Chapter Twenty-Nine: "Of Cabbages and Kings"

The clink of cutlery and slight sounds of chewing was all that could be heard in the overly-grand dining room. Well, that's probably a bit unfair- whilst the dining room probably wouldn't be considered overly grand when considering the real reason it had been built, for the purpose of entertaining the Allied Lands' most powerful and important people, the ways its current owner used it made its ornateness obsolete.

Taking a sip from his wineglass, Akkarin considered his dining companion. Sonea was, as always, keeping her gaze carefully down at her plate, only ever glancing quickly up in order to reach for her glass or to help herself from the platters on the middle of the table. He was pleased to see her eating more than last time, but not so pleased that she seemed set on being as untalkative as before. He was going to have to cajoule her into conversation.

It had been a very long time since he had to entertain a young woman at dinner. Thinking about it, had he ever? Thinking back, he decided he probably had, given the overly confident young man he used to be, and considering the great efforts to which his mother had gone to find him a suitable wife. But that had before….then. Before…her. He wasn't the young boy who hadn't had to work hard at making conversation and getting people to like him anymore. He was the man who had returned from Hell and had been deprived of what civilised society was like. He chastised himself inwardly- he ought to be able to make conversation with an ordinary eighteen-year-old girl.

"We have spoken about your Warrior Skills classes, but not your others," he said into the silence. "How are you finding them?"

"They are going well, High Lord."

Akkarin resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her shortness. It was to be expected, after all. "I was hoping for a little more detail," he replied. Another silence. He sighed. "It is my duty to make sure that you get the best possible training, after all," he said, attempting to sound more placating.

He frowned as he saw her eye brows rise, and the slightest of wry chuckles escape her lips.

"I apologise, I haven't the ability to understand what that meant," he said, setting his cutlery down and leaning back in his chair.

For the first time since sitting down, Sonea looked up at him. She blushed hotly when he didn't look away, and went back to her careful examination of her food. His gaze wasn't enough to coax her into an explanation.

"Do you not believe I have an interest in your education, then?" he pressed.

"I—" She said slowly, before reaching for her wineglass and draining it.

Perhaps this was a little cruel of him.

"Well, in lieu of an answer from you, I will say that I actually do have an interest. This may not be a situation either of us exactly planned for, but I certainly have no plans on sabotaging your training by…having you here. At the very least, I think we should be able to discuss your lessons with a molecule of decorum, don't you agree?"

Sonea nodded her head curtly. "Yes, High Lord."

Satisfied, Akkarin picked up his cutlery once more. He decided to pick a topic that he thought would be easiest for her to talk about- something that she was good at and enjoyed. "So, now we have that sorted, you can start by telling me what you have been learning about in your Healing classes."

Sonea considered for a moment, head tilting to the side as she thought. The vice-like grip that she had on her cutlery seemed to loosen slightly. "Well, today Lady Indria told us about how Healers give vaccinations."

"Ah, tricky little procedures, those, from what I recall. They take up a lot of a healer's time and energy for an uncertain reward. It's not common practice, only done for people who are considered to be at risk- the infirm, for example."

"That's what Lady Indria said."

"Do you think she's right?"

"No, High Lord." The answer came back immediately, confidently.

"Why?"

"Because Healing is more than just a theoretical subject. It's about doing good."

Now they were getting somewhere. But Akkarin wasn't quite done testing her yet. "So you would take a utilitarian view of how we should using Healing? That healing is about doing good, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number?" he asked.

"Yes, High Lord."

Akkarin thought through his next words carefully, not wanting to come across as insulting or patronising. "I suppose that comes from the fact that, growing up in the Slums, you saw more suffering than most of your classmates combined as a result of infections, though it was their acquaintance who received treatment from the Healers, and not your's, for the same illness."

"I suppose so, yes."

Akkarin nodded slowly. "I understand that. It is a point that has been raised to me more than once, I can tell you. But no one seems to be able to present me with a particularly good solution. So, what would you propose we do about it?"

Sonea's fork stopped halfway to her mouth. "I'm sorry?" she stammered, looking at him with wide eyes.

"It's alright, I asked for your opinion. What do propose we do about vaccinating the larger population of Imardin?"

"But you just said that no one has presented you with any good solutions."

"That doesn't negate your ability to do so."

"Well, I…I haven't really thought it through."

"Your preliminary ideas then. All good plans start as ideas."

She rested her chin in her hand as she thought, fork bouncing slightly in her hand.

"Well, the way I see it," she began slowly, "is that if the people in the slums were vaccinated, then, in the long run, this would save time, money and resources by not having to treat them."

She looked up at him, seeming to need some kind of validation. He nodded once. "I accept that premise."

"Well, we could send out a reasonable number of Healers every day for a period before the snows come, because that's just before the risk of catching an infection is greatest, according to Indria. We could ask the people to be vaccinated against the most common illnesses- this could be particularly encouraged for those more at risk."

