Fantasy The Sound of Bells Invites (Myvalentina and Rainywrites)

[myvalentina]

Kingdom RP with myvalentina and rainywrites

"I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell."

Macbeth (II, i, 62-64)

​

Despite the pitching and rocking of the cart over the roughened road, his sister did not stir even one bit. The wheels of their home would need repair, Tenoch absentmindedly catalogued as he slapped their donkey to hurry him along over muddy puddles. The wheels, he thought to himself, wheels and a new harness for Pitch, the donkey, named thus for his fur being as black as pitch. Or so they were told when they bought him. The list of things they'd need was long and pulled their purse strings tightly enough to render them broke.

Tenoch turned and watched his sister sleep among the bags and boxes of herbs; he never understood how she could sleep so comfortably while her surroundings where in such chaos. It was like a supernatural power of hers, a real one. Her hand grasped firmly at the handsome summons that brought them on this journey, farther into the country then they'd ever traveled and all at the promise of security. The money offered for a consultation was enough to get them through the year, and a successful diagnosis enough to solve all their problems. Or so Xochi thought. He was wary though.

The cart hit the embankment of the road, Pitch as distracted as the driver, and Tenoch watched his sister bounce once and land with a thud against their chest of clothes. She groaned angrily, before turning back into the soft sacks and continuing to sleep. Tenoch barked a laugh, finally looking back at the road and righting their donkey. For all his grievances against his sister, he loved her dearly and would always laugh at her expense.

He finally caught sight of the castle in the distance. While it should have been a relief, he couldn't help but feel a rising dread. He'd never been in a castle before, didn't have an idea of size or how to move within such a building. How would he do his job when he had only two eyes and one brain to study the place with? How would they get out if things turned sour? He gave another glance back at his sister.

Sound asleep, without a care in the world. That's how she slept so soundly. The job of worrying was his, leaving her to sweetly dream of the future, while his mind had to always remain here, in the present.

They approached the entrance, and were stopped by guards who regarded them suspiciously.

"What business have you at the castle?"

 

[rainywrites]

Emilie Hallewell was not well.

this wasn't quite a new development in her life. the pale girl had never been fully healthy. whenever any guard sneezed she ended up bedridden for a day or two. she was soft hearted and soft framed. she wasn't tough enough to fight off anything. or at least, that's what most of the doctors had concluded. and yet, even when nobody around her was sick, every so often this odd illness would always return. she hated it. she wanted to be allowed outside, to be allowed to go lie in the sunshine and make flower crowns. and yet her whole family treated her as porcelain, not allowing her to leave the royal family's quarters within the castle. even on her better ones. she pleaded to be allowed to go outside, but she didn't want to get anybody else sick. and they were right. she did want to get better. to stop having days where everything hurt so much she couldn't stand to move. or breathe. to stop coughing so hard her throat hurt. she wanted to live, not to die.

so they called doctor after doctor. the most experienced in the land. the least. anybody who might be able to help the small princess. sometimes they made her better for a period of time, sometimes they made her worse, but nothing lasted. she just wanted to be better, that was all. she wanted to be a healthy girl. she yearned for the day she could run and play like the children she could always hear out her window. they were always laughing, happy. she could hear them now, distantly. which was a shame, honestly. she wanted to get out of bed, lean out the window... but she didn't have the energy. that was expected, almost. projected. the doctors had all told her reaching sixteen would be a miracle. she'd get worse and worse until one day her lungs or her heart just... stopped.

she simply let Willow watch over her today. she was tired, and willow was warm. the girl was older, and unafraid of her illness. she'd read, bring daisies in special from outside. it took up most of Emilie's focus to just lie and listen to the words of the book and braid the daisies together into a long chain. she liked this story. it was one about a princess trapped in a tower who fell in love and ran away with a prince. she wasn't sick. she got to leave her chambers and get married and live a happy life. Emilie loved the story.

