"Perhaps you should listen to her, Liana."

"I refuse to waste a single moment listening to that woman's explanation."

"She may be able to shed some light on his condition."

"Time is a luxury he does not have, Lias. Do you want us to be responsible for the death of a royal?"

"You are blinded with dislike and contempt."

"I have every reason to be!"

"Not when it interferes with your medical judgement."

"My judgement is unaffected. He will die unless I bleed him in the next two hours. Do I have to be clearer?"

Lias paled, but his expression remained firm. He had been arguing with Liana for the past hour, which in itself was ridiculous because he was older, wiser and more experienced. To think that this slip of a girl had the audacity to question his authority was bewildering, but he let it pass. She was gifted, and King Edmund's fascination with her had led him to contribute heavily to their funds. Lias wasn't complaining, but he did wish Liana would see reason.

He tried to be gentler. "Child, you do not understand. The lady is a noblewoman. She is close to royalty in her own land. We owe her this respect."

"I owe no one anything except King Edmund his life," hissed Liana. "I am a noblewoman in my own right. Just because I gave up my birthright for the sake of humanity does not mean I am beneath her and I'll be damned if I let her get the best of me," she grabbed a sharpened knife from the bucket in which it had been soaking and wiped it with a rag. Involuntarily, Lias took a step back. She noticed, and her eyes flashed. "Don't fear, Lias. I have no desire to kill anyone except that wench who thought it was a good idea to go riding on the same horse as a man who had Manticore poison in his blood."

!

Susan bit her lip as the fawn next to her continued fanning her face. She waved her away with a small word of thanks and buried her face in her hands as soon as she was alone. She was sitting in a completely undignified position on the ground outside the crystal doors of the Houses of Healing. She knew it was unbecoming and inappropriate. Her new dress was probably soiled with grass stains by now, and she knew there was a rip at the hem, but she couldn't help it.

Sighing, she tried to pull herself together. Edmund's surgery hadn't been serious, and she trusted Liana with her little brother's life, but the nagging feeling never went away. Every time any of her siblings so much as left her sight, the feeling descended and persisted until she was sure of their safety. She and Edmund were closer than anyone else; he was the only one who appreciated her practicality, even welcomed it at times. He had never uttered one word of complaint against her, and in turn she had never teased him about the way he had behaved with Liana. She had even made her friend apologize, which she knew was unfair but she couldn't bear to see Edmund's expression after Liana had thrown mead on him. Susan had only caught a brief glimpse of him before Liana had ushered her out of the room, but that had been enough to bring tears to her eyes. Her little brother's expression had never been more painful to witness.

"You shouldn't stay, Susan," her friend had said. "You will only hurt yourself. He is asleep, he feels nothing. I made sure of it."

Susan had blinked up at Liana in bewilderment. In her white dress and with that serene expression, she was reminiscent of an angel. "Don't let him die," was all she had managed to say before Peter had pulled her away.

Lucy was inside. Liana had objected at first, but in the end she had relented. She was not allowed to see the surgery, but she was nearby, with her cordial in her hands in case of emergency. Peter was with Ivanna; the woman was in hysterics, and Liana had refused to attend to her. Another healer had been sent, but she had returned saying that there was no medicine that could cure something as trivial as tears. They would pass on their own. Susan had firmly told Peter that if relations with the Lone Islands had to be severed, they would have to be, but Ivanna was to leave Cair Paravel as soon as Edmund opened his eyes.

"My lady?" Susan looked up and saw Mr. Tumnus standing in front of her. He held an apple in his hand. "You did not attend luncheon."

"Oh," Susan blinked. "I-I've been here for hours, I'm afraid. The surgery is supposed to end any moment now."

"I understand," the fawn smiled and offered her the fruit. "This will sustain you for a while, I hope."

Susan gave him a grateful smile. For a few moments, there was silence. Susan chewed her apple thoughtfully and then, almost like a child seeking comfort, looked up at Mr. Tumnus. "He'll be alright, won't he?"

Mr. Tumnus sat down next to her and, after some hesitation, clasped her free hand in his. "Liana won't let anything happen to him, Your Highness."

!

"I'm putting him on permanent bed-rest," Liana's tone was final. "I mean no disrespect, but I refuse to waste any more time on him. I have other patients and if he keeps injuring himself then drastic measures will have to be taken. With your permission, High King, I'd like to attend to him personally, at least for the next week. By then, he probably won't need anyone else."

"By all means," said Peter. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "We're indebted to you, Liana. I don't think you know how much."

"This is my duty."

"You know what I mean," Peter waved his hand in the air, as if dismissing her statement. "You do your duty well, if you want to call it that. Please know that we will reward you for it."

Liana smiled tightly and curtseyed. Mr. Tumnus escorted her out of Peter's private study, and returned after the door had closed. His face was troubled. "High King?"

"Yes, Tumnus?"

"Is it wise, to have Healer Liana on hand so much?"

"Why would that be problematic?"

"What I mean is," Mr. Tumnus stuttered slightly. "Perhaps it would be more prudent if Lias were to attend to the king personally? In his chambers?"

"Oh, you mean because Liana is a woman," Peter nodded thoughtfully. "Don't worry, Tumnus, I had already considered that."

"May I ask what your decision is?"

"Certainly. In fact, you can proof-read it," Peter fumbled around on his desk and produced a parchment from under a stack of letters, the Narnian crest glittering atop it. "What do you think?"

Mr. Tumnus scanned the document hurriedly, and his face broke into a smile. "That is very generous of you, High King. She will be honored."

"Well, I don't know about honored, but I hope she'll be pleased," Peter grinned and took the parchment back from the fawn. "Even if she doesn't accept, the offer will remain standing and having her around so much won't seem so strange. Of course, her increased salary will mean she can at least have one of the cottages, but these things do take time. Nevertheless, it's the least we can do, and I've been meaning to eradicate that no benefits law for quite some time. I just wish it could have been under pleasanter circumstances."