I am tired of bedrest

Himari was setting up in her bed as Cedric checked her vitals over with his healing magic. It had been two weeks since she had woken up that night to Duncan in her room. It had been two excruciating weeks of not being allowed to do anything. She had tried to get up the next morning to go down to breakfast but had found Duncan already standing at her door with a tray of food for two. She had made her get back into bed and didn’t let her out for the rest of the day. She tried going into the kitchen to see if she could help Arturo only for him to shew her out saying the lord had forbidden in anyone from allowing her to do anything. By day four she was going stir crazy and had begged Cedric to train her at least for a little bit. Duncan had found her and Cedric practicing magic four days after her first initial wake up and carried her back to bed and forbid Cedric from teaching Himari until she had rested more. By day seven she couldn’t take it anymore and had tried sneaking out to practice magic on her own but of course he’d caught her before she had made it out of the castle. She had really begun to hate their connection during her forced resting for these two weeks. Her attempted escape of the castle to go train had earned her a babysitter, Joan his top general. She would sometimes escape Joan when she’d slip into the bathroom or go grab food and Himari would go to his study to work and he’d find her and practically drag her back to bed kicking and screaming. Joan had agreed with Himari on being allowed in the study to work since Himari wasn’t doing anything physical but Duncan disagreed. The only good thing Himari found in this whole situation was her new found friendship with Joan. The tall blond blue eyed beauty was honest, a little rough around the edges, but super sweet and kind. Himari and Joan hit it off instantly. She had also gotten closer with Beth and Ann, the two maids that cleaned the second floor of the castle. With nothing to do she had plenty of time to chat with both of them and they would stop in her room daily to check on Himari and to chat. Honestly if it wasn’t for those three women she didn’t know she’d have survived the two weeks. Could one die of boredom? If I am not allowed out of bed soon I may just find out if it is possible. If they didn’t agree to let her out of this bed she was going to go absolutely crazy and start sewing her own straight jacket. She looked up at Cedric expectantly. Cedric said “You are perfectly healthy and could have been let out of this bed probably a day or two after you woke up.” Cedric glanced at Duncan before returning his apologetic gaze to Himari “But someone was feeling overprotective.” He glanced back at Duncan whose cheeks had turned pink and who was now gazing out the window not meeting anyone’s eyes. Duncan muttered out “I was only trying to make sure Himari was completely better. She pushed herself too hard that day and I was afraid if she got up and started her normal routine too soon that she would end up sick and passing out again.” Duncan looked Himari in the eyes and said “I only did it because I don’t want you fainting again or getting sick. I hope you can forgive me for cooping you up so long. I just can’t get the image of your pale face out of my head and the fear I felt when you didn’t wake up for three days.” Himari looked away. She couldn’t get over the things he said sometimes. They were sweet words and way too embarrassing too. How could he be so honest? How could he say things like that in front of other people? She couldn’t even admit her feelings for him were changing and here he was saying sweet, endearing things and melting her heart. She felt her face heat and responded in a joking tone “I know you only did what you thought was best for me. That is the reason I didn’t attempt murdering you. I only thought about it.” Joan hooted out a laugh and said “I’d have had to kill ya too Lord Duncan if you would have sentenced me to purgatory like you did poor Himari for two weeks.” Duncan spluttered “Purgatory? You consider bed rest purgatory? It was no such thing. It was... It was just a small rest.” Joan laughed again and said “Small rest? Small rest, says the man who doesn’t know what a day off looks like. If someone forced you to rest two weeks you’d go crazy. Maybe we should try to make you take a two week rest and see how you handle it. My bet is you call it purgatory too.” Duncan shuddered and said holding his palms up in front of him “Let’s not get hasty. I don’t need a two weeks rest. And maybe your right it wouldn’t be very fun.” He looked at Himari and said “Well it looks like we don’t have to worry now, so your mandated rest period is over. You can go back to your usually activities.” Himari snorted and said sarcastically “Thank you mighty healer Lord Duncan for allowing me to out of bed and back into