Meantime

Edward stood in the hallway, in front of the huge inscribed doors of the house of Healers, waiting to be called in. This was not his first time here, but it might as well have been. After all, he was half dead the last time they brought him here. And then Samuel whisked him away to his quarters as soon as he could... aaand then Dorian broke down his door and put him in the Healers care anyway.

Not that they could have done anything about his condition. If they could have treated him in any way, Edward had no doubt they wouldn’t have let Samuel take him back to his quarters in the first place.

But here he was again.

Luckily this time it wasn’t him who needed help. His new Guardian, Chains, was currently being taken care of by the best Healers in the City. And Edward, he was not allowed inside to see her.

It irked him somewhat, that a bunch of glorified nurses bared him from being present. Especially since there probably wasn’t anyone more knowledgeable on human biology than him in the entire kingdom.

But what could you do.

It eased his frustration that he was not the only one left to hang outside.

“Hrmmmm.”

A low growl resounded beside him, spreading menacingly through the hallway. Raising his head to smirk smugly at Dorian, Edward asked.

“Something bothering you brother?”

Dorian just rolled his eyes before looking at him and answering.

“No.”

“Ohhh. Really, nothing?”

“No, nothing.”

“So, you don’t have a problem with us being stranded here. Devoid of access. Even if it is our god given right to barge through any door that stands in our way?”

Dorian sighed.

“I paid for your door Edward. And you of all people should be grateful I disrespected your wishes and found you when you were poisoned. You were half dead, gods know what would have happened to you if I didn’t brought healers to see you.”

Edwards smirk somehow, impossibly, seemed to get even more smug.

“You are dogging the question brother. But since we are already on the subject, I am eternally grateful to you for coming to see me. I was not sound of mind when I ordered Samuel to bring me back to my room, and healers really didn’t have much choice in the matter.”

“I know.” Dorian Answered. “They were the ones that told me where you were taken.”

Edward hummed amusedly.

“Hmm, but back to the question, you aren’t bothered by it?”

“You mean, am I bothered by the fact that aside from Father, there is no one else in the entire Kingdom who can get a clear answer from one of the healers? Or by the fact that I and you, a royal prince and a master of the guardian that is currently in their care, are being forbidden to enter the house while they examine her?”

“Well, that, now that you mention it. And also, the fact that we know very little of the house of healing at all.”

Dorian sighed and turned to Edward with a deadpan expression on his face.

“Edward, the Healers are almost old as the City itself Edward, they are literally approved by the pantheon, and I mean it, literally approved, In person, by the gods themselves. There is no point in questioning their rules.”

Edward chuckled.

“Oh, so you are not bothered by it.”

“Of course I’m bothered Edward. Why do you even ask, don’t tell me you suspect them of something.”

Edward shifted, the smirk slipping from his face, being replaced by dark amusement.

“Suspect them? Of what? Poisoning me. The most mysterious and prestigious healing organization in the kingdom trying to assert control of one of the royal princes. No, impossible. They would never.”

Dorian just shook his head.

“Just don’t get paranoid Edward, some suspicion can be healthy but don’t let it get the best of you. They are helping, that is literally all they do. And besides, they are in Fathers pocket. If he trusts them then that is good enough for me.”

Edward leaned back to the wall, looking at the huge doors.

“Well, yea. Probably.”

Dorian smiled in amusement at his brother frustrated face.

“I know you want to get to the truth of the matter Edward, but really, you should leave this to father and the spies while you get back to the flow of things.”

“Ughhh I don’t want to get back to the “Flow” brother.”

This seemed to get a genuine laugh out of Dorian.

“You know what I mean, besides I hear you are already mingling with nobility again. Even taking up some enterprising business. I Have to say, I’m proud of you.”

“Yea, yea.” His brother just waved his hand. “Stop flattering me, we both know I have been a wreck for years. It’s about time I get to my duties, or some of them at least.”

“Ahh.” Dorian sighed and moved away from his spot on the other side of the doors. With a yawn he stretched and walked across the hallway, sitting himself on a comfortable bench while Edward kept standing opposite of him.

“You know, you can’t just keep postponing it indefinitely.”

Edward raised his head and stared at the ceiling in despair.

“Dorian….”

“She is dying Edward.”

“She is not dying.”

“You know very damn well what I’m talking about brother. She is your mother; you will have to go and see her.”

Edward shook his head dejectedly.

“You don’t know her, Dorian.”