her father and mother had seemed excited this week. she'd heard whispers of some kind of miracle? she hoped it was for her. she hoped that soon she'd be allowed to go out there and play with the others. the fourteen year old had already missed so much time...

the room was plush, of course. there were soft things everywhere, a plant in the corner that Emilie had lovingly named Elmer. she wasn't sure why, but it felt right. the knitting in one corner, painting easel in another and harp against the wall in front of the window displayed her talents quite nicely. or, more aptly, the things she'd been given to amuse herself with. her talent was making people smile. she'd been told once that maybe the reason she was so sick was because her heart was so big it didn't know what to do with itself.

and then.. she coughed, again, in that way that sounded painful. just another reminder that she was unwell. she buried herself just a little deeper in her thick blankets, looking again at the satin curtains and out to the sky. Willow paused in her reading, wincing sympathetically. "It's a bad day, isn't it?" Emelie nodded, solemnly, but tried for a smile. Willow reached out, checking her temperature. it was usual, which was good for now. "do you want me to keep going? or should I get you something?"

"book, please."

"sounds good." Emilie might be royal, and willow might not be, but willow was more protective over the princess than she was about anything else. and she'd read the same book over and over if it kept the girl happy.

 

[myvalentina]

Tenoch eased Pitch to a stop, hands up in a placating nature as the guards advanced in warning.

"We have a summons."

"A summons?" The guard asked, "We weren't advised anyone was being summoned. Much less anyone matching the likes of you."

"We're early."

"We? Who else you got in there!"

Tenoch sighed and took a step out of the cart, the guard's eyes widening at his stature, and hands immediately hovering over his blade. Tenoch frowned, keeping in sight and slapping at the tarp covering their cart. "Sister!" He hollered. "Sister, we've arrived. The summons, please!"

The guards watched curiously, eyeing the rattling of the cart and wondering if another giant would emerge. It certainly sounded like a beast, and one speaking a foreign tongue; though, the guards needed no translator to know she was angry and spitting something awful through the tarp at her brother.

So it was that much more comical when she emerged bedraggled and fixing her flowing clothes, but standing no taller than her brother's chest; her five foot height against his greater than six feet. The mouse and the lion, at least in stature. By attitude you might switch the descriptions.

Xochi gave her brother a look, but quickly regained her senses. She lifted her head, eyes softening before turning to the guards with a pleasant smile.

"My lords," She began theatrically, bowing deeply and letting her jewelry clink and rustle with the motion. "I am the medicine woman that was called for the Princess." She explained, holding the summons out for them to take. When they didn't immediately take it, she ventured a look. The guards were looking at each other with a curious look, but seemed appeased.

"The princess. Yes, of course." One of them said, a tired sound to his voice. He turned to the castle and called for the gates to be opened.

The other guard explained to them. "We've never tried a gypsy doctor before."

Xochi pulled her billowy shawl closer, not disputing the fact they were of a different region than of the local nomadic people. It helped her to work when she was vague, so she draped herself in all sorts of exotic clothes and baubles. Most people trusted her more that way, projecting what they wanted onto her look while others... well at least they would make their distastes of her exoticness known quickly enough for Tenoch and her to get away safely.

The entrance open to them now, they were directed through the large grounds before asked to leave their cart and donkey behind, and venture into the castle itself and meet royals. Tenoch had a knot in his stomach the entire time, eyes darting and trying to take everything in, his sister though practically glided in her usual show. They made an odd pair, in such a foreign place.

 

[rainywrites]

while the siblings entered the palace, Willow was busy trying to keep Emilie engaged. for her part, Emelie tried as well. she laughed with her sister figure, smiling at all the jokes she made about the story of rapunzel. and yes. she'd heard the jokes as many times as she'd heard the story. but still, she loved her elder friend. and she wanted to show she was still engaged in the conversation.

she coughed again and sighed, going limp against the blankets. Willow panicked, just a bit, reaching forward to check on her. "I'm fine... i'm fine... I'm well, Willow tree." she smiled, and Willow looked back at her with a sigh.

