Chapter Fifteen

Mable woke up the next morning, the slight ache she had the night before now a full body tension as she stumbled out of bed. She shivered horribly as she walked over to the closet door. She sniffed, and ended up coughing instead. Scowling, Mable walked into her bathroom. The shower perked her up a little, but her head still felt twice its normal size, and her body still ached pitilessly. Deciding that getting dressed took too much effort, she threw on her nightgown back on and climbed into bed. If she were at home, she would suffer get through the day. Here, Mable figured no one would miss her too much if she was not at breakfast. She curled underneath her covers, trying to fend off the chills. Finally, she fell back asleep.

Her dreams were scattered and broken, and she was not able to recall them later. The most she ever remembered was seeing the wolf again, as she had in a previous dream, only this time it looked at her and whined before she drifted away from one dream to the next. Mable tossed and turned frequently in sleep, her body cold one minute, then hot the next. Her dreams became more mixed and ludicrous, no doubt caused by the constant pounding of her head.

Mable buried her head underneath her pillow, but the pounding didn't stop. She opened her eyes blurrily, wondering if there were any pills or medicines she could take, when suddenly a cool hand pressed itself against her forehead.

"Oh dear," a low, feminine voice murmured, "She's burning up. Maddie, go tell Monsieur Carnier to send up breakfast, and a hot pot of tea. Then fetch me my herb basket. I should have something in there to help fix this."

Mable opened her eyes and tried desperately to focus, as she heard a soft mumble of assent from the other side of the room. The door closed more gently than it had opened, and Mable found herself looking into a pair of vivid green eyes.

"M-Madame Cecile?" she croaked.

Madame Cecile smiled gently, while brushing Mable's wet hair away from her face. "Yes, dear, it's me. Theo and Maddie got quite concerned when you weren't at breakfast. Maddie came to see if you were in the greenhouse with me, but when I told her I had not seen you either, we realized we should come up here and check on you."

Mable sat up a little, and immediately felt dizzy. "I don't feel so good." She winced at the childish whine in her voice.

Madame Cecile was more sympathetic. "I know dear one, I know. It's this dreadful weather. And the castle, while very lavish, is still just stone and wood. It cannot keep everything out. You just have a bit of a fever, I should think, but you'd best stay in bed in case it gets worse. Nothing but sleep and rest today, by my orders." Her smiled turned mischievous. "You have the castle quite stirred up. It has been a long while since any of them has had so much as a sniffle. I expect you'll have quite a few visitors in a moment, to see if you are all right."

As if on cue, Mable's door flew open, revealing Maddie, Monsieur Lune, Monsieur Carnier, and Theo. Monsieur Carnier hurried over with a steaming tray, while the other three shuffled about the room, trying to find places to sit and still keep her in eyesight.

"Poor lamb!" exclaimed Monsieur Carnier when he saw Mable. He put the tray on Mable's legs and started to rub her hands anxiously." Are you all right? Is there anything you would like, anything at all?"

Unused to such treatment, Mable tried to hold down her stomach when she saw the food on the tray. Nothing looked edible at the moment, except for maybe the tea. "Um, no, I think I'll be fine." She whispered, hoping he would leave before she'd have to prove it.

"Well, if you need anything, send for me right away. I will cook anything you'd like, from eggs to steak, if your heart desires!"

"Thank you Carnier, that will do." said Madame Cecile sternly, "Right now all this poor girl needs is medicine and rest."

Monsieur Carnier nodded smartly, and asked, "Perhaps some soup for dinner? Something that is easier to swallow? Is there any soup you like in particular, Lady Mable?"

Mable, who was still trying to figure out how to eat and keep it down at the same time, said absently, "Chicken soup is always good." She said it without even thinking about whether or not Monsieur Carnier knew how to make chicken soup.

The chef bowed. "It would be my pleasure, Lady." If he didn't know how to make chicken soup, he didn't show it. He left the room briskly, probably off to bellow at his staff. Mable knew from working in the kitchen yesterday that it was how he blew off steam.

Mable noticed Madame Cecile put something in the teacup on her tray. Catching Mable's suspicious look, the woman said, "These are just some herbs that will help you fall asleep, darling. Drink them with your tea, and you will have a nice, restful sleep for the rest of the day."

Maddie watched Mable sip her tea intently. "Does it feel awful, Mable?"

The tea slid pleasantly down her throat and soothed the scratchiness that always came when Mable was sick. "A little." She admitted to the young girl. "But I appreciate you all being so worried about me. I'm sure I'll be fine with some sleep."

Monsieur Lune stepped forward. "Is there anything I can get you, Lady? More pillows, some extra blankets, perhaps?"

They were all watching her with a blend of worry and fascination, and it was starting to make her feel a bit overwhelmed.

