Of Witches and Wolves

Awake

Aric eyes went wide with panic as he quickly removed his hands from her neck. She crumpled onto the bed, falling back slightly onto the chair. He scrambled away from her slightly. Suddenly, water soaked her causing her to gasp and sit up. They both looked at the other side of the room to Gunnar, who held the empty water jug.

"I was going to wake up!" The woman shrieked from next to him. Aric's eyes snapped back to her, taking her in for the first time. Her skin was tanned, but in a way that showed she worked outside. The little tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid were plastered to her face from the water. Her hair was an ordinary color brown, but when the sun hit it it turned copper. Her face was round, with slightly prominent cheekbones and a nose that turned up at the end if you really looked. There were freckles sprinkled over it hidden under the sunburn. Her lips were a nice pink and turned into a frown. Her eyes were bright blue and glaring at the wolf next to him. In that moment Aric decided two things: one, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Two, he did not want to be on the receiving end of her anger.

Gunnar shrugged sheepishly, "What! I panicked! It worked didn't it!"

She mumbled "idiot" before sighing and rolling her eyes. "Hand me the muffin." Gunnar passed her the muffin and she took a large bite, chewing before addressing the two of them.

"I'm going to get some water. You, do not move. You feel fine but you haven't moved or talked in several days. You need to adjust to the energy in your system. Gunnar, make sure he finishes the bowl of broth. It'll help with the adjustment. He needs to drink it, not absorb it so don't throw it at him."

Aric started to sit up slightly, making her whip around "I mean it. Stay."

The two of them watched her leave, Gunnar letting out a sigh of relief when he heard the floorboards creaking in the front of the house and Lyra grumbling to herself about stupid wolves. He turned to his best friend, giving him a weary smile "It's good to see you, brother."

Gunnar passed him the bowl of broth, helping him sit up further on the bed. As he sipped, Aric took the opportunity to scan the room. The room was bright, flooded with sunlight that came through the windows. The light ricocheted off the cream-colored walls. The golden wooden floorboards matched the nightstand and the chair, and he noticed he barely fit on the wrought-iron bed. A quilt was skewed on the end of the bed, no doubt from the earlier struggle. His eyes finally rested on his best friend, who sat across from him on a window seat. He looked tired. That was the only way he could describe it. Even with his dark complexion you could see the bags under his eyes. His cheeks were sunken in like he hadn't had a solid meal in goddess knows how long and he had a least five days-worth of stubble. It grew in patchy and even when out in battle he managed to shave often. He sat across from the bed like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Aric took a few more sips of the soup before saying, "You look awful."

Gunnar chuckled, "Thank you for that wonderful complement, highness"

Aric winced at the formality, "What happened? Where am I?"

"Honestly, we're not sure. We think you were poisoned. The court physicians couldn't heal you. You've been unconscious for about a week."

Lyra walked back into the room with a full pitcher of water and a tray on her hip with two plates of food. She poured them each a glass and the wolves thanked her softly as she sat down by the bed. She looked him over one more time to check for any signs of distress before asking gently, "So tell me what you last remember."

Aric paused, "I remember going to bed early after the feast has ended. I went to sleep and woke up here."

Lyra narrowed her eyes, "What was the occasion?"