Claiming The Remnant

Chapter 34

[ Taiya ]

“Han.” She had her back to me when I got to the bathroom. She came over to me in a flash when I called her name. Admittedly the level of desperation in my voice would have had anyone come running. I regretted not having Josephine walk me to the bathroom regardless of the sarcastic tone she had used. Asperonin had dealt with the pain but according to him I was still dying. That short walk from the sitting room to the bathroom had demonstrated his point.

My body was an ice block, my legs could hardly hold me up and my breath was short. Han helped me strip and climb into the bath. It was only the morning and there was so much to unpack but I didn’t have the energy. One thing stood out though. There was something about the way Han had been gesturing at Asperonin, it pulled at a memory. At the time I had been in so much pain but now, although my body was failing me, the pain was absent, allowing my brain to function.

“Han?” She was getting towels, clean Pj’s and a dressing gown organised for me. Her eyes were trained on me, overflowing with concern. What did I do to deserve her? “Earlier, you were trying to tell Healer Asperonin something by moving your hands? Could you show me again, please? Slower though.”

With a broad smile she raised both hands.

-YOU UNDERSTAND?-

Tentatively I raised one hand, made a fist and nodded it, almost a knocking motion.

-YES- was my reply.

Han started moving her hands quickly and I lost track almost instantly.

“Han, Han please I know you’re excited but I can’t go that quick.” I chuckled good naturedly.

-SORRY- She signed, before a cheeky smile appeared on her own face. I dipped a little lower in the water to wash off the necklace. Han clapped to get my attention.

-FOOD? TEA?- She moved her hands slowly.

“Ye Gods know I want both but I think it best to wait until after the Dr. has seen me.” I rolled my eyes. “He might be my last hope, I don’t want to throw up on him also.” Han nodded, sympathetic, and I washed my face. The bath didn’t take long and it seemed a waste using all that water for the second time today. Han helped me dry and dress, signing the odd thing as we went. She wanted to know how I knew how to sign but I had no clue.

I was still very short on memories and the ones I did have were of no use. What was becoming terribly clear was that something was amiss.

The Dr. was just arriving when I reached the sitting room. Dr. Heathson went straight to the young Healer. While he was speaking quietly with Poflorin I, tired but calm, sat in my usual chair (which thankfully had stayed clean when I was sick) and took the opportunity to observe.

Dr. Heathson was short and thin, with thinning hair in natural brown and grey. His skin was wrinkled, rich in hue like an acorn and his ears were of the pointed Fae variety. He had a large case with him that he had set down next to his leg. They didn’t speak for long, the Dr. reached for his bag and Poflorin gestured towards me and I simply watched. No greeting left my lips, no smile adorned my face. Why should it?

His face was neutral and held nothing familiar to my mind. Asperonin, Poflorin, Josephine; they had all elicited a feeling of familiarity in me. The Dr. did not and I was unsure if I was relieved or not.

“Lady Esther.” The Dr. greeted, giving a polite nod of his head. “My apologies, not only for not sending medication with Zach but also for not tending to you sooner. There was quite a disagreement as to the necessity of my presence.” Dr. Heathson was monotone in his address, giving nothing away.

I kept my mouth shut. Zach was popping in and out of the room (running errands I assumed), Han slinked about in the background, Josephine watched from her chosen seat an unreadable expression on her face, Dr. Heathson had put his bag on the table to rummage through it and Poflorin hovered just behind him wringing his hands and looking nervous.

“Healer Poflorin tells me that you are experiencing headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, lethargy, borderline hypothermia and severe internal inflammation. Is that correct?” He asked while still looking in his bag. His voice was still completely empty and it put me on edge. “Ah, there it is. Is there a problem, Lady Esther?” The Dr. looked at me blankly, holding a slender glass cylinder in one hand.

I closed my eyes for a moment, shutting everything out. Some of his words had me stuck but I had already decided that I would just agree rather than look unintelligent. The real problem was that I was almost, in the strangest way, waking up. The feeling that this wasn’t my life was growing, pushing against frigid ground like a seed that had germinated too early.

“What are you going to do to me?” The words were a surprise to myself and everyone in the room, bar the Dr. who took it in his stride.