"No, No, I'm fine. I'm just going to have a little bit to eat, and drink my tea, and pass out until dinner. I'm fine, really, I'm sure it's just a cold."

Monsieur Lune smiled. "Very well then, we will leave you in Madame Cecile's capable hands. Come, Maddie, let us leave the poor woman alone." Monsieur Lune caressed Mable's hair with his fingertips, a fatherly gesture that Mable had not received in ages.

The girl looked indecisive for a moment, then kissed Mable quickly on the cheek, whispered "Good bye, get well soon, all right?" and blushing madly, followed her father out.

Madame Cecile chuckled softly. "The little one is quite fond of you Lady Mable. I am certain she will be back quite soon to check up on you again." The woman looked over at the squirming figure near Mable's vanity. "Do you wish to say something to the Lady, Master Theo?" she asked, amused.

Theo looked decidedly ruffled when Mable's eyes focused on him. "I just wanted to make sure she was all right." He muttered. "I'll…just be going." He scurried out of the room.

Madame Cecile turned back to Mable, green eyes glinting with fun. "Well, now that we have sufficiently scared Master Theo out of the room, let's get you to bed. Here, drink this and lie back. You'll soon be asleep."

Mable did as she was told, and sure enough, fell into deep, painless sleep.

She woke up a long time later, and looked around frantically trying to find out what time it was. Her stomach gave a loud gurgle; the time did not matter, but she was hungry. She thought about getting up, and trying to find her way to the dining room, but after a few minutes decided against it. Her limbs felt too heavy, and her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

She was lying there, feeling very miserable, when the door barged open and Theo, along with a distraught Madame Labelle, entered the room. Mable sat up, for a moment wondering if her stomach had gurgled so loudly the entire castle could hear it. It seemed so, because Theo was carrying a tray laden with food. Mable's mouth watered.

Theo placed the tray on her knees, only the barest ruffle of fur giving away the fact that he was smiling. "Monsieur Carnier sent up this bowl of chicken soup, along with anything else you might want. He also sent up some more of Madame Cecile's herbs to take for your fever. Just add them to the soup."

Before Mable could thank him, Labelle was at her side. "Are you all right, Lady Mable? I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner, I was out at the barracks and didn't even hear of your illness until I arrived a few minutes ago. Oh, you must have caught it when we went outside yesterday. What were we thinking?" she wailed.

Mable shook her head ruefully. "Don't be stupid, Labelle. It's just a cold, that's all."

Labelle grabbed her hands anxiously. "How do you feel? Does it hurt? Do you need more tea or—"

"I'm fine." Mable said in exasperation. "Honestly, you guys act as if you have never seen a sick person before."

She had meant it as a joke, but both Theo and Labelle exchanged a glance.

"You mean, you've never seen a sick person before?" she asked, a bit skeptically. In a place this big, that would be impossible.

"It's not that we've never seen a sick person, but that it has been so long since any of us has been ill." Labelle explained. "It is part of the curse. None of us has gotten a cold or anything since the Fairy left."

"Seriously?" That sounded like one of the few perks to being stuck here.

Labelle nodded, and frowned. "But I wonder why you were still able to fall ill, when the rest of us can't? Especially since you cannot leave the castle or it's grounds as well."

It was an interesting question, but one Mable wanted to think about at another time. Right now, her stomach was threatening to crawl up her throat and out her body. Hoping that their somewhat tenuous bond was enough, she glanced at Theo and tried to telepathically get him to hand over the tray.

He noticed her hungry stare and smiled slightly. Turning to Labelle, he said, "She's fine, Labelle. Just let her be and get some more rest, she'll be better in no time. Madame Cecile told us that these herbs and rest would be more than enough."

Madame Labelle looked reassured, both by Theo's words and Mable's warm nod. "Well, all right. If you need anything, Lady Mable, just let me know. I must get back to work, but I can come by later to check on you."

Mable smiled at the woman. It was impossible to be exasperated at Labelle for too long. "I'm sure I'll be fine. Just send some food up to me every once and a while, and I'm set."

Madame Labelle smiled graciously, and left the room. As soon as she had gone, Mable grabbed the tray and started to eat greedily, not minding the fact that her tongue was getting burnt by the hot soup. It tasted delicious, like everything Monsieur Carnier made, and soon she was slowing down long enough to have bits of conversation with Theo.

"How did you guys know that I needed food? I was just trying to get up the energy to go downstairs."

Theo sat at the foot of her bed, watching her eat with easy amusement. "Madame Cecile told us that once the herbs wore off, you would probably wake up hungry. I haven't been ill in a long time, so I trusted her advice and got Carnier to make the soup you wanted. He would have brought it up here himself but got waylaid by Jacques. I was deemed worthy enough to bring it to you." He smiled. "Of course, once Labelle heard you were ill there was no talking her out of coming to see you, so I had to escort her here as well."

