The Iron Locket (The Risen King) (18 page)

A pleasant shiver ran through Aiofe when she heard the voice behind her. It washed over her, starting at her ears and trickling all the way to her toes. She turned her head, her breath catching in her throat. His blond hair was sticking up at odd angles and his clothes were a bit rumpled, but Arthur looked fine otherwise. Quite fine. A smile broke across her face as their eyes met.

"I'm alright," she said, then shrugged. "Well, mostly. My arm still hurts a bit."

He stepped up beside her, pulling the curtain all the way to the side so he could see out the window, but his eyes remained on her. He held out a hand. "Here, allow me to take a look."

Her arm floated up to his and he took it gently. When he broke the gaze, she blinked as if pulled from a trance and let her smile fade a bit, though the warmth in her heart and stomach did not. His own smile dropped, the outer edges of his mouth pointing toward the ground as he pulled the bandage off the wound. He tilted her arm a bit, letting the sun graze the open area. It looked much better than it had when Rogan bandaged it the previous night, but it still oozed a strange purple pus.

"Wait here," Arthur said as he stepped away from the window. He grabbed a small glass jar off the nightstand and returned to her. He took off the lid and slid a finger into the blue gel inside. With a tenderness Aiofe did not expect out of a knight, he slathered the gel around the edges of the wound before carefully coating the raw center. Then he wrapped a clean bandage around the whole thing. "Is that too tight?"

Aiofe shook her head. He finished tying off the end and wiped off his hands. "There you go. All set." His smile returned with force.

The young woman found herself blushing and turned to look out the window to hide her pink cheeks. "Are those your men?"

He took a step closer and she could feel the heat emanating off of him as his arm brushed hers ever so slightly. "Yes, they are. The two that look like twins are Balin and Balan." As he spoke, he pointed, indicating that the one who had just felled the other was Balin and the one on the ground was Balan. A brief flash of the previous day came back to her momentarily as more puzzle pieces slid into place. "Balin was always the better swordsman, though I would trust them both with my life. The knight on the bench is Kay, my foster brother and one of my closest confidants."

"And the man on the horse is Tristan, right?"

Arthur nodded. As his head tilted forward, she could feel his breath on her ear. It sent shivers down her body. "Yes. He was the one who brought you to me. And I am ever so grateful that he did." Arthur's voice had dropped to a murmur as he spoke, his lips coming closer and closer to the delicate skin just behind her ear.

Aiofe shuddered as his hand slid around her waist, the warmth in her stomach sliding further down her body. She leaned back into him, her hand finding his, her wounded arm tracking up to brush the tips of her fingers across his cheek.

A resounding knock sounded at the door. The warmth in her lower regions abated quickly, replaced by a strange giddy embarrassment. She felt like a schoolgirl having just been caught by her father. She cleared her throat and smiled at Arthur as he stomped from the curtained room.

"My lord." She did not recognize the voice echoing from the doorway.

"Ah, my good friend, come in. There is someone I would like you to meet."

Aiofe straightened the dressing gown she was wearing as best she could.

"Wait here for a moment, if you could." Arthur stepped around the curtain, pulling it further closed behind him before walking over to her. He didn't pause until he was standing so close they were nearly touching. She looked up at him, wanting more than anything to press herself to him, to run her fingers through that beautiful blond hair, to--

"My dearest friend would like to meet you, but I thought you may want to get dressed first."

His eyes darted from her face and she realized she had lost the grip she had on her gown, revealing more than she had intended. His appreciative smile was quickly replaced by an embarrassed scowl. "My apologies, m'lady," he whispered as he stepped back. "I do not know..." He cleared his throat. "When you are ready, we will meet you downstairs in the dining hall. I will have the servants bring us something to eat."

"Okay." Her voice came out strained to her ears and she gave him a smile to cover it up.

With a bow, he disappeared once more behind the curtain. She listened to the two sets of retreating footsteps until they were shut out by the door. Relaxing with a sigh against the window sill, she looked back down into the courtyard. The man with the armor, Kay, was staring up at her, a lustful smirk on his face. She glared at him and turned, yanking the curtain shut behind her. Releasing an annoyed sigh, she looked around her. The room was darker with the curtain closed, but the flickering candles were enough to see by. Her frown deepened as she wondered who lit them. They must have been in there when she was asleep. That idea gave her the creeps until she decided it must have been Rogan. She was going to have to get used to castle life, she thought.

She searched around the room, but her clothes were nowhere to be found. When Zela helped her change the night before into the dressing gown, she assumed her clothes would be washed and returned, but no such luck. Resigning herself to her fate, she headed over to the full-length mirror propped in the corner.

"Oh my God..." Her normally straight hair was a mess. She cast a glance around the room but she couldn't see a brush anywhere. Sighing with frustration, began tugging at it with her hands, trying to untangle some of the knots.

"Miss, would you like some help?"

Aiofe spun around so fast that she tripped over the dressing gown and nearly lost her balance, catching herself on the nightstand. A young girl of no more than thirteen stood at the opening between the two curtains. She was semi-transparent, much like a ghost, but she was carrying a tray in her hands and had some clothing tucked under her arm. Aiofe narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Who are you?" The question came out harsh and even Aiofe winced at it. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting anyone. What's your name?"

The girl floated into the room, placing the tray on a small table that had been near the chaise. She picked up a pitcher and poured some water from it into a small basin. "My name is Lilia. I am your servant, m'lady. Please have a seat and I will fix your hair."

Lilia picked up the basin and a brush from the tray and glided across the floor to the chair near the mirror. Aiofe sat on the edge of the chair, her shoulders tense. Taking a cloth from the basin, Lilia twisted out most of the water, then pressed it Aiofe's neck. Aiofe pulled away, shooting a look of confusion at the girl.