“Check pupillary light reflex, temperature, resting heart rate, weight, listen to your breathing and a basic anemia test are my initial plans.” He listed without hesitation but still with that expressionless tone.

“Lady Esther, Dr. Heathson is an excellent physician.” Poflorin attempted to dispel my concerns.

“And Asperonin is an exceptional Healer.” I retorted sarcastically, rubbing my arm. The bruise colouring had gone but I hadn’t forgotten that he had threatened to let me bleed to death as well as poke my wound. Obviously this morning's rude behaviour and painful experience at his hand was still very fresh, compounding my opinion of the blond man.

“Head Healer Asperonin is an insufferable lèche-cul.” Dr. Heathson interjected. The strength of his words contrasted oddly with his completely monotone way of speaking. “May I?” He popped the cap off the glass cylinder and a beam of light spilled out of the end. Josephine chuckled and Poflorin looked a little ashamed. I didn’t know what it meant but I had a good idea that there was no love lost between them.

“You may.”

The Dr. was gentle as he performed each exam, he spoke to me - not at me or over me, explaining what he was doing. Healer Poflorin watched fascinated.

“Last test for this morning.” Dr Heathson told me while holding a needle. “I’ll prick your finger and squeeze a drop into a copper sulphate solution. If it sinks to the bottom, your iron levels are good. If it floats or takes some time to sink then there is a concern.”

He stabbed me, none too gently but thanks to the necklace I didn’t feel it, and coaxed a large drop of blood out before letting it drop into the test tube of turquoise liquid. It seemed fitting that it was that colour. It didn’t sink. It floated just below the surface of the liquid.

“The result isn’t unexpected. Some of your symptoms are synonymous but the causality is still unclear.” He put a stopper in the tube and packed it carefully into his case.

“So you don’t know what’s wrong with me either.” I sighed, feeling defeated.

“As of yet no, but I can provide some treatments that will help.” Unblinking Dr. Heathson looked at me intently. “You are very close to death, Lady Esther. I am blessed, or cursed perhaps, by the Earth and Sky to see the health aura of those around me. It doesn’t look good.”

I should have been afraid. Shouldn’t I? There was something though, something scratching in the back of my mind; something that told me that death was a path I could easily embrace.

“Lady Esther?” The Dr. called my name as I continued to stare. Not knowing who I was though - that was something I couldn’t come to terms with.

“I- I … have two tiny memories from before I got here. A small snippet from Duke Bander’s Summer Equinox Ball where King Leore walks past and today I recalled drowning. Everything was dark and murky, my lungs were burning like they were full of fire. My parents' faces are a blur - my face is a blur. When I look in the mirror it feels wrong.” I told Dr. Heathson. His face didn’t change. “Do you think that my memories will come back?”

Dr. Heathson regarded me with slight curiosity; the only emotion he had shown since I met him. His brown eyes with dark flecks softened just slightly. Poflorin looked like he might cry.

“Well, you remembered something today. Organically I presume?” I nodded. “That’s a promising start. With time there is a good chance but first let’s try and find you some time, yes?”

“Thank you.” The world opened up just a bit.

“I’m going to give you some shots and some tablets.” He dug through his bag. It seemed he had everything in there. “A dose of steroids for the inflammation, a vitamin shot for the malnutrition - this kind of inflammation interferes with the body's ability to digest, and iron injections. Normally I would give pills but your condition is so severe and it’s the safer option until your body starts absorbing the nutrients.”

“I’d settle for just keeping it down.” I rolled my eyes.

“We can work on that.” He lined up my shots on the table and some pill bottles. After every shot the Dr. stopped and stared at me, watching my aura. When all three shots were done Dr. Heathson picked up a bottle but before he could start explaining the medication to me Zach popped up.

“Better?” Zach looked between us with eager eyes.

“A little.” Dr. Heathson told him as he hopped about. “Takes time for the medication to take effect Zach.” His hollow sounding voice was honest and I was more comforted by it than if he had been melodic like Asperonin.

Zach patted me on the head. I didn’t mind. Everyone in the castle seemed to behave in a way that I thought was inappropriate but perhaps I was wrong.

Dr. Heathson explained the medications and how to take them. Most of them needed to be taken with food. The instant he said that Zach zipped off and zipped back with a tray of food. I had to hold back a laugh at the sweetness of it.

