Careful not to drop anything, she walked back up to Nostradamus's chambers. Thankfully, the door was ajar, so she gently pushed it with her hip.
"I'm back," she sing-songed. "How has our patient been doing?" she directed the question at Nostradamus.
"He got plenty of rest. Some food and fluids ought to do him some good."
"And?" Bash looked up at him.
"And he has been nothing but polite since you've left, a vast improvement on his previous attitudes."
"Hey!" Bash shouted defensively.
"That's all I needed to hear. Thank you, Nostradamus."
"So, as you heard, I behaved myself like a good little patient. I've earned my treat and your company."
She giggled. "A treat was what was promised, but I suppose I could stay," she said in a flirtatious tone as she sat beside him. She scooped out a bit of the butter onto the bread and offered it to him only for him to open his mouth.
"What, you can't feed yourself?" she smirked.
"I'm injured," he jestfully whined, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Oh, alright." She brought it to his mouth. He moaned after taking a bite.
"What is that?" he asked around the mouthful he was chewing.
"Lavender bread with honey butter."
He swallowed before continuing. "This was your idea?"
She nodded. "The idea was sparked by another project I came up with for Leith, but he's going to pitch it to the head chef tomorrow. I thought it would be especially appropriate to work it in for any foreign dignitaries that visit. France is known for the lush lavender fields, so I thought it was a good idea."
"That's smart, actually. For someone who wants nothing to do with the French court, you've come up with a pretty good idea for international relations."
All because I wanted to help my brother with a girl. She thought to herself with a chuckle.
"Thank you. It was more of a happy accident. The lavender should help you sleep and honey is good for fighting off infections," she elaborated, handing him one of the jugs of water to wash it down.
"Help with international relations and medicinal," Nostradamus remarked. "I'm impressed."
"Thank you. Would you like to try some?"
"Please." He came over, grabbed a slice, and carefully scooped some of the butter onto it. "Mm," he nodded as he chewed.
"Do you mind if I take some of the spare lavender to the kitchens tomorrow? I think Leith would prefer to give the chef a taste test when he makes his proposal to the chef."
Nostradamus waved toward the supplies as he swallowed. "Take as much as you need. I can always send you out for more."
"Thank you!"
"More please?" Bash asked, eying the plate.
The next morning, Mona brought more lavender to the kitchens before checking on Bash. The lavender certainly did its work as he was still passed out well into the afternoon. A servant came in to remove the dishes as she and Nostradamus went about making the next round of tinctures.
The following two days, she walked the halls with Bash, holding his arm to ensure he wouldn't fall. He didn't stumble even in the slightest but was happy to have her on his arm nonetheless. On the final walk back, she released her hold.
"Hey, what if I fall?" he objected.
"If you want to see something other than the walls of Nostradamus's chambers, you'll need to show him you can walk on your own. There will be plenty more time to have me on your arm tonight."
"Oh, alright. If I must wait, I will wait," he took her hand in his, kissing the back of it, before confidently striding the rest of the way back at her side. As he strode in the door, Nostradamus looked up at them.
"I see he's up and moving by himself now."
"So? Am I cleared to leave?" he asked eagerly.
"Yes, but-"
"Yes, if I have any issues, I shall inform you posthaste," he answered, annoyance seeping into his voice. "Your assistant will be with me all evening. You could not ask for a better escort to ensure my health," he reassured him.
Mona exchanged a glance with her teacher and rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he's fine, but I'd like your unbiased opinion."
"A great physician knows when they're too close to the patient to see clearly," he agreed. "Seeing as you walked back without assistance, I release you from my care."
"Thank you, and thank you for your care despite my less than stellar disposition as a patient," he said in way of an apology.
"Let us hope you're never in need of my services again for both our sakes, yes?"
"On that, we are agreed. Now, I have some preparations to see to. Mona," he turned to her, caressing her cheek, "I shall see you tonight."
She nuzzled into his hand, looking up at him. "Tonight," she agreed.