"emmy baby, what am I going to do with you?" she sounded exasperated, but Emmy smirked back. they both knew she didn't mean it. and it was only enhanced when Willow leaned forward to nuzzle their noses together. it wasn't entirely proper to do that with a royal lady, but they were closer than most maids and their ladies.

still... when the pair of gypsies walked in, Willow shot away from her face before they could be caught giving eskimo kisses. she put down the book and stood, greeting the gypsies but also putting herself between Emelie and any harm. "who are you and on what grounds do you barge in on a sick princess?" she asked. her tone was neither pleasant nor hostile. it was possible these were guests, but it was possible they wanted to hurt her Emilie. she couldn't let that happen. she couldn't.

"are you gypsies?" Emmy asked, looking up. she liked hearing stories about gypsies. didn't they believe you could hear the wind speak if you listened hard enough?

 

[myvalentina]

The place was larger than he had imagined, and Tenoch wondered if he even had enough imagination in him to think up places so large. How much rock, stone and wood must it had taken to build such a place? It was bigger than any church he'd seen, but now he even wondered if maybe Gods worked with such largeness. He'd heard of the ruins in his country, that spoke of wealth long ago, but they were ruins not resplendent as what was before him. He shook his head of awe, had to focus on remembering the way in and out, had to count the guards and where they stood, had to think of all the grizzly ways they may be beset upon. He'd have words with his sister later, convince her this job was too big a risk. Especially as they entered the chambers of the princess and noticed that the tiny girl beneath the covers was in fact the princess. He took to the wall, made himself part of it, to keep from being so intimidating, as much as he could. More so, he made room for his sister.

Xochi had noticed the hostility in some of the guards and the hesitance with this girl. She was not as oblivious to things as her brother believed of her. It just didn't faze her. It couldn't. She had a job to do. She bowed again, deeply this time, on her hands and knees so that she could touch the ground with her head and sweep her flowing skirts in a show of color and aroma, for she smelled of spice and flowers and herbs and metal. Sleeping amongst her medicines made sure of that.

"We were summoned." Xochi explained, "I am to be the lady's doctor." She explained, standing once more and approaching the bed to speak directly to the Princess.

"We are travelers. We come from very far away. Maybe gypsies of our own land." Though they were nothing of the sort. They'd been born to farmers, and a gambler on her father's side; the lout! "We know not much of your customs or stories or people." At least that wasn't much of a lie. Especially since they spent most of their time with drunks and drunks were awful storytellers.

"Tell me," She said, holding out her hand for the Princess, keeping just in front of the gentlewoman, "What ails you, my dear?"

 

[rainywrites]

Willow nodded, mutely, making eye contact with the boy. was he a guard? she didn't know. but he pressed himself against the wall to put herself close to him. still, she watched the girl's movements with a eagle eye. she'd heard of not-quite doctors before. they claimed to have all the answers in the villages. and some people spoke highly of them, how they cured coughs and sneezes faster than light. but Willow was still wary. it was a new doctor every time the girl had a flare up. which Willow understood. there were a thousand doctors out there, and if she were the king and queen she'd do everything she could to save the princess too. she was a princess, but also just a good kid who didn't deserve to die.

and yet... she could already see this going quite wrong. and she didn't like the tall silent man who looked as though he could snap her in half. she felt like she couldn't defend the princess if it came down to it. and when it came to Emelie, willow felt useless enough of the time. she just hoped they could save her, although she was cautious. eh, at least the odd girl smelled nice.

Emilie, however, was absolutely fascinated by the girl. with her wild hair and odd skin and beautiful clothes, she was enchanting. Emilie had never had a doctor like this before. the bow was fantastic and odd and Emelie was enamored. she did sneeze the moment she got closer, but that was more on surprise at the scent than at hatred of it. why, moments later she was craning her neck to get a better sniff. "you smell nice." she observed. the way she spoke of things, too, took her on a journey. "I know stories! Willow tells the best stories." an absolute truth, in Emelie's eyes. Willow blushed and looked down at her shoes.

and then she asked the age old question. Emelie shrugged. "I'm sick a lot. coughing and tired and I can't eat sometimes. fever, sometimes. it goes away, sometimes, but it always comes back..." she had to pause for a weak coughing fit, and Willow had to restrain herself from getting water for her. "worse." Emilie sighed. she was clearly discontented by this. "can you make me all better? will you?"

