Claiming The Remnant

Chapter 30

[ The King ]

“Do you know why I have called you both here?” I repeated for the second time tonight. This time though I was scowling at Asperonin and his son instead of Captain Preston. It was late and I was tired. Not only was my bed calling me but a yawn was spawning at the back of my throat. At least the Captain had some intuition. He had recognised the lean of the situation and helped make the meeting brief.

I had no such hopes for this pair.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“No, My King.”

Poflorin and Aspirin spoke at once before glaring at each other.

"Healer Poflorin?" Considering he had answered yes, I indicated that he should speak. Asperonin seemed quite incised. Poflorin however flopped down in a chair without instruction, dumped his papers on my desk and sighed.

"Lady Esther is…" The young Healer started.

"Poflorin!" Asperonin hissed, interrupting him. Ye Gods.

“Asperonin - just sit, the hour is late and I’d like to be done with this on the side of dawn that is dark.” I grumbled, ignoring Poflorin’s discourteous behaviour but admonishing Asperonin for his by dropping his title.

“Very well, My King.” Asperonin tersely replied, taking the indicated seat next to his son on the other side of my desk.

“Continue.” I told the younger one distractedly while reaching for the parchments, yellow and curling at the corners, that he had dropped there. The texts were in an older version of Fae and very difficult to read.

“Simply put - she is dying and I don’t know why.” I could hear Poflorin breathing heavily, annoyed and upset. “None of her symptoms match anything and other than her headaches and perpetually inflamed stomach I can’t find anything physically wrong with her. The healing imbued necklace is barely lasting 24 hours before it needs renewing and even then it isn’t completely controlling the pain.” He huffed.

“How are you renewing the necklace?” I asked not looking away from the paper I was attempting to read. My old Fae was quite rusty.

“At night, when she is asleep, without taking it off I might add. She has nightmares too. Speaks in her sleep. Han wrote me some notes but it makes little sense and I can’t see that it pertains to anything.” He drummed his fingers against the table. “She mutters about faces. Makes sense considering. I think she has an inkling at the very least that things aren’t as they seem and that is being reflected in her subconscious expression. She also talks about the forest. The Eternal Forest.”

At that I looked at the young Healer. Dark circles around his eyes told of his tiredness, his hair was in a simple bun rather than the ornate braids that he usually had and there was ink smeared under his chin. Clearly Poflorin had taken this charge extremely seriously and was working himself ragged.

“What exactly has she said about that?” My interest spiked. Healer Asperonin however seemed entirely affronted by the entire conversation. Poflorin pulled out a notepad and turned a few pages, lips moving as he read to himself.

“Here ‘no, stop calling. I won’t, I don’t belong to the forest.’” He shut the book. “Everynight.” His eyes flicked to his Father and I felt like there was something more that he wanted to say but was held back by Asperonin’s presence. I decided to change topics and remember to question this at a more private time.

“Have you consulted with Dr. Heathson? Captain Preston thinks…” I began.

“Oh, Captain Preston thinks! That plouc couldn’t do his part right and now he thinks he can push his nose in here!!” Healer Asperonin raged. I was aware that there was no love lost between the Head Healer and the Captain but this outburst was unacceptable. The Fae had changed much about this world, many things for the better. Stifling religions, s****l repression and a lack of education had been mostly eraddiccated by their influencce on our world but for all the freedoms that the Fae had brought; people, being as they are, had created a whole new set of social rules and constructs to segrigate and dstinguisth themselves from each other. The Captain held no magic and for that reason Asperonin held him in complete disregard.

“Father.” Poflorn stared straight ahead with a clenched jaw. “Get out.” I was impressed by Poflorin's surge in confidence. Ideally my goal was to have the two develop a more positive relationship but this was an interesting turn of events; for the son to stand up to his Father in front of the King. For the King; afterall it was me that he had interrupted. Asperonin was flabbergasted. Entirely astonished by Poflorin's order.

The Head Healer looked to me but I simply indicated the direction in which the door resided. He had added nothing of use to the meeting and was holding Poflorin back from speaking freely.

"Goodnight, My King." Asperonin seethed, standing and exiting with a quick bow, completely ignoring his son.

"Shit." Poflorin cursed softly after his Father left.

"Do not fret, he was being churlish. Tomorrow he will see that. As for his animosity towards those without magic or those perceived to be of a lower magic class, I'm afraid that will take a lot more time." I paused looking at the sadness that emanated from the lad in front of me. "Is that why your hair isn't braided?"

