The Pharmacist and The Prince

A Generous Man

generous /ˈdʒɛn(ə)rəs/ : showing a readiness to give more of something, especially money, than is strictly necessary or expected.

The group carried on from the first site of delivery to another one, at the edge of the town, where they unloaded the bags in the second cart. It makes for easier distribution, the King Regent had said, to have two centres in the town.

This one looked like a shop that had been repurposed to accommodate the food supplies. The front of the shop had a patch on the front door that looked discoloured, like a poster had been hung there for a long time. Only recently removed.

The building was made with the weird plastic-like building material she had seen in the town two days ago. There were shelves of various sizes that looked like display shelves littered around the front of the shop.

“I wonder what was sold here,” Ebony wondered out loud, not expecting a reply.

“Kids toys.”

Ebony spun around.

Reuentahl stood beside his horse. He was hunched over his saddle, tightening it. “The owner of the store is a construction magicker. Instead of going the usual house-and-road construction way, he decided to make toys for kids. And he’s pretty good at it too.”

He leaned back, observing his work. Seeming satisfied with it, he walked up to her at the shop’s entrance. “His son was one of the first casualties in this town. As expected of a man who gave up a lucrative career in construction to make toys for kids, he willingly gave us his shop when we asked for a place to distribute. It’s his way of helping out.”

Ebony turned to the shop, her eyes landing on the barren shelves. Her hands tightened into fists as her heart tightened in pain. She found herself asking what she could do for this generous man. A thought popped in her head. Wait, construction worker?

“He is a construction worker. We can give him a chance to work on the project as well. Sometimes, keeping busy can keep grief away.” Ebony had suffered from disappointments in her life. None as severe as a deceased child, but she understood the value of directing your energy elsewhere, rather than into your grief. “What do you think, Your Majesty?”

She looked at Reuentahl’s face and saw that it surprisingly darkened. Ebony reeled back. Had she said something wrong?

“Your Majesty? Did I say something wrong?”

Reuentahl sighed. Shook himself and rubbed his face. “I think, once again, you’re right. Let’s go speak with him.” He beckoned her, heading to the side of the building. “He’s at the back of the shop.”

Ebony followed him, staring at his muscled back. What was going through his mind? If they were friends, she might have asked freely but they were barely acquaintances, much less friends.  

They went round the building and arrived at the back. The back door of the shop was opened and the attendants moved in and out, filling baskets and barrels with the food. Ebony entered the room and looked around.

From the way the backroom was designed, you could immediately discern that some sort of construction regularly took place here. There were all sort of tools, some Ebony recognized and some that looked completely strange, not like anything on earth.

Ebony stared at the utensils. None of them looked like the ran on motors, so they probably were magic-powered. As Ebony gawked at a tool that looked like a saw at one end and a plier at the other, a door opened in a corner of the room and someone walked out of it.

The movement immediately caught her attention and she turned to see someone who could only be described as a giant. The man who entered the room was tall and big and had a bearded face with a bald head. He carried in both hands baskets that looked like the ones the attendants were currently using to put away the food.

Was this the proprietor of the shop? The construction worker? The children toy maker? It didn’t matter. She had to stop staring.

Ebony averted her eyes and noticed the man do the same. He had also been staring at her. That was strange. Why was he…? She gave herself a mental facepalm. Black girl. She had to keep reminding herself that she was the only black person anybody here had seen and that they would stare as soon as they saw her. No matter.

She saw Reuentahl walk up to the man and followed suit, her leather shoes silent on the hard wood floor. Arriving in front of the man, it was much more obvious how much he dwarfed her in size and height. It was intimidating.

She stood to the side, hands behind her, as the King Regent introduced her. “This is Lady Ebony.”

She stretched out her right hand for a handshake. “Good day, sir. It’s nice to meet you.”

The giant shrunk back a little, like he was being intimidated. Clearing his throat, he took her proffered hand with a bow and brought it to his lips, kissing it. “Milady.”

Ebony’s mouth dropped open. What was that? Did he just kiss her hand? Was she imagining things? It obviously was real because she could feel the bristles of his beard against her skin.

The giant pulled back and bowed again. Ebony closed her gaping mouth and arranged her features, the back of her hand tingling. She twisted her head to look at the King Regent and what do you know? He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself, his eyes glittering.

His Christmas-came-early smile brought back a memory.

Yesterday, in the courtyard of the castle. The King Regent had stretched his hand out, palm up towards her. That had struck her as a strange thing to do for a handshake but she shook it nonetheless. Now, she realized what he had wanted. He had wanted her to place her hand in his so he could kiss it. Like the giant man did.

That’s why Aische and the attendant were shocked and the King Regent had smiled this exact same smile then. That was the normal greeting for a man to woman of status. This was normal.