 

[myvalentina]

Xochi genuinely smiled as the girl spoke, the Princess was much more ordinary than she had expected from it all. Where the summons had been prim and proper, and the King and Queen a force of nature, Emilie was soft and bright; a pale, morning light through curtained windows.

At the mention of stories, Xochi gave a nod to Willow.

"Willow? My name is Xochi, and Tenoch and I would love to hear such stories." She said, politely, but also hoping it would give her a chance to ask other questions. As a doctor, her best tool was observation and inquisition. The more she knew of the ailments, symptoms and lifestyle, the better chance she had at finding a cure. And she was going to find one.

Xochi noticed the glances at her brother and turned back to him with a small wave of her hand. "Some space please, dear brother." Tenoch gave a small nod and ducked out of the room, making it feel all the larger for his absence. She turned back to the girl, listening to the description of the illness and cataloguing every symptom. Already her mind was beginning to turn towards diagnoses, until the girl asked the age old question.

Xochi smiled, sympathetically and stepped a little closer.

"May I?" She asked for the girl's hand, picking up the slender wrist to feel the pulse. "Your heart is weak." She said of the beating, against her fingertips. "And yet it isn't truly weak, is it?" She pressed the Emilie's hand into both of hers with a confident squeeze. "You have hope, my dear. With hope there will always be a chance to find a cure. I don't make promises I cannot keep." She leveled. "But I have faith that I can make you better. I have that hope you do. It's what makes hearts strong."

She didn't know what ailed the girl yet, but she'd seen this all before. Despite her young age, she'd worked with with the sick all her life, and while she'd seen sickness ravage and maim and kill countless people, she'd never lost hope. Couldn't lose hope, because lives depended on her to not lose focus and get lost in the grief.

"If you ever feel like hope is fading. Here," She said, offering her wrist palm upward and placing two of the girl's fingers on her veins. "Use my heart. Use my strength. Use my faith. Yes?"

 

[rainywrites]

Willow breathed freer when the girl's brother left. Tenoch, his name must've been, based on Xochi's words. "Yes, i'm Willow." she kept her eyes downcast, as she was supposed to in the presence of royalty. although yes, that didn't matter to Emelie, she didn't need the princess's doctors to be angry at her. she wanted her princess to have the best quality of care. and if the doctor was angry at her for something she could control, that wouldn't help matters. "and... I would be honored to share our land's tales with a guest of the princess."

Emilie gave her hand over to the odd doctor and allowed her to feel her pulse. when she said it was weak, she nodded, looking down. and yet... and yet Xochi's continuation seemed to suggest hope. and as long as Emelie had hope, she would be okay. she met her doctor's eyes, a smile coming to crinkle the edges of her own. "I have a lot of hope." she promised, a wide smile on her face. "so much. so much." she assured that. she had so many dreams and hopes for her future.

willow smiled at Emilie. yes, she was worried by the language used. but, at the very least, the doctor was making no promises. that was good. she'd had so many doctors say they were the best in the world and of course they'd cure the princess. and yet, they never could. at least this doctor left the possibility that she might fail out there. Willow hated watching emilie get her heart broken time after time.

emilie felt the other's heartbeat, hope and trust shining in her eyes. "you must have a big heart." she muttered, feeling it gently. "because that's a strong beat."

 

[myvalentina]

Xochi gave Willow a sympathetic nod, and thought her words were polite yet similar to her own usual tone around those that held more power than her; which were most people. But there would be time for talking to Willow, and discussing the way things worked in this castle. Xochi knew Tenoch would appreciate that to keep them safe, while she just needed that information to help the Princess.

