Chapter 73: Chapter 73

The panic Skye saw in Ronnie’s expression made her heart lurch in her chest. Klaus bent his knee and bowed his head before asking her if she would try to save the girl. Skye smacked his shoulder for being so formal before speaking.

“Don’t bend yer knee to me! I Married royalty, but Ima not one.. Of course I’ll do me best to save Ronnie’s wee sister..”

Klaus and Ronnie followed Skye into the hospital as the onlookers grew in number. She tried not to mind it, but stopped and turned to the group to speak. She thanked them for their concern, but asked all that did not need medical attention to remain outside. Most agreed, and the three entered the small hospital.

Skye was pleasantly surprised when she saw the conditions inside had improved drastically. Everything had been cleaned and scrubbed, and the number of patients inside were few. The windows were clean, and fresh air and sunlight flowed in to give the place an almost calming effect. When Dr. Martin approached her, Skye smiled quickly, then asked where the girl was.

“Chelsea is still unconscious, and her heart rate and blood pressure keep dropping.. I was about to scan her, to see if it’s something I could fix with surgery, but..”

“But What, Doc?!” Ronnie yelled with fear in his tone.

Dr. Martin paused a moment before he said; “I.. I don’t think she’s going to last much longer..”

.....n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ronnie took off running towards the hallway. He threw open the second door that lined the the long hallway, then went inside. By the time Skye entered, he was sitting on a chair by her bedside. Ronnie held his sister’s tiny hand while he quietly cried.

Chelsea was thin, and a pale, sickly color. Her yellowish hair was messy, and she laid deathly still. The scene made tears threaten to spring from her eye’s, but Skye wouldn’t let them fall. She had to be strong now, for Ronnie’s sister’s sake.

Skye went over to the opposite side of the bed and begun to examine the teenaged girl. She seemed slightly malnourished, but other than that, she was outwardly fine. Skye began to focus on her Shaman trait as she placed her hands on Chelsea’s chest and forehead. Right before she stared her magic, Ronnie said; “Please save her, Princess... Take whatever ye need from me, just save her..”

Skye smiled softly at Ronnie before she replied; “Just keep bein’ a good brother; I’ll do the rest.”

Activating her magic, Skye began to check over the lass. She’d had a hunch on the possible issue, and almost immediately found the problem. A blood clot had formed inside her brain similar to Ronnie’s. It was farther along than her brother’s had been, which perplexed Skye greatly. But she pushed the thought to the side; concentrating on the task at hand.

It was far more difficult to deal with than the one Ronnie had. Skye spent almost 20 minutes breaking it down into smaller, manageable clots that she began to work out the wee girl’s system. After they’d sat in silence for nearly half an hour; Chelsea sprang up in bed, and began to puke up blood.

Ronnie had fallen backwards in his chair due to his sister’s sudden movement. Dr. Martin had been standing by the door watching the scene unfold. He immediately went to Chelsea to check her. Skye stood to rub the girl’s back as she puked. She regretted not grabbing a bucket or garbage can for her to throw up in, but it was a moot point now.

As the two fussed over Chelsea; Ronnie stuck his head out the door and yelled for his mother. A short, frantic woman came running into the room. She screamed when she saw her daughter coughing up blood, and feared the worst for a moment. But Ronnie explained what the princess had done for him, and posed that she’d done the same for Chelsea.

Mrs. Leon walked over to stand in front of the princess, then dropped to her knees. She thanked Skye profusely while gripping the hem of her dress. The woman cried and sobbed as she thanked the princess for saving her children. Skye smiled and glanced at Ronnie with a pleading look.

The lad walked around to where his mother was, gently grabbed her by the shoulders, and lifted her up to stand. Nurses began to funnel in bringing fresh clothes and linens for Chelsea. Dr. Martin had called for them as Skye dealt with Mrs. Leon. The four then left so Chelsea could change and wash up.

It didn’t take too long for the girl to emerge from the room with a clean dress and a wide grin. Chelsea was pretty; with her sunflower colored hair and tan skin tone from working in the orchard. She looked a thousand times better; like life had returned to her. The family of three embraced as people within and outside the hospital cheered for the girl’s miraculous recovery.

Skye felt awkward receiving such praises, but smiled and curtsied; unsure of what else to do. Dr. Martin chortled at how the princess reacted to the attention. She seemed to be like her husband in that regard. She wanted to do good without being praised for it. The prince was a born royal, however. He’d been experiencing the limelight his whole life.

