Attached is the awesome cover made by PenguinWizard03! It made my day that someone spent time to make a gift for me! I really love it, thank you so much x
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It was not until three days later that Rose was given an extended period of time off from her duties with Suzanna. Rose immediately raced out of the castle and headed towards Brianne's home. Keira had told Rose that her father had arrived at the healers safely. Brianne had apparently taken one look at James and agreed that he should stay with her so she could attend to him. Keira had been ushered out of the room after that, but she had managed to visit her father once since then.

Rose walked along the cobblestone ground of the castle courtyard, the wind creating small bumps on her arms. She walked up to the wooden door of Brianne's home and knocked lightly. Within a minute, the door was swung open to reveal the healer. Brianne gave a surprised smile and nodded her head in response to Rose's curtsey.

"Rose, what are you doing here?" She asked in a friendly tone. "You have not injured yourself, have you?" She said, suddenly frowning. Rose laughed quietly and shook her head.

"Nay, I am well. I have some time off and was hoping to visit James," Rose explained. Brianne raised her eyebrows in response.

"You know of my new patient?"

"I do not just know of him, I know him," Rose said with a smile. "He is the father of my friend." Brianne blinked and then stepped aside and gestured for Rose to enter.

"Of course, come in."

Rose entered the room and her gaze drifted to James. He looked much the same, his skin was still a sickly white and his breathing sounded laboured. Rose looked at him sorrowfully as he released a chocked-up cough. His eyes were closed and he breathed deeply in sleep. Rose had the offhand thought that this was how she must have appeared to others when she was attacked by the wolf. Brianne closed the door behind Rose and joined her in watching the man.

"He is not better and no worse," Brianne told her as she moved to stoke the fire.

"Do you know what ails him?" Rose asked hopefully. Brianne was well known as one of the best healers - surely she, of all people, would be able to help him. Brianne stood up from the fire with a regretful expression and tense posture.

"No. I do not," she replied simply. Rose inhaled sharply, surprised. "At first I thought it was a virus, but it confuses me that he has been unwell for so long. Usually people are not so ill after a few weeks. It cannot be a plague, for no one who has been in contact with him seems to fall ill. If it were an infection of some sort he would be much deteriorated by now, close to death even," Brianne explained as she tapped her nails repetitively on the table nearby. Rose sighed quietly, at least Brianne did not seem to think he was near death.

"So you have not treated others who have been similarly sick before?" Rose asked the healer, dismayed. Brianne shook her head, her curls bobbing around her face.

"No, that is not it. I have treated people like him before, but usually they have been exposed to venom or poison of some sort. He is certain that he was never bitten by anything venomous and I have examined him myself for wounds and scars. That only leaves poison, but it does not make sense. My only confusion is that if he were poisoned by something, he should not have survived for so long. The poison should have consumed him... It is as if his body has defeated half the toxin and is unable to fight the rest." Brianne pouted and scrunched up her face as she tried to solve the mystery. Rose felt her heart thump forcefully as she thought of James being poisoned. The thought terrified her.

"Did you tell him all of this?"

"No, not yet. I did not want to worry him - half the time the fear seems to make people grow worse than the actual sickness does."

"But how could he have been poisoned?"

"I do not know. He told me he has no enemies or quarrels with anyone. Perhaps something was slipped into his food or drink, but again, why? If he has no enemies why would he be attacked? Perhaps it is a new sickness that I have not heard of before." Brianne sighed. "Regardless, I shall treat him the best I can. He has survived this long without death, I am confident he will recover. Perhaps it will always remain a mystery." Rose moved her gaze back to James. He had not moved his position even a little; his eyes were still closed peacefully.

"How will you help him?"

"I will use bloodletting to hopefully remove some of the toxin, but I hesitate to remove too much blood. My herbs and medicines should help him recover the most. In the meantime I will examine my medicinal archives, there may be information found there. If I cannot find anything I can visit the castle library. It has a whole shelf filled with scrolls and books that speak of medicine and ailments. Perhaps there is some new knowledge in there that will be of use."

Rose was quiet for a moment as she processed all the new information. A thought struck her suddenly and she turned to the healer. "Can I ask you something?" She asked quickly. Brianne nodded her head once. "When I was injured by the wolf you never asked me for payment. What happened?" One half of Brianne's mouth turned up to a smile; her eyes seemed to have a twinkle of amusement in them.

"Your fees were taken care of, you do not owe me a single coin," she said mysteriously.

"Someone paid on my behalf?" Rose asked, though she was certain she already knew the answer.

"Aye."

"Who?"

"That shall remain a mystery unless they choose to reveal themselves. I was sworn to confidentiality," Brianne said with a mischievous wink. Rose opened her mouth to protest, but she realized she would get nowhere with the healer. She would force it out of Tristan herself if she had to.

