The Violet Flamberge

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Draped in his silver chainmail, Noraes stood alone in a hallway as he looked toward the balcony of the castle. He’d been in the castle many times when organizing treaties and expressing his ideas to the king for the lands in his territory. Yet, here he was at his very own enthronement. He felt the pulse of his heart trying to beat through his chest, and his fingers developed a nervous tic as he waited.

He heard as a speaker was reminiscing about his time with the former king, who’d grown old and died on his death bed a short while ago. Soon, Noraes would have to address the kingdom as the new king in the south. He knew he would have to make a brilliant speech, and yet it was the furthest thing from his mind. All that concerned him was the health of Starlyn.

In the last week her health had declined. It declined so much that she had a hard time getting out of bed, and all he wanted to do was go back to his keep to attend to her. She was nearby, resting on a chair on one of the smaller balconies on the side. His mind was at peace because she was near.

Noraes relaxed and came back to reality. He listened to the speaker as he addressed Noraes.

“Please welcome the new king in the south, King Noraes.”

Noraes pushed his fears away and took in a deep breath as he walked to the center of the balcony. He could see thousands of people in the crowd down below and his voice caught in his throat. He wanted to be a good king and not disappoint all the people. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly through his nose. When he opened his eyes, he glanced over at the lower balcony on his left side and noticed Starlyn sitting in a chair smiling up at him.

All his fears were washed away by the warmth of her smile. He pushed his fears of failing his country and failing Starlyn aside. He thought a silent prayer to the creator for strength as he stepped up to face the kingdom.

“I am honored to be appointed as your king and hope I can live up to your standards. I have already begun plans to stop the daerion threat. I will be grateful for any input anyone has to make this land a better place. A simple scroll will do—addressed to the throne. If you cannot write, you may ask any city guard to write for you.

“My first act will be to invite all the council to a meeting for us to discuss our future plans. For now, it is a day of celebration.”

The crowd cheered and he smiled at them. He glanced back to where Starlyn sat smiling at him. His heart warmed at her presence, but he could tell that she was weak. Sophie, his maid, stood near her, making certain Starlyn was well taken care of. Noraes knew Starlyn was in good hands, but he still wanted to be done with politics so he could go to her. He wanted her up on the castle balcony with him, but she was too weak. She was right, each day she grew weaker and weaker, and there seemed to be noting he could do.

Noraes wanted to bring her before his kingdom and propose to wed her. Yet, he could not wed an ill woman, although neither could he not marry the woman who carried his child. There was little choice in the matter—he needed to find a cure for her.

He turned away and headed for the council chambers. There was no time for celebration for the new king in the south. Noraes wanted to get back to his chambers as soon as he was able, and he let everyone know. He did not let any of his subjects know the reason he desired to return to his chambers, so many assumed he was tired or had a mistress. He hoped they would never know how close they were to the truth.

When he entered the dimly lit room, he noticed all the dukes and captains already sat at the oval table. Many of them looked mischievous as if they planned to get their way with Noraes. Little did they know schemes were Noraes’s specialty. He sat at the head of the table and laced his fingers together.

“First thing is first. Hello, I am your new king.” Noraes smiled. Nobody else seemed amused and so he continued. “All right, … I have a short scroll for each one of you to copy word for word in your own writing and sign. You will copy this document with your own hand so you’ll clearly understand what I want you to do. It is a simple news report about the land you oversee. I want detailed updates sent to me every full moon. It is to be done by your own hand and not a servant to let me know all is well. This way if any part of the kingdom is in danger, I will know it by the script.”

Noraes passed out the eleven scripts as well as eleven blank ones. Each person read the demands skeptically before copying them and handing their new copy back to him. He took each one and carefully studied each different handwriting. He nodded approvingly as he packed the scrolls in a leather bag.

“Now, is there any news I should know about or demands you wish of me?” Noraes asked.

Noraes sat patiently taking notes for the better part of an hour as he listened to the many demands and useless information. His hand began to ache, and his ink jar nearly ran out before he heard something interesting.

“A messenger arrived early this morning from the army you sent north to fight off the daerions,” Rubarc, the captain of the castle’s defenses, said.

“What did this message say? Are the battles going well?” Noraes asked.

“The battles are won, milord; our warriors are on their way home.”

“That is excellent news. Do you know if Searon will be with them?”

“Who?” Rubarc asked.

“Searon is the leader of the movement. He allied with us, the north, and the kheshlars to face the creatures of this land.”

Rubarc raised his eyebrow. “No, milord, I have not heard.”

Noraes’s heart collapsed a little, but he shrugged it off. “Send a few knights to meet them and get a detailed report back to me. Do not let them enter until you hear word from me. Do not tell the public. I need to know of their accomplishments so we can give them a proper celebration on their return as heroes.”

“As you wish.” Rubarc bowed.

“Are there any other subjects to be brought up before we dismiss?”

In turn they each shook their heads, and Noraes nodded.

“In that case, I have a request of you. If any of you know a good healer, please send them to my chambers. I have some questions and want to get to know their abilities.”

“Yes, milord,” each of the men said.

“That will be all. You are all dismissed.”

