Combat Healer Ch. 36 (Patreon)

April 2, 2023

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NOTE: I'm planning for this entire arc of the story to be really intense and exciting. This is just the first chapter of what will hopefully be an increasingly crazy tale.

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<< Chapter 35 | Ch 1 (Book 1) | Ch 15 (Book 2) | Ch 29 (Book 3)

- CHAPTER 36: Stoic -

Present Day

Within the chambers of the royal harem of the Ryfle Kingdom, a young human girl with tan skin, dark brown hair, and bright green eyes, urgently tried to finish applying the black paint around her eyes in preparation for the king to arrive, terrified what might happen to her if she wasn’t ready in time.

Or what might happen if she messed up the design in her haste.

It had been four days since she was almost picked by the king, and she was relieved he hadn’t even so much as looked at her the last few times he visited, picking from the pool of girls he seemed to favor.

However, today was a little different.

This was the first time she wasn’t required to paint patterns on her body, but she still had to hurry. They’d been given so little notice. Less than ever before.

The king was already waiting.

If the king knew there was an Ambassador coming from the northern kingdom, then why wait until the last minute like this? For surely, he had known for a while that Delanor would send an Ambassador.

Not that it mattered.

At least today, it was more likely that any girls chosen would only be looked at.

She’d be alright with that.

She’d spent so much time naked in the last year, that she didn’t mind the idea of only being looked at. But she still didn’t really want to be picked. She honestly didn’t want to be here in the first place. Most of them didn’t…

But there was nothing they could do.

No escape.

The chambers of the king’s harem was quite literally a prison, the doors locked whenever someone important wasn’t coming or going.

On cue, the bell rung, and they all quickly got in line, knowing the king was already in the hall.

He could be heard talking to someone else.

Probably one of the Lords, given how…nice the king was being.

“Alright, I want to pick two that will really make me look good. What kind of women do you think would catch his eye?”

It was a young man’s voice that responded, a man who was around the same age, but far more mature. “Your majesty, I know nothing of the man visiting, and nothing of his preferences. He lives in Delanor. For all we know, he has no interest in human women.”

“Nonsense, Cassian” the king scoffed. “A cunt is a cunt. Tits are tits.”

The young Lord Cassian sighed heavily, not responding.

The king began moving down the line, occasionally asking for the young Lord’s opinion, his responses always apathetic and uninterested. As they got to her line, she took a chance to glance at the guy with blonde hair, watching as he looked over the girls with a hint of distress in his blue eyes, unable to meet their gazes, unable to look higher than their breasts.

However, as she was watching, unexpectedly his gaze darted to her tan belly, and then up to her pierced breasts, only for him to look up at her and meet her gaze, his blue eyes widening in surprise, his face starting to visibly flush.

Instantly, he looked away entirely, and she also averted her gaze, feeling surprised by the reaction.

She personally found herself pretty, but the king had never looked at her like that.

Thankfully.

Still, so many naked girls, and yet he only reacted to her.

Why?

“Ha!” the king unexpectedly announced. “I saw that!”

“Saw what?” Cassian mumbled, sounding uninterested.

The king didn’t hesitate in marching down the line, only to abruptly reach out to her in a swift motion, her heart jumping into her throat as he snagged her abruptly by the hair and tugged her face down to his waist.

She barely caught her balance before nearly falling down, her mind frozen in panic as she was forced to bow before the fickle boyish man.

The king scoffed. “This one, huh? I guess she is a good pick. Nice tits at least. Nice skin too. Oh, and look at that ass.”

“You don’t need to pull her hair!” Cassian hissed.

“And why not?” the king asked seriously. “She belongs to me. Or perhaps do you want to make a trade?”

“Huh?” Cassian said in surprise.

“For your younger sister,” the king said seriously.

It was instantly silent.

Completely silent.

There wasn’t a sound in the room, full of several hundred girls.

The king finally laughed. “You should see your face!” He laughed again, abruptly dragging the young woman in his grasp by the hair, her feet shuffling to try to keep up, her mind completely empty in shock and disbelief.

Because she’d been picked.

Today…was the day.

Would she only be looked at?

Please let her only be looked at.

The king continued. “Okay, so here is one. Should we go with same hair color, or something different?”

Lord Cassian sounded like he could barely speak. “Maybe…something…different,” he managed.

