Track #10: Mundo
IV of Spades
The insistent knocks on the door wakes her up from her already shallow sleep. Whoever is behind it doesn't care whether it is the middle of the night and they will wake the whole neighborhood up.
Wrapping a thin shawl on her shoulders, she grudgingly opens it only to be greeted by the panicked face of her apprentice.
"What is it, Suzaku?" she exasperatedly asks.
"I'm sorry for waking you up so suddenly but Doctor, a group of men are downstairs looking for you."
This immediately puts her on high alert. "What do they want?"
"They said that they needed your help but they wouldn't tell me what kind of help. They only wanted to talk to you. Doctor, they look suspicious with their faces covered with black cloth. What if they are really thieves in disguised?"
She holds her hand up and halts his worry. Calmly, she starts descending the stairs. "I'll inquire first their intentions. We can't quickly go to conclusion. Perhaps, they have their reason to hide their faces. How many are there?"
"There are four people by the door but I saw more men standing outside like they are on guard."
"I see. Well then, will you go to the basement and grab anything that is handy? If your suspicion is true, we better be ready. Now hurry!"
"Yes, Doctor!"
Suzaku is right. There are four people waiting outside the door and another four standing in the garden.
But they are not all men unlike what he said. A tall woman is leading them.
As soon as she opens the door, the woman immediately goes to her. "Doctor Ceci?"
"I am. How may I help you?"
"I'm sorry to bother you this late night but we need your help. A very important person is sick. All of the doctors who had seen him were not able to find a cure to his sickness."
"A very important person? Is he an official? A person of high society?"
The woman nods. "He is. We travelled all the way from the capital just to see you. Will you help us? A lot of people's lives depend on him."
From the capital? That is more than a day worth of travel to get to their little town. Whoever the patient is, he must really be of great importance for his men to travel this far just to ask the help of an unknown doctor.
"We heard that you are the best doctor in this place and that you were able to treat even the sicknesses that were impossible to treat before. So please..."
Huh, where did they hear that rumor?
"May I know who the patient is?"
The woman shakes her head. "I'm sorry but it would be better if you'll just know it by the time we get there. This is for your security, too."
Ceci hears footsteps behind her and when she glances back, Suzaku is right there holding a long wood on his right hand while a knife is strapped on his waist.
"Suzaku, prepare our things. We will be going to the Capital."
"The Capital? That's far. I don't think Mr. Gottwald will let us borrow his cart and horse at this time of the night," the teenager says.
"Do not worry. We have a carriage to take you there and back here. Please bring a change of clothes. We would like to have your service until he gets better."
"I see. Well, then. Give us time to prepare."
She tries to stay awake during the first hours of travel, to make sure that they are not indeed being captured by bad people, but the darkness and exhaustion she hasn't recovered from staying up the previous night because she was monitoring the condition of a girl who was suffering from fever for a week still caught up to her. Ceci is still suspicious of these people, and the covers on their faces do not help to ease the uncomfortable feeling. But even though she does not want to, even though Suzaku seems so afraid and wary, Ceci does fall asleep and when she wakes up in the morning, they are already miles away from her cabin and are on their way to the port.
They pile behind the masked men who show something to the ship crew which allow them to board smoothly and easily without buying tickets. Whatever it was, Ceci was too short to see it but it must be a sort of a crest from the family of the patient.
Once they reach their room which to the pair's surprise is among the most expensive ones that only the riches could afford, Ceci immediately checks the materials they brought. The night before, she had inquired to the woman the symptoms and condition of the patient and from what she had gathered, it seems like he is suffering from consumption.
"Suzaku, make sure that the herbs are hydrated and fresh. Did you bring the mortar and pestle?" Ceci inspects the eucalyptus leaves that they have and makes sure that they are in good condition. Then she retrieves her medicinal book and reread the chapter about deadly diseases.
If it is indeed consumption that infects the patient, all Ceci can do is pray for a miracle. There is no known cure yet for a sickness as cruel as this one. It had claimed many lives, and for the three years that she had spent as a scholar, and another three years that she has been practicing medicine, all that there are to treat consumption are herbs that could help reduce the heavy and painful coughing of the patient but not totally rid him or her of the illness. In the end, the person still dies.
"Have you been to the capital, Doctor? I've never been there." The excitement in Suzaku's voice makes Ceci smile.
"I've lived there when I was younger," she answers.
"Really? But only royalties and aristocrats can reside there. Are you from a rich family?"
She shakes her head. "No. I am an orphan, and the family that adopted me happen to be rich." The royal family, in fact, Ceci adds in her thoughts.
