Faustina walked towards the hallway, almost storming to the king's chambers. She was wearing her usual clothing back before she was at the castle: a simple dark-brown surcoat with a white dress falling below her knee and dark brown boots, worn-out from years.
A simple duffel was strap against her shoulder, which contained the vial of the medicine that she took time to create earlier. It took her a while, reaching nighttime creating the extract, from decoction to rotary evaporation—but still she could not wait until tomorrow, it has to be now. The medicine's effect is better when ingested quickly.
She heard from the nurses that the king has fallen ill in accordance to nightmare's symptoms: a high fever, seizures and such. Faustina concluded that this must be because of his declining immune system, which is why she gathered herbs and plants that could help to strengthen the body.
She was welcomed by four guards guarding the king's room the moment she stepped in front of the king's chamber doors. They were guards who does not know her real purpose at the castle.
"Lady?"
"I..." Faustina gulped. "I'm here to help the king."
The four guards looked at each other, confused. They exchanged looks of bemusement, unable to even respond to Faustina for at least a minute. They were aware of Faustina's presence of course, but to them she was the rumored consort, a lady of lower status favored by the king.
"If you'd excuse me..." Faustina says, trying to enter the king's chambers.
"My Lady, we're sorry... we can't let you pass."
"But why?" Faustina frowned. "You must know my purpose, I want to help... you see I'm a witch's apprentice, I know a thing or two about medicine..."
They exchanged knowing looks again. But this time, their doubt has increased. Then it was at that time Faustina realized—what Eula said about women practicing medicine. She also realized that those nurses she saw earlier were probably servants of the magicians who heal, not really there to perform medical procedures.
"We sincerely apologize, my lady. The king is at rest today; the magicians and the priestess strictly told us to never let anyone enter the king's chambers."
"But I!" Faustina clenched her fist. "There must be something I can do..."
"I'm sorry, my la—"
"Let her pass."
"Sir Roth!" The guard exclaimed in unison, looking at the man behind Faustina.
Faustina turned towards the source of that voice. It was a knight—a knight of higher origin, one of the High Knights superior at strength, chosen by the king himself.
She remained unshaken, but she was surprised it was the knight who never talked to her before. The man with the red hair, like flames. His eyes were the color of fire and amber jewels, the same color as his hair. He stared at Faustina indifferently. The last time she saw him, he looked like he was uninterested with her, and now she was being aided by this man.
"She is here from the king's favor." He says sternly. "Let her do her duty."
**
Faustina entered the king's chambers. It was thrice as large as her room, with intricate patterns that speaks of higher rank, gold was even embedded on its wall, signifying prestige. The room itself mirrors superiority. She felt overwhelmed, quite a bit. She took a step forward, and realized then that her knees were weak.
She was trembling.
Faustina paused to take a deep breath, trying to remember Eula's teachings. She deeply exhaled, and walked towards the king's bed.
The king was lying there with his eyes closed, probably asleep. But he was heaving—looking like he was having a fever. His cheeks were flushed and his brows were formed into a scowl, he was breathing to his mouth heavily.
Faustina draped her palm across his forehead, and to her surprise, his brows ceased, and then his eyes opened hazily. He was staring at Faustina, his blue eyes dizzy and a blur.
"Faustina...?"
"Dietrich?"
The king stared at her for a while, and closed his eyes.
"I must be dreaming." He says. "My fair lady does not even talk to me. It's impossible for you to be here. This must be a hallucination." He mutters silently.
"N-noah." Faustina says. "Noah. No... I'm here."
The king smiled, and then he caressed Faustina's cheek.
"How did you know that name?" The king asks, "only mother called me that."
Faustina blushed—she felt her heart skip a beat, like it fell under a soft caress for a single second. She took a deep breath and then grabbed the medicine from her duffel. It was a vial with contents akin to mud.
The king stared; intrigued at the vial's contents, "what is that, my lady?"
"It's medicine. I created it. I'm a witch's apprentice, my king. I know I cannot sustain your life by magic because I am incapable as of now..." She bit her lip. "But now I want to help. I want to do my duty properly."
The king smiled warmly, and chuckled. "How admirable of you, my fair lady."
Faustina found herself blushing once more. "A-anyways. You need to take the medicine one gulp. It's just a teacup, and it won't hurt, your majesty."
The king tried to sit, and his trembling body was evident. Faustina wrapped his arms around his back, tentatively guiding the king's body to sit down. The vial's contents were then transferred into the king's teacup.
The king drank slowly from the cup, closing his eyes. And as he finished, an astonished look on his face was lingering. "The taste—it's sweet."
Faustina found herself grinning. "Right?"
"It tasted like cookies. In a weird way, like chocolate as well. I've never had anything like this."
"Of course, my king." Faustina says proudly. "I've been practicing for years. I noticed a severe pattern for children, they don't drink medicine because it's bitter—the same with older people. So I tried to make it taste delicious."
"How? That's amazing." The king says in amazement.
"My master knows a lot of things, like herbs as substitute for the taste of cacao, and such. I tried to incorporate it with medicine and it seemed compatible."
The king smiled and placed the empty cup to his nightstand.
"You called me 'Dietrich' and 'Noah' earlier," the king says. "Did the fifth king tell you that?"
"Yes." Faustina says.
"He did tell you not to trust the first king, didn't he?"
"Yes."
"Then how do you know you're not talking to him right now?"