“Even though she is suffering so much, she just laughs it off, saying that she’s used to being sick by now. She’s tending to the sick herself, wiping the sweat from their foreheads and teaching them how to breathe to minimize the pain.”
While speaking, the apothecary started tearing up, overcome by emotion.
“My grandmother is there, among the sick. Her condition is far enough along that her whole body is covered in those red lines. Our family had no idea what to do, but Lady Lalaya took her hand and said, ‘Don’t give up. Stay strong. We’ll survive this together.’ She’s inspired not just my grandmother, but my whole family.”
One of the other doctors wrapped an arm around the apothecary as he began to break down.
More than one pair of eyes stared resolutely back at Ryan.
“Please let Lady Lalaya take the medicine.”
“We beg you.”
“Everyone in the infirmary will ask you the same thing.”
“Please! Let us save her.”
Ryan gulped.
“Saving this one life will lead to saving thousands, tens of thousands more. That is how meaningful the royalty are to the people of Redford. But honestly, we couldn’t care less about that. After seeing how Lady Lalaya is hiding her own suffering and trying to comfort the people around her, we want to save her more than anything. We know that you care about the people of Redford more than anyone, so we also want to protect what’s precious to you personally,” Conan said, slowly and patiently, as if he were dealing with a small child.
Ryan finally let go of the tension holding him, dropping his shoulders. “As unworthy as I am, I’m still the king. Can I really prioritize my own feelings like that...?” His pained whisper seemed to resound throughout the room.
Conan dropped to his knees and bowed his head, and in short order the other doctors did the same. “We wish for exactly the same thing as you. Please... Listen to your people.”
Silence settled over the room, broken only by the sound of someone clapping.
The door to the room swung open, Ryne waltzing into the room with Misha close behind. “The king thinks only of his people, but the people turn around and support their king. That’s the perfect outcome, isn’t it? Are you satisfied now, old man? Can we cut it out with these sick games?”
“How rude. This wasn’t a game, it was a test.”
While Ryan and the doctors turned in surprise at the sudden intruder, one of the apothecaries in the back of the room replied to Ryne’s declaration, rising back to his feet.
The apothecary lowered his hood, revealing the small old man had a head of long white hair and a thick white beard, very much giving the impression of a dwarf from a fairy tale.
“Hard to call it a test when you’re the devil whispering on their shoulders,” Ryne replied.
“I haven’t been whispering anything. I’ve been watching very quietly,” the old man retorted, cutting through the crowd of doctors to stand in front of Ryne.
“Sir Ryne...do you know this man?” Ryan asked as he glanced between the two.
Ryne shrugged. “He’s one of the guys who was researching the Red Eye plague. And as much as it pains me to admit it, he’s one of the elders of the People of the Forest.” He shot a scowl his way.
“What is that supposed to mean?! Kids these days. Don’t you know how to respect your elders?!” The old man whacked Ryne on the head with his cane.
“You throw such a malicious problem in front of them, call it a test, then sit back and watch the whole thing unfold while you grin ear to ear. What better word to describe that than evil? If you want people to respect you, maybe try being worthy of respect,” Ryne bit back, holding a hand to his head where he had been struck.
The old man lifted his cane to strike again but stopped when he noticed Misha standing behind Ryne.
“Oh, so you’re the rumored girl, are you? You remind me so much of Leyas when she was younger.” The old man switched tunes immediately, a bright smile taking to his face as he walked over to her, looking every bit like a kindly grandfather.
“Yes sir. I’m Leyas’s daughter, Misha.” Not quite sure how to react, Misha gave a polite curtsy in greeting.
The old man’s smile widened. “Oh, she’s adorable. Please, call me Grandpa Nel.”
He reached out to pat Misha on the head, but Ryne slapped his hand out of the air. “Not the time for chitchat. Hurry up and start explaining. We’re on a bit of a time limit here.”
“Ryne could really learn a thing or two from you,” Nel said with a pout, rubbing at his now smarting hand.
“An old man like you acting like that will just creep her out,” Ryne retorted.
Ignoring Ryne’s cold glare, Nel finally turned back to Ryan and the doctors, who were waiting quietly to see how the whole situation would unfold. “I’ve already sent Miranda ahead to start distributing what medicine we have to the people. Oh, and don’t worry, your precious little princess is already on the list.”
“You have more medicine?!” Ryan shouted.
Wincing at the volume, Nel nodded. “A bit. We haven’t had the time to do any clinical tests, but the common people up north use it regularly, so I doubt there’ll be any issues. We still don’t have enough, but more is on the way.”
Ryan shared a look with Conan, feeling very much like he had fallen for some sort of prank. The salvation that seemed just barely out of reach had plopped right into the middle of his open palm. He was bewildered more than overjoyed.
“So Lady Lalaya and the others are going to be okay?” Misha cut in while the men shared a silent look. Her voice was bright and hopeful.
“They should be. Those whose illness has progressed too far may be beyond saving at this point, but judging by what I saw last time I took a look at the princess, she should be fine.” Nel broke out into a smile again as he turned to Misha. Then he looked hard into her eyes. “Hmm. Good color. You look a lot like Leyas, but your eyes are even deeper. I bet our ancestors had eyes that looked much like yours.”
As Misha blinked in surprise at the unexpected praise, Ryne scowled.