Once Upon A [Hidden] Time - [Stolen] Series IV

CHAPTER 26

MYRA
20 JUNE 1415

Edward had brought the torch from the corridor, so he fixed it onto the wall and burned the taper inside the wall.

As expected, the fire spread rapidly all across the library, always surprising me. The book was there as we had left it last time, so it was already open.

I sat down and touched the page. Last time, I pulled my hand away in the middle of the scene because it was searing a lot. My hand burned again, but I inhaled sharply to bite the sting. The page glowed, forming a window in front of us.

"It still addles me," said Edward, looking at the window. "How is it possible?"

"I know."

"Your Majesty," said a woman, entering the room to meet Jasmine. It was a different room, one we had neither seen in her book nor in the castle. Perhaps it was an office or clinic that had now transformed into something else.

"Come in, Duchess," Jasmine said, gesturing to the seat opposite her. The Duchess was in her forties, according to Jasmine, but she looked quite old for her age. "Have a seat." The woman took her seat. "Are you still bleeding?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the woman answered.

"You must refrain from lying with your husband until I heal you," Jasmine suggested. "It is not good for your health."

"But he does not lie with me anymore," objected the Duchess.

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked.

"It has been many years, Your Majesty," the Duchess pursed her lips, her face flushed. "Our marriage was strictly an alliance between the two houses. I fulfilled his purpose and gave him a son." She shrugged matter-of-factly.

Jasmine thought for a second. Her thoughts were so loud, Edward jerked his head at me, wanting to know what Jasmine meant.

"How long has it been?"

"On my nineteenth summer, I gave him his son," said the Duchess.

"So it has been twenty-two summers since you have lain with him?"

Her face turned beet red.

"Have you lain with any man in these last few years?" I felt like the woman's face would burst in embarrassment at Jasmine's inquiry. "You can trust me, Duchess. Your secret is safe with me."

"No, Your Majesty," she mumbled. "My body is like a barren land now."

Jasmine took her time to evaluate the situation.

"I will give you medicine, but for a few days, you must rest," said Jasmine. Upon that, she fetched a box, opened it, and took out a vial and a syringe.

"Goodness!" I exclaimed. "Where is she getting these medicines from?" I noticed the box had the name Gardasil on it. I had seen ads for it on trains and subways. It is used to prevent cervical cancer, but is mostly used for girls who start puberty. But unless she was a pharmacist or a doctor herself, how was she getting a hold of these vaccines?

"What do you mean?" asked Edward.

"You can't buy this kind of medicine in my time," I said.

"Why not?" he asked again.

"You have to be a doctor or in the field of medicine to have access," I answered. Was she stealing them?

Jasmine filled the syringe from the vial and poked it into the woman's arm.

"What in the devil's name is she doing?" Edward asked, his face turning white.

"She is injecting medicine into her body," I answered. "The medicine then travels through your body via your bloodstream, making rapid progress." Edward was still transfixed, not able to understand it at all.