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"Thank ye," she murmured, noting the way shadow and light danced across his face. Candlelight was common at the castle, but normally there were also a fire and torches about, helping to chase back the night. Here there were just the two small candles she'd placed on the chest next to them to fight it off, and darkness was dancing with light, threatening to overwhelm it. It softened his features and added a glow to everything, and she would have liked to see him naked in this light, to watch the way the light would dance across his bare flesh, but knew that wasn't likely despite his promise earlier. After the wounds he'd taken last night, he would still be sore and wanting time to heal before indulging in anything as energetic as what her mind was thinking of.
"Why the frown?"
Merry glanced guiltily to her husband, but didn't tell him where her naughty mind had led her. Instead, she said, "I was just thinking of the incident in the clearing yesterday."
That brought a slight frown to Alex's face as well, and she added quickly, "I didna get the chance to ask ye if ye saw who pushed the boulder off the cliff."
"Oh." He shrugged and took a drink of his wine before muttering, "Nay. All I saw was the boulder plummeting toward me. I tried to get out of the way, but..." Alex grimaced at the remembered failure.
Merry stared at him silently, her teeth nibbling thoughtfully at her lips. She wished she'd got a better look at the person. She had no idea why, it probably had just been a bandit who had happened on them, but...
"Eat," Alex said suddenly.
Merry hesitated, but then let the matter go for now. She popped a bit of bread in her mouth and chewed it, her gaze shifting to her husband and eyebrows rising as she noted that while he'd ordered her to eat, he himself was not eating.
"Are ye no' hungry?" she asked curiously once she'd chewed and swallowed her cheese.
"Aye, but my hunger can wait until after we eat," he said with a slow grin.
Merry's eyes widened, and she felt a flush of color claim her cheeks. So much for her thinking his arm and head must be paining him. Her gaze dropped, and she noted the bulge pressing insistently against the cloth between his crossed legs. His arm and shoulder might be paining him, but it didn't appear to affect his other parts. She swallowed the meat in her mouth and then quickly reached for her wine, downing some to help carry the meat down her suddenly dry throat as she contemplated the night ahead.
Her contemplations were interrupted when a loud throat clearing drew her gaze to the tent flap.
"Come," Alex barked.
He and Merry both then swiveled curiously to peer toward the tent flap as it lifted outward to reveal Gerhard. The soldier's gaze shifted briefly around the tent and then landed on Alex before he announced, "Allan says there is a problem with the mare."
"Beauty?" Merry asked with alarm, on her feet at once.
"Stay here and finish your meal," Alex said soothingly, getting up beside her. "I shall check on her for you."
Merry snorted at the very suggestion. Beauty was her baby. She'd been there in the stables when the mare had kicked her way out of her mother and into this world. It had been a difficult birth for both foal and mother and there had been some question as to whether either would survive. Having just lost her mother, Merry hadn't been willing to accept such news from the stable master and had gone down to the stables to help fight for both horses. When it had turned out the foal survived and was a female, Merry had claimed her for her own. She'd nursed her to strength, trained her, and hadn't gone anywhere without the animal since she'd aged enough to be a proper mount. If the mare was ailing, she would be there to nurse her through it again.
Alex merely shook his head at her determination as she moved toward the tent flap and then followed her out. They were halfway across the damp campsite when one of the men by the fire hailed Gerhard.
"Go ahead," Alex suggested. "Allan can tell us what is wrong."
"Allan went to...er...for a walk in the woods," Gerhard finished with a grimace, and Merry shook her head at the men's discomfit with simply admitting a fellow needed to relieve himself. She knew it wasn't considered polite talk in front of ladies, but her own father and brothers had never troubled themselves to watch their speech in front of her and it did seem silly getting so discomfited by a natural function. Forcing himself past the moment, Gerhard added, "You should be able to see the problem for yourself, however. She has a small cut just here." He gestured toward his own shoulder. "'Tis not infected, but Allan wanted permission to put a salve on it to prevent the possibility of one settling in."
Alex nodded. "We shall find it."
Nodding, Gerhard turned away to move toward the fire, and Merry and Alex continued on to where the horses were gathered together at the end of the clearing.
As Gerhard had said, Beauty wasn't exactly ailing. She merely had a small cut on her withers on her right side. It was so small in fact that Merry and Alex had trouble finding it. Merry frowned when they did finally spot it. It was small, straight, and very thin. One could almost think it was from a blade rather than a branch as it must have been. She was actually amazed that Allan had seen it, but was grateful at the same time. Animals were as prone to infection as people, and the injury had to be tended to prevent it.
"Some salve ought to do the trick," Alex murmured as they peered at the injury.
"Aye," Merry agreed, running a soothing hand along her mare's side. "But I'd rather use me own. I'll fetch me medicinals and be right back."
"You shall return to the tent and find your salve and then wait for Godfrey to come fetch it from you," Alex countered firmly.
"But--"
"But nothing," Alex interrupted firmly. "'Tis starting to rain again and I'll not have you catching a chill. Allan can apply the salve as well as you. Just send it back with Godfrey."
Merry made an irritated face, but turned to head back to the tent. She'd rather apply the salve herself, but it wasn't worth arguing over. The very fact that Allan, the fellow in charge of the horses for this journey, had spotted the tiny injury suggested he was capable and caring of the animals' well-being. He could smear it on as well as she could. That didn't stop her from resenting her husband's ordering her about, however. What did was the fact that it grew out of his concern for her well-being. He hadn't just been ordering her about for ordering's
sake, but was worried about her catching a chill in the rain, and she thought that was incredibly sweet. Merry wasn't used to others caring for her well-being. She was generally the one taking care of everyone else. It made for a nice change.
The moment she reached the tent, Merry moved to the chest to retrieve her small cloth bag of medicinals. She had measured out what she felt would be needed and was waiting a tad impatiently when Godfrey announced his arrival by coughing himself silly outside the tent flap. Worried by the deep, wet sound of the cough, Merry moved to the flap and flipped it up, but rather than hand the boy the salve, she dragged him inside.
"My lord sent me"--he paused to cough long and deep before finishing breathlessly--"for your salve."
Merry bent to pick up a candle to get a better look at him, her mouth compressing when she saw the lack of color to his face and the almost blue tinge to his lips. "Ye've caught a chill and now have a chest complaint."
Godfrey grimaced at her accusing tone, but shrugged wearily. "I am fine, my lady. A little sleep and I shall be as right as rain."
"Oh, aye," she muttered dryly, and moved to reclaim her bag of medicinals, muttering, "And me husband was worried about me."
"What was that?" Godfrey asked, and then burst into another round of coughing.
Merry didn't bother answering, but chose several items from her bag and then glanced around briefly before bending to grab up the nearest mug of wine from the furs. She quickly mixed in a selection of herbs and plants and then handed it to the boy.
"Drink," she ordered firmly. "'Twill taste absolutely vile, but will help strengthen ye to fight this off."
Godfrey started to shake his head, paused to bend forward as he was wracked by another round of coughing, and then straightened and accepted the drink. He paused after barely a swallow and opened his mouth, but whatever protest he'd been about to make died on his lips as soon as he saw Merry's grimly determined expression.
Giving in, he used the finger and thumb of his free hand to plug his nose and then stoically drank the liquid down.
Merry relaxed and nodded her satisfaction once he was done and took the mug back. "Now settle yourself in the corner there and try to sleep."