“She is your mother, Edward. If I had a chance to see mine, one last time, I would have taken it immediately. “

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“She never loved me brother…”

Dorian sat up and leaned towards him.

“Edward, she was harsh, I know that, but she does love you.”

“No Dorian, she likes you, hates me, and she doesn’t love anyone…”

“Edward…” Dorian growled, almost in warning.

“Fine, fine…” Edward threw up his hands. “I’ll go and see her tomorrow, for your sake if not for mine.”

“Thank you.” Dorian said with a sigh and leaned back onto the bench.

“And Dorian…” Edward turned to him.

“Yes?”

“I really do appreciate what you did for me. I mean it.”

Dorian nodded, emotions plain on his face.

“Anytime brother.”

They sat there for some time yet before the doors opened with a creak and one of the robed healers invited Edward inside.

Dorian bid his brother Farwell and left to attend his other duties while Edward followed the healer deeper into the complex where he was taken not into the visiting rooms but to the office of one of the head healers.

When they reached the door, the healer who accompanied him turned to Edward and explained that his guardian, Chains was still in the care of healers, and that she would be indisposed for the next few days while they nursed her back to a relative health.

With that, the healer said that her superior was expecting him inside, and then just excused herself before scurrying off and leaving him in front of the office.

Slightly confused, Edward turned to the solid oaken doors.

While walking here, in the house of healing, he didn’t see much of anything. It was all just uniform hallways and closed off rooms without much decorations. Really, it was all so artificially bland and filled with smooth surfaces that even Edward had trouble remembering which of the winding twist and turns would lead him back outside.

The doors in question looked the like any other he passed by while walking here. Nothing separating them from the rest. Not even a notched name or a sign on its surface.

It was, in Edwards opinion, mildly infuriating. He of all people knew how to appreciate a good old clean and sanitary environment, let alone a well-made maze to confuse intruders. But this was just a tad too much.

Especially given how there were actual people moving about these halls. How did they navigate this mess, truly. Even for a paranoid and secretive organization this was completely inefficient.

But he was not here to judge.

Preparing himself for whatever lay on the other side, he turned the handle and stepped into the room.

Edward took in his surroundings and, surprise, surprise, it was a plain old room.

He did notice the tall man that turned towards him when he entered the door, but his experience taught him to pay attention to more than just people as possible threats, so he took note of the boring, unadorned walls, a clean bead in one corner, small fireplace behind the office table filled with books and diagrams, and a bookshelf that took most of the rest of the room.

There was not anything else of note here. Aside from the man that just turned away from the table and turned towards Edward.

“Oh, why Hello, prince Edward I presume?”

Edward nodded while closing the door behind him, saying.

“A pleasure, I was told you wanted to see me, healer…?”

“Ha, Maxim! Healer Maxim to be precise. And come, the pleasure is all mine!” the man clapped his hand amusedly and ushered Edward inside. “Come, come. sit.”

Edward closed the doors fully and then shook hands with the approaching man.

He was tall, and could have been anywhere from twenty to thirty years old in Edwards opinion, since it was hard to gauge based on his appearance.

Healer Maxim had dark long hair that fell down to his shoulders, a handsome face lush with vitality and what seemed to be a perpetual jovial expression etched on its features. His limbs, from what Edward could see beneath his robes seemed long and timber, and the man had a strong grip to his hand.

His eyes were amber gold, and held sharp intellect in their amused gaze.

Edward was not amused. He knew a mask when he saw it.

“A pleasure, a pleasure young Edward.” The man ushered him into the chair and took a seat on the other side of the table.

“So…” Edward begun, “…is my guardian well?”

“Hmmm oh, yes. The girl, yes, yes. She is fine and well, have no worry prince Edward. They do make them extra sturdy, these guardians don’t they.”

Edward turned his gaze across the room in apparent confusion.

“Erm I suppose so, healer… Maxim you said?”

“Yes, yes.” The man chuckled. “But no, I did call you here but not because of your guardian. She will be fine of course; she is suffering from malnutrition and a few other apparent ailments but nothing serious I assure you. It will take her couple of months to get back to full health but we will release her into your care in a few days. I do hope you will take good care of her, I really do. But the reason I called you here was not her health but yours actually.”

“Ermm me?”

“Huh, me he says!” Maxim slapped the table in faked outrage. “Of course it’s you. What, did you forget so quickly that you almost died in these short few months? Why I ought to have had you dragged here by force already, and I would’ve had if not for the command of your father. But, no matter. You are here now, so I will cope, somehow.”

