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I did not tell Denve, but my body took a beating in the fight with Ocuri and his guards. My purna heritage means that I heal fairly quickly and easily, but no one is immune to aches and bruises.
I know that the pungent rirzed herb, and the gentler, spicy gankoya root, will help with the inflammation of my bruises.
Denve should probably also take a bath like this. He was in that fight too, and neither of us had time to rest since the fight,I think to myself as my hips, pelvis, and lower back relax in the water.
I hear him then. I have grown so used to listening to Denve’s movements that I can differentiate his footsteps from everyone else’s.
He walks into his chambers and then stops walking.
“I’m in here,” I call. I hear him laugh, before his footsteps resume. “Are you finished talking with your parents?”
I ask him as he enters the bathing room. He sits down on the rim of the bath and looks at me with his kind, violet eyes.
I am always surprised to see Denve in comparison to other dark elf men. All the dark elf men I have met are meticulous about grooming. So when I see Denve’s rugged, roguish appearance, I feel a little thrill.
He is so perfect.
“Yes,” he says and puts his hand in the slowly cooling water. “I finished speaking to them.”
I sit up as I sense that a more serious conversation is coming.
“What is it?” The lights in the bathing room suddenly seem very low. Denve flicks his fingers and candles flicker into life.
“How did the talk go?” I continue as sudden anxiety strikes me, and my skin prickles with fear.
Denve smiles then and I relax quickly.
Surely that means the talk went well?
“The talk with my parents went much better than I expected,” he says. “They are really happy for me, and they definitely approve of you.”
A dry laugh escapes me, and Denve smiles because he knows exactly how I am feeling.
“I was hoping that they would disapprove slightly,” I confess as Denve stands. I watch him as he starts to undress. “I like annoying people.”
Denve gives a barking laugh and we both descend into a fit of giggles.
“They love you,” he says as he gets into the bath with me. The water shifts suddenly as our legs become entangled. Luckily the bath is large enough for both of us. I use the energy created by Denve’s movements to warm up the bath water again.
“They love you and they want me to make an honest woman out of you.”
“What does that mean?”
He takes my hand in his. He doesn’t tell me right away. Instead, Denve goes off on a slight tangent.
“I think I want to visit Milthar. And maybe one day, when you’re ready, we can go to Prazh. We don’t have to visit your coven. But I want to see all the places you’ve loved before.”
“They banished me, you know,” I say stiffly, but Denve massages my hands with his.
“I know. But people tend to forgive those they once loved. They were your family and it wasn’t your fault. Maybe I can explain that to them someday.”
“I think that is a very long way away,” I say. “But I appreciate the sentiment. I do miss Prazh.”
I have never admitted to anyone how much I miss my homeland.
“Something else happened. Something good,” he says and his face opens up with a smile, and I sigh at the beauty of his smile.
“What is it?”
