Episode 7 + 1 - I Can Save The King! Part One
525 Words
The necklace burned once under my cloth. Hard.
A warning.
Or a countdown.
Ralph had made us come to an agreement to settle this in a speed contest. The Contest Of Honour. Like things couldn't get anymore worse.
Eunuch Cooper’s voice filled the corridor before we reached the chamber.
"The miracle healer is here," he announced. Trusted. Loyal.
It was known that he suggested bringing the healer. Claimed to have crossed the border cliffs himself to seek him. No guards questioned him.
Everyone moved.
Elowyn first. Crown dulled, spine still a blade. Then Flora, rushing in skirts. Levi, smirk gone. Icelynn, pale. Oliver, hands in pockets. Ralph, head down. Humble. Perfect.
I followed last. Cloak up. Necklace hidden. Human skin under silk.
The king's room was dim. Torches low. The air smelled of herb and sickness. Stone and storm, laid flat on the bed.
The healer entered in a robe. Gray. Faceless. Hands steady.
He did his thing. Palms over Father's chest. Whispered words no one knew. The room held its breath.
Then he stepped back.
"Critical," he said. Voice dry. "Only the herb of Marucus will turn it."
Gloomy. The word spread like cold. Marucus grew only at the cliff's edge. One bloom a year. It decayed fast too. It was a long shot to acquire such.
Flora's mouth trembled. Levi's eyes went to the window. Oliver stayed nonchalant. Ralph's head lifted a fraction. Sharp.
My chest tightened. No sigil. No wind. No earth. I could not even light a torch. Worries hadn't left my mind.
Then a shout broke the room.
"I can save the king!"
Everyone turned.
Icelynn's face turned ugly. Disbelief. Rage. "You?"
Levi's turned interested. Smirk rising slow. Eyes on me like a game had changed.
Oliver's remained nonchalant. A brow lifted. Nothing more.
Ralph's turned sharp. That humble mask slipped. Calculation. Fast.
Mine?
Larger than life. Because I wasn't looking at the healer. I wasn't looking at Father.
I was looking past them. At the doorway.
At wheat hair. Forest eyes. Dirt under her nails. The girl with the silver-string necklace. The one who called me thief with a ladle.
She stood there. Breathless. Mud on her boots. Holding something green in her fist.
And my voice left me before I could stop it.
"Ayla?"
Elowyn's gaze snapped to Ayla like a blade.
Annoyed. Cold. Even something more.
"I thought the matter was secret," she said. Voice low. "Only people within the walls of the castle should know."
The room went still. Mystery lingered.
"Who told the forest girl?" Elowyn's eyes cut to the healer, then back to Ayla. "Who brought you?"
Ayla blinked. Wheat hair stuck to her cheek. Mud still on her boots. The herb green in her fist.
She hadn't thought it that far. She was helpless. Mouth open. Searching for an answer that wasn’t there.
Silence pressed. Heavy. Patience running out.
Icelynn's stare hardened with some feeling of satisfaction. Levi's smirk tilted. Oliver stayed nonchalant. Ralph's eyes went sharp.
They were all waiting for her to break.
I had to.
"I summoned her," I said. Flat. Loud enough for the stone to carry.
Heads turned.
- Writer
