The Blossoming Willow

Chapter 3: The Reunion

Mary's eyes flew open as an acrid scent filled her nostrils. She backed away from it, coughing.

"And there she is," an unfamiliar, male voice stated. "Seriously, Captain, what did you say to her to make her faint?"

"Nothing, Doctor!" the Captain exclaimed. "She was starting to grow hysterical and then she just up and fainted."

As her head began to clear, Mary took in her surroundings. She was sitting on a bed, propped up by some pillows, in a small room with a wooden ceiling. She assumed it had to be another room at the inn. Before her, sitting on a chair next to the bed was a young man, dressed in a simple linen shirt, holding a bottle of smelling salts. He looked to be in his early twenties, had straight brown hair that lay somewhat messily on his head, and kind, hazel eyes. Standing just behind him was the Captain.

She shrank into the pillows a little at the sight of the Edentonian guard. The last thing she could remember was him threatening her with possible legal action. At least, she thought that's what he had been saying. At the end, everything had grown kind of muddled.

"Please," she said meekly, "if you'll just let me go, I promise I won't bother you anymore. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

She had tried. And failed. Now there was nothing to do but pray that they would be merciful. If they turned her over to the authorities - well, she didn't want to think about what the fate of a slave in her current position would be.

"Oh, you're going to stay right there, miss," the Captain said firmly, "until the king's ready for you. You'll be getting your audience with him after all."

"I-what?" she asked, growing even more pale.

"Now look, you've scared her!" the young doctor complained to his companion. He turned to her. "Everything's going to be all right, miss. You look like you're still a little disoriented. Why don't we start with something simple? I'm Luke. Doctor Luke Mere, to be exact. I'm the king's physician."

He held out his hand to her in a friendly gesture. She looked at it uncertainly for a moment. It wasn't until he had pulled it back that she realized he had expected her to shake it.

"What's your name?" he went on in a friendly tone.

"Mary." It came out barely above a whisper.

"Just Mary?" he prodded gently. "Not Lady Mary or anything?"

She glanced nervously at the guard and shook her head. "Just Mary is all I've been for a long time," she replied.

The doctor smiled at her. "Now we're getting somewhere! See, that wasn't so hard? Now that we're acquainted, Mary, I need to ask you some more questions. You've had a fainting spell. Have you been feeling ill today?"

She shook her head. "No more than usual."

"No more than usual?" he repeated. "You aren't with child, by any chance?"

"What? No!" she exclaimed, mildly insulted.

"I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "I'm a physician; I have to ask. Now when-"

"What's going to happen to me?" she cut him off.

"Happen to you?" he asked, as if not sure what she was asking. "Well, I'm going to get to the bottom of why you fainted. And then we're going to see about getting you some decent clothes. And finally, you'll have a talk with the king. That is why you're here, isn't it?"

"Well, yes..."

She was confused by his answer. And why she was here. If the guard thought her a danger, why hadn't he just given her the smelling salts himself and then drug her before his king to make some kind of weak defense for herself before they did who knew what to her? Why bring her to the king's physician of all people if they were going to interrogate her? And what was this about clothes?