“Hmm, yeah a blonde. If he doesn’t like brunettes, then surely he likes blondes.” He laughed again. “Too bad I can’t grab the princess to add some red. Lord Grimaldi would be displeased though, and she’ll be gone soon anyway.”

Cassian didn’t respond.

She didn’t know what his reaction was like, unable to look up as she was led out of the room by her hair, the fickle king picking out his favorite blonde to accompany them, that girl getting to walk out on her own accord.

And yet, now she could only think of one thing.

What could the king possibly mean about the princess?

‘She’ll be gone soon.’

Was she ill too?

Because his words didn’t sound so much like she had an illness.

It sounded more like…she was going to be killed.

* * *

It took three full days of traveling for our convoy to reach the capital of the Ryfle kingdom, officially arriving on the morning of the fourth day, and that was only because we were able to change out our horses at established outposts on the edges of the two largest towns along the way, since otherwise we would have been required to pace the horses better.

Unlike the capital of Delanor, these southern towns of our kingdom had a lot more humans, even if the majority of the population was made up of Oni, Minotaur, and elves. Humans that I was definitely taller than now.

Of course, I’d already been very tall for a human, but those extra few inches made it so that I had yet to come across even a single human man who was taller. Not a single one, so far.

And pretty much all female elves were either shorter than me or my height now, only a rare few exceeding my new stature. Certainly, basically all elf men were either my height or taller, but I’d been used to that all my life, and even they were frequently eclipsed in height by most Oni men.

As a part of our convoy, we had two carriages and one covered wagon for our supplies…the wagon also having a toothy arm of a monster corpse stuffed in a crate. The limb was from an elf, but visibly looked like it could have been from an elf or human, which was the whole point – we didn’t want the humans thinking their own kind weren’t capable of harboring these abominations in plain sight.

Only nine elves accompanied me, ten of us total, including two Rangers and seven Fighters, but given that Jackel and Kizmel were two of those Fighters, I would have felt secure even if I wasn’t extremely powerful myself.

For most of the trip, there was one elf at the reins of each transport, with the other carriage hosting the remaining four elves, since it was just me, Jackel, and Kizmel in ours. Occasionally, there would be two elves on one of the benches, a pair of buddies just socializing, but for the most part the members of my carriage stayed consistent.

It was actually kind of fun.

We played cards, talked a lot, and overall just had a good time. Got to know Kizmel a lot better, even though I’d seen him a lot in the capital – it was a bit different socializing together though.

When our trip first began, they both wanted to know more about what I did when I turned the day into night for a brief couple of minutes, and I did give them a bit of information, at least admitting it was a skill, but otherwise kept it vague. Something that Jackel fully respected, since we all had our secrets to begin with, him included, and likewise something that Kizmel didn’t keep pressing, given that my actual teammate had given up so easily.

However, I could tell Kizmel was still thinking about it.

Alternatively, Jackel definitely wanted to know how things had gone with the ‘tiny blonde bitch,’ as he put it, and he was proud of me when I admitted I fucked her before we left. Of course, I didn’t exactly share that information with him for the praise, but he was well aware that my sex life had been completely nonexistent prior to Mel deciding to date me.

Of course, the irony of the situation was that I could have been with Val all this time, had I realized just how much she wanted to be with me. Realized just how committed she was, to the point that she would have been fine with me only visiting in between Quests. But the past was the past, and there was no point in kicking myself in the ass about it now.

Jackel was also a bit insightful when I described the overall interaction between me and Lyla, especially her request for me to just put up with her attitude.

“Ah, yeah I’ve met a few like that,” he admitted. “Every girl is different, of course, but their type tend to like hate-fucking. When they piss you off, rather than you breaking up with them or even just leaving for a while, they want to be grabbed and fucked.” He laughed. “It’s like they’re too prideful to apologize for anything, and would rather you just get over it by using their cunt. Or in a way, it’s kind of like that’s how they apologize – by offering their pussy, instead of their words.” He shook his head. “Not something I’d want to deal with long-term, but hey, if you can put up with her shit, then by all means. Put the bitch in her place with your cock, whenever she gets out of hand.”

Jackel was a very smooth talker when it came to dealing with women, but he definitely didn’t mince words when it came to talking with his friends.

