.
"And I, you"

[Authors Note: So Ava's new soldiers came with a bit of a demanding attitude! Will she be able to break them out of that before the stress gets to her even more?
And, again. I can relate to Ava on the migraines and chest pains from stress. I've even been diagnosed with chronic migraines now, and have been dealing with them for over 2 years. They're not fun. And if it's a bad one. Even talking is painful. Lights of any sort are definitely painful and even moving can be difficult.
I feel for you Ava! I know how badly it hurts!]