Today's menu : aaaangst !
And many unpleasant symptoms due to the poison for Varian to endure.
But the most excruciating pain is the one that shatters a broken heart….
Chapter 25
Elora's cries startled Ethel from the far end of the hallway.
She dropped the shirt she was working on – a greenish grey shirt that already had a patch on the left sleeve. It was Varian's shirt. After she washed it, she found that a couple of seams had come loose and needed a few stitches. It was an old shirt, but it was the only one the boy owned, as far as Ethel knew.
She stood up abruptly and rushed out of her working room. Her granddaughter was running towards her, weeping bitterly, the guard who accompanied her waiting respectfully a short distance away.
Elora threw her arms around her grandmother's waist and sobbed into her apron. The older lady hugged her back, understanding she would have to be patient until the little girl would be able to speak.
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"LET ME GO !"
Varian never stopped thrashing even when he was pinned down on his bed.
He could still feel Nigel's hands around his throat, and was certainly not too keen on being touched again right now.
But the thing that was most unbearable for Varian was that the man who was forcefully holding him down was the King himself ! The most powerful person in the kingdom, who just purposely chose to ignore the black rocks threat and let his village be destroyed. He didn't anything against it. He too, was responsible for his father being trapped in amber.
The twiggy boy was no match for Fredric. It was easy for the older man to pin down Varian's legs and hips with one arm, the slender wrists in one large, beefy hand. The ruler of Corona made sure he wouldn't strain the bad arm. The boy tried to buckle and twist his body under the steel grip, but there was no way he could have enough strength. His face bore a mask of pure hatred for his opponent. His words were filled with rage and his eyes were darting daggers.
Meanwhile, Arianna's hands were shaking a little, holding the bowl containing the emetic medicine. She waited for Remyus' signal, trying to breathe deeply to slow her racing heart.
With Fredric still holding Varian's limbs down, Remyus pressed one hand against the teen's forehead, hard enough to keep it from moving from side to side. He looked at the Queen briefly : that was her cue. She used her free hand to pinch Varian's nose, forcing him to open his mouth. Remyus then shoved the funnel deep into his mouth, reaching the back of his throat. Varian coughed and gagged against the tip of the dreadful object, but there was no way for him to escape.
Quick and determined, because she kept saying to herself that this was their only chance to save him from the poison, Arianna poured the content of the bowl into the funnel and down his throat, making sure she didn't release the boy's nose until he swallowed. When he did, Arianna let go and backed down in self-loathing after what she made the kid endure. Her hand weak, she let the empty bowl fall down and roll on the floor.
Remyus pulled the funnel out but let his other hand rest on Varian's forehead, this time stroking the boy's sweaty skin to soothe him. The boy panted from the lack of oxygen, making him unable to speak. Nor that he could have used his voice anyway. His throat was burning and felt raw after the contact with the funnel.
"That's right, Varian. That's a good boy. We are going to get that poison out. You are doing fine."
Varian, more enraged than ever, continued to fight for a few seconds under Fredric's hands, but his erratic movements soon subsided, as a strong nauseous feeling settled in. He soon started to feel a sharp pain in his stomach that made him wince and grit his teeth. His whole body tensed, his hands already around his middle in Fredric's grip. The young alchemist tried to raise his head and feet to roll on his side, desperately wanting to curl up into a foetal position. Remyus' trained eyes did not miss the boy's need.
"You can let him go, Sire. I'll get the bucket."
Fredric obeyed and the boy immediately doubled over, retching. Remyus arrived just in time with the bucket as Varian emptied the contents of his stomach.
So much for his full meal at the picnic.
Dazed, Arianna was still standing a couple of steps away, watching the whole scene as if it was part of a play. She felt like the sweet boy she had nurtured for three days was suddenly gone. The same body was lying in front of her, but it was like there was an entirely different person inside. And he might die within moments because they let his aggressor be alone with him. Her mind just couldn't process all this. Her legs felt like jelly.
Varian threw up three or four more times, until he was wrecked by repeated dry heaves only. By the time he was done, his body was sweating all over, his skin cold and clammy. His laboured breathing resonated in the small room. Exhausted, he fell back upon his bed, lying on his side.
Remyus took Varian's good wrist in his hand and checked his pulse. It was irregular and weak. There was no doubt that the poison was already at work.
"What's wrong with him, Remyus ?" asked the King. "We got the poison out, so why is he so pale ?", he added, alarmed by Varian's bloodless features.
"We got most of it out, Sire, but aconite is a very fast poison. Part of it is running through his system already. There is no known antidote, so he will have to fight it. A grown man would be sick for one day or two, but…"
He didn't finish that sentence. He knew he didn't have to add that Varian was probably too small and too thin to stand a chance. The greyish color on his face was enough to prove how sick and weak he actually was.
He sighed.
"It will all depend on his will to live in the end. All we can do is hope now."
From where he was lying, Varian could see the paralyzed Queen, and her forlorn eyes locked with his. Of course, he was the one who yelled at her to stay away in the first place, but now it was like she was afraid to come near him again, and the thought broke his heart.
More scared to be hurt in his feelings than in his body, Varian reinforced those high walls around his heart and looked away.
Well, they had better leave me alone anyway, he thought. I won't let them pretend to be friends with me again. Sooner or later, they will turn their backs on me, I know that. No, I'm not falling for that again. Ever.
His strength ebbing, he allowed himself to close his eyes, his last surge of energy fighting another wave of pain in his stomach. When the ache subsided after what seemed an eternity, he re-opened his eyes, only to see the Queen sway on her feet, her body becoming suddenly limp as she passed out and fell on the floor.
I keep messing things up anyway, he said to himself as his own world faded into darkness.
