Chapter 27

I woke with a pounding headache to the sound of retching. Minho, or the outline of Minho anyways, was standing at the foot of the bed.

"Glad to see you're awake. We feared for a second there, the aphrodisiacs might have klunked you for good ."

I took a minute to gain my bearings. The sun that was streaming in was making it impossible to see." All I heard, was the humane and guttural sound of someone spilling their innards. The smell of vomit hung heavily in the air. Enough to make you feel sick to your stomach.

Thankfully, I didn't. I turned my throbbing head to see Newt's back heave in discomfort. His poor valet, Abby stood at his side holding a bucket. He was looking up and to the left. The crinkles in his face revealed how much he was enjoying his task.

"Madam could you please rest your head." I recognized Agnes voice but the sun was blocking her completely from the aura around her.

"Oh Agnes! Shut the curtains! I can hardly see you!"

There was long pause and I started to grow impatient.

"Agnes." I said again, the irritation started to slip through my tone.

"Oh my lady….the curtains…have been closed the whole time."

I didn't waste time. "What do you mean?"

I looked back to where I had seen Alby clearly before only to find a bright burst of what I believed to be sun.

The panic then quickly seeped in.

"I cant see! Agnes! I can't see!"

I started to lift my body and outstretch my hands. "Agnes! Where's Janson?! Get Janson! Agnes!"

I felt two hands reach for my shoulders., the unforeseen touch caused the cold that was creeping across my body to intensify. I closed my eyes tightly and rubbed them. Once I opened them again, I was able to see Minho replace Agnes. The vision was momentary as the bright light took over.

The smartest thing would be not to stand but I was starting to loose the ability to think straight. I attempted to put my feet off the bed but I grew anxious when my feet couldn't feel anything.

Tears started to prickle my eyes and my chest heaved as I struggled to breathe. I fought two pairs of hands, I kept slapping them away.

"Roan calm down! Ro-," Minho was desperately trying to keep me on the bed as I fought to push him off. "Roan, we can't help you if you keep flapping about!"

I was so busy trying to get Minho to stop pushing me that I had not noticed the opening off the door. Agnes had indeed gone for Janson.

"Roan, you're not going to get far blind just stop for a minute." The command from Janson was so calm, I wondered how I had heard it.

I pondered the words for a moment. There was enough of a pause for Minho to get my legs back on the bed.

I was still feeling panicky but I decided to stop trying to leave the bed.

"Roan…now, I can tell you what happened or we can get you seeing again." Janson said, his voice had gotten nearer.

With great anger, I replied. "I would like both and I would like them now."

"I understand. How about we make a deal?," I felt him sit on the bed "I promise to tell you what happened to you and poor Newt and you can do as you wish with that information, As long, as you promise to let us do what we need to do, to get you seeing again."

I paused. I didn't have much of a choice.

I nodded my head.

"Wonderful," There was some rustling and the pause gave enough time for Newts awful retching to fill the air.

"Now, I'm going to move close to your face. You have something stuck on your forehead."

I should have know better. Janson would never have cared to remove something from my head.

Instead, the waft of something sweet hit my nose. I tried as hard as I could to keep awake but I swiftly succumbed to the sedative.

The second time I woke, there was a cool sensation on my eyes. There would be no flailing about this time, my wrist were entrapped in tight knots. I wasn't sure how to react to my current situation.

My innate response was to yell for my mother. Not that she would have heard me across the maze but I would be nice if she could. Comforting really.

I could just scream too. That would definitely also garner a response.

"Is she awake?" It was Newt this time. Thankfully he wasn't puking anymore.

"I don't think so," Minho said " They keep sedating her, so she shouldn't"

I decided to stay quiet, maybe I could learn something.

"I wonder what she'll do when she finds out." Newt said. I felt a hand on my forehead and nearly yelled, "Her fever broke."

I heard Minho again "She will burn down this castle when she learns why. You'll have a hand full with this one."

Newt decided to stroke my hair back. "Yes and I like that. Rather boring otherwise."

Minho giggled "You're starting to care for her."

