49 History Books (2/2)

A knock came at the door. Ilun lifted his head from her lap, his ears perking up.

Haribit crossed the room and opened it. ”What is this?” she asked.

”Umm, these are from the library. For the Princess Isilla,” a timid voice said. One of the new maids.

Haribit accepted the stack of books and frowning, took them to Isilla, placing the stack on the bed. Five heavy books, their covers cracked with age, the titles half faded. Haribit lifted one puzzling at the strange words. ”What is this?”

History books, Isilla wrote. I asked Mattin, the librarian, for books that talked about darktellers this morning.

”I told you to leave that alone,” Haribit warned.

I thought you just meant Elixabete who I did leave alone and now she's my husband's consort, Isilla fired back.

”You know that means nothing, why are you so upset about it? Arren assured you, didn't he?” Haribit frowned.

Yes but I still don't like it. I would rather she were just gone, Isilla frowned as she wrote.

Harbit looked guilty at her for a moment before picking up one of the books to hide her shame. ”You only just learned the language, how can you read all this?”

I've learned a lot. It's not easy but I'll manage, she wrote before picking up another one of the books.

Harbit made a dismissive sound in her throat, climbing off the bed before gathering up the books in a pile and moving them to dresser across the room. ”You can start your studies when you're really feeling better. You need more rest.”

Isilla frowned. Fine, she signed and yawned.

”You were up rather early,” Haribit crossed back to her and fixed her pillows around her head.

Isilla didn't argue, her body had become heavy over the time that Harbit had spent with her, but she grabbed her friend's sleeve as she began to walk away, preparing to let her nap for the rest of the afternoon.

Turning she wrote, What if he wants to lie with me tonight?

Haribit raised an eyebrow, ”You've only just come out of your fever. I doubt that he will and if you were to deny him on account of your health, I don't think he would be too upset. Unless there was some other reason for you to say no?”

Isilla frowned and shook her head, knowing that he had restrained himself so far but the man she met in the Veil came more to the surface with every day.

Haribit nodded. ”Why are you worried about such a thing?”

The way he touches me when he dreams, it is very, she paused searching for the right word, loving, she finished. I don't think he will hold himself back for much longer.

Harbit smiled and shrugged, ”Then love him back.”

Isilla blushed at the thought. Even in the Veil she had not been so bold and in the waking her few kisses to him had not begun to match the passion he showed her, she felt. This is a silly thing to worry about, with everything else, she wrote.

Haribit shrugged, ”It's the most normal thing to worry about.”

She turned, leaving the room letting Isilla fall asleep with the thought of Arren's touch on her mind.