Too Many Beds

The knot in Emerald’s stomach tightened as the inn came into view, an oasis in the otherwise dreary lands they’d been trudging through for days. It wasn’t the inn itself that made her uneasy, with its crooked shape, misshapen windows and thatched roof that leant too far to the left. That was charming in its own way.

No, the turmoil had everything to do with the strapping warrior by her side, and the knowledge that tonight was the night she would confess her feelings.

When they’d first met, Arwick had been haughty, arrogant, and downright unpleasant, even if he was easy on the eye. She wasn’t his usual type of companion; she knew that, but when a dragon was on the rampage, help was needed from the most unlikely of places. As one of the few gifted with the ability to craft elixirs of dragonbreath resistance, he’d begrudgingly requested her expertise. She’d put aside her dislike of him, instead focusing on the people she could save. With Emerald’s help, the three warriors tasked with hunting down the beast terrorising the villagers of Marnoth were afforded some protection. Being burned by the dragon would still hurt like hell, but it wouldn’t be fatal, an advantage they would need to take it down for good.

While Arwick's attitude had irked her, she'd plastered on a smile and carried out her duties without complaint, brewing more of the elixir in increasingly challenging conditions. She wasn't so easily blinded by a handsome face, even when it was accompanied by floppy hair she longed to run her hands through and toned arms that could lift her without breaking a sweat. No, she wasn't affected even when he'd decided that wearing a shirt was optional in camp after a long day of travel. Not at all.

Yet something had changed along the way.

Arwick had changed.

It had all started one day, when she’d substituted one of the elixir ingredients for a similar herb she’d found growing in the mountains. It had been a resounding success, boosting the effectiveness of her elixir greatly.

“Nicely done,” Arwick had said, Emerald’s mouth hanging open in surprise. She nearly asked if he was feeling alright until she’d thought better of it.

Then, after an insightful conversation with the Grand Artificer of Rieldra, she’d invented an oil to coat their weapons that absorbed the dragonbreath and imbued its power into the metal. With that, Arwick had finally wounded the dragon, looking at his new weapon in wonder, then back at her. It was like he’d noticed Emerald for the first time. Though he was sorely mistaken if he thought she would forgive his earlier rudeness so easily.

He’d attempted to sit next to her at the campfire that evening, striking up a conversation about the properties of steel and how her oils could affect it. Emerald had simply stood up and moved to the other side of their camp. He’d tried making small talk with her whilst they tracked the dragon the next day. She’d changed the subject to complex alchemy, knowing he wouldn’t be able to keep up. Eventually Arwick had got the message, but she could still feel his gaze on her sometimes, when he thought she wasn’t looking.

The day the dragon found them, she was grateful for his attention. They’d fallen into a familiar pattern; track the dragon, catch it unaware, land a few blows to weaken it, then retreat until it was safe to track again. This time, the dragon had caught on, circling back and ambushing them from behind before they knew what was happening. If it wasn’t for Arwick throwing himself in front of her, sheltering them from the red-hot flames with his shield, she would’ve caught the brunt of the attack. Instead, she lay shaking on the floor while Arwick drew the dragon away from her, fending it off alone. He'd protected her despite the risk to himself. He'd saved her from a dragon and continued to put his life on the line to give her chance to recover. She'd fallen for him in that moment, and fallen hard.

Their companions hadn’t reacted quickly enough, writhing on the floor in agony, but luckily alive. Still, there would be a long road to recovery ahead for them. In a last-ditch attempt to fight off the dragon, Arwick had thrown his sword like it was a spear, embedding it in the dragon’s side. It had flown off with an almighty roar, leaving them to assess the damage.

It had been a close call. Blood splattered the ground, so dark it was almost black. Arwick had gravely injured the dragon and left his enchanted sword protruding from its body, sapping its strength. With the rest of their party left resting in a nearby village, unable to travel further, it was left to Emerald and Arwick to finish the job.

It was the worst form of torture, to be so near to him when he had no idea about how she felt. She became conscious of her every word, every gesture, paranoid that he could see right through her. With the end of their quest in sight, Emerald knew she had to confess her feelings to Arwick tonight. Before it was too late.

At their last visit to this inn, there had been no choice but for the four of them to cram into one room together, with no other rooms left to rent. It had the furthest thing from romantic, all of them battling over the limited space. In the end Emerald and Nettie had shared the blanket-less bed, while the men huddled under the blankets on the floor. But now, with just the two of them remaining on their quest, sharing a room felt different, more intimate. Perhaps they'd even agree to share a bed. The thought made her heart race. It was now or never.

The innkeeper’s eyes lit up as they entered the inn, the common room strangely quiet. It was just as crooked as the exterior, a jumble of dated furniture somehow meshing together.

“We’d like a room please,” Emerald said, avoiding eye contact with Arwick in case he could sense her awkwardness.

