4/?: What the Healer Learned.
Himon Cirtia had dedicated his life to the relief and care of others. It had been his calling from earliest memory, and he was inarguably a master at his craft, both for the body and (sometimes) the heart as well.
The inexplicable malady that had felled the Prince and his Captain – or was it the Captain and her Prince? – vexed him no end these last three days. He'd gone over copious notes of every illness, poison, venom, and whatnot recorded through Eternia's written history, and not one could explain what had happened. He had routinely taken blood samples from both, and they were as clean and pristine as ever. Their breathing was as normal as regular sleep. IV drips kept them hydrated, which was one of the few points of immediate concern and where he felt like he was actually doing something and not simply watching helpless.
Elders knew that after the insanity two nights of two nights before, his sense of helplessness proved to be the least of their many problems. Himon was also honest enough with himself to recognize the absurd ego involved there, something he'd worked hard to overcome if not excise altogether. Clearly he still had work to do there, and the work before him was sure to keep him occupied for the foreseeable future.
Upon entering Teela's bed chamber, Himon wondered for a mad half-moment if he wasn't in the wrong place entirely. Yes, Adam and Teela were clearly awake, presumably conscious enough to move under their own strength given Adam was sitting upon a bed not his own, and Teela was held tightly by her father across the room. Even so, something was different in the two of them. Learning to read a person's body language was every bit as useful as discovering the source of an ailment as reading symptoms, and the two youngsters in that room all but screamed anything but simple and confused youth. There was the (admittedly remote) chance they were in fact imposters; the possibility of such was something he needed to keep in mind going forward.
Nevertheless the first order of his business however was simple enough: assess the pair's current condition, and go from there. The tension in the room however had gotten to the point where everyone was starting to notice and fidget; given said tension was emanating directly from the two patients in question, Himon had to quickly think through if it was wise to separate them. He ultimately decided he needed to focus on each one in turn, if only to try to get a read on whatever was within them individually. "It's too crowded in here," he declared with breezy professionalism, and waved towards Adam. "You Highness, would you and your parents mind going out front? Thank you."
Misgivings for this immediately sprang to mind seeing how the Prince clenched his teeth tight and marched out of the room, notably without waiting for his parents. It was…uncharacteristic, to say the least. Oh, Himon had noticed the Prince's apparent slide into self-indulgence, and he harbored a few suspicions of what was behind it all. Whatever the King and the rest of Court might see and believe, which clearly was what little Adam wished them to, Himon could see the enormous strain the lad was under.
More than once he'd been tempted to intervene and make the boy rest himself, and more than once he'd held himself back for fear of exacerbating the situation. "If you can't help, don't hinder," was amongst the earliest lessons Himon had learned, and promised himself to watch the situation carefully. He'd feared initially that Adam had finally and simply collapsed from the sheer weight of everything upon his shoulders, and was perversely reassured at learning Teela had likewise collapsed. One or the other breaking under the stress of their respective lives was credible enough to be a worry, but both simultaneously? Himon judged the odds against it as truly astronomical, if only because one would surely remain coherent and strong to shield the other as they pulled themselves back together.
That said, now that both were again awake and apparently aware, Himon took a moment to visually assess the Prince, not entirely sure what he was seeing. He sat in one of the love seats, neither rigidly nor looking terribly relaxed. Indeed, he was running his left palm up and down his right arm, eyes fixed on the limb as if he was seeing it for the first time. It was bizarre.
Himon stepped aside quickly, allowing his parents to follow him and take seats beside him. At least his mother could do so, placing a comforting hand on her son's right shoulder and not taking her eyes off him. Randor needed to drag one of the few sitting chairs over to flank Adam on his left, likewise keeping him in sight, if only on the periphery. Himon pulled the workdesk's chair over and positioned himself so he sat directly before Adam. The elder felt a trace of regret this couldn't be done in more relaxed setting, but this assessment was vital if he was to proceed best.
"Your Highness?" he started, trying not to read too much into Adam's newfound fascination with his arm.