Mable's spoon wobbled a bit when she heard Maestro's name. "Maestro is here? I thought he didn't come to the castle."

"He comes every few days or so during the winter, to check in and spend some time with all of us before going back with his men. Once spring arrives, he and his men will be here more often. It's easier for them to get from the castle to the barracks in the warmer months. Less snow."

Mable prayed that she would be gone by the time the castle grounds thawed out.

She sipped her soup, far more dignified now that her stomach had stopped chewing on her insides. "Well, thank you for shooing Labelle out. I hope she isn't blaming herself too much. It is just a cold."

"She worries." Theo waved a paw idly. "It has been that way since we were children. I'm sure she'll be back here a few more times today. How's your head?"

"It's better. It still feels ten times its regular size."

"Considering how big it normally is, I'm surprised it still fits in the room." He teased.

Mable smacked at his arm playfully. "Sure, make fun of the invalid. I'm in pain here, you know." They grinned at each other, but inside she was in shock. Getting along was one thing, but right now they were joking around like old friends. It was something she would never had imagined, but it was so easy to joke with him that it didn't bother her.

Mable finished her soup and sat back gratefully, nodding in thanks when Theo took the tray and put it on her desk. She looked above at the canopy, frowning.

Theo caught the frown. "What is the matter? Are you tired still?"

"No, no, that's the problem. I'm not tired at all, but there's nothing I can do while sitting here. I just need something to do, otherwise I'll go crazy just lying here waiting to drift off again." She sat up, hooking her arms around her knees.

Theo studied her, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I could read to you, if you'd like."

Mable stared at him. "You'll read to me?"

"You have seen with your own eyes that I do, in fact, read books."

"Well, yes, but-" she started, but he cut her off.

"So why not? In fact, I think I have one here…" he pulled out a small, leather-bound book out of one of his over-large pockets. "This one is my personal favorites." He told her, "I was going to go to the library to read for a while before breakfast when Maddie ran in, frantic, to tell me you were ill."

"We probably shouldn't." Mable stared at the book in his paws. "Maybe you can go get some spell books, and we can get some work done…"

"Mable, you are ill. You need rest." He said gently. "I know you are worried about your father and sisters, but surely they wouldn't want you to find a way home at the expense of your own health?"

"You told me that finding the way out of here might take a lot of inner strength." She told him. "Surely that means I should try and find a solution even if I'm not one hundred percent well."

"Even if you found a spell or solution today, which is unlikely, I doubt it would even work with you being unwell." Theo said, exasperated. "Surely it can wait just a day."

"No," Mable smacked her hands on her covers. "It can't!"

"Well, why not?" Theo jumped up from the bed and started to pace. "I emphasize with you wanting to go home, I do, but is it really so awful here that you must work yourself into a fever just to get back?" He paced for a few moments but quickly abandoned that to sit next to her on the bed. "I know caring for your father was your responsibility." He said slowly "And I'm sure you fretting about his welfare is justified. But are you telling me that the sisters you told Maddie about wouldn't drop everything to come to his aid while you are away?"

Mable blinked. She hadn't expected him to be paying so close attention to her story last night. "Of course, they would." She told him hotly. "Jeanne and Colette are probably there now, pulling double duty of searching for me and keeping an eye on him." She closed her eyes, the headache starting to return. "That's not the reason I'm trying so hard to get back."

"So, what is it?"

Mable lay back on her pillow, keeping her eyes on the canopy above her head. She had never told anyone, not even her own family, about this. "I was in my second year of college when the doctors diagnosed my dad with Alzheimer's." she told the canopy. "My older sister Jeanne was already married with kids, and my other sister Colette had just finished college and was starting her first job in a law firm. I hadn't been in college long enough to decide what it was I wanted to do with my life, so I offered to drop out and take care of him full time. My sisters were against it, but I knew they would be. My dad, when he was lucid enough to remember, didn't want me to do it either. But I dropped out without telling any of them, so there wasn't much they could say at that point."

"I'm sorry you felt you had to do that." Theo remarked quietly.

"But that's just it." Mable sat up, ignoring the dizziness that came along with the sudden movement. "I wanted to drop out. My dad's illness just gave me an excuse."

Theo frowned. "Why did you want to leave school?"

"Because I was scared." Mable told him harshly. "Jeanne had gone to college and found her husband; they married right out of college and had kids. Colette graduated with honors and was starting a career in law. They both knew exactly what they wanted, and when they got it, they were amazing at it. I just knew I would screw it up. Even if I didn't, how could it even compare? My grades were ok, but not nearly as good as Colette's. My major was just in English, and let me tell you, the job market just isn't that great for people with that degree. I'm not nearly as nurturing or maternal as Jeanne, and it's damn hard to bring home a guy when your Dad is sick all the time. I was so afraid that I would never be as great, or as successful as either of them…so I just cut it off at the pass and dropped out, thinking that taking care of my dad could be the one thing I would be successful at."

