"Damned bitch, I'm going to punch her ugly face till ruin it even more when I found her... I can't believe she tried to hurt my wife. I'm going to turn that witch into a cockroach for the rest of her life."
I take a deep breath, trying to cool down and keep my head clear: if I get carried away with anger, it'll affect the way I handle magic and my spells could backfire. I can't allow that since I need my protection spells working perfectly, I'm not taking any risk given that my princess' life is in danger. Aranel is sound asleep despite it's almost noon; she's fully recovered, fortunately, and didn't cough or sneeze anymore during the past night. I know it's been an exhausting experience for her but I must wake her up and force her to eat something, it's been hours since she took a bite and that's not good. I sit down next to her carefully and stroke her beautiful hair, soft as silk covering my pillow, and I can't help smiling. I thought I was happy living alone but having her by my side turned out better than l expected, she's not the unbearable spoiled brat I thought she was and I'm growing fond of her... Spoiling her... That's what I should do since she's behaved like a good girl lately.
"Aranel, babe, wake up..." My girl tries to hide her face in the pillow making me laugh. "Princess... breakfast..." The word seems to catch her attention and she opens an eye, looking at me sleepy. "Well, it's almost lunch time so I better make something delicious and caloric... tea, bacon, eggs, toasts, some fruit, cinnamon buns, butter and jam..."
"Oh, goddess, yes..." My wife sits down abruptly and looks surprised at the table where our food is waiting. "I'm hungry... and Luna too, apparently." My cat is on my chair with two paws leaned on the table and stares at bacon with lust.
"How do you feel?" I ask taking a ribbon from the bedside table and tying her hair up in a ponytail so it doesn't bother her. My girl remains still, docile and trusting, while I comb her long hair with my fingers... the beautiful princess doesn't care about the fact that a dangerous witch sleeps with her every night, despite I showed her how powerful I am on several occasions. My wife trusts me and I like that: she accepts me for what I am, fearless, and her trust warms my heart in a strange way I've never felt before.
"Fine, I don't have nausea or headache, my chest doesn't hurt... It feels like I've never been ill..."
"Great, my mother's potion worked perfectly and the ruby pendant is cold now... Let's go, I'm hungry too. We'll take a bath later and will think about something funny to do together in this cave, it's raining outside and working in the garden is impossible..." Aranel nods before biting a cinnamon bun and moving her cup of tea closer to the sugar bowl I'm holding in my hand. Actually, I have some ideas in my mind...
*****
"You mustn't come here without my permission, okay? It could be dangerous..."
"I understand it... but I didn't know this cave was so big..." My girl stares in shock at the giant stalactites hanging from the ceiling, visible thanks to the magical lantern in my hand and whose light shines brighter than a simple candle, while following me and tripping over a rock. "Ouch!"
"Aranel, I told you it could be dangerous, you must pay attention, okay? I only need a small part of the cave to live in, it's like a very big anteroom that's enough for me... and now for you too since you live with me. The tunnel behind the kitchen leads to several caves that create some kind of labyrinth and you'd be lost without magic to find the exit, sometimes there're holes on the ground and you could break a leg, sometimes underground rivers and you could die drowned... Not to mention gnomes, trolls and goblins that live in caves usually, although my spells keep them from stepping in my home, but not all of these underground rooms are protected against them. You can't come here without me, okay?"
