Chapter 17
Was your mother able to help you clean your wound? Kieran asks after several hours.
I close my eyes as I rest in the kitchen. Mother helped me back into the kitchen after she cleaned my wounds and I immediately laid my head on the table to rest and try to make it through the pain.
She was, I reply, exhausted.
How are you feeling now?
Exhausted. In pain. Wondering if it would be better for me to just cut off my whole leg instead of going through this.
Sweets, it’s going to get better. You just need to trust that cleaning it and going through a little pain in the beginning will be worth it, he says.
I thought it was all okay. It looked completely normal and healthy whenever I saw it last week. It was closed and almost scabbed. How did it get infected again? I ask.
It didn’t make any sense at all. It shouldn’t have gotten this infected in only a week.
Did you do anything? he asks.
I went and saw you several times. I’ve been walking around the house and I’ve run a couple of errands for mother but nothing too serious. I’ve been taking it very easy and trying not to walk as much.
Did you come in contact with anyone new?
No, I sigh.
I wrack my memories just to be sure but nothing stands out when I think about everything that I’ve done.
Could it be Avira? I ask, letting my mind wander back to my original thoughts.
No. Do not think that way. It might have been just from your dress rubbing up against it. It could have been several different things combined, but do not think about the witch, Kieran says sternly.
But could she do something like this? I ask. Could she do something to make my cut get infected?
She could, but why would she?
Because she can’t get to me right now. She can’t get close to me to ask me where the book is or who you are. Prince Archie said for right now she won’t be able to get close to me. That must have made her angry.
It had to make her furious. If I was in her position I would be so mad. Going from being able to go to whoever and talk to whoever to not being able to get close to one person… yeah that would be infuriating.
If she was going to do something it would be much worse than getting your wound infected. She would want to do something that would put you in so much pain that you wouldn’t be able to do anything, Kieran explains. That’s how she has always been.
Okay, I whisper.
The witch has always been someone who wants to make people suffer.
Whenever she has done something, it is always excruciating for her victim.
You must have opened up the wound without realizing it and your dress rubbed against it, making it irritated and then it got infected.
With some salve and cleaning, it should be healed and new before you know it.
I trust you.
Henry will give you the salve tomorrow morning. It should be enough for this wound to heal and for you to have left over in case something else happens to you, your mother, or your younger brother.
Thank you so much for this. Is there enough salve for other people to have it if they need it? I ask. I feel like I’ve been using up a lot recently and no one else can have any.
What if it’s just like the candy and there isn’t a lot left or it’s hard to make?
We have plenty of salve. This is one thing that we have too much of and you can use as much as you need and want. No one here wants you hurt for a long time and will gladly give you any and all the salve.
If that ever changes you’ll let me know, right? I ask. I don’t want to take more than I should.
I promise I will let you know.
Thank you.
How about you go into bed and I’ll talk to you until you fall asleep? Kieran suggests.
But it’s so early.
You need all the rest you can get. When the curse is broken and things have calmed down we are going to take a week of no interruptions and just get the rest we both need. But you need to sleep right now so you can heal properly.
I push myself off the table and look over at Mother. “I’m going to go lie down and try to get some sleep.”
“Let me know if you need anything,” Mother says as she looks back at me. “Do you need help walking to your room?”
“I think I’m okay,” I mumble.
I grit my teeth with each step I take, my leg burning with intense pain and heat. How am I going to get anywhere when I’m in this much pain?
You aren’t going to. For the next several days you are going to stay in the house and not walk around much. I want that to be healed and you not to be in pain before you come and see me, Kieran tells me.
I need to stop broadcasting my thoughts to you, I grumble. I won’t be able to get away with anything if I subconsciously do that to you.
And I hope you never stop doing it. I want you to always tell me what you’re thinking and I will do the same for you. There are no secrets between us.
Really?
Yes, really. I will answer any questions you want and tell you the truth. And I hope that you will do the same for me if I ever ask you questions.
I’ll try my best.