Noraes watched as each of them departed. He waited in the silence for a moment, trying to settle the pace of his heart before he reluctantly got to his feet. It wasn’t that he wasn’t anxious to get back to his chambers to see Starlyn, but he also dreaded seeing her in agony. He walked out of the cold chambers, down the hall, and up the stairs until he reached his own room.

He paused outside the door for a moment and listened to the trickle of steady drops of water, either from the worn pipes or cracks in the castle walls. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he unlocked and opened his chambers. Everything was quiet inside and he changed out of his ceremonial garments and into something more comfortable.

Moaning came from his bedroom and he rushed inside to find Starlyn rolling in the bed. Sophie rushed past him and into the kitchen. He walked over to the side of the bed and sat on a stool. His hands found Starlyn’s and he could feel the burning inside of her. He gently kissed her hand and forehead.

“I’m back, my darling,” he said.

“Noraes? Is that you?”

“Yes, my dear, it is me.”

“I have missed you so dearly. I saw you today at the ceremony. I am so proud.”

Noraes smiled. “You are the reason I was able to get through that speech. I froze up until I glanced over and noticed you.”

Starlyn tried to smile, but she flinched in pain. “You are too sweet to me.”

Sophie came back in with a wet washcloth and draped it over Starlyn’s forehead. She frantically shook her head to get away from the towel. Noraes stood up and held her face steady until Sophie was able to hold the cold washcloth to her.

“You have to stay still, sweetheart. We are trying to help you.”

She settled down and relaxed. Noraes bushed her hair from her face and kissed her forehead once again. He held his forehead to hers and whispered to her as Sophie went to get another cold wet rag.

A knock at the door startled Noraes and he abruptly tore himself away from Starlyn. The knock repeated, and he turned back to look at Starlyn.

“I will be back soon, my dear. Please keep still.”

“Come back soon,” she whispered.

“Always.”

Noraes walked out to see Sophie covered in sweat with another wet rag tossed across her shoulder as she stood at the door talking to someone. He walked over and peeked his head out to see a beautiful young ebony woman with curly hair and emerald eyes looking up at him.

“Is everything all right?” Noraes asked.

“Yes. As I was telling your servant here—”

“Maid,” Noraes corrected.

He didn’t like people calling Sophie a servant. She was far from it. He paid her for her help, and she was welcome to leave at any time. But she hadn’t. Noraes had grown to trust her. She was invaluable in his life.

“Sorry … your maid. I was told that you were in need of a healer.”

“Yes,” Noraes said. He turned to his maid. “Sophie, will you please leave us.”

Sophie bowed and grabbed the cloth off her shoulders and promptly headed back to the bedroom.

“Please, come in,” Noraes said.

“Thank you, milord.”

Noraes smiled. “What is your name?”

“Taasheka. My brother Xython is good friends with your brother,” she said.

“Taasheka? It has been a long time. The last time I saw you, you were a little girl. You have grown well.”

“Thank you, milord. I was told you have questions for healers. I am not very experienced, but I am learning.”

“You are new in the field of healing, if I am understanding correctly?”

“Yes, milord.”

“Perfect. Nobody would be suspicious of you asking questions.”

“Milord?”

“I need your help, Taasheka, and you mustn’t tell anybody. Can you help?”

“I will do what I am able, milord.”

“I am not asking as your king. I am asking as your friend, please help me.”

Taasheka’s eyebrows rose as she studied him. “What is it?”

“I am in love, Taasheka.”

Her eyebrows rose even further before scrunching tight, creating creases on her forehead as she looked at him. He couldn’t blame her, because when they were younger, Noraes had always been the one with a new girl every few months. Not that any of those went far, but he’d always been a flirt.

“I am in love with a kheshlar.”

“Wha—” she asked.

“I have been for some time. I met her when my brother came down here with her in his company. I spent time with her back then. Now, she is back, and she is sick.”

“Sick? Kheshlars aren’t supposed to get sick.”

“No, they’re not. They’re also not supposed to have human children.”

Taasheka gasped and rose to her feet with her hand over her mouth.

“Will you help me, Taasheka? Please.”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Follow me,” he said.

He walked back to his room after making sure his front door was locked. Taasheka crept slowly behind him. When he opened Starlyn’s door, he saw Sophie gently singing a lullaby as she wiped the cold rags against Starlyn’s face.

“How is she?” Noraes asked.

“Her temperature lowers,” Sophie said.

Sophie eyed Taasheka, but Taasheka only smiled at his maid. Taasheka walked over to the bed and knelt to look at Starlyn. She studied her carefully, tracing her fingers across Starlyn’s face and looking under the blankets at the kheshlar’s body as if checking for wounds.

“What do you think?” Noraes asked.

“I don’t know … but I will do all I can to help. She is beautiful,” Taasheka said.

“I know, and she is dying. I will do whatever it takes to save her.”

Taasheka nodded and withdrew a knife from her sash and before Noraes could object she sliced off a small piece of Starlyn’s hair. She grabbed Starlyn’s hand, pricked it with the tip of the knife, and collected a few drops of blood in a tube. Both the hair and the blood went into her sash.

“I’d better get started,” Taasheka whispered as she left the room.