Chapter 52: Varian's Head

There! Another chapter up at last. I've had some detail issues again, and lots of other stuff from RL to deal with, but at last I got this one done. We're getting some updates on both Varian and on Pete and Stan for those who are interested…

«Come along, now! What are you waiting for?»

Pete and Stan were both stiff and shivering while they followed Princess Annabelle through the servant corridor, but she barked them along, and all they could do was to obey. Annabelle herself didn't actually walk fast, but looked around herself and studied her surroundings with a quick eye as she walked.

"You might want to watch where you're going. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some tripping wires here… or anything else that can make you stumble."

"Eh my Lady…" Pete begun. "We did actually find a trip wire in here earlier. Not long before we saw the ghost actually."

"Hm, look at that? He's got a brain after all…" Annabelle peeked slightly back at him, and Pete wasn't certain of what to make of the look she gave him meant, but there was a hint of something that looked like a smile on her mouth, and somehow, Pete suddenly felt braver. Stan noticed it, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

«Now, where exactly was it you saw whatever you saw?» she said, looking forward again.

«It wasn't far from here. In the first corridor to the left.» Stan replied before Pete got time.

«Aha! There it is!» she said a bit louder and determinant, and speeded up a little.

«NO, DON'T GO THERE, M'LADY!» Pete cried out.

But it was too late; Annabelle had disappeared past the corner in the blink of an eye.

Both guards hesitated a moment, but after a few seconds they both hurried towards the corner. But they stopped at the sight that met them. The Princess was standing beside a chair, holding a white sheet in her left hand and a paraphing lamp in the other with a rather sarcastic look on her face.

«Gentlemen! I present to you… Your ghost!» she held up the sheet. "I do imagine this is what he looked like?" She held up the sheet in front of the lamp, and the lamp gave a glow beneath the cloth.

Both guards felt rather dumb when they saw how easy they had been fooled.

«Uhm… Well, that's… rather obvious…. Isn't is, Stan?»

"Eh…" Stan had been flipped of his stick just like his companion, and as the older and more mature of them, he felt incredibly embarrassed over the realization of being pranked like this; and have It exposed by a noble lady.

"I'm not sure if you've been informed, but my cousin Daniel likes to do pranks and scare people half to death. He's a little devil, I tell you!"

"Uh-uh…" Stan didn't know how to respond, so he ended up looking down, but then he discovered the basket. "But… what was this for?" he said and picked it up. Crumbles and the edge of what used to be a croissant fell on the floor.

Pete kneeled down and picked it up, sniffed it, and gasped. "Hey, we were gonna have those croissants for lunch today!"

"I'm not surprised if he's been through the kitchen as well. He has a habit of sneaking sweets." Annabelle frowned. "He must still be here."

"But My Lady, he can be anywhere by now. These corridors go all around the Castle!"

"Then we better begin!" she proclaimed and handed the sheet to Pete as she walked past him. "This might be useful."

"Eh… useful for what?" Pete asked confused.

Annabelle held the lamp up to her face as she turned around, her face glowing in dark. "If we are going to catch ourselves a ghost!"

#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#/#

Phineas tied the bandage around the boy's head. Then he carefully placed the unconscious boy's head down on the pillow again.

«There. At least that's over with. I just hope he wakes up soon. He's been out for too long, I don't like it!»

«Oh, don't be so sure about that! He might not wake up for about an hour.» Violet snapped back as she folded up the last to the bloody washing cloth among the bundle she had in her lap and rose. «When he dropped out yesterday, he was out at least fifteen minutes. I'm telling you, that boy simply doesn't stand the sight of blood.»

«I have seen similar cases, so I understand what it is about, Ma'am!» Phineas replied, with a bit more snap in his voice than he intended, getting frustrated with the elder woman's comments and constant meddling. «The important part now is to see how he respond when he awakes.»

«It's taking as long as it takes. Now shoo with you!» She hissed at Ruddiger, who kept peeking between her arms.

Startled, Ruddiger just jumped back to the other end of the bed, making up his mind that Violet wasn't one of his favorites and made a shirt snort in her direction.

«Now Violet, it's one thing that you have to bicker with me, but leave the poor raccoon alone!»

"Hmph!" Violet frowned, not appreciating the critics. "I'm surprised you let that critter be here at all. It'd not at all a professional attitude!"

Phineas made a frown of his own and gave her rather small eyes when he replied. "That raccoon is to him what the kitchen cat is to your own granddaughter. And don't you come here and criticize my work. What about yourself? Haven't you got a Princess to attend to?"

Violet placed her hands on her hips. «At first you insist that I stay put with the boy, and when I do you order me away?»

Phineas gave her a glare. «Violet, this isn't just a scratch. The boy has a serious damage on his brain that needs to be handled with utter care!»