"What do you mean? Yes she is difficult but I've always cared for her. She likes to act tougher than she is."

"No, Newt you are starting to actually care, care for her. Isabelle will have a fit."

There was a long silence. Newt lifted his hand from my forehead.

"Don't look at me like that. I've seen you Newt. Should I remind you what you said in Bohemia? Or on your wedding day how you nearly tripped because you were being an absolute creep and couldn't keep your eyes off of her."

"I never think you actually loved Isabelle. I think you felt guilty over what happened." Minho kept going, " And Isabelle never loved you either, I cant blame her for it either, who wouldn't want to be close and personal with the Crown Prince."

Perhaps I should make Minho my lady in waiting. He was proving more useful than Teresa.

"You couldn't have said anything before dinner Minho? Or when you barged in last night?" Newt asked, I heard his footsteps recede.

"Well my little maid friend didn't tell me until after dinner. And when I came in, it was obviously too late. You were practically drooling Newt, I honestly thought it would work."

"I've never been more embarrassed. It was awful. You could have told us and maybe Roan wouldn't be partially blind."

"She will be fine, the stuff just has to leave her system. And besides, just like everyone else, I'm tired of waiting to see when you two will actually validate your marriage."

It wasn't until the end of the day that I regained my senses. I woke to Agnes dabbing my eyes with a cloth.

She was smiling down at me. "All better your grace?"

I blinked a couple of times to make sure I wasn't still blind.

"I think so," I tried moving but my wrist were still bound, "Agnes the…my wrists."

She bobbed her head "Of course Madam." Once she untied me from the bed. I stretched. I was weak on my feet. I was wobbly at first but I managed.

"Oh Agnes," I said "I would never wish blindness on anyone."

Agnes rubbed my back. "You haven't eaten, would you like some tea and broth, miss?"

"Yes Agnes, but first a bath." I felt all sweaty from being in the bed all day.

I got my bath rather quickly.

I was sitting in the steaming water while Agnes massaged my scalp.

I was trying not too think too much about figuring out what happened. I was attempting to relax my muscles.

I closed my eyes but opened them again. I was scared if I closed them I wouldn't see again.

The scent of lavender was comforting.

"Where's Newt Agnes?" I asked, I tried to sound nonchalant but the way Agnes paused made me think I had failed.

"He is talking to his mother currently, I think."

"Ah, I see."

Agnes kept scrubbing only to pause once again.

"Your Grace," Agnes said, she sounded nervous.

"If I tell you this, you must promise not to tell anyone I told you. Its just I overheard that Janson was going to keep the Queen out of this."

I lifted my head from its resting place to look at Agnes, fidgeting in her stool.

"The Queen Mother put aphrodisiacs in your dinner so you and the prince would validate your marriage. Except that you didn't, so the aphrodisiacs gave you both allergic reactions." Agnes closed her eyes and said it quickly. Her face was scrunched up. She opened one eye to look at me.

The revelation made me blink a couple times.

Anger, Fury, Rage, Wrath. I couldn't pick a word.

I grabbed my robe from the side of the tub and stood.

"Your grace."

I exited the tub rather quickly and headed for the door. My feet slapped against the floor and left wet puddles.

"Miss."

Agnes chased after me, as I left my chambers.

I must have been either dinner or past dinner. I couldn't tell.

"Miss you still have soap in your hair!" Agnes continued to follow me as I went through the empty halls.

By the look of the lack of servants moving about. It couldn't be dinner anymore. Servants used dinner to prepare bedrooms for the night.

"I know you are angry miss but perhaps now is not a good time!" Agnes said. "They must be taking tea now and who knows who will be with the Queen."

I simply did not care. I kept ignoring Agnes.

The walk to the Queens tea room was not nearly as long as I remembered it from times before.

I pushed the doors open.

Agnes and I must have been a sight.

I was wet and in bathrobe. Agnes apron was drenched from washing my hair.

The Queen, Rosemary, the Regent and his wife, Newt, Minho , Counselor Ava, and Janson were all lounging in different spots of the tea room.