Tears filled her eyes, and secretly she cursed how she always got overemotional when she was sick. "I can't even do that right. I go out for one walk and I end up in the middle of a freaking fairy tale." She wiped at her eyes. "I'm scared that, even if we do manage to find the dumb spell, the reason I'll never be able to get home is because I'm not strong enough to do it. I mean, I already proved before that I don't have much inner strength. So, I'm forcing myself to keep trying. I don't want to stop for one day, because if I do I just know I'll do the same thing now as I did back then and give up." Mable rested her hot face in her hands. "After a few years, I realized that quitting was even worse than failing in the first place."

Theo was quiet for a long moment, but she felt a quick tap on her hands and looked up to find a handkerchief in her face. Sniffling, she accepted it.

"I understand how it feels, to be terrified to fail." He pointed to himself. "I turned out like this because I didn't want to fail my people, the people I was raised with and swore to protect. You left school because you didn't want to fail the people you loved. But I don't think that means you should work yourself to the point of making yourself sick, or sicker than you already are. There isn't a single person in this castle who doesn't believe that you can't find your way home."

"There is one." Mable pointed out. There were probably more, but Maestro was the only one who said anything to her face.

"Well, all right. There isn't a person in this room who doesn't believe you won't find a way out of here." Theo smiled at her. "I've only know you for a few days, and even I can tell that you will never give up searching for a way home, no matter the cost."

Mable couldn't tell if her face was hot because she was blushing or from the fever. "Well…thank you."

"That being said," Theo plopped the book down between them. "I don't think you should spend today fighting two battles. Rest today, and if you are feeling any better tomorrow, we can start working towards finding a spell again."

Mable touched the book with gentle fingers. Jeanne and Colette were always telling her that she shouldn't work herself so hard. That she should take some time for herself, even if it was just a day. She often ignored them, preferring to punish herself for dropping out of college and her fear of failure by overworking herself. That hadn't necessarily worked for her in the past, so why did she believe it would work for her here? Maybe Theo was right, and she needed to give herself this day to just rest her body, and her mind. Once she did that, perhaps everything else would fall into place.

"So…do you still want to read to me?" She handed him the book.

With a smile, Theo grabbed the chair from the desk and pulled it over so he was sitting next to the bed. Mable snuggled down under the covers, too tired to analyze whether or not she was childish for wanting to be read to. Her body was achy again, and her head felt fuzzy.

Eventually she was glad he was reading to her. His voice was rich, and deep. He didn't speak too fast, or too slow. It sounded like he was enjoying it for the first time, even though he had read it before. It helped that he smelled pretty nice too. Mable briefly wondered what he used to bathe in, and then hastily pushed away those thoughts. It was not any of her business, anyway.

Slowly, Mable started to drift off, just barely hanging on for the last word. The last thing she felt before she finally fell asleep was a furry hand tenderly brushing hair away from her forehead.

Mable slept peacefully that night. She woke up the next day feeling slightly better, but not well enough for Madame Cecile to allow her to venture from her room. She was still sick enough to be grateful to stay in bed the extra day, and even found herself enjoying the attention she was getting for a while.

But after a few hours, the amount of attention she was getting started to get alarming.

Monsieur Carnier was constantly sending up treats; fruits, hot soup, tea, hot chocolate, pieces of cake. All of this was delivered with a jolly, concerned chef and Monsieur Carnier's well wishes.

Mable woke up several times to find Maddie sitting at the end of her bed, who would ask anxiously if she was feeling any better, and if Mable needed anything at all.

Monsieur Lune would pop in, sometimes to ask if Mable needed anything, sometimes to drag Maddie away to do her chores or lessons.

Madame Labelle, thankfully over her guilt, would walk through the walls (to Mable's never-ending fascination) and hurry over with some food or just to talk.

Madame Cecile, by instinct or magic, always knew when Mable needed something to eat, or more medicine to help her cough and fever.

Then there was Theo. Mable was flummoxed by how often he was in her room. It was never about spell work, either. He usually had a book he would stubbornly read to her, or he would sit at the end of her bed and talk.

Mable found, rather to her surprise, that she was starting to enjoy spending time with Theo. He was well-educated, funny, and seemed just as bemused by their newfound friendship as she was. As they talked and got to know each other better, Mable felt the last flickers of unease she had with him slowly slip away. By the end of that second day, they were completely comfortable with each other's company.

Mable thought as she fell asleep that night, her fever and the aches finally gone, that Theo's friendship was a far better cure than medicine any day.