Part 7- He Loves You!
Sister Sage returned not long after dawn the next morning. She tried to talk Matthias into resting for a while, but he would not oblige. It got to the point that Sage had to slip some chamomile into his tea at lunch to calm him down and make him sleep.
Once Matthias had been asleep for a while, the good sister undid the bandages that were wrapped around Cornflower's torso. She checked all of the wounds and applied fresh medicine to them. Then she gave her some medicine for her lingering cold.
Matthias walked in as she was giving her the medicine, looking very drowsy and only half awake. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and went over to the bed. He was immediately curious about Cornflower's condition.
"Has she awakened yet?" he inquired.
"No, but if my calculations are correct, she will within the next hour."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Matthias stuck around in the infirmary, sometimes sitting, sometimes pacing the room, and sometimes staring out the window. It was when he was looking out the window when he heard a small tired voice. He immediately left and sat next to Cornflower's bed.
"Mmmmhhhhhhh........... what happened? Is that you, Matthias?" She tried to sit up to see him better, but gave an anguished cry and fell back.
Matthias watched her try to sit, and was horrified to find tears in his eyes when he saw her in pain.
"Matthias, what happened? Why are you crying?"
He told her what had happened the previous night in a quiet voice with tears still present in his eyes. As he told the story, it all came back to her. The walk, the blanket, the lovebird comment, everything. She stopped him when he got to the point where the rats dropped the plank.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"About an hour 'till dusk," he replied in a quavery voice. It hurt him so much to see Cornflower in this state. He wished he could care for her all the time. He wished she was his to hold and kiss whenever he pleased. "Do you want anything to eat?" he asked, stopping his thoughts from going on any further.
"Some October Ale would be great," she requested faintly.
"I'll be right back with some for you."
"Thanks."
Once he returned with the ale and some food, Cornflower ate her dinner. Sister Sage shooed him away, however, so Cornflower could take a bath and have her bandages redressed. Matthias left, promising to come back later.
Sage helped Cornflower into the wash room and helped her get situated in the tub. She left her with some rose scented soap and clean nightclothes. When she got out, Sage re-did her bandages and helped her into the clothes.
"There you are, miss. Matthias should be back any minute now."
"Thank you. I feel so bad for him. He was crying earlier when he refreshed my memory about what happened."
"He blames himself."
"But why does he blame himself for everything bad that happens to me?" she asked in frustration.
"Cornflower, he loves you. He can't help but feel responsible for you, whether you like it or not."
Cornflower was shocked at her words. The first four in particular. "What? M-m-me?"
"Of course he does. The only question is if the feelings are mutual."
"Of course they are!" she exclaimed in an exasperated voice. "How could they not be?"
"Well go out there and tell him."
"Y-you mean tell him now?"
"Well if not now then sooner or later!"
Cornflower pondered this for a moment and then allowed herself to be led out of the room. As soon as she entered the main room, Matthias ran over to help her.
"Hello! I hope I find you feeling better then before."
"Just a little," she replied. 'Especially after what Sage told me,' she added in her head.
"Are you tired?" he asked, seeing that she was trying to hide a yawn.
"Yes. I'm so sorry, I would love to talk, but I can't keep my eyes open."
"No, it's fine. I'll help you into bed."
"Thank you," she replied graciously.
Matthias helped her in, pulled up her blankets and wished her goodnight. Cornflower tried to sit up to say goodnight, but wrenched her back in the process. She flopped back with a loud groan. Matthias was annoyed with himself for the tears that returned to his eyes. They seemed to come a lot lately, and he was continually getting angrier and angrier at himself. He turned his head away, hoping she hadn't seen, but to no avail.
"Matthias, why are you crying?"
"I should have protected you. I shouldn't have left you. I should have guarded you and taken the injuries myself, rather then have you hurt. You shouldn't have to go through all this pain. If anyone, it should be those rats that did this."
"Matthias, come here," she ordered softly.
He stepped closer to her bed.
