Episode 140 Kiss Me Goodnight
Kiss Me Goodnight
“It hardly seems fair,” Elowyn murmurs as Rominy lifts her off the horse.
“What’s that, love?”
“I’ve been looking forward to showing you Windhaven, and now that we’re here,” she says with a yawn, “I can barely keep my eyes open. And Cerian and Arisanna are missing, and Tharios is ill, and rebels threatened him, and—”
“Shh,” Rominy says softly. “Live with me in this moment. I’m about to enter your world, and my heart is pounding at the thought.”
“That’s why your heart races, my love?” The thought draws a weak smile from her.
Taliel leads them through the ornate entrance to Windhaven, and Elowyn forces her eyes open so she can see Rominy’s reaction to everything.
“This is beautiful,” he breathes.
“It’s my home. Well, my old home. It will always hold a place in my heart.”
“As it should. I can’t wait for you to feel well enough to give me a full tour.” Rominy carries her down the main corridor leading to the wing occupied by the royal family.
“This way, my prince,” Taliel says, and Rominy follows as his men trail close behind. “This is a private wing with no other entrance if your guards wish to remain in the outer corridor.”
Rominy glances at Jonas and nods, and the guards stay behind as Rominy follows Taliel down the private hallway.
“I will let the princess direct you the rest of the way while I send for Healer Cadowyn,” Taliel says.
Elowyn groans. “I don’t need—”
“Which door is yours?” Rominy asks as he takes in the six doors leading from the central vestibule.
“That one is ours.” Elowyn points to the door beside Tharios and Viala’s.
“Ours. I love it.” Rominy steals a kiss before pushing open her familiar door. And then he smiles. “It feels like you.”
“Which part?” She rests her head against his shoulder as he carries her into the large room.
“The books piled haphazardly on the shelves probably drive Cerian crazy.”
Elowyn laughs. “He’s snuck in here and put them in order before. But then I can’t find anything.”
“I think the best part is you don’t even love to read. I bet these particular books have all the best illustrations.”
She buries her face against him. “Guilty. What else?”
“The paintings of the ocean. That steam locomotive figurine Cerian probably grew for you while grumbling the entire time. The wardrobe door that won’t quite close.
The bow hanging on the wall along with that split cloak for your quiver that’s making my heart do funny things imagining you wearing it. ”
“Have you always been this perceptive?” she murmurs as she yawns.
“Let’s get you to bed, all right?”
“I feel so grimy. I wish we had showers.”
Rominy turns thoughtful before shrugging. “How about a bath?”
“That sounds delightful. What about Healer Cadowyn?”
“It will take him a few minutes to get here. Come on.”
Rominy carries her into the water closet before closing the door and setting her on her feet, and she clutches at him when the room spins.
“I’ve got you,” he says softly. “How do I turn on the water?”
Usually, Elowyn uses her water magic to call for it herself, but she gestures to the pull cord nearby.
“Just pull it?”
Elowyn nods, and water soon flows into the wooden tub. It’s all she can do to stay upright as he strips her out of her borrowed clothes.
“How does this work?” he asks as he tugs at the trouser fastening.
“Like this.” Elowyn makes quick work of it, and soon Rominy lowers her into the warm water.
“Just relax, love.”
“I may fall asleep.”
He chuckles at that. “Then I’ll watch over you while you sleep.”
She drifts in and out of consciousness as the water cools until Rominy touches her shoulder. “Let’s get you to bed, all right? I’ll help you wash your hair tomorrow.”
“Sounds perfect,” she murmurs. The water on her skin is soothing to her magic, and she could stay here all night if she dared use her fire magic to heat the water again.
After the nausea earlier, though, she resists.
“I found this in a drawer.” Rominy holds a soft nightgown up for her. “I assume it’s for sleeping. It doesn’t look like your Nunian nightgowns, so I wasn’t sure.”
She chuckles lightly. “You mean it doesn’t go from my throat to the floor?”
“Well, there’s that one flimsy thing, but other than that, yes.” He helps her out of the water and dries her off, and it’s impossible to miss the way his heart races, but he keeps his thoughts to himself.
She tries not to think about it too much, or her fire magic might roar to life.
When he slides the light nightgown over her head, it hangs on her.
“I seem to have lost weight,” she murmurs, and he shrugs.
“I’m sure Cook will take care of that in no time. You’re always beautiful to me.”
“What would I do without you, my love?” she whispers. “I feel like the luckiest of elves that it was you smiling at me across that meadow in Nunia.”
“Yeah...we’d better get you to bed before you spout more nonsense.” He lifts her again, and she shakes her head.
“It isn’t nonsense, Rominy. You are amazing, and I won’t be persuaded otherwise.”
He clears his throat. “You may be biased.”
Does he truly have no idea how wonderful he is?
“Whether I am or not, it doesn’t change the truth. I can’t imagine facing this life without you now.”
“Well, on that, we can agree.” He sets her on the bed as a knock sounds at the door. “That must be the healer.”
“I don’t need a—”
But he ignores her as he pulls the door open, and she groans.
“Good evening, young man. I hear my patient groaning. She must be in good spirits.”
“Tharios’s patient,” Elowyn mouths silently as her eyes slide closed.
Not that she has anything against Healer Cadowyn. He’s been caring for her since before she was born.
He’s not Tharios, though.
Rominy, traitor that he is, lets Healer Cadowyn in.
“I’m fine,” she says in Elvish. “Just sleepy.”
“And nauseated?” Healer Cadowyn approaches the bed. Taliel must have told him what happened.
“The nausea passed.”
“Good. Just relax. I have every confidence in your brother’s skills as a healer, but since he’s not here, I’d like to examine you myself.”
“If you must.” Elowyn closes her eyes again and lets Healer Cadowyn use his magic on her. He’s the one who trained Tharios. He’d better have confidence in her brother’s skills.
“You’ve been through quite the ordeal. I’m unsure anyone but Prince Tharios could have brought you back from the worst of what I see now. It’s no wonder you grew nauseated.”
“That sounds ominous,” Rominy says in broken Elvish, his heart racing again. “At least the words I understood.”
“Forgive me,” Healer Cadowyn says more slowly. “It just means you need to take it slow, my princess. Ease back into your fire magic with care.”
“No shooting flames high into the sky yet?” Elowyn asks, and Healer Cadowyn chuckles. Elowyn quickly translates for Rominy.
“Not quite yet,” Healer Cadowyn says. “And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but no intimate pastimes, either. Not yet.” He glances at Rominy, and Rominy rolls the words around on his tongue.
“I may need you to translate that one,” he eventually tells her in quiet Nunian.
“You’re not allowed to set me on fire yet,” she says with a sigh.
An embarrassed huff escapes Rominy. It’s adorable.
“Understood, sir,” he says in careful Elvish. “Tharios said that as well.”
“Good. Now, I will return in the morning unless I hear otherwise. I recommend you rest. There’s enough wrong at Windhaven without adding you back to the list.”
Elowyn sighs again, and the healer takes his leave.
“You should sleep now, El,” Rominy says when she yawns.
“What about you?”
“I’ll join you eventually. I need to experience this bed of moss in the real world.”
“Eventually?” She can barely keep her eyes open.
“Soon, all right?”
“Kiss me goodnight?” She blinks up at him, and he studies her for a few moments.
Then he lowers himself to the edge of the bed and leans down to press his lips gently to hers. “Goodnight, love. I’ll be here when you wake. Wherever you wake.”
She barely processes his words before her eyes slip closed again, and the question on the tip of her tongue fades to a mumble as sleep finally gets the best of her.