The Jewel of the Five Kingdoms

James Raymond Elliot

  "Mary, please stay with him! I have to go back to the house and get more medicine!" She says in a rush, turning without waiting for a response to rush out the door.

I kept my eyes closed for a long moment, and the room became so quiet I wondered if Marygold might have passed out or fallen asleep. Yet when my eyes flutter open, Marygold was staring down at me with a fierce gaze.

"James..." she trails off, her eyes were hard to read. "You're so pale," she says in a quivering voice. Her lips were shaking, and her cheeks were flushed as if she was suddenly getting a fever as well.

Marygold might be a talent dancer, but her ability under pressure was topped greatly by her younger sister. Nella's eyes were fearful, not guarding the care she had as she tended to me, but she was calm. She could work under the stress.

  Marygold was obviously rattled. Her hands shook too violently to preform any serious healing, and she looked ready to rid her stomach of its contents.

  I nod slowly, but even that made my head pound more and more. "Yea... yeah... I don't know. . . how this happened." Words seemed like a chore, a hard labor for my tired body and poor use of my hard breathing.

  Marygold brushes a lock of hair off my forehead.

"James, you cannot die. Not now after Nella has worked so hard watching after you." Her tone is serious as she tidies up my hair, but she doesn't meet my eyes.

"I-I'm not trying to. . ." I force out in a hoarse voice, a smile tugging at my chapped lips.

Marygold's eyes flicker to meet mine. "Thank you, James. I have never seen Nella so happy, not since our father died last year," she says slowly.

I cough, and she places a hand on my cheek, her lips pursed in concern. I frown. "Was... was she close to your father?" I ask softly. I was suddenly very aware of the amount of sweat that was dripping between my shoulder blades and down my forehead.

  Marygold's eyes were distant. "Yes. We all were. Nella was so devastated when we got the letter. We never move on from the loved ones we lose, but life does continue. I had my dancing to help me cope, but Nella just fed off her bitterness. Until you came along. It's funny how the prince of our enemies is also our savior." Her expression was hard to read, or  that may have just been the fogginess that clouds my brain. I want to say something.

That I am sorry our people are at war.
That I wish I could undo what has happened to her family.
And that I am not good enough for someone as wonderful as Nella.

Yet, before I could say anything Nella opens to door.  Her eyes are worried, but she smiles calmly, holding the door open for a tiny person. "I got someone who wants to see you." Nella guides Dylan towards the bed, sitting down a basket of supplies and kneeling beside my injury.

Dylan runs to Marygold, and she pulls him close in a hug. He giggles, pushing her away playfully and turning to me. "I'm sorry you're feeling ill James." His accent was light to my ears, I wince at the effort to smile weakly. "Thank you, Dylan. Hopefully your sister can fix me up," I say hoarsely.

I glance down to Nella, and she smiles. A determined look had settled in her eyes. "You better believe I'm going to fix you up," she says sticking her tongue out at me in an endearingly childish manner.

  "Marygold take his temperature, the infection must be what's making him ill. I need to know how bad his temp is before I give him the medicine," she says, handing her sister the thermometer.

  Marygold places it in my mouth with shaking hands, her smile weak. I close my eyes and focus on the cool glass of the thermometer against my lips.