Master Hector carefully sealed my wounds with one last expertly placed sheet of graftweed. The relief was palpable and as the graftweed began to blend to the colour of my skin I could almost forget that the awful injuries had happened.
"That's bordering on miraculous," I gawked, "I can't thank you enough."
He flushed vehemently, scratching the back of his neck. "It was no trouble." He responded, and I got the impression that he had enjoyed the challenge.
I was suddenly reminded of my sock.
"Hector, take off my stocking." I ordered.
His eyes flew open wide and he pressed his back against the plant beds as if trying to avoid some axe-wielding murderer. "I-I can't possibly do something so uncouth!" He stammered.
"It's just a foot!" I protested, "You've just been performing treatment on my arms for goodness' sake, they're basically the same thing."
He crept forwards and grabbed the stocking like it was some kind of detonated bomb. He slipped it off my foot, so the two small fragments of pill fell out. He picked them up of the floor and examined them closely.
"You want me to tell you what these are, do you not?" He asked with unsurprised tone.
I nodded conspiratorially.
"This one I know immediately." He said crushing the yellow one between his fingertips, "It's Potent Chamomile, it can put you to sleep instantly. People often accidently mistake the two and end up sedating themselves."
My stomach dropped, it was as I had suspected.
"This one..." He trailed off, putting a finger to his chin. He took a copper beaker from one of his shelves and filled it with water from a barrel. He then plopped the fragment in and let it dissolve.
He walked over to where a cluster of blooming, red roses were climbing up the jagged walls, their scent sweet and fragrant in the air. Slowly, he poured the water onto one of the flower heads. The petals spread open before my eyes; it was as if they were gratefully accepting the offering. And then, as if by magic, the flower started growing.
It bloomed and it bloomed in size until it was drooping off the stem the size of a football. So that was what the pill did, I thought.
"It's a special type of dock leaf, it acts as a temporary growth hormone. The affect wears off eventually." The rose plant cracked as he talked and he swung back around in a flurry. Carefully, with a sharp pair of shears he snipped the drooping head off and tossed it over to me. "That will damage the plant if it tears."
I held the massive rose with two hands, examining it with wonder. It was a temporary growth hormone. I thought back to the time by the lake when I had only discovered the regular fire lilies. Since then, there had been no sign of this giant fire lily in question but maybe it had never existed in the first place. Hector looked at me disappointedly and I recalled with a start that he had wanted the giant fire lily if it had existed.
"Sorry," I pouted, "Looks like your giant fire lily doesn't exist."
He scolded himself, "I should have had the forethought to have considered this option before. I apologise for misleading you."
I waved my hands, "Never! If not for you I wouldn't have even considered the possibility of a plant being involved."
He flushed slightly and looked away, ignoring the praise. "Do you know who did it now?" He asked, changing the subject.
"I'm afraid I do."
"Will it cause trouble?"
I nodded sadly, "Unfortunately, it likely will."
Hector took a deep breath, "Prince Arthur will do what is right."
Hector sorted through a cabinet of his concoctions and pulled out a final glass jar of chunky pills. He handed it to me, and I looked at it curiously.
"It is for His Highness. It lowers heartrate and relaxes the mind. Tell him to never take more than one a day and to eat one at least an hour before a stressful event so it has time to take effect."
I stared at Master Hector, my gratefulness practically overflowing. "You don't think he's demon possessed?" I asked.
"Of course not." He objected firmly, and a huge smile spread across my face.
I had not sought Master Hector's help for nothing; he was a man of science and sound thinking.
"I'm eternally grateful to you, Hector. For helping me so freely like this, and in the middle of the night at that. I have one last question for you, these pills, how could have my royal culprit obtained them?" I asked.
Hector's expression dropped and his expression darkened. "If the culprit acted quickly in their plan, then they would turn to somewhere that they were certain could supply them with what they needed."
"Where is?" I interjected when he went quiet.
Hector picked at his fingernails and looked up at me with hooded eyes, "Where would you go?"
My eyes widened, "Here?"
Hector nodded, his expression vacant. "My brother would do anything to please a beautiful woman. But he is clever, he would not have involved himself too fully. He probably just gave her free access to the gardens and gave her 'suggestions' in the right direction."
My blood ran cold, "You don't seem surprised by this?"
"Lady Joan," Hector sighed, "The more you explore strange happenings such as this one, the more you shall see that my brother involves himself in all kinds of untoward doings; he is like a spider in the centre of a web."
I stared at Hector, not quite knowing what to say. It seemed I had unwittingly stumbled into the path of an even more sinister force than I had anticipated.
Hector cleared his throat, "You will be safe though, if you never involve yourself with him in any way. Keep that in mind."
"I will," I gulped. "Thank you for your concern."
I made my way back over to the hole in the window, deciding to take my leave now that my mind had been well and truly befuddled.
He nodded bashfully, waving me back through the window. "Try not to attempt any heavy lifting or strenuous activity, the graftweed is fragile as it integrates with skin and can tear easily."
I opened my mouth to thank him more, but he had placed the window back into the hole and already started sealing it back in its place. My heart shattered as I watched, he was trapping himself back inside his own cage.
🌿🌿
"What is this sorcery!" Josiah exclaimed as I showed him my arms. The skin had a glossy sheen to it, on close inspection it didn't look quite normal, but from afar my arms looked completely healed.
"Not sorcery, science." I said, grinning broadly.
Josiah looked me up and down as if he expected me to start sprouting wings. I skipped to where the horse was stationed, still holding the head-sized rose in my hands. Josiah followed behind me, his expression bemused.
