“Do you promise you’ll look after her?”

“As if she were my own.”

“Will you stop her when it starts to become too much?”

“I swear to you, Odelle, by all the time we spent together and the bond we have formed… I will not let anything hurt her.”

He always intended to keep that promise, though it took him a while to truly consider it. There was only one way to protect her… he knew what it would cost her, and began preparing for any other consequence.

And, just like Odelle before her, Kadol prayed for Zofie’s forgiveness when he poisoned her drink before going to find her.

It was an unfortunate coincidence that even her spot in the library was the same as her mother’s that day.

“Your Majesty, why don’t you take a break?” Kadol offered softly.

Every candle in the castle undoubtedly flickered and danced as much as the one on the table. Zofie continued not to notice him, mumbling about Lord Solaris and the other bishops.

Thero, who’d been dutifully standing beside her, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. The candle’s flame jumped up before settling back down.

She first glanced at Thero, then finally realized Kadol. “I… must’ve lost track of time, then..?”

He nodded. “Everything’s ready for dinner.”

“Alright.” She thoughtfully marked her place and got up. She followed him towards the dining room and Thero trailed behind them both. “Someone wanted to see me, didn’t they?”

“You asked Sister Cheri to come and tell you what happened at the study meet you missed.”

“That’s right. Did she say when she’d come?”

“I told you this morning that something came up and she couldn’t make it. By your request she’ll come at the most convenient time for her—likely tomorrow around this time.”

Zofie was silent for a long moment. “Thank you for reminding me.”

When they got there, they sat down, murmured those ritualistic thanks, and began to eat. Kadol tried not to make it too obvious that he watched her after her first drink; it wasn’t supposed to set in immediately but, given how exceptionally powerful her magic was, he wouldn’t have been surprised if that part of the plan was pushed forward.

Luckily, she didn’t seem to notice anything at first. “Kadol, have I already told you about Dimas’s last letter? I know Thero knows, he was with me.”

“I don’t believe you have,” Kadol replied thoughtfully.

“He proposed to Imre last week.” She said it in such a way that showed her mixed feelings—a conflict of traditions and simply enjoying the moment. “He even dared to ask if I’d come.”

“Are you?”

“Of course—I’m his sister. But I made it clear I’m not acknowledging it for another five years.” She sighed. “I can’t say I’m really surprised, though. He always preferred Seothia’s quick solutions to the traditions of the Fleyw Bresh. They’re a bad influence on him.”

“They may be, but they helped him a lot as well. He learned many things from them that he wouldn’t have otherwise.”

“I suppose.”

They continued in meaningless chatter until Zofie eventually excused herself. Kadol prepared himself for what would ultimately come next.

…

He expected to hear some kind of word in the middle of the night; that the queen had fallen near-deathly ill. He was surprised—a bit concerned, actually, though for which part he wasn’t sure—to find her preparing for service. The only sign her body was reacting to the poison was her expression; the kind of look that only a handful knew to recognize as her not feeling well.

“It’s good to see you all ready to go,” she remarked, smiling at Kadol. “I was afraid you weren’t going to be coming. You usually come to check on me much sooner.”

He offered her a low bow. “Apologies, there was something else I needed to take care of and it took much longer than I anticipated.” Well, it wasn’t a lie—at least not completely. Someone needed to make sure everything went smoothly from here.

Her smile, though, was gone in an instant. “What were you doing? Something important?”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It was nothing you needed to trouble yourself with. I understand you have some things of your own that you want to get done, so I took it upon myself to handle a few more minor tasks.”

Just like that, her mind was put at ease. It never took much to convince her; after all, as far as she knew, there was no reason to doubt him. “Thank you, then. You’re always thinking in my best interest…” She gave a glance at the mirror before going to leave. As much as she tried to hide it, he still heard her cough as she passed him.

“Speaking of best interest, Your Majesty,” he began carefully, “are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“I didn’t sleep well, but I’m still fine enough to attend service. I’m sure Father Phanes will be happy to talk with me—I haven’t been able to stay very long recently.”

“What did Thero tell you?”

That was what made her stop and sigh. “I promise I’m well enough to spend a couple of hours out of the castle. No one has seen me outside of the castle lately…”

“I understand you want them to know that you’re there, but it won’t do any good in your current state. What reassurances do you think they can gain if you have to suddenly leave?”

