9. Chapter 9
Chapter nine
W hen Tamaka woke the next morning, it was to the sound of voices in the balcony room. She rolled over, rubbing an old arrow wound at her hip that ached some mornings, and dressed, tiptoeing barefoot down the hall towards the sound.
Anslo was seated on the floor by the windows with Dregu, something laid out on the smooth stone between them.
"I don't suppose your mother has ever talked about marrying again," Anslo said, and Tamaka sucked in a breath, almost stepping out before Dregu could react poorly, but her son merely shrugged, focused on his task as he observed Anslo's fingers fiddling with something.
"Nah, she still misses father. When she told me she was going to have another baby she said it was time to move on, but she also said she might never marry again." He stuck his tongue out slightly as he worked and Anslo pointed at what he was doing, making a few small corrections.
"That makes sense," the bard said. "When you lose someone very important, it takes a long time to heal."
Dregu hesitated, sniffing and nodding sharply. "She doesn't cry anymore at night, though. That's good."
Tamaka pressed a hand to her mouth. She hadn't known he'd heard her all those months, weeping alone in her bed at night.
"He sounds like a wonderful person, your father," Anslo observed.
Dregu smiled proudly. "He was a great warrior. And very smart. He took me all over the world!"
"Did he?" Anslo grinned. "Are we both world travelers?"
The youth shrugged in embarrassment. "We went to the Pearl Coast when I was little. I loved the sea."
Anslo sighed. "I love the sea as well. I grew up on islands off the coast there."
"Do you swim?" Dregu asked him, his eyes lighting up.
"Very well! I bet you know the best swimming spots around here." Anslo guided Dregu's hands to make a few last movements and nodded in satisfaction.
"Do you want to go swimming? My friend Bula likes to swim, too. We go swimming all summer."
"I'd love to," Anslo assured him. "I think we're done here. Are you ready?"
Tamaka stepped out, biting back a smile. She'd been awake long into the night wondering what to say to Anslo, how she would navigate a courtship with him, if that's what she even wanted. She'd been certain it would be difficult for Dregu, but it seemed the bard had already managed to charm her son. And the way Dregu spoke of Vagar... Perhaps he was not as sensitive about his father's death as she'd thought. He still missed Vagar, she was sure of that, but he spoke to Anslo with such maturity.
While she'd been lost in her own grief, he'd grown up more than she'd realized.
"What are you two doing?" she asked.
Dregu rushed forward, holding something in his hands. "Look at what we've made!" he exclaimed. "They're paper birds, and Anslo says he can make them fly."
There was a small bird made of folded parchment in his palm. It was a bit lopsided, but Tamaka smiled. "Well done, my love."
"Come make them fly with us," Dregu insisted, taking her hand and pulling her to the windows.
"Good morning," Anslo murmured.
"So, the guards just let anyone in," she whispered, and he chuckled.
"I let him in," Dregu announced proudly. "Are you ready, Anslo? Show me how."
Anslo held up his own paper bird, the folds far more precise and even. He showed Dregu how to hold it by its belly, the stiff wings outstretched, and then tossed his bird out over the edge of the balcony. Dregu followed suit. Their parchment fluttered down towards the lake below the cliff, swooping and diving on the morning breeze.
Dregu whooped in excitement. "I'm going to get more parchment, and I'm going to show Bula how to make them!" he shouted, racing out of the cave.
"I thought you came to woo me," Tamaka jested, "but you've wooed him. I think he's fallen in love with you."
"Good." Anslo smiled. "That will make my next task far easier."
"And what is that?"
He leaned close, pressing a kiss to her lips as the tips of his fingers brushed her belly. "Making you fall in love with me," he murmured. She blinked, sucking in a breath, and he led her towards the daybed. "Are you hungry?" He gestured to the collection of cheeses and dried fruits laid out on a cutting board. "Dregu offered me breakfast," he explained.
She laughed, sitting and eating a slice of cheese. He sat beside her. "How did you sleep?" he asked.
"Poorly," she answered honestly. "I couldn't stop thinking." He nodded, taking a few strawberries for himself. "And my back ached. It was the same when I was pregnant with Dregu. My joints and bones were often sore."
He frowned. "Is that alright?"
"I asked the midwives back then. The body changes a great deal to carry a healthy child. They assured me it was normal, though it's not enjoyable."
He still looked concerned. "What hurts the worst?"
"Usually my low back. Sometimes my hips," she answered.
He knelt behind her, pressing his thumbs into the tight muscle on either side of her spine, working his way down her back. Tamaka moaned, clapping a hand over her mouth. "You don't have to," she gasped, the sweet pain of his nimble hands working her muscles enough to make her lightheaded.
"Don't do that," he murmured as he worked. "If you don't want me to touch you, I won't, but don't push me away because you think I don't really want to be here. I told you, I can think for myself."
Tamaka nodded, biting her lip. He massaged her back until she finished her breakfast, then pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "What else hurts?" he asked.
"I wish I had time, but I have work to do." Reluctantly, she stood. "The troops from Oldrith on the Pearl Coast Road changed a few days ago and I need to speak with the returned commander." She would like nothing better than to lie abed all day as he worked the soreness from her muscles and joints, but she had responsibilities to more people than he did.
"Can I help with anything?" he asked. "I know I can't help you with a king's duties, but if there's anything else you need..."
She shook her head; he seemed disappointed. "The day is yours," she told him. "But you could come back at dinner time, if you wish."
He smiled, leaning in for one more kiss as he stood. "I would wish for nothing more."
He was back that night, Dregu chattering away at him all dinner. And he was back the next morning, too. The days continued like that, for a while. He often seemed tired from playing at the tavern late into the night and waking early to breakfast with her, but he didn't complain. He simply returned again and again, a smile on his face, always eager to help her with whatever she needed.
At first, she did not allow herself to need much. She'd grown so used to being alone that allowing someone else to assist her felt like weakness. Though she knew that was foolish, she clung to her independence. After all, he was young and carefree. He would grow tired of living in one place. He would leave.
But he didn't.
Days turned into weeks. Before she knew it, a month had passed. Then another.
He wooed her as he'd promised. He brought her flowers and sweets and succulent summer fruit, whatever she mentioned she was craving that day. He took Dregu and Bula fishing and swimming and they brought her fresh trout and eel for dinner. He taught them how to make more paper animals until Tamaka had a full menagerie on the shelves of the living room. He massaged her back when the baby made her ache, and as the child grew, he sought the herbalists for teas and ointments that would ease her discomforts. She already had some left over from thirteen years before, but she accepted the gifts and the lingering kisses he offered with them happily.
She grew used to having him around. Vagar had always been underfoot when she was pregnant, seeing to her every need. As much as she'd told herself she did not need that now, she wanted it. She wanted Anslo.
He wanted her as well, she was certain. Sometimes, when they kissed, she could feel his cock harden. But he always stepped away and bid her goodnight, never pushing her for intimacy. She should be grateful he was willing to wait, to prove his intentions, but she wasn't.
She was well and truly wooed, and she was growing impatient. She wanted him in her bed. He was already in her heart.