When Kings Fall

Four ⋆ Part 1

Day 23: Everything I have tried has failed us. Thaddeus is losing hope. He apologizes to me every day for making me work so hard. He shouldn't apologize for wanting what he deserves.

I furrow my eyebrows together when I notice that the next entry starts off again at day 1 with handwriting even more delicate and smooth than the last. The first light healer died trying to heal him; they died before they could even log what they attempted next. I sigh, leaning back in my chair.

I chew on my lip as I stare at the open book. So far none of it has helped me. His past healers are all light healers, and I am not. The methods they attempted I can't even tweak to fit my healing form.

I bolt my eyes to look at the door as it clicks open. Elora walks in, not even noticing me as she gleefully makes her way to a table. She starts moving stuff around before she pauses, sniffing the air around us. I shuffle in my seat a bit as her wolf can smell me. She turns around face-foreword.

"Oh, hi Aurelia! I didn't expect anyone to be in here." She pauses, sheepishly smiling at me. "Although I should have known you would be."

"King Thaddeus insisted I work in here." I faintly smile at her as my eyes search around at the vials and things surrounding me.

"Well, I'll let you be." Elora starts to turn in order to leave the infirmary.

"What are you doing in here? You seemed to be looking for something." I cut her off, causing her to face me again as I motion towards the table behind her.

She shrugs her narrow shoulders, "I like to fiddle with some of the herbs and their medicinal properties." She pauses and smiles at me a bit. "Something I'm sure you never have to do."

I nod my head, agreeing with her. Her smile fades and she walks over to me. She stops when she is standing over my shoulder and she glances down to the book laid out. I could sense her uneasiness as she sighs,

"It's a shame that trying to help my brother has cost all of them their lives." She quickly looks to me, "But don't worry, I have a feeling that you'll be the one to figure it out!" She tries to cheer me up and comfort me at the same time, but her face didn't show even a tint of hope.

I frown as I look down to the book. "Nothing in this can help me. I will need to come up with my own plan."

"The book can still help you. You can see what will not work and use that to narrow down your choices." Elora walks around me, placing herself in my sight at the opposite side of the table.

I sigh, "Well, I know I can't touch his heart-"

"See! You already know one thing that will not work. Now you can focus on a different method." She gives me a hopeful smile, but it was coated with something else of pity. But, even with her noticeable worry about my life, she seemed occupied in her mind. As she spoke to me, her eyes roamed around, looking for something.

I raise an eyebrow at her. She notices and purses her lips together like a child that is foolishly embarrassed.

"You wouldn't of happened to see a jar labelled as Rubas idaeus?" She hesitantly asks, her blue eyes glancing down to her twiddling fingers.

"No. I haven't. Sorry," I honestly admit to the seemingly naïve and reckless princess. Elora comes off to me as almost too carefree and insensible with her doe eyes and dotted face.

Perhaps it is a result of being treated as a child by her King brother, or perhaps it is the fact that she never had to grow up worrying about anything except what dress she should wear the next day.

She was foolish in that sense, making her a valuable target for me to question and get unwilling secret answers from.

"I'll just check the kitchen." She turns to leave, but stops when I jump up out of the chair.