Crossed Hearts | h.s

Forty One

"Oh, my God."

The sight that the general saw when he entered the tent was gruesome. As far as he knew, there were three dead bodies, one of which was his queen, laying in grass sodden with blood. He stumbled backward, covering his mouth so as not to wretch on the feet of his queen, and ran away to inform the others.

However, the noise had drawn Geneva out of her unconscious state, and she opened her eyes to find the bodies of her greatest enemy and her sister's husband laying on either side of herself. She let out a soft groan, the sound barely audible as a result of the weight Zabrina had put on her throat, and blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision.

"What do you mean the queen is dead?" the voice of a man shouted.

Geneva couldn't decipher the voice. She lay still in her position, eyes fixated on the ceiling of the purple tent, as she listened to the footsteps nearing. All she could think about, however, was the fact that she had committed the ultimate sin and that Matthias was dead because of her.

A sigh emitted from one of the people who had charged into the tent. "You fool, she lives. Fetch the physician."

"Yes, sir."

"Where is she?" another voice commanded.

A hand caressed her cheek. She tilted her head to look into a pair of warm and comforting eyes. Her heart swelled, lips twitching into a ghost of a smile. Harry's face was dotted with dried blood, but he was unscathed. "Ginny," he whispered tenderly.

Another cold, rough hand grasped her chin and pulled her head to the left. The dark eyes of the army physician pierced into her own, then trailing down her face to her neck. A necklace of bruises was already forming; pale green blooming into purple in the shape of two hands.

"Don't speak," the man said harshly, "Only nod. Were you strangled?" Geneva answered the obvious question with a nod. "Do you feel pain anywhere other than your neck?" Geneva paused, thinking. She was sore, but the pain wasn't enough for him to be concerned. She shook her head. He stood to full height and turned to address the general. "Move her to a bed. She needs to rest before the journey back. Her voice is likely damaged from the strangulation, so have her write down anything she needs to say."

"That's it?" Harry asked.

"Our queen is a fighter," the gruff physician said. "Unlike that one." He nodded to Zabrina, the knife still lodged in her neck and oozing thick blood. "Let me know if her condition changes," he said before walking out.

Harry scooped Geneva into his arms and lifted her up, carrying her out of the tent-turned-war-zone and into the one that was originally meant for her. Alone and cloaked by silence, Harry placed Geneva on the bed, having her sit upright. He kneeled on the ground, taking her hands in his and looking into her vacant eyes.

"Do you have a change of clothes?" he asked.

She nodded loosely and pointed across the tent to a trunk. Harry placed a kiss on her forehead before walking to the trunk and unlatching it, pulling out a simple dress that looked to be the most comfortable. He then walked back over to Geneva and placed it in her lap, but she only stared at him. He gathered that he needed to leave, so he stood to his feet, but she grabbed his hand and stopped him from leaving.

He furrowed his brows, but realized she couldn't speak. "Do you want me to help you?" She nodded. His brows raised involuntarily, shocked that she had given him permission to undress her before their wedding. If anyone ever found out, events could be twisted and rumors spread that would taint her reputation.

Nevertheless, he deconstructed the suit of armor, pulling it from her body and leaving her in thin undergarments. He kept his eyes attached to hers, which were bloodshot and damp with tears from the shock of it all; Harry seeing her half-dressed was the furthest thing from her mind, and this made him feel guilty. He swallowed down his attraction and continued, untying the strings that crossed over her chest and lifting the sweat-stained, sleeveless shirt over her head, leaving her exposed.