Awakened Ruler

Pacing around the laboratory, I grin as I finally mix in the grinded petals of the blood flowers into the siren tears. After the ride last night, the crown prince and I went our separate ways, and I cleaned up for bed fast.

I woke up this morning excited, and I bounded down the stairs with more energy that should be allowed in the early light.

I swirl the orange liquid around in the glass vial, and I smile as the fragrant aroma hits my nose. Blood flowers usually smell horrid but mixed with siren tears, it smells like warm honey.

Coralie is sitting a chair across from the table, and she is grinning. I try to lower her and my hopes earlier, but I am too excited to see if it will work. I pray that it will work. I know for fact that it will work. I need to stop thinking about it.

I set the vial down in the sunlight as it has to curate in the light for about three hours. Cleaning up my station, Coralie lowers her book, and she lets out a hopeful sigh.

"How soon until you can give it my father?"

"In about three hours."

She glances up, trying to hold in the unshed tears, but fails.

"I really hope it works, Ardele."

Going to her side, I surprise her and myself with a hug.

"I as well, Coralie. I as well."

I am up in the king and queen's chamber, with Coralie standing next to me and the crown prince is leaning on the doors. The antidote has been curated for three hours and safe for consumption. The queen is on the bed, sitting next to the king, and he looks way better this morning than last night.

My heart is beating fast, due to anticipation and nervousness. The tray next the bed has a bowl of soup that I want the king to eat first, so that he does not digest the antidote on an empty stomach.

The king is frail from not drinking blood in over a month, and his body is slowing killing itself. The antidote will stop that.

The queen is slowly spooning the soup into the king's mouth and for a while, we all sit there in silence. The crown prince seems to be lost in his thoughts and Coralie watching her father in distress. I clench my hands in my lap, praying to the heavens that this cure works.

The bowl eventually empties, and the queen sits back to place the bowl back on the tray. The vial of the antidote is staring at me, taunting me, and my hands are shaking as I pick it up.

I silently head over the king's side of the bed. Gradually dropping the orange liquid into his mouth, it seeps into his lips, and I check to make sure he swallows.

The queen takes a sharp breath, and Coralie moves over to comfort the queen. Washing down the antidote with water, I repeat the process over and over again for the next hour. I do not want to bombard his body with siren tears.

The siren tears need time to disperse in his system. And the king's blood needs to take in the blood flowers. If he rejects the blood flowers, there will be no more cures. No medicine or spells to reverse what is to come. He will continue to throw up the blood that is left in his weak frame until he has drained what is left of his life force.

The next hours are painfully slow as we all wait to see how the king takes in the remedial mixture. I stayed in the royal room to watch over the king, while the Coralie walked in out to take a breather emotionally.

The crown prince has shifted to sitting on the lush couch by the balcony, his eyes empty. The queen is still on the bed, whispering comforting words the king, and I avert my eyes to the windows. Wind beats harshly on the glass, the weather as unforgiving as life.

The king suddenly starts to choke, gasping in deep breaths, startling me out of my thoughts. I rush over to his side, leaning him forward, sharply hitting between his shoulder blades. I feel his brittle frame start to cave in, and the queen starts to become hysteric.

Panic is running through my veins, and I place a spell that creates purified air around the king. His breathing mellows out as the spittle comes up his throat, and the queen wipes the dribble off the king's chin. I lay him back onto his pillow, placing the rag on his forehead on the side tables.

Tiredness weighs heavily on my lids, but I force them open before they fully close. Exhausted, I lean back on my heels, hitting the chest of the crown prince. Before I can move out of his close presence, he puts a hand on my shoulder, and together, we wait for the king to become alert.

Coralie comes back into the room and stands by my side. After what feels like centuries, the king gradually opens his eyes. We all go still, the hope taking our breaths away.

"Why are you hooligans standing over there, looking at me like a piece of meat?"

Coralie cracks a watery smile, and I feel the tension of the crown prince behind me melt. The queen starts to blubber out words, but the king silences her with a strong hug when he attempts to sit up straight.

Coralie places a kiss on his cheek while the crown prince stays still. I make eye contact with the king, and I grace him with a deep curtsy. Before I can say a word, the king beats me to it.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart. No amount of words can express my gratitude, fair maiden."

"It is my pleasure, your majesty. I am pleased to be of great use."

He shakily places his hand out, and I slowly set my hand in his.

"Do you have a wish you want to be fulfilled?"