As always, the first one to speak was Minho "She found out. All Right, I'm going to get out of here"

Minho stood and headed for the door.

I blocked the door with my arm.

"Sit down." I said.

Minho looked sideways in surprise and what I could tell was amusement. He turned around and sat back down.

"I need everyone here to understand that I will not tolerate anymore meddling in my personal affairs. If I ever decide to complete my validation it will be on my terms. Not on anybody else's. Am I clear?"

The room stayed quiet for a bit.

Antonietta decided, that despite blinding me, she had something to say.

"It is on my sons terms. Not yours."

My mother was famed for her ruthlessness. She always grew disappointed that I did not completely inherit her tactics.

But some of her temper had trickled down.

It happened so quickly, I wasn't sure how exactly it happened.

I grabbed the tea cup that Antonietta was lifting to her lips and tossed it across the room. It hit a wall and shattered as it fell to the ground.

"You nearly blinded me!" I placed my hands on both sides of her chair. "If you touch me again, I will do more than break a tea cup."

I stared Antonietta down. She met my gaze. Her face was blank. She didn't want to show anything. I think I had made it very clear how angry I was.

The air was crackling with tension. This must have been really uncomfortable for everyone around us. But I didn't care.

Once I felt like I had made my point, I pulled away. I turned and walked away.

I needed to finish my bath.

In order to get my eyesight back, they had placed some green herbs on my eyes. It had slightly stained the skin around my eyes. Agnes was trying to remove it with rose water.

"I can do that Agnes. I would like to be with my wife privately."

Well, this day had already been disastrous. What difference would a couple more minutes make.

Agnes gave me a wary glance, curtsied and left.

Newt straddled the bench I was sitting on and picked up the rag Agnes was using. He dipped it in the rose water before bringing it to my face.

The cushioned bench we were sitting on was at the foot of the bed and the only light we had came from the fire. The golden light, lit up news face rather nicely. The shadows from the fire were reflected in his brown eyes.

"I would first of, like to apologize for my mother. I did not enjoy that you were blind and that I had to bend over a bucket for two hours"

I opened my mouth but the shushed me "Let me finish. Second, I think we should move up the coronation so we can stop having problems like this. Third, if we ever decide to…to you know, validate our marriage, we will do it when we want not because we have been drugged. Good that?"

I felt sheepish. Like I couldn't say no.

So I nodded.

Newt smiled and kept wiping my eyes.

"You really scared everyone," He laughed and ducked his head.

He looked nice like that, laughing.

"I never want to get on your bad side again."

Newt must have done it without thinking. He set the rag aside and pulled me in for a hug.

I gasped at the contact.

I think this had been the first time Newt hugged me like this. So intimately, our chest were pressed together and his arms were fully wrapped around me. I could smell the clan

Things might have gone better for me, if I had not remember what Minho said while I was faking my sleep.

My heart started to beat rapidly. Faster than it had been.

Maybe some of the pheromones hadn't completely left our systems.

I desperately wanted to ask if what Minho had said was true. What he had said in Bohemia.

I wanted to stop time so I could rationalize with myself. To tell myself this was just a friendly hug. But suddenly, it didn't feel very friendly. Newt slid his hands from my shoulders and down to my waist.

He pulled me even closer than before. This was far different from any hug I had ever gotten. My breath hitched and I couldn't help but rest my head against his. It felt nice. Warm. Peaceful almost, if it wasn't for the fact that I had no idea what to make of this particularly hug.

Newt held me like that for a bit before letting me go.

"Well, that green paste isn't coming off by itself" Newt was blushing a bright red " I should probably wet this again."

Newt wiped at my face until he deemed necessary.

The close proximity made us whisper. There was no need for raised voices. He told me how he was afraid of touching a dinner plate again and how he his throat had been sore most of the day.

It was calming to whisper like that.

We went to sleep rather late that night, we were busy talking, the rose water and rag had been completely forgotten

Its been a hot minute! but this Coronavirus gives us all time. I love the reviews! Thanks for that sugar!