"Very well," Rose complied. "On the topic of payment... I would like to help pay the medical fee for James, all of it, or as much as I can, if you would let me."

Brianne looked surprised. "What? Why?"

Rose bit her lip and then proceeded to explain. "I was the one who convinced James and Keira to come to you."

"They did not want him to see a healer?"

"They could not afford it."

"Ah, I see. I wondered why James had not sought out aid earlier. It is indeed grievous that people who are ill do not go to a healer for fear of the cost."

"I thought the same. I would rather pay for James and know he will be well, then have seen him pass to a worse fate knowing I could have helped. I will pay you, and I thought that if I could not afford it all at once then perhaps I could pay the bill over a few months?"

"I do not charge that much, you know," Brianne said dryly, her lips twitching in amusement.

"Oh, no, I did not mean to say, or that is to sound like... you... what I mean is," Rose babbled, flustered. Brianne burst into a short stream of laughter.

"Oh Rose, you are entertaining," she said through her giggles. "You are welcome to pay on behalf of James. I will reduce my fees for him, I need only enough coin to survive," she explained with a smile.

"Thank you, Brianne! That is so kind of you," Rose answered, beaming.

"You are welcome. Now," Brianne began, straightening her shoulders. "It does not look as though James will be waking up soon, he is in a deep sleep - you can tell by his breathing." Rose glanced at James and had to agree, he was fast asleep and had not stirred since she had arrived. "You may stay if you would like, but I have to prepare my herbs for treating him."

Rose shook her head and gestured towards the door. "That is okay. I think I will leave now, but I shall try to visit again soon." Rose curtsied respectfully and Brianne bowed her head briefly.

"Of course," she said, walking to the door with Rose. "I will see you soon, then."

"Aye. Goodbye!" Rose waved as she left the healer's home and stepped outside into the sun.

She was not paying attention as she weaved through the crowd on the way back to the castle. As she thought over everything Brianne had said, she bumped into someone roughly. Rose looked up immediately to apologise, only to realise she knew the person she had hit.

"Keira," Rose greeted, surprised. "I am sorry; I was not paying attention." Keira rubbed her arm with an amused expression.

"It is okay, neither was I. I am on my way to see my father."

"I am on my way back from visiting him," Rose said, folding her hands behind her back as she smiled at the maidservant.

"How is he?" Keira asked, suddenly serious. Her voice was grave and her eyes solemn.

"He was sleeping; I did not have a chance to speak to him. Brianne said he was in a deep sleep," Rose replied with an apologetic look.

"Oh... perhaps I shall wait a little while so that I can hopefully see him when he is awake. Did Brianne say anything about his health? When I visited last she was still not sure what ailed him," Keira said with wide, scared eyes. Rose bit her lip - it was probably not her place to tell Keira what Brianne had said.

"Yes, she did tell me what she suspected, but I think you should talk to her about it. Brianne might want to tell you herself," Rose answered. Keira's eyes grew even wider.

"It is bad, isn't it? Oh Rose, is he going to die? What will I do without my father?" Her breathing began growing rapid and Rose immediately shook her head.

"No, no, no! No, it is okay Keira, calm down," she begged, holding the girl's shoulders. "Brianne is helping him, do not worry so."

Keira took a deep, shaky breath and nodded. "O-okay," she agreed, inhaling deeply once more as Rose dropped her hands from Keira's shoulder. "This is all my fault," Keira muttered quietly. The words were so soft Rose was sure Keira had not intended for her to hear them. Rose blinked in surprise and looked at Keira in disbelief.

"It is not your fault, Keira. You cannot blame yourself for your father growing ill. Why would you say that?" Rose asked her gently. Keira's eyes grew wide and she took a small step away from Rose. She released a nervous laugh and wrung her hands together.

"I did not say that, do not be silly," she responded with another nervous laugh. Rose peered at the girl with narrowed eyes. Keira looked away, refusing to meet Rose's gaze.

"I heard you," Rose insisted. Keira swallowed deeply and gave a nervous, brief glance in Rose's direction.

"I have to go now. Farewell," Keira said suddenly, turning to flee. Rose reached out and caught Keira by the arm before she had taken two steps.

"Wait, Keira, where are you going?" Rose asked. She would have been amused if it were not for the troubled behaviour of the maidservant. Rose studied Keira suspiciously. The girl released another uneasy laugh under Rose's scrutiny. It suddenly dawned on Rose, her eyes widened as she realised the truth. She gasped and tugged on Keira's arm. "You are hiding something," Rose stated in shock.

"What? No, of course not," Keira began. Her eyes revealed genuine fear as she pulled on her arm, trying to get Rose to release her. Rose frowned with concern when Keira tried to subtly blink away a few tears.