“I can do you better than that. I’ll give you the entire top floor for the cost of one room. You can have a room each, and a spare for your belongings. It’s the least I can do for our valued dragon hunters.”

“What? No!” Emerald thought. That hadn’t been the plan. The innkeeper mistook Emerald’s shocked expression for confusion at the offer.

“Business has dried up since the dragon burned down a neighbouring village. Aside from you, people are only journeying if it’s unavoidable, and even then, stopping at an inn prolongs the risk. At least you’ll get some use out of the rooms. Spread out a bit, have some comfort. I’m sure that’s been in short supply.”

Emerald froze, unsure of what to say. She could hardly decline the kind offer. Who ever complained about too many beds?

Arwick studied her with a puzzled expression, before paying the innkeeper a silver coin. “Thank you. Rest is sorely needed.”

“My pleasure. I hope I can count on you to spread the word of our generosity? A hero’s endorsement does wonders for business.”

“Of course,” Arwick responded smoothly. “We’ll come down for some dinner once we’re settled in. Right, Emerald?”

“Yes, right,” she murmured, still consumed by thoughts of her plan unravelling. This couldn’t be it. But her plan hinged on having a push from being stuck together in close proximity. Without it, she wasn’t sure she’d find the courage to tell him how she really felt. She would be left to her own devices.

Emerald remained distracted, following Arwick up the creaking staircase to the top floor of the inn. Her plan had been simple in theory. Use sharing a room with Arwick to determine if her feelings for him were unrequited. But with the abundance of space they’d been offered, that was no longer a possibility.

Could she sabotage her own room somehow? Even if she pulled that off, there was still the spare room to move into. Perhaps she could return downstairs and ask the innkeeper to revoke the offer? She doubted the woman would agree, not when she was relying on Arwick’s endorsement. No, she was definitely stuck with too many beds.

She would just have to summon the courage to declare her feelings at the right moment. But when that would be, she didn’t know.

“Which room would you like?” Arwick’s voice snapped her out of her scheming. All three rooms were of equal size and identically decorated, nothing differentiating them except for the view out of the window.

“I don’t mind,” Emerald said.

Arwick gestured to the room that overlooked the fields they had walked through earlier. “I’ll take this one then. It will give me the best vantage point, should the dragon return while we’re here.”

“Great, I’ll take this one.” Emerald simply chose the room next door to his. An awkward pause lingered between them, both unsure of what else to say.

Arwick cleared his throat. “Shall we meet downstairs in an hour?”

“Yes, sure.” Emerald squeaked, slamming the door in her rush to get inside her room. She leant against the door, hand clamped over her mouth. What was that? They had been there all of five minutes and she was already making a fool of herself. She groaned, sinking to the floor. If that had been anything to go by, her new plan was doomed.

Thankfully, dinner passed without further embarrassment. She was relieved when they easily fell back into talk of the dragon and what they were likely to find next time they tracked it down. It was a different dynamic than she was used to, without the two others there as a buffer between them. But Arwick seemed genuinely interested in her opinion, peppering her with questions about what effect the oil-coated sword could been having on the injured dragon.

Some of the tension eased from her shoulders, but her relief was tinged with disappointment. This wasn’t how she’d wanted this to play out. Arwick was acting as if this was a professional arrangement, nothing more. Pushing for anything more than that would be inappropriate.

It was time to let go of her dwindling hope. She should focus on dealing with the dragon, and then return to her life back at the apothecary, leaving her fantasies of running away with the warrior as just that. A fantasy.

“I should go to bed,” Emerald said, conscious of the monumental task ahead of them.

“Yes, that’s a good plan.”

“Goodnight,” she said, getting to her feet at the same time as he did. To spare them both an awkward moment like the one they’d shared earlier, she rushed upstairs ahead of Arwick, just catching his words on the way.

“Goodnight Emerald.”

***

The bed was comfortable and the inn pleasantly warm, but Emerald could not sleep a wink. She tossed and turned, unable to settle, kicking the blankets off her legs with an exasperated groan. It was as if the knowledge of how important sleep was that evening made it more reclusive than ever.

When she could bear it no longer, she stood, lighting a candle. The room felt too big, too quiet when she had been used to sharing a camp with three noisy companions. She was lonely, she realised with a pang. It was an unfamiliar feeling. In the cramped living quarters above the apothecary, she’d slept next to her sister, as she had done for most of her life. And on their adventure, for safety, they’d always laid their bedrolls close to each other, Emerald wedged between Nettie and Drox. Now she was alone, the solitude making sleep impossible. She wondered if Arwick was as affected by the quiet, or if he’d drifted off immediately. Would it be terrible of her to check on him?

She walked to the door, thought better of it and returned to her bed, got back up and twisted the door handle, changed her mind again and closed the door. Back and forth she moved, agonising over whether to disturb him, when there was a knock at the door.

“Hello?” she said, opening the door wide enough to fit her head through the gap.