«You may know much about patients for sure, but what about handling children?»

The normally tolerant Physician was about to loose his patience with the elder maid and raised his voice. "I refuse to be lectured about my own profession from some old granny!"

Violet was about to answer him when someone else broke in.

"Guys Please…"

The sound of the raspy, horse, but squeaky voice that spoke up made them both freeze and the maid and the Physician turned towards the bed where they found that the boy was looking at them with a pained and dread expression.

"Can you please not yell so much? My head is killing me…uh!" Varian's dropped his head back on the pillow of exhaust. Ruddiger rushed to his side and crooned of both relief and concern.

Phineas turned to Violet again. "Stay with him! I'll be right back!" And then he turned on his heel and rushed out of the sickroom.

Violet turned back to the bed and sat down beside him, this time ignoring the raccoon. "How are you feeling, dearie?"

"Awful… What's going on… I don't…» When Varian placed a hand on his chest, he broke himself off and raised his head a little as he stroke his shirt. "W-why am I all wet? What's happened?"

"But Dearie…" Violet puzzled and met his confused, blue eyes. "It's no wonder you're all soaked. You've just been crying buckets."

"I what?" Varian replied out loud, sitting up in a blink and touched his face with both hands, examination his shirt, which was still damps from tears and getting more confused when he had to wipe his nose as well. "What's going on? When did I…" His voice broke as it got all squeaky, and he had to clear his throat, coughing a couple of times.

"You started crying when you bumped your elbow, remember?"

"My- what?" He grabbed a hold on his elbow, suddenly realizing that it was a bit numb. But he still looked a little sceptic, like he had trouble believing her. Although Violet thought it looked like he rather not wanted to believe her, as if he was a little bit embarrassed of the thought that he had started to cry from something as silly as bumping his elbow. In that age, and for a boy in general, crying in front of a grown up, most of all a woman other than your mother would of course be embarrassing for a teenage boy.

And there was something else too. It could be that she imagined it, but was the boy looking at his own elbow… with fright? Varian suddenly looked terrified.

That moment, Phineas entered the room, holding a little glass of some liquid. Violet turned towards him as he approached.

"He doesn't remember crying!"

"What?" Phineas replied, blinking.

"He doesn't even remember bumping his elbow. Isn't that peculiar?"

Varian looked up at him, the fright in his large blue eyes, still red and swollen, made him once again appear younger than his fourteen years. "Phineas, what's going on?"

Despite feeling concerned himself, Phineas only smiled calmly as he approached him. "There is nothing to worry about. Here is something for you head." He handed him the little glass. "I warn you, It's disgusting, but it will help. If you're smart, you poor it all down at once."

A little shaken, Varian took the glass, and after hesitating a little he recalled his headache and did like Phineas said and emptied the glass in one sip; and then made a wild twisted face and an awkward sound as he recalled how awful his medication tasted.

"Now, can you tell me if…" Phineas begun, but then he heard a knock on the door.

"Excuse me? Am I interrupting?"

Phineas and Violet turned to find Prince Lars in the door.

"I am looking for my son. I wondered if he had come back here?"

"No, he's not here, Your Exelence." Phineas turned back to Varian. "I'll be back in a moment, lad. Just lay down."

Varian did like he was told, still scraping the taste of medication off his tongue with his front teeth, while Phineas led Violet out of the room to face the redhaired Prince.

"Is he alright? He didn't look so well?" Lars asked with concern in his voice.

"We have been changing his bandage, and the boy isn't particularly fond of blood." Phineas said, and placed a hand on Violet's shoulder, indicating for her to remain silent when he gave her a look. Then he looked back at the Prince. "But why are you looking for young Prince Daniel?"

"He ran off after… making a scene with Her Majesty, and now he's nowhere to be found. He was rather upset, and I'm afraid he might cause trouble."

"Oh my!" Violet said. "What kind of trouble?"

"Yesterday he broke a window. It's impossible to say." Lars sighed, looking away rather embarrassed.

Phineas and Violet exchanged looks before Phineas spoke again. "I'm certain Violet here would gladly help finding him. It sounds like you need more help with your boy than I need with mine."

Violet gave him a slight frown, but replied calmly. "I will sure. But you give me a call the moment Varian…"

"I will keep you updated, I promise!" Phineas said and started to gently shove her towards the door. "Stop being such a mother hen to the boy, he's going to find it embarrassing!"

Violet shook his head, indicating what she thought of the elder physician, but nevertheless walked out with Prince Lars. "Now, Sir. Where was the last time anyone saw him?" she asked him as Phineas closed the doors.

Phineas let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Before this day is over, I'm going to need one of my own tonics!"