Episode 148 A Reprieve
A Reprieve
When a knock sounds at the door just past midday, Rominy frowns.
Perhaps if he doesn’t answer, Healer Cadowyn will go away, and they can forget about the rest of Elowyn’s torture sessions.
Elowyn looks up at Rominy from the bed, where he just finished brushing the tangles from her wet hair. Or trying. It was definitely a new experience for him.
She never once complained about his fumbling efforts.
And she does look stronger.
It still doesn’t feel worth the pain she endured to reclaim that strength.
“Are you going to let him in?” Elowyn asks softly.
“Is no an acceptable answer?”
“Rominy. My love. I’m all right.”
“Now. You weren’t while you were screaming.”
“Sometimes pain is worth enduring. This is one of those times. Do you wish to be somewhere else when it happens?”
He shakes his head. He won’t leave her to scream alone.
The knock repeats, and Rominy sighs before straightening his waistcoat and opening the door.
It’s not Healer Cadowyn. It’s Third Taliel with a tray of food.
“Delivering food is usually outside the scope of my duties, but this wing is heavily guarded at present, and only certain individuals are allowed access. So here I am.” She offers him the tray with a smile, and he hurries to take it.
“Thank you. I don’t suppose you can remove Healer Cadowyn from the list of approved individuals?”
“Rominy!” Elowyn says from behind him, and Third Taliel just smiles.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so. Thanks for the food.”
“Of course. I have an update for you if you wish to hear it.”
Rominy’s eyes snap to hers. “An update? About my sister?”
“A small one. First Corivos and Rafelis rode out with reinforcements very early this morning as a precautionary measure. We haven’t received word on who or what they found, but no further sign of rebel activity had been detected when they left. I expect an update soon.”
“Thank you. I want to know as soon as you do.”
“Of course, my prince. Enjoy your lunch.”
Once she’s gone, Rominy carries the tray to the bed. No one brought them breakfast this morning. They must have been forgotten in the shuffle.
Not that he could have eaten anything after Elowyn’s ordeal. Even now, his stomach feels unsettled.
“It seems you’ve been granted a reprieve,” Elowyn says as she removes the cover from the food.
“I’ll take it.” He lowers himself to the bed and examines the food on the tray.
His first taste of Lostariel.
Everything is separated. He almost laughs. He ate enough meals with Elowyn’s family at the hotel to observe the way they didn’t mix their food, but he didn’t grasp how fully that habit would be played out in the meals at Windhaven.
There are roasted carrots in a bowl and baked fowl on a plate.
A bowl of what must be heated berries sits near the fowl.
There are no gravies or sauces. At least there’s some sort of butter for the bread, though Rominy can’t even begin to guess what it’s made of since they don’t farm animals in Lostariel.
“Am I allowed to pile everything together?” he asks as he glances at Elowyn.
“Of course. Perhaps I will do as you do. My curiosity is piqued.”
He forks some of what must be quail or grouse onto his plate. Unless it’s pheasant.
“You ate meals with me in Nunia,” he says as he adds the carrots and ladles the warm berries over everything.
“You put huckleberries on your grouse.”
He looks up at her. “Is that a problem?”
“Not at all. This is fascinating. Please, continue.”
She copies him, arranging her food to match his, and he struggles not to grin.
He gestures to the butter. “Is this for the bread?”
“It’s almond butter. Cerian won’t eat it, but I love it. Cook must have made it special for me.”
She spreads the butter on a bread slice and takes a bite, smiling as she chews, and he copies her.
“That...is not like butter,” he says. “But I like it.”
It’s nutty. Which makes sense.
He takes another bite before setting down the bread and reaching for his fork. “Grouse, you said?”
She nods as she finds her own fork.
“It looks like chicken. Does it taste like chicken?”
She tilts her head from side to side. “Maybe a little?”
“Well, here we go.” He lifts a bite to his mouth. “Huh,” he says after he swallows. “You’re right. It’s...gamey? I don’t know how else to describe it.” He gets a bite with some huckleberries next. “Oh, those are tart.”
