Bad Timing

In the infirmary, Rhodri held a stack of papers in his hand. He was so engrossed by what he was reading that he barely noticed Cole's discomfort.

The soldier shifted restlessly at attention, his face pale from exertion and nervousness. He had been standing there waiting for over an hour.

"Do you believe this?" Rhodri shuffled through the pages another time.

Unsure if the question was directed at him or merely rhetorical, Cole furrowed his brow. He had no idea what was in the pages.

"I will believe whatever His Majesty bids me to believe." The soldier answered at last.

Startled, the king looked up at the fair soldier. It seemed he had completely forgotten the other man's presence.

Rhodri stood from where he had been sitting and patted the young man on his shoulder. "You did well. I thank you for doing what you thought was right.

Cole took a labored breath, causing Rhodri to release his grip on the young man.

"You need some rest yet, soldier. I don't want you to leave the infirmary again until you are in top shape. I will advise the doctor to bring you something for the pain." Rhodri suddenly felt guilty for making the man stand for so long.

However Cole did not seem eager to sit down. "I want to serve my country."

"You have, and you will again. But you need to rest first." Rhodri coaxed the man to sit down on the bed. "Consider it a royal order."

Cole bowed from the bed, his heart heavy. "Yes, Sire."

Rhodri clutched the papers in his hands before tucking them into his tunic. "Tell no one we have spoken or that these papers exist. I need some time to think."

He passed into the main part of the infirmary quickly, scaring one of the healers as she was folding bed linens.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty!" She curtsied.

But Rhodri didn't hear her, nor did he hear the doctor until the man called a second time.

"My king! He is over here!"

Rhodri was confused by the physician's words. "Who?" He asked, coming near.

"Are you not looking for the Captain?" The doctor pointed to a bed.

Lying there unconscious on a cot was Rabert, his face so pale that he looked dead. Only shallow breathing indicated any life within the Captain's body.

"The men who brought him in said he fainted, but I have my doubts. I assumed you had come to examine him for yourself." The physician folded his hands behind his back, concerned that he had come to the wrong conclusion.

"What makes you think he didn't faint?" Rhodri stared at the Captain in shock. They had just spoken an hour ago. How had his condition changed so quickly?

The doctor pulled at his chin. "Well, he still managed to grunt when they put the Captain on the table. In my experience, that is very uncommon with a fainting victim. They are either conscious or completely gone. And he still has not awoken, which means it was not a simple faint from the heat. But…"

The doctor paused. He internally debated how to proceed.

"Just tell me." Rhodri could not handle the suspense.

"Look here." The doctor tilted Rabert's head. He groaned again.

On the back of the captain's head, hidden beneath his thick hair, Rabert's head was misshapen.

With permission, the doctor guided the king's hand to the offending spot.

"This bump should not be here. In my opinion, this is the cause of Captain Rabert's condition."

When the king pulled his hand away quickly, the physician took a deep breath. He hated being the bearer of bad news.

"And what caused this 'bump?' What ailment could do such a thing?" Rhodri's fists unconsciously balled.

"No ailment. This is an injury. Unless Rabert fell and hit his head, someone did this to him." The doctor winced.

"Who..?!?" The king yelled, drawing the attention of the already tense healers around them.

"That I do not know," the doctor bowed his head, "the Captain is very well liked by those at the palace. But I will say that if someone did this, they knew what they were doing. Rabert was struck hard enough that I do not think he will ever awaken."

The doctor did not mention he was surprised that Rabert was alive at all. He guessed that the swelling and pressure in his head must be immense.

Rhodri squeezed Rabert's arm. The Captain had protected the king for many years. Rhodri could not imagine another Captain of the guard, even temporarily.

"Do everything you can for him. Spare no expense." Rhodri begged the doctor.

"You have my word." The physician nodded.

"Good. The king turned to go but paused. "Actually…" he lowered his voice and pulled the doctor to one side. "I need you to declare the Captain dead."

"What?" The old physician thought he had heard incorrectly.

"Declare him dead and only have a couple of healers you trust treat him. If someone did this, I do not want them to try to finish the job in your infirmary. Consider it an order if you need to." Rhodri watched the doctor's eyes narrow with determination.

"Understood. I will not let anyone see him and make note of anyone who wishes to see his body. If he doesn't make it…" the doctor was going to ask how he should send word to the king, but Rhodri held up his hand.

"He'll make it," the ruler bent down to whisper in the Captain's ear. "Fight. I will find out what happened."

With two burdens weighing down on his shoulders, the king headed back to his room. It felt like a much longer walk than usual through the palace, and Rhodri hadn't even gotten anything for the headache.

He called out to a soldier in the hall. "You there! I need you to escort me back to my chamber."

"Yes'sir," the soldier replied.

Rhodri wanted to redress him for not using the proper title, but it felt wrong to take out his frustration on an unsuspecting man. He looked down on noblemen who acted too haughtily.

Instead Rhodri led the way for the soldier to follow. The other people he passed all moved out of his way, not wanting to upset the royal.

"Please summon Commander Borit to my room," Rhodri ordered a servant.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Yer Majesty?!" The soldier yelped.

Rhodri pursed his lips. "Yes?"

"Uh oh…de man yer looking for is already in yer room." The soldier tried to recover.

Rhodri rounded on the man with a fierce glare. "You should address both myself and the Commander with the appropriate amount of respect. I will be taking this up with your superior."

Not waiting for the man to answer, Rhodri stormed off.

'Another problem, blast it! Everyone who is in the castle's employ is supposed to know what I look like and how to address me. And that accent! He has lived too close to the Lakilian border. We don't speak like that in the capital!'

Rhodri slowed down as he reached his door. The guards outside were unfamiliar to him. He eyed them carefully.

One whispered to the other, "Is dat who I tink it is?"

'We don't speak that way in Birle! They aren't from Birle...' The words resounded in Rhodri's head. 'No!'

He turned to flee, but ran straight into the chest of the man who had been following him.

It was too late.