forum The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

“A doctor? But why would you need a doctor?” the taller one asked, brows rocketing upwards. She bent to let the younger one whisper something in her ear and came up smirking. “Oh, I see. I’ll go on ahead. You two can wait here.”

She turned and left, her skirt ballooning out around her. Meanwhile, the young girl—the one with stars in her eyes, who looked like she was having the best day ever—bounced on the balls of her feet. There were a collection of gaudy rings on her pinky fingers that sparkled whenever she moved.

“So, you and Sir de Vey! I don’t wanna be a gossip, but I heard a rumor about the two of you. I, of course, didn’t think it was true, and I said as much to the boy who told me. Now I wonder if he might’ve been right.” She grinned. “I didn’t think that he was into anyone, you know? Haven’t seen him bring people up here before. What was he like? I’m sure you understand my curiosity, being a bard yourself and all.”

Rin finally allowed an expression to take his face, arching an eyebrow down at the girl. He was not sure what the proper response was here. Was it better to say that Arquis was sick, or to let the rumors continue? They didn't know. They took a deep breath, and finally settling on neither confirming nor denying. "Is that any way to speak of your employer?" He responded. "To inquire into their personal, romantic, and sexual life?" They narrowed their gaze down at her, feeling a little bad for giving her such a stink eye but at the same time, not wanting to smear Arquis's reputation by mistake. "You have no business in asking for such a thing from me. I may be a bard but that does not mean I intend to gossip about someone else."

Her jaw actually dropped, and she got a little misty-eyed. She lowered her head to give him an embarrassed nod before stepping down the hallway, her lip quivering too much to give a sound response. The heels of her flats clicked as she hurried away.

The older girl came barreling from the opposite way. Syeda was following; her lips were pinched with worry. The maid looked around, expecting to see her friend, and departed with a shrug when she saw that she was alone.

Syeda stepped inside the bedroom. She had a suitcase in each hand and a pouch strung at her hip. They jingled as she spread them all out on the bed. The suitcases opened smoothly, revealing top and bottom compartments, and she took out her stethoscope.

“Alright, what happened? More asthma?”

Arquis inhaled shakily. “I can’t feel m- my legs.”

“Your legs?” A hint of shock came into her voice, but she flattened it, putting on a mask of calm. “Alright, let me see.”

She came around to his side with a quill, kneeled, and rolled up the leg of one of his pants. He put one hand over his eyes. She brushed the feather from heel to calf in a swift movement.

“Feel anything?”

“No.”

She did it with the other leg and asked the same question. The answer was the same. She flipped the quill over. On the other side was a sharp point that she pressed into his ankle. He didn’t react. She tried the other ankle, then went up to his thighs. Nothing.

“Do you still have sensation in your-“

“W- waist up.”

“Alright. Alright, calm down. You’re about to hyperventilate, take some deep breaths.” She cut a glance at Rinlos. Her expression was blank. She waited for Arquis to settle a bit before going on. “If this is what I think it is—if your infection is what I believe it to be—then it is curable. But…”

Rin had followed into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. They still felt a bit bad for upsetting the maid, but it also was none of her business. Even though nothing had happened. At Syeda's paused, they arched their brows. "But what?" He asked, shifting forward. "Is there a way I can help fix this? Or…" He trailed off, hoping that they could help in some way, no matter how small.

Syeda swallowed and looked at Arquis. “Well, if it is what I believe it to be,” she started lightly, “then it will present with a rash. The rash should start on the outer extremities and move inwards if not treated with medication. And because there is no rash on your feet or ankles, that would mean that I would have to check your hands.”

“No,” Arquis said instantly, squeezing his eyes shut. He forced his hands behind his back. “No, you can’t. I won’t let you. Find another way.”

“There isn’t another way. If it isn’t the infection I’m thinking of, then I’ll need to start treating for other conditions. This is an easy test. All I would have to do is remove your gloves.”

“I don’t care what you do, but you can’t t- take them off.”

She got up and turned towards the bard. “I am going to need you to help me take them off, alright? Whether he wants us to or not. This is necessary, and,” her eyes were soft with compassion, “he is not thinking straight.”

