Read Online Once Upon a Romance 03 - With True Love's Kiss by Jessica Woodard - Free Book Online
Authors: Jessica Woodard
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Robin
decided to speak.
“I, too, am
a pawn,” he said quietly. “But I was given the choice of who to follow. Who to
trust with my loyalty.”
“Whereas I
am given no choice, nor even told what my purpose is.”
“If I knew
why I was sent to protect you, I would tell you, Bianca.”
“Why?”
“Choice is
important to my people. You might say that we hold it sacred. You cannot make a
choice without knowledge, and I would not keep that knowledge from you, were it
mine to give.”
“But what if
I chose not to go with you?”
“Then I
would have to choose to tie you on the back of your horse.” He smiled at her. “But
we would each be making our own choices, in the full knowledge of what we did.”
She looked
at him wide-eyed, and then finally a smile of her own spread across her face. “You
have very odd principles, Master Goodfellow.”
“But they
are mine, and I am comfortable with them.”
Isabelle
gave a wordless moan, and Bianca turned swiftly to check her patient. She shook
the queen, and called her name, but was unable to rouse her. When she drew back
the covers they could see that Isabelle’s back looked much worse than in the
morning. Bianca hissed in frustration.
“I don’t
know how to help her. All I have is water and some rags!”
“What would
you use, if you had your still room?”
“Now? In the
spring?” Bianca spoke distractedly, while she fetched a small pot of cool water
from the cascade. “Bay, arnica, wild garlic or onion, even certain types of
spider web. The world is full of things that heal. They just don’t grow in
caves. Come help me.”
Together
they wet the bandages and placed them on Isabelle’s neck, back, and head. She
mumbled in protest, but never woke up as the cool cloths swathed her body.
Bianca kept it up for over an hour, changing the cloths as Isabelle’s feverish
skin warmed them, but the queen didn’t cool. Finally Robin took the pot from
Bianca’s nerveless fingers.
“Sleep.”
“I can’t, I
need to—”
“I will
change her bandages for a while. You need sleep. You cannot help her if you
drop from exhaustion.”
Bianca tried
to put up a protest, but she was too tired to fight him long. Once she’d curled
up on the blankets beside Isabelle, it wasn’t long before she’d fallen into a
sound sleep.
Robin soaked
Isabelle’s back with cold water once more, and then turned and slipped from the
cave, careful not to wake the sleeping women.
***
In the
morning, when Bianca opened her eyes, she saw three things.
The first
was that Isabelle’s back was worse. Her stomach turned at the awful infection
wreaking havoc on her friend.
The second
was that there was a fire, and Robin was curled up on the far side. He’d left a
mound of firewood at hand, and the current small blaze helped warm the air
greatly.
The third
was her medicine bag. It lay open, next to the fire, and it overflowed with bay
leaves, arnica roots, and the bulbs of wild onion and garlic.
Chapter 10
It was
difficult to peel and cut all the roots and bulbs with her small belt knife,
but Bianca was feeling lighthearted as she worked. She almost would have sung,
if she hadn’t been afraid to wake the two sleepers. Isabelle needed her rest,
and Robin, well, who knew how long he had been out the night before, gathering
the things she’d mentioned?
Once she had
everything prepared she threw it all in a pot, along with just enough water to
cover it. Then she placed the pot among the coals of the fire and settled down
to wait. It would take a while for the hard roots to cook down into a mash that
could be placed on Isabelle’s back, and Bianca needed to keep an eye on it, to
make sure it didn’t boil.
She crouched
beside the pot, watching it steam gently, while her thoughts dwelt on the man
currently sleeping on the bare floor of the cave. He was incomprehensible to
her. He’d been the King’s Huntsman for years, and escorted her out into the
countryside on many occasions, but
decided to speak.
“I, too, am
a pawn,” he said quietly. “But I was given the choice of who to follow. Who to
trust with my loyalty.”
“Whereas I
am given no choice, nor even told what my purpose is.”
“If I knew
why I was sent to protect you, I would tell you, Bianca.”
“Why?”
“Choice is
important to my people. You might say that we hold it sacred. You cannot make a
choice without knowledge, and I would not keep that knowledge from you, were it
mine to give.”
“But what if
I chose not to go with you?”
“Then I
would have to choose to tie you on the back of your horse.” He smiled at her. “But
we would each be making our own choices, in the full knowledge of what we did.”
She looked
at him wide-eyed, and then finally a smile of her own spread across her face. “You
have very odd principles, Master Goodfellow.”
“But they
are mine, and I am comfortable with them.”
Isabelle
gave a wordless moan, and Bianca turned swiftly to check her patient. She shook
the queen, and called her name, but was unable to rouse her. When she drew back
the covers they could see that Isabelle’s back looked much worse than in the
morning. Bianca hissed in frustration.
“I don’t
know how to help her. All I have is water and some rags!”
“What would
you use, if you had your still room?”
“Now? In the
spring?” Bianca spoke distractedly, while she fetched a small pot of cool water
from the cascade. “Bay, arnica, wild garlic or onion, even certain types of
spider web. The world is full of things that heal. They just don’t grow in
caves. Come help me.”
Together
they wet the bandages and placed them on Isabelle’s neck, back, and head. She
mumbled in protest, but never woke up as the cool cloths swathed her body.
Bianca kept it up for over an hour, changing the cloths as Isabelle’s feverish
skin warmed them, but the queen didn’t cool. Finally Robin took the pot from
Bianca’s nerveless fingers.
“Sleep.”
“I can’t, I
need to—”
“I will
change her bandages for a while. You need sleep. You cannot help her if you
drop from exhaustion.”
Bianca tried
to put up a protest, but she was too tired to fight him long. Once she’d curled
up on the blankets beside Isabelle, it wasn’t long before she’d fallen into a
sound sleep.
Robin soaked
Isabelle’s back with cold water once more, and then turned and slipped from the
cave, careful not to wake the sleeping women.
***
In the
morning, when Bianca opened her eyes, she saw three things.
The first
was that Isabelle’s back was worse. Her stomach turned at the awful infection
wreaking havoc on her friend.
The second
was that there was a fire, and Robin was curled up on the far side. He’d left a
mound of firewood at hand, and the current small blaze helped warm the air
greatly.
The third
was her medicine bag. It lay open, next to the fire, and it overflowed with bay
leaves, arnica roots, and the bulbs of wild onion and garlic.
Chapter 10
It was
difficult to peel and cut all the roots and bulbs with her small belt knife,
but Bianca was feeling lighthearted as she worked. She almost would have sung,
if she hadn’t been afraid to wake the two sleepers. Isabelle needed her rest,
and Robin, well, who knew how long he had been out the night before, gathering
the things she’d mentioned?
Once she had
everything prepared she threw it all in a pot, along with just enough water to
cover it. Then she placed the pot among the coals of the fire and settled down
to wait. It would take a while for the hard roots to cook down into a mash that
could be placed on Isabelle’s back, and Bianca needed to keep an eye on it, to
make sure it didn’t boil.
She crouched
beside the pot, watching it steam gently, while her thoughts dwelt on the man
currently sleeping on the bare floor of the cave. He was incomprehensible to
her. He’d been the King’s Huntsman for years, and escorted her out into the
countryside on many occasions, but
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