“Don’t you have huckleberries in Nunia?” Elowyn tries her own bite of grouse with the berries on top.
“I’m sure we do, but I don’t recall eating them. I think it works with the grouse.”
“I concur. This is quite enjoyable.”
In the end, she barely eats half her food, but he says nothing. She’s probably not as hungry as she used to be. She’ll get there.
When there’s another knock at the door, Rominy sighs.
“It will be all right, my love,” Elowyn whispers. “I promise. Consider it practice for the birthing of those younglings I’ll be giving you someday.”
He stares at her. That’s a horrifying thought. “I think I’ve decided to let Arisanna and Cerian’s children inherit the Nunian throne when I’m gone.”
That draws a laugh from Elowyn as Rominy rises from the bed.
“I’m serious,” he calls back to her. “No children. Or younglings. Or whatever we’re going to call them. Or not call them. Because they won’t exist.”
That just makes her laugh more, and he waves a hand dismissively before pulling the door open.
It’s not Healer Cadowyn this time, either. It’s Tharios and Viala. He looks stronger than he did earlier.
That flesh contact must help.
Rominy pushes that thought aside.
“I can help with the issue of younglings,” Tharios says with a grin. “Though if your father’s advisors are anything like mine, they’ll ensure you know you’re slacking in your duty to your kingdom.”
Rominy opens his mouth before closing it again. “When you say you can help—”
“I gave Elowyn something before we left.” Tharios turns to Elowyn as he closes the door behind Viala. “A preventative. Common among elves.”
Rominy’s heard whispers of such things. It would have been nice to know Elowyn has one.
Elowyn shrugs. “I have no idea where it went. It’s probably in my trunk on its way to Levina again. I believe that’s the last place I saw it. I almost forgot it when we left the castle. Not that I’ve had the opportunity to need it yet.”
Tharios claps Rominy on the shoulder. “I think you’d better plan for younglings.”
Rominy smacks Tharios’s arm, and a swirl of wind grabs at Rominy’s hair.
“Hey, that’s cheating.”
Tharios grins as his wind dies down, and he steps toward Elowyn. “It’s a reflex.”
“Sure it is.”
As Tharios talks to Elowyn, Rominy glances at Viala. She looks lost.
Stars above. She understood none of that. No one translated the Nunian words for her.
“We were speaking of younglings,” Rominy attempts in quiet Elvish, willing his face not to catch fire.
Viala looks from him to Elowyn and back. “Younglings? Are you—”
“What? No.” Rominy groans. That was poorly done. “Um...I don’t want younglings.”
“You don’t? But you need...?”
He doesn’t catch all her words. “I need what?”
“You’re a prince. You will be a king. You need...” She says it again as she mimics rocking a baby.
Oh. That must be the Elvish word for heir.
“Arisanna can be my heir.”
Viala looks utterly confused, and laughter bursts from both Elowyn and Tharios. That must not have been right.
“Will one of you put me out of my misery?” Rominy says.
“You just said Arisanna can be your baby.” Elowyn flops back on the bed, shaking with laughter.
“Baby? Nice.” He rolls his eyes. “I’ve never heard anyone refer to a baby in Elvish as anything other than an elfling or youngling. I assumed she meant heir.”
Elowyn laughs harder.
“It’s Lothlesian,” Tharios says. “There isn’t an Elvish word specifically meaning baby.”
“Great. My first Lothlesian word, and it’s baby.”
Tharios quickly translates not only this conversation but the original one for Viala as well, and she smiles at Rominy.
“I’ve made mistakes, too,” she says.
“Thank you.”
“So this was a joke?”
He nods. “A joke. I know I need a...what was it?” He repeats the Lothlesian word, and Viala nods.
“Very good.”
“I just don’t like seeing Elowyn in pain,” he says in Nunian, not even trying it in Elvish. He’d probably butcher it.
But Tharios is quick to translate, and everyone’s expressions soften.
“One day at a time, my love,” Elowyn says softly. “Let’s get through this day before we borrow trouble from the next one.”
With a sigh, Rominy nods, and another knock sounds at the door.
That must be Healer Cadowyn.
It seems their reprieve is over.