Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
AVELINE
The next time I woke, I did so with a smile.
As they had lain when I fell asleep, Toved was nestled behind me with his arm around my middle and Vosten faced me. They must have risen at some point, though, because Vosten held a steaming mug of tea. I also smelled food.
My stomach growled very loudly. My cheeks heated.
With a chuckle, Toved sat up so he could smile at me. “A ravenous creature is in our bed, brother. We must feed her so she does not decide to feast on us instead.”
What a feast they would be…
My stomach growled again. Now my face was on fire. I wanted to pull the furs over my head.
Vosten rolled smoothly to his feet, treating me to another glimpse of the bare skin under his loincloth. “We must take better care of our Aveline and ensure she never again goes to sleep hungry.”
“I was too sleepy to eat before,” I protested. I didn’t want them to feel as if they’d failed to be good hosts.
Trays laden with bowls and mugs waited on the table next to the bed. As hungry as I was, I had a more immediate need to address.
Only then did it occur to me that for the days and nights of my illness, they had cared for my most basic needs as well as my wounds.
I hadn’t considered that when I woke the first time.
The realization was embarrassing—humbling and humiliating, even—but it was also another example of their devotion.
Toved spoke. “You will want to relieve yourself, I am sure.” He rested his hand on my shoulder. “I worry you will find it difficult to stand on your own after so long in bed. Will you let me help?”
I managed a small smile. “Thank you.”
Vosten busied himself arranging the food as Toved helped me get to the side of the bed. He steadied me as I stood. My legs trembled and the soles of my feet were sore, but I stayed upright.
Gently, Toved guided me with his hands under my elbows to a room off the bedchamber, where I was startled to find a truly enormous bathtub carved from stone, a washbasin with a pitcher of hot water and a beautiful mirror above it, and a lavatory with the sound of rushing water below.
All were more elegant and civilized than anything in my village—and designed for giants’ use.
To my amazement, the brothers had found ways to adapt the room to my much-smaller size: three sets of wooden steps and a removable seat for the lavatory.
Toved helped me arrange my nightgown so it was out of the way but still modestly draped and left the room, drawing a curtain across the doorway to give me privacy.
Alone for the first time since arriving in this realm, I propped my elbows on my thighs and let my head fall into my hands.
Kings. I was the beloved guest of kings.
Twin brothers, no less, who were beautiful and kind and giant in every way.
Who wanted to keep me safe, had cared for me tenderly, and were waiting in the next room to serve me food before showing me their home and realm.
What had I done to earn such a blessing from the Goddess?
Cursing under my breath at the pain in the soles of my feet, I rose and tottered down the little set of stairs. A step at a time, I shuffled to the basin to wash my hands. Even with the steps, I was barely tall enough to see myself in the mirror.
Only when I saw my reflection did I realize someone had combed my hair while I slept and plaited it neatly to match how Vosten and Toved wore their hair: in six long braids entwined with golden threads. I stroked the braids, admiring how they shimmered in the torchlight.
While my hair was lovely, I looked and felt anything but.
My skin was pale, my eyes too large, my bones too prominent.
Forbright’s relentless pursuit had diminished my appetite and caused me many sleepless nights long before my six days as his captive, during which I had eaten almost nothing and slept even less.
The fact I’d been able to run as far as Geedhollow from the manor despite my condition attested more to my will than any kind of physical strength.
I must have looked more than half dead when Vosten and Toved found me. Why they found me so captivating, I had no idea at all.
When I pushed the curtain aside, both brothers waited for me, each holding a tray with food and mugs of tea. Their expressions lightened when I appeared, as if my mere presence made them happy. Despite my heavy heart, I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Would you like to eat in the garden?” Toved asked. “The sunlight and fresh air might help restore you.”
“I would love it,” I said, then remembered my wobbly legs and bit my lip. “Can I hold your arm?”
In answer, both men offered their forearms for me to hold. I walked between them from the bedroom, down a series of short corridors hewn from solid rock, and through an archway into a marvelous garden.
Instead of a stone wall, vibrantly colored trees formed the perimeter of the garden of flowers, plants, and grasses I didn’t recognize. The sun was warm, though, the breeze was cool, and the air was filled with a thousand wonderful scents.
