"Prince Jonathon? Your Highness?" Timon was running across the practice
courts where Prince Jonathon, Gareth of Naxen, Raoul of Goldenlake and Alex
of Tirragen were practicing staff fighting.
Jon looked up from re-adjusting his grip on the shaft of wood. Timon looked flustered and worried. "Yes?"
"The King wants to see you, now, in his chambers. He says it's urgent."
Jon looked questioningly at Gary, but he only shrugged so Jon handed over his staff and followed Timon.
~
Jon knocked on the door. "Come in." came the flat voice from inside. He pushed open the door and found his father sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.
"Father?"
"Oh, it's you Jon."
"Timon said you sent for me."
"Yes." Roald paused. "Have you heard of the sickness in the city? The. what are they calling it. the sweating sickness?" Jon nodded. The pages were no longer allowed into the city in a futile attempt to keep the sickness from the palace. He had heard that the dead were just piled into carts and 'disposed of'. "Well. it's come. it's here."
"It's in the palace?"
"Yes. there's something else. Lianne.
"Mother is sick?"
Roald nodded gravly. "This fever is like none anyone has seen before. Duke Barid came as soon as we knew, but this sickness drains a healers magic."
"Can I see her?"
"Yes, but I think she's sleeping now."
Jon walked quickly through the suite of rooms to the bedroom at the back. His mother lay in a sweat soaked bed, shivering despite the warmth of the room. Duke Barid, chief of the palace healers, was resting in a chair in the corner of the room. Suddenly harsh coughs ripped through the Queens chest, and Barid hurried toward her. Jon quietly slipped out of the room.
~
"How are you doing, Raoul?" Alex asked, concern on his dark face. It was rare occasion nowadays for Raoul, Alex, Gary, Francis and Jon to be together, and even now it was crowded around a sickbed.
"So-so." Raoul replied. "I had a visit from Alan The Ghost," he said, smiling.
"Where do you think he comes from?" asked Francis. "It could be something to do that page. What's his name? The one with the purple eyes who just sits in his room."
"Thom of Trebond" Gary supplied. "You could be right. Alan never appeared until Thom arrived, and they're identical in looks."
"You know, at first I thought it WAS Thom, that he was just fooling around or something, but they're very different, Thom of Trebond and Alan the Ghost, aren't they," commented Jon.
"I guess we'll never know who he really is. Or maybe it should be was. Maybe he was a page who died or something, and is haunting the palace now," speculated Alex.
"That can't be right. Why would he have come just recently, rather than when he died? He can't have been killed recently, or we'd have heard of it," countered Francis.
Just then the healer attending Raoul entered the room. "What's all this then? You boy's had best run along. We don't want anymore sick. Especially you Your Highness," he said, bowing to Jonathon.
"Go on," Roaul sighed. "I'll be alright." The four boys took one last look at their friend before leaving the room as the healer went to work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I know I said I'd kill someone, but it took me so long to write. I'm going to put the Jon part up in too chapters, the next one is the death.
In the next chapter, should I put a bit to explain exactly what is going on? Or should I leave you to work it out yourselves. Tell me in your reviews. Long reviews make me feel luved. *hint hint*
We put this in the Weakest Link too, but we desperately need ideas for The Path of Hope. It's a dying fanfic. Please read it and tell us what you think we could do with it.
Thanx to:
Dragon queen: Ok, fraternal twins then. I'm a nitpicker too.
White-Wolf: Thank you so much!
Elspeth: Good idea, but you've misinterpreted it. Defiantly misinterpreted it.
Karly-ann134: I love it when people review all the chapters! I love your idea. I'm gonna try and use that one!
Witchchild: Thanks heaps!
Darkflare: :] :) :D
Till nextime then.
~Googlepuss
Jon looked up from re-adjusting his grip on the shaft of wood. Timon looked flustered and worried. "Yes?"
"The King wants to see you, now, in his chambers. He says it's urgent."
Jon looked questioningly at Gary, but he only shrugged so Jon handed over his staff and followed Timon.
~
Jon knocked on the door. "Come in." came the flat voice from inside. He pushed open the door and found his father sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.
"Father?"
"Oh, it's you Jon."
"Timon said you sent for me."
"Yes." Roald paused. "Have you heard of the sickness in the city? The. what are they calling it. the sweating sickness?" Jon nodded. The pages were no longer allowed into the city in a futile attempt to keep the sickness from the palace. He had heard that the dead were just piled into carts and 'disposed of'. "Well. it's come. it's here."
"It's in the palace?"
"Yes. there's something else. Lianne.
"Mother is sick?"
Roald nodded gravly. "This fever is like none anyone has seen before. Duke Barid came as soon as we knew, but this sickness drains a healers magic."
"Can I see her?"
"Yes, but I think she's sleeping now."
Jon walked quickly through the suite of rooms to the bedroom at the back. His mother lay in a sweat soaked bed, shivering despite the warmth of the room. Duke Barid, chief of the palace healers, was resting in a chair in the corner of the room. Suddenly harsh coughs ripped through the Queens chest, and Barid hurried toward her. Jon quietly slipped out of the room.
~
"How are you doing, Raoul?" Alex asked, concern on his dark face. It was rare occasion nowadays for Raoul, Alex, Gary, Francis and Jon to be together, and even now it was crowded around a sickbed.
"So-so." Raoul replied. "I had a visit from Alan The Ghost," he said, smiling.
"Where do you think he comes from?" asked Francis. "It could be something to do that page. What's his name? The one with the purple eyes who just sits in his room."
"Thom of Trebond" Gary supplied. "You could be right. Alan never appeared until Thom arrived, and they're identical in looks."
"You know, at first I thought it WAS Thom, that he was just fooling around or something, but they're very different, Thom of Trebond and Alan the Ghost, aren't they," commented Jon.
"I guess we'll never know who he really is. Or maybe it should be was. Maybe he was a page who died or something, and is haunting the palace now," speculated Alex.
"That can't be right. Why would he have come just recently, rather than when he died? He can't have been killed recently, or we'd have heard of it," countered Francis.
Just then the healer attending Raoul entered the room. "What's all this then? You boy's had best run along. We don't want anymore sick. Especially you Your Highness," he said, bowing to Jonathon.
"Go on," Roaul sighed. "I'll be alright." The four boys took one last look at their friend before leaving the room as the healer went to work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I know I said I'd kill someone, but it took me so long to write. I'm going to put the Jon part up in too chapters, the next one is the death.
In the next chapter, should I put a bit to explain exactly what is going on? Or should I leave you to work it out yourselves. Tell me in your reviews. Long reviews make me feel luved. *hint hint*
We put this in the Weakest Link too, but we desperately need ideas for The Path of Hope. It's a dying fanfic. Please read it and tell us what you think we could do with it.
Thanx to:
Dragon queen: Ok, fraternal twins then. I'm a nitpicker too.
White-Wolf: Thank you so much!
Elspeth: Good idea, but you've misinterpreted it. Defiantly misinterpreted it.
Karly-ann134: I love it when people review all the chapters! I love your idea. I'm gonna try and use that one!
Witchchild: Thanks heaps!
Darkflare: :] :) :D
Till nextime then.
~Googlepuss