Emilie was an earnest child, seemed to wear her emotions on her sleeve, and on her wrist, so when the compliment hit about Xochi's big heart, the older girl couldn't help but huff a genuine laugh. "I suppose I do..." Xochi said, letting the girl's hands fall back onto the bed, and taking her place in the middle of the room. Maybe the compliment was uncomfortable, maybe it was rare such kindness came from anyone that wasn't Tenoch, either way she wanted to move away from it.

"It's not a good day to be indoors." She posited, turning to face the grayish sky outside the window. It was cold, but with the hint that the clouds would soon move along and grace them with a warming sun.

"Do you feel up to a walk?" She asked, wanting to observe the girl a little more. She wouldn't be able to really start as the girl's doctor until they were settled in, had a place to set up their tents and could start working with her herbs and tinctures and poultices.

"It's not just Tenoch and I, you know. You can meet our friend, Pitch. He's a donkey, but don’t hold that against him. He’s a very nice fello. Doctoring can wait another day, no?" Xochi asked, giving a nod to Willow, figuring it would be her job to help her mistress with the task of moving outside of this room and not wanting to seem like she was ordering this as any kind of doctor's order.

 

[rainywrites]

Willow couldn't place the look, as she didnt look up. but she could smell the girl coming closer. moving away from emilie. she didn't look up, though. she'd behave for the moment. she held her head down and her posture demure.

Emilie, though, let her hand drop. she didn't bother to move it back, because as Xochi moved towards the window, she was hit with a coughing fit. the hard kind. her coughes were unproductive, but it hurt. and it hurt bad. they sounded painful, from the hacking phlegm to the intermittent groaning that Emilie emitted. it hurt. it hurt a lot. and her whole body was racked by them until it was over.

but Willow had to run to her, bringing water over to the princess. for a moment, Willow and Emilie forgot the doctor gypsy was there, just focused on each other. their foreheads pressed together for a long moment, Willow trying to be a pillar of support. and she was. after a moment, the coughing stopped. "I'm... I'm okay." Emilie offered a weak smile, and willow smiled back.

"good girl." she said, booping her nose quietly. then she looked up to Xochi "she's not going anywhere, today. I had to carry her to the bathroom." Willow knew she wasn't going outside. she looked at Emilie, who looked a bit let down by that fact. "hey, sweet thing. i'm sorry, girl. but you're going to tucker yourself out."

"but... but... she has a donkey. i've never met a donkey before!"

"and we'll take you to meet Pitch.... Pitch?" she checked the name with Xochi before continuing "we'll take you to meet Pitch when you're having a better day."

Emilie considered that, for a moment. "okay." she looked nervously at Xochi as she realized she'd been privy to whole conversation. Emilie wasn't supposed to be that close and sister like to palace staff, but of course she was. "I... I don't think I can go outside..." a sneeze, quietly. she see,ed resigned to it. "today."

 

[myvalentina]

Xochi observed the attack, counting the time between available breaths as she'd done the heartbeats, cataloging every symptom and potential symptom in her head. She gauged how deep she was pulling in air and how much mucus could be obstructing her airways, she even watched out for blood. Her hands twitched to do something and she would have reached over, but Willow was a rush and far faster than even her reflexes. Xochi noted the closeness and doting, but didn't think much of it much more interested in her considerations. She turned back to the window hand holding her chin in a comforting gesture.

"Of course," She spoke, mind distant and working while her body moved through polite movements. "There will be so much time to visit Pitch and once he's rested he'll even give you a ride around the grounds." She promised, turning back to the young women.

"Our journey was long, so I hope you forgive me in taking time to rest and set up my doctor's suite?" She asked, deeply bowing again. "Though I would love to visit with you before bedtime." She said, raising her head only slightly to ask in Willow's direction. If it is allowed?" Xochi reasoned that Willow would be the best fountain of information considering their closeness, and she had no problem deferring respect to the girl.