"I am helping you bathe, miss." Lilia said it like it was the most natural thing in the world and her face echoed Aiofe's concern. Unable to find a valid argument, and realizing she smelled a bit rank, Aiofe nodded and let the girl continue. The water held a pleasant sent, like lavender and vanilla, and soon the servant girl's deft hands had Aiofe's skin glowing beautifully.

"Were you the one who cleaned me up while I was out?" Aiofe asked as the girl worked.

Lilia nodded. "Yes, miss. I will take care of your every need while you are here. Anything you need, just ask and I will be there. The king made it so."

Aiofe tilted her head. "The king?"

Lilia tossed her a sideways glance in the mirror as she moved to untangle Aiofe's hair. "Yes, m'lady. King Arthur."

Aiofe mouthed the words. King Arthur. Tristan. Kay. "Wait..." Lilia stopped moving, her fingers buried in the red locks. Aiofe waved a hand. "No, sorry. I didn't mean you. I was just thinking." The girl resumed her work, silence settling over them as Aiofe kicked herself mentally. How had she not realized Arthur was the Arthur? It all made sense. But why was he here? Why now?

Lilia was done much quicker than Aiofe would have been and her long hair glistened in the candlelight, done up in an intricate braid twirled around her head. Aiofe smiled. "Thank you," she said.

Lilia turned with a slight smile on her face and picked up the clothing from where it lay on the bed. She held out the pants to Aiofe. They were supple leather, like the ones Zela had been wearing. She slipped them on. They felt soft against her skin and molded to her body better than her favorite pair of jeans. She took the shirt Lilia offered next and slipped it over her head. It was a peasant style, not something she would have chosen, but the fabric was comfortable and the intricate gold embroidery was more beautiful than any Aiofe had ever seen.

When she was dressed, Lilia went to one of the armoires and removed a leather jacket, much like the one that had been destroyed. She slipped into it and looked in the mirror once more. She was washed, her hair was done up nicely, and she had to admit that she looked pretty darn cute in that outfit. With Lilia's help, she slipped on a tall pair of boots. As she watched the girl lace them up, she realized her arm hadn't hurt once during that whole time. She twisted it gently, but all she felt was a minor twinge.

As Lilia finished, she stood and picked up her tray. "They are waiting for you in the dining hall," she said with a short bow. Then she turned and disappeared once more behind the curtain.

With one last glance in the mirror and a few deep breaths, Aiofe followed the girl out the door.

*~*~*

TWENTY-ONE

*~*~*

Aiofe wandered down the stairs, pausing briefly at the landing. She couldn't remember being brought inside the castle the first time and she couldn't hide the smile on her face as she examined all the tapestries and other artwork on display. Footsteps echoed from down the hall as she stared at a gilded bust on a marble stand. She tensed as they approached and stopped behind her. Awkward silence ensued. Somehow she knew it wasn't Arthur and turned with apprehension.

Before her stood the man from the training yard, the one who had leered at her. He was about Arthur's height but nothing like him otherwise. He had dark hair, a carefully trimmed goatee, and wore a lurid smirk. She took a step back, then lifted her chin and cleared her throat. "Hello," she said, keeping her tone even.

The smirk grew deeper and the man cocked an eyebrow. His eyes trailed down her body and back up, lingering in places that made her blush with discomfort. "Hello," he said finally as his gaze returned to hers. "Come."

He brushed past her and stomped down the stairs. After a baffled moment, she frowned and glared, but he didn't pause to see if she followed. With growing annoyance, she trailed behind, walking as slow as she could while not losing sight of him altogether. When he disappeared into a room, she scampered to the door and peaked inside.

Several men sat around a long table, chatting in low voices. Arthur sat at the far end, deep in conversation with another dark-haired man. She watched as the man who had led her downstairs walked around the table and approached the other end. He pulled out the empty chair to Arthur's left, but the king stopped him with a wave. When Arthur pointed to the next chair in line, Kay glared at him for a full thirty seconds before taking the seat and tossing an angry look toward the door where Aiofe waited.

Arthur followed his stare, a smiling blossoming on his face. He raised a hand to Aiofe. She couldn't stop her lips from pulling up at the corners and waved back as she straightened and walked into the room. All eyes turned to her and she felt very nervous as she made the long trek down the room.

Arthur stood and pulled out the chair the other man had left empty. "Please, sit."

Aiofe stepped in front of the chair, bobbling a bit as it bumped her legs while Arthur pushed it in. "I guess chivalry isn't dead after all," she said with a small laugh.

"What do you mean?" The knight across the table gave her an odd look.

She smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just not used to being treated like that. It... uh, guys don't do stuff like that in our world anymore. Hell, they won't even open a door for you if you have an armful of groceries."

The men stared at her, whether with looks of horror or confusion, she couldn't tell. Arthur saved her once more.

"Allow me to introduce my fellow knights to you, m'lady", he said, returning to his own seat.

She glanced at the man beside her. He was still glaring hatefully at her, though it was quickly fading to baffled annoyance. She gave him a smile, trying to imitate the smirk she had seen on his face earlier.

"Kay is not always so moody," Arthur said behind her. "He tends to be a bit territorial and does not take to change well. Ignore his temper tantrums."

Her smirk faltered and she turned back to the king. "What do you mean?"

"That is my seat." The growl came from Kay. His glare had transferred from her to his brother and Aiofe feared she would be burned to death by their deadly stares.

"It is the young lady's chair while she is here and you will accord her the same respect you would accord anyone in our court."

Aiofe couldn't remember anything about Kay from the tales she had read as a child aside from his terrible temper. She found herself sinking back into her seat, trying to stay out of his direct line of view.

"When you gentlemen are quite finished, I am sure Lady Aiofe would like to be introduced to the rest of us."