The new doctor found himself on his bed. It was not that he hadn’t fallen asleep but the heavy knocking on the door disrupted his sleep. Knocks were harsh and somewhat regretful.
"Apologies to disturb you, doctor." A guard said.
The doctor slid his feet in woolen slippers and tied his robe while walking to the door, "Anything I can help?"
Doctor kept the door closed.
"It is Counselor Padraig."
He unlocked the door, "What happened to him?"
"Sleeplessness." Guard said.
"Same as last night." Doctor sighed, "And the night before."
He turned to the table positioned next to his bed, stuffed some bottles inside his robe pockets and came out of the room, holding a spoon from right hand.
The guard showed him his back and marched away since he no longer needed to be fetched into Padraig's bedchambers. After all, there were rows of flambeaus attached on the passage walls leading to where Padraig was.
He shivered his way in the passage, watching his thick breath dissolve in air due to heat of the torches. To keep himself warm, he decided to walk faster. While he did so, his teeth rattled together and his bones creaked.
In his hurried walk, he couldn’t unsee a flickering candle light projecting on the passage through the tiny gap under the door. But, he was well aware the room did not belong to the Counselor's.
Murmurs were coming from the gap from where the light had escaped.
He tip-toed near Ser Angus' room, not trying to cause any disturbance in the ongoing conversation. Though the things were not of his interest and he didn’t want to be labelled as a mischievous eavesdropper, he accidentally heard Padraig's name. From there, it became thing of his interest.
I will kill Padraig tonight.
Doctor was done hearing anything else. Realizing to listen more was calling for trouble, he looked for a quiet way out. He walked in quietness till his spoon dropped.
The conversation stopped too.
Now the doctor had only one choice – pretending to not have heard anything and being a normal doctor who minded his own business. He also had medicines to validate his words so he bent and picked the spoon.
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He kept picking the spoon even when the door opened.
Ser Angus stood ahead of him. Over his shoulder, Fierlo was well visible. Ser Angus could tell the doctor's eyes had fallen on the supposed fugitive.
Why the fuck didn’t you hide? He frowned at Fierlo.
Seeing a dagger on the table seemed to have scared even more. The doctor's lips trembled.
"FIERLO IS HERE!" Doctor screamed.
The voice echoed throughout the passage. Not so long after, feet tapped above Ser Angus' chamber then tramped to the stairs.
Ser Angus flinched in disbelief but the doctor took his muscle movement on a different note.
"Ser Angus is hiding Fierlo." His mouth leaked.
The voice was even louder. Loud enough to make those jump out of their beds who hadn’t heard his first roar. But he was silent when Fierlo jumped over him.
His jars burst one by one on the floor then he thudded beside the shards.
I must silence him. Ser Angus leaped in the room and tore a piece of cloth from his bed – sheet as he listened to the doctor trying to pass his voice through Fierlo's palm.
It was when he remembered he was not obliged to do any favors to Fierlo. The man was a fugitive and he was a knight. The doctor did not matter. At least not his voice.
He dropped the cloth and went for the dagger.
When he came out, fight had already ended. Archers had their arrows drawn at their direction from both ends of the passage. Most of all, with no fatality.
He felt Fierlo staring at him.
"They caught us." Fierlo said.
"What?" Ser Angus mumbled.
"They were planning to murder Padraig." Doctor crawled back, holding his throat, "They tried to kill me too."
"Guards." Ser Angus snapped, "Seize Fierlo."
No movement.
"Seize Fierlo." He roared.
Nobody responded.
Ser Angus moved his head to his left to see High Priest with a loose jaw. Even the squires had the same expression.
"Capture them both." High Priest said, at last.