Kira closed the door behind them and then stood akimbo with a raised eyebrow. She looked at Gewen who was now sleeping so soundly on the floor, even though his clothes were damp from the snow.
Kira let out a long sigh and crouched down. She grabbed his shoulder and shook Gewen "Hey... you have to take off your clothes before you sleep, else you will get hypothermia."
Gewen only grunted softly and didn't even open his eyes. Kira sighed again. She already felt the piercing cold after riding her horse under the snow earlier. She didn't drink as much as Gewen and thus her body was not as warm as his.
Now, Gewen looked so comfortable on the floor, in his damp clothes, but Kira knew soon, after the wine effect was gone, the man would definitely feel the cold..
Kira had seen people die of hypothermia and she didn't have the heart to let this former womanizer experience the same fate. What's the point of taking him here if she would let him die of cold?
Finally, she got up from the floor and changed her own outfit. The damp clothes were tossed to the corner and she put on a simple nightgown from the closet. Then, Kira lighted the fireplace to help warm the chamber.
However, even after the fireplace was lit, she still felt so cold. She could imagine how much worse it would be for Gewen later.
RUMBLE RUMBLE
From outside the window, she could hear the sound of the wind howling and thunder blaring. She realized a snowstorm was starting.
At that moment, Kira felt so lucky to reach the palace at such good timing. If they were late by half an hour, she and Gewen would have been trapped in the storm outside.
"Hey.. wake up!" She tried to wake the man up by tapping his shoulders, but Gewen was still sleeping like a baby and didn't respond to her. "Heyy... you need to change your clothes."
All her efforts to wake him up were futile. Gewen curled up in a ball and smiled in his sleep.
Kira realized, she would have to do the job herself.
Grumbling, she finally stripped Gewen from his clothes and coat and hung them near the fireplace to dry. Tomorrow morning, Gewen could wear them again before he went home to his accommodation.
After she finished stripping the man naked, Kira stood with her arms crossed, admiring her work.
It was not easy to strip a big man from his clothes when he was fast asleep like this. He was heavy. Kira had to push and roll him over to take the clothes off.
Moreover, the clothes had layers and many buttons. It was a lot of hassle. So, after she finished the job, Kira felt so tired.
The lighting in the chamber came from several candles and the fireplace, but it was enough to showcase Gewen's ethereal beauty. Well, calling it ethereal may sound over the top, but that's how Kira saw the man under this dim lighting.
He had a tall and slender body, not too burly or muscled like Edgar, long hair that felt soft to the touch and an extremely handsome face. When he was sleeping peacefully like this, he looked like an angel or a handsome elf.
Kira bit her lip. She actually really liked Gewen's physical beauty. He looked like those handsome elves she imagine from the fairy tales she sometimes heard from her grandmother.
He was also good with his bow and arrow because when Kira met him in the forest, he had managed to capture several animals. So, he was not really weak. Maybe just a bit slow and unguarded, Kira thought.
She traced his body with her eyes. She had seen many men getting naked in the ship. It was no big deal. However, she had never seen a man so beautiful like Gewen. So, unconsciously, she was drawn to look longer.
Kira's face suddenly flushed red when her eyes reached his manhood. Shit. Her mind was immediately flooded with dirty thoughts.
"Shit... why are you so troublesome?" Kira grumbled.
She took a thick blanket from the closet and covered Gewen's body with it so the man could sleep comfortably. Then, she climbed her bed and lay down to sleep. Kira put off the candles and bid Gewen good night.
"Good night."
Fortunately, there was another blanket in the chamber so she could let Gewen use one on the floor, while she used her own.
The night went by slowly and the snowstorm finally ended when morning came.
***
When Gewen opened his eyes, he needed a few moments to remember what happened the day before and how he ended up here. Flashes of memory came to him when he exerted all his brainpower.
He could remember that after he lost his money in the market, he went to the forest to hunt for food. He also managed to capture boars and hare. And then... he was attacked by big grey wolves.
A woman saved his ass and took him to a tavern where they drank wine together and chatted.
"Kira...!" Gewen muttered softly when he remembered her.
What an interesting young lady, he thought.
After the tavern, he blacked out and couldn't remember anything. Where was he now? What happened after the tavern?
"Good morning!"
Gewen jolted in surprise when he heard Kira's voice from his right. He immediately sat up and turned to see her. A sheepish smile curved up on his face when he greeted her back. "Hey... good morning, beautiful!"
Kira rolled her eyes. This man was a womanizer through and through, she thought. Always ready with his sweet mouth to butter up a woman.
When Kira remembered how proud Gewen was with his abstinence, she wanted to laugh out loud.
"Your clothes are by the fireplace," Kira said. "Once you are dressed, come with me for breakfast. You owe me a lot of explanation."
Gewen's eyes bulged when he heard Kira mention his clothes. He quickly opened the blanket to see his body, and when he realized he was naked without a single thread under the blanket, Gewen gasped.
.
.
*************
I asked my daughter to create two doodles and I added the wording. They show Gewen's change of attitude then and now. I think the man is quite funny. See the pictures in the comment XD.