"And what makes you think that these people would welcome such a gesture? They may not trust what we want to do for them is in their best interests."

"We could educate them- explain to them exactly what it is we would be trying to do. They would respond to that."

"Like with information posters?"

"Well, no, seeing as most of them can't read- probably more someone going and explaining it to them- preferably not someone from the Guild."

Whilst the idea was certainly different to the others he had heard, Sonea's solution had the same issue that all the others had. "And who is going to pay for all this?" he asked, raising it. "The whole reason most of Imardin's populace aren't treated by healers is because the expense is beyond what they could every afford."

Curiously, Sonea looked up at him then, a more determined look in her eyes now. "Every adult citizen of Imardin pays taxes. Some of those taxes go towards the running of the Guild, so we can live like, well, this," she said with a slight shrug, indicating at the finery around them. "Surely they should get something back from the thing that their money pays for?"

Well, she had got him there. "There is a certain amount of logic in that, I agree," he said. The smallest of smiles crossed her face briefly, then she returned to fininigher her meal. Akkarin felt himself smile slightly, too. He was pleased they had managed to have even the briefest of discussions with some level of decorum. And what she had said was…intriguing. No one had ever suggested educating the people of the slums before. Well, it had been assumed that they wouldn't have the intellect to understand. Sonea was living proof that that assumption had been a stupid one.

They remained in silence as Takan cleared the plates away and brought dessert, but this silence wasn't nearly as suppressing- more like the silence you get when two people are thinking independently. Another definite improvement. Akkarin was pleased enough with the progress made that he decided he had pushed her enough for one evening, and to let her eat in peace.

"But why stop there?"

As Akkarin was about to raise a spoonful of fruit to his mouth, he was stopped by the unexpected sound of Sonea's voice. He glanced up.

"I'm sorry?"

"Why stop there?" she repeated, a new light in her eyes, a light he had never seen there before. "If we are going to go to the trouble of vaccinating everyone in the slums, and therefore had taught them about what Healers can and cannot do, why not go one step further? Treat them for the illnesses they actually present with, whilst they're there?"

Akkarin leaned back and considered her. He had clearly set her off on something here- but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Still, it was probably worth warning her off before she got too in love with the idea. "What you're now proposing is a vastly broader initiative, which therefore makes it less likely to work, or be accepted," he said firmly. "For one thing, that would take much more time and far more Healing energy on the part of the Healers who go."

"Would it? If we've already gone to the trouble of sending out people to educate them, to gather them in places where they could be treated. I'm not suggesting we do major surgery but—" she paused, and glanced away, "it seems cruel to me to introduce them to what could be done for them and not give it to them."

Akkarin suddenly realised he was now on the back foot in this situation. She was right and they both knew it. This issue was that when it comes right down to it, policy is far more influenced by what is practical than what is right.

"Well, I think Lady Vinara would a few things to say about it, if I was ever brave enough to suggest it to her," he said, reaching for the wine decanter and pouring himself a fresh glass, "but I guess the theorical possibility isn't completely outlandish. You would have awful lot of people to convince, though."

She smiled then, a smile he recognised that was often seen by someone who has just won a bout in the Arena. "Just because something isn't easy doesn't mean that isn't worth doing," she said. Then she looked out the window, and quickly turned her attention back to him.

"May I be excused, High Lord?"

Knowing she had an evening class to attend, Akkarin nodded. Sonea rose from the table, bowed to him in a far more graceful manner than the last time, and quickly took her leave.

Soon after, Takan came in and started to clear away the plates.

"Any better than last time, Master?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, perhaps a little."

"Well, that's progress, of a fashion."

"I suppose so."

"And what did you talk about?"

Akkarin rose from his chair and, picking up his wine glass, moved to one of the dining room windows, one of the ones that offered a view of the gardens and the prettier side of the university. He watched as a familiar brown-clothed figure hurried in the direction of the welcoming lights of the university.

"Oh, of cabbages and kings. And possibilities for the future."

One of the last things she had said before leaving still danced around his mind. It would continue to do so as he returned to his study, and then even later when he finally turned in for the night, and lay staring up at the dark ceiling of his bedroom.

Just because something isn't easy doesn't mean it isn't worth doing.

I have to send a MASSIVE shoutout to my one of my new reviewers, Natascha! Girl, you are absolutely not annoying me when you review me, I LOVED reading your thoughts, thank you so much for sending me them! I don't want to write a massive answer to here so as to not annoy people, but do feel free to DM me on here. I love the fact I get to chat with people on a really deep level about these books, genuinely really love it. I get so many guest reviewers who write such wonderful, wonderful things- I hate not being able to reply in person to you, but I just want you to know I read them all and get so much joy from them. Thank you, thank you, thank you. All my love, Cece xox