"Sit down."
He hesitated, not wanting to disrupt the bed and hurt her. He sat gently after she smoothed out a place for him.
"Now come close so I can tell you something."
Matthias looked at her for a moment, taking in her soft features. He leaned down near her, and thought to himself 'Why does she have to smell so good?? Why why why?'
"It's okay. I will be fine. Stop blaming yourself. If you had stayed to protect me, then there wouldn't have been anybeast to go and see how many there were, or to alert the abbey. I want you to know that I do appreciate that you care so much," she said, wiping his eyes with her paw.
Their eyes locked for a moment. Matthias could feel himself moving in to kiss her, but at the same time he wasn't aware at all. All he could see were her eyes. He kissed her lightly on her forehead, and found her eyes again when he pulled away a few inches.
Cornflower wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back. He kissed her mouth this time, hugging her gingerly as to keep her out of pain. Even if it had hurt, Cornflower wouldn't have noticed it.
Little did they know, but they were being watched. Sage smiled fondly and left them in privacy so she could go and tell the abbot. It would add to their scheme nicely...
It was Cornflower who slowly drew away this time. She smiled at him and gazed into his warm brown eyes.
"I hope I didn't hurt you."
"Not at all."
Silence followed. Both mice were in a different world together. The voice of Sister Sage brought them out of their reverie a few minutes later.
"Matthias, I'm sure you aren't ready to leave, but Father Abbot is looking for you. I think he has information about the horrid rats that caused this mess," she explained, not saying anything at all that would hint that she had seen.
"Okay. I'll be right out," he replied dejectedly.
Sage left again, leaving them to say goodnight.
"Well, um, goodnight. I hope you sleep well," Matthias said reluctantly, not wanting to leave.
"Aye, you too. Sweet dreams," she replied, a wistful expression on her face.
"I'll check on you later."
The words fell on deaf ears. Cornflower was already asleep. Matthias left, his heart filled with emotions for the gorgeous, shy mousemaid he had just left.
Sister Sage returned not long after dawn the next morning. She tried to talk Matthias into resting for a while, but he would not oblige. It got to the point that Sage had to slip some chamomile into his tea at lunch to calm him down and make him sleep.
Once Matthias had been asleep for a while, the good sister undid the bandages that were wrapped around Cornflower's torso. She checked all of the wounds and applied fresh medicine to them. Then she gave her some medicine for her lingering cold.
Matthias walked in as she was giving her the medicine, looking very drowsy and only half awake. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and went over to the bed. He was immediately curious about Cornflower's condition.
"Has she awakened yet?" he inquired.
"No, but if my calculations are correct, she will within the next hour."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Matthias stuck around in the infirmary, sometimes sitting, sometimes pacing the room, and sometimes staring out the window. It was when he was looking out the window when he heard a small tired voice. He immediately left and sat next to Cornflower's bed.
"Mmmmhhhhhhh........... what happened? Is that you, Matthias?" She tried to sit up to see him better, but gave an anguished cry and fell back.
Matthias watched her try to sit, and was horrified to find tears in his eyes when he saw her in pain.
"Matthias, what happened? Why are you crying?"
He told her what had happened the previous night in a quiet voice with tears still present in his eyes. As he told the story, it all came back to her. The walk, the blanket, the lovebird comment, everything. She stopped him when he got to the point where the rats dropped the plank.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"About an hour 'till dusk," he replied in a quavery voice. It hurt him so much to see Cornflower in this state. He wished he could care for her all the time. He wished she was his to hold and kiss whenever he pleased. "Do you want anything to eat?" he asked, stopping his thoughts from going on any further.
"Some October Ale would be great," she requested faintly.
"I'll be right back with some for you."
"Thanks."
Once he returned with the ale and some food, Cornflower ate her dinner. Sister Sage shooed him away, however, so Cornflower could take a bath and have her bandages redressed. Matthias left, promising to come back later.