The doctor has been training the teenage apprentice for only five months, and most of the words exchanged between them were medicine-related. She knows only the basic family background of Suzaku - an only child of a teacher and a merchant. She is fascinated by his genuine enthusiasm and passion for the field of healing and because of that, teaching him is not a task but more of a partnership.
"An orphan... But now you are one of the most admired scholars in our town with your first book soon to be published. You are amazing, Doctor!"
A slight blush appears on her cheeks, and Ceci gives him a kind smile. "That is so nice of you, but if you think that this will exempt you from your test next week, then you are mistaken."
Suzaku's eyes widen. "What? No! I really mean what I said. Even mother talks about you with pride."
"I'm just jesting," she utters with a laugh, "How is she doing? Is she breathing better now?"
"She's doing great ever since she started drinking the tea that you made her. She also took your advice of staying outdoors, by the trees, and breathe in fresh air."
"That's good to hear."
"Doctor..." Suddenly, he is whispering even though they are the only people in the room. "Can we really trust them? They still haven't shown us their faces and I just remember, when I went to the market last week, I heard Mrs. Alstreim talking about a group of bandits roaming in town and capturing young ladies. What if they are those bandits?"
Ceci sighs. "I don't know, Suzaku. But we can't also turn our backs to those who needed our service. It is our duty as doctors, physicians, or healers to share and apply our knowledge about medicine to those who are in need. Always remember that."
"Yes, Doctor."
The day at the ship is uneventful. It only reminds Ceci of her first time six years ago. Hesitation, regret, uncertainty and fear had clouded her mind during the two-day travel to the island where she attended her first medicine school. Hesitation to follow the path she had chosen alone, thinking how reckless and childish she was being. Thinking that she was full of herself to dare leave the palace with her head held high without looking back at the king.
Regret for leaving the only home she had known and loved in order to follow her dream - in order to free her heart of burden and let it fly high and soar in the sky of discoveries. Regret for leaving the one person who had shown her how it was to be kind and generous and humble while being the most powerful man in the country.
And uncertainty and fear for not knowing what will come next. For not knowing if she even had what it takes to fulfill her dreams and if there were opportunities to do what she wanted.
Her first travel in a ship was bittersweet, and now she is here again - a young doctor who has her own cabin that also serves as her clinic with an apprentice under her wing. And truth to be told, Suzaku did not lie when he said that she was admired by many. She is indeed quite famous in their town for her excellent practice.
Another set of carriage fetches them once they reached land. It would still be another couple of hours before they arrive in the capital but the sudden scent of familiarity - of belongingness to a place she had never been to for so many years - made her dizzy and dazed.
"Are you alright, Doctor?" asks Suzaku. The masked woman rides with them in their carriage.
Looking outside, Ceci nods. "Yes." She turns to their companion. "Is it safe for us to know who the patient is now?"
"I'll tell you once we enter the capital."
"How about your identities? I think, at the very least, we deserve to know who you are."
The woman's blue eyes meet her golden ones and look at her seriously. "Consider us as guards. Believe me when I say that you are safest with us. And where we would take you is the safest and most secured place in the country. We just need to stay anonymous in this mission."
Ceci does not dare to ask another question for she is sure that the woman will just evade it again. So she settles on watching the sceneries they are passing by, noting the obvious changes that took place while she was gone.
In the capital, Ceci's heart begins beating fast when she notices that they are following a familiar path. She sits straighter and pays more attention to her surroundings.
They can't be, right? They can't be going to where she thinks they are going, can they? But with every turn of the carriage brings her closer to the place she thought she would never see again.
She turns to the woman again and asks in a grave voice. "Who are you? Where are we going?"
And finally, the woman removes the cloth on the lower part of her face and opens her black cloak. The crest of the Britannia Royal Family shines as the sun ray hit it, almost blinding the people inside the dark carriage. "My name is Kallen Stadtfeld, a member of the elite soldiers of Britannia, and we are going to the royal palace. Lady Ceci, His Majesty needs you."
No.
Ceci closes her eyes as she tries to control her emotions. Placing her hand over her chest, she attempts to calm her heart. "He is the one who is sick?" she whispers.
The soldier nods. "Yes. And no one outside the palace knows it yet that's why we hid this mission from the public and maintain anonymity while carrying it. I ask you and your companion to keep the situation to yourselves. We wouldn't want to cause public worry."
"You should have told me from the very beginning. I would understand."
"I apologize but we are just following orders from the princess."
"Princess Nunnally?"
Kallen nods again.
"Does His Majesty know that I am coming?"
