Fallen Kingdom

CHAPTER TWO: The Plague [WIP]

Azulae hurried across the cobblestone street, her flowing dress whipping out behind her as she moved. A crowd had gathered at the steps of the keep, murmuring and exchanging confused looks.

Ranout, who was following only a few steps behind the Queen, raised his voice in order to be heard by as many as possible. "Make way! Let your Queen through!"

Those who had congregated turned, hastily nudging one another back as the woman and knight rushed past. A collection of soldiers farther up the stairs took notice of the approaching duo, spinning their lances and lowering the wooden shafts' unpointed ends into the crowd.

"Get back! Your Queen approaches!"

Azulae paid those around her no heed, brushing past them at a speed which drew loose ends of clothing upwards. As the citadel's doors were thrown open, the erratic woman frantically sought out someone able to provide her with answers; finding the great entrance hall empty, she moved her search upstairs to the secondary bedchambers.

The rooms were empty, stripped bare of all their furnishings and trappings. In the third interconnected space, a small cluster of people outfitted in long black cloaks and beaked masks were huddled, discussing something in hushed tones. Periodically, one of the dark figures would cough, their beak relinquishing a torrent of smoke which rose to the ceiling, mixing with the already rancid air and swirling in an attempt to locate some form of ventilation.

"Where is he!? Where have you placed his body!?" Azulae grabbed the shoulders of one of the physicians, shaking him slightly.

Ranout, who had managed to finally catch up, gently pried the woman off the doctor, leading to her turning into his chest and beginning to weep. The knight stayed silent, yet his distant gaze drifted to a nearby window and remained there.

One of the masked figures stepped forward, removing his wide-brimmed hat and mask. "I apologize sincerely, Your Highness. However, your husband's body was moved to the chapel in order to prevent the spread of his illness. The only person I shall authorize to see him is Bishop Galwin, and his visit will last no longer than twenty minutes. We cannot permit whatever it is that His Majesty had to spread throughout the populace."

"Please, let me see him! Just once! I beg of you!"

The man shook his head. "As I said, Your Highness―no one shall be allowed to view him. He is to be prepared for burial, then placed within a sarcophagus and interred outside Solas' walls. Once again, I am truly sorry."

"Christophen!" Another cloaked figure stepped away from the cluster of shadows and aromatic spices, vapor trailing from the mask which muffled his accented voice. "At least have the decency to tell the woman what became of her husband!"

"I feel it would be unwise to divulge the exact details of His Majesty's condition―after all, his state caused even some of our most experienced men to squirm."

"Could Her Highness not view King Liäth through one of the church's windows?" Ranout offered, drawing the attention of both doctors engaged in the conversation. After a moment of hesitation, Christophen tilted his head, morphing his countenance into that of a thinking man.

"That could be permissible, as long as none of the putrid miasma within the sanctuary manages to escape through any unsealed seams."

"The question is, though, does she even want to see him?" The other doctor mused, turning his gaze to look squarely at Azulae. "I mean, of course she wants to know about him, but does she actually wish to behold him with her own eyes?"

"I can handle it." The Queen dabbed softly at her face, doing her best to wipe away as much of the wetness as she could; she'd had her chance to cry, and now she needed to be strong for those present.

The masked doctor nodded once, the smoke wrapping around his head in slithering tendrils. "Alright. If that is your wish, then please follow me." He briefly returned his attention to Cristophen, staring at the man through the black covers which obscured his eyes. "Doctor, can you please finalize our reports and make sure the remaining precautions are carried out?"

Christophen nodded, replacing his hat and mask. "Of course! I'll see to it that everything is taken care of."

"Excellent. Thank you." The man swept his arm aside, motioning towards a door at the other end of the chamber. "After you."