The Heir Read Online Free PDF Page B

problem in Mirstone, or was Baylin
lying to hide why Isla was actually here?
    The large room felt suddenly very small to
Luana. It was filled with sounds and smells that assaulted her
senses. She could not take it anymore. Respect or not, she had to
leave the room.
    She stood, tipping her chair back and losing
her balance. She extended her arms, trying to catch herself. She
reached for the edge of the table, but she missed and her hand
knocked a tray of cheese onto the stone floor with a crash. She
swayed backward, her feet going weak under her. Just before her
body hit the floor, Baylin caught her in his arms. His mouth was
open and he was saying something to her, but she could not hear the
words. Then there was nothing but darkness.

Chapter Four

    Baylin raced down the halls with Luana’s
motionless body cradled in his arms. His heart drummed in his
chest. Stay with me. He ran up the stairs two at a time,
carrying her as gently as possible. His muscles announced how
fatigued the journey made him as they burned from the exertion.
    Baylin burst into the room. “Master Keon,
help!” The Prince tenderly laid Luana down on a nearby bed. “Luana?
Please, dearest, you must wake up.”
    One of the physician’s handmaids ran up to
the Prince. “Your Grace, what has happened?”
    “Please,” Baylin pleaded. “Something is
wrong. She won’t wake. Where is Master Keon?”
    “I am here, my Prince,” the old man said,
hobbling over to the bed. “Quickly now, tell me what has
happened.”
    As Baylin tried to explain, reliving the
scene in his mind caused his heart to race. “We were breaking our
fast with Father and Mother. Luana was fine and then… she wasn’t.
She stood, lost her balance and fell. She will not wake.”
    The old physician went to work evaluating
Luana’s condition—lifting her eyelids to examine her eyes, using a
strange instrument to listen to her chest. While Baylin watched,
his mind relived the morning. The sight of her tumbling toward the
floor as her eyes fell shut, the feeling of her lifeless body in
his arms. Luana, you must come back to me.
    Master Keon turned to Baylin and gave him a
reassuring smile. “Your Grace, the young lady appears to be
healthy. She is very weak, most likely due to the child. Many young
women experience pregnancy illness during the first few months of
being with child. She needs a good amount of rest to allow it time
to pass.”
    Baylin gave a sigh of relief. “Then she will
recover?”
    Master Keon nodded.
    Baylin allowed his tense muscles to relax as
he willed his heart to slow its pace. “Thank you, Master Keon. You
have put my heart at ease.”
    The old man patted Baylin tenderly on the
shoulder. “You gave the Queen the same ailment. No need to worry.
Luana is strong; she will recover easy enough.”
    Master Keon crossed to the door of the room.
“Please excuse me, Your Grace. I will fetch some herbs to help the
young lady rest and ease her sickness. I will return shortly.”
    Baylin nodded to the old man, signaling his
approval, before he left the room.
    The young Prince sat on the edge of the bed
watching Luana sleep. He was certain he had never been so scared in
his entire life. He stroked her cheek, causing her to stir. Her
eyes fluttered open.
    Baylin exhaled in relief. “My love, how do
you feel?”
    “What happened?” Luana blinked, taking in
her surroundings. “Where am I?”
    “You fainted.” Baylin helped Luana rise on
the bed. “Master Keon says you overexerted yourself.”
    Luana looked up at him with an expression of
sadness and betrayal that cut through him. “Exerted myself? I
exerted myself?” she spat in a heated tone. “Yes, listening to your
father plan your marriage to Princess Isla is very exerting.”
    Her tone hurt Baylin, her words too. “You
know that is not what I want.”
    “What either of us wants matters little in
this Kingdom it would seem,” Luana said as she attempted to rise
out of the bed.
    Baylin put a strong arm