Problems Solved

When Yavanna awoke she stayed in her bed. She was too sore and weary to try to be a living person anymore. She couldn't speak, so what was the point of trying to be the Queen? Many times the dark thought; that she wished Mirella hadn't screwed around one last time before her wedding and just married the guy.

She didn't understand her sister at all. Mirella could act as the eldest sister, but she could also play the flipside and be the most careless person Yavanna had ever met; gambling, drinking, even smoking. And the men. She could flirt like there was no tomorrow, and men would follow her like a dog on a leash.

Christa, Lorraine and Edith were the only faces to greet her in the morning. Not the king, like the last time she had passed out and he'd explained his issues with her. She wondered if Vivian's absence was because of her mentioning her to the king. Perhaps he was softening towards her. No elation filled her at the thought, her feelings about him remained the same.

"Your majesty, General Clark is here to see you."

"Without an invitation?" She wrote.

Christa nodded her head, "Yes. Are you receiving visitors at the moment?"

Yavanna rolled the question around in her mind. She guessed that she looked like an invalid dressed in her loose robe and her hair in shambles. Her veil was wrinkled and old, long overdue to be removed. After deciding that he was a general, the same one she had met two days before, he had seen worse things than a frail, bedridden woman.

She nodded and Christa asked, "Should I have tea prepared?"

"For him, yes." She answered on paper. Hopefully the general would respect her wishes to remain silent so as to heal faster.

Christa gave her a sympathetic glance before she took off to allow the general entry and send for tea.

The general strode in, his tall and trim appearance was different from that of the king's larger build, and of Prince Velio's thin, ominous one. He flashed a smile at her that drew one from her own self. "Good morning, your majesty." He said and stopped in the centre of the room, a far reach from where she sat. She laughed internally. She could see a slight awkwardness in his stance that brought a boyish quality to his otherwise rugged appearance.

She smiled widely and gestured to the seat beside her bed. She saw his eyes dart there, "May I sit?" Her smile widened and she nodded. He smiled and she saw a mixture of relief in his eyes which only caused her mental laughter to increase. "How are you feeling, your majesty?" He asked in a voice tinged with sadness.

She reached for her parchment and quill that sat on her nightstand, and wrote, "I believe I'm improving." The pain had lessened somewhat, luckily. She was certain it would be multiplied after the king had forced her to speak.

He was about to reply when Wolfgang hopped up onto the bed, pacing and meowing at the general. His blue eyes widened before he attempted a smile, "He's a beautiful breed. May I ask where you got him from?"

She nodded and wrote her answer, "He was a part of the wedding gifts."

"Ah, I see." He reached out slowly to stroke him, "Cats love me." He stated. She smiled, humouring his belief. As his hand reached within a few inches of Wolfgang's silver-haired head, the feline lunged for the general, yowling angrily. He exclaimed in shock and grimaced in pain as he tried to grab the cat. She gasped and threw the blankets off of herself.

She couldn't say anything to chastise the animal when she'd finally wrenched his claws from the general's arm. She hastily sat down on the bed, doing her best to keep her hissing cat restrained, and wrote a frantic apology. Wolfgang yowled angrily when she stuck out the paper to the general who was looking at his arm in surprise.

"I'm so sorry, General Clark. He's not prone to violence, I have no idea what came over him. I can send one of my maids for the physician if needed."

He shook his head and set the note down, "There's no need. Has he ever… done anything like this before?"

She thought back, and nodded, before shaking her head. That had been a dream. Hadn't it? She looked back at the General and shook her head. Wolfgang again squirmed in her arms and she held him tighter. He finally seemed to resign, but she could tell that his green eyes were staring menacingly at the man that was much larger than him.

The general looked from him to her many times as though Wolfgang was dangerous. She found it rather humorous.

"Well… if you're certain." He cleared his throat and sat back in his seat, "Now, what I came here to speak to you about, is your having mentioned Lady Vivian, and that you suspect her of being involved in crimes towards you."

"I do." She wrote.

He hummed as he nodded, "I have taken her into custody and asked her a few questions." Yavanna adjusted her posture in attention. "She says that she knew nothing of the poisoning, but she did find the physician suspicious. And, she was just as surprised to hear of the incident as everyone else."

Yavanna narrowed her eyes and shook her head in a scoffing nature. The lies. She brought her paper back into her hands and the room descended into silence, even Wolfgang ceased in his bemoaning as she scribed her thoughts.

She hesitated a moment when she had finished before she added a final piece of text. General Clark collected it with a swiftness to his actions that had her second guessing her previous thoughts about him. But the altering of his physiognomy after reading her words had her first thoughts reaffirmed.

"You're sure?"

She couldn't help the look that surfaced on her face before she concealed it. Of course she was sure, why else would she mention it? She nodded her assurance and he blew a sigh, "I'll need to speak to his majesty about this."

She nodded and he rose to leave just as Christa arrived with the tea. She apologized profusely for her lateness. "Oh," He began before he exited the room, "And you needn't worry about him, at least for a long while. You can get everything sorted without having him intrude."

She blinked and realized he was smiling at her, she might as well try to smile back. She failed, but her mind was distracted by his words. She couldn't be safe, he would no doubt escape his imprisonment. She doubted they even had him restrained, he was a prince and the steward of Nothad, so where was he that the general could say that she was safe?

He left while her thoughts threatened to drive her mad and Christa came over to the bed to hand her a wooden cup of water, "Do you need anything else, your majesty?"

Yavanna thought as she finished her drink, writing it down, she said, "Do you mind reading me more books on the mythology of Nothad?"

"Not at all, your majesty. I will go fetch them. Lorraine and Edith and just in the other room if you need anything."

Yavanna nodded and reclined. The one thought that she had been doing her best to ignore, was that she had used magic, in the dining room, two days ago.