Archie read the letter over and over again. Sammy found his cure. Archie knew he would probably never see Sammy in this lifetime again, but at least he was alive and well now. Archie had been avoiding facing his father, but now he had some good news to convey to him. He was sure that the old man would love to know that his son was still breathing.
Another thing caught Archie's attention. The mention of the Western doctor, and how Sammy said that her touch was magic. Archie figured that maybe Sammy was not being literal, but that he considered it magic just because she somehow managed to miraculously cure his illness. However, the capital had the best physicians in the entire nation, and if they could not treat Sammy, or even figure out what kind of ailment was killing him, then what did she have that was so special?
Archie was convinced that it was magic.
Archie exhaled deeply, he did not know where Sammy was, so he could not write back to him. He could not ask him where this doctor was, but this gave him more of an incentive to look for her harder. Archie could not wait to tell Kenric about this either. He knew Kenric would not be pleased upon hearing Sammy's name, as he still had not, and probably never would forgive his friend for letting Archie get lashed.
But that did not matter, what mattered was that they finally had a lead. A lead that they needed to follow.
Archie was still in his head as he finished his work and picked up his bow and quiver, heading over to the place in the forest where he usually practiced. He was supposed to meet Sir Christian there too, who was already waiting for the stable boy as he set up targets.
Sir Christian was taking part in all of the tournaments, and whereas he was a good shot, he was nowhere near as good as Archie and probably needed more practice than the stable boy. Though he told Archie that he was more interested in jousting, anyway.
"I heard that Lord Blake is participating in the tournament too," Sir Christian muttered as he shot an arrow at the target marked on a tree, missing it by a few inches. "I cannot wait to watch him lose."
"Should I know who that is?" Archie questioned, sitting down on the grass.
"Just a very, very arrogant noble. He has never fought in a single battle yet considers himself to be some valiant warrior," Sir Christian scoffed. "As if. I know men like him. He would be running with his tail tucked between his legs the moment an enemy charges at him."
"Wow," Archie chuckled. "You really do not like him, do you?"
"He always likes to remind us how in King John's times all knights had to be of noble blood," Sir Christian muttered. "He treats the few of us that come from 'lower class' families as if we are dirt. Like we do not deserve our title."
"That's bullshit!" Archie exclaimed, furrowing his brows as he felt offended on behalf of his friend. Sir Christian was a brave soldier and a good man. There was nobody that deserved being a knight more than him.
"Tell me about it," the knight muttered. "Anyway, I am certain he will be taking part in the archery competition, and the moment you beat him...oh how I wish there was a way to capture his reaction. If I could memorialize it forever then I would."
"I shall try my best," Archie shrugged casually. He did not want to seem cocky or overconfident, but he really wanted to win against whoever this Lord Blake was. Just to see his face as he loses against a commoner, out of everyone.
The two men practiced mostly in silence after that, and Archie's mind once again drifted to Sammy's letter. Even with the ball and the tournament right around the corner, what Archie cared more about was finding a way to break King Godric's curse.
"Sir Christian?" Archie spoke up. The knight hummed in response, not turning to face the stable boy. "Have you, perhaps, ever heard of a healer in the West? One that is said to cure incurable illnesses?"
"Huh?" Sir Christian lowered his bow as he turned to look at the other man, his body tensing almost immediately. "Why do you ask?"
"I— I have just heard about her and I thought I would ask if you have too," Archie answered.
"Is everything okay, Archie? Are you sick?" Sir Christian's expression turned worried in an instant. Archie was touched by the concern, but at the same time, he could not tell the knight the truth.
"I'm fine, I'm all good! I swear!" Archie said. "It is not for me, it is for someone else. So? Do you know anything about her?"
"I have heard rumors, yes," Sir Christian spoke, his voice serious and his face unconvinced and skeptical. "I do not think searching for her is a wise idea."
"Why so?" Archie asked, growing even more curious. What did Sir Christian know that nobody else seemed to have an idea about?
"I have heard that she uses...rather unconventional methods. Illegal ones," Sir Christian answered carefully. Archie found Sir Christian's ambiguity peculiar but chose not to show it.
"Do you mean magic?" Archie whispered. Even though they were alone, it still felt forbidden to talk about the forbidden subject.
"I do not know any more than this," Sir Christian's tone changed, sounding dismissive now. "Why are you really asking this, Archie?"
"Do you remember Sammy? My friend?" Archie questioned and the knight nodded. "He told me he was going to this Western doctor. He wrote to me recently telling me that he had been cured. But he cannot come back to the capital anymore so...I was just wondering if there could be a way for me to find out where he was. I figured this mystery healer could be the first clue."
