The King's Wife

19

Pain. It radiated from every fiber of Ismay's body above her abdomen. It hurt to breathe. Even her meager attempts to open her eyes hurt. Her mouth was so dry, but any movements her jaw or throat made to summon any kind of moisture to sate it, felt like knives stabbing at her from all angles. Yet, if she was feeling pain that must mean she was still among the living. The gods couldn't be that cruel to make her suffer after her body was gone.

Ismay heard muffled sounds from around her. It took her some effort to distinguish it was people talking, but she couldn't seem to bring them in enough clarity to understand what they were saying or who the voices belonged to. Ismay laid there for a while longer, drifting in and out of semi-consciousness until she finally managed the feat of opening her eyes.

The room was bright with sunlight, and it made her want to close her eyes again, but she resisted the urge. Slowly and painfully, Ismay looked around the room. It was her own and empty except for Gabriel. He was hunched over, holding her left hand in his. Confusion mixed with dread at the sight of him. What had happened with his meeting with the emissaries?

Something must have alerted him she was awake because he looked up at her with tired, red eyes. He smiled with stark relief. "Thank the gods," he breathed, closing his eyes for a moment as if making a quick prayer. "Can I get you anything?" He asked then helped her sit up when he noticed she was struggling to do so.

"Water," she said in a croak. Her hand jumped to her throat, pain slicing through her throat. Gabriel turned to his side and handed her a small mug. The cool liquid slipping down her throat, both refreshing and painful. "My sister..." Gabriel looked a little confused, but he got up and walked towards the door. He spoke to someone in a hushed voice and returned, taking her hand once again.

"Perhaps it's better if you don't speak just yet," he said, getting up and walking to her desk. He returned with a quill and ink along with some parchment setting it on a tray beside her bed.

They fell in silence, but she could tell by his expression Gabriel wanted to speak, but perhaps he could tell she wasn't ready yet. Ismay wouldn't even know what to say until she knew everything. After a long moment, Penelope rushed into the room, falling to her knees once she reached the bed. "Ismay, you're awake. What may I do for you?" She wrote the question out quickly then held it up for her sister to read.

"Did you know? Where you a part of this? Is this why you came here?" Penelope read out loud and her eyes widened. "Of course not! Oh, Ismay, you're my dearest sister. I would rather throw myself from that very balcony before harming you. I swear it! If I had heard even a whisper of a threat against you I would've warned not only you but the king as well."

Ismay relaxed with a sigh. Perhaps she was being as naive as her brother assassin claimed her to be before he tried to squeeze the life from her, but Ismay believed Penelope. She had to believe her sister was telling the truth. Ismay nodded to Penelope and took her hand and squeezed it in a silent thank you. She went back to writing and held it up for them to read. —What about our food stores? What will we do for the winter? Where are the emissaries?

"How do you know about the food?" Gabriel asked. She wrote down her brother's name and held it up for him to read. Rowan had told her about the kingdom's ultimatum for her husband. "They did that last time, destroyed our stores so I ensured there were several locations of stored food unknown to everyone but Godfrey and Hugh. What they think they burned was but a small portion of our stores. We'll be fine and as for the emissaries they are imprisoned. When you are recovered we can decide what to do with them."

Again Ismay relaxed, some of the fear she'd felt eased knowing not only that his people wouldn't starve, but he still counted with her. She wrote out her thanks and with his help, she laid back down. Gabriel lifted the heavy blanket and pulled it up under her chin and tucked her in like she was a child. Ismay didn't understand the why, but it made her feel better and, oddly, safe enough to drift off asleep again.