Sage helped Cornflower into the wash room and helped her get situated in the tub. She left her with some rose scented soap and clean nightclothes. When she got out, Sage re-did her bandages and helped her into the clothes.
"There you are, miss. Matthias should be back any minute now."
"Thank you. I feel so bad for him. He was crying earlier when he refreshed my memory about what happened."
"He blames himself."
"But why does he blame himself for everything bad that happens to me?" she asked in frustration.
"Cornflower, he loves you. He can't help but feel responsible for you, whether you like it or not."
Cornflower was shocked at her words. The first four in particular. "What? M-m-me?"
"Of course he does. The only question is if the feelings are mutual."
"Of course they are!" she exclaimed in an exasperated voice. "How could they not be?"
"Well go out there and tell him."
"Y-you mean tell him now?"
"Well if not now then sooner or later!"
Cornflower pondered this for a moment and then allowed herself to be led out of the room. As soon as she entered the main room, Matthias ran over to help her.
"Hello! I hope I find you feeling better then before."
"Just a little," she replied. 'Especially after what Sage told me,' she added in her head.
"Are you tired?" he asked, seeing that she was trying to hide a yawn.
"Yes. I'm so sorry, I would love to talk, but I can't keep my eyes open."
"No, it's fine. I'll help you into bed."
"Thank you," she replied graciously.
Matthias helped her in, pulled up her blankets and wished her goodnight. Cornflower tried to sit up to say goodnight, but wrenched her back in the process. She flopped back with a loud groan. Matthias was annoyed with himself for the tears that returned to his eyes. They seemed to come a lot lately, and he was continually getting angrier and angrier at himself. He turned his head away, hoping she hadn't seen, but to no avail.
"Matthias, why are you crying?"
"I should have protected you. I shouldn't have left you. I should have guarded you and taken the injuries myself, rather then have you hurt. You shouldn't have to go through all this pain. If anyone, it should be those rats that did this."
"Matthias, come here," she ordered softly.
He stepped closer to her bed.
"Sit down."
He hesitated, not wanting to disrupt the bed and hurt her. He sat gently after she smoothed out a place for him.
"Now come close so I can tell you something."
Matthias looked at her for a moment, taking in her soft features. He leaned down near her, and thought to himself 'Why does she have to smell so good?? Why why why?'
"It's okay. I will be fine. Stop blaming yourself. If you had stayed to protect me, then there wouldn't have been anybeast to go and see how many there were, or to alert the abbey. I want you to know that I do appreciate that you care so much," she said, wiping his eyes with her paw.
Their eyes locked for a moment. Matthias could feel himself moving in to kiss her, but at the same time he wasn't aware at all. All he could see were her eyes. He kissed her lightly on her forehead, and found her eyes again when he pulled away a few inches.
Cornflower wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back. He kissed her mouth this time, hugging her gingerly as to keep her out of pain. Even if it had hurt, Cornflower wouldn't have noticed it.
Little did they know, but they were being watched. Sage smiled fondly and left them in privacy so she could go and tell the abbot. It would add to their scheme nicely...
It was Cornflower who slowly drew away this time. She smiled at him and gazed into his warm brown eyes.
"I hope I didn't hurt you."
"Not at all."
Silence followed. Both mice were in a different world together. The voice of Sister Sage brought them out of their reverie a few minutes later.
"Matthias, I'm sure you aren't ready to leave, but Father Abbot is looking for you. I think he has information about the horrid rats that caused this mess," she explained, not saying anything at all that would hint that she had seen.
"Okay. I'll be right out," he replied dejectedly.
Sage left again, leaving them to say goodnight.
"Well, um, goodnight. I hope you sleep well," Matthias said reluctantly, not wanting to leave.
"Aye, you too. Sweet dreams," she replied, a wistful expression on her face.
"I'll check on you later."
The words fell on deaf ears. Cornflower was already asleep. Matthias left, his heart filled with emotions for the gorgeous, shy mousemaid he had just left.