Archie did not even know that he was capable of lying this smoothly, but he somehow managed to do it. Sir Christian's expression softened as he gave him a slow nod. He looked a little torn before he finally sighed and spoke up again.
"I have heard she resides somewhere by the lake near Bluestone Forest," Sir Christian said. "It is not easy to find her, and she charges a lot for anything you may ask of her. And I would really, really advise against asking anything of her."
"Thank you," Archie replied with a smile. "I have never heard of a lake near Bluestone Forest."
"As I said, it is not easy to find her," Sir Christian shrugged as he raised his bow again, ready to practice some more.
The two men remained in the forest until the sun began to set, and then finally made their way back to the castle. They ran into some other knights, and Archie politely excused himself after greeting them, leaving Sir Christian behind.
Archie went to the kitchen for supper, Francis and the rest of the staff were extremely busy as they prepared meals for the tons of guests that were staying in the castle for the festivities. Archie helped around, peeling potatoes and doing minor tasks that the head chef was grateful for before he sat down to finally eat.
Bella, Edith, and Sybil found him there, accompanying him as they complained about their ladies. Archie listened without offering a word, occasionally nodding with sympathy. These were the times when he was thankful that he worked with horses and not humans.
Archie was growing desperate to talk to his prince, to tell him about everything that he had learned since receiving Sammy's letter, and he was finally able to find the warrior alone in the armory.
As soon as Kenric heard Archie take Sammy's name, the corner of his lips turned downwards in a distasteful frown. But the more that Archie told him about the Western healer, the more intrigued the prince grew.
"We can go there once the ball and tournaments are over," Kenric stated. "It will be hard to come up with an excuse for why we need to head West, but I shall be able to convince my brother."
"What if we just tell him why?" Archie offered, making Kenric sigh tiredly.
"He would never allow it," Kenric retorted. "He does not want me wasting my time trying to break the curse that he is so unconvinced is unbreakable. He wants me to spend that energy training James."
"Poor child," Archie muttered. "He has no idea what the future might have in store for him."
"Not if we can stop it."
"Which we will," Archie replied confidently, making Kenric smile. The stable boy's determination was contagious, and it helped Kenric hold on to the little hope that he had.
"Do you think Sir Christian knows where this mystery doctor is?" Kenric asked. Archie shrugged, his lips pressed in a thin line.
"It seemed like he at least had an inkling, but I feel he knows more than he is letting on. Have you ever heard of a lake near Bluestone Forest? Because I have not," Archie spoke.
"Me neither," Kenric shook his head. "But if Sir Christian knows then..."
"Maybe we can take him with us?" Archie offered. Kenric looked like he was not fully convinced, so Archie continued. "If only you and I go then King Godric might be even more suspicious. But if we take another knight then maybe that will throw him off our scent?"
"Maybe," Kenric mumbled. "I will think about it. Surely Sir Christian will have questions too. I do not think he will buy the excuse that we are simply looking for your friend. I am certain he knows that I have no interest in finding that boy unless it is to punish him."
"We are not punishing Sammy, Ken," Archie stated sternly. "Maybe we can tell Sir Christian the truth? I trust him."
"I trust him too, but...but I think it is best we keep Godric's condition within wraps. If somehow people find out about what he did then it will cause chaos that we may not be able to contain," Kenric replied.
"Fair enough," Archie nodded. "But Sir Christian already knows about us and he has not told anyone. Plus, he does seem to know about certain things way more than we do. I really believe he could be of greater help to us if we let him."
"We shall cross that bridge when we get to it, for now, this stays between you and I only, understand?"
"Of course," Archie retorted without any hesitation. "My lips are sealed, you know that."
"I know, love," Kenric smiled. "How is your practice going?"
"Fine, I think," Archie answered shyly. "I am still nervous, though. I do not know how good my aim would be when I have hundreds of people watching me."
"You will do just great, I am sure of it," Kenric reassured.
"How about you?" Archie questioned with a teasing smirk. "Afraid someone might beat you and steal your title of being the strongest man in the nation?"
"Trust me, I am not worried in the slightest," Kenric boasted with a cocky half-smile, making Archie chuckle. "Nobody has ever managed to do so, and I am sure nobody ever will."
"Settle down, Your Highness. You know what they say about overconfidence," Archie retorted.
"I am not arrogant, I am simply aware of my skills and I am not shy about them," Kenric scoffed.
"You know...if you win then maybe I can reward you too," Archie whispered. Kenric raised a brow, suddenly even more interested in what his stable boy was offering.
"Is that so? What do you have in mind?" Kenric took a step closer to the other man.
"Well, you better win if you wish to find out."