"No, um Father doesn't know about that. I've just been too busy." He admitted while trying to compose himself. It was sad that the world had swapped one prejudice for another. Unsure on how to soothe the matter I was going to ask Poflorin to simply continue from where he left off earlier when there was a knock at the door. Hector, my servant, poked his head in.

"My King, Zach is here to see you…" He shrugged, confused by the bizarre nature of the situation. Zach never asked to be announced. He just popped right in. I nodded and Hector allowed the lad to enter.

Zach moved across the room in a calmer fashion than usual. I couldn't tell if it was because the castle was quieter or if Zach was just attempting to look more 'normal'.

"Thank you." I said taking the note Zach offered me and reading it straight away. Interesting. "Zach, go down to the kitchen and get us all some milk and biscuits. Be sure to grab some of those shortbread ones I like as well, then come and join us."

I'd never seen him move so fast. Within seconds he returned, right in the centre of my desk making it look as though he were cut in half. There were drinking glasses stacked in his pocket, the entire biscuit barrel in one arm and a jug of milk that was sloshing gently held in the other.

Milk was poured, the biscuit barrel (which did indeed contain my favourites) was thoroughly pilfered and Zach was quietly braiding Poflorin long blond hair. He padded from one foot to the other slowly. The castle must be quiet.

"So Healer, where were we? Dr Heathson?" I smiled encouragingly.

"Yes, I consulted the Dr. He suggested some anti inflammatories." Poflorin eyed a page of his note book. "I have been putting the powder into her food since breakfast four days ago. The improvement was immediate. She was able to keep down her meals, minimal discomfort and, until tonight, no vomiting."

"What happened?" I was careful with how I spoke. It would be easy to come across unjustly angry.

"I couldn't get the dosage correctly balanced between the volume of food she was presented with compared to the amount she consumed." Poflorin sighed.

"Put it in her drink." Zach said casually, while pulling Poflorin's hair all over the place.

"That… is genius." Poflorin exclaimed.

"It appears to be an apt solution but why are we hiding it? Could it not just be given to her as a pill?" I asked, genuinely confused by this seemingly unnecessary deception.

"Well, should she have had an adverse reaction I didn't want it to be perceived as another attack on her person, I didn't want her to be upset if it was ineffective and I wanted to be sure the symptom was real." The reasons Poflorin gave were sensible. I was, however, surprised to hear that he was sceptical of her belief in being 'Lady Esther', although he has expressed that she was doubtful herself.

"I can assure you, Healer Poflorin, that she is unaware of who she was. While she may now be doubting herself, it is nothing more than speculation." I assured him.

"Forgive me Your Majesty, but how can you be so sure?" The young Healer asked me, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Look at me." The moment his green eyes, like the shadowy leaves deep in the forest, met mine I let my magic flare. "There are precious few that know this. Even your Father is not one of those privileged with this knowledge." Poflorin sat with his mouth hanging open but Zach, who was one of the few, just continued with the intricate braiding.

"Ok, we are sure!" Poflorin said, finally shaking off his shock. "Still though, I do not know what to do about her deterioration. There is a piece missing somewhere and I need to find it." His words reminded me of the information I felt he had skipped out on earlier.

"Poflorin, earlier, when you spoke about the forest being in her dreams what didn't you say? You held something back." I leaned back in my chair sipping my milk.

"When she talks of the forest, I think she is talking to the forest. Her eyes glow purple." He revealed almost dramatically.

“I hope you haven’t been sitting on this information for too long… I would most certainly say that is information that I consider ugent.” I gave Poflorin ‘the look’. The one that says ‘what in the name of Ye Gods’ without actually having to voice it aloud.

“Well… I asked my Father about her dreams but I omitted the part about her eyes glowing purple. He disagreed that it was meeting worthy. I insisted but he was unco-oporative on explaining how one should go about these things and we just ended up arguing. I hadn’t spoken to him again until this morning when I asked him to come and watch me give Lady Esther an assessment. About which, I might add, I have received criticism to no end.” The young Healer was evidently frustrated and justly so. Zach squeezed his shoulder, a show of support and understanding.

“You could always ask Zach to bring me a message.”

“Rin doesn’t want to, My King.” Zach answered unexpectedly. “He, he thinks it would be bad for our relationship.” He looked at Poflorin with adoring eyes. Poflorin blushed.

“Everyone is always demanding he fetch something or send something and so on. I just don’t want that to be us, I don’t want to use him.” Poflorin explained hurriedly. Luckily I was not the kind of King that would take that as an accusation; Zach, though, seemed a little worried that I might.

