Chapter Text
“Sire, the king requests your presence.” the prince’s guard announced after being invited in by the prince himself.
“Did he provide a reason?” Prince Roman asked, standing.
“No, my lord. He only asked me to come and find you.”
Roman sighed, a light smile playing on his lips. “Joan, we know each other well enough by now for you to call me by my name. You do know it, right?” he asked playfully.
The guard, Joan, laughed. “Definitely, Roman. Will you come?”
“Lead the way.” Roman smiled. Bowing lightly, Joan gestured for Roman to leave his room so they could lead the way to the main hall where most of the king’s meetings were held.
Inside, his father, King Thomas Sanders resided, with another man who appeared of a lower status. The king looked up as the door opened, revealing Roman and Joan, from where he was pacing the room, the other man turning to face Roman, too.
“Roman.” the king acknowledged grimly. The man bowed deeply out of respect and Roman felt a pang of remorse. The man looked frightened. He was covered in dirt and what appeared to be blood and his body appeared to tremble as he bowed.
“My lord.” the man greeted quietly.
“Roman, this is Patton Alexander. He has come to me because of a danger in the surrounding villages.” Thomas explained.
“What danger?” Roman questioned, stepping closer to his father and the man, Patton.
“Shall I?” Patten asked the king who nodded. “My lord, I come as a representative of the people in your kingdom. There appears to be some kind of a disease that is spreading throughout the villages.”
Roman frowned. “How many have been affected by this epidemic?”
“All of the villages I have visited. I travel around the villages to ensure that everyone is alright. I visited four villages and each had at least two infected within the village. There is no doubt it will spread.” Patton explained.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you travel the villages and why did you decide to travel on this day?” Thomas asked, falling down on his throne to watch Patton with mild curiosity.
“I am a travelling physician, you see. I was visited in my home village early this morning by someone whose daughter had fallen ill and asked me to take a look. Unfortunately, I was too late as she’d taken ill in the night. There wasn’t anything I could’ve done. Then I started getting messengers from neighbouring villages informing that many had taken ill. I arrived at each home that requested my aid and each of my patients were the same. The same symptoms, each dying the same way.”
“Did you recognise the illness?” Roman asked, moving to stand beside his father.
Patton sadly shook his head. “Not at all. In all my years of doing what it is that I do, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Sighing lightly, Thomas shifted to address Joan who remained at the door. “Joan, may you tell Logan I request an audience with him?”
“Certainly, my lord.” Joan bowed and left the room.
“If it won’t grieve you too much, would you remain and explain all of this to my head scholar and most trusted advisor, Logan Pearson?” Thomas asked Patton. Patton nodded, smiling lightly.
What is going on? Roman thought to himself. These are my people, my subjects. Why have I only just been informed of this? What if it gets within the town walls? What if it gets within the castle walls?
“My lord.” a new voice sounded from the door, startling Roman into looking up. “You wish to speak to me?”
“Logan, this is Patton Alexander, travelling physician and representative of the surrounding villages. Patton, this is Logan Pearson, scholar and my chief advisor.” Thomas explained.
Logan addressed Patton with a look of mild curiosity, not too different as to how the king had watched Patton just a few minutes ago. “You’re covered in blood. Are you injured?” Logan pointed out.
Patton shook his head with yet another sad smile gracing his beautiful features. “As much as I wish it was, it's not my mine.”
Logan hummed in thought. “Can you explain to me what happened?”
Nodding, Patton explained the situation again. Upon finishing, he appeared to be holding back tears to the extent of almost crying. His body was shaking harder than before and it took everything within Roman not to go over to him and embrace him, this man he’d met for the first time that day. This man was his subject, a good looking one at that. He had to help him.
“Can you explain the symptoms to me?” Logan asked, oblivious to Patton’s current state of distress.
Hesitantly, Patton listed off the symptoms his patients had shown. Rashes, bleeding profusely into the lungs causing them to cough up blood, bleeding sores and blisters, apparent blindness, sweating and shivering, not in that order. Logan seemed even more perplexed than before and Patton seemed to get better as he did his job. This didn’t do anything to ease Roman’s worry for the man.
“I... I’ve never...” Logan seemed to get more worked up as he couldn’t figure out the disease that Patton had described. Logan exhaled deeply before continuing. “I’m afraid I’ve never heard of this before. I shall retire to my chambers and scour my books to see if I can find something about this.”
The king nodded in understanding. “I shall come to you in the morning.” Thomas sighed before gesturing to the door. Logan bowed lowly and left the room. “Patton,” the king started.
“Yes, my lord?”
“You’re welcome to stay, we might need your assistance as a physician.”
“Do you not have a court physician?”
“We do but he’s out running errands at this time. Unfortunately, there are no spare rooms as the castle is going to be filled with guests for the next week or so for the lunar festival that is upon us.”
“He can stay in my room, father. He can sleep on the couch.” Roman suggested before turning to Patton. “If that is alright with you?”
Patton nodded, a slightly brighter smile slipping across his lips. “Then is it settled. Patton, you can stay in my son’s room.”
“Follow me.” Roman grinned, heading for the door with Patton in tow.
“Roman,” the king called to him. Roman turned. “I hate to say it but if this disease spreads as fast as I’m assuming it is and Roman can’t find anything then we’re going to have to turn to someone I don’t want to. Not particularly.”
Roman knew exactly who Thomas spoke of. His blood ran cold at the thought. However, the wellbeing of his people mattered more than their quarrel with this man and his people. Roman nodded solemnly.
“I understand.”
Thomas nodded and dismissed the two men before him with a wave of his hand. Once they’d left, Thomas hunched forward, placing his face in his hands, sighing deeply. A comforting hand on his shoulder brought his head up. Joan.
“My lord-"
“Thomas.” the king corrected.
“Thomas,” Joan copied. “I know you don’t want to but if you really have to, then there really is no other option at this point. He might be our best option.”
Thomas sighed again. “I know. Can you fetch Talyn for me? I must explain our situation to them.”
Joan nodded. “Certainly.”
Joan promptly left the room, leaving Thomas alone to his thoughts of death and destruction that threatened his kingdom.