As she glanced around to see who was being brought in, she felt her vision blur. Except for extremely special guests, her mother never lets anybody inside that room. It’s been months since she’s had such a “important” guest.
To say that learning it was the King satisfied her curiosity is an understatement. After catching a glance of him lying in bed, she saw a woman who rendered her motionless.
The lady yelled out, “Zoe,” with a sense of relief in her voice. Thank whatever spirits brought you here. “Could you grab me a bowl of water?”
Zoe, however, did not react, and instead continued to stare at Ella, who had now turned to face her. When Ella heard it, she became perplexed. The woman seemed to be looking at her in an oddly prolonged manner; was it just her imagination?
“Zoe?”
The mother’s furrowed brows rang out as she questioned her youngster’s apparent inaction. “Did you not hear me clearly? As I was saying, I really really need a drink of water. Now”.
The woman then gently turned around and walked away.
For a brief while, Ella was stunned as she tried to piece together the woman’s distress.
She was startled out of her thoughts as a lady said, “I know. The claws that did this to him were poisoned.”
.”It’s fortunate that you were able to get him here in time. Just give me a moment, and I’ll go collect the correct herbs while you bring the water to a boil. .” Ella was relieved to finally hear the King was doing alright after her worrying.
Her fingers were adjusting the side of her dress as she stood still for a moment to take in her surroundings. This chamber seemed to be little more than a simple patient’s quarters, with simply a bed, a chair, and a table on which were various bottles, books, and herbs.
The woman sprung into view once again, this time with a bowl of water, as the door swung open. She followed Ella as she carried the bowl to her mother, just as she had previously.
The healer’s daughter’s responses left her wondering whether she was doing well, and her confusion only grew.
Since this was the first time anybody had stared at her, Ella was the most startled. No, this woman didn’t appear at all familiar. Her hair was disheveled and cascaded down her shoulders; she wore thick eyeliner around her wide, white eyes; and she had an icy, sneering expression on her face. She was stunning, however.
Finally, she looked away from Ella long enough to bring her mother the bowl.
The doctor thanked Zoe and sighed with relief.
And with that, the woman got up and went.
The healer was used to her icy daughter’s demeanor since she was a reserved person. One may even argue that she was nasty. What she didn’t comprehend, though, was her blank stare at the Queen of the Kingdom.
Although Ella was troubled, she resolved not to obsess about it since her focus needed to be on the King. Could it be that he wouldn’t need any help after all?
She stared uncomfortably as the lady used the water to cleanse the blood from the King’s wound.
Herbalists weren’t witches, simply regular folks who knew their way around medicinal plants. Even though Ella shared her friend’s enthusiasm for herbs and had hoped to study medicine herself, she did not come from a financially stable home. They sat in the room for quite some time while the woman cleaned up the bloodstain, but she still studied everything she could about how to survive and could see the herbs the doctor had requested that lady to acquire were helping.
When she abruptly exclaimed, “I need to grab something,” everyone looked at her funny.
She asked Ella, “If my daughter returns before me, please let her know I’ll be back soon,” and Ella nodded. Jeremy then followed her out of the room.
When Ella realized she was alone in the chamber with the King, she took a deep breath. She got nearer after seeing his labored breathing. Oh! The Herbalist needed to act quickly in whatever way was necessary.
She let out a long sigh and slumped down on the edge of the bed. What she needs is a prayer.
She put her palm on his and cooed, “I hope you get well,” and she immediately detected a difference in the rhythm of his breathing.
At first, he took a few strong breaths, but then he relaxed and let go of the hefty breathing. His respiration was completely regular! But he was not really awake.
When she turned to check who was entering, she saw the same woman carrying a bouquet of roots and leaves. It was clear that she had obtained the medicinal plants requested by the doctor.
Her name is Tonny, and she shuffled into the room, bowl in hand, staring icily at Ella as she did so.
As the woman approached, Ella gulped nervously. Where did this woman come from? What has she done to merit these strange looks?
Tonny carried the dish to the bed and set it on the ground next to her.
While the woman was standing up after dropping the dish, Ella decided to relay the message that her mother had sent her.