"I hear you, Himon." Both the King and Queen nearly started at how Adam's voice had deepened, much like Teela's, and carried an emotional weight so great as to be crushing.
Himon took note, but offered no outward reaction. Rather he asked "Do you know where you are?"
This earned him a frown and odd look from his nominal patient, both which quickly melted away as comprehension dawned. "Ah, assessment," he muttered to himsef, then gave the elder an indulgent smile. Adam cleared his throat and, meeting Himon's eyes directly, said "I am sitting in the front room of the assigned quarters of Teela, the Captain of the Palace Guard. This room is eighth floor in the north wing of the palace of Eternos, on the planet Eternia." He gave a small, humorless grin and added "Shall I name the major continents and map references?"
Himon declined to rise to the bait and reply "Not necessary. You clearly know where you are spatially. But who are you?"
"I am Adam, Crown Prince of Eternos, only son and heir of King Randor and his wife, Queen Marlena." He paused, both for dramatic effect and because he noticed the infinitesimal flinch his Mother had at this. "Shall I recite their respective lineages? Given Mother is from another planet…"
"Again, not necessary, Your Highness. You know where you are and who you are." Now it was Himon's turn to frown and stare with visible energy. "Do you know what happened to you?"
"Can you be a bit more specific?" Adam asked, apparently attempting to dodge the obvious. Himon found this noteworthy and mentally filed it away for reference. He added a note to consult Attendant Lara, who was conducting the same assessment on Teela; the Captain's reactions were hopefully as illuminating as the Princes'.
In answer to Adam's question-dodge, he said "Do you know why you are here, in this room?"
"I…ah," Adam stumbled, eyes falling again to his right hand as it lay limp in his lap. He took a deep breath and looked back up. "I woke up, in my own chambers, barely one bell ago. I…was disorientated and didn't recognize Guardsman Roan, who I take it was on patrol." Himon noted his refusal to go into any immediate specifics there and made another note to speak with Roan directly. "It was only after I subdued him did I start to recognize my surroundings. I then came here to see if Teela was likewise…awake…and stayed with her until you arrived."
"Hmm," Himon nodded, not deflected for an instant by this wordy summation. "You said you woke up in your own bedroom. Were you asleep?"
"Roan said I'd been unconscious for three days…"
"That isn't what I asked," Himon interrupted. "Were you asleep?"
"No," Adam admitted after another pause. "I…don't know what happened to me before waking up here." The elder's experienced eye caught how very still the Prince became as he said this. It was clear as any signal that he was either lying (hard to imagine, but plausible) or simply not speaking the whole truth (easier to imagine and far more plausible). Whether the omission was of true relevance or not was not important, but just the fact he felt he needed to do so set off warning bells to the healer. He'd need to proceed carefully here, lest Adam clam up completely.
"Do you remember what happened before you woke up here?" Something flashed in his eyes and expression at the question, something which flared and died as quickly as it came. If Himon were pressed, he would have called it panic, perhaps with a dose of fear coloring it. Neither mental state was one he would ever have associated with the Prince, and gave him a small shudder of his own.
Adam schooled his expression and posture once more to reveal as little as possible before he answered. "I…don't remember anything from…before I…um, collapsed here in the Palace." There was the slightest inflection in the word 'here', the rest of it sounding an honest, if incomplete answer. "Everything before this is…is a fog." Himon decided against pressing for anything further there and change tracks to the present.
"What is wrong with your arm, Adam?" The omission of title was quickly noticed by all present, the parents glancing between the limb in question, their son's stony face, and the elder's earnest eyes.
"I…" Adam paused once more and shook his head, bravely meeting Himon's gaze and studiously avoiding his parent's. "I can't move my right arm."
The elder and parents were both startled by the admission, their eyes all drawn now to the apparently-useless arm. Himon quickly came to kneel before the Prince, running his fingertips up and down the length of arm itself, concentrating on what they reported. Marlena had presence of mind to move aside enough for him to work, although her hawk-like eyes watched every move carefully.
