Chapter 3: The chimera's wing

As they sat in his dining chamber and ate a simple but deliciously cooked meal, Gaius realized something was amiss.

"Now that I think of it, you never did go anywhere without that doll. I remember you and Teepo made laudable partners when we linked in battle. He had the most impertinent comments as well; it was quite amusing. Though, I suppose as your puppet, it was really yourimpertinence back then." Elize blushed and looked away, sipping her soup from an ornately carved wooden spoon.

"Teepo is still a part of me, but I can hardly be carrying around a stuffed doll at my age, Your Majesty," she said, without revealing her suspicion that further use would make her more sick.

"Gaius," he corrected. She stared at him blankly.

"Or better still, Erston. Just Erston."

She smiled. To outsiders it would seem odd calling the king by his given name but it was how Gaius preferred to be called by those he felt closest to. Though most of the recent contact she had with the king was through Rowen, she found it surprisingly easy to speak to him alone, no matter how long it had been, just like when she was younger.

He had bought small trinkets and sweets for both her and the other Elle when they adventured with Ludger. Her smile broadened thinking he must have also been a doting brother for Miss Karla.

Like this, she fell into her old habit of forgetting he was the king of the entire continent.

"Initially I did not want Teepo as my social crutch. But after making friends at school, and going on other adventures… I realized Teepo was already a part of who I was. But he kind of gets in the way of my work with Driselle, with those insults and off-colored comments and all," she said with a side glance only to see the king chuckle, most likely recalling how "off color" Teepo could be.

"Teepo was my first friend, after all. The Institute trained me to fight with him so it was really hard to separate myself from him at first."

Gaius observed the brief, hollow look in her eyes that momentarily clouded her expression. It was a look he understood from experience stemming from great loss and suffering. He knew it well.

"That brings us to the topic of conversation earlier. You are looking for the whereabouts of the research subjects from the Institute. For that, you wish to see Wingul's belongings?"

"I know Wingul kept a journal of the research he was undergoing, which would be helpful to understand and identify the symptoms of the survivors from Labari. In my study of medicine at Talim I've hypothesized that extensive first and second generation booster exposure may have had negative, chronic side effects on the users."

"It really is a blessing and a curse that I was trained with a third generation booster." A wistful look passed her eyes but it was gone with a blink, followed by a genuine, beautiful smile. Her pale face lit up the room as she did, and the glow of her golden hair against the candle light made her seem almost ethereal.

"It's a personal quest of mine. I want to help the survivors left, if there are any. As to finding their whereabouts, I suppose I could start knocking on every door," she said jokingly.

"Perhaps it will not come to that," he said encouragingly. "What will you do when you find them?"

"I'll document their symptoms for treatment and ask that the government provide for their medical care and expenses."

"Of course," said Gaius pondering her words. "As the former king Auj Oule and current king of all Rieze Maxia I owe a responsibility to the weak and exploited who suffered at the hands of my subjects, and to set them right again."

His brow wrinkled. "I heard what you said to that rotund Minister of Archives. But how came you to be a person of Auj Oule? You hardly look native."

Elize giggled at his description of the minister who had earlier given her such a hard time. "I was born in Auj Oule," she said matter-of-factly. "Does that surprise you?" His expression told her that it did.

"I suppose Rowen didn't tell you how Jiao knew my family when he was a fugitive, or how the Kitarl sold me to the Institute?"

His eyes darkened at the word "sold." Slavery had not shadowed Auj Oule for many centuries since before he took the throne. Gaius pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I knew of reports that people had been kidnapped for research. At the time, I did not give it much thought except it was a means to further Auj Oule's goals. I recall that Jiao had asked me if he could leave the Chimeriad for a short time to take a child away from Labari to Hamil because he owed her family a debt, but I did not realize who he had meant until much later."

Elize took another sip of her warm tea and looked at the flickering candle in front of her but said nothing. The pain of the past was a distant memory now, yet she did not like to dwell on it.

"He was a very able guardian to me," she said quietly. "His heart was in the right place."

