It started to rain after the first week of their journey. Then the drizzle quickly became a downpour with no end in sight.
"We should probably find shelter until the rain stops," Mithra suggested. "It will be no good to keep on going."
Sunniva agreed, shivering like a wet cat.
Ten tsked at her and leaned down to whisper, "I told you to go buy more clothes. I think we should stop at the nearest village next."
Veroth shouted out from up ahead. "Here! Guys, there's a cave here!"
"Well, look how lucky we are," Sunniva said with a smirk.
Mithra got to work building a fire. It was no small feat given how hard it was to find dry firewood in the middle of a rainstorm, but he managed to find sticks buried under leaves that were only semi-wet.
All four of them huddled around the flame. Sunniva's body slowly grew tired. She let out a big yawn and crawled to a corner of a cave and curled up to sleep.
Ten followed her with his eyes until he saw her breathing soften as she fell into deep slumber.
After some time, he went to sit near her with his back against the cool stone. He liked to keep an eye on her at night, afraid that she would suddenly disappear.
He didn't know when he had drifted off, but remembered his eyelids starting to feel heavy and then succumbing to his exhaustion. He only awoke when he heard chattering teeth and labored breathing.
Ten immediately went towards Sunniva. She was still curled up as she had been earlier, but beads of sweat were rolling down her face. He put the back of his hand on her forehead, she felt like burning coals.
"Sunniva," Ten gently shook her. "Wake up."
"Mmmm?" she mumbled. "What?"
"You've got a fever."
"I-I'm fine."
"No, no you're no," Ten hissed, pulling her body into his arms. "We've got to get you to a doctor."
In one swift move, he lifted her up with him as he rose.
Mithra and Veroth were awake now too. "What's wrong?" they asked.
Mithra took one look at Sunniva in Ten's arms and lunged towards her. "She's feverish," Ten explained. "I need to bring down into the village."
"There should be one a few miles ahead, if I am remembering correctly," Mithra said. "I will go with her."
"No—just us two. I will take her."
"Absolutely not!" Mithra argued, "She's my—" He stopped mid-sentence after he noticed Veroth staring at him bizarrely. Ten glared down at him daring him to finish the sentence.
Mithra backed off, realizing he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He decided he shouldn't raise any more suspicion. Sunniva would be upset if he let anything slip. He submitted.
"Veroth, stick with Mithra. And watch him closely." Ten ordered.
&
Sunniva shifted onto her side, snuggling the warm blanket that enveloped her. She could stay like this forever, in this comfy bed surrounded by soft pillows…
Sunniva jerked awake.
She rubbed her bleary eyes and took in her surroundings. She seemed to be in a bedroom of a cabin of some sort. A small brazier was burning a few feet away. Where am I? She looked around some more in confusion.
She just about jumped out of the bed when the door in front facing her opened.
"Oh dear!" a plump woman in who was wearing a white apron over her dress exclaimed. "You're awake! How are you feeling? Your husband brought you here last night looking for a doctor. I'm no doctor, of course, but he looked like he had been carrying you for miles. He had mud caked up to his knees!"
She rushed forward to put her hand on Sunniva's forehead. "It seems your fever is gone. You slept all through the day. It's almost time for dinner already!"
"Husband?" Sunniva croaked.
"Oh my, he was by your side the entire time. He was up until morning and stayed awake all day. I finally convinced him to go to take a shower—"
Sunniva suddenly looked down at her own clothes in horror. She was wearing a linen shirt too big for her and loose-fitting cotton pants. Who had changed her? She swallowed nervously. Hopefully, it hadn't been her husband, who she still had no idea was.
"I was the one who changed you into something dry. You're wearing some my son's old clothes. Do they fit okay?"
Sunniva nodded, "Thank you, but my…husband…"
"I'm sure he will be back in no time," the woman assured her. "Now, I've got to check in on my stew. I'll bring you back something to eat in a minute. Lay back down, dear."
Sunniva's stomach growled at the thought of food. She was too weak to think about anything else. The plump woman closed the bedroom door and left Sunniva alone again.
She closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she heard the door creak open again.
Sunniva propped herself up on her elbows, "Thank y—"
Her jaw went slack. Instead of the well-meaning, but rather talkative woman, she was met with…a naked man. Well, he was wearing a towel around his waist, but he was…naked. And beautiful.
Sunniva could peel her eyes away from the droplets of water rolling off a hard set of abs. Even his shoulder muscles were mesmerizing to watch as he used another towel to dry his hair.
She did notice several raised scars that looked like long slashes. There was one that trailed along the side of his abs, and down the V-line into his—
"Are you going to keep gawking at me like you're about to eat me?" Ten asked.
He turned around to grab a set of clean clothes sitting on the chair in the corner of the room.
Sunniva barely registered his words because somehow the rippling muscles on his back were even more beautiful than the front view.
"Y-yeah.—wait what!"
In the moment it took for Sunniva to blink back into reality, Ten had already gotten dressed. It only took him a few strides across the room to reach her. He stood over her as she looked up at him.
He smirked and put both hands on the bed so that when he leaned even closer, they were face to face.
He smelled like citrus soap and rain.
"I wouldn't be opposed," he murmured. His eyes were full of mischief. "My darling, wife."