Betrothed (30 page)

The king turned to his wife. ‘Take the girl,’ he commanded, then he disappeared into a sunbeam with Leif.

Atara looked at me with tear-filled eyes. ‘Leif will be all right, Marla. But come, we must connect with the sun to travel to Telophy.’

She took my hands into hers, and I forced myself to relax as I knew I must if I wanted to see Leif again. I released my energy and let the sun have me. Engulfed again in the tube of hot light, I cast my mind to the place I most wanted to be.

Wherever Leif was.

Leif was barely conscious. He lay at his father’s feet at the bottom of the long white staircase leading up to the castle—broken and bruised. His father nudged him with his foot and Leif groaned with the pain. My heart tore and tears sprang into my eyes. I knelt beside him and lifted his head gently into my lap.

‘Come, Atara,’ the king said, as he turned and walked up the steps. Atara, her shoulders slumped, followed obediently. Halfway up the stairs, King Telophy hesitated, sparing me a glance over his shoulder. ‘Inform my son that I will expect you both in the dining room before sunset. And, Marla, be sure to clean him up. I will not have him at my table in that condition.’ Then he carried on before I had time to reply.

‘Leif,’ I whispered when we were alone. My tears fell on the dark purple bruise that covered most of one cheek. I wiped them away with my fingertips, careful to avoid the cuts and grazes, many of them still oozing, the blood mixing with the debris embedded in the wounds. ‘Leif, say something, please.’

He opened his eyes a fraction. ‘I’m sorry, Marla,’ he said, his voice thin and barely audible.

‘Leif,
please
, stop apologising—I can’t stand it!’

He closed his eyes again. I sat in silence for a long time, his head in my lap, stroking his hair and face and bending to kiss him now and then.

After what might have been an hour or two, he opened his eyes and looked at me. He seemed more alive, less pained.

‘Are you all right?’ I whispered.

‘I will be.’

I smiled, relieved to hear some strength had returned to his voice.

‘Wait, I’ll be back.’

He moaned softly as I lowered his head to the ground. I grabbed my T-shirt from where I’d tucked it into my jeans, then went to the lake nearby and dipped it into the water. I returned to him and lifting his head back into my lap, I wiped first his face and neck, then his shoulders and chest, dabbing gently to remove the blood and dirt from his wounds.

He sighed and closed his eyes while I worked. ‘Better?’ I asked, when his wounds were clean.

‘Much.’ He managed a smile.

‘Can you get up?’

‘I think I’ll just lie here a while longer.’

‘Your father’s horrible,’ I said, after a while.

‘Awful,’ he agreed.

‘Poor baby,’ I murmured, as I leant down to kiss his forehead again.

He raised one eyebrow. ‘Marla, really.’

‘Well, you are a poor baby.’

‘I think I can get up now.’ He tried to sit, groaned and lowered himself back down.

‘Wait a little while,’ I said. ‘Where are you hurting?’

‘A better question would be where am I not hurting?’

‘Where would that be?’

‘Hmm, this thumb feels fine.’ He held it up and wiggled. ‘Ow, maybe not.’

‘Oh, Leif!’

‘I’m joking.’ He smiled.

After more time passed, he tried to rise again.

‘Wait.’ I lifted his head gently from my lap and, jumping to my feet, held out my hands.

‘I feel like one giant bruise,’ he complained as he took my hands.

‘You
look
like one giant bruise.’

He leaned on me heavily as we walked up the stairs to the castle. His mother met us in the entry and whispered commiserations to her son as she kissed and stroked him. Then we went up to his bedroom.

‘Lay on your bed, Leif, I’ll run you a bath,’ I offered.

‘If I lay down, I’ll never get up again,’ he said.

‘Yes you will, I’ll help you. Now do as you’re told.’ I took his arm, led him to the bed and encouraged him down.

‘Marla, I’ve never seen this dominant side. It must be the human influence.’

‘I’m under stress.’ I plumped the pillows for him.

‘I had better do as I’m told then.’ He grinned and lay down on the bed.

‘How can you take this all so lightly?’

He held out his hand for me. When I took it he pulled me down beside him. ‘Because, my love, I heal quickly, I’m much better already. By tomorrow I will be back to normal, and in a few days the assembly will vote to free you. We have nothing to worry about.’ He reached behind my head, brought my face to his and kissed me slowly.
In the meantime I can show you Faera. Now relax and go run that bath you promised me.

‘Now who’s being bossy?’ I said.

‘Please,’ he added.

I lit the sunstones that encircled the enormous bath—settling on romantic—before filling the tub and adding a dash of the contents from one of the ceramic jars that lined the shelf above. I had no idea what the liquid was, but when it met with
the running water, it smelled divine. Bath full, I went to get Leif.

‘I think I can manage now,’ he said.

He did look much better, the cuts and bruises already fading, but I took his hand anyway. ‘Let me help you. You’re not well enough to be left alone. Besides, your father said I had to make sure you were cleaned up.’

He smiled. ‘You don’t fool me for a second you know.’

‘What do you mean?’ I asked, leading him to the bathroom. When we got there, I pushed him down onto the edge of the bath and undid his jeans.

‘Marla,’ he groaned.

I said nothing, just tugged at his jeans until he lifted himself so I could pull them down his thighs, kneeling before him to remove them completely. His legs were all purple bruises and I bent to kiss the largest of them, before reaching for his underwear.

He grabbed my wrist. ‘You’re so bold,’ he whispered.

