Olivia was freezing cold, and the tips of her fingers still felt sore. Her nose was runny too, she was coming down with something. Elena had told her when she finally opened her eyes that Olivia had been screaming in her sleep, and wouldn't wake up no matter how hard she had tried. The knight had heard her screams and came rushing to the room, and sent Elena out to get the court wizard. Armoneus, the court wizard, even attempted to perform an awakening spell, but she just wouldn't open her eyes. They were all in shock, and rightfully so.
Elena was talking to Armoneus, who was passing the handmaiden a vial. They were gesturing to Olivia several times, talking in rushed voices. Olivia pushed herself to sit up, but the knight from before rushed over trying to push her back down gently. She knocked his hands away from herself.
"You need to lay down, you're sick." He said. Olivia huffed, laying her back against the pillows behind her and folding her arms across her chest.
"I don't want to lay down anymore." Olivia grumbled, "It won't kill me to just sit up." He sighed and retracted his arms. They were silent, and sooner or later, Elena and Armoneus returned.
"I need to go with Armoneus, my Lady." Elena said, "To get you some fire rocks for your bed. If you'll excuse me?" Olivia nodded, and Elena followed Armoneus out of her bedroom. Olivia threw the cover from her legs, and stood up. She wobbled for a second, but a hand grasping her shoulder steadied her. She looked over at the knight, frowned, and tossed his hand from her shoulder. She didn't need help.
"What are you doing?" He asked. Olivia blew a raspberry and shakily walked over to the fireplace.
"My hands are cold, I wanna sit near the fireplace." Olivia replied, dropping to her knees in front of it. She stared at it, looking between the wood sat to the side, and the flint and steel. She shivered, sighing heavily. She stood up and then plopped down in the chair in front of the fireplace. She wouldn't be able to leave this godforsaken room until she got better, and she'd have absolutely nothing to do! No reading...no writing..It was going to be a nightmare. The knight walked around her chair, and kneeled down on knee. He grabbed some wood and kindle, tossing it into the fireplace, and then reached for the flint and steel. They remained silent while he attempted to light the fire.
"I noticed....some papers in your desk." He said. Olivia's gulped.
"You were going through my things?" She questioned. He didn't look at her, and when the fire finally lit, he tossed in some more kindling.
"I was trying to see if you had any medicine to help." He took in a breathe, "I wasn't sure if this was a normal thing or not." There was another pause of silence, and Olivia reached up to play with the ends of her hair. "It would be dangerous for you if the wrong people knew that you could read and write." He hadn't looked at her, and Olivia hadn't looked at him. A tension had settled between them, one that was actively pulling the breath from Olivia's lungs and quickening the pace of her heart.
"Are you threatening me?" She asked. He turned around, and pulled her out of the chair by her arm. Olivia flinched, trying to pull away from him. He dragged her to the edge of the fireplace.
"Here, warm your hands up." He said, and when she didn't move, "I'm not going to hurt you." Olivia held her hands out to the fire, glancing around for something to hit him with if he decided to try anything aggressive. "It was a warning, not a threat. The men here might treat wizards kindly, but witches are a different story." Olivia scoffed.
"I'm not a witch."
"Last time I checked, normal girls don't wake up freezing cold, like they've been standing outside in the dead of winter in nothing but their undergarments." He remarked, letting out a scoff of his own in return. She bit the inside of her cheek. "I won't tell anyone." Olivia laughed.
"I can't just take your word on that." She said.
"Fair enough." He said. They were quiet, and Olivia was thinking up all of the ways she would be crucified for knowing how to do something so simple. The knight cut through her thoughts. "How about I give you a secret of mine?"
"What?"
"So we both know something about each other that could cost us our lives." Olivia thought for a moment, and nodded in agreement.
"Okay." She said.
"The king used to have a concubine a few years ago, she was his favorite. In his room every night. One day, I discovered she was keeping a secret of the king's, one that could potentially destroy his image. I killed her." Olivia gasped, glancing over at him and then back into the fire.
"Why would this cost you your life? Wasn't it any act of loyalty?" Olivia asked. He laughed.
"To you and I, sure." He explained, "To the king, I undermined his authority. I went behind his back. As well as that, I killed his favorite whore."
"Oh."
"Yes, now you know my secret." Olivia hummed, and said nothing else.
Rule four: Use your leverage if the knight reveals your secret.
After a few minutes, Olivia was tired of standing by the fire, and retreated back into her bed to allow her legs to rest. She laid back against the pillows and shut her eyes. She wasn't tired, but with nothing else to do she was left with forcing herself to sleep.
"I can bring you books from the library...if you want." The knight said, "Though, you'll need a better hiding spot than your desk." Olivia didn't open her eyes, pulling her lip between her teeth and chewing it. She could trust him..for now at least.
"I'd appreciate it.." Olivia said, "And some parchment...if you don't mind..?" He hummed.
"Deal." And Olivia smiled.