Skye clearly wasn’t used to it, but she did well. She wasn’t conceited about her powers, nor did she try and profit from them. Any who offered her gifts or rewards; she’d thank them and ask them to donate to the hospital instead. The more Dr. Martin thought about Skye and Tidas, the more he wished that they were the next in line for the thrown. It was a growing sentiment amongst the common folk, but none openly talked of it. For it was technically a treasonous thought.

After finishing up talking with the people around her; Skye spent about another half an hour going around to the other patients. She healed several minor injuries, and two broken bones. She’d been surprised that most were from the orchard again, and noticed they all seemed to be in poorer health than anyone else in a different occupation. It nagged at the princess as she examined person after person. When she’d mentioned her thought to the doctor, he sighed sadly in contemplation before speaking.

“To be honest; I’ve noticed it, too. But I couldn’t find anything wrong with the orchard. My gut tells me something is going on there, but I’ve never found anything that I could bring before the magistrate.”

Skye pondered the Doctor’s words as she readied her horse to head to the bookshop. He was a highly intelligent man; she could tell. If there had been anything obviously wrong, Dr. Martin would’ve noticed. ‘There must be something he couldn’t see...’

Skye’s thoughts were cut short as two familiar arms wrapped themselves around her from behind. She smiled as she leaned her head back against her husband’s chest. She could feel the vibrations from Tidas chuckling. He kissed the top of her head before saying; “Do you lean into all men who hug you from behind like this?”

She knew he meant it in a playful way, so Skye replied; “Only the good-looking ones..”

“Haha! I walked into that one, huh?” Tidas squeezed Skye as he’d spoken.

“Aye, ye did. Yer lucky Ima me. Many women would take offense to yer implication,” Skye retorted.

“Aye, that I am,” the prince squeezed his wife a final time before releasing her.

Tidas was going to keep messing with her, but decided against it. He knew from the crowds that Skye had been inside healing people again. And he knew that she’d be hungry again as well. His theory was proven when he saw Skye rub her stomach instinctually.

Using up magic did that to everyone, but it seemed Skye’s Shaman trait took a particular toll on her magic. He wasn’t sure if it was due to the trait itself, or just because she was still so new to it. The frequency that she’d been using it at was surprising to him as well. He assumed she’d be at the bookshop by now, but the rumors had been right.

Tidas had heard people talking about ‘Eir’s Return’ as he’d trotted along after his stop at the gatehouse. The people seemed to adore Skye for many reasons, but they all centered around her selflessness. The fact that a royal hadn’t wanted anything in return for her help was apparently mind-blowing to most. It surprised the prince that the people held such poor opinions of royals; except for him and Skye. It made the prince wonder what caused their animosity, but he’d lost the train of thought upon seeing his beautiful wife.

The couple took their time saying goodbye to the Leon family and Klaus. Tidas had been annoyed when he’d seen Klaus again, but was happy the two lads seemed to be friends now. They discussed a possible visit when the couple came through during the holidays, but explained they’d be in the capital for a while. The group said their final goodbyes, and headed for the book store.

Tidas and Skye kept their hoods up, but it didn’t help much. People stopped and chatted; offering everything from flowers, to food, to trinkets to the couple. It was sweet, but it took them much longer to get to the bookshop than Tidas would’ve liked. His time to check out smiths was rapidly disappearing, making Skye happy. For she still planned on making Tidas’ armor herself.

After finally reaching their destination, the couple was met by the owner outside as soon as they’d dismounted. He smiled broadly at the two before bowing deeply to them. He raised his head, and thanked them for saving Chelsea. Seeing the confusion on their faces; the bookstore owner explained.

“Chelsea is my son’s girlfriend, but don’t tell Ronnie yet. Their mother knows of their courting and approved the match. But he’s quite over-protective of his family, and may refuse the match as head of the household,” the owner’s expression went sullen as he finished speaking.

“Their mother hasn’t told him yet? When are they to be married?” Skye questioned.

“Next summer, if all goes well.. But it depends on Ronnie...” the owner’s face held a sad smile, like he didn’t expect Ronnie’s approval.

“Well, he’ll be heading to the capital with General Zas in a less than a week. We can work on him throughout the year. Just make sure you’re son doesn’t besmirch Chelsea’s honor in any way, and we should be able to help,” Tidas had clasped the man’s shoulder as he’d spoken to him.

The owner thanked the newlyweds profusely before asking if there was anything he could do for them. Skye’s eyes lit up as she rubbed her hands together for both heat, and in anticipation. She grinned before asking; “Do ye happen to have any books on dragons?”

The owner beamed at Skye before replying, “I have something very special for ye, princess; ‘Tis yer lucky day!”