Valanice knocked softly on the open door, alerting Ren to her presence. He looked up from his desk before rising to his feet.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty. I hope the King is still doing well?"
"Graham's fine, just impatient to be out of bed. I'm actually here about Alexander."
"Ah," he said as they both sat. "How fares the young Prince? I imagine it must be quite a shock he's been through."
"Quite. Ren, to be honest, I'm… highly concerned. How much do you know about him?"
"Not much, mostly just what you and the King announced today - that a wizard kidnapped and hid him away in Llewdor. He didn't say much when we spoke, but then, we were both distracted by the King's health at the time."
"I know this must all be overwhelming for him, but… I'm afraid it's much more than that. He's told us very little about his life in Llewdor, but what he has… it's not encouraging. The wizard had him keep house for him, doing the cooking and cleaning. Apparently, he wasn't the first boy taken, either; for some reason, he would kill a boy once he reached the age of eighteen and then kidnap a new one."
They sat in silence for a moment while Ren absorbed the news. "Kill them? At eighteen?" He rubbed his face with his hands. "And the Prince… he knew this? How is he here, then?"
"He studied magic - in secret - and performed a spell to turn the wizard into a cat, of all things."
Ren blew the air out of his lungs as he leaned back in his chair. "Your Majesty, when I took this post here in Daventry, I expected life as a royal physician would be a bit crazy sometimes. If I'd known just how crazy…" He shook his head. "I see why you're so concerned, then. Harrowing enough, escaping from all that. Add fighting a dragon and his father collapsing in front of him? It's a wonder the boy's not catatonic."
"I'm afraid he's not far from it. He barely speaks to anyone, usually only when asked a direct question; he shies away from contact. Rosella came to me last night and said he froze mid-conversation."
Ren looked over at her. In a fairytale, this would have been such a joyous time for the Queen. And while he knew she was thrilled to have her loved ones safe at home once again, she also looked exhausted. Concern for her son and her family was telltale in the lines that creased her face. Real life, as always, was so much more complicated.
"I can do an exam, if you'd like, and if he's willing, to ensure he's suffered no long-term physical effects. But as for his mental state… well, he'll need time, that's for sure, to adjust. You'll have to be very patient with him."
"Of course."
"In time, hopefully, he'll open up, find someone he feels he can confide in. And I'll try to keep an eye on him."
"Thank you, Ren. For everything."
"You're welcome, Your Majesty.
After the Queen left, Ren leaned back in his chair again, staring at the door where she had disappeared before muttering to himself. "Dragons. Cats. Wizards. Magic fruit. Mother was right; I should have stayed in Lycathia."
"Come in."
Alexander opened the door he'd just knocked on, glancing around the room. In many ways, it looked like other rooms in the castle - chairs arranged next to a fireplace, a desk. This room, however, had bookcases lining the wall behind the desk, many stuffed to overflowing with books, bottles, and odd-looking gadgets he had no name for. He had to force himself to step through the threshold; it reminded him far too much of the wizard's laboratory.
"Prince Alexander, good morning," Ren said, extending his hand.
Alexander shook the doctor's hand. He'd been getting a lot of practice with that. "Good morning. Mother said you wanted to do some sort of… exam?"
"Yes, only if you're okay with it, of course. Just to make sure you're in good health, and all that."
A bit reluctantly, Alexander nodded, despite wanting to refuse. He just… couldn't seem to make himself say the words. He needed to get better at saying no; he'd already gotten into too many uncomfortable situations.
"Have a seat here. It won't take long, I promise. Can you follow my finger with your eyes?"
Alexander did so, wondering what on earth the point of this was. Still, easy enough so far.
A few similar exercises later, Ren held up a wooden cylinder and asked, "You probably saw me use this with your father. Is it alright if I take a listen?"
Alexander nodded and managed not to flinch as Ren leaned closer to listen at his chest.
"Now, if you could just turn that way, I'll take a listen at the back."
Alexander turned, gripping the edge of his seat hard. Having someone close to his back where he couldn't see made him much more nervous.
"Sounds great; now, if you could just - "Ren stopped. He'd noticed something just apparent underneath the Prince's collar. He glanced up at the back of the Prince's head and then back down, nudging the collar down slightly to get a better look. Alexander stiffened.
"Sorry, Prince Alexander, it's just… is it… is it just the one, there, or…" Ren stopped, dread growing in the pit of his stomach. He was pretty sure he knew what the answer would be.
Alexander clenched his hands even tighter. "No."
"Do you mind if I take a look?"
Alexander closed his eyes. He'd known this was a bad idea. Reluctantly, he unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off.
Ren swallowed, his dismay only increasing alongside a wave of anger at that blasted wizard.
Slashes littered the Prince's back, crisscrossing each other until there was more scar tissue than bare flesh. Maintaining his professional courtesy was suddenly a struggle. "I'm… I'm sorry, Prince Alexander. This should… should never have happened. You can… Prince Alexander?"
Alexander didn't hear a word of what Ren had said. Instead, shirtless, with movement behind him… he tensed, expecting another flash of pain any moment…
Ren moved around to the Prince's front. Alexander didn't seem to notice in the slightest; his eyes were far away, his face drawn and white.
Ren cursed softly to himself; he'd pushed the boy too far. He made sure not to touch him as he said softly, "Hey. Prince Alexander. It's Ren, the royal physician. You're in my office in Daventry. You're safe here. No one's going to hurt you."
Relief washed over him as the Prince blinked and turned his head to stare at him, his eyes slowly coming into focus.
"Ren?"
"Yes. It's alright. You were having a flashback. Do you remember where you are now?"
"Ye… yes. Castle Daventry." Some of the tension left his shoulders.
"Good, good. You can put this back on now. I'll be right over there for a moment, okay?"
Alexander drew his shirt back on, feeling immensely better for it. He watched Ren look through a few bottles before selecting one and turning back to Alexander.
"This is a mix of various calming herbs; it might help if you start feeling overwhelmed and anxious again. One spoonful should be good for now, and we can increase the dosage if you feel like it's not working well enough."
Alexander took it and examined the small brown bottle, unsure if he felt comfortable taking anything from those shelves.
"I recommended the same to your father shortly after he became King. Helped to calm his nerves about suddenly taking over the throne."
"Thanks," Alexander replied, more out of habit than anything. His father had been nervous about being King?
"As far as the exam goes, I've nothing else. But… if there's anything you ever want to discuss, just know I'm here. I don't even have to say anything if you want. But - when you're ready - talking about… about what happened, it might help."
Alexander nodded again, even knowing he had no desire to follow up on the offer. "I'll… think about it."