- Chapter 22 -
When I was sick and lay a-bed
I had two pillows at my head
And all my toys beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.
~Stevenson, Robert Louis (A Child's Garden of Verses, no.16,'The Land of Counterpane', stanza1)
For the last few years that Veronica had spent time with the boys, she had gotten used to Maxim having been the one who usually gets out of bed late among the three of them, but the older apprentice had taken too long to get up this morning.
While at first she ignored it and assured herself that the older apprentice would come down stairs at any moment, she grew worried as the time went on. When she finally gave up and made her way to the boys' room, she knocked twice on the door and asked the apprentice inside if she could come in. She received no such answer and after waiting a few more moments, she opened the door and stepped in.
She saw Maxim still in between sheets and might as well hadn't noticed her came in.
Slowly, she approached the bed, saying, "Horvath? The sun is up, you should be up yourself by now."
When came no answer still, she became more worried, as she finally got close enough to the bed.
"Horvath?"
The very moment Veronica's hand touched Maxim's head, she heard silent, rhythmic breathing, and she had finally noticed the older apprentice was slightly shaking as though being cold.
"Are you feeling alright?" Veronica asked, coming to place her hand on Maxim's forehead.
"Maxim!" she exclaimed. "You're hot! You're sick!"
"V...Veronica? Is that you?" came Maxim's response. His voice was weak.
"Don't talk, and stay here. I'll be back."
Right before Veronica left the room, she took the blanket from Balthazar's bed and placed it on top of Maxim, then covering the older apprentice in two blankets. She was used to situations like this, since when her little brother Victor was still alive, she was the one looking after the lad each time he was sick.
Minutes later, Veronica had given Maxim a little wash with a towel dipped in warm water, had clothed him in a new white shirt, and had fed him with a nice hot soup. She stayed a while longer to keep Maxim in company and to wipe his sweat every once in a while. There was no one else in the castle but the two of them, since Balthazar was off to home visit, and Merlin was...well, their master was always away.
The older apprentice kept shivering under the blankets, his eyes were closed and trying to get some sleep, as Veronica thought it best for him to take all the rest he needed for the entire day.
As Maxim lay shivering still on his bed, Veronica reached out a hand to touch his cheek and see if his temperature hadn't went down yet, and to her utter surprise a hand reached for her own little one and snuggled it under a hot cheek. It was as if the older apprentice was trying to get as more warmth as possible from the small hand he had caught.
But what surprised Veronica more was when Maxim said suddenly in a shivering whisper, "M..Mother..don't go."
The female apprentice truly had every intention not to remove her hand, but she had had another reason why she should. As she subtly smiled to herself, she said in a whisper,"I won't leave you."
Balthazar kept looking out of the window of his room, but not looking at anything in particular.
He felt bad somehow to unable to say goodbye to Maxim before he left the castle for his home visit. It was, in fact, the very first time that it had ever happened. But neither did he wanted to disturb the older apprentice's sleep, which was also unusual since Maxim wasn't much of a sleeper and would tend to wake up almost at the same time as he does.
Also, earlier that day, he had brought to Veronica's knowledge about him hearing Maxim tossing and turning once in a while in the middle of the night and was also groaning and moaning lightly in his sleep. Balthazar had worried about the thought that perhaps Maxim was having trouble with getting a peaceful sleep, but it rarely happens to the older apprentice.
The blond-haired lad sighed and went to sit down on his bed.
A lot has changed indeed, but he had reassured himself that despite those tiny hints of change, somehow his brother-by-bond was still the lad he knew. Maxim was still his best friend, he was just afraid that another bad thing in the older lad's life might happen and completely change everything between them.
No. Balthazar shook off the thought out of his mind, both hands on his head. He didn't even want to think about such a thing. The very thought of losing the very first friend he had in his lonely childhood was a rather not so nice thought at all.
When Balthazar finally rose from his bed, right before he got to the door, his brother Bartholomew came into view.
"One of the servants told me that you haven't left your room since you arrive," the brother said, arms across his chest and leaning on the door frame. "You might have been quite away from home for a few years now, Balthazar, but you're still my brother. I'd know if something's either troubling you or amiss."
The younger brother shook his head. "Nothing is amiss."
"Troubling you, then."
Though Balthazar didn't want so much as to share it with his brother, he had learned that talking about what's troubling you to someone, somehow helps yourself to be at ease.
