One Night with the Emperor

Chapter Twelve – Sleeping Spell

We arrived back at Cloud Ruler Temple as the sun reached the highest point in the sky. The day was only half over and I wanted to sleep for a week. Sadly, I wouldn't be able to. Now that we had all four items, somebody needed to go to Camoran's Paradise and get the Amulet back. That somebody would probably be me.

We slid off of our horses. A handful of Blades gathered them all up to go and take care of them. Most of the Blades returned to their posts. The last handful followed us inside.

As soon as the doors closed behind us, Martin turned to face the group. "The time to strike is now, before the enemy can recover." He turned to me and took my hands in his. "I hate to–"

I pulled one hand from his and pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't even. You're not asking. I'm just doing. Camoran is persuasive and powerful. I don't want anybody else to have to face him."

Martin shook his head. "That's just it. I don't want you facing him either."

"But we don't have a choice."

"I know." We sighed in unison. He smiled slightly. "On the bright side, it's going to take me a while to get out of this armor and set up the ritual. And if I know you, you want a bath and a nap."

I smiled. "Of course I do. And you know what?"

"What?"

"After this is all over, I may have to go out and stir up some trouble to get you back into that armor."

One of his eyebrows rose. "Oh? I would think you would want me out of the armor."

"There is method to my madness. I get you into the armor, go out and have an adrenaline rush, then come home and get you out of the armor. Or we can even skip the coming home part."

"Okay, that's enough you two." Jauffre motioned with his hands.

Caroline and the other female Blade grabbed me. They hauled me away. Toward the hall leading to the bathing chambers.

"H-hey!" I protested. "I can walk just fine by myself, thank you!"

Martin watched with an amused smile on his face.

My bath wasn't relaxing at all. After they wrestled me out of my armor, the other Blade woman left to get it cleaned and repaired. But Caroline stayed.

Having her help me out of my armor was one thing. Having her undress me, shove me into the stone basin, and start scrubbing was a completely different thing. If it were Martin, it might be fun. But she isn't Martin. She's Caroline. Which made this entire thing really freaking weird.

"Get out!" I told her, exasperated. "I can clean myself!"

Caroline snorted. "Oh, hush. You'll be Martin's Empress soon. They won't let you do anything without help."

"Well, that'll – hey! – be the first thing I change!"

Bathed, dried, and in clean clothes, Caroline pulled me back out to the main hall. There she left me, going back to her duties or whatever. Martin stood, eyes closed and arms straight out, near his tables. As I approached, Jauffre and Baurus lifted the last piece of cuirass over his head, leaving him in his under armor clothes.

"All set, Martin." Jauffre told him. "We'll take care of the armor. You worry about the ritual."

Martin opened his eyes. I smiled at him. He smiled back.

"Well, that was a short bath."

I grimaced. "And an experience I never want to have again. Unless it's with you, of course."

Martin laughed. He wrapped his arms around me. Kissed my temple. I wrapped my arms around his middle and rested my chin on his shoulder. One of his hands stroked my hair.

"I'll see if I can't arrange that once this is all over." He whispered into my ear.

I sighed. "Speaking of which, how long do I have to sleep?"

"A couple of hours." His sigh matched mine as he released me. "So you should probably take advantage of it."

"I was wondering if you could cast a sleeping spell on me? Just enough to help me fall asleep."

"Sleeping under a sleeping spell isn't as healthy as normal sleep."

"But I know you're binding yourself to that evil book. Even if it's only temporarily, I don't like it. I won't be able to sleep."

He smiled sadly and slid a hand into mine. "Alright. I understand. I need sleep and I'm not going to be able to while you're in Paradise."

We walked through the doors that led to the sleeping wing. I tried to turn left to go down the stairs that led to the Blade's sleeping chambers. Martin's grip on my hand tightened and he pulled me straight ahead to the stairs that led up to his chamber.

"But that's your room?" I asked, startled.

"No." He pulled me up the stairs. "After I'm Emperor, I will court you as the high-ranking populace expect. But right here, right now, everything that was mine is now ours."

I groaned. "As the high-ranking populace expects? I think I prefer it our way. They don't like my sense of humor."

"I prefer it our way too, hence why it's our way. If I had my way, I would drag you down to Bruma's chapel and marry you now, but I can't have it my way." Martin opened the door and pulled me inside. "I'll have to see what I can do so we can continue our way out of the public's eye. But–"

"I know, I know." I released his hand and flopped onto the bed. "Public behavior. But just for the record, you wouldn't be the one dragging me to a chapel. You would ask and then I would drag." I sighed. "I need to work on my dancing skills. And don't you dare go overboard on the lavish gifts."

He smiled at me as I burrowed under the covers. "Hey, you're ahead of me there. I don't know how to dance at all. But aren't you the Master of Battlehorn Castle? Haven't you been to any high-society parties?"

"Actually, it's more of a fort. The only 'residents' I have are my guards, servants, and their families. But yes, I have been to a few parties. Got invited to more, but turned most of them down. That's how I know how to dance at all. And how I know they don't like my sense of humor."

Martin sat on the bed next to me. "Did you ever throw any parties?"

"Nope. Battlehorn Castle is small. No real ballroom."

"Well, maybe we can take dancing lessons together as I shower you with lavish gifts." He leaned over and kissed my forehead. Sleep magic trickled into me from his lips. "I'll have somebody wake you when I'm ready."

I fought through the descending sleep. "Wh-why not you?"

He smiled and stroked my hair. "Because I'll be the one holding the ritual in place."

Sleep claimed me.