Her cough proved him right and, with a clear reluctance, she turned back to her room.

“I’ll contact someone about that cough.” After a moment, he added, “And I’ll see if Father Phanes can spare a moment to visit.”

…

Even the part he’d planned for didn’t quite go as he expected. He thought it would be something a bit more straightforward; she’d be bad for a couple of days, perhaps a week or two, and hopefully she’ll be able to bounce back nearly the exact same.

Well, something that lasted as long as this did wasn’t exactly predictable.

Dimas was contacted by Zofie’s request. He proved to be the additional support she needed when the days fluctuated between hardly anything to reminding them all this wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

It took about a month for them to “determine” the cause to be her losing her magic. Still, just days after the discovery, it wasn’t Zofie that Kadol first thought to check up on.

He found the prince lying facedown on his bed, a bloody handkerchief beside him, and a letter abruptly abandoned and temporarily forgotten.

And, at first, Dimas’s mumble could’ve been mistaken for exhausted nonsense. “Why did you have to tell her..?”

“You know it only would’ve been worse if I let the word come through someone else,” Kadol reasoned. “Do make sure she knows we’re doing an investigation to determine who could’ve done it. Perhaps it’ll put her at ease to know the one responsible isn’t going to get away with it.”

“We both know that’s probably not going to happen. You’ve seen her too. It’s like her normal, paranoid self except nothing seems to calm her.” Dimas, with what looked to be a fair bit of effort, rolled over to look at the ceiling instead. “It wouldn’t be so bad but I’m the only person she trusts to be around her as long as she’s conscious enough to recognize it…”

“Be sure to pay attention to your own needs as well—there must be someone from the church, at least, we can contact if need be. Thero and I are willing to help however we can.”

“You’re not just here to check on me, though, are you?”

Kadol couldn’t help but smirk; the prince was smarter than his father assumed. A shame he wouldn’t be able to understand their means. “Given the circumstances, I wanted to know if you noticed anything while you were caring for her. I don’t want to ask her directly—I’m sure she has enough on her mind already.”

“Nothing’s changed, as far as I can tell. I don’t think that’s something we’re going to know for certain until it’s over.” Dimas paused for a moment, barely hiding his internal debate. “Honestly, I don’t think there’s going to be a difference. Can’t exactly lose something you barely had to begin with.”

…

“I’ve got to go back to Seothia eventually,” Dimas pointed out.

“And no one’s stopping you,” Kadol reasoned.

“I can’t leave Zofie here. Sure, she’s a lot better and could probably be fine but what if it isn’t?”

“Someone from the church can handle it, surely.”

“In the worst of it, she didn’t even trust Sister Cheri to help out for two minutes. Someone from the church is not going to be able to handle it.”

“What did she tell you to do?”

“She said she was sure she’d be alright and I could go back without worrying about her.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Nothing about the past few months has told me I can trust her!”

“I believe it’s worth a try.”

Dimas shook his head before finally sitting down. All those unpredictable and sleepless nights must’ve been catching up with him now that it was coming to a close. “I told Imre I’d be back as soon as I could…”

“It seems the problem here lies with you, and not with Zofie,” Kadol observed. Being the calming voice this early in the morning wasn’t necessarily his plan, but he wasn’t going to fight it. “I assure you you’ll be the first we contact if she gets worse—but only if it’s a job that no one else can handle. I’ll admit it’s long past time we make sure she has someone by her side in case she falls ill, aside from you and the clergy. Is there anyone you’d especially be comfortable leaving her with?”

“I’m pretty much the only person I know that I’m confident is good enough to help Zofie.”

“Well, that’s indisputable. You’re one of the best healers I know of, and you know how the church flaunts them. Choose the best second.”

“Anyone else in the church would be too busy… or stuck on the fact they’re helping the queen…” Dimas mumbled for a while longer until he thought of someone that matched. “Domenique shouldn’t be doing anything. She’s surprisingly good for barely being a child of Fleyw Bresh. Plus no one in Seothia wants her helping them since they don’t understand magic…”

Kadol smiled. “If you think having her here will ease your mind, then I’ll formally request she come. If I’m not mistaken, you have a wedding you need to plan for.”