First of all, I would like to thank both Jaelawyn Noble and Cassidelia for helping me with my writers block. I've been stuck lately and they've helped me out of my jams. Thank-you so much you guys! You come up with the best ideas. Thanks for helping me continue it!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tammy's characters. Wish I did, but I don't. But just wait. One day I'll own my own characters! I hope.
A meeting was being held in the conference room to discuss the epidemic that was going around Tortall, but seemed to be centered in the castle; the Death Plague. King Jonathan sat at the head with the Queen on his. Alanna, who had come 'only to help the children' sat as far a way from Jonathan as she could, the very end of the table. Other's were there too. Sir Roaul, Sir Gary, Numair, Daine, and of course the parents of the two first to get sick, Duke and Duchess of Queenscove and Lady Sandra. Jonathan stood up and started the meeting.
"Thank you all for coming today. I know that we are all worried about this sickness that has been going around and I hope that we can do something about it soon. Alanna, I would especially like to thank you for coming today, we are grateful that you came to help." Alanna, who had been quiet this whole time, leaned over to Raoul and whispered something into his ear.
"Alanna." Raoul retorted. The lady knight poked Raoul in the ribs. "Alright, alright. Jonathan, Alanna only came to help the children, not to speak to you. It seems I'm going to be her mouth for the rest of the evening." Alanna gave Raoul a glare of death, but Raoul ignored it.
"Baird? What did you find out about this plague! Our child is dying!" The Duchess of Queenscove began crying fresh tears as her husband held her.
"Sweet, this is a mysterious sickness. We don't know much about it, which means we can do nothing to heal it. Sir Alanna and I are doing everything we can. All we know about it is that it only occurs in young people. All of the palace healers are working on it, we've called the neighboring healers around the area, even farther than that. Their on their way. Meanwhile, we've been able to keep this sickness at bay, but we don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep the children from...dying." At that, the Duchess began crying harder.
"Well, we have to do something! Try harder. My baby is dying!" Lady Sandra got up and began walking towards the Duke. "She's my only child, my lord! She's all I've had since my husband died. I'm not going to let Death take her a way too. Do something!" Lysse's mother screamed the last part in Duke Baird's face. She fell to the floor in a heap of pain, crying for her dying daughter. Alanna and Thayet got up from their seats and ran towards the fallen mother.
"Sandra come on. We'll put you to bed. You need to rest. Be strong for Lysse. She'll get through this." Alanna soothed Lady Sandra. Thayet and Alanna picked her up off of the floor and helped her out of the room, all of the while murmuring soothing words to calm her down.
"So, I guess there's nothing to be done." Daine muttered mostly to herself. "I'd help if I could heal humans. You know? It's times like this that I curse my Wild Magic." Daine stood up and began to get louder. "I can't help anyone but animals!" Numair stood up also and took Daine into his arms.
"Shh. It's okay. Don't say that. You can help in other ways, my sweet."
"Numair's right, Daine. We need people to assist the healers. Besides you can change your form and fly to the neighboring towns and countries. You'd be much faster than our messengers."
"Meanwhile, we have to do something. How are we going to keep other children from getting ill?" Gary spoke up.
"Well, we've decided to quarantine the sick. Streets have been cut off in the town and we have moved the sick in the castle to a certain wing where they'll be closer to the healers and farther a way from the healthy. We would move them a way from the castle, but we're afraid that their bodies wouldn't be able to take it."
"I can't believe this is happening again to Tortall. Is my country cursed?" Jonathan muttered to himself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Roald snuck through the sick wing steering clear of the healers who were coming and going. Most of the adults had gone to the meeting, so now was his chance to go see Lysse. He remembered back to when he was told that Lysse and Neal had fallen ill. Why did people important to him always have to fall to harm? He passed by the room where he knew that the King and Queen of the Yamani Isles were keeping vigil over their daughter. Princess Shinkokami had fallen mysteriously ill a couple nights ago during the dinner. Everyone seemed to be falling ill. Neal, Lysse and Seaver were the only ones who had fallen ill from their group. Of course Roald knew most of the other pages, squires, even the new knights, who had gotten sick from the Death Plague. Some had even died already.