Rin's gaze flickered to Arquis, remembering their conversations about the gloves. "Does it have to be his hands?" they asked slowly, even though they already knew the answer. He came closer, sitting down beside Arquis. "I'm sorry, Arquis." he said in a soft, gentle tone, gently taking the nobleman's hands in his own, and then moving his grip to Arquis's wrists so Syeda could remove the gloves. "I'm sorry."

Arquis struggled for a good minute, fiercely tugging his arms left and right. He collapsed against Rinlos when it became clear that he wasn’t getting his way. In a quiet, desperate tone, he began to recite pleas, and they only grew in volume when Syeda approached.

The gloves he was wearing were thin, cream-colored gloves. She had to pinch the index finger of the first to pull it off. The second it was removed, she went oddly still.

His hand was absolutely covered in scars. Some were old, thin, and silver enough that they barely showed up against his skin. Most were in the middle of the spectrum; they were pink and ridged, but they weren’t fresh. The ones that were new, like the one across his middle and ring fingers, were an angry red. They had just barely begun to heal.

Syeda took off the other glove as gently as possible, then examined both hands together. Her shoulders sagged in relief as she pointed out a rash just visible through the scarring.

“This is good news, at least. It means the medicine will be delivered at an early stage. The damage to your legs will not be permanent.” She stood, went to her pouch, and pulled out a powder in a small container. She also retrieved a different kind of pills and took the old kind from his bedside table. Before she brought them over, she paused at her suitcase.

“Sir, if this is… if the state of your hands was self-inflicted, then I will need to do a mental evaluation upon your recovery. If not, then I will make a report to the necessary body to get the perpetrator arrested.”

“Neither,” he croaked, “I am pr- prone to accidents.”

Rin inhaled softly when he saw the scarring to Arquis's hands. He wasn't disgusted by it, or angry at Arquis, or anything like that. "Oh." he said faintly, then frowned just a little at Arquis's explanation. "Are you… are you sure?" they asked in a soft tone. "Because I… that's a lot of scars for just accidents." when he was with Lysander, he would turn up with bruises and marks that he would explain away as "accidents"; "oh I'm just clumsy" "I fell down the stairs, it's fine". He didn't want something like that to be happening to Arquis.

Arquis nodded rapidly. His chest was heaving with huge, fast breaths, and he was mortified to find that his eyes were wet. When he tried to speak, a terrible, raw sob clawed its way from his throat. He covered his mouth with his sleeve, inhaled, and nodded again.

“J- just accidents, I pr- pr-“ he swore and tried again. “I promise.”

Syeda silently administered his medicine with a cup of water. While he was swallowing down the powder, she attempted to take his right hand to treat with a gel. He jerked his hand away and held it against his chest, unable to look at her.

“I am going to check up on you in about three hours, but for now I would advise that you take it easy. The medicine should start working within thirty minutes. Come directly to me if any other major symptoms appear.” She went about packing up her supplies efficiently, not stopping until she was at the door. Only then did she look back at Arquis. “And if you decide you would like to talk about the… um, accidents, then know that you can confide in me as a professional.”

She went swiftly through the door, leaving Arquis and Rinlos alone in the room.

Rin had released Arquis's hands as soon as they could, not wanting to take the young man's autonomy for any more time than was necessary. "I'm sorry." he said in a quiet tone, once Syeda was gone. "I am so sorry, Arquis." they looked over at the nobleman. "I can…do you need space? Or…anything?" they bit their lip again, scooting to the side a bit to give Arquis space to think and breathe.

In a voice calmer than it had been all day, he said, “I need you to forget what you believe you saw and leave me alone.”

He was cradling the crumpled, discarded gloves against his stomach. They looked as limp and broken as two dead birds. He did not slip them on, did not even so much as look at them, but the way he clung to them was almost mournful.

“Go to the balcony, if you must, or find your way to Quirisa or Marsiquia. But do not stay here.”