"I don't feel any breaks or muscular damage," the healer quickly reported, then glanced back to the bedroom door. "Scots," he fairly bellowed, the junior attendant hustling into view. "My instruments, bring them here." The young man did as bade, opening and unrolling a leather packet, within which were stored a variety of needles, hypodermics, bandages, and other such tools of his profession. Himon retrieved one of the empty hypodermic needles and positioned it over the right hand.
"Adam, close your eyes." The Prince nodded and did so without protest. His parents watched silently as Himon proceeded to jab the needlepoint into his fingertips, his palm, the back of his hand, and seemingly random points further up his arm. Each touch of the needle to skin caused the finger or hand to jerk slightly. One of the last jabs was near the elbow itself, which elicited not only the entire arm jerking but a visible flinch from the Prince himself.
"There doesn't appear to be any nerve interruption. Adam, try to squeeze my hand. Just try." The most the Prince could manage was the slightest movement of fingers inwards, and this alone clearly took great concentration on his part. Himon was nevertheless pleased with even this small movement and expressed it as "Good, good. Excellent in fact. You can open your eyes now." Adam did so and refocused on the elder before him. "Do you actually feel your arm here?"
Adam nodded sharply. "Yes, I feel it. Its there, its real…" Himon noted the odd choice of words, although his parents did not appear to; in itself another thing to ponder, but later.
"Majesty," the elder addressed the King, with a short nod to the Queen as well. "I think it best we take them back to the infirmary. I can conduct a more thorough exam there." Adam caught the flash of reluctance his father threw out, puzzled and genuinely worried. In his long-gone youth, his father had been anything but reluctant about him visiting Himon's surgery, more than once hustling Adam there himself over the most trivial injuries.
Nevertheless, Randor nodded decisively. "Agreed. Teela as well, I trust."
"Of course." Himon allowed his attendant to steady him as he rose, then waited as Scot rolled his instruments folder back closed. "Lara?" he next called, his senior attendant appearing in the connecting doorway. "Bring the Captain to the Infirmary."
"Yes, sir," she affirmed and ducked back into the bedroom.
"Himon?" Adam spoke up. "Perhaps someone should fetch some robes for us first? I suspect the palace is already…confused by what has happened. The sight of Teela and I parading around in our nightclothes won't help quiet things." His tone was mild and expression neutral, yet there was a carried weight behind them that it might as well have been a Royal Decree. Himon and Randor openly stared, both hearing a near-perfect mirror of the King's late father there. It was disturbing on several levels at once, and merely reinforced the sense of unease with which everyone now regarded the Prince and Captain.
The suggestion, and no-one thought for an instant the Prince would offer anything besides, was taken to heart and Marlena moved to get Adam one from his own room. Randor had simply gone through too many shocks of late to think that far ahead and took Himon aside, desperate for the elder's take on these things. Duncan had heard the same, and gone for Teela's as the rest of the attendants departed.
This left the pair momentarily to themselves, a wry smile being exchanged. Adam, looking strangely mesmerized, raised a hand and traced around her left eye and cheek. "Beautiful," he murmured. Teela merely smiled, holding his fingers to her and turning her head and delivery a feathery kiss to them.
Marlena and Duncan both returned from their respective chores almost simultaneously, both stopping short at the sight of their offspring engaged in so tender a moment. They both heard words were exchanged between the two, low and in confidence of one another, but oddly the dialect completely unknown to either parent; yet another puzzle to be dealt with, but in due course. First they all needed reassurance, however hollow it might ultimately prove.
Hence the Queen and Man-at-Arms casually strolling back into the room, the requested robes in their arms and carefully-schooled expressions which offered no clue as to what they'd seen. The children were equally cool in their stances upon their parent's return, and indeed, had both not witnessed the scene moments earlier they would have thought the pair had simply stood there during their very brief absence.
Marlena and Duncan kept their thoughts – which were racing in slightly different directions to one and the other – to themselves on that score and simply handed over the requested garments, even giving their respective child aid in putting their's on, Adam's lame arm and some unsteadiness on Teela's part requiring it. The children even consented to their parents keeping hold of them as they marched, parade fashion, to the infirmary.
TBC...