I ate. I took my medication. I slept. Josephine was still around when I woke. She tried very hard to engage me in conversation. That was my week on repeat. Dr. Heathson didn’t come by everyday but Poflorin did. He gave me the shots when the Dr. didn’t attend. Josephine also came by everyday much to my annoyance. Her constant presence from the moment I got out of bed until I went back to bed kept me from Han’s company. Even when I refrained from getting out of bed she stayed. I didn’t like her and she didn’t like me. Why she bothered I didn’t know.

She tried allsorts. Once she realised I didn’t want to leave my suite, Jojo (she hated it so I stuck with it) brought sketch books, embroidery, chequers, flowers to arrange, canvases to paint, felt to sew and a bunch of other activities that I refused to participate in. After each rejection she would lounge around my suite endlessly gossiping about the most insipid topics. She was tireless; it frustrated me to the point that I almost hoped I would drop dead.

There was a good possibility. According to the Dr. my aura had improved but only enough that he wasn’t worried that I wouldn't make it to the next day. The drugs were keeping me alive but they weren’t making me better.

Today I was up early. A nightmare that I couldn’t recall had jerked me awake just before dawn so instead of being bored in bed I decided to be bored in the sitting room next to the fire. It was always burning. Everytime I sat next to it I could hear the whispers of a memory but no matter how hard the thoughts tried to land they didn’t. Instead they kept perpetually falling through the empty space of my mind.

“Mrs Doran.” I was surprised to see her suddenly marching through my suite.

“Ah, Lady Esther. I was just coming to see if you were up, you have a visitor.” The Head Housekeeper, that I hadn’t seen since dressing for that disastrous dinner with the King, announced quite unexpectedly.

“Good morning to you as well.” I huffed. “Please tell me it isn’t Josephine, it is way too early for me to endure her idle chatter.” I moaned, rubbing my stomach. The iron injections were making me constipated.

“Lady Esther,” She said a little sturnly, “I apologise. Good morning to you. Is there something that I can get you?” Grace had noticed how I was trying to ease my aching digestive system. The necklace kept the pain away but the sensation was still highly uncomfortable. Out of habit I almost said no.

“Tea? Or anything hot I could hold against my stomach would be most welcome, thank you.” I tried to keep my chin up and not seem pathetic.

“Of course.” She bustled off, quickly returning with an orange towel. “Here. Tea is already on its way.” Taking the dry fluffy towel I found it was hot; my scalding baths sort of hot. A content sigh tumbled over my lips as I lay the heat imbued towel over my midriff before pulling my pyjama top back down and the dressing gown tight over the top.

“Thank you.” The words came out more quietly than I intended. At this sudden influx of heat I was relaxing back into the chair and falling asleep.

“Lady Esther, your guest is waiting, I hope you do not intend to keep them waiting much longer. It is the King after all.” I was awake. Ye Gods, I was definitely awake. My heart was bouncing around and my mind had become an incomprehensible tangle. Grace watched me with an air of impatience. “Shall I send him away, My Lady?” She snipped, exasperated, no doubt.

“Ye Gods Grace, of course not but I am in no state to meet His Majesty. I need to dress!” I fretted.

“Honestly Lady Esther, if you dressed each morning as you ought then such drama would not be at your door, humm?” She admonished. I was surprised that the Housekeeper didn’t also wag a gnarled finger at me as she spoke. “Pish Posh, perhaps this is your lesson learned. I shall see the King in, you are at least more decent than the first time he saw you.”

With my mouth open and my flushed face I watch the Head Housekeeper take large strides out of the sitting room and towards the suite entrance. That feeling, from when I first found myself in this room, of being small and lost came back to me.

The King was coming, unannounced (because a 20 second warning from the Housekeeper doesn’t count), to my suite at the crack of dawn; either there was some good news or something really bad…

Wide eyed and almost in tears I watched his Majesty enter with regal grace. Hugging my body to try and stop it falling to pieces I attempted to find my feet so that I could stand and curtsy in the appropriate manner. My legs wouldn’t hold me and I fell at the King’s feet.

The world came to a standstill. I could practically taste the cold damp air of the dungeon that was surely waiting for me.