"Keira, what is going on?" Rose asked gently, keeping her voice soft.

"Nothing!" Keira insisted, but her face was pale and anxious.

"You can tell me; you do not need to look so afraid." Keira looked at Rose warily. What could she be hiding? Rose wondered.

"I cannot tell you."

"I will not tell anyone, I just want to help you," Rose said truthfully.

"You must let me go," Keira begged as she pulled on her arm. Rose felt her heart begin to thump faster - what was so severe that Keira could not share with anyone?

"Keira, please. You are scaring me," Rose said, her eyes equally wide as the maidservant's. Was Keira in danger?

"You do not understand," Keira said as tears pooled into her eyes. She tugged at her arm again.

"Then help me understand!"

"No!" Keira almost shouted, her voice laden with fear. "You will hate me."

"I could never hate you, you are my friend."

"I will be in danger if I tell anyone."

"Keira, if there is something or someone threatening you then you need to tell people. We can help you," Rose said seriously as she tried to ease Keira's mind.

"No, I cannot tell anyone."

"Is it... Do you know something about the poison?" Rose asked her quietly so passer-byers could not hear.

"Poison?" Keira repeated with wide, horrified eyes.

Oops.

Rose internally scolded herself and hoped Brianne would not be angered that Rose had spoken without thought. "What poison? What are you talking about?" Keira asked. Rose bit her lip again and looked around. No one seemed to be paying attention to them specifically, but there were many people around that could overhear their conversation if they wanted to.

"Perhaps we should talk someplace quieter," Rose suggested, gesturing away from the crowds. Keira nodded her head hesitantly and Rose released her arm. The maidservant looked as though she was debating running away, but curiosity seemed to convince her to follow Rose.

Rose walked towards the table outside where she and Tristan had spoken not long ago. It was still outside, and they would be visible from the castle window, but they were out of earshot and not many people seemed to walk nearby. Rose and Keira sat down so that they were facing each other.

"What poison?" Keira asked immediately, barely pausing to arrange herself comfortably.

"Okay..." Rose stalled as she thought of a way to explain James' condition without scaring Keira. "Brianne... thinks that your father was poisoned," she blurted out. Keira's eyes grew wide and her face drained of colour until she was a pale white.

"W-what?"

"But Brianne is sure that he will recover, you must not worry," Rose rushed out. Keira's eyes filled with tears until a few finally escaped down her cheeks. "Keira, truly, he will be okay."

"This really is all my fault," Keira cried as she buried her face into her hands.

"No, stop saying tha-"

"You do not understand," Keira interrupted, repeating her earlier words. Rose fell silent and watched the girl warily. "If I tell you the truth you must swear that you will not tell anyone else," Keira mumbled, staring at her hands.

Rose frowned - what if the only way to help Keira was if she had to tell someone else? But if she did not agree to swear to silence she would never know what was hurting Keira...

"Very well," Rose finally said, though she did not smile. "I will not tell anyone what you reveal to me, I promise."

"You must never, ever tell anyone," Keira said firmly, her eyes serious and cold.

"You have my word, Keira," Rose confirmed. "What is troubling you?" She asked a minute later when Keira still had not spoken.

"A few weeks ago I was approached by a man," Keira began. Rose eyes grew wide immediately as she imagined all the possible scenarios Keira could have found herself in.

"What man?" Rose asked her curiously. Keira shrugged helplessly in response.

"I do not know, he refused to give me his name. I had never seen him before. He had short dark hair, a short beard, and he was dressed in the oddest manner. All in leather and cotton that was mottled, sort of a green and brown colour," Keira explained. Rose raised an eyebrow at the description; he did not sound like someone she was familiar with.

"Was he not from the town?"

"I do not think he was."

"But what does this man have to do with you thinking you are responsible for your father's illness?"

Keira's eyes immediately teared up again. "I am responsible; it is all my fault. My father will hate me if he finds out, but I did not know what else to do," she cried.

"Did you poison him?" Rose asked, horrified.

"No! Of course not, I would never hurt anyone like that!"

"Right, of course. Please, forgive me," Rose said meekly. She should not have assumed such an awful thing.

"I forgive you," Keira said with a nod. "So this man approached me on the road to town, I was alone and there was no one else with me. He pulled me against my will to a small cluster of trees." Rose gasped at the ungentlemanly behaviour. "He knew everything about me - my name, my father, my position as a servant. He even knew the date of my birth."

"And you are sure you do not know who he is?"

Keira shook her head. "No, I would recognise someone with his appearance."

"What did he want? Did he hurt you?"

"No, he did not hurt me - at least, not physically. He said he knew that my mother was unfairly judged by the King for a crime she did not commit. She was executed, you see, for theft. But I knew my mother, she would never steal," Keira said with a miserable expression.

