Radelaine moaned and agony they heard in her. They saw how her forehead wrinkled and her lips pursed, all the while her lids are closed. A sickly feeling comes over her and in stinging pain, she screamed like she was hammered in the nail. They all gasped.
"We need Yefel right now," Iuliān said to the people frightened by the sound of Radelaine as she woke up in so much pain.
The maid stood and held her skirt in unease and panic not knowing what exactly she could do to help the lady.
The concerned maid thought that she might have done something wrong.
As a maid who serves guests, she wished she was still sleeping just so she wouldn't dislike her job like this. She's her responsibility after all.
"I'll- uhm- uhh" the maid stuttered as she continues to hear the pain in the lady's voice, "I'll bring oils." not knowing it'll give relief, that's the only thing that she could think of.
"No, give her henbane and hemlock." Iuliān remembered that was the herb given as medicine when Sir Herelph went home with sword wounds a few years ago before he retired.
The people in the room all have pounding hearts looking at the state the lady is in. They hoped Yefel is already back in town by now.
Not knowing what Iuliān's words just said, the maid answered, "I recognize none of it." and shook her head unaware if it was food or herb.
"Neither do I." they both gulped thinking how helpless they are. It was a medicinal herb but he was not all-knowing about it.
He just spits out some words unsure if it is even the right medicine for her but it was out of worry and his unsettling feeling.
"Don't we have those herbs in the kitchen?" Sir Herelph asks the maid.
"Sir, I wouldn't know," she responded apologetically with her down.
"Then go ask." the sir said ever so calmly.
"Will do," she left the room and the men left in the room stared at each other aimlessly.
They then heard Radelaine's heavy breathing holding her neck. She groaned holding the pain in.
"Lady Radelaine," Lord Phraselm got close to her bed and called her name.
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a second before shutting it again as she felt the throbbing and stinging sensation in her neck that she couldn't understand. Her thoughts couldn't even function properly, all that could fill her mind is how much it hurts. It barely crosses her mind why she's dealing with the pain.
"Should I ask the temple for help?" the varlet asks Sir Herelph. Both would sneer every time the lady gasped for air trying to contain her pain.
Lord Phraselm picked up the cold towel and placed it back on her neck.
"Do you think the pain helps with the cold Lady Radelaine?" he asks unsure if he is even placing it properly in her neck. He placed his hands on her forehead. There's no fever but she's in a cold sweat.
Radelaine looked at the man and recognized him but not the place she is in. She hardly cares why and where she is. Almost like the only thing in the world is her and her pain.
It hurts too much. Her shoulders hurt but her neck hurts more.
If she could remove her neck from her body, she would've.
Lord Phraselm saw her getting paler and paler by the minute.
A dawning dire for an end to her misery crept into the Lord's face.
He tried to keep his calm as still as the lake but the tormenting emotion is starting to flow.
She grunted trying to shift herself to sit and lean on the headboard.
"Stay still," Phraselm said all worried but she didn't mind his concern and continued lifting her back. Her back didn't like how her corset hits the mattress. It was bothering her too much that she had to get out of her sleeping position.
Phraselm knowing that the lady couldn't be stopped, sat beside her trying to help her pillow ready to be leaned. Is this all that he could do? He thought and want to do more.
"Take the other pillow away," she said to the Lord in a hoarse whisper in between her heavy breathing.
She moaned in agony once more as she strain herself trying to sit.
Lord Phraselm just couldn't bare watching her any longer that he looked at the varlet and said, "Go to the temple-" but he was interrupted by a servant at the door. He would've risked the name his father is trying to lift.
"Sir Herelph, Yefel is in town." the panting servant said as he held his hand by the door.
"Escort him here right away." Sir Herelph said with a commanding urgency.
Radelaine with an intense pain that comes and goes by second screamed in pain like she is being hammered in the nail once more.
Lord Phraselm held her shoulders to keep her in place. He's worried that moving a lot makes it harder for her.
He looked into her eyes and she started crying.
She would sometimes grunt after her sobs.
He lets go of her shoulders and held her arm wanting her to feel that she was not alone.
He knew she wanted to cry like a baby but she holds back because it causes her more pain the more muscles she moves.
She cried and cried. And as she cried she said, "I'm scared." her words seems to prickle the Lord. He bit his lips and couldn't utter any words to the lady.
"You'll be fine. Help is coming," Iuliān said who sat at the end of the bed when Sir Herelph left the room with his varlet.
Sir Herelph couldn't bare watching a lady in great pain. He's used to seeing wounded warriors and enemies, but not one who can't even fight back.
Phraselm hardly said anything. He also wanted to leave the room but felt the need to stay.
All that he does is stare at her bruised neck which gets darker by the minute and back to her face covered in sweat.
It wasn't a big bruise, it was a quarter the size of her palm, but if it was tormenting her this much, then it must be more than what it already looked like.
"Who's the lady that I'm called for here." a voice half-running by the hallway was heard in the room.
Iuliān stood and waited by the door for Yefel.
"Ah, Iuliān, why is the room way too far, I've already traveled so far and you're letting me run all through this long way, I'll be damned, and- how terrible it is?" Yefel asked like his head have to spit out everything it could think of. He looked at Iuliān and saw that it could mean much worse than he already knew.
He proceeded to the room and saw the lady on the bed leaning on the headboard with bloodshot eyes.
He gets close and takes something out of his case while talking, "Milady, can you hear me? Do you mind telling me where you got your bruise?"
The cousins looked at each other.
"Her sister- well, uhm" if only Lord Phraselm could word it out better, but there are no better ways to say what happened to her.
Yefel looked at both of them and smiled whimsically "Oh sorry for finding your bothered face amusing. Sir Hereleph welcomed me at your door telling me what happened to a Sarsheden lady," he took a wine pouch and poured it into the towel that was on her neck, "I was just checking if she could talk."
Lord Phraselm nodded and drifted his eyes back to Radelaine. Her breathing is still hard and short but it's a relief that there's help finally.
He wiped the sweat that dripped on her cheeks with his hands. He looked at the servant that escorted Yefel into the room and said, "Get towels."
"Hold on- take this yarrow flower as well and heat this." he handed the flower that he picked up when he was in Dolor Town, "Make sure you add this in the water before boiling. I want the flowers in tack."
The wine in the towel was wiped in the neck of Radelaine. The pressure doesn't seem to affect her at all. Yefel, a trusted person who attends to the sick and an advisor to Sir Herelph, couldn't reckon what this implies.
Did she get infected by the witch's nail rotting her on the inside or did she get cursed which makes her deathbed be full of excruciating misery? He does not know for sure.
Yefel looked at the lady who is breathing like a mother giving birth. Yefel doesn't do child labor but it feels like he is in one.
Radelaine's body is getting weaker but the pain didn't. Her cries become more than just what her neck is making her feel, and her realization as to why this happened to her made her tears feel heavy.
She barely feels her legs numbing and her corset poking her back like her senses only exist on her neck, not even her eyes that were swollen and her cheeks hurting.
Yefel took something from the corner of his case. It's a white clay tablet enclosed in a small wooden box.
He looked at the two other men in the room and said, "This is opium."
"Is that going to keep her aching gone?" Lord Phraselm asked as he took over wiping Radelaine's neck with the towel.
"Yes. This is the only thing I can give her and the yarrow flower to lessen discoloration..." he breathed and before he could continue, he saw a maid by the door holding something in her hand.
The three looked at her waiting for her to say something.
"I got dried henbane and hemlock from the temple for the lady."