Isabelle knocked and entered Cassian's chamber with a tray in her hand. Cassian was sat in his armchair with his eyes closed, pain written on his face. He relaxed his face once he noticed Isabelle approach.
Isabelle placed the tray on the small table and passed him a cup of tea.
"That should help you relax."
"Thank you." Cassian accepted the tea which he sipped slowly. He was feeling uneasy with being this vulnerable in front of her, but Isabelle seemed unbothered. "I am so sorry that I didn't make my intentions clear. That I've let you think that some of my decisions were made for a different reason than the reasons I've shared earlier." He spoke again as his mind kept dwelling on the topics that came up during their sparring session.
Isabelle sat on the edge of the armchair on the other side of the table and looked at Cassian with a quiet contemplation as she calculated her answer. "Perhaps I should apologise for misjudging you and your intentions towards me." She said carefully.
"There is no need to apologise." Cassian reached for her hand. "Never."
"Tell me what I can do to ease off your burdens." Isabelle looked down at his large hand that covered hers in its entirety.
"I've said this before. My only wish of you is that you find happiness within the court."
"Cassian…"
"If that doesn't satisfy you, I will share my own wishes with you and you can decide which ones you can comply with." Cassian spoke slowly, occasionally squirming at the aches in his body. "I wish for you to be more honest in sharing your thoughts. I don't want you to pretend to be someone else. I want to spar with you. I want you to tell me about the next herb you found. I want you to change Ariadna. I want you to be unapologetically Isabelle." Cassian paused. "What are your expectations of me?"
"Nothing else to what you already are doing." Isabelle smiled softly. "Actually, I wish that you took better care of yourself. You are to be a king. You must preserve your energy when possible to be able to run your kingdom." Isabelle smiled. "Perhaps reconsider your first advisor." She joked.
"Do you have a better proposal for the position?" Cassian asked seriously.
"Oh no, Samuel… Sir Asselin has wealth of knowledge in many areas. Although his temper might be troublesome."
"Isabelle…." Cassian sighed. "I know that you consider Sam as your friend. You do not have to hide it. But also, if you do feel that someone is more suitable I will consider it carefully."
Isabelle was stunned into silence.
"I-… I'm sorry." She uttered at last.
"I am glad that you do have a friend in this castle." Cassian looked down at the cup in his hand. Even when trying to conceal it, his face showed hurt.
"Samuel is my friend because he is rude and brash. He didn't treat me any different to anyone else when I arrived. But… he doesn't have a weight of the crown on his head. His actions hold different weight to yours. You…" Isabelle smiled as she thought of Cassian. "You are… different. And you must know that I am your ally." Isabelle considered her words and actions carefully. "I haven't shown you the gratitude you deserved. If you permit me to be myself, to be truly Isabelle, then you must know that likely I will do more of the punishable things. That I will overstep more than once. That I often forget about what is appropriate until after I act…" Isabelle looked at the ring on Cassian's finger. "But I will always be faithful. And always loyal. And I promise that I will never cast my judgments onto you again."
"Oh, Isabelle." Cassian took his hand away from hers and stroke her cheek. "You have never done anything wrong. My anger was for different reasons. Every time I was angry it was because I was overturned with fear that you might get hurt. My anger was for that reason alone. And I've brought your judgments upon myself. I didn't know how to speak with you. I was afraid of saying the wrong thing. And perhaps it is my fear that has gotten between us." Cassian sighed, his eyelids became heavy and his eyes became difficult to keep open. Isabelle noticed the effect of the tea on him and smiled.
"Do not fear for me. I can stand my ground." She said with confidence. "Make sure that you can stand yours. Come on, lay down. Rest your eyes, rest your body, so that you recover enough to rest your mind."
Cassian nodded with a faint smile. He wobbled as he returned to his bed. Isabelle keenly pulled the duvets over him and dared him goodbye, feeling a new flutter in her chest.
Isabelle returned to her chamber writing out hundreds of invitations to the ball, recounting the events of the day in her mind.
Yet, her happiness of finally having the freedom to be herself was overshadowed with worry about Cassian. After the invitations were ready and passed onto the messengers, send to all parts of the world, Isabelle his in the library trying to find any medicinal books that could heal a fractured mind.
Once content in what she needed, Isabelle took her notes and summoned Jane with whom scrolled through the castle back to one of the darker halls. She knocked and the door was instantly answered.
"Evening, Chiron." Isabelle smiled as she walked into his quarters. "Thank you for providing me with the herbs earlier. It is hugely appreciated."
"Good evening, your highness. I am glad to have been of service." Chiron answered. He was becoming increasingly used to Isabelle's presence.
"I have another task for you." Isabelle started unsurely. "I have ten recipes to prepare and about ten buckets of herbs to deal with. Could you assist me?"
"What for?"
"I am looking to prepare ointments for injuries to aid the healing. Considering the season, perhaps some cough and chest illness remedies. Some pain relief for smaller ailments. Something for skin irritations. And a few supplements to support good health and growth."
"Do you have an entire army sick?"
"No." Isabelle shook her head. "I want to open a healing centre where people of Ariadna can seek medical help."
"People of Ariadna? Do you mean commoners?"
"Yes."
"Who is going to agree to heal a commoner?"
"You?"
"I am an alchemist, not a healer."
"You'd learn. And I am searching for the healer among the royal physicians."
"Good luck with that." Chiron scoffed. Isabelle didn't like his pessimism but instead placed the recipes on his table. "You should have remedies for fever. Plenty of supplies and dressings. Something for digestive issues. Sore throats and mouth ulcers." Chiron might not have been enthusiastic but he was still helpful. "Do we have enough of aloe?"
"Yes! It is one of the plants in my greenhouse. I already propagated it and I have several well grown pots. More underway." Isabelle hesitated. "You have been deriving chemicals for a long time. Teach me how to derive complex chemicals." Isabelle demanded. "I can already prepare herbs. I want to learnt o how to prepare different powders, elixirs, and mixtures."
"Of course." Chiron nodded as he scanned through the recipes. "I will teach you different derivation methods."
"I think there might be a way of deriving a complex substance that can help heal the fractured mind." Isabelle placed the notebook that had her most important notes on Chiron's table and showed him a page filled with notes. Chiron looked at it and his eyes widened.
"That is a very challenging process. How certain are you that it might work?"
"I do not know. I don't know how stable that chemical would be. But… I need to learn from you to know enough to derive it."
"Come tomorrow." Chiron agreed. "As per your ointments, I should have them all ready by the end of the week."
"Fantastic." Isabelle felt another flood of excitement that stayed with her until dinner. She found herself eating in solitude as Cassian was still asleep. She wasn't too bothered as she keenly took a book out and read while eating.