The next morning, I got ready quite early and went downstairs to find Mr Kellan. Now that I had a plan, I wasn't so afraid or downcast. I found Mr Kellan at the courtyard giving orders to some guards.
When he saw me coming towards him, he dismissed the guards and observed me with his head tilted to the side.
"I'll do it." I blurted when I got to where he stood. "I'll make a cure for His Majesty."
He chuckled lightly. "Yes, good morning to you too, Miss Frieda."
Were formalities and pleasantries really important at this dire time? Lives were at stake. Still, I bowed slightly.
"I'm sorry. Good morning Mr Kellan. I guess I got a little carried away." I apologized.
"Oh don't worry. I have never seen anyone so excited and eager to treat the king before. I've always had a good feeling about you." He told me.
Good feeling, huh? I thought. If only he knew the plans I had. I wasn't too excited to die, but if it meant taking the Dark Lord along with me to the land of the unknown, and ridding the world of an evil tyrant, then I was ready.
"Come with me then. We have quite a lot to discuss and here is not an appropriate venue." Mr Kellan said and led me back into the castle. We climbed the stairs up to the third floor and to the library.
At the library, we went past the shelves and found ourselves at a secluded area where there was a desk I had never noticed. Mr Kellan gave me a seat and took his own behind the desk.
"So, you're ready to commence treatment?"
I nodded. It wasn't like I could prolong the issue. It was either death or death and I had to choose wisely. "Yes. I was able to come up with a treatment procedure for His Majesty using the information you provided me as guide. I believe it will help to relieve his Majesty's pain."
Mr Kellan nodded. "Okay, go on. Tell me about this treatment procedure."
"I will be making a brew out of certain herbs which the king would be required to drink every evening. He will take this brew within the fourteen day period. If the treatment is successful then good. But if it isn't, then I'll accept any fate that comes to me."
"And your fate will be good." Mr Kellan assured me. I appreciate that he was being helpful but there was only so much his words could do. Was this how he assured all the physicians who had tried before me?
"Some of the herbs I'll be using needs to be freshly plucked from the woods so it doesn't lose its quality and vitality. Other ingredients will be sourced form the market." I informed him.
"You probably know those herbs better than anyone else so you'll have to pick them yourself."
I agreed to that. If someone else did it, I wouldn't be able to achieve my aims.
"Okay."
"To make your work easier and faster, I'll assign to you a coachman who will take you around to anywhere you need to go. There also will be a maid who will assist you in the brewing process." Mr Kellan offered. It didn't seem like a bad idea and I readily agreed, as long as whoever it was didn't get in my way.
Then I remembered one more bit of information."One more thing, when I make this brew, His Majesty is required to drink it immediately while it is still hot. When it becomes cold, it may lose its potency and effectiveness."
Mr Kellan clapped. "That will not be a problem. When do you want to commerce the treatment?"
"Tomorrow." I replied immediately.
By the end of our discussion, Mr Kellan encouraged me not to lose hope. He said he believed in my skills and hoped for the best. I also hoped for the best myself. Me killing the Dark Lord would be the best thing I had ever done.
I retired to my room preferring the silence and solitude it provided today. I needed to be able to hear myself think.
Mirabel had brought my lunch a while ago but I wasn't even in the mood to eat. After hearing that my life was close to being taken from me, what was the need to keep eating?
I thought about my whole life learning under the former royal head physician. Papa used to tell me that as Physicians, we were gifted with the ability to save lives. Anyone who took it upon himself and dedicated himself to being a physician was blessed of the gods because they preserved and protected the life that was created by them.
But now I was about to go against everything my Papa taught me, I was about to take a life. It was murder and I would be responsible for it. But whatever punishment I may be getting would be totally worth it. Taking down the Dark Lord would make it a hundred times easier for Rowland to take his place as the rightful ruler of Kerva.
...and I would be happy in my grave knowing I had contributed to his success.
Dying was not such a bad thing after all.
But wait a moment. From the way I had seen Papa die, dying did not look fun or exciting. Was the Dark Lord going to stab me with a sword if I failed? Was he going to hang me on the gallows or execute me by chopping off my head. Those three were quite painful ways to die. But they were fast and easy.
What if he fed me to wild animals or he threw me in the dungeon and starved me or what if he took it upon himself to cut off my limbs and phalanges one by one. Those were way too long and painful ways to die.
I shook my head to remove the gruesome images out.
Maybe I would ask the Dark Lord to use the easy ways instead of the painful and torturous ones as my dying wish. Surely he would let me make one like a decent human being, right?