Chapter Ten – Infection
Queen Elinor had long since succumbed to the medicinal tonic that had been recommended by the physician and needed coaxing from Maudie to take prior to an examination or changing of the dressings although Elinor had protested greatly about the potent tonic which caused severe drowsiness and prematurely rendered her unconscious for hours only to waken with nausea and a headache similar to that of a hangover, Elinor detested the medicinal tonic and would question the need for actually needing it but recently whenever her faithful maid attempted to gently remove the discoloured dressings, it was utter agony. The pain that was beyond describing would engulf her entire body and again it was Maudie that would practically have to force her lady queen into consuming the bitter tonic in order to control her pain.
Maudie concealed the ugly injury with a fresh dressing, Fergus cringed at the sight of the heavily discoloured wound and surrounding skin upon her delicate body and swallowed the threatening bile forming as his guilt and anger ignited, for whomever committed this heinous crime would indeed pay with their own blood, it was this thought alone of revenge for himself and justice for his wife and their kingdom that granted him a reprieve of peace and comfort. Maudie fumbled clumsily as she secured the fresh dressing and attempted to preserve the remainder of Queen Elinor's dignity as Fergus had barged into the chambers while Maudie had initially started the treatment.
King Fergus leaned closer, the mattress protested under his gigantic weight, his exhausted and saddened eyes briefly closed as he inhaled deeply upon the relaxing scent of lavender from her hair; Fergus felt a pull from the corners of his mouth, a smile. A genuine smile indeed of his trademark scowl that everyone had grown accustomed to seeing in recent time, Fergus bent his head and murmured words of sentiment and encouragement into her ear of his sleeping beauty.
"I shall leave you...both," hesitated Maudie, unsure if Elinor would have approved but she could not question her king especially since the royal couple had been separated these past few weeks. It had been Elinor's desire to remain apart and reside out from the royal chambers until she regained her memory or could learn to trust the king, "My lord..." bowed Maudie and she departed gracefully from the temporary chambers,
Maudie, in typical fashion, rushed through the eerily silent corridors of the castle, her shoes tapped against the stone floors as she raced towards the opposite end of the castle, still clutching onto the royal robes that belonged to the Queen.
She leaned against a heavy oak door and knocked continuously against the wood until her knuckles were aching and had complete disregard for the time.
"Are...you...mad?" growled a voice from the opposite side of the door, "Maudie! What in the name of..." began the clan physician, annoyed that he had been disturbed from his bed at this ungodly hour but when he realised the panicked state of Maudie, his demeanor instantly warmed, "Come in...You need tea," he paused and guided her towards the nearest empty chair, "with something strong added, purely for medicinal purposes..." he winked
"I hate come directly from my lady queen's chambers...I am worried, her injury remains very much unchanged." Reported Maudie as she took the goblet of steaming tea and gulped a hearty mouthful, the temperature of the liquid unfazed her, "My lady queen...she resists the herbal tonic but not until she is crippled with the pain that she will then reluctantly take it...I wish I knew what to do!" complained Maudie
"First, finish your tea then we'll discuss this..." he indicated to the stained royal clothing that Maudie still clung onto
Fergus barely had the chance to thank the flustered and faithful maid to whom he was eternally grateful to her for attending to Elinor hideous injury, the brief sight of wound was now permanently etched into his memory but he deeply appreciated Maudie for helping his wife, both physically and mentally taking care of her well-being but now she was in his muscular and protective arms, Elinor shifted and momentarily stirred though the medicated induced haze and began to murmur incoherently. Fergus simply sighed, he had been hurt deeply when Elinor had pushed him away after all, and he still did not fully understand her injury which had caused to forget their life together and erased the memory of their family but when Fergus witnessed Maudie and Elinor together, he felt as though he had been replaced when it should have been him recounting stories of their past. He resisted the urge the grab Elinor by the shoulders and shake her, he was frustrated and longed for her to remember.
He cradled her sleeping form although he remained cautious of the freshly attended dressing and closed his eyes, content to have his Elinor safety back in his arms, in her rightful place where she belonged.