"Well, my lady, it seems you knew the correct place to come in your predicament. Who knew the aloof Master Hector would be able to perform such a miracle."
"He not aloof," I protested, scrambling my way up onto the horse, "he's just shy."
Josiah swung up behind me with ease. "If you say so." He replied.
Yanking on the reigns, the horse charged off again and I relaxed, the stresses of the day melting away to leave me utterly exhausted. I was looking forward desperately to going to bed and having a good night's sleep. I sighed, wishing showers existed in this period too, that would've spectacular.
Much to my dismay however, about halfway through our ride the horse dramatically veered off course. Josiah yelled in protested, trying to drag the horse back on track again but the more he tugged the faster the horse moved away.
Josiah spoke up over the clopping of hooves. "Sorry Lady Joan, Coal here has, let us say, a temperamental disposition."
"Where is he taking us?" I asked, concerned that it was way past my bedtime.
"Home!" Josiah answered.
Ahead, we came to a tiny settlement of houses. Through the nighttime fog I could just make out thatched rooves and thin wooden walls that made up a cluster of cramped, tiny homes. The smell of waste was pungent as we approached, and I had a sneaking suspicion from the state of streets that it most likely human at its source. There wasn't a sound as the horse led us through the mucky alleys.
I found it difficult to process the harsh living conditions I was looking at. The dilapidation and non-existent sanitation. I couldn't believe that I'd felt so down only a few minutes ago about wanting to have a shower.
"This is where you live?" I whispered, looking up at Josiah.
"That house there." He indicated to the lopsided structure with a point of his finger.
We passed by the door and Josiah pushed it open with a nudge of his hand. Inside were sleeping children, about five, all curled together around a fire in the centre of the room.
"My siblings." Josiah told me, smiling warmly before shutting the door again.
Warmth rushed through me at the affection in his tone. That kind of love was something I had never experienced before coming to this time, I had always felt so empty without it despite having all the luxuries modern life could give you. I smiled softly; he had given those children the most valuable gift possible.
"Coal loves to take this route through here, it's as if he wants to check on them as much as I do."
I stroked the horse admiringly, "There I was thinking you were being naughty but you're actually being the best of steeds ."
Josiah chuckled, his laugh reverberating through my back. Coal put up no further protest, and we began our journey back to the castle again after our detour. I was pleased when I saw the castle towering in the distance, it's stone walls tall and imposing. But to be honest, I hadn't been able to get the image of those pitiful children out of my head. I felt guilty for coming back to what was considered the height of the time's luxury.
Josiah took me by the waist and helped me off as soon we arrived. I stood in front of him for a few moments, craning my neck to look up at his haggard face, exhausted from hours of travel without any real explanation.
"I snuck into The Queen's bedroom and fell down the castle wall." I blurted out.
Josiah just raised an eyebrow, not looking as shocked as I had expected. He then burst out into a tremendous laugh, "Well that wasn't very smart, was it?" He said, flicking my forehead.
"Hey, well I know that now!" I pouted, feeling uncharacteristically coy.
"I hope it was worth it." He said, smiling.
"It was kind of." I said, rocking on the balls of my feet. "Thank you for taking me to fix the aftermath of my crazy ideas in the middle of the night."
"My pleasure." He tipped his head and spun around to leave but I caught him by the arm.
"Wait!" I called out, slipping an amethyst ring off my finger. "For the trouble I've caused."
I placed it in the palm of his hand and he shook his head, trying to give it back to me but I protested.
"For your siblings." I instructed, and he looked down at it gratefully before nodding his head and swinging back up onto his horse again.
I watched his silhouette disappear, tall and imposing as it was framed by the moon. Josiah Gleave was another one I couldn't figure out. Between his strange use of modern language, the siblings he cared so much for, and his flirtatious personality; I just couldn't get a grip on who he actually was.
Putting my musings aside, I walked back towards the castle where a larger predicament sought my attention. As expected, Prince Arthur was waiting for me anxiously. And to my surprise, my two sisters were also pacing by his side. My heart swelled as I caught sight of them all displaying their anxious concern for me.
I ran over, smiling. They all turned to face me, shocked by my spriteliness.
"Joan!" Jocelyn exclaimed, dashing over to embrace me.
"I hope you don't mind," Arthur spoke up, "I told them of your injury."
"No, not at all." I said, embracing them happily.
"Arthur told us you had damaged yourself to a state that looked irreparable, but you look just fine to me." Freya pointed out, her brows arched high on her forehead.
I presented my arms and Prince Arthur almost collapsed from the shock.
"Joan!" He exclaimed, "My goodness, it looks like nothing ever occurred."
I grinned, "I told you Master Hector would know what to do."
"I was incredulous to be sure but now I see that you were so very right to put faith in him." Arthur gawked.
"Master Hector was the one that helped heal you?" Jocelyn asked, her brown eyes starry.
I nodded, "He was."
"Did he also give you that?" Freya pointed to the large rose tucked under my arm, her expression calculating.
"H-he did," I stammered, "but it wasn't like that!"
Freya said nothing, she just sauntered back into the castle leaving the damage for me to clear up. Prince Arthur and Jocelyn gave each other shocked glances; their faces flushed with the insinuation of scandal.
"Go to bed!" I ordered them, waving them frantically back into the castle.
I waited behind them, spending an extra few moments in the cold to clear my mind and worries. Tomorrow I would have to tell prince Arthur the whole truth, and it was going to hurt in a way that he didn't deserve.
I steeled myself, looking down at the massive rose in my hands. I watched with awe as it slowly shrunk back down to its normal size. I smiled softly and popped it in my sleeve, keeping it as a memento of a day fraught with hardship but also blessed with miracles and good people.