“Ahh yes..” Edward turned his full attention to the man. “I suppose this is about Lyrium?”

“Mhm…” Maxim leaned towards him and crossed his fingers inf front of him, filled with visible curiosity.

“I mean, you do understand you are one of the very few living people who survived something like Lyrium poisoning, and to such a degree that you experienced… Although it can’t really be called mere poisoning in your case, can it? And I am, for the sake of our conversation, aware of the attempt on your life. To clarify, we are working closely with the spy masters on this matter.”

“Soo…” Edward gestured towards him. “Is there anything specific you wanted to tell me.”

“Ahh.” Frustrated, Maxim leaned away and continued. “Well, not really. There is nothing to be said about it. Not yet at least. You know the details better than I do anyway. While we are on the subject, I have to ask, have the healers we sent been of any help to you? You have to understand, that night you crystalized the substance into your body we took you here but there was nothing we could really do. When you guardian came to bring you away, we complied, but only because we were obliged to do so by law. If it was up to me, you would have stayed in out care, but… you being royalty… and the insistence of your guardian, it, it complicated things. So, we let him take you away and notified your brother immediately. I hope you have not taken offence at that.”

“Ahhh. Yes, that.” Edward almost blushed but played it off half arrogantly. “I’m afraid that I am to blame for that. I gave my guardian specific set of orders in case something like that happened… so ermm, it’s not really your fault. And Guardians, you know, they can get a bit obsessed with carrying out orders, I didn’t really think about that back then. I didn’t think abut anything really. But it is what it is, I do not blame you at the very least, for what happened, or the way I was treated for that matter. If anything, I am grateful, and would like to give you my thanks for looking out for me while we are at it.”

Maxim visibly brightened at Edwards words, a barely noticeable frown disappeared from his brow to be replaced by a subtle smile.

“Ahh good, good. I am happy to hear that. To change the subject a little, what I said earlier, you have been made aware on how special you case is, have you? Because I have to be frank, it is positively divine how little negative side-effects you have suffered. The sheer luck, I mean…”

“Yes, healer Maxim.” Edward interrupted him in veiled frustration. “And I apologize for interrupting you, but really, I had the whole thing drilled into my ears by Dorian and the spy masters so many times I really don’t want to hear anything about it for the next few months. I do understand, about the luck I had to survive, the royal blood helping me suffer through the ordeal, and everything… I just, I really don’t want to talk about all of that, not again, not right now.”

“Ahh, a shame, a shame. I had hoped for your take, ermm the firsthand experience on the whole matter so to say, but I guess I can wait…”

He would be waiting for a long time if Edward had anything to say about it, as he had no plan on continuing this conversation with the man ever again.

“… I mean you have to understand, from purely academic standpoint, there is so much we could learn from your experience. We already notified the Crystal tower for some input on similar cases, you know, what with you being a mage and everything, but even they don’t have a well-documented case such as yours. Or, at the very least they are weary of suppling us with said documents.”

“Mhmmm.” Edward nodded. “Father mentioned the Tower, there were some talks of it, but he decided to leave it for later, after I have fully recovered and my magical talents have manifested again. From what I understand it will take some time before magic fully settles in me.”

“True, yes.” The healer nodded deep in thought. “A vise decision, there is no need to rush blindly after all. But say…” he raised his eyes and lean toward Edward. “… are there any side-effects you experienced, after the experience, aside from the, you know.” He said as he pointed towards Edwards eyes.

“Ahh, the eyes, you mean.” Edward said and touched his lower eyelid experimentally. “No, nothing except from the eyes for now. They startle me sometimes, when I look at myself, but I think they look rather fetching if I have to say so myself.”

Maxim hummed while looking at him, transfixed.

“Yess… they really do. Like mana itself, flickering in your gaze. Magnificent.”

Edward shifted uncomfortably.

“Ahh, well, if that is all then…”

“Huh.” Maxim twitched slightly. “Ohh, I mean there is so much I would like to ask…” he said and dragged out a heavy scroll and a quill from his desk. “… If you could just spare some time to answer a few questions, for science you see…”

“I am really sorry elder Maxim, but I just don’t have the time, nor the will. Not today at the very least.”

“Oh.” the healer deflated in disappointment, lowering the quill towards its stand. “A shame, some other time then?”

Edward rose from his seat and turned towards the door.

“We will see. Healer Maxim.”

We will see.