"No. His Majesty is always confused these past few days. It is the princess who is currently handling royal affairs as of now."
"I see," Ceci breathes, "Can we go much faster? Time is of importance."
While Kallen tells the driver to go faster, the doctor can feel the confusion from her young apprentice. She can imagine how he is trying to figure out anything in their conversation. She would tell him later. Later when she is certain that everything is alright.
They reach the palace in a shorter amount of time than the usual and they are immediately ushered to His Majesty's room. Ceci had no time to reminisce her memories in the place for she is too worried to roam her eyes around. She is just focused on a single goal right now - to provide cure for the king.
She can already hear the severe coughing from outside the door. When the servant opens it, the frail, thin and pale appearance of who was once a healthy and active person greets her.
Wasting no time, she goes to the side of the bed and feels the king's forehead. He is burning.
Another round of agonizing coughs.
"Suzaku, check the medicine the past healer prepared. Also prepare the materials that I need."
"Yes, Doctor!"
"Your Majesty, can you hear me?" Ceci asks the sick king.
But his eyes remain closed and she was only answered with another cough.
This is bad. This is terribly bad.
Ceci ties her hair up and begins giving instructions to her apprentice. She asks the servants to get a new set of clothes and towels for His Majesty.
She checks his eyes and the inside of his mouth. She also observes the rise and fall of his chest using her improvised stethoscope.
Just under an hour, the king's room is transformed to Ceci's personal clinic.
"The eucalyptus aroma will help him breathe easier. Make sure that the air inside the room circulates. Open some of the windows," she instructs the servants.
Turning back to her patient, she grabs a towel and dips it to the basin of water. She then starts wiping his forehead down to his face and neck.
She unbuttons his shirt and also wipes his body. The sight of his ribs showing breaks Ceci's heart but this is not a time for sentimentality. Her priority is to make him feel better. She makes sure to wipe his armpits thoroughly where most of the heat reside. When she is done with his upper body, she calls for a new shirt and dresses the king herself.
"I am going to remove his pants so that I can wipe his thighs and legs properly. Please leave us for a while."
When the servants have left the room, Ceci lifts the blanket up to the king's mid-thigh. She then does remove his pants and begins wiping downward. She gives extra attention to the backs of his knees where it is burning the most.
Once done, she gets the new pants and puts it on the king.
This act does not make her feel uncomfortable or awkward anymore. After treating people of all ages and gender, seeing a person's bare body does not faze her that much anymore.
After everything is done, Ceci asks Suzaku for the tea that she instructed him to make. Putting a couple of pillows under his head, the doctor calls for the king once again.
"Your Majesty, can you wake up for a little while? I need you to drink medicine."
The king doesn't open his eyes but turns his head towards her and that is more than enough.
Carefully, she guides the cup to his mouth and watches him gulp it slowly. At least he is drinking.
After finishing the drink, the king lets out a couple of coughs before succumbing to sleep.
Ceci stays by his side for a while, waiting for another coughing fit but it didn't come. Instead, she feels his forehead again and is relieved that the fever somehow went down.
She calls for a servant to get the king's wet clothes and to change the water in the basin.
"Do you know the king personally, Doctor?" Suzaku inquires curiously when they are alone.
"This is where I lived before," the doctor answers simply. She just continues to arrange her things unaware of the shock expression on her apprentice's face. "Can you put more eucalyptus in the boiling water? We need to clear his lungs and nose continuously."
When she feels no movement, she turns to the boy and repeats her instruction.
Suzaku shakes his head hard in disbelief. "When you said 'lived', do you mean your adopted parents work here?"
"No. His Majesty who was still a prince then found me in the forest as I was escaping my current master. He took me in and let me stay in the palace like it's my own home." She sighs. "Now, can you put more eucalyptus in the boiling water?"
"Y-Yes!"
The princess meets her during dinner time. She comes with a servant carrying his brother's food and as soon as she lays her eyes on their former resident, she encloses her in a tight hug. "Ceci! I'm so happy to see you again!"
"Your Highness, it's nice to see you, too."
"How are you? Are you living well? I heard that you have your own practice and is very good at it. I am so proud of you. We all are. Especially His Majesty."
Ceci blushes at the praises from the younger lady. "You're being too kind, Your Highness."
The princess squeezes her hand and then turns serious. "How is he?"
She relays her findings and the relief of the princess is evident on her face.
"Finally. His fever hadn't come down since yesterday. It is actually a miracle to see him sleeping peacefully without coughing. We were so worried because his wife, the late Queen, was not able to survive the same sickness. If you need anything, don't think twice to ask. You are not a stranger here," she sighs. "I would love to stay and talk more but I need to attend to the pending matters here. I'll see you later, Ceci."