"You have become one of the strong," he mused. "Though you were weak and needed protection in the beginning. You are like Jude in that respect. I suppose you studied medicine to follow him?" There was a wry smile on his face that invited a blush in response.

"I was not following him around like a love-struck puppy, if that's what you're implying. But yes, I studied medicine to be like Jude. Since I know healing artes, I wanted to learn more about herb lore and medical techniques for everyday people so I could teach them to help themselves. Now that I'm able, it's my turn to help anyone who needs me."

King Gaius looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. Jiao would have indeed been proud.

He then answered, "I have heard your petition and I agree. I will give orders to have Wingul's room opened immediately and you are welcome to its contents."

-000-

When the castle steward was roused from his room and was asked to open a sealed door for a young woman in the middle of the night he was a bit put out by the inconvenience. But when he noticed the king was standing sternly behind the girl with arms crossed and looking unamused at how long it had taken him to get dressed, the steward completed his task in record time, wondinerg all the while how the young lady could influence King Gaius on such a whim.

The door creaked open and the stale smell of time assaulted her nose. She held a hand to her face but suddenly someone held a handkerchief out in front of her. Elize gratefully took the king's kind gesture and stepped inside. After opening the windows to let in the night air she lit the candles with a small spell and looked around.

There were books neatly piled, papers stacked and an untouched bed but nothing out of the ordinary. She went straight for the pillow and turned it over. Sure enough it was there.

The king cocked his head in mild amusement.

"He had a habit of keeping important items close to him," she explained. "If he did not travel with it I would imagine he would had slept with this here, just as he did at the Institute."

"You were close enough to know that?" Gaius asked.

"I wouldn't say we were close. I found him...curious. Curious enough for a little girl, anyway. I liked to watch him. He was always so graceful in battle."

Elize flipped through the pages of the journal and scanned the last few entries. "Our time together was short. I rarely spoke back then so he did most of the talking. He was as fierce as he was loyal. He was smart and he was ruthless. I disapproved of things he did, and sometimes his methods as well. But sometimes he smiled at the things I said. He thought it was important for humans to try to exceed their limits and encouraged me to be good enough so that I could leave Labari."

Scanning the pages of the journal she ran across several references to a person of the Long Dau clan, Belburu.

"Do you know a Belburu of the Long Dau tribe?"

"He attended Wingul's duties when he and Nils were no longer watching over the Long Dau. He was still alive, of late, though I have heard he had taken ill. He lives in Xian Du."

"I suppose I can go back to Xian Du again, and make inquiries," she said as she walked over to the candle to blow it out.

Before she could do so a sudden onset of coughing squeezed her airway and nearly sent her to her knees. She held the handkerchief against her mouth and breathed in its lavender scent. It soothed her.

Immediately Gaius was her side, holding her up and leaning her against his solid form for support. "Are you all right?"

Extremely concerned he rushed her out of the room.

"Just a dust allergy," she choked out. With a wave of her hand all the remaining light in the room flickered out.

"You seem a bit feverish," he said, his large hand unabashedly on her forehead. "Rowen would never forgive me if I let you set off in this condition. Allow me to send someone to make inquiries for you. You must rest in the castle until you are well enough to travel."

"But I'm-"

"You cannot help the weak if you are not strong," he insisted.

She paused and nodded resignedly in consent.

Elize took the journal, giving one last glance at the room of someone who was no longer of this world. He was one of few people who had shown her kindness when the rest of the world did not. "Wingul was a dragon who flew too close to the sun and it burned him," she said wistfully. "But he was beautiful."

"He was," Gaius said softly.

She looked up and smiled. "Perhaps Wingul is still watching over you. I think he would approve of who you have become. A dragon who became the sun for all of Rieze Maxia."

Gaius looked at her curiously and an unfamiliar feeling stirred in his chest. "Shall I escort you to your room?" he asked.

"My room? I'm already staying at the-" she started to explain.

"The gates are locked now and the weather is too cold to venture out into the night in your condition. Come with me." With that commanding tone Elize walked beside him, appreciative of the protective warmth of his arm around her shoulder.