“Is someone there?” The soft, melodious voice filled his ears with its soothing tones.
“Yes,” he mumbled into the dirt.
“Oh, dear. Are you on the ground?” came the sweet voice again.
“Indeed,” Yoongi responded dryly.
His face was beginning to ache where it had been sliced open. He could feel his blood dripping into his eye and seeping down his cheek. He pushed himself up off the ground and sat down on the damp soil. He saw the outline of a slender form looming over him a moment later.
“Please keep talking to me,” she requested in her clear voice.
She wanted him to keep talking? That was rather odd, wasn’t it? Then it occurred to him that this corner of the garden was quite dark. She probably couldn’t see him, yet she was headed his way to help him.
“I’m right here,” he replied.
“Ahh. Yes, I can tell now. Your voice is quite near.” She took two more tentative steps in his direction before coming to a stop. “What happened? Are you all right?”
She had heard his sharp exhalation of breath a few moments before. And the clanging of the rake as it hit the ground.
“Are you hurt?” She knelt down next to him.
“I sliced my face open on something. Is there a rake here? I still can’t see anything, really.”
Her lips twisted.
Ironic.
He couldn’t see anything?
“I don’t know.”
“Can you go get a torch?” he asked.
She didn’t respond. Instead she reached out and touched his shoulder. Her fingers slid slowly up his shoulder until they found his neck. Then they traced a path up to his cheek. He sat frozen. Her touch was unleashing a torrent of odd and unfamiliar sensations in his gut. Not to mention the electricity that was traveling through his face at the contact of those fingertips. As her hand lightly cupped his cheek, she asked him a question.
“Which side of your face did you cut?” She swiped her thumb across his left cheek but didn’t contact anything slick.
“The other side,” he murmured, completely distracted by her touch.
Her other hand came up and brushed his right cheek. She felt the blood and gasped.
“There’s a lot of blood here! We must get it to stop bleeding! Come with me!”
Her fingers traveled from his cheek, down his neck, to touch his shoulder. Was she trying to drive him mad? The shock of those fingertips was every bit as strong as the electricity that had flowed from her right hand a moment before when she had touched the other side of his body. Now her fingers slid down his arm until she found his hand. She closed her fingers around it and tugged as she stood up.
“Come!”
Her command was quite imperious. Perhaps, she would like to be queen. He would gladly hand the kingdom to her. Slowly, she drew him towards the opposite corner of the garden. It wasn’t until they passed a burning torch a minute later, that he saw her fingers sliding along something at hip-level. His keen eyes sharpened. What was that?
He reached out and ran his finger through the air where her hand had just been. He was shocked to discover a string running parallel to the ground there. He continued to trace its path with his finger. Was she using this as a guide rope? But why? The path was better lit here closer to the palace.
A few moments later, she pulled him into a tiny shed. She led him to a bench.
“Please. Sit down. I will get my medicine kit.”
She wandered across the shed and began to rummage through a box on a shelf. Wondering why she hadn’t brought a torch into the shed with them to light the little room, he watched her in the dimly lit space as she dug through her supplies.
Finally, a clean rag in her hand, she came back towards him. She reached out tentatively and set her hand on his shoulder. Again, those nimble fingers climbed up his neck to touch his cheek. Then she brought the cloth up against his bloody cheek. Very gently, she began to wipe the blood away.
“Can you tell? Is it still bleeding profusely?”
He reached up and touched the two ends of the wound. It was still wet. He nodded.
“I think so.”
She reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a bottle. She uncapped it. He smelled spirits. Something stronger than soju. In the faint light of the outside torch, he could see her upend the bottle over the cloth. Once it was dampened, she lifted it towards his face.
“I’m sorry. This is going to sting.” She paused. “Probably quite a lot.”
Then she pressed it against his cheek and wiped lightly towards his eye. And pain ricocheted through his face. He nearly screamed. The wound was raw and quite deep. He could tell now that it was on fire from the alcohol.
She’d heard his sharp inhalation. She winced at his pain. “I am so, so, so sorry. I am never careless in the garden. I didn’t even bring a rake with me tonight. I have no idea how it was left there. Your poor, beautiful face.”
She continued to wipe very tenderly across his cheek. Then she lifted the cloth and brushed it just as gently across his forehead over his eye.
“Is your eye damaged?” She held her breath. He hadn’t blinded himself, had he?
Dear God, please, no!
“It’s fine. I can see you just fine. I closed it as I fell so the rake missed it.”
“Thank God,” she breathed.
Then she ran her fingers over his forehead and her thumb along his cheek to ascertain the exact placement of the wound. Next, she pressed the damp cloth against each half of the wound. Her right hand held the cloth over the laceration on his forehead, and her left hand pressed the other end of the cloth over the cut under his eye. She stood bent over him for several moments as she applied pressure to the wounds.
Her sweet breath wafted over his lips.
“Hopefully, it will stop bleeding if I apply enough pressure.”
He was captivated by her. He wanted to reach out and slip his arms around her. Then he realized that might be a good idea.
“Can I pull you onto my lap?” he whispered.
“What?” her shocked voice filled his ears.
“You’re bending over in the most uncomfortable fashion. Why don’t you sit on my lap? It’s a much more natural position from which to reach my face.”
An odd tremor passed over her countenance. Even though her face was cloaked in shadows, he hadn’t missed it.
“I promise, I won’t hurt you. I don’t want you to wear yourself out helping me.”
“All right,” she sighed.
His hand slipped around her tiny waist, and he drew her close to him. She came to rest on his joined thighs. He turned her so she was mostly facing him.
“Thank you,” she breathed across his mouth again a moment later. This is infinitely more comfortable.”
He had to agree. His eyes ravenously slid over her features. There was a torch burning behind his head outside the window. Now that she was closer to him, he could actually see her face in the faint glow of that burning light. She was quite lovely.
She had a wide forehead that was completely visible. She had pulled her long, dark hair back into a ponytail. Two raven eyebrows arched delicately over her eyes. Those wide eyes had a strange cast to them, but really, the light wasn’t very good here.
His gaze slid down the slender curve of her petite nose before landing in the deep divot between her cute nose and her mouth. His eyes slide along the smooth contours of those pretty lips. She had a wide mouth that was particularly beautiful when she smiled. Right now, she was biting her lip.
His mouth twisted wryly. “Are you worried about me?” his quiet voice teased her.
“Yes. And I’m also worried that the king will blame me for the placement of that rake.”
“Oh, I think the king will give you a medal for being such a kind nurse,” he smiled privately to himself.
She made an odd sound. “I’m not so sure. I’ve heard that he is of uncertain temperament.”
He almost quirked his eyebrow. Then he realized he couldn’t. It was being pressed by several strong fingers.
“Who told you that?” he asked boldly.
“Mmm. I don’t know. People talk, you know? Not that they speak to me much. I just overhear things.”
He frowned. “Why wouldn’t they speak to you?”
She shrugged. “Not worth their time, I guess.”
He felt his heart shift violently in his chest. How could anyone think this tiny beauty wasn’t worth their time? His eyes slid over her face again. Coming to rest on her strange eyes.
“What’s your name?” he queried quietly.