Arwick stood in the hallway, clothed only in the loose trousers he slept in. Emerald blushed, diverting her gaze away from his tanned, battle-hardened chest, covered in tiny white scars. She cursed him and his aversion to shirts.

“Can’t sleep either?” she asked.

“I don’t think anyone would be able to sleep with the racket you’re making. What’s going on?”

Her blush deepened, her face likely turning as red as the dragon’s scales had been. “Sorry, I’m wide awake. I’m not used to the quiet.”

“I suppose that’s understandable with everything’s that happened. Can I come in? Doesn’t seem like either of us will get any rest until you’re settled.”

That hadn’t been what she expected. With a nod, she opened the door fully, letting him inside. Arwick’s eyes widened at the sight of her nightgown. There hadn’t been the opportunity to wear it until now. It was too impractical for the camp, providing little protection from the elements, but the cosy warmth of the inn provided the perfect occasion for her to finally wear it. The nightgown was far from immodest, but from the way Arwick was looking at her, it was downright obscene. He quickly schooled his features, leaving her wondering if she’d imagined it. He loitered awkwardly, caught between standing next to her or taking a seat on the bed.

“Sit down, please,” she said, immediately regretting it. He took up most of the space, and when she sat next to him, she became all too aware of how close he was, feeling the heat radiating off him. It was difficult to breathe.

“So when were you going to tell me?” Arwick’s voice was like silk in her ear, his breath ghosting on her neck. Goosebumps prickled down her arms. She couldn’t look at him, not when he was this close to her.

“Tell you what?” Emerald replied in confusion. She didn’t hold any secrets from him, had never needed to.

“That you like me.”

Emerald’s heart nearly gave out. Dread seeped through her, leaving her rooted to the spot. When the silence became too much to bear, she dared to look at him.

Arwick was breath-taking. His mouth was curved up in an amused smile, drinking in the sight of her flustered and speechless.

“Ever since we left the others behind, you’ve been acting strange. At first, I thought I intimidated you. I know I can be difficult sometimes. But then, I realised it was more than that. Your reaction when we arrived here confirmed it. You have feelings for me.”

“I-” Emerald stammered. Should she deny it? The words caught in her throat. Arwick took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers.

“I was waiting for you to say something at dinner, but it never came. So I focused on the dragon instead. Then you just ran away afterwards. I thought that would be the end of it until I heard you pacing tonight. So tell me Emerald, do you like me?”

Under the weight of his gaze, and his hand squeezing hers, she found the resolve to admit the truth.

“Yes, I like you. I’ve liked you for a while.” That was it. She'd admitted it out loud. There was no going back.

“Good,” Arwick replied, using his free hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Because I promised myself I wouldn’t kiss you until I heard those words. And it’s been rather difficult to hold myself back since you opened that door.”

“Oh,” was all Emerald managed to say before Arwick was kissing her. He kissed as strategically as he fought, noting the things that made her knees weak and using them to his advantage, his raw passion stealing her breath. She met him eagerly at every step, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to steady herself. When they finally broke the kiss, Arwick looked as dazed as she felt.

“So which bed will it be? We have three to choose from after all.”

“How about all three?” Emerald suggested, squealing as Arwick swept her off her feet.

***

They checked out of the inn the next morning with sheepish faces. Arwick assured the innkeeper that he would recommend the inn to any travellers they came across, and that they'd thoroughly enjoyed their stay. Emerald could only blush.

"So what's next after we slay the dragon?" Arwick asked. He'd insisted on holding her hand since they'd left the inn, to Emerald's amusement.

"I guess I'll return to my shop." It was difficult to keep the disappointment from her voice. Arwick noticed, squeezing her hand.

"What if you didn't?"

"What do you mean?"

"We make a fine team, don't we? The four of us? What if we worked together on a more permanent basis?" The thought had crossed her mind, but it was a big leap to make. Yet her sister was more than capable of running the apothecary alone, and she'd felt truly alive the past few weeks. And she could be together with Arwick.

"What would I do? I doubt we'll always be hunting dragons."

"Well, first we'll collect our reward for this one. Then we'll travel across the Cerulean Sea and I'll show you cities that never sleep, where you can dance all night before watching the sun rise above crystal waters. Where the food is so rich it will ruin all other food for you, and the wine so pure you can drink it all night without getting a sore head the next morning. And we'll stay in places with feather beds, where I'll worship you, just as you deserve."

Emerald ignored the desire that sparked from that particular idea. "And after that?"

It was a nice dream, but even with the handsome reward the dragon bounty would bring, it wouldn't last forever.

"And then we'll find the next job. Don't think I haven't noticed how resourceful you are. You would be an asset to us, no matter what the next job entails. I have no doubt that you'll save our asses on many occasions."

It was like he saw right through her, at the lingering doubt that she would be a burden for the band of warriors. But he was right, she could think on her feet. Her work with the artificer was evidence of that. With no more objections, her mind was made up.

"Then what are we waiting for?"