I actually appreciated the insight, because while I’d kind of already come to that conclusion on my own, it was nice to have it confirmed. That Lyla just needed a good fucking every once in a while, especially if she was being a bitch and pissing me off. And that she’d even be receptive to it – that if I got irritated with her and shoved her to the ground to shove my cock in her pussy and stuff her full of my cum, she’d actually probably cum before me, even despite how irritable and pissed she’d been just before that.

Very different than what I’d expect from any of my other women.

No doubt, if they were angry, they’d want some space.

Or to at least talk through it, rather than having any desire to fuck.

Prior to leaving, I’d been able to spend nearly two hours with Mel and Val, sharing in some moments of heated intimacy as my Red Oni girlfriend taught my busty Holstaur the basics of a blowjob. Val didn’t actually give me one, but watched intently as Mel did, twice in that time, the juicy cowgirl’s tan face deeply flushed.

The first time Mel sucked on my cock, Val was kneeling with her, and the second time, she was sitting beside me so that I could play with her tits while I blew my load in Mel’s mouth.

Main reason why Val only watched was because Mel thought our first time shouldn’t be with this looming departure hanging over us, and when Val agreed with her, I didn’t oppose, perfectly fine with Mel’s lavender lips being wrapped around me. And perfectly fine being able to touch and play with Val while I did so.

I’d also taken the time to explain what happened with Lyla, also describing how she usually interacted with her roommate, with Mel commenting that she thought she understood better, and felt like she knew how to deal with Lyla’s type. Mainly, to just understand that the girl was going to be rude a lot, always speaking her mind, and to not get overly offended by it, since it was just how she was. Lyla’s abrasive personality didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t be friends, or at least allies.

After spending time with the two of them, I had actually been hoping to see Queen Eliza prior to departure, even if just to say goodbye, but wasn’t able to. Sylvia did meet me at the Guard Station by the Royal Grounds in order to have an official meeting with me, sharing information I would need to know, including who our allies were, who to watch out for, what kinds of things not to say, even to our allies, and other such topics.

She also asked if there were any healers I felt comfortable working with Mel and Val, in the event that their skills were needed. Something that didn’t bother me at all, especially since there were basically no male healers aside from me, and any temporary teammate would be female.

Of course, given that Lyla was objectively the best supporter a team could ever have, and considering that Mel and Val would be absolute beasts in battle with Angel’s Blessing backing them up, never mind the fact that ‘Greater Healing’ did objectively solve most problems, I felt confident in recommending Lyla.

She made note of it, and moved on with our professional ‘meeting.’

Sharing something with me that she couldn’t say out loud, instead handing me a pre-written message. It was short. The script hurried.

‘Most are amazed by your miracles, but there are some who argue that you should be locked away, to use when needed like a magical artifact. They believe it too precarious to send you into the hands of our rival kingdom. Too precarious to send you away ever again. There are also some who do not like the political power this potentially gives you, a human. Be careful in your travels, and also when you return. Not everyone in the Delanor kingdom is your ally.’

I wasn’t sure if it was Eliza’s handwriting, or if Sylvia wrote it herself, but I was sure this was a topic they’d both discussed in private either way. When I nodded that I understood, she took the message back and continued normally with the information she wanted to share.

Keeping it very professional.

For the most part.

Toward the end, Sylvia didn’t remain entirely professional.

When it was time to go, she gave me a silent lingering kiss, grabbing my face in her hands and pressing her lips to mine for what felt like a full minute. She then separated my lips with her tongue for a few seconds before pulling away, clearly not wanting to chance someone overhearing, given how sensitive elf ears were.

Honestly, I hadn’t minded being shorter than her previously, simply because that was just reality when dealing with elves as a human, but I had to admit that being as tall as her was nice. And I felt like she thought as much too, with her possibly not wanting to say it out loud, since it ultimately wouldn’t have changed how she felt about me, but still finding it attractive that we were now at least eye-to-eye.

After that, our short intimate kiss, my convoy left.

Jackel and Kizmel were already ready, and everyone had pretty much been waiting for Sylvia to be done with me.

The overall trip went smoothly, with us technically still being in Delanor for the first two days, only crossing over into Ryfle at the beginning of the third day, officially arriving to the capital on the early morning of the fourth day.

Unsurprisingly, Wren followed in secret, though not at a consistent pace like us.

