Chapter 10: She is awake and she still wants me dead

Jamie blinked. The devil of Aradale's hands were wrapped around her. It felt warm and gentle, and honestly, it felt good. But he had no right to share such intimacy with an unwed girl and a princess. She looked around the room. It was unfamiliar and strange, but it had a scent she liked. She tried to move away from him, but it felt like a thousand fighting sticks had been used to lash her. Did the terrible king lash her for running away? She felt sick to the stomach. It took another while for Jamie to realize that the source of heat that she seemed to enjoy so much was coming from the king. Bollocks! Her hands were inside his tunic. She took it away immediately, but it felt like it was a mistake. The slight movement sent a hundred tiny pains to her whole body. Alexander whispered something to her in a local dialect, and she stopped moving. It wasn't a language she recognized. "What did you say?" She inquired of him "Stop moving. You will hurt yourself more. Just lie still and let me hold you until it stops hurting." "Did you have to lash me to prove a point?" Alexander blinked. It took a considerable amount of time for him to assimilate what she had just accused him of. Did she think he was capable of having her… lashed? "You think I had you lashed?" Alexander asked her with a voice that bore no hint of what he was feeling inside. "Yes. For running away, again…I guess it is considerably better than the misfortune of bearing your offspring like you threatened earlier," Jamie answered absent-mindedly.d "You can let go of me, now, Milor." "Go back to sleep, Monisha. I will be gone when you wake up." Alexander was fuming, but he hid it well. What kind of a king would he be if he weren't a master at masking his true emotions? She thought he was capable of such outrageous behavior, and he let her think she was right. He wanted to let go of he, but he knew it would cause her a great deal of pain. It took him time to realize she was shivering; the Western Hemisphere weather was considerably colder than the Eastern Hemisphere. "You can go away now, his highness. This princess does not need your he.lp" Jamie was determined to be rid of the man who had repaid her favor with pain. She tried to move ag, but it was so much easier to lie still. "Be quiet. You might not need,d me, but you need my body to keep you warm. I don't go back on my word. Go to bed, and when you wake up, you will not see me again." Alexander groaned as she unknowingly moved her legs and rested them between his thighs to relax further without letting her body touch his. "Janessa?" "Yes, His Highness" "I have a feeling you don't want to consummate our union just yet, and so may I suggest you take your knee away from that part of my body?" Alexander spoke like he was in pain. Jamie was taken aback, it was not her intention to hurt him, and what does her knees have to do with consummation? "I apologize, Milord. It was not my intention to cause you great pain, but I fear if you lash me again, I might just die." She was too weak to stop him from lashing her again. "Just go to sleep!" Alexander snapped at her. "I can't," She muttered. "It is the middle of the night. I am not leaving my comfortable bed to sit on that awful chair, Janessa. But you are welcome to sleep there or on the floor. Take your pic." "I am famished, Milo d" Jamie wondered why he would starve her too. Was lashing her not enough that he had to starve her too? "Oh!" Alexander soundesurprisedrisaidd "What do you want for dinner, Janessa?" "I want a brown broth, chicken legs and tasty wine….oh! Don't forget to add some boiled potatoes. I want brown potatoes not those purple ones that taste like dog shit" "Have you ever tasted dog shit, before?" Alexander asked out of nowhere. "No, Milord." "Then how do you know that purple potatoes taste like dog shit?" "Because I assumed if dog shit is going to taste like something then it will be exactly like purple potatoes" Alexander would have chuckled if he hadn't been fuming in anger about her accusations. "Can I have some carrots too?" "Is that all you want for dinner, Janessa?" "I want milk too. Freshly gotten from the cow's udder" "Are you sure that is all you want? You don't want me to throw in my castle as well?" "It's not my fault," Jamie complained bitterly, "I didn't ask to be starved to near death, King Alex." "Alexander! My name is Alexander!" Alexander finally lost his temper. He tried to move away from the annoying princess ess but she screamed in pain and grabbed his shirt tightly. "Sorry," He muttered. He had forgotten for a minute that she was still injured; it was just a misfortune that her mouth and vocal cords were still intact. "I am going to give you the portion that the doctor Recommended for pain, and you will not spit it out or vomit on me again." Jamie had no recollection of ever doing what he was accusing himself of, but she nodded nevertheless. Alexander took the portion on the table near the bed and lifted her head just high enough to pour it down her throat. Jamie had an intense urge to spit it out, but the glare in Alexander's face gave her second thoughts. After a minute or two, the potion started to work, but it made her drowsy again. "You can have all you can eat tomorrow morning, Monish, but tonight, you have to make do with soft bread and some bro.th" He saw the protest in hereesy, yet but continued, "We are not in the castle and My men outside have limited skills when it comes to food making." Jamie took his explanation and ate the food he gave her. Just like instinct, she went back to his arm, but when she woke up the next morning. He was gone, just like he promised.