Grown Enchantress (Book #2, Young Witch Series)

Chapter 10

Arriving at the palace, Madeline rushed up to see her father, while Jessamine stayed to make sure the driver knew he should head straight back to Devall Hall to collect more passengers, and luggage, and hurry straight back, as fast as the winter weather, and the horses, would let him safely travel.

When Jessamine finally got up to see the king, he was quite ill. She was glad she had brought her small case of potions, and set about discovering what was wrong with him. She asked the Royal Physician in to talk with her, and shooed Madeline and the anxious queen out of the room, giving Madeline firm instructions to get her exhausted mother to bed for some much-needed sleep.

"But, Jessamine, I could help!" Madeline protested, resisting the physical push Jessamine resorted to, to get her young friend out of the room.

"You'd be doing more good if you got your mother to bed, and arranged for you and I to be fed. After that, I'll see." Jessamine said, shutting the door in the outraged face of the girl. She turned back to the Royal Physician, who had arrived just before she managed to get the queen out of the room, "Now, Sir, honour to meet you. My name is Lady Jessamine, Lady Enchantress of the House of Devall." She dipped a shallow curtsy.

"Mr Jones." He bowed his head, not bothering with the sort of formality that was expected, and Jessamine didn't take offence, knowing that it was pointless to enforce that sort of thing in the circumstances.

"Mr Jones, would you be able to tell me what troubles the king so? I have not been here long." She spoke with a formality that she rarely used at home, not liking it, as she was mostly raised by servants, who used the language more common to the majority of the population, and many of her charges used the same informality, as they were not from the richer families.

"Certainly, My Lady, He struggles for breath, and there is little I can do. It was confined him to bed, and he had weakened from it. He developed a cough a week ago, and it hasn't entirely left him, despite the care I have given him." He liked how Lady Jessamine was straight to the point. He knew she had been called in to help him, and since he had done what he could for the king, and nothing had made a difference, he was welcoming her help. It had taken a few weeks to come to this conclusion though, and the queen had to make it a decree that Lady Jessamine was to be called in.

"Just Jessamine, please. Lady Jessamine if plain Jessamine makes you feel uncomfortable." Jessamine said, unaware of the issue that had happened when she was called for. "Has the King had any rashes or anything like that?"

"None, Lady Jessamine, he has simply had the trouble breathing." Mr Jones said, gazing around at the room the king was in.

Jessamine followed his gaze, "I think, we need to move him to the country. The air out there is cleaner, and we might see some improvement. Do you think it would be safe to move him?" She asked politely, "I have only been asked to advise so far, but the orders are to come from you." She bowed her head towards the man, leaving the decision up to him.

"If we had a way to make him more comfortable, I would feel more comfortable moving him." The doctor admitted, "I have not the training to risk moving him, but your potions might be the trick."

"Do you have a magical background?" Jessamine enquired, "I don't want to try the same things you have if there is no shown improvements."

"I have none, Lady Jessamine. I was chosen based on my skill in natural remedies. And the queen admitted not many of the magical community go in for cures like you have. They prefer to be more warlike and versed in the detection of other magical users." Mr Jones explained, "You are one of the first of your kind. Princess Madeline is said to be the next."

"I'm flattered." Jessamine said dryly, smiling at the nervous man in front of her, "I can whip something up, but it will taste horrible for him, but it might help. In the meantime," She reached into her bag, and pulled out a small vile, "This should help him breath easer while I run down to the kitchen. It would help if I knew exactly what to give him, but I have never encountered something like this before." She admitted, pouring a cup of tea from the tea trolley that was in the room. It was but a moment to warm the cold tea up, and she offered the tea to the doctor, before pouring a second for the king. To it, she added a mixture set to ease breathing, and any and all ailments. It was good for everything, while Jessamine worked out what the person needed, and mixed something up for them. It was addictive though, so she only used it in small quantities, and only once per patient, so give them some ease while she worked. She explained all of this to Me Jones as she mixed it in, and helped the king, who was propped up on cushions, to drink the whole tea, and then set about making sure that while the room was almost air tight, that the sun was allowed in, to help warm the king up.

She took Mr Jones down to the kitchen after another half hour or so, and explained what she was doing, so that if she was getting anything wrong, he would be able to correct her, to make sure she got the right mixture for the king.

She also, knowing the king would still sleep for another few hours, whipped up a small cake for the queen, mixing in feelings of positivity, and hope, making sure the kitchen knew to send it up straight away, and not to even ice them. She wrote out a note for Madeline to be sent up on the tray, explaining what the cakes were for, and got her now seeped mixture for the king bottled, and headed back up to his room. She had let Mr Jones lick the cake spoon, and he was now feeling much better about the whole idea of Jessamine helping him and the King. He was also quite amused to see that the famous Enchantress of Devall knew her way around a kitchen. He had no idea his royal princess knew the same things this talented lady did.

Once the king awoke, they fed him the plain water that was the spell, and after he finished gagging, he was well enough to have things explained to him. Madeline was there for this; her mother having fallen asleep while relaxing in her own suite. Madeline suggested moving the king to their country estate, and Jessamine and Mr Jones agreed readily, and started making plans to move the king in a week.

When Madeline went to start getting her mothers things packed and ready to travel with her father, Jessamine asked to see the note book Madeline still kept about her magical education. She saw the detailed notes her student still kept, and when she got to the page about the lessons she had received from Jessamine over the years, Jessamine added another to the list; Sometimes, the hardest thing you can do, is nothing at all.

Madeline looked at the newest addition to her book in astonishment. It certainly wasn't in her handwriting, but she suspected Jessamine, and wondered why she had written it in her book for Madeline to find weeks later.

Jessamine had made sure the king had travelled safely, then returned to her own home, which was only a few hours away, with instructions to call upon her if anything happened, and left the reminder of the potion, which should last the king a year, with him.

In the few weeks that had passed since moving the king, the queen had returned to the capital to over see the day to day running of the kingdom, and Madeline was helping her father with the move complex issues, which had been mailed on by her mother.

Madeline hadn't really checked the book since giving it to Jessamine for a look the day they decided to move the king, but she had her final exams for magical competency coming up next week, and she wanted to review things, which was why she was reading the book again as last minute study.

Lord Enchanter Rushworth was to be the one to test her, one of the last students he would test, before handing the title over to his eldest son. Their family handed it over when the father reached the age of 60, or it was automatically passed on if the father died before then. Lord Rushworth only had a few months before he turned 60, and Madeline had been invited to the celebration to be held at their country seat, only several miles from her own current residence.

She intended to go, if her father was well enough. Despite the medicine that Jessamine had made for him, he still continued to get worse. Mr Jones said it was because the lack of breath made other things hard to do, but had no idea why. Her father slept most of his time now, and Madeline had set up a time to go and see Jessamine about getting a stronger potion made up to help. After all, three months should have been fine for the potion to still be helping, but the king was slowly getting worse. Madeline didn't know how much time he had left.