She decides to let the king sleep more before serving him his food. His body would need all the rest it could get.
"Ce… ci. Ceci."
The doctor looks up from the book that she is reading and quickly runs to the bed upon seeing that her patient is awake.
"Your Majesty!" She immediately touches his forehead and exhales when the temperature is almost normal. She checks his pulse and heartbeat, his eyes and mouth. Then she gives him a glass of warm water to drink for the rawness of his throat.
"How are you feeling, Your Majesty?" she asks.
Despite his weak voice, he answers, "Better… than I've ever been."
"That's good. Are you hungry? It's time for your dinner."
The king stares at her briefly before nodding. "Yes… Yes, I am."
Good. That's good. Having an appetite is a good sign that his body is craving for energy. She returns with the bowl of warm soup the servant brought a while ago. His Majesty reaches for it but Ceci shakes her head. "Let me, Your Majesty. You should reserve your energy."
She carefully guides the spoon to his mouth. Some soup escapes his lips so the doctor gets a cloth to wipe his chin.
This brings so much early memories of her time in the palace. When she was found by the prince lying in the forest all those years ago, her arms were broken by her past master while her feet were too wounded and tired from running all night. The prince at that time personally fed and took care of her in the room given to Ceci.
And now, it is time for her to give back.
The king coughs for a couple of times but not as severe as before. When he is done eating, Ceci offers him the tea made from different herbs that would hopefully make him feel much better.
"This is the first time that I will try this medicine. I just actually made it a while ago from reading various books. There is no guarantee about what its side effects would be but… I think this might work. Will you trust me, Your Majesty?"
"I trust you, Ceci."
"Thank you."
She watches as he drinks the tea until the cup is empty. She gets a wet cloth to wipe the sweat that formed on his forehead and after that, checks the boiling eucalyptus and adds more leaves in the water.
Then she proceeds to close the open windows for the night air is too cool for the king's health.
She is about to stand again and leave the bedside when a hand stops her.
"Ceci…"
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Stay still. Just sit beside me."
She does.
"How are you, my rose?"
Hearing her old nickname from him brings unexpected strong emotions to Ceci that she freezes before she is able to answer the simple question. "I'm fine, Your Majesty."
"I've heard a lot of great things about you. You are one of the best in your fields. To say that I am proud is not enough to express my pride for your hard work and achievements."
"Aren't you angry at me?" she whispers. "For never writing to you? For never communicating and never looking back to my roots?" She bites her lips to stop them from trembling.
The king sighs then he gives her a kind smile. Oh, how she missed his kind beautiful smile. "Indeed I was. At the first months, I wore a sour look on my face because not a single letter from you was being delivered to the palace. Even the late Queen sometimes avoided talking to me. But I understood, Ceci. I told you that it was fine to be angry at me, right?"
Ceci cannot help but glance down at his ring finger where his wedding ring was once placed. Now it is empty.
"Yes... The late Queen... The news of her passing reached us four years ago. I'm... I'm sorry."
The king nods. Silence settles between them because no one knows how to continue a conversation about someone who they had avoided talking about when Ceci was still staying in the palace.
Looking around, the king raises an eyebrow. "Where is the young lad that was with you a while ago?"
"Oh... Oh, Suzaku. He is my apprentice. I told him to take a rest for now."
"A doctor with an apprentice. Look how far you've come. My rose, you always shine the brightest." He coughs after and the doctor gives a cup of water.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Lelouch."
"Huh?"
"I feel so old whenever you call me 'Your Majesty' when I am just two years older than you. Call me by my name."
"But... I understand, L-Lelouch."
He smiles. "I feel much better now. I think I can stand on my own two feet again tomorrow. Will you stay here until I am fully recovered?"
"I will."
"Thank you. Well then, tell me about all of your adventures within the past six years. I believe you, at least, owe me a story of your journey."
"Uhmm... You see, I was afraid at first..."
And they spend the whole night catching up. The act of talking to each other again after six years feels so natural and normal as if all those years between them didn't exist. As if only a week had passed since they last saw each other.
And Ceci tells him everything - all of those sleepless nights, the moments when she thought she was about to give up, when she transferred to another island again and knew no one but herself, and that time when she first received recognition from her teachers. She tells him everything that she had written to every letter that was never sent and is kept inside a box in the cabin.
She tells him every single thing that she had wished she experienced with him - with his bright eyes and kind smile.
She tells him, she tells him, she tells him because even after all this time, he is still her everything.