Sometimes she ran for part of the day, other times she slept and turned into a Balphor at night to easily catch up in record time, traversing a day’s worth of travel in merely an hour or two. To the point that I realized that this trip was something that would probably only take five or six hours if I were flying.

Too bad I couldn’t openly ride her back and forth.

But it technically meant that I could have made a trip back to the capital at night, if only it were possible for me to get away for most of it. Of course, Wren really wanted me to spend time with her, but getting away just wasn’t possible, so she had to settle with silent conversation and listening in on the thoughts in my head when I was focused on the others.

At the very least, I definitely didn’t feel lonely at all.

Given that the south had less of a monster problem than the north, even if they undeniably had to deal with their own Dungeons, the capital didn’t have stone walls encompassing the main city. Everything was also much more unorganized, there being alleyways and streets going in every which direction. However, unlike the capital of Delanor, we didn’t actually have to go into the city in order to reach the Royal Palace, instead staying at the edges, being required to stop at a Guard Station along the way, the short humans inspecting the carriages and wagons with extra care as if they thought we might be somehow impressed with their scrutiny.

Honestly, it kind of felt like watching children trying to ‘act adult’ by being overly serious about something that real adults didn’t consider serious. Like shit, were they going to deny us entry to the Royal Grounds simply because they found something wrong with a carriage? At least they didn’t investigate our supplies too thoroughly, as I was sure they would be quite alarmed by the hidden contents of one, in particular.

The Captain was helpful though, if not also a bit intimidated by my size, given that he knew that the Queen’s Ambassador was a human.

He informed me of the overall schedule for the day.

I was obviously here to primarily meet with the king’s Advisor, Lord Grimaldi, but the man wouldn’t be available to see me until later this evening. In the meantime, I would be having a short meeting with the king himself, before instead meeting with Commander Demetri, the head of their army.

He then informed me that Lord Cassian, the king’s trusted friend, would be with me the entire time, and that I should direct any inquiries to him.

It was made very clear that I wasn’t to go anywhere without Lord Cassian’s explicit permission, and that doing so would be seen as an act of aggression against the king himself. Furthermore, those accompanying me would also not be permitted to enter the Royal Grounds, something he sort of just added at the end, and immediately had all the elves pissed, considering they’d been given very specific instructions by the Queen herself to ensure I was protected at all times.

Things got heated real fast.

Swords were drawn, on both sides.

I suspected they weren’t going to budge on this issue, so I asked some basic questions.

‘Would Lord Cassian be my guard to defend me against any of the king’s enemies who might want to provoke a war?’

Yes.

‘Did they understand that it would provoke an outright war if something happened to me?’

Yes.

‘Was there any point in time when I might be left unattended while in the castle?’

No.

His answers didn’t do much to reassure the elves accompanying me, but I then pointed out the obvious – our only alternative was to turn right back around and leave, something we couldn’t afford to do given the news we were to deliver.

We would have to meet their demands.

It was something none of them liked, but as the Ambassador, I was technically the one in charge of the convoy, and it was my life on the line, thereby being my decision either way.

We agreed to their terms.

The monster arm would have to remain in the wagon for now, but I knew it would be seen one way or another once I shared my news with the correct parties.

I was then escorted by one of their horse drawn carriages through the gates of the Royal Ground to the front of the castle, all of which definitely was entirely surrounded by high stone walls, in order to meet with Lord Cassian, who would take over from there.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I expected of the man I was meeting when I stepped out of the carriage, having to duck to avoid hitting my head even though I was already crouched somewhat, but it wasn’t to see someone so young – as young as me, at least. I figured he’d be middle-aged, but instead he was probably no older than his early twenties, still having a childish look to his handsome face, and dressed in a full suit of shiny armor.

A knight.

His hair was blonde, his skin fair, his blue eyes extremely reserved as he met my gaze.

He was tall too.

About as tall as I had been previously.

Probably a good thing we’d never met before, since he no doubt would have noticed that we were no longer looking eye-to-eye upon meeting a second time.

“Ambassador Rosengard,” he said in a neutral tone. “A pleasure for you to visit us,” he continued unconvincingly.

My tone was also neutral. “I take it you’re Lord Cassian.”

“I am. You are to meet with the king first. Afterward, I will escort you to your chambers for the evening, where you will be asked to remain until Commander Demetri is ready to see you. Lunch will follow, and then you will again be asked to remain in your chambers until you are to meet with Lord Grimaldi.”