Elinor suddenly jerked within his arms which jarred him from a momentary doze; her sleeping form trembled against his body.
"Stay back! Please...please...you don't understand! No! No, I can't die...not like this!" her hoarse voice sobbed as her limbs flailed weakly in her sleep against his giant chest, tears trickled down her reddened face
Fergus consoled his wife as if comforting one of their children, who had suffered from a nightmare, "It's all over now, I'm here now...I'll never leave your side...I'll always be right here."
The early morning sunlight flooded the small chambers, Elinor snuggled further into the warmth of the overstuffed feathered pillow, while outside there was the usual commotion as the people of the kingdom began to wake and continue about their daily routine. Elinor could hear the noises but refused to rise early along with the rest of her people as she was not entirely prepared to face the onslaught of questioning from four children who always asked if her memory had returned and a husband and king who would awkwardly enter a room but maintain a safe distance from her and usually stayed on the edge of her peripheral vision, it unnerved her at times.
Elinor gingerly shifted in the bed; a hand nursed the dull and familiar throb of pain that emanated from her ribs, breathing slowly, she was concentrating on resisting the sudden wave a nausea which threatened to incapacitate her however a loud snore interrupted her focus on her breathing, no doubt Maudie had fallen asleep in the chair, next to her bed again.
She licked her dry lips and vaguely remembered drinking the bitter tonic which caused her to retch and further aggravate her injury; Maudie had remained persistent regarding the medicinal tonic and persuaded Elinor to finish the contents of the goblet before guiding her towards the bed.
"Oh Maudie!" complained Elinor as the loud snoring steadily increased, reluctantly Elinor rubbed her eyes open and grew accustomed to the bright light, she turned towards Maudie, "Fergus?!" she squealed in shock
Fergus woke instantly and grabbed for his sword, he was completely disorientated by the unfamiliar surroundings of the smaller chambers and not the royal chambers. Elinor frantically snatched at the bed sheets in order to cover her body, her chest heaving as Fergus swung his sword as if fighting an invisible force. Elinor felt her knees threaten to collapse under her weight, she gripped onto the sheet under her knuckles were white; she closed her eyes and let out a blood curling scream.
Several confused guards and the triplet boys along with their older sister all raced along the corridor, everyone was desperate to learn what had caused the commotion. Maudie and the physician had to practically fight their way through the tightly packed group that were blocking anyone from entering the chambers.
"Everyone out!" ordered Maudie, she pointed for the guards to return to their posts and looked at the lost children, "It might be best to get breakfast...your mum isn't herself at the present moment," she paused and knew that the royal children had other ideas than to listen to Maudie, "Please," she continued, "It's for your mother's sake."
"For goodness' sake...put that bloody weapon away!" ordered the physician towards his king
Fergus looked dumbfounded, "I...I was dreaming...fighting him...I forgot I was...here?"
Maudie closed the door from prying eyes when she stumbled against the wall; Elinor practically threw herself against the maid, her eyes red and wide with panic. Her skin felt warm to touch and clammy, Elinor grabbed a handful of Maudie's apron, "It's him! Him! HIM!" shouted Elinor
Maudie and the physician share a brief stare, "My lady, please...take a seat, you must calm down."
Elinor shook her head adamantly, "No! No! It's him, he's after me...they all are! Chasing me...hunting me down, the fire...the ropes...I can't move! Then, he appeared from the darkness, his eyes...madness. He wants me dead! My alleged husband towering over me...with, with that...his sword!"
Elinor collapsed against Maudie, the tears exploded but Maudie was still confused from the hysterical ramblings that she merely assumed her role as carer and wrapped her arms around the petrified queen. Elinor buried her face into the material of Maudie' sleeve where the tears soaked through the material and both women rocked comforting back and forth.
"The queen has an infection," announced the physician as he washed his hands, "the infection in combination with the anxiety of her memory loss and likely remembering her time as a bear would explain the sudden and emotional breakdown."
"We'll keep an eye on her dressings to draw the infection out. She has a fever, my lord...she did not mean those things, she was delirious."