His heart raced in his chest, fear gripping him. They had just been to the lake. What if she had caught the winter fever? Itwas summer, that much was true, but the water of the lake was freezing all year round.
“Is she very ill?” Archer asked.
“Nay, nay,” Layla assured him, but she didn’t seem so sure. Behind her, Arya looked grim. It was the first time Archer had seen her like this, as if she feared something terribly and didn’t want to tell him.
That thought was enough for Archer to excuse himself and leave the courtyard, making a straight line for the eastern wing. He didn’t stop, not even to greet those who passed him, and by the time he was outside River’s chambers, he was out of breath.
He hadn’t even realized he had been running. His feet had simply taken him there, with him only realizing it all when he was outside the door.
He knocked once, then entered, as he tended to do. He barely ever waited for River to call him, and especially now that his heart was racing, threatening to jump right out of his chest.
The inside of the fore chamber was dark, the curtains drawn, only a few candles lighting up the pace. The main light came from the bedroom, where a large fire roared in the heart, and Archer made his way there to find River in bed already, though it was not that late.
She was sleeping. Archer approached her slowly, quietly, making sure he wouldn’t wake her. He grabbed a chair and placed it next to the bed, lowering himself into it, making sure the wood wouldn’t creak.
From where he sat, River looked as she always did, if a little more dishevelled than usual. Her hair was like a dark halo around her face, spilling like ink over her pillow, her lashes dark against her cheek, her rosy lips slightly parted as she breathed deeply in sleep.
Archer stayed like that, in his seat, watching River—the bow of her lips, the steady rise and fall of her chest, the fluttering of her eyelids as she dreamed. He made sure not to make a sound, and he didn’t realize how the time passed as he sat there, watching her sleep.
The room had darkened even more by the time River opened her eyes. For a moment, she looked around as if disoriented. It had been a long nap, and it didn’t surprise Archer that she would need a few moments to get her bearings.
When she saw him, she perked up a little, sitting up against the headboard, and Archer was relieved to see that she was well.
“River…I heard ye havenae left the room all day,” he said as he came to sit next to her on the bed. Up close, she did look a little strange, as if some of the color had drained from her face. “Are ye ill?”
River shook her head, but she didn’t immediately respond verbally. “I’m nae ill,” she assured him. “It’s…it’s somethin’ else.”
“Naethin’ serious, I hope,” said Archer with a small, teasing smile, though he felt anything but humorous in that moment.
“Nay,” River assured him. “I am quite well.”
I am glad to hear that,” said Archer, and he rose from his chair to pull River into a kiss. “Can I stay with ye tonight? To take care of ye? Let us say it will be our seventh night together.”
Much to his surprise, River barked out a laugh. “Do ye really wish to waste the seventh night on taking care of me?”
Despite her laugh, there was a look in her eyes that Archer could only describe as hopeful, as if she wanted him to say yes. And what else could Archer say? He had been the one to suggest it in the first place.
“Of course,” said Archer. “I cannae imagine anythin’ more important than this.”
It wasn’t a waste to him, not if it meant he was spending time with River and nursing her back to health. It didn’t matter what they were doing as long as they were together, and the thought gave him a short pause.
He had never considered this before. He had never considered the fact that he simply wanted to be close to River, to have her presence in his every day life, even if they weren’t doing anything of note. The days with her were better, brighter. Just her presence by his side was enough to lift his spirits, and he would trade any fun activity without her for some time with her.
River’s smile widened as she looked at him and she suddenly surged forward, pulling him into her arms and into another kiss. For a moment, Archer was stunned, but then he quickly recovered and kissed her back, laughing softly against her lips.
“Ye can still surprise me,” he said. “Even now that I have me memories.”
“I daenae think that’s odd,” said River. “Ye didnae ken me so well.”
“But I ken ye now.”
He didn’t know her as well as he wanted to. There were still some things he was missing, things about her he didn’t know, but he was eager to find all of it out. They had all their lives ahead of them for him to do so, once every threat in his life had been eliminated. They had all the time in the world for him to show her who he was, too.
“Aye,” said River. “I suppose ye ken some things now.”
“Some things?”
“Some things.”