Well, he could have told her but it seems like he enjoyed taunting her, much like earlier this morning. She squinted at him in disapproval and watched as he laughed away the reproach. Turning to the man, he said, “The lady here has something she would like to ask of you.” Turning back to her, he added, “Do you not?”

Ebony fondled with the folds of her gown. “Uhmmm, yes.” It would be better if the King Regent spoke and he knew that too. Instead, he was forcing her to take the lead. She searched his face for something that would tell her that he was doing it as a way to taunt her, but she found nothing of the sort. What she found was a kind of deference.

He wanted her to take the lead because he believed she could.

The realization was a pleasant surprise and an immediate confidence boost.

“Yes, I have something to say.” Ebony cleared her throat and looked up at the hulking man. “Or at least, something to ask. I was told that you are a construction…uhm…magicker.”

The shop owner blinked rapidly as if he was trying to figure out why this was being asked of him. “Yes, milady. I have the construction magic aptitude.” Pause. “Is there something you would like done?”

“Yes. The King Regent has given me permission to construct several temporary buildings around the kingdom. I ask if you would like to join the project.”

The hulk of a man bent in another bow. “Your Majesty, Milady. I would love to assist you in this project. If I can be useful, then please allow me.”

Ebony wound and unwound her hands and felt her insides stir. She was being bowed to again. Was she ever going to get used to this? “Is there somewhere we can discuss more? I’d like to go into more details.”

The giant nodded. “Of course, milady. This way,” he said and headed towards another door just beside the one he came out from.

Ebony wanted to ask her to use her name but held her tongue. It was another thing she had to get used to. She heard the Reuentahl tell the attendants to return to the castle once they were done. Her ears twitched at that. Would they be heading to the northern region alone?

She saw the King Regent walk past her and follow the shop owner. That reminded her that she needed to move. Entering the room, even a blind man could tell that this was the office. Shelves of documents filled the room with a table and three chairs placed near the only window.

The shop owner stood to the side and gestured for them to enter the room. Ebony heard the door close behind her and saw the man hurry to pull the chair at the head of the table out for Reuentahl to sit on. Kingly treatment.

She wasn’t left standing though. The proprietor turned around and also pulled out a chair for her to sit on. She nodded her thanks as she took the seat. There was silence in the room for a few seconds as Ebony prepared a sequence of words in her mind.

She decided to start with something basic. “Proprietor. May I know your name?”

“Yes, milady.” He placed a hand to his chest and bowed slightly. “My name is Varick Lutz. I am at your service, milady.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lutz.” Ebony rested her hands on the table and leaned forward. “Mr. Lutz, like I said earlier, the King Regent has given me permission to engage in a large scale construction project. I have a broad idea of what is needed in the project. But I still need to fine tune the details. I’d like to describe the image I have in my head to you. Do you have somewhere you can write or draw some things on?”

“Of course, milady.” Lutz stood up, walked to the shelves and rummaged through them with his back to the room. He turned and Ebony could see what looked like paper and a quill in his hand. he sat back at the table and turned his head at her expectantly.

“Okay. I want the building to be a temporary structure, no solid foundations. It should look like a rectangle.” Ebony used her finger to illustrate on the wood. “The longer side of the building should be able to house fifty small beds side by side with some space between each bed. Each of the beds will have one directly opposite it so the shorter side of the building should be able to accommodate the length of two beds. That will make a hundred beds in total. There should be a corridor between the fifty beds on each side, large enough for two or three people to walk side by side or large enough for carts to be pushed through.”

Ebony studied the wood of the table. Ran her hand over it. “The wood for the beds and the structure. I don’t know if it’s possible but it should be smooth, preferably varnished to make it easier to clean. The building is going to be used to house and treat the sick so we need it to be easy to clean. The structure does not need to be so strong but it needs to be able to withstand rain and harsh winds. I don’t know what the weather is like around here.”

Ebony thought for a moment. “Yes, and we will be building nine of these around the kingdom. One at every apothecary.”

Ebony watched as Varick’s beard bobbed up and down as he opened his mouth and shut it repeatedly. She began to wonder if she gave him a stroke. Like the King Regent had said, it was an ambitious project.

Varick rubbed his head and exhaled a few times before he spoke. “Well, milady, Your Majesty. It is the greatest honour to be asked to participate in such a project. I have to wonder, however, if I am worthy of inclusion in such an undertaking.”

Reuentahl spoke from the head of the table. “If you are not worthy, Varick, then no one else is. Like the Lady said, these buildings will be used to house and treat the sick. The kingdom is in decline, Varick, and hope is sparse. When we searched the town for a place to distribute food, you generously offered us your shop. The others did not turn us away but they did not welcome us either. Not because of lack of kindness but because of lack of hope. You, my friend, have a generous heart full of hope.”