After thoroughly cleaning the instruments and workstation, Nostradamus allowed her to leave early. She bathed again, this time sprinkling lavender into the bath. She took extra time to soak, letting the smell of it seep into every pore. She quickly dried and dressed, then carefully did her hair, adding extra braids to the crown in a slightly more intricate style. Lastly, she applied the lipstick, rubbing her lips together to ensure it covered thoroughly. Finally, she made her way down to the main hall.
This time, she got there first as she was a bit early. She looked towards the stairs, waiting for Bash to descend when she heard a whistle from behind her. She whipped around to find him standing there, this time in an outfit that complimented her own. He wore the same black leather vest as last time with matching britches, but the shirt beneath was a shade of red almost identical to her dress. She grinned, noticing the color scheme.
"We match," she observed gleefully. "Oh, I love it," she exclaimed, holding her hand over her heart.
"I haven't been able to get the visage of you in that dress out of my head," he confessed, his gaze wandering to her chest, then down to her hips.
She let out a shy giggle, her eyes dropping to the floor sheepishly. "R-really? I don't think I'm much to look at…"
"None of that now," he scolded with a gentle tone. "Come. If my words fall on deaf ears, perhaps the evening I've planned for us will convince you," he offered his arm, which she happily accepted.
He led her outside, down towards where the boating party was held. From a distance, she could see a swarm of what she guessed were fireflies. As they approached the water, she realized that there were hundreds, if not thousands, of paper lanterns glowing as they bobbed along the waves. They weaved around a singular boat that was docked in front of them.
"Bash," she gasped, "it's beautiful."
"I know it's not fireworks, but it was the best I could pull together."
"The fireworks were pretty," she admitted, bringing her gaze up to meet his, "but empty without someone to share them with."
"Are you two ready, my lord?" came a familiar voice, clearing his throat.
"Yes, thank you, Leith."
Her eyes went wide. "Do you realize what you've done?" she hissed.
"Asked your brother for advice on planning the perfect evening and be your escort so I can properly court you," he answered with a smirk.
She stammered, but in the end, was speechless.
"When I told you my intentions with you, I meant them," he continued. "If this was for a girl that I wanted to have my way with and move onto the next, I assure you, I would not go to such lengths. Shall we?" he offered her his hand. Without further argument, he assisted her with boarding the vessel. Leith got settled near the front. The curtains of the canopy were closed to give them privacy, but she knew her brother would still be within earshot on the other side. Bash took his seat beside her and began pouring them each a glass of wine.
"We're ready when you are," he announced to Leith, who pulled out of the docks with ease.
Mona awkwardly sipped at her glass in silence, staring out at all the lanterns aglow on the water.
"Are you alright," he asked, his brow furrowing with concern.
"It's just… um…" she chuckled nervously. "The courting process for peasants and royals is a bit… different."
"How so?" he asked, curious.
"Peasant courting is more like… 'I'll buy your daughter's hand in marriage for three goats and a couple of sheep.', not fancy outings and certainly not a family escort. I'm not complaining, just a bit… overwhelmed and confused, that's all."
"Ah," he said with understanding. "In royal courting, this is essentially the stage before engagement where a couple who know nothing of each other but titles get to understand a little of who they're about to marry is as a person," he explained, shuddering at the thought of being forced into a marriage with a stranger. "Typically, it is a series of outings, much like this, with a family member or trusted family friend to escort the young maiden to ensure nothing untoward happens."
"So," she snickered, "Leith is here to ensure you don't get fresh with me."
"Correct. When the time comes to go to my father to ask permission, I'll inform him that the courting process has already taken place."
"Won't he be mad that you courted me without his permission?," she asked worriedly.
"Yes, but less so than if I followed through the entire process without doing so."
She nodded in understanding, her eyes wide as she downed her glass to calm her nerves. After she put it down, he took her face in his hand, directing her gaze back to his own.
"I'm sure that this is incredibly stressful on your part, but I'm asking you to set aside your worries for an evening to let yourself have fun. Can you do that for me?"
