Chapter 14 - Her Haron is in Danger
"Lowie!" Ismena rushed into the room, with a lantern in her hand. Her eyes combed the space, falling on the woman who lay on the bed, with her eyes shut in sleep. "Lowie!"
She rushed in that direction, putting the lantern on the floor before, hopping into the bed and shaking Lowie awake.
"What have you done? What have you done?!"
"My Queen?" Lowie said, her words slurring with sleep.
"I begged you," Ismena cried. "I told you not to do it." More tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Your Majesty?" Lowie sounded even more awake now. "Do what?"
"I saw it in your eyes. I knew you wanted to hurt him and I begged you. I assumed you listened. I trusted that you listened." Her voice quivered. "You would never do this to me, would you?!"
Lowie shook her head but Ismena had too many words.
"You wouldn't be so foolish as to poison him! You know what this marriage is about. You know what kingdoms it holds together. You know they will kill us all if you do anything. You wouldn't be so foolish as to kill the husband of your beloved Princess. You wouldn't be so cruel. Would you?"
Lowie blinked. "I did not poison the King, I did nothing to him," her voice was harsh against the accusation. "I did not do anything, I swear on my life, your Majesty!"
Ismena's hands slipped away from Lowie's shoulders.
She believed her.
Besides, it made sense that Lowie had done nothing. She had been sleeping when Ismena made it into the room.
"Then…"
"What happened to the King?"
Ismena shook her head, rising from the bed. Her feet touched the ground and the thought of seeing Haron like that, being rushed away to the infirmary by the servants, and being attended to by the physicians in such a frantic state made her tear up even more.
He was her Haron again.
Why did this happen?
Why now?
Why to him?
"Your Majesty?"
"He is mine again," she said mindlessly. "After all these years, he is mine again and he is dying."
She crumbled to the floor in tears. Lowie rushed over to her. She felt Lowie's arms around her and crumbled when more into her embrace.
She had left the royal physicians behind in a hurry after suspecting Lowie. The betrayal was just too much for her to take. But now that she knew Lowie wasn't involved with this, she had no one else in mind.
The King was greatly loved by his people.
The only one who didn't love Haron was her.
And she… loved him again.
"He is mine again. I love him again. I cannot lose him,"
She looked up at Lowie who had on her face a deep frown. "I will not lose him."
Ismena tried to stand up but Lowie's grip around her tightened. Her gaze zeroed in on Ismena's neck, then her eyes widened with realisation when she finally saw clearly how fresh the bite marks were.
She flew to her feet and hurried to her drawers.
Then in a flash, as quickly as she could make it, she was right in front of Ismena again.
"Take it."
Ismena blinked, looking at the bottle of the child's preventing herb. She rose to her feet and turned away from her, but Lowie was quick to go around her and stand in her way.
"Get out of my way," she hissed, her face hard.
"No. I will not."
"I am your Queen!"
Lowie fell to her knees, her gaze fixed on the floor. "My Queen. It is because you are my Queen that I stand in your way." She took the risk to look up at Ismena's teary eyes. "Whatever he had told you, it is a lie. We have been here before. He can never change—-"
"You are lying," her voice is quiet.
"He will be King tomorrow, King the day after that, King forever. He is not your Haron. He never was."
Anger blazed in her veins, and her hand gripped Lowie's chin. "Take his name out of your mouth."
Fear flashed in Lowie's eyes. "I am trying—-"
"How dare you?!" Ismena said, her hand trembling with rage, more tears streaming down her face. Lowie had a ground to say everything she had, the past was there to show for it. However, this time was different. She had seen it in his eyes that he was her Haron. "You were not there. You did not see it. You did not hear him."
Tears welled up in Lowie's eyes. "Ismena…"
It was the voice of a friend.
A plea.
Not for even herself.
But for Ismena.
"My princess."
Ismena let go of her chin and whatever shift and vulnerability she had shown, she pulled them within her and pulled a wall up between them.
"I am going to have his child and I am Queen. Your Queen. You will do well to remember your place."
She walked away from the room. She did not wait to hear whatever Lowie had to say, she did not want to listen. She did not want to see her.
She was lying.
Could she know Haron more than she knew him?
This was different.
He was hers again.
This was real.
She would not let this happen. She would not let him die.
She pushed the infirmary door open and rushed to him, the words of the physicians nothing but a mere echo in her mind. The chaos in the private infirmary was nothing but a mere blur in her mind.
When she touched Haron's hand, he was cold.
Too cold.
She flinched.
She whirled around, her eyes filled with tears.
"What is happening to my husband? Why is he so cold?!"
A physician rushed forward, and by his expression, he had no good news to tell.
It felt like the room held a breath and the clock was rushing quickly away, time slipping fast. Nothing was I n her favour.
"We are sorry, your Majesty—-"