"Oh Keira, I am so sorry," Rose answered sincerely. Keira sniffed and nodded before continuing with her story.

"I do not know how the man knew all of this about me and my family. The man said he was part of a group forming - he would not give me their location or any important details - but he said they wanted me to join them."

"Join them? To do what?"

"I do not know," Keira said once more, pursing her lips. "He said the group was full of people just like me - people who had been hurt unfairly by the King," she explained. Rose raised her eyebrows in shock. A group of people who had been hurt... The rebel group? She wondered. Was it proof of the rebels Tristan had said they were unable to find? What was the group planning? Why did they need Keira?

"What did you say to him?"

"Well... he explained that we were the same, that we both deserved revenge on the royal family," Keira admitted. Rose felt panic well up inside her. Revenge? Would they try and hurt the King and his family? What would happen to Tristan? To Suzanna? Rose tried to control her breathing, but inside she was terrified. She could not lose Tristan; it would break her heart into a thousand pieces.

"You did not agree to join them, did you?"

"No, I did not. I told him that I was not interested in any scandalous behaviour that was based on revenge, nor was I interested in joining any group with the intention of hurting our King. I am loyal to the crown, even if my mother was put to death," Keira said firmly. Rose smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown. She shook her head and raised her eyebrow, confused.

"I still do not understand how any of this is linked to your father."

"The man was adamant that I joined, but I only refused again. I told him that I would have no part in rebellious behaviour, that I am a good, honourable woman. He was angry when I refused and he warned me that misfortune would fall over my life if I did not join."

"Misfortune?" Rose repeated, mystified. Keira nodded.

"I did not take him seriously, so I left and told him never to approach me again. He said I would regret the moment I denied him. 'Watch and see your life fall apart,' he said to me as I left." Keira's eyes filled with tears again and she spoke softly. "Not two days later my father became ill, and he has been sick ever since. So you see, I am to blame. I was warned that I would suffer if I did not join the group, and I did not listen. My father is sick because I did not take any truth from the man," Keira said as a tear escaped her eye. "This is all my fault; I should have joined the group."

"What? No! Keira, you did the right thing. You cannot join a group that wants to hurt the royal family. Traitors to the crown are punished severely, you know that. If you were ever found out you could have lost your life," Rose said seriously.

"At least my father would still be alive and well," Keira responded miserably. Rose shook her head.

"It would crush James to lose you, you know that. And your father will be well again - Brianne will help him; she is very talented."

"I suppose you are right," Keira mumbled. "But what will happen now? They came after my family, will they come after me next?"

"Keira, this is serious. You were threatened and approached by a man who revealed there is a collection of people hoping to avenge the King. You must tell someone; they need to be warned."

"No!" Keira cried out, pulling at her hair. "No, you promised you would not tell anyone the truth."

"I did not know it would be something as serious as this," Rose replied truthfully.

"You cannot force me to tell anyone."

"Keira, what if they try to kill your father? What if they try to hurt you?"

"They won't. They already proved their point, I am certain they will not try to attack me again. No one will listen to me anyway. The King thinks I am only a liar after what I accused Tristan of."

"But what if the man finds you and approaches you again? You need to think, Keira. This your life we are speaking of-"

"Yes, this is my life and I shall do with it what I will," Keira interrupted angrily.

"Why won't you tell anyone?" Rose cried out.

"Because! Because... because no one will believe me; and even if they did, I am afraid. This... group of traitors is a secret, and they made it very clear they want it to stay that way. I am in less danger if I remain quiet than I am if I speak the truth."

"But... but the King could be in danger," Rose said with a thumping heart, though she knew the true reason for her anxiety was concern for Tristan.

"He has guards; I do not."

"I cannot remain quiet about this."

"You promised! Please, please do not betray my trust," Keira begged as she wiped away another. "Please, if you care for me at all then keep silent. I trusted you," Keira cried. Rose breathed in deeply as she tried to hide her panic. "Please," Keira repeated. "I will tell someone eventually, I promise. Just not right now. Please, Rose."

Her hands shook as she tried to cope with what Keira was asking of her. What if this group was truly dangerous? She would hate herself forever if anything happened to Tristan, or even Suzanna. "Do you promise you will tell someone soon?" Rose asked her. Keira nodded vehemently. "V-very well, then. I will keep my oath and remain quiet," Rose finally said, though her entire being was desperate to run to Tristan and tell him everything.

"Thank you," Keira sighed as she relaxed and began to steady her breathing. Rose nodded in response, but she stared blankly at the table and did not speak again. She felt as though her entire body was shaking as she tried to push away the thoughts of losing those she loved.

Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?