The lantern light danced across his features in the darkness, his eyes like calming ocean waves.
"I… yes, I can do that."
"Good."
She smiled warmly, remembering their time in the forest. "Good."
After they'd found a sufficient spot on the water, Leith stopped rowing. Bash gathered a bit of everything onto a plate and, parting the curtains, brought it to Leith.
"Wha- sir, you don't have to-"
"Please, I insist. I'm not about to keep someone awake late into the evening like this without at the very least feeding them, least of all the man I hope to someday call brother," he smiled warmly and held the plate out for him.
Leith took the plate. "Thank you, sir."
Bash chuckled. "For Heaven's sake, please drop the sirs."
"Then… thank you, Bash."
He nodded, then closed the curtains.
"It's going to take a while to adjust, isn't it?"
"A bit, yeah," she admitted. "Please don't take this as me rushing you by any means, but until we've reached the next 'stage', as you put it, we're still going to have to call you sir in public."
"I don't take it like that at all, but yes, I understand what you mean," he sighed. "I suppose, as the king's bastard, I still have some of the positives and negatives of being a royal."
She nodded in agreement. "Other than our outings, I'll have to call you 'sir' in public as well," she pointed out before popping a bite of her dinner into her mouth.
He cringed at the thought of it. "You do understand that I hate-"
She put her finger to his lips to silence him. "I know. If you truly enjoyed it, you would have flaunted it rather than hiding it. Now, tonight is not about royalty and title. Tonight is about us," she moved her hand to caress his cheek.
He happily melted into her touch, closing his eyes. "You're right. I cannot ask you to put it out of your mind when it plays so heavily on my own."
The pair spent the rest of the evening laughing, eating, and drinking until the last drop of wine was finished. At Bash's instruction, Leith rowed them back to shore to conclude the evening's festivities. Once the three of them had clambered out of the boat, Leith busied himself with cleaning up the dishes to give them a moment alone. Mona noticed him glance over his shoulder at the two of them before turning his back to them.
"I'm not sure what you've said to him, but my brother seems to approve of you," she whispered.
"What makes you say that?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
"He's given you permission to kiss me goodnight," she gestured her head in Leith's direction, drawing Bash's eye.
"Better not waste any time then," he smiled then leaned his head down, his lips meeting her own. Her heart fluttered as she leaned into him, laying her hand on his chest. The pair didn't realize how long they'd been embraced when Leith's voice broke through.
"Alright, alright," he waved at them as if herding farm animals. "That's enough, you two. There's only so many dishes to be picked up." The two jumped apart, chuckling. "I swear, I'll be happier when you two lovebirds have tied the knot and I don't have to witness this anymore," he shook his head, muttering under his breath.
"Thank you, Leith. I leave her in your capable hands," Bash gave a quick bow before walking back up the path to the castle.
"Yes, thank you, brother," she moved towards him, hugging his side.
"Ay! What's all this for?" he chuckled.
"For everything. You helped him and made all this possible."
He wrapped an arm around her, the other hand holding all the dishes from that evening. "That's what a brother's job is, right?" he smirked, turning her own words back at her.
"And you do it well," she replied before releasing, holding her hands out to take the dishes from him. He handed them off so he could drag the boat back into the shed. When he came back, they made their way to the kitchens. He took to washing while she dried them.
"So," she asked hesitantly, drying the serving plate, "what did you think of him?"
"Doesn't much matter what I think. What mainly matters now is what the king thinks of all this," he countered.
"It matters quite a bit to me," she replied.
"I think," he handed her the final glass to dry, "he's alright, for a royal. I think you should hope the king will say yes, but brace yourself for the fallout if he says no."
Her face fell as she put the dishes back into their proper cupboards, then turned back to him.
"Y'know what else I think?" he voice reassuring. "I think I haven't seen you laugh like that in ages. I hope this all works out for you, I do. You two can't keep your eyes off each other and seem to make each other very happy."
"He does, very much so," she smiled.
"I think the last time I heard you snort, you were still in pigtails," he laughed.