The younger blond lad exhaled through his nose and said, "It's not much, just Maxim."
"Your dear chubby friend?"
"He's not that chubby, brother."
Bartholomew slightly frowned.
"Well, that's rather disappointing. I'd expected you would say that but with at least a subtle and playful smile on your face. You do know I was only teasing, don't you?"
"Of course."
The tone within that reply didn't reassure Bartholomew though.
"Did you two had a fight? Such as, a typical boy fight?"
Balthazar found himself staring down on the stone floor, shaking his head. "No, none of that. I'm just wondering why the only thing that's quite constant in this world is change."
At this final confession, the older brother understood, or at least he thought he did, just why his younger brother was rather down.
"Yes, well, growing up and growing old is part of change," he said as he walked over towards his younger brother, carefully placing an arm around those smaller shoulders. "Have you talked to him about this?" He got a nod for an answer. "And what did he say?"
"He said he understands," replied Balthazar, still keeping his gaze down, "but the fact that we're best friends hasn't changed."
"Then what troubles you?"
This time, the younger blond-haired lad looked up to his brother. "I'm afraid I'll lose him somehow. I'm afraid I'll lose a friend."
"Why?"
Ah, yes. The question is 'why'.
At this, Balthazar looked up to his brother. "I...I don't know."
Smiling as he shook his head, Bartholomew led his younger brother away and out of the room.
"Come, let me help get this matter out of your head."
It was in the afternoon that Merlin came back to the castle, only to be surprised of how quiet it was when he had entered through the huge dinning room after he had passed the hall.
Even with one apprentice out for home visit, he would usually hear the other two either in conversation, or in training.
He grew worried by the minute as he climbed the stairs to the rooms because it was even more quiet there. When he reached the opened door to the boys' room, he was somehow relieved to find Maxim still asleep and Veronica sitting beside the bed, also asleep.
The girl's hand was snuggled under the lad's cheek, grasped by another bigger hand; he saw it when he drew closer to the bed. He assumed that perhaps something was wrong with Maxim and that Veronica stayed there to watch over.
'Perhaps the lad is sick', the sorcerer thought to himself. Well, Veronica had been such a caring little girl. She loved the boys, her brothers-by-bond, the same way as the boys loved her in return. With such a thought in mind, Merlin smiled to himself and silently left the room, closing the door behind him ever so softly as he could.
Not too long after the sorcerer had left, Maxim stirred on his bed and opened his eyes, only to find a nice warm hand under his cheek. He then realized that it was Veronica's, as the saw the girl sitting beside his bed, and was asleep. He slowly propped up himself on one elbow as he gazed down on the dark haired head on the side of the bed.
Slowly, the head stirred as the sleeping form sat up straighter and surprise was obvious in her eyes when she had set eyes on him.
"Are you feeling alright already, Maxim?"
"Feeling alright?" repeated the lad. "Was I sick?"
"Yes, you were," Veronica nodded.
"What time is it?"
Veronica immediately looked over the window.
"By my guessing, it should be afternoon by now."
"How long have I been sick?"
"Just this morning."
Looking away, Maxim thought it over a little, then once again turned his gaze back to Veronica.
"You stayed here with me since this morning?" The answer he got was a nod.
Maxim grew silent as he stared blankly into Veronica's own dark eyes. After a few moments, his expression saddened and said, "Thank you."
Confused by the sadness in the older apprentice's face, Veronica reached for a hand and placed it carefully on Maxim's cheek. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," replied Maxim, shaking his head. "I just remembered."
"Remembered what exactly?"
"That I hallucinated and called you 'Mother'. And I asked for you to don't leave me."
Smiling ever so sweetly, Veronica brought a soft kiss on the older apprentice's forehead, then said, "You're silly, that you are. I don't mind, truly."
Though Maxim was reassured and his expression lighted up, he suddenly realized something.
"Where's Balthazar?" he asked.
"He left for home visit."
Maxim nodded.
"He was saddened when he didn't get the chance to tell you before he went," Veronica added.
"I imagine he was," agreed Maxim.
After a moment's silence, the female apprentice suddenly exclaimed, "I know! Why don't you go visit him tomorrow? If you're already feeling better now, that is."
Maxim only looked up to Veronica and smiled as he nodded subtly.
Well, he wasn't entirely alone. He still had a family to call... A master...and good friends.
A/N: "Awfully short, I know. I can't get my writing groove back with this. But R&R all the same." ;)