The Pharmacist and The Prince

A Saviour

saviour/ˈseɪvjə/ :  a person who saves someone or something from danger or difficulty.

If someone told Ebony that she would be spending the night in a different world, she would have advised the person to lay off the hallucinogens. Now, it seemed like she was the one hallucinating.

Night had fallen on the kingdom of Seelsorger. Two moons shone and the stars twinkled in the night sky. Ebony leaned on the window in her room and stared up at the glittering heavens. Yep, definitely not earth. The sentence kept falling off Ebony’s lips throughout the day. It seemed like she had found a new catchphrase.

And who could blame her? It had been a nerve-wracking day. She was transported to a new world, fell through the sky, was lassoed and captured. And that was just the morning. As she gazed at the sky, she recalled the moment when everything changed. The moment when she experienced magic.

Ebony did not know what to expect but what happened was nothing she could have ever imagined. The Bookkeeper, in his quest to heal her, had placed both his palms on her head. She felt a little afraid that he was going to crush her head, as the pressure of his hands on her head increased. That fear disappeared the next second. The second she felt it.

The magic.

It felt like a wave of energy flowing through every single cell in her body. The energy rolled from her head to her feet, taking away all the discomfort and pain, revitalizing and reviving her. She opened her eyes- not even aware she had closed them- and found herself lying on the smooth wooden floor.

The Bookkeeper and the other man were both beside her -one by her left and one by her right- both of them looking concerned.

She put one arm beside her and tried to prop herself up. “What happened?”

“I used magic to heal your pain. I did not take the fact that you came from a nonmagical world into consideration. I apologize for that, young lady. How do you feel?”

How did she feel?

She sat up, looked down at her palms and tried to describe how she felt. She felt… reborn.

The pain in her head was the most prominent of them all and that had been removed. The other neglected aches, like the one she received when her backpack fell on her and the burns from where the ropes bruised her skin, were all gone. That wasn’t all, though.

The stress and shock she had received throughout the day as well as the fear she harboured due to her upcoming exams had all been removed. The magic removed it all. She felt…

“Free. I feel free.” Was this magic? Was this truly magic? Ebony tried and failed to wrap her head around the fact that she was in a world where magic existed.

She looked up at the two men and saw something akin to relief on their faces. Strange. Were they worried about me? Ebony wondered.

The other man gave the Bookkeeper a warning look. “Bookkeeper, make sure this does not repeat itself. We cannot afford her getting hurt.”

“Yes, my King. Please accept my apologies once again.”

King? King? This guy is a king? He didn’t look older than she did and he was a king? A king of what? Ebony realized she needed to ask more questions.

“I’m sorry. Uhmm…thank you for healing me but I’ll really like to know what is happening here? Where am I? What am I doing here? And who are you?”

“You’re in the Kingdom of Seelsorger. I am King Regent Reuentahl von Seelsorger.”

Reuentahl? Seelsorger? Are they German? If so, why could she understand them? And he is not king but a regent. Then who is the rightful king?

Before she could ask her questions, though, the King had carried on with his explanation.

“My kingdom is in dire straits, young woman. We are under attack by a vicious and unyielding foe.  A plague. And we are losing. Badly. One-third of my people are dead and another third are sick and are not recovering. We are a proud and ancient kingdom, young woman. We often choose to face our problems head on and unaided. This time, however, we are woefully outmatched and on the path to total decline. We had no choice but to request assistance by invoking the magic of summoning. The magic chose you and summoned you here, I admit, without your permission. I cannot do anything about that except ask for your understanding. Now you are here, however, allow me to appeal to you.”

Taking a step towards her, he held both his arms to his sides and bowed deeply.

“Please aid us in whatever way you can. The fate of my kingdom depends on you.”

Ebony felt goosebumps pop up all over her skin as she stared at the bright blonde head of the king bowed towards her. This was a king. The King Regent of a kingdom. And he was bowing to her. From her earlier observation of him, she was very well aware that bowing to people was not something he made a habit off. Yet…

Ebony ran through what he told her in her mind. The anguish and agony in his voice was real and impacted her in a way she wouldn’t have thought possible. This was a man who truly loved his kingdom and was willing to humble himself in order to save that kingdom.

“Please raise your head. I’m not someone to be bowed to.” She waited until he raised his head before she continued. “I would love to help you and your kingdom. Really, I would. But I don’t know if I can.”

“You can.” The Bookkeeper took a step forward. “The magic of summoning picked you and the magic is never wrong. If it picked you to help, then you are the one to help.”

That statement seemed to satisfy the Bookkeeper and the King but it didn’t satisfy her. Even now that night had come and she reflected on the day’s events, it still didn’t sit right with her. She wasn’t even a pharmacist. Just a student who was yet to write her final exams. She hadn’t even interned. Nothing.

And a kingdom wanted her to save them.

It was just too much.

She wanted to refuse. But she didn’t. she couldn’t. When she had asked for more details on the issue at hand, the Bookkeeper and the King had taken her to the town she had seen earlier and showed her the state of the people, the misery and suffering that the kingdom had been plunged into.

The town was beautiful. Even with the emptiness and the despair she could she on people’s faces, the town was truly beautiful. The buildings were of different shapes, colours and sizes. Some were made of deep brown wood, while others were made with a red stone which looked like brick but wasn’t quite. Some others weren’t made of wood or stone but instead a plastic-like substance.

The appearance of the town was unique and changed from house to house but one thing was constant. The pain. All the residents were in pain. Some emotional and others physical. They were all in pain. They stared out of their windows at the carriage she rode in, their eyes clouded over. There were some residents who were shocked at the colour of her skin. Most of them, however, were too depressed to take note of anything.

Ebony prided herself on being rational, on putting logic over emotions. But she couldn’t turn away the people that so badly needed her help. And so she agreed to help. The King had immediately provided a room for her to stay at the nearest apothecary. The room was beautifully furnished. It had a bathroom that ran on some sort of magical technology. It was spacious and very comfortable.

From the window where she was currently reclining, she could see the outline of the castle. Whenever she gazed at it, the king’s impassioned plea came to mind. He was truly a good ruler.

If only her world had rulers who truly cared about the populace.

She pushed off the window and that line of thought. It was time to rest. Stretching, she headed to the bed and was about to lie down when a sudden thought struck her.

If this world had magic, why couldn’t they use magic to save themselves?