"I…" he got off the bed, watching Arquis with soft, cautious eyes. "I really am sorry, Arquis." their voice was quiet, and oh so gentle. "But I…I cannot leave. Your mother…she ordered me not to leave you." he did back away to give Arquis as much space as possible. "I'm sorry." they apologized again, unable to stop himself from doing so.

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and exhaled. The raised scars pushed a pattern into his sensitive eyelids; he could feel them even without seeing them. Though he didn’t really need to see them, as each and every one was committed to memory.

A tremor ran through his body, starting in the shoulders and working down to his waist. Then another, then another. He bit down hard into the damaged skin on his wrist to prevent any noises from escaping. If he had to cry in front of them, then he would do it in silence, saving the last scraps of his shattered dignity.

Rin hesitated for a long moment. They wanted to wrap their arms around Arquis to try and comfort him, but didn't think their touch was wanted. So he simply said another quiet "I'm sorry", and then ducked out onto the balcony to try and give him some space and quiet. He sat down, leaning their head on the edge of the balcony with a faint sigh. He had not meant to upset Arquis like this, but Syeda had needed to do this.

Arquis broke down for ten minutes straight, shuddering and crying without making a sound. When the episode finally subsided, he lowered his hands. They were the first thing he saw. That almost tipped him over the edge again; he had to wrap them in his sheets until the black dots fled from the corners of his vision.

He ran a check of himself. First and foremost, he was tired. No amount of sleep in the world could solve that problem. He was also still feverish, and his lips and throat were incredibly dry. The crying had only exacerbated his symptoms. Luckily, the cup of water Syeda had given him was still half full, and he finished the rest in a few short swallows. He still couldn’t move his legs, though he did admittedly feel more hopeful about them than before. For as much as he hated Syeda for forcing him, she had probably been right to do so. He wished she hadn’t roped Rin into it.

His heart skipped a beat. Rin—he had been so rude to Rin. They didn’t seem to be in the room. He called out his name nervously and waited for a response.

Rin stayed out on the balcony for the full ten minutes, eventually closing their eyes and just letting their mind wander for a while. When he heard Arquis calling out for him from inside, they stood up and came back in, gaze moving to where the nobleman sat on the bed. "I'm here." he said quietly, closing the balcony door behind themself, so that the chilly outside air couldn't get in. "How are you feeling?"

He ignored the question, instead bundling a nearby blanket in his arms and holding it out. The golden tassels of it stuck out over his elbows.

“Rin, words cannot describe how sorry I am. I have been awfully cruel to you,” his mouth twitched in embarrassment, “while you have been incredibly patient. And… and to think I just… well. Please, take this and warm yourself up.”

They took the blanket, wrapping it around their shoulders. "It's alright." he said softly. "I don't know the full story behind the scarring, and that's okay. I don't need to and I am not asking for it in any way. But I knew that it was not something you wanted to share. I am very sorry for taking that choice from you, even if it was necessary for your medical care. Your anger and hurt is perfectly understandable."

“Thank you, but you do not need to be sorry,” he said, warmth flooding his voice. His eyes, which were red from crying, crinkled around the edges as he smiled comfortingly. “While you are correct in that it is not something I am… ready, I suppose, to discuss, you said it yourself. You had no choice. Had you not helped the doctor, I likely would have died. I forgive you for anything you might have done in the process of saving me.”

He wrung his hands together, then tensed, shocked at the feeling. They were hardly ever bare. He looked at his pitiful, wrinkled gloves with disdain, his brow furrowing at how pathetic they seemed.

“Can I ask for you to…” He gestured at the glove boxes in his wardrobe. “I would get a clean pair myself, but…”

"Of course." Rin stepped over to the closet, bringing back a few different boxes so that Arquis had some choices to choose from. He set the boxes on the bed, quiet and watchful. He didn't want to upset Arquis again; the man was going through enough stress as it was.

Arquis opened a box to reveal a pair of thin satin gloves sitting daintily in tissue paper. He put them on as fast as possible, refusing to look at his hands for a second more than necessary, and gave Rinlos an appreciative smile.

“Thank you.” He bit his already chapped lips and looked down at the gloves. For about a minute, he pretended to adjust them, throat choked up again with emotion.