“Shall we sit in shade, our Aveline?” Toved asked, smiling down at me. “Or in sunlight?”
Our Aveline. Strange how much I liked that phrase. “Sunlight, please,” I said.
They led me to an enormous wooden table with long benches clearly designed for their own height. Vosten set his tray on the table as Toved lifted me onto a cushion.
As they sat—Toved beside me the same way we lay in bed, and Vosten opposite us—I looked over the meal. Soup, stew, vegetables, even fruits, and wonderfully hot and aromatic tea.
Vosten and Toved piled three plates high with food. Vosten set one plate and a bowl of stew in front of me, along with a three-pronged fork and spoon. They watched me expectantly, their plates untouched as if waiting to see if I liked my food before they ate.
I reached first for a mug so large I had to pick it up with both hands. The tea was perfect—a little sweet and rich in flavor.
I’d eaten almost nothing at the manor and only liquids since. While some men in my world frowned at a woman with a healthy appetite, my every mouthful seemed to make my companions happier, so I filled my belly without shame.
Even as hungry as I was, I couldn’t eat more than a fourth of what was on my plate because there was so much, but I ate every bite of the stew in my bowl. When I scraped my spoon to gather up the last of the broth, Toved rumbled appreciatively and reached for a ladle to serve me more.
“No, no,” I said with a laugh, covering the bowl with my hand. “I’m so very full.”
Toved caught my hand and kissed my knuckles. “Your laugh is wonderful. We are so glad to hear it.”
“I haven’t laughed in a long time,” I said, more to myself than to them. I forced a smile. “And I haven’t eaten nearly so well in a long time either.”
We left the trays and dishes on the table and moved the seat cushions to make a bed in the shade under an enormous tree. I settled in between them with a little groan.
Toved took my hand, his brow furrowed. “Do you feel pain?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. No.” I chuckled. “I’m just a bit too full.”
“Do you need a fur?” Vosten asked. “It is much cooler in the shade.”
Their sweet attentiveness made my heart flutter. “I’m fine.”
When we were all comfortable, Toved squeezed my hand. “Our Aveline, we do not want to spoil your mood, but will you tell us why that man and his hounds were chasing you?”
My stomach knotted. “It’s a long story,” I said, which wasn’t actually true. I owed them an explanation but I didn’t want to relive my time at Forbright Manor, or think about anything but this gorgeous garden and these beautiful men.
Vosten caressed my cheek with his fingertips. “We will not insist, but perhaps you will feel better if you do not keep the story locked in your heart where it will fester.”
“We know you were held against your will,” Toved said. His thumb stroked the side of my hand. “We understand what that is like.”
They had endured centuries of miserable, cursed life at Geedhollow. My heart ached for them as much as theirs hurt on my behalf. I hated what the warlock had done to them, but it did help to know they could empathize with my treatment at Forbright’s hands.
I leaned against the comforting warmth of Vosten’s palm. “All right.”
I told them the whole story, from Forbright’s initial advances to his threats and then how Nobles had kidnapped me on my way home from my shop.
I described my days of captivity, including how Forbright had taken my most treasured possession—my mother’s amulet—from around my neck and stolen my shoes to make it more difficult for me to escape.
Their eyes blazed and their fists clenched as I talked, and my anger swelled and made me tremble, as if all the fury that had built up inside me could finally come out.
As I narrated my desperate escape and run through the woods with the hounds on my heels, Toved drew me against his chest. Vosten moved closer too. I reveled in their warmth and how safe and secure I was—enough that I confessed my greatest fear.
“I was afraid,” I whispered. “I was afraid he’d come to my room and force himself upon me. I knew he would once he understood I wouldn’t give in willingly. It was only a matter of time.”
“Aveline.” Vosten kissed my forehead. Rage still shone in his eyes, but his expression was tender. “We are sorry for what you suffered. No one deserves such treatment.”
Toved caressed my back in a way I liked very much. “We are in awe of your courage. You deserve nothing but honor and devotion, and to live as you choose without fear.”
“That’s a dream, Toved.” Tucked between them with a belly full of hot, delicious food, and having told my story, I was wonderfully content despite reliving my ordeal. “No woman can live like that.”