Doctor Abbott

Doctor Abbott Part 8

Chapter 8

A few days passed and Ben started to worry that his wife was too confined in their quarters. The promise was kept thus far, She was safe and by his side, but with only the queen able to visit her he felt guilty leaving the chalet each day to do the bidding for the king.

The price for his work seemed to be generous, and Ben had made no attempts to dishonor the king or escape. When he was returned to the small palace he decided it was time to show he would be far more than a passive captive.

Since he seemed to have little movement outside his chambers without escort his request had to go through his lone guard. He stopped in his tracks the moment they entered the palace, and removed the mittens his wife had made him. "I wish to see the king, do you know where he would be this time of day?"

The warrior was eager to end his shift and return home. He simply snatched Ben by the back of the neck and shoved him towards the hall to his quarters, only to find Ben jog up the hall and spin back once he had some distance. "I need some supplies. I cannot just heal people with out proper equipment. I can do a much better job with the tools of my trade."

There would be no answer, Pierce closed the distance once they were in front of his chamber door and slammed Ben up against the wall until he could unlock the chamber door. He Bowled Ben in, locking it. His wife was in there as usual, she had a couple bowls of stew left over from the kitchen and some ale she had warmed over the fire.

She stood when he came in and quietly waited for him to great her. Ever since the night in the gazebo she seemed so different, like she feared he would just up and vanish on her. He couldn't bare the four walls of the room any longer, and instead of just putting up he turned and started banging on the door, yelling at anyone who would be passing.

Lúta sat back on the bed, worried she was the cause of his frustration and wondering if she had made a huge mistake in doing what she did. When no one came to the door, Ben had given up and meant to join his wife on the bed when it cracked open. Erica poked her head in, then she quietly scooted through the rest of the door when she saw things were calm in there. "Pierce says you wish to speak with my husband."

"Yes, the conditions we are in are ludicrous. First off, my wife has been confined to this room for four days now. The guard he sends me out with is stealing either from him, or the people I treat or both, and I have no medical supplies. If you want a healer then I need supplies. I need better clothing for the conditions here."

Erica certainly found his requests reasonable, "Wait here." She ducked back out the door and never closed it. She trusted him far more than anyone else in the palace. But he had saved her only child. If there was one way to win a woman's trust it was that. The door opened a second time, and this time Erica ushered them both down the hall, quietly. The three of them entered the study where Freyr was lost in a tattered old book, sitting in front of a fire with a bear skin over his lap.

His book snapped closed, and the only way Ben could tell the king's eyes were on him was because the light of the fire reflected off them enough. He was so dark that he appeared, little more than a silhouette in his chair. "Well, I suppose if I am to be disturbed, then you should probably just have a seat and join me for a drink."

Ben had learned quickly that one was not to appear too uneasy when dealing with these creatures. Cowardice was seen as a weakness and like any predator, the Joutone seamed to feed on weakness. Seeing his wife in her humbled state made him feel uncomfortable. Lúta was far from shy and his new master had already proved to be tolerant at best. He took the seat across from the king, as Erica offered it up to him.