‘Years of living with humans,’ I said. ‘Besides, Leif, you did say you were mine.’ He went to speak, but I covered his mouth with my fingers. ‘Shh, consider me your nurse. I won’t look. I promise I’ll be good.’

He allowed me to help him, but his face was full of conflicting emotions as he watched me. For a moment I thought he was going to reach for me, pull me to him. But of course the guilt won and in a flash he had turned and slipped into the bath. But not before I caught a glimpse of him. I made a little squeaking sound in my throat.

‘You said you wouldn’t look,’ he said, smiling at my reaction.

‘I didn’t mean to,’ I told him, as I let my shorts drop to the floor.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Getting in the bath with you,’ I answered. ‘It’s far too big for one—that’s just a waste of water.’

‘Please, don’t,’ he whispered.

‘You don’t sound very convincing.’ I hesitated while he decided whether he meant it or not.

‘I know.’ He frowned, his face twisted in indecision. Finally he relented and looked at me. ‘All right, Marla, join me if you like, I do hate waste.’

‘I know, Leif, it’s a terrible thing.’ I smiled sweetly. I watched his face and heard the sharp intake of his breath followed by a long sigh as he watched me undress and join him in the bath.

‘You are so beautiful,’ he murmured as I went to him.

I took the sponge from the side of the bath. ‘Lay your head back and rest. Let me take care of you, and don’t worry, I said I’d be good and I will—no naughtiness, I promise.’ I watched his mouth curve into a smile as he lowered his head to the edge of the bath and closed his eyes. Starting from the top of his head, I took my time and washed his poor bruised body all the way down to his toes.

‘This can’t continue you know,’ he said, as he dried himself off, before pulling on a pair of cotton pants and tying them at his hips.

‘Why not? It’s just a bath, and it’s not like anything happened. I wrapped a towel around my body and followed him back into the bedroom.

His eyebrows shot up. ‘Just a bath? I consider it to be
just a bath
when I am in the bath alone, and, it can’t continue because I can’t stand it. If I was to continue just having baths with you, I might break my resolve and, Marla, I don’t want to. It’s important to me to wait until we are married.’

‘But I didn’t do anything wrong.’

‘Just your presence was torture. I can’t take it. I don’t think you realise how difficult it is for me to resist you.’

‘Fine then,’ I said grudgingly. ‘But do you realise how many times you just said
I
and
me
. Doesn’t what I want count at all?’

‘Of course it does and it is for you I wait.’

‘Don’t do me any favours, Leif,’ I grumbled.

‘Marla, I—’

‘Oh stop,’ I interrupted with a heavy sigh. ‘I’m just being horrible. I love you and I should be glad you respect me enough to wait.’

‘It will be worth it. Just imagine our wedding night.’ He wrapped an arm around my waist and drew me against him.

‘I have been, that’s the trouble,’ I moaned.

‘So have I,’ he whispered. ‘So have I.’

‘I have a problem, Leif,’ I said when we were in control of our passion once again. ‘I have nothing to wear—I wasn’t exactly given time to pack, and the clothes I came in are all wet on the floor of your bathroom.’

‘We have some time. I’ll go get you something from the market.’

‘I’ll come with you.’

‘Wrapped in that towel?’ Leif grinned.

‘I can wear something of yours.’

‘My clothes will be far too big for you.’

‘I don’t mind.’ The thought of him leaving me alone even for a moment was terrifying.

He went to his wardrobe, selected a pair of pale blue pants and brought them to me. I tugged them on and pulled the drawstring tight. The crotch sagged almost to my knees and Leif laughed at the sight of me.

‘Sit on the bed, Marla; I’ll roll them up for you.’ I sat in the middle of the bed and stretched my legs in front of me. Leif sat
cross-legged before me and lifted my legs into his lap. Then he rolled one leg of the pants into a thick cuff and kissed each of my toes before repeating the process with the other.

‘Wait here, I’ll be back in a moment,’ he said when he’d finished.

‘Where are you going?’

‘To tell my father where we’re going so he doesn’t send the guard after us. They just might be able to take me, given the state I’m in.’

‘But you look much better.’

‘That bath did wonders.’ He grinned.

When he returned a few short minutes later, I asked, ‘What did he say?’

‘Don’t concern yourself with it, Marla.’

‘Don’t keep things from me, tell me what he said,’ I demanded.

Leif sighed. ‘He said not to do anything stupid, that he knows where you live and next time it will be you who suffers. Then he said to make sure we were back in time for dinner.’ He shook his head at the absurdity of it.

‘I’m kind of sorry I asked,’ I muttered.

‘Don’t think on it. I’ve no intention of trying to escape anywhere with you. This is our home, yours and mine, and this whole mess will be resolved soon enough.’ He held a hand to me. ‘Shall we go?’

‘I need a top, Leif.’

‘You won’t be able to fly.’

There was no way I was going to the markets topless. ‘You can carry me, can’t you?’

Leif took me in his arms and flew over the forest for a minute or so. Then, tucking me close, he descended into the dense canopy, weaving his way down through the trees, dodging branches heavy with foliage and alighting finally on the forest floor. I looked around, wide eyed. The market was the most amazing assault on the senses I’d ever experienced, rampant with colour and filled with faeries. They flitted here and there among the dazzling, tinkling things, laughing and talking. Music floated on the breeze around us—flutes and violins and entrancing sounds I’d never heard before. And there were scents: the sweet sticky smell of toffee, rich spices and silky perfumes; the tang of something citrus—delicious!

The whole area was shrouded by enormous trees, lit by random splashes of sunlight together with a multitude of sunlamps, each dangling from a vine suspended so far above us that it was impossible to see where it began.