Chapter Text
You wake slowly. You're tangled in warm skin and blankets. At first you don't remember why. But when you open your eyes to the late afternoon light you see her staring back at you. Her expression is hard. You startle but she holds you in place. Her legs are locked around yours, her hand is at your throat.ย
"๐๐ฏ๐๐ถ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ ๐ช๐ข ๐๐ฌ๐ถ, ๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐๐ฑ โ ๐ฅ๐๐ณ๐ข ๐ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ข ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐๐ข ๐ฒ๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข๐ก ๐ฆ๐ซ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ก?"
You swallow. Her hand tightens around your neck.
"You were cold," you manage, "Dying, really. In the stables. I dragged you inside and fixed your wounds but you wouldn't stop shivering. I was afraid you'd freeze..."ย
You can feel her free hand shifting under the covers, checking her bandages. She winces, but her eyes stay fixed on you.ย
"๐๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ค ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ?" she asks.
"I cleaned you with water and cloth," you add.ย
"๐๐ซ๐ก ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ค ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ?"ย
"No ma'am..." you try, "Lady. Knight. Sir? On the fundamentals I swear. On my honor! I'm no..."ย
"๐๐ฌ๐ซ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ?"
You nod.ย
"โ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐๐ฏ๐ข ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฌ๐ซ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ, ๐ฃ๐ฌ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข๐ซ โ ๐ด๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฉ๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐ณ๐ข ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ ๐ข ๐๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ถ ๐ช๐ฌ๐ช๐ข๐ซ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ฉ๐๐ถ ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฒ."ย
She thinks for a moment before continuing,ย
"๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ โ ๐ฅ๐๐ณ๐ข ๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐ก ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ฑ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ข ๐ช๐ถ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฃ. โ ๐๐ช ๐๐๐ก๐ถ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฑ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ถ๐ซ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ข, ๐ฌ๐ฃ โ๐ฌ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ข. ๐๐ฌ๐ณ ๐ช๐๐ถ ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ ๐ช๐ข ๐๐๐ก๐ถ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฑ."ย
"Thank you, Lady Knight," you say, nodding again.ย
Her grip loosens on your throat but doesn't release.ย
"โ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฐ โ ๐ด๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฉ๐ก ๐๐ข ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ค ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฌ๐ถ," she says softly, eyes closing again, "๐ ๐ณ๐ฑ ๐ก๐ข๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ข ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ก โ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ช๐๐ฆ๐ซ ๐ด๐ข๐๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ก ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ก. ๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐๐ถ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฐ, ๐๐ฑ ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ด๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ซ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ..."ย
She pulls you against her, so that your head rests in the crook of her neck. One arm loops under your armpit to hold you by the nape, and the other rests on your head. She pets your hair with sleepy fingers. You can feel the press of her chest on yours.
"โ๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฐ, ๐ก๐ข๐๐ฏ ๐๐ฌ๐ถ..." she mutters,"...๐ฏ๐ข๐ด๐๐ฏ๐ก ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ณ๐ค๐ฅ?"
"Oh... I don't..." is all you manage.
You feel her shift around you.ย
"๐๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ณ ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฐ?" She asks, chuckling softly, "๐
๐ณ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข ๐ญ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ซ ๐ช๐ถ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ค ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ข๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ข."ย
You squirm, try to pull away, sweat slicks between you but her grip remains firm.ย
"โ ๐๐ช ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ช๐ถ," she says, "๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ก๐ฌ ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฏ๐ถ ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ข. ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐จ, ๐๐ซ๐ก โ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ข๐ซ."ย
It takes you a while to find the words.ย
"I don't... need any reward, Lady Knight. It was just... common decency."ย
You feel her fingers graze your scalp, tighten in your hair, and she pulls your gaze up to match hers. Her eyes gleam even as they are half shut, and there is a short smile on her lips. Her breath washes over you, warm and sweet. You can see how pale she is, red veins visible beneath translucent skin.
"๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ก ๐ช๐ข๐ซ ๐ซ๐ข๐ข๐ก ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ด๐๐ฏ๐ก ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ถ" she says, "๐๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐๐ฏ๐ข ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ข ๐ฌ๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ซ๐ก, ๐ฐ๐ฌ โ ๐ฌ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฌ๐ฏ ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ฏ. โ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฐ ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐๐ฑ โ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐ถ, ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ... ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ด ๐จ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฐ๐ฐ โ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ด. โญ๐๐ซ ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐๐ฑ?"ย
You nod.ย
"๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ถ ๐ด๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ," she says, then kisses you.ย
It's over in a moment, just a peck on the forehead. Your whole body shivers. She chuckles again, then coughs.ย
"โ ๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฏ โ ๐ช๐๐ถ ๐๐ข ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข ๐ ๐ด๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข, ๐ฃ๐ฌ๐ฏ โ ๐๐ช ๐ฆ๐ซ ๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐ด๐๐ถ. ๐
๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐๐ฑ ๐ช๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ถ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐๐ฑ ๐ด๐ข ๐ฅ๐๐ณ๐ข ๐ช๐๐ซ๐ถ ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ซ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ก. ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฐ๐ข, ๐๐ฌ๐ถ, ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฉ ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฑ๐ ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ข ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ช๐ข ๐ด๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ?"
She releases you. You slump away, suddenly relieved and disappointed and unsteady. You look at her wan smile a while longer before you nod and roll out of bed to fetch the pail.ย