The doctor and her apprentice stay in the palace for two weeks.
Ceci finds it amazing how she is able to easily go back to her old routines in the place. Its familiarity immediately grew on her again and the fact that nothing much had changed adds to her fast adaptation.
She is also quite delighted to see old faces and friends. Rivalz who was a new cook back then is now one of the head cooks in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Guilford is still the head butler of the palace but now he has two children with his lovely wife. Kaguya, the princess's head maid, is still as energetic and as enthusiastic as before.
She also stays in the library and read books that she does not have any access in their small town. She tries to write all the interesting things each page imparts and memorize all those that do not fit the paper.
But Ceci spends most of her time attending to the king. It is such a relief that the experimental tea that she gave him worked and now, His Majesty is on his way to full recovery in a short amount of time. She is in fact excited to do a thorough study on the ingredients of the tea and put it on her future books when she goes back to the cabin.
The times spent with the king are nothing but a mixture of heartfelt reminiscence and new discoveries of the growth each of them had gone over the years. It is fond to know that he still prefers soupy meals than solid ones. How his eyes still twinkle when he talks about Shakespearean works. But he is more carefree now than when he was younger. Ceci observes how he easily and openly show his emotions instead of settling to a furrow on his forehead when he is upset. He is more honest with what he is feeling now and she likes that. He seems much brighter and lighter than ever.
The king in return gave her full access to the botanical garden where even the rarest of herbs and plants can be found. She almost kisses him right then and there due to too much happiness.
On her last day in the palace, the king stands solemnly at the doorway of her room, all recovered and healthy again though his body is still getting back into its original shape, and watches her pack her things.
"You're leaving me again," he says with a frown. "Just like six years ago."
Ceci laughs softly. He looks like a child with a sulky face. "I do not live here anymore, Lelouch."
"Then return here. The palace's doors are always open for you."
She stops putting her books inside her satchel and faces him - waiting for him to continue.
He takes a step forward. "Stay here. Live here with me again, Ceci. I'll offer you the position of the Chief Doctor of the palace."
"How about Doctor Asplund?"
"Doctor Asplund had long retired from practice. The position has been vacant for a while now because no one has met the qualifications yet, but now you are here."
But that's not what she wanted to hear. "Why are you asking me to stay now when you didn't stop me before?"
"Because..." the king stands tall infront of her that she cannot help but tilt her head up. "... I don't want to lose you for the second time."
"Why?" she whispers.
"Because you are my Rose that shines the brightest. I was walking in the dark when you left."
Her voice is starting to break. "But the Queen..."
He sighs. "The Queen knew. She was a good person and friend, a kind companion and co-ruler, but it was a political marriage to start with." He lifts his right hand and caresses her left cheek. "But it is always you. It has been always you."
Ceci steps away from him while shaking her head. The tears are threatening to spill from her eyes. "I-I don't understand. You said that you didn't love me."
"So that you would accept the news of the marriage easier. So that you wouldn't hope and not get your heart more broken. I was just trying to protect you, Ceci. We were so young back then. You were so young with a lot of opportunities ahead of you."
Ceci looks away for she cannot take what his eyes are saying - for she cannot comprehend that all he had said are clearly genuine, truth reflected in his eyes.
"I am sorry for what I put you through," he silently says. "I am terribly sorry, Ceci."
"If I didn't come back here, will you even tell me the truth?"
"The truth is, I think I got sick because I was out in the harsh winter and storms trying to find you for months now. Nunnally had been so angry at me for disregarding my health."
An incredulous laugh escapes Ceci, until she is laughing and crying at the same time. "A fool. You are a fool. So, so foolish, Lelouch."
The king holds her head gently and guides it to his chest while his other hand wraps itself around her waist.
"The most foolish man on earth. A fool to be a king," he says in her ears. "Will you accept a fool like me?"
Oh, oh this is too much for her already fragile heart to take.
"I... I need to go back. I just can't leave the people like that."
She feels the king exhales. "I understand." His arms become loose around her and he takes a step back.
The doctor looks up at his misty amethyst eyes and before his hands fully let go, she holds them between them. "I need to go back to properly say good bye. It might take me weeks to do that."
With wide eyes, the king can only utter an "Oh." He shakes his head. The beginning of a smile appears on his face. "You mean...?"
Ceci smiles back. "Because it is still you. Even after six years, it is still you, Lelouch."
It is the turn of the king to blush. He touches his forehead against hers and closes his eyes. "Ceci, my rose, my world, we will never part again."
And when she left this time, she comes back after three weeks and stays by his side forever as his true Queen.