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Letting out a deep sigh, Pero propped himself up on one elbow, turning to inspect your sleeping figure. Worry lines formed between his eyebrows as you stirred once more.
Pero had always been a light sleeper. It had served him well during his time as a mercenary, but had become unnecessary since settling down in a modest cottage on the edge of a sleepy little village and marrying the local blacksmith’s daughter. The life he led now was one of relative comfort, with regular meals, a warm home with a soft bed, and most importantly, you.
The rest of the world may have seen him as a dangerous ex-mercenary, but you were different. You brought out a side of him that no one else would ever know– a soft, thoughtful man beneath his brutish, armor-clad exterior.
The newfound comfort of his living situation didn’t stop him from jerking awake at the slightest noise in the night, ready to leap into action to defend you from whatever dared to disturbed his sleep. Most nights, this ability appeased his protective side and gave him peace of mind. Tonight, however, it was nothing more than a source of annoyance.
He would need to be up in just a few moments to begin his daily chores, but he had hardly gotten a wink of sleep with all of your tossing and turning in the night. If you had been anyone but his precious wife, Pero probably would have considered smothering you in your sleep just to get a decent night’s rest.
Normally you were a more than pleasant bed partner, but rest seemed to evade you on this night. It appeared now that you had finally exhausted yourself into slumber, just before dawn.
Guilt settled into Pero’s stomach as he watched the steady rise and fall of your chest. It seemed a shame to wake you when you had fought so hard to find sleep, even if there was work to be done. Winter would be here soon enough, and it was busy work preparing your little farm for the months to come. Pero frowned, thinking over the list of tasks the two of you had come up with for the day. The morning was dedicated to tending to the crops, but this afternoon you had planned a trip into the village to trade for a few necessities. He remembered you’d been excited by the prospect of the visit.
You were such a wonderful wife to him, so much more than anything he’d ever imagined he would have in his life, and you had worked so hard these past couple of weeks. Clearly, the stress of preparing for the oncoming winter was getting to you…
He could take care of your chores this morning, couldn’t he? Allow you to get a few precious hours of sleep and wake up refreshed for your trip into the village?
Yes, he decided. You deserved a good lie-in, just this once.
Pero untangled himself from the quilts, careful not to wake you as he crawled out of bed and began lacing up his trousers and pulling on his boots. As if on instinct, you rolled over onto your side, snuggling into his now vacant pillow.
Pero finished dressing and returned to your side, quietly hovering over you as he straightened out the bed sheet that had fallen to your waist with all of your tossing and turning in the night, pulling the bedding back to its original position. He carefully tucked the sheets around you, just the way his Mama had done for him as a child. The action had always made him feel secure, and he hoped it would do the same for you.
You let out a contented sigh as he reached out to brush some stray hair from your face, nuzzling into his touch. Despite whatever insomnia had plagued you earlier, it relieved Pero to see you finally drift into a peaceful slumber.
“Rest well, mi alma,” He ordered in a whisper, leaning down to press his lips to your forehead before heading out of your little cottage to begin the day’s work.
Perhaps Pero would tease you about sleeping late in the morning or grump at you for keeping him up all night, but when you awoke a few hours from now to the sun streaming in through the window, safely tucked into your warm bed, you would know that it was the handiwork of your thoughtful, loving husband, whether he wanted to share that side of himself with the rest of the world or not.