“It is work for His Majesty, Rin. He does pay me…” Zach said just as hurriedly, attempting to smooth over the potential slight, as it were.

“There is no offence taken.” My words genuine. “I have always considered Zach to be in my employment; we have a contract. It is verbal, but no less honoured for that fact by either party. It is mutually beneficial and it does not in any way detract from Zach being his own person. He is welcome to be free of it at any time that he might choose. Departing from being in my service would not deprive him in anyway. Food, board and coin will be provided until he is 18 no matter what.” I smiled widely at the two lads before me. “Zach very much enjoys running errands for me, often without even being asked due to his little vice. He is very partial to knowing secrets.”

“It’s true.” Zach squirmed. “What is today's count?” He asked, changing topic.

“Three.” I told him, understanding perfectly.

“Three what? Secrets?” Poflorin asked, completely thrown. We had gotten even further off topic and while the hour was late I couldn’t help but indulge. Their company was enjoyable and at least I could relax a little with them.

“Three accusations.” Zach replied calmly. “The accused is ready to hear the charges.”

“Mr Hilop is missing spectacles, Lilana is missing a bracelet and Ms Doran, well she is missing two sets of expensive bed linens.” I told him.

“Wait, wait, people are accusing Zach of taking their stuff?” Poflorin fumed, and righteously so.

“Always.” Zach rolled his glowing eyes.

“But I know it’s not true and so we play this little game. Occasionally Zach does borrow something for the game to see if I can guess which of the items he has been accused of taking he actually took.” I nabbed myself another biscuit. Poflorin just blinked, looking a little lost.

“It’s fun.” Zach assured him. He closed his eyes and tapped the floor a couple of times with his bare foot. His eyes were glowing so much I could see it through the lids. “The spectacles are on top of the wardrobe, the bracelet is… is… really hard to see!” He laughed. “Um, I think it’s caught on a curtain in the library? The linens though… they’re under Sami’s bed.” He finished sadly. It was always upsetting when we found someone who had actually been stealing.

“No borrowing today?”

“Not that they noticed…” Zach had a cheeky grin filling his face. He held out his palm with the borrowed item.

“Zach, please put that back immediately. If it is found to be missing it will cause great distress.” I actually turned a little pale myself at seeing what Zach had borrowed.

“Oh, what is it?” Zach turned the wooden die, looking at the symbols carved into it.

“It is used in a game where dice are thrown.” It looked like the sort of innocuous thing that Zach would regularly borrow for our game but I knew that while it had no monetary value, the sentimental value was priceless. “This particular one belonged to Captain Preston’s brother who died.” The last word had barely left my lips and Zach was gone, returning the item to exactly where he had found it.

“Sorry.” He said, slipping out of the floor.

“It’s quite alright, you weren’t to know and afterall I am the one that encourages this folly. You’re just indulging an old man.” I winked. “Anyway I fear we had drifted rather far off topic. Let’s see, glowing purple eyes. Hum, Zach, I do believe you have a secret to reveal to Healer Poflorin. The one from earlier today.”

“Really!! I can share?!” Zach lit up. They were so close, dare I say completely in love, it must be very difficult for Zach to be keeping all these things from Poflorin. Zach whispered in Poflorin's ear and the young Healer's eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Why, under the blessing, would she do that with it?" Poflorin practically screeched.

"I can only hazard a guess, one that sounds like utter madness. Perhaps the forest told her to do it." Letting the thought loose into the world was not as bad as it had seemed in my mind. Since Zach had told me the location of the Remnant I had been trying to slot things together. "Afterall the Remnant was brought to Lystra from the forest and when the traveler tried to sell it a scuffle that resulted in his death ensued. One of the attackers was reported to have yelled 'it wants me'. Very odd but it compounds my theory." I sighed passing the note Zach had brought me to Poflorin. "Then there is this."

Poflorin read the note carefully and Zach peered over his shoulder wanting to know as well but Zach couldn't read. The odd word perhaps but not much more, despite all my attempts to have him tutored. His magic had him seeing too much and trying to focus on the letters was impossible. Writing was even worse. Each stroke of the pen lighting up the page and the desk and the floor.

"This is from Benton? With the sight?" Confused words from Poflorin's lips that matched his confused face.

"Yes, read it out for Zach. He is just dying to know." I chuckled. "I think it's time that there were no secrets between the two of you bar the ones you wish to actually keep." Zach beamed. He had so many to share. I expected there would be a few nights of endless, excitable conversation in their future.

Poflorin read the note to himself once more and then out loud for Zach.