Lea's Liberation

A Heart Transformed

A Heart Transformed

Lea was completely nude, laying face down on a bed in a random room of the palace that had been quickly prepared for her to be seen in. Master Hue, the elderly paladin physician, was spreading a bruise cream across her back. More of it was slathered across her thighs and shins, currently soaking into the sheet that he had pulled up to her cover her after applying it.

Her broken fingers were both wrapped up tight next to their unbroken neighbors. Lea had nearly blacked out when Master Hue had forcefully jerked them into their proper positions. She couldn't see her back or her legs – and it hurt too much to try to twist around to look – but the physician assured her that she was already turning a dark shade of purple where each blow had landed.

"I'll have more of this made for you and delivered to the suite every morning," Master Hue said as he set the empty jar of cream down onto the bedside table. "You're to apply it every night before bed and, if you like, in the morning before getting dressed. Though, it will make your clothes stick to you and you'll smell like medicine."

Lea, grinning as the medicine tingled all along the skin it had touched, diminishing the pain, said, "So long as it doesn't hurt, I don't particularly care." Though, that lack of concern at present might also be in part due to the pain medicine he had her swallow before resetting her fingers.

"Still not feeling dizzy. No headache?" He asked as he, once again, felt along her scalp.

"No. I'm fine." Her arms had taken the brunt of that damage.

"Do you need help getting dressed?"

Lea hadn't even tried to stand up yet. She was comfortable laid out on the bed, her body not hurting any longer and only a dull ache left in her broken fingers. She knew that, when she tried to move, she would aggravate the bruising, and she was reluctant to feel that again.

But, after a few seconds of mourning the need for movement, she agreed to the help before pushing herself up with her good arm.

Master Hue gave her his hand and helped pull her to her feet. She grimaced as, just as she knew would happen, pain began blooming along her back and legs.

Once he was sure that she was steady on her feet, Master Hue turned from her to pick up a plain, silk dressing gown that had been brought by his assistants. He explained that the fabric wouldn't be as quick to absorb the medicine that was slathered thick on her body as he helped pull it over her shoulders then tied it, loosely, around her waist for her.

Though he was a man, Lea wasn't at all self-conscious or modest around him. Master Hue had seen parts of her body that even she had never seen – most of them internal and caused by trauma. He was also old enough to be her grandfather and his gaze purely clinical as he looked her over, holding her at arm's length as he examined her face.

"Maybe you should take the rest of the day off," he suggested gently with an undercurrent of steel in his voice that assured her he was willing to make the suggestion an order if necessary. And while he had no power over her, technically, the king certainly did and his majesty would absolutely order anything Master Hue recommended without exception.

Lea gave him her best smile. "I'm fine. I need to-"

"-do as I say," he cut her off mercilessly. "Rest, Lea. You will hurt more tomorrow, so I want you to rest tomorrow too."

Lea didn't try to argue with him further. She didn't want him to make that an order as well. Even if it did hurt tomorrow – and she was certain that it would – she knew that she would still force herself to get up and do her duty.