Finally reaching the door to Lysse's room, he opened it and stepped inside. Immediately he was overcome with the smells of healing balms and gross medicines that that the healers were giving the patients, trying to keep them alive. Roald waited while his eyes adjusted to the black room, even the fire didn't help light the room that much. Through the darkness he could see Lysse's pale form lying on the bed. His eyes didn't need to adjust anymore. She was the palest he had ever seen anyone. She was so pale that she was glowing in the darkness of the room. He could see her perfectly from where he was standing.
"Lysse." Roald whispered urgently. There was no answer. "Lysse!" Roald ran urgently to the bed and tripped, almost falling on top of her small form. "Lysse, come on wake up. Lysse? Oh gods." He could see her more clearly now. Her once beautiful long brown hair had been cut to her chin so the healers could tend to her more easily. There was dried and fresh blood on her pillow and nightgown. He had been told that one of the symptoms was the coughing up of blood, but he didn't think it was this bad. She had gotten skinnier too. He could see the bones from her ribs through her nightgown. She was loosing weight rapidly. Too rapidly, he had overheard the healers informing his mother. Why Lysse? Roald began to cry over her still form.
"Lysse, come on wake up, look at me." There was no response. "Lyyse, come on, I need you right now. Lysse." Roald said her name with the great pain that was coursing through his body. "Lysse, please stay with me. I love you. I love you. I love you." Roald began muttering the phrase over and over again. Each one getting more and more passionate. "Lysse!" He yelled, not caring anymore if the healers could hear him or not. "Wake up! Come on. You cannot leave me! I love you! You love me! We're meant to be together! Damn Joren and damn the princess! We'll be together no matter what!" The door to Lysse's room opened and one of the healers who had over heard stepped inside.
"Your Highness!" She gasped. "Get a way from there! You'll get sick too. What are you doing in the quarantine wing?" Roald was beyond hearing, though. The crown prince was passionately crying over the body on the bed. "Lysse." She heard him mutter.
"Morgan, Sara! Help me!" The healer called to the others. "His highness! Help me." Several healers cam running into the room and over to Roald. Gently, yet firmly, they peeled the clinging Roald off and had to carry the prince out of the room into his own, where he fell deathly asleep immediately.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kel stood in her room pacing with tears streaming down her face. Lalasa had gone to make some tea for her to help her calm down. All Kel could remember was the still figure of Neal lying on the floor. It had been a lucky thing that she had found him or else...Kel still couldn't believe he was sick, even Lysse had gotten it. They were dropping like flies around the palace. Every hour there was someone new with this illness. The healers were thinking of removing all the children and taking them out of Tortall and into a neighboring country. No plans had been made yet, but meanwhile, everyone was doing their best to cheer each other up out of their depressions. Nothing worked for Kel. Cleon had come in a couple times, but to no avail. Nothing was working, she was depressed. Neal was a great friend to here, but was he more? That's what she had wanted to talk to him about that night. Now she might never get the chance...No don't think like that. Neal will be fine, she thought to herself. The door to her room opened and a sad Lalasa entered the room.
"Kel, I was just down in the kitchens and I heard-I heard that-" Lalasa began to stutter and tears began to drip down her face.
"What? What is it?" Kel pressed.
"Kel, I don't know how to say this, I just got word that...Kel...Neal's dead."
"No. No." Kel began muttering to herself. "That's not true. Neal wouldn't leave me like that. No!" Kel would have collapsed to the floor in tears if Lalasa hadn't been there to catch her.
Okay, Neal fans please don't hate me! I do expect flames for this, but please don't hate me forever! I told you all the story would be taking a turn. You weren't expecting this though were you? I'm sorry! I hated killing him, I even cried while doing it. *tears and moans* Poor Neal. Again, I apologize. There is just something that I want to do. Well, that was part 9, don't know when part 10 will be up. Wow. Part 10! This is getting long. *sits back to expect the flames*