The Emperor entered the lab and he found three of his courtiers in there alongside the injured SkekSil that he had heard about. He was still on the exam bed.
"SkekTek." So spoke up.
"Sire!" Tek was startled.
The General laughed at his expense.
"What is going on here?" The Emperor demanded.
"Chamberlain was apparently attacked by a Rakkida, saving the human girl out there." Ayuk broke in with the explanation. He pointed towards the forest.
"So I heard from the girl." So replied. "I had to come see for myself."
The Emperor looked down at his fallen advisor. He was unconscious and his breathing heavy. But he saw the right arm. There were bandages covering the arm. SkekSo could see remnants of Sil's torn robes. The white shirt also had some blood on it too. Sil was a mess.
"I want his robes washed." So demanded.
"Yes, Sire." Tek replied. He and the Gourmand began to remove Sil's robes for cleaning. Then some Podlings were called in to see that the robes were washed. Sil was left in his sleeping gown though. It wasn't scathed at least.
"How long will the Chamberlain be in bed?" So asked.
"A few days at least, Sire." Tek replied.
"Alright. Well, take care of him. I have other affairs to attend." So declared.
The General left the lab once his job was done. He wanted out anyway. The Gourmand also left to go back to the kitchen. The rest of the Skeksis would know of what transpired later on.
Tek got a blanket off his own bed and put it over Sil to keep him warm. But he would still go on about working as much as he could. Sil was in no shape to be left alone right now. And he needed to be in here to be watched.
Tek then sent for a Podling to send the message to the girl. She would now be allowed to see Sil if she wanted.
In her quarters, the girl was asleep. She was soon being shook awake by one of the guards. "Hm, what?" she asked groggily.
"A Podling says that Lord Chamberlain has been taken care of. You can see him now if you wish." The Gelfling informed her.
"Thank you."
The girl knew she shouldn't be this concerned about the Chamberlain when all he had ever done was embarrass her and be mean to her ever since she came here to Thra. But he had saved her life out there and she held reverence for that. She had to see if he was alright.
The girl left her quarters and went to the lab, asking the Scientist if she could come in.
"Yes, you can come in now, Human. Chamberlain's in the other room." Tek stated.
"Ok, thanks." She said and went into the other room. There, she found Sil out cold, and his breathing sounded labored. He was covered up with a blanket though. She noticed that he didn't have all his robes on. He looked smaller without them. But she wanted to see how his hurt arm looked.
With the Scientist distracted in the other room, the girl slowly went up to the sleeping Sil and moved the blanket on the right side to see how the arm looked. The arm was not bleeding anymore, but it was heavily bandaged. She wouldn't be able to see the wounds unless she changed the dressing. It could wait.
The girl also listened to Sil's breathing and it didn't sound good. She then put a hand to his face, and he felt really warm. He had developed a fever, she could tell. She then went to grab a bucket and put some water in it, along with a washcloth. She took it back to the lab.
Tek saw her leave and come back in, but what was she doing with that bucket? He stopped what he was doing and went to see what she would do. He saw the girl take a cloth out of the bucket and squeeze the water out, then she applied it to Sil's face.
"What are you doing, Girl?!" Tek snapped.
She jumped a little at the exclamation, but she calmed down. "He's really warm. He has a fever. Cool water can help keep his temperature down." She explained.
"You're saying he's sick too, am I right?" Tek asked.
"Yes. His breathing says it all. Even if he and I aren't close friends, I know his breathing doesn't sound like that." She stated.
Tek listened to Sil's breathing and it was raspy. "Good point, Human." He declared.
"Do you know anything about Rakkida bites?" She asked. "It must have done something to harm him more than just the bite itself."
"Gelfling say there are bad toxins in their saliva. It'll keep him in bed a few days."
"Is there a cure?"
"Can only let his body fight it." Tek glared.
"I can help you watch over him. You're obviously busy to do everything yourself." She offered. "I do have some training in medical care."
"Really?" Tek scoffed.
"Yes, I do. Really." She replied seriously.
He stared at her for a moment. "Fine. You're right. I have too much work to do in my lab. You can take care of the Chamberlain." Tek gave in.
She smiled. "Thank you."
Tek would have to relay this message to the emperor. He left her to keep on looking after the injured Sil.
The girl kept dunking the cloth in the bucket of water to keep Sil's face and neck wet to keep his fever down. This was the closest she was getting to see the trickster up close. His smile was naturally on his face, but it wasn't now. His face looked laced with pain rather despite his 'friendly' look. She would at least be here for him while he was healing. He would have his limits right now.
….
Tek went and told the emperor that the girl was going to help him look after the Chamberlain for a few days. He said she had medical knowledge.
"Well, that could be useful for us." So declared.
"She could take care of him while I'm busy finding the answers to our needs." Tek said.
"Very well, but she is also to be watched, that she is not to harm him. SkekSil is still one of us. This is to test her, to see how loyal she truly is to us." The Emperor decreed.
"Yes, Sire." Tek replied. He then retreated back to the lab. There, he saw the girl using a chair to sit beside the bed while just watching Sil for signs of waking up at all. Tek nodded and went about his business. Sil would be out of his hair for a few days.
….
All the other Skeksis here in the castle were all later told of what had transpired outside the castle by the forest. No wonder Chamberlain wasn't at the table. But the others were so thrilled to not have him there. They all despised Sil but had to listen to him quite a bit. Here they were getting a break from his whimpering voice. Tek was even called to dinner at the table.
The girl stayed next to Sil's side, taking care of him. He was still out of it. Later, the Podlings brought in his robes now that they were clean.
SkekSo declared that SkekZok would be his advisor until Sil was well again. The Skeksis knew that Rakkidas possessed some powerful toxins in their saliva by now. It affected Gelflings much worse. But it had been many a trine that a Skeksis had been bitten by any Rakkidas.
The other Skeksis thought that the girl was nuts for wanting to take care of the Chamberlain despite his need for special care right now. They weren't exactly allies.
Of course, I don't know if Rakkidas had toxins in their saliva, it was just an idea I had for it.
