Merry was just starting to think she should stop and turn back when someone stepped out onto the path before her. She wouldn't even have seen him in the darkness had a stray ray of moonlight not caught on the sword he carried. Tense as she was, she couldn't hold back a short shriek of surprise as she yanked on her mare's reins to draw her to a halt.
"My lady?"
Merry let her breath out on a slow, embarrassed breath as she recognized the voice of her husband's squire.
"Godfrey," she breathed with relief.
"Aye, my lady." He put his sword away and moved up beside her mare's head. "Why are you alone? Where is--?" The second question ended on a gasp as Godfrey spotted his lord lying over the saddle on the second horse. He was at his lord's side at once, lifting his head to take in his unconscious face. His voice cracked with alarm as he asked, "What happened?"
"Someone pushed a boulder off the cliff in the clearing where we stopped to bathe," Merry said bluntly.
"What?" Godfrey asked, turning an alarmed face her way.
She nodded unhappily. "It struck Alex on the shoulder and knocked him down. He hit his head on a rock on the ground when he fell."
"He is not--?" Godfrey turned back to his lord, hesitating to even speak the fear that the man might be dead.
"Nay, of course not," Merry said at once, and then quickly dismounted. She joined the boy at her husband's side to be sure that was true. Alex had been alive when they'd left the clearing, but with head wounds one could not be certain. Thankfully, he was still breathing. His warm breath on her hand when she put it before his face told her that.
Merry let her hand drop and then glanced to Godfrey. "'Tis glad I am ye came along. I was beginnin' to fear I'd missed the path back to the clearin'."
"Nay. 'Tis just ahead. You would have seen the fire through the trees in another moment."
Merry raised an eyebrow at this and asked curiously, "Where were ye headed?"
"To drain the dragon," he murmured, his distracted gaze still on his lord. Then, realizing what he'd said, he glanced at her quickly. "I mean--"
"'Tis all right," Merry assured him with the first smile she'd managed since her husband had been knocked unconscious. "I ha'e brothers and they've said worse in me presence."
Godfrey did not look like her reassurance made him feel much better. Merry gave his shoulder a soothing pat and then turned back to gather her mare's reins in hand. She didn't ask why he'd had his sword out if he was just going to find a spot to relieve himself. She would have been grateful to have a sword for this ride through the dark woods. It would have eased her fears some, and she suspected that was the reason for it with him. Not wishing to embarrass him further by making him admit it, she wished him good eve and began to urge the horses forward again, but then glanced to him with surprise when he remained beside her.
"I shall see you safely back," Godfrey said, his shoulders up and back and his head held high in a fashion she supposed he thought was manly.
"There's no need to trouble yerself. If 'tis close by I will find it. Ye go on about yer business," she urged quietly, but wasn't surprised when he ignored her suggestion and continued at her side.
They'd walked no more than half a dozen steps when Merry spotted the path as well as the glow of firelight through the trees. Another couple of steps and the smell of roasting meat reached her and then they were stepping out of the trees and into the clearing.
Merry's eyes widened as she glanced around. A lot had been accomplished while she and Alex were by the waterfall. The horses were all tended, several rabbits had been caught and now roasted over the fire, and a tent now stood on the far side of the open area. Her eyes widened further with surprise at the luxury of a tent and then moved over the men who had all suddenly stopped moving and were now peering back as wide-eyed as she was. And then everyone started moving and talking at once.
Merry took a step back at the confusion of questions suddenly shot at her. It was a relief when Gerhard suddenly came from the side, his voice louder and carrying more authority than the others as he asked, "What happened?"
"I believe someone pushed a boulder down on Alex after we finished bathing," Merry admitted as he lifted Alex's head to peer at his face. She then explained what had taken place before adding, "I didn't actually see the person push the boulder down, but..." She shrugged unhappily.
Expression grim, Gerhard nodded and released Alex's head, allowing it to hang down again as he bent to untie the cloth from his hands and feet. Several men stepped forward to help ease Alex off his horse's back and then they glanced to Gerhard in question.
"The tent," Merry said before he could respond.
The men immediately moved that way with their lord, and Merry followed.
The soft glow of candlelight filled the tent when they entered, and Una was just straightening from making a bed of furs on the floor. When she turned to find the men carrying an unconscious Alex inside, her eyes widened in surprise and then shot to Merry full of questions.
"I need my medicinals," Merry said quietly as she waited for the men to set Alex down and get out of her way. Fortunately, they didn't dally, but filed out of the tent the moment they'd laid her husband down. She immediately knelt at his side, made anxious by how still and pale he was.
"Here."
Merry glanced around to see Una holding out her bag of medicinals. Taking it with relief, she opened it to retrieve her various balms and salves.
"Should I be prayin' that he heals or that he doesna?" Una asked dryly.
The question surprised her, but Merry supposed it shouldn't have. She hadn't exactly been overjoyed about her marriage these last three weeks, and on her wedding night the answer would have been a simple one: Pray he dies and frees me of this marriage. But things had changed. Merry found she quite liked this man, and--given the chance--thought she might just come to love him...and she had promised to give their relationship a chance.
Letting her breath out slowly, Merry nodded. "Pray he heals."
"I kenned it."
Merry noted the slow smile spreading the maid's lips. Eyes narrowing suspiciously, she asked, "Kenned what?"
"Ye're fallin' in love with him."
Merry stiffened at once. "I--"
"Oh, doona bother denyin' it. I've watched ye watchin' him these last weeks. He may drink a wee bit at night and slur his words, but he's naught like yer father and brothers. The man is a man. He doesna shrug his responsibilities and leave them to ye to carry. He's fair with his people, and cares about them, and that shows in all he does." She nodded solemnly, and patted her shoulder. "No one's perfect, and he's a good man despite his drinking. He'll treat ye right."
The words had barely left her lips when the tent flap opened and Gerhard ducked inside.
"How is he?" the soldier asked.
"Still unconscious," Merry answered grimly as she returned to sorting through her medicinals, searching for something that might be of use. She had salve that would soothe the soreness of his shoulder and encourage it to heal, but was more concerned with the head wound. Unfortunately, there was little she could do for that but keep a cold compress on it to try to keep the swelling down. The rest was up to Alex.
Alex was beginning to think that he might be cursed. He'd been plagued by headaches for the last three weeks. Most mornings he woke up with a dull throb at the back of his head. Of course, none of them had been as bad as the headache that had woken him the afternoon of his tooth pulling when he'd downed a pitcher of whiskey...until now. The headache that greeted him when he woke up and forced his eyes open in the tent was easily as bad as that one, but this time it was centered on the left front side of his head, and it was bad enough to force a low groan of pain from him as he squinted his eyes closed, trying to force the pain back.
"Ye're awake."
That brilliant bit of deduction sounded like it came from his wife's sweet lips and made him blink his eyes open again to find her bending over him. He scowled when he got a look
at her, not because of the relieved expression on her face, but because of the dark circles under her eyes.