To Wear The Crown

21

The hairs on the back of Charlie's neck begin to stand as the two friends travel further into the orange district, until entering the green district. They have not walked on the main road at any point , the constant journey has been through small streets and alleys. Charlie currently has no idea where he is, as this is the furthest he's traveled into the lower town if not on the main road. Yet, Isaac leads as he knows the way like the veins on the back of his hand. Not once has he stopped to look around and gain judgment of their location.

"How long have you known this physician?" Charlie asks casually to hide the fact he's currently worried for the safety of himself and his friend, as well as the people in need.

"About a month. He's a friend to one of my teachers. So when he told my teacher he was looking for an apprentice, my teacher said I should try to get the place.Twice a week I go to his workplace with some other students and we train together." Isaac seems calm as the streets become filled with people beginning their day, and alleys become tighter meaning they have to almost sidestep to get through.

"...Right." Charlie is sure no one recognises him as the prince's servant, but he becomes more cautious as they travel further into the green district— an unknown world to him. "Um... how much longer?" Charlie's not just worried about where they are, but how long he's going to be until he gets back to the castle. The prince knows Charlie is going to be late, however Charlie would prefer getting back to the castle before midday.

Isaac turns the corner and there, a few feet away, is a building— with a cracked red paint door— standing on its own separated from the other terrace houses. One of the windows on the ground floor is boarded up. A wooden sign creaks as it swings above the door, an engraving reads Physician Farouk. Charlie has never heard the name before, though he doesn't know many physicians other than the one that works for the royal family. Isaac is the one to knock on the door and the sudden sound of a table being knocked and glasses moving come not long after.

The door is flung open and a fairly youngish male stands in the doorway— it's hard to tell how old he is, as the beard gives the appearance of middle age. "Isaac?" He poses the name like a question as Isaac is not meant to be at his doorstep for another two days.

"Can we come inside?" Isaac looks past the physician and into the room behind him.

"Yes?" The physician steps aside even though he is not sure what is going on and who the male accompanying Isaac is.

Upon entering the building, Charlie can see right to the back of the house as the majority of the bottom floor is open plan— a staircase to the back left corner goes to the second floor and a door on the right wall hides another room. For what Charlie can see is shelves upon shelves of jars filled with liquids, powders, and possible body parts— Charlie really hopes that the body parts come from other animals and not humans. There are also books neatly and messily stacked on the shelves, a few even sprawled on the table, showing diagrams of plants Charlie has never seen before. There is also some scientific equipment set up with an orange liquid bubbling in a flask that is connected to some other flask that's collecting the condensed something Charlie won't know.

"Take a seat if you want." The physician pulls two chairs from the table in the middle of the room and tidies some of his equipment to make more room.

"Thank you." Isaac easily goes to take a seat whereas Charlie is more cautious. "Farouk, this is Charlie, he is the personal servant to the prince and we are here on official royal business." Isaac is a lot more straight to the point than Charlie expected.

Farouk turns away from his bookshelf to look at the two males sat in his home, a puzzled look on his face. "Royal business?" He asks unsure as to why such people would feel the need to get in contact with him. "Don't they have their own physician?"

"Yes, however we want someone who isn't so much in the public's eye. Do you understand what I mean?" Charlie speaks, finally entering the conversation.

"I do. I do, but me?" Farouk moves to join the two at the table.

Charlie nods at Isaac who pulls the letter and hands it over to the physician. Farouk's eyes dart from Isaac to Charlie's as he opens the letter. Only the bubbling orange liquid can be heard as Farouk reads the letter, his eyes occasionally looking back up at Charlie every few seconds.
Farouk lays the letter on the table and scratches the back of his neck. "This is um.. this is something." He chuckles to himself as a silly thought crosses his mind. "You probably like this, don't you Isaac? You've got a free pass from the royal family to be my apprentice."

"I can't deny that." Isaac laughs back.

Charlie does not laugh, as to him this is more serious than it says in the letter. He knows that the king actually doesn't care for his people and would let whatever is terrorising the civilians in Redcliffe to continue. "Will you agree?"

"Well..." Farouk's fingers tap over the letter. Charlie and Isaac lean in, in anticipation. "I'm going to need to prepare to leave and sort out a few things here. I also have some questions I'd like to ask the royal family, if that's okay? After that... I'm pretty sure there is no way I can't say yes." Farouk smiles at the end.

"Write down whatever it is you'd like to ask and any conditions you have. I'll make sure it gets to them right away." Charlie bows his head to thank the physician for the help he may offer.

Charlie's walking the castle corridors to the prince's room to deliver the good news. The physician is going to agree to the prince's request, but the fact the prince is having to do such a thing isn't right, the good-for-nothing king should be the one sorting this kind of thing out. Charlie has the letter from the physician gripped in his hand— he has not read it this time out of respect for the physician's privacy, but he'll know the contents sure enough when he hands it over to the prince.

Reaching the corridor for the prince's room, Charlie picks up speed when Tao suddenly steps out in front of him and pulls him into a storage cupboard.

"The fuck?" Charlie asks as his back crashes against some mop handles leaning against the wall.

"The fuck?" Tao mocks. "The fuck was what I saw last night..." Tao's eyes glare at Charlie who has some explaining to do.

Charlie nervously smiles as he body shrinks into the wall.