A sudden knock on Cael's door draws our attention to it, and he stands up, walking over and opening the door a crack. The Duke's butler stands outside.
"I'm so sorry to bother you, My Lord, but I believe you may want to call a doctor, you see, it's...your father" The Butler says as Cael answers the door.
Cael looks back at me, and we exchange a look of concern. We don't waste another moment getting dressed, and follow the Butler towards TheDuke's room. When we burst through the door of The Duke's quarters, a whole group of servants looks up from their tasks, greeting us with their eyes.The Duke lays in his bed, propped up against his pillows, coughing aggressively.
"How long has he been like this?" Cael asks, rushing over to his father's bedside.
"I found him like this this morning, My Lord. The maid's are doing what they can, but we should really call in a doctor to get a proper diagnosis" The Butler suggests.
"Very well. I'll ride into town and fetch the doctor." Cael replies, starting off out of the room.
"Wait!" I say, grabbing his hand to stop him.
"You should stay here with your father. I'll go instead. I know the way" I suggest.
"Alright. But take Ceilo and a sword. It's unsafe for you to be out there alone and unarmed" Cael suggests.
Ceilo was his much adored horse, and I was honored to be asked to ride her.
"As you wish." I say, starting to leave, but then stopping near the door.
"Oh, and, Cael? Don't worry too much. I'm sure Esteban will be just fine once the doctor arrives" I say reassuringly, walking over and kissing his cheek softly before setting off on my quest.
It felt good to be away from the castle with the wind in my hair, and the sound of Ceilo's hooves as they hit the soft ground calms me, but I refuse to let it distract me from my task. I fetch the town doctor and ride with him right back to the castle, where he approaches The Duke with his canvas medical case. A few minutes feels like a few eternity's as we watch the doctor do multiple tests on The Duke, before he approaches us with a grave look.
Grave. The same as the spots we put our loved ones in to rest.
"How long, exactly, has His Lordship been like this?" The doctor asks Cael.
"I'm afraid I can't be sure. My staff said he woke up like this" Cael explains.
"What's wrong with him?" I ask in concern.
"I'm afraid I can't say. It's unlike anything I've seen before. He has coughing fits, but no other symptoms like a fever that could indicate an illness. I've given him some medication that should help with the coughing, however, I'm afraid the only thing to do right now is observe him." The doctor explains.
"This is the medication I gave him. You should give it to him once a day, every morning after breakfast. If you don't see changes in behavior soon, be sure to fetch me." He finishes.
"Very well. Thank you doctor. Genevieve! Could you prepare Lord Esteban some chicken broth and bread? I'll be back to check on him tonight" Cael orders.
"Yes, My Lord." Genevieve responds, curtsying and leaving the room.
I take Cael's arm as he walks down the hallway to the study.
"I suppose I should take over the town's affairs, at least until father's better. He'll probably be incapacitated for the next couple days" Cael says as we enter the study.
The aroma of old books and alcoholic ink fills my lungs.
"Well you won't get any work done with a desk like this" I say, walking over to the desk and picking up a stack of miscellaneous papers from it.
I begin to walk towards a nearby shelf to set them down, but I accidentally trip on the hem of my long skirt and fall to the ground, scattering them across the floor.
"Are you okay?" Cael asks, rushing over to me and kneeling beside me.
"I'm fine. Thank you" I reply.
I begin to gather the papers up, when a certain letter catches my eye. It's addressed to anonymous, but sent from the Lancaster Estate. I recognized their seal on the back of the letter. Curious, I unfold the letter and read it, the blood instantly draining from my body.
"What is it?" Cael asks, noticing my pale facial features and grabbing the letter from me to read himself.
"We'll meet you with the bounty you've requested at six pm in one day's time. Signed, Lord and Lady Blades of Lancaster" Cael reads out loud, his face also turning white once he's finished.
"You know what this means, right?" I ask him.
"No. We don't know for sure. It could be for someone else" Cael says, refusing to accept the truth.
"Cael. It was on his desk. Your father was the one who revealed Brianna's secret, and the people of the dawn were wrongly accused" I reply.
"But there's no way he could've known. I never told him" Cael explains, sitting down on the floor in defeat.
"Maybe... he saw them together. Brianna stayed in the Estate, maybe he saw something he wasn't supposed to" I suggest.
"Even so, why would he do such a thing? He used to love Brianna" Cael questions.
I fumble around with the papers until I find one filled with lots of numbers, mostly in the negatives.
"Maybe to settle a debt?" I question.
"When was this letter sent?" Cael asks, pointing to the envelope I hold in my hand.
"Two days ago. He must've already collected the bounty" I explain.
"But that's impossible. He was here all day. I saw him" Cael replies.
"Do you really think your father would be stupid enough to collect an illegal bounty himself? If Lord and Lady Blades had recognized him, he'd be ruined. No, he had someone else do his dirty work for him. The question is who" I explain.
"Have there been any new Guardian promotions recently? No one in their right mind would do something so dangerous for my father without having a motive." Cael suggests.
"No one's been promoted to Guardian... but there is a new trainee. The one I told you about" I reply.
"Your new partner?" Cael asks.
I nod.
"I want you to keep an eye on him. My father will need someone to teach the trainees while he's sick. Why don't you step in?" Cael suggests.
"Me? Teach the trainees? Cael, I am a trainee! I'm hardly qualified to be teaching them!" I reply in disbelief.
"It's only for a couple days, and I'll step in if you ever need me" He replies.
I ponder this offer for a moment.
"Fine, fine. But don't expect much" I reply.
Cael smiles.
"Of course not" He says, kissing me briefly before standing up.
"I'd head to the training grounds now, if I were you. I'm sure the trainees are all wondering what's going on." Cael suggests, sitting down at the desk.
"Don't work yourself too hard. I prefer you alive" I say, standing up and leaning over the desk so our noses touch.
"The same could be said for you, commander" Cael replies, rubbing our noses together before kissing me.
YOU ARE READING
The Promise of the Dawn
General FictionCHRONICLES OF CROWN AND CASUALTY BOOK 2- She was a stranger in someone else's land. A visitor to the grandeur of a royal. Allied with someone who was born into power and luxury, yet she had fought for her place. She had spilled blood for her crown...