“I really,” he began, shook his head, and started again. “I really am just quite accident-prone. It is why I started wearing these. To prevent myself from harm.” When he looked up, his expression was pleading, and the words that followed were soft yet insistent. “That is the only reason.”

Rin took the boxes, setting them back in the closet, then turned back to Arquis. "Are you sure?" he said in a soft voice. "I used to have a lot of, ah… "Accidents"… and I…" they trailed off, biting their lips for just a moment. "I would not want that to be happening to you."

“I…” He pushed his fingers into his temple and let out an anxious, unsteady sigh. “I am being rather unfair, aren’t I? Making you spill your past last night and then turning around in the morning to bury mine. But you must understand that this is more than my past. It is my present, and it is my future, as well. And I cannot let you get involved more than you already are. I could not bear it if I was…” he trailed off, resisting tears again. “If I was the reason you got hurt.”

Rin hesitated for a moment. He did not want to press, did not want to force this story from Arquis, but yet, they wanted to keep him safe, if they could. He nodded slowly. "I understand. I… I will not press you for answers, but know that if you ever need someone who will listen, I will." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "And don't worry about my safety. I can take care of myself, and I know how to disappear if I need to." They gave him a soft smile.

Arquis did not smile back. He blinked and wrung his hands together like always, pressing down on the fresh scars. The subtle pain was a reminder.

“I am glad to know that you will get yourself out of harm’s way if need be,” he murmured. He knew what was upsetting him, but he didn’t want to admit it. Shouldn’t he be pleased that they would disappear? Why did it bother him that he might be alone again? They’d have to go when the snow melted, anyways. He’d have to say goodbye eventually.

Rin nodded a little bit. "Yes. But, I should like to help keep you… safe. Or comfortable. I don't know." He glanced away, clearing their throat softly. "If you need to talk, I will listen." They tugged on a lock of hair, and a little later their stomach rumbled. He laughed a little. "Sorry, I haven't, ah, eaten yet today. Are you hungry? Or anything?"

They wanted to keep him safe? Arquis almost laughed at that—safe was an impossibility—but he couldn’t ignore the bright spark of joy in his chest. It grew into a full-on inferno when he heard them laugh, and he hid his own laugh in his sleeve.

“Do not apologize, it is quite alright. I must admit that I am not particularly hungry,” he said, frowning suddenly, “though perhaps I should be. I cannot remember the last time I had a full meal. I normally eat at least once a day.”

They frowned a little at that. "I'll order you food anyways. You need to eat. Some soup, maybe? It's easier on the stomach." when had Rin turned into such a mother hen? They didn't know, but they didn't particularly mind right now. Arquis needed someone to be a bit of a mother hen right now. He got off the bed, heading to the door and sticking his head out again. Once he saw a maid, he flagged her down and asked for some food. For himself, whatever the kitchens had right now was fine, but for Arquis he requested some soup. Chicken noodle, preferably. They knew that that one was both good for you and a comfort food.

The maid looked confused at being asked to bring chicken soup first thing in the morning, but she didn’t protest. The tail ends of her thin braids swished as she disappeared down the hall. She returned about twenty minutes later pushing a wheeled cart. On it was a small soup pot with an ornate lid, a set of utensils, two bowls, a ladle, a tea kettle, and a tray with a cloche. She pushed it inside the bedroom, not looking at Arquis at all, and lifted the cloche. It revealed a vegetable breakfast tart in a pan with fluted edges. With a cursory glance at Rinlos, she gracefully stepped back into the hallway.

“I imagine it is tomato soup. Most other kinds would take a while to simmer.” Arquis sighed and dabbed the sweat from his collarbones. He didn’t have an appetite at all. “Rin, I am not sure how much I… I really am not that hungry.”

"It is not tomato soup, I asked for chicken noodle. It has protein and it's good for you." Rin replied. "And I want you to eat at least some of it." he sat down on the bed and opened up the soup pot, ladling some into one of the bowls, setting a spoon in the bowl, and holding it out to Arquis. "Are you well enough to feed yourself, or do you want my assistance?" he didn't mind spoon-feeding Arquis if they needed to.