Deserter

NINE

{Chapter Triggers: repressed emotions, rude gestures, more mention of Thomas being unconscious. Those are all I can think of/figure out from reading through the chapter, I apologize if I missed any and feel free to inform me.}

The king's advisors left Anxiety's cell to discuss what they should do. They walked down the hallway towards the library, where they usually had their discussions.

"Regardless of whether or not he actually did the king harm, we should go after Picani and get answers from him as to why he did this." Logan insisted, crossing his arms. He stopped walking, forcing the others to turn and look at him so that he could prove his point.

Patton sighed and shook his head. "I do not think leaving King Thomas in this state is a good idea. Without his orders, the castle staff will be looking to us to tell them what to do. If we all go traipsing off to find a traveling physician who could be anywhere by now, who will they listen to?"

"We need not all go." Logan pointed out, shrugging. "Roman could choose a knight to join us, or he could ride with one of us himself. Any of us left behind would be able to run daily routines in the castle easily."

Patton could tell from the twitchiness in Roman's stance that he wanted to be the one to go after Doctor Picani. He knew what would be coming either way, so he took a deep breath and nodded.

"I suggest that you two go." He tried to make it seem casual, like he didn't mind at all.

Logan looked momentarily surprised, but Roman jumped on the offer immediately. "I can be ready to go on the hour, Logan. When you are ready, let me know."

The two older men watched the young knight walk off, silent. After a few moments, Logan looked to Patton again.

"What plans do you have for when you find him?" Patton asked, not meeting his eyes.

Logan paused. "The best course of action would be to demand an explanation for what he did to the King. If it is necessary, we will bring him back here to face the consequences of what he's done. What do you plan to do while I'm- while we are gone?"

Patton forced a smile as he looked up, shrugging. "Take care of King Thomas, make sure everything is running smoothly, tell some jokes and try to keep everyone's spirits up."

"Patton, I want you to promise me something."

The other man nodded, genuinely perking up a little. "What can I do for you?"

Logan glanced back the way they came, remembering the look on Anxiety's face earlier. Everything about the man screamed that he shouldn't be trusted.

"Promise me that you are not going to let Anxiety out of that cell."

Patton paused, then sighed. "I will not let him out. He stays there until his face is decided."

"Thank you, Patton. I am sure that is hard for you, with your sympathetic nature." Logan nodded solemnly. "Are you sure you are going to be fine with two of us gone?"

Patton waved him off, fiddling with his medical kit. "I will be just fine, Logan, I am a fully capable adult and I have been working in the castle for a very long time."

~~~Two Hours Later~~~

Anxiety leaned casually against the wall of the cell, peering out the tiny window. He could see three horses in the front courtyard, two saddled and one laden with supplies.

He saw two figures moving to the creatures and narrowed his eyes slightly, looking for distinguishing features. He was very high up, but he could still see some things.

One of them was dressed in dark blues and grey, and Anxiety recognized the colors as what the King's strategist Logan had been wearing earlier that day. The other man with him was gesturing grandly with his arms as he walked, and that alone told him who it was.

So the strategist and the knight were leaving the game. No doubt going after that traveling physician, the one they believed to have poisoned the king.

Anxiety watched the two haul themselves up onto their horses. He almost wished he was close enough for them to hear so that he could criticize them to see their reactions.

The two horses began to move as their riders nudged their sides, and the pack-horse followed, docile.

As the drawbridge to the castle dropped, Anxiety distinctively saw Logan twist in his saddle and look up at the building. He carefully snaked his arm out the window and waved.

Logan snapped around, then both he and Roman looked up at the castle again. As the knight spotted him, Anxiety fluidly flicked his wrist around, flashing a clearly rude hand gesture.

He could practically hear Roman's angry shouting.

He smiled to himself, settling on the cot of the cell for a nap. Aggravating self-confident warriors had always been one of his favorite pastimes.

Patton stood on one of the outer balconies on the front of the castle, watching his colleagues ride out of the castle. He was a bit nervous about being the only senior member of King Thomas's council in the castle, but he had told Logan that he could handle it and he could! He would prove that he could.

Logan looked over his shoulder and Patton waved. The strategist nodded at him, then looked up farther and raised his eyebrows. Curious, Patton turned to see what he'd spotted.

He saw Anxiety's hand waving from the tower window and muffled a laugh. Then the hand moved and Patton heard Roman shout indignantly.

Once the drawbridge had come back up, Patton went back into the castle. Grabbing his medical kit from his workbench in the infirmary, he made his way to the king's quarters to check on him. 

King Thomas still wasn't conscious, but he was breathing a little deeper, which eased Patton's worries a little bit. He reminded the guards to keep him informed if his condition changed, then went to the throne room.

Logan had instructed several higher-ups in the castle hierarchy to meet Patton in the throne room after they had left. Now he had to hand out daily tasks and make sure everything got done in the time it needed to.

There was already a group in the room, and Patton smiled at them all as he set his medical kit down by the throne. "Alright, who wants to go first?"

{Patton's in charge and I love him but how quickly do you all think it's gonna go wrong?

Hint: very quickly}