Brad was worn and annoyed. The coughing fit had sapped what little bit of strength he had gotten from sleeping. When Maria arrived he felt dirty and like he had betrayed her with how his body had reacted while Abby was…<br/><br/>“I was sleeping…and moaned your name…then when I opened her eyes she was…kissing me and…touching me…” he looked away from her then. Too worried about what he would see in her eyes when that all sank in. “I’m sorry…I was dreaming of you….”<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">She didn’t reply initially, the words settling in as did a weight on her chest. It wasn’t his fault, by any means. She was greedy, entitled, taking what she wanted regardless of if a person wanted it taken. He was asleep, resting, and she’d come in and... The look on her face hardened a fraction more, but there was no hurt because of him. No anger toward him. No disgust. Immediately her other hand reached forward to lightly caress his cheek and turn his gaze back to her. When she finally held it, she shook her head. “You’ve nothing to apologize for. Absolutely nothing. You weren’t even aware of what was going on so please don’t feel like you need to apologize to me. My ire isn’t toward you.” As her hand dropped, she let out a sigh. “She came to see me after she saw you. Upset, angry toward me for...” Her voice dropped as she glanced back toward the closed door. “She knows.” There was no easy way to break that to him so she didn’t want to draw it out, her own apprehension evident. “And our conversation didn’t end well, to say the very least...”</span><br/><br/>“Wait…how does she know?” Brad said, trying to sit up and feeling panic start to seize his chest. “If she knows…” the fear crept into his voice. “This is not…good…”<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">“I don’t know how, but she does...she kept asking why people treat her so badly but we’re...” Trying to dissuade his fear, she tried to offer him a small smile, keeping him as still as gently as possible. “But it’s fine. No one pays her mind. By her words, she’s treated as a leper.” <span style="font-style: italic">Even if she says you have to belong to someone...</span> “Whats not fine is you panicking. You’re going to hurt yourself worse. Please just try to relax for me.”</span><br/><br/>Brad wanted to calm down, wanted to relax but if Abby knew then they were in for a world of trouble. If she told someone who could make a fuss and then force the King’s hand. “For you I will try…” he said after a moment. “Did anything else happen today?”<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Nothing else happened today, no...I was just trying to get everything ready for you, and she and I spoke,” Maria replied. “Why? Did anything else happen here with you?”</span><br/><br/>“No, nothing at all.”<br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: red;background:red;"/></div><br/><br/>For two long weeks, Brad was confined to the bed. Unable to get up for anything but short walks and to relieve himself. It was torture to the man that wanted to be back on his feet and out in the woods, back in his small cabin and plot of land that was his and his alone. Instead, he was stuck on the royal grounds moved to another room so that he could mend up and be more comfortable. At this point they were sure that he would live, but if Brad would ever be the man that he once was would remain to be seen. Today, with the help of the twins, who had been near inconsolable when they found out he was first injured, Brad was down in the royal gardens. Getting some much needed fresh air and some exercise. Already, he could feel his muscle starting to disappear from lack of use and he worried about his ability to use a bow again because of how much it hurt to raise his arm even slightly. Let alone use it to pull back a bow and fire an arrow.