Now, lay down and close your eyes while I talk to you. You are going to get a good night sleep.
Several days have passed since I found out my leg was infected. Mother has been helping me clean and put the salve on it. I still can’t bring myself to put it on or even look at it. Will I even be able to look at the scar it leaves behind?
“Is it looking better?” I ask as Mother gently puts the salve on.
“It does. Does it feel better?”
“Not really,” I say through clenched teeth.
“I’m going to put a wrap around it and I want you to go and see him,” Mother says softly. “I want you to get his opinion on it since you don’t want to bring a doctor to the house or go see one.”
“You know why I don’t want to.” I clench the fabric of my dress in my hands as she starts wrapping my leg.
“I don’t want to get taken to the palace and not be able to return.
While he is being nice right now and not allowing me to see Avira and letting me stay here, he made it very clear that he is still the same prince and I will be under his control when we get married.
He won’t allow me to go out to the forest which means he probably won’t allow me to come and see you. I don’t want to start that early.”
And then my life will be over and I will never be able to visit Kieran again.
Mother gently pats my knee. “I understand why you don’t want to, but I’m worried about you. This cut is serious and I wish you would have had the doctor look at it when they first came here.”
“She did look at it and said to clean it regularly and to put medicine on it. Those were her only instructions,” I reply.
Mother sighs. “You know what I mean.”
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to forget about everything,” I mumble.
“It’s okay. I truthfully just wish I had taken better care of you and made sure that you were healing fine,” she whispers. “I seem to be failing at protecting you recently.”
“No, you haven’t.” I place my hand on top of hers.
“Enough of this. Go see him.” Mother stands up and walks out of the bathroom.
I look down at the white bandage around my thigh.
I’m coming to the forest. Mother wants you to look at my thigh or maybe a healer of yours could? I ask.
We’ll be there, he replies.
I push myself off the chair and painfully make my way back to the kitchen and grab my coat.
“You won’t need that today,” Mother says.
“I’m cold though.” I look back at her.
“It’s warmer outside. You will bring attention to yourself if you wear that. But if you are really that cold you can wear it. I just want you to be prepared to get some looks,” Mother tells me.
Sighing, I place it back on the hanger and walk toward the door. “I’ll be back.”
“Take your time!” she calls after me as I walk through the door.
Henry looks down at my thigh before turning to me. “Are you doing better? I haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”
“It still hurts like before but apparently it looks better than it did. I wouldn’t know since I haven’t been able to bring myself to look at it,” I mumble.
“You’ll be able to look at it when the time is right. Don’t force yourself to do something you aren’t ready to do,” Henry says as we start walking.
I grit my teeth and clench the fabric of my dress in my hands as we walk through the town. I’m going to need something to help me walk if it’s going to be this painful for a long time.
Am I going to rip open the cut by walking?
It’s too late now to go back home and talk to my mother about it. It can be something I ask Kieran and the doctor.
Please give me good news, I say in my head as we step into the forest.
“Do you think people are still talking about me?” I ask Henry.
“It has died down, but they still talk about you. You aren’t outside as much as you were before.
Some are concerned, and some are spreading rumors about what they think happened to you,” Henry replies.
“But once you get back to normal then it will die down even more. There will always be people who will say something to other people, but eventually they won’t care anymore. ”
“I hope you’re right,” I whisper, and suck in a deep breath as pain shoots up my leg. “I need to take a second.”
I take several deep breaths through the pain. The thought of hiding my pain from Kieran crosses my mind but I know he has already felt it.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Henry asks.
“Mother wants me to come and see them. I want to see him. Whenever I’m with him, the pain lessens,” I tell him honestly. “But it does hurt and I don’t know how I’m going to bear the walk back.”
No matter how much time I rest with Kieran, I know the walk back is going to be even more brutal.
“Unless they have some magic that can heal me or take away the pain,” I offer. “But I don’t think they have that.”
Before I can say another word, arms lift me up and I’m staring into those beautiful cobalt blue eyes I love.
“Hello, Sweets.”