Retrace bxbxb

Moment

The warmth and comfort enveloping Harper kept him from waking far into the morning... a high fever also likely a culprit in his decision to remain in bed past proper hours. He was snuggled beneath the heavy blankets, quietly breathing through his mouth, his nose stuffed and cheeks pale. He remained oblivious to the world until he felt the thick blankets pealed back one at a time, finally revealing him to the chilly air of Rule's bed chambers. 

Logically, he knew that the room couldn't have been too cold as he tried to force open eyes that felt sealed shut, but he was already shivering when his body was only half uncovered. His stomach growled faintly, too, but the thought of food did nothing to rouse him further. He had no appetite. 

"I wouldn't bother him much today, my lord. He has quite a high fever." 

Frustrated pacing echoed in the room as Harper tried to huddle in on himself to warm up. He knew in the back of his mind that he could just reach down and pull the blankets back over himself, but his mind was too tired to process the simple idea. 

"You are certain he's not faking?" Rule's voice growled on a sigh. 

Another shiver ran down Harper's spine, making his muscles ache from the continuous shaking he'd likely done throughout the night. "I assure you that he indeed unwell. If he was feeling fine yesterday, perhaps something had stressed him out to the point of being ill, or he had eaten something bad, but I must advise you from forcing him to wake until at least this evening, and only to try and offer him some broth." 

Another sigh, then the sound of Rule's footsteps took him right up to the bed to stand beside where Harper lay. Silence stretched for a few moments before Rule replied. "Alright. Thank you, doctor. I will let him rest... but please keep this situation to yourself. I want no one else hearing of it. I called you here for a simple check up for myself, that is all. There was no boy." 

There wasn't a bit of hesitation when the doctor responded. "Yes, my lord." Then the sound of his footsteps dissipated until he was gone from the rooms.   

Harper drifted off to sleep soon after only to be awoken by the feeling of something gently brushing against his cheek. The blankets had found their way back over his body, fully covering him up to where they were tucked beneath his chin. He felt overheated, but couldn't find the strength to move them, nor the will. Chills swept through his body, sending mixed signals to his tired mind. 

"You are a fool, Hari." 

There was a pause as Rule moved in the room, the sound of his shoes on the wooden floor giving away what he was doing. 

"Actually, I doubt that's even your real name." 

Harper heard him put something down on what had to be the desk in the corner by his washroom, then his footsteps came closer again. 

"I had intended to call the magistrate in here the moment you awoke this morning before he left, yet you ended up so sick that you slept through me trying to wake you for nearly half an hour." 

A frustrated sigh left his lips and he walked away into the sitting room when the sound of someone knocking echoed into the bedroom, then he returned a few moments later, setting down what sounded like a piece of dishware somewhere nearby. 

"You need to wake up, Hari. It's late and you have eaten nothing all day." He stated as the bed dipped with Rule's weight near where Harper lay. 

He didn't want to, for obvious reasons that had been bombarding his mind all night, but Harper knew that he couldn't just sleep away his problems. His sickness did hinder his ability to move more than he thought it would, however, and forced him to take several minutes to pry his black-rimmed eyes open, and another couple to pull himself up against the pillows in order to sit up slightly.