THE TIDES OF TIME

- Chapter 7 -

Nearly a week had passed before Jovan could rise from the bed long enough to be able to walk around Bojana's hut. Unlike the wound left behind by the poisoned arrow, the wound left behind by the sword that had pierced his side began to heal rather quickly. The herbs Bojana had used to speed the recovery worked like a charm. Still, he was worried. But not about himself. He was worried about the woman who had barely regained consciousness in the last few days.

Bojana tended to his mysterious companion's wounds but the young woman slept for days. Bojana grew worried about her health if the woman would not awaken to eat soon. Jovan, for his part, grew more and more worried that once she did wake up, she would be unable to regain her full health due to the poison ravaging her body. He was well aware of the fact that he himself had absorbed a good part of the poison when the same arrow first pierced his shoulder. And his wound was still as raw as the day they were both shot.

One snowy morning, Bojana left the hut to visit Anil and advised Jovan to keep watch over the woman he had saved. She had business to attend to that concerned them all. As the morning went on, Jovan brooded around the kitchen, set the water over the fire burning in the stone fireplace, added some more wood, and then walked back to check on Jagoda. She had regained consciousness the night before but was still asleep this morning.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and watched as his mysterious companion slept. She seemed to be at peace. If someone looked at her now, they would not believe she was wounded and had fought a fierce battle to stay alive. But Jovan knew better. He also recognized that something kept pulling him toward her. He did not know what it was because he had never felt the way he did. It was not guilt. At least not just guilt. He was a grown man and knew what guilt felt like. Whatever it was that he was feeling, it bothered him. Why? Because he realized that Jagoda had begun to matter to him. Even if he wasn't willing to share that information with anyone.

"I would fight all the horsemen of Your world and mine if it guaranteed that You would regain consciousness,"  Jovan whispered to himself in the old Albanian dialect. Going against his better judgement, and acting with his emotions, he caressed Jagoda's bangs away from her eyes.

"That is a mighty and binding promise," Jagoda whispered as she slowly opened her eyes.

"One I would intend to keep." He inclined his head, surprised at the strength in Jagoda's voice. He could hear the struggle in it just as he could hear pride and Jagoda's inborn grace.

"I would keep Your distance if I were You," Jagoda said, trying to move away. Much to Jovan's surprise, she swore as she hissed in pain.

"If You talk like that, I can promise You I would disregard any distance between Us whatsoever." Jovan smiled. If she was well enough to talk back to him, it meant she was well enough to survive the poison.

"Who are You?" The mysterious woman narrowed her eyes at Jovan since she was unable to move away.

"The man who saved Your life, apparently," Jovan replied as he straightened up.

"You must be joking." Jagoda tried to laugh, but the pain in her chest made it clear that she had been hurt recently.

"Apparently, I am not." Jovan replied. He rose from the bed, walked toward the fireplace, and removed the kettle with water that was setting on it.

Jagoda turned slightly to see where he had walked and asked, "What is your name?"

"Jovan," he replied in short.

"You must be joking," Jagoda repeated quickly. Too quickly for it not to cause her another sharp jolt of pain.

"Evidently, I am not." He walked back to Jagoda carrying a cup of strong-smelling hot tea. "I also don't consider my name to be a laughing matter either."

"I will decide on that," Jagoda chuckled. "Next thing You will be telling me is that Your last name is Valiant."

"Nope. Last name is Galanis. Everyone just calls me Valiant," Jovan said coyly as he sat down on the bed beside Jagoda. Dismissing the woman's fierce gaze, he placed his hand on her forehead to check if she was still running a fever.

"I would not do that if I were You, Valiant," Jagoda whispered in a defying tone of voice. 

"Don't be ridiculous," Jovan retorted. "We laid in the same bed beside each other for a week. You did not interest me then and neither do You now. Besides, Bojana asked me to take care of You." Jovan caressed the bangs gently away from her face and brushed a wet cloth along her forehead.

Jagoda calmed down, somehow hurt by his bluntness but kept that part to herself, and asked in a softer voice, "So this indeed is Bojana's hut?"

"Bingo," Jovan replied.

"So, this is Bingo's hut?" Jagoda asked, confused.

"No, sunshine. This indeed is Bojana's hut. Where I come from, Bingo means that You were right." Jovan chuckled, both amused and a bit more relaxed.

"I would ask You not to call me sunshine." She tried to move away from Jovan, only to find that each bit of movement backfired. She swore, and then swore again even louder, though more to herself than in response to him.

"Sunshine, You've got one foul mouth," Jovan said with a smirk, then realized that it drove her mad. Good! He thought to himself. Now he knew how to make her come alive.

"Let me guess. Women should not swear. You will warn me not to swear again or You will have my mouth washed out with that cloth in Your hand, right?" Jagoda hissed out, half from pain and half in anger.

"Nope, on the contrary. I am all for women's equality. I will just have to kiss You if You continue to swear," Jovan replied then watched with satisfaction as flames lit up in her golden-brown eyes. 

"I have warned You before to keep Your distance." Raising her entire arm to block him was out of the question. She raised her hand slowly and pointed at Jovan. Still, she swore because the movement caused her pain.

Jovan grinned at her with mischief. "And I have warned You not to swear so, we are even."

She kept pointing at Jovan as she said, "We may be even. But I would not stand idly by if You ever kissed me."

"Heavens, no! There is no way You would stand idly by if I ever kissed You. My lips work wonders." Then he laughed when Jagoda swore.

She quickly added, "I did not mean that."

"All right. Until next time. But then I shall consider it an invitation." Jovan leaned in to wipe her forehead and winked at her. Then he bellowed out a hearty laugh as Jagoda turned away from him - involuntarily swearing again...