society.” Joan belly laughed and said “If it wasn’t for my witty banter you would have had as much fun as someone watching paint dry. I honestly don’t know how we talked him to letting you sit and watch me train, as over protective as he is. So now you’re a free woman, you planning to come with me on the voyage like we talked about?” Himari nodded her head yes and high fived Joan again. Himari said curling her nose “But saying I am a free woman makes it sound like I just got out of prison.” Joan laughed and said “You pretty much were in prison, just a pretty one with tasty food.” Duncan said with each word his voice got louder an octave until he all but shouted the last word “What voyage? You don’t mean the voyage to kill a hydra?” He looked at Himari and said “Himari you are not planning on doing something so dangerous after just getting better? I don’t think this is a good idea. You should maybe work in your library and gently ease into task and not go on such a dangerous endeavor. I will not allow you to put yourself at risk, especially so soon after getting better.” He nodded his head as if signaling the finality of his words. He expected her to obey him like she was one of his employees or subjects and Himari was neither. She felt her anger rising as she exclaimed “You won’t allow it! Won’t allow it, oh mighty Demon Lord!” She rose from the bed and started walking towards him as she angrily said “I am not your employee or a subject of your kingdom. I do not have to obey you or anyone for that matter. You are not the boss of me mister, so don’t go around trying to command me to do or not do anything. I stayed in bed two miserable weeks to appease you since I know I worried you.” her voice softened slightly “I am sorry for worrying you, but you can’t wrap me in wool. I have to do things and will lose my mind if you try and keep me cooped up anymore. I promise not to ever push myself that hard again, but you act like I almost died instead of just fainting with exhaustion.” Duncan gently cradled her face in his hands “My iskitini Tvshka watching you faint showed me how easily I could lose you. You think you weren’t at risk of dying with you pushing yourself to exhaustion. You are wrong. You could have died. I cannot risk losing you. Please understand that my iskitini tvshka. I cannot live in a world you are not in it. But, you are right I cannot stop you from doing something you want to do and I cannot wrap you in wool and cotton to protect you. You have to promise me one thing. You are never to put your life at risk.” Himari tried nodding her head in agreement but couldn’t with her face trapped in his hands so she said “I promise as long as you promise to be careful and never put yourself at risk either.” Duncan smiled with an emotion Himari didn’t want to know what was yet. Duncan then said still grinning “I promise my iskitini tvshka. I guess we need to start planning our voyage.” Himari looked at him wide eyed and said pulling back from his hands on her face “What do you mean our voyage? What voyage? You mean the voyage to hunt for hydras? You can’t possibly be gone that long from the castle can you?” Duncan’s grin widened as he said “If you want to go on this voyage then as you said I can’t stop you. But I can join you to ensure your safety.” He waved dismissively and continued “Besides I can teleport anywhere I need to when I need to while on this voyage and of course you can accompany on these excursions.” Himari was blushing and her heart was pounding so loud she could hear it in her ears like a roaring storm. She had hoped to use the trip to get some distance from him so she could untangle her emotions, which had knotted and twisted more since he had spent every evening in her room until she fell asleep the entire two weeks of her forced bedrest. A boat was a lot smaller than his castle and with him going specifically to keep her out of danger she doubted shed get very far from him. She felt panic rising in her because a huge part of her was relieved he was going. She hadn’t wanted to admit to herself the idea of being away from him any length of time made her sad. If she was being honest with herself she had been using the voyage as a way to try and pull away. A way to pull away from their connection, because she was scared. She was terrified of getting close to him. After losing her parents she never wanted to know that pain again. And with her time in his world unguaranteed it made her even more wary. Duncan must have sensed her waring emotions and held her face gently and said looking deep into her eyes “Deep breaths, my iskitini tvshka. I am here with you as I always will be, I promise.” Himari couldn’t bring herself to respond or voice her fears and turmoil, so instead she just nodded her head in agreement though she was scared he couldn’t keep that promise. No one could promise forever.