Healing Fabula has just been a major way of getting a place to stay and getting access to other people. This has been the plan all along but I somewhat feel cold and reluctant about this. Fabula's healing seemed magical as it came quicker than I expected but it seems like luck. So what if I promise the people to heal them and luck leaves my side what do I do then? How do I fix it and let them know I wasn't trying to deceive them?
"Ma'am? What do you say?" Fabula slightly squeezed my hand gently, bringing me back to reality.
"What?" I said.
"Will you help save the kingdom? Maybe if you do, king Olaf will give you a permanent stay in Torra as the palace physician. I'm sure even his personal healer couldn't have done what you did." She spoke softly.
"Call me Karen." I said, not answering her question yet.
"Yes, we'll stay and heal the people." Dolores said.
"Oh. Thank you thank you. I was coming from my friend's house when you met me. Her rashes are worse than mine, I'll go get her right now." Fabula said and moved towards the door but turned around when she remembered something "and hey, I have some soup in the pot. Just in case you've had nothing to eat. It's midday already."
"Thank you, Fabula." I responded and she left.
"What was that?" Dolores asked.
"I know it's been our plan all along to get Torra on our side..." I started but got interrupted by Dolores.
"And we're going to do that by healing their diseases." She said.
"What if it doesn't work?"
"It will work. Once we add the right one at the right time and quantity, it will work. If you don't believe in your skills then believe in your mother's. You've seen her cure incurable diseases and make people get well. For seventeen years of your life, you've watched her do it and you've learned it from her. So if you don't trust your skills, trust what you learned from your mother." Dolores said.
I nodded with a weak smile displayed on my lips "thank you, Dolores." I said.
In a while, Fabula came back with her friend, and the light is praised as my antidote worked on her also. In three days, words spread across the kingdom, and people from different parts of Torra came in for their antidote which healed them as expected, and not long after that, words got to king Olaf and he sent his guards to find that mysterious healer.
The king's guard found me in Fabula's home and took me to King Olaf who always had a frowny face. His gaze at me was scary as I stood before him waiting to hear him out. He didn't have the rashes so I wondered why he summoned me and Dolores had gone out when the guards came for me.
"What is your name?" King Olaf asked.
"My name is Karen, your majesty. Karen Osmond." I responded with a bow.
"I had my guards force you to come. That seems to be the only way commoners respond quickly." he said, then relaxed on his beautiful golden throne made out of real gold. Even his crown glittered.
"Karen. You're a healer?" He asked.
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Where are you from?"
"Gepu, I'm from Gepu, your Majesty. Torra's outline village."
"Gepu. Hmph. Why are you in Torra? Shouldn't you be helping your fellow peasants in Gepu?" He asked rudely. Typical him. I've always heard how rude he is anyway.
"Your Majesty, we have a very good physician in Gepu and Gepu does not have this waterborne disease." I said confidently.
"Neither did Torra. This disease only started three days ago and now it has become a pandemic that spread across the entire kingdom." He said.
"Your Majesty, did you say you've never had such a disease in Torra?"
"Never. Karen, that is your name?"
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Where did you learn to become a healer? I thought Gepu had just one healer and that healer is a boy." He said narrowing his gaze at me.
"I learned from my mother, your majesty. My mother is a great healer but she never came out openly. She only treated her friends and neighbors."
"Where is your mother now?"
"She traveled. She needed to get some herbs from a kingdom across the river." I responded.
"What is your mother's name?" He asked.
I couldn't even think of what to say if I should be honest or just lie to him, but luckily for him, one of his guards interrupted him.
"Your Majesty, there is a woman at the palace gate causing trouble. She's trying to fight her way in." The guard said bowing down to the king.
"Who is she?"
"I've never seen her before, your majesty."
The king thought for a while before he asked the guard to let her in but the woman already walked into the palace fiercely. That woman was Dolores.
When she got back, Fabula immediately told her that I was taken by the king's guards and so she quickly dashed to the palace.
"Hail thee, King Olaf. You dare sent your guards to come to kidnap my girl?" She said angrily.
"Kidnap? I wasn't kidnapped." I said.
"Shut up." She said to me then turned to the king "what do you want with her, huh?"
"What are you doing? You will destroy everything we've ever worked for." I whispered to Dolores who replied also in a whisper.
"King Olaf likes fierceness. Don't ever show him your weakness."
"You." King Olaf said pointing at Dolores. "You look familiar, have we met?" He asked.
"Such a king like you would never associate himself with a commoner from the poorest village like me, would you?" Dolores responded rudely.
"Karen, who is this woman?" King Olaf asked.
"I'm so sorry your Majesty. She's my friend and a very protective one." I responded very politely.
"I see." He said and scanned Dolores again before he spoke up. "I think I remember you. You are bad news." He said.
"Bad news? I'm sure you must think she's someone else, your Majesty." I said.
"No, I'm sure she's the one. Dolores right? The king insisted.
My eyes went from Dolores to the king, as I thought of the best way to handle this situation, but what King Olaf said next, left me speechless.
"Dolores, we meet again. It's been ten years since you killed my wife." He said with rage in his eyes...