“Will these chambers be guarded?” I asked in a flat tone, hoping these people weren’t foolish enough to try killing me. No doubt, their assassins would be in for a rude awakening when I slaughtered them all.

“At all times,” he replied firmly, like it was a warning.

Not as if it was for my benefit, but as if they didn’t want me snooping around.

I simply nodded. “Very well.”

He hesitated then, his expression still reserved. “Before we meet with the king, if I may ask you a few questions, Ambassador Rosengard.”

“I will answer as best as I am able.”

His blue eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting to my thick shoulders. “You are a healer, yes?”

“I am.”

He frowned. “And you are the one they call the Queen’s Blessing, correct?”

I was shocked he knew. Shocked that such news had spread to Ryfle already. But then again, people had been calling me that for roughly ten days now, ever since I first used Divine Restoration to save Celestine. They shouldn’t be aware of anything else that happened recently though, as I was sure the rumors about me had escalated quite dramatically.

“So I’ve heard,” I replied, speaking a bit more lighthearted. “It’s not a title I had any say in.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t even so much as crack a smile at that, or otherwise change his expression. Still very reserved, almost like he was intentionally trying to avoid having any reaction at all.

Reminded me of Jackel’s expression when we were playing cards.

A poker face.

The face of a man who didn’t want to give away his hand, whether good or bad.

He didn’t respond right away, and I didn’t feel the need to break the silence.

Finally, he continued. “May I ask about the spell that created a blinding light?”

My eyes narrowed. “What do you want to know about it?”

“What is it capable of?” he asked in a flat tone, almost as if he was completely uninterested, even though he didn’t break my gaze.

I kept it vague, even while hinting at the truth. “It is capable of miracles.”

He didn’t react at all. “And what do you demand in exchange for those miracles?” he asked flatly.

“Nothing.”

He finally reacted.

His blue eyes flew open in shock. “Nothing?” he repeated in disbelief.

“Nothing,” I affirmed.

He seemed to be struggling with that response. “I…I don’t understand.”

My tone was hard. “I am the best healer in the Delanor kingdom, perhaps the best healer on the entire continent. I did not become the best healer by being anything other than generous, and perhaps even excessive, with my spells. Furthermore, every single time I’ve come across something I couldn’t heal, I kept trying anyway, until I succeeded where others have failed. Until I overcame the impossible and learned a new spell that would solve the problem before me. As was the case of the blinding light, when I learned a spell that would cure even the bite of an Arakna’cabra. A Flesh Collector.”

He just stared at me as he processed that.

His tone was hesitant when he finally responded. “And…what would you need to learn a new spell? If you again came across a problem that you couldn’t fix?”

My eyes narrowed.

Something was going on here.

Of course, I already suspected he might want to ask me to heal someone, but this seemed like something more than a simple request. He was far too reserved.

Far too careful.

I replied honestly. “What would I need? Only time, and an endless supply of Essence Crystals. Or at least fifty of them. Assuming I don’t already have a spell that can deal with the problem.”

He didn’t respond.

His expression slowly grew more firm.

He stared at me with a hard gaze, and I knew he was communicating with me right now. He was saying everything with his eyes alone.

This man clearly had a problem that needed fixed, an ailment that needed cured, and he couldn’t speak of it openly.

After a full minute of neither of us saying anything, I finally gave him a nod to communicate I understood, saying nothing more.

Yet, he continued to hold my gaze a bit longer, before finally breaking the silence. “We shouldn’t keep his majesty waiting any longer. Please follow me.”

And with that, he turned around to begin leading the way.

The halls of the palace were richly decorated with very realistic paintings and complex tapestries that far exceeded what I’d seen in the Queen’s castle, almost to the point of being excessive, as if the royal family of Ryfle was trying to make a statement of their position of authority. Which was truly saying something when the Queen’s castle was very much decorated finely in silvers, blues, and purples, symbols of the Ruler’s wealth and power, all of it in good taste.

Fancy, luxurious even, but not excessive like this.

The young Lord Cassian didn’t speak to me again as he led the way, one hand on the hilt of his sword, until we finally arrived at a pair of large wooden doors. He proceeded to open one up, gesturing for me to step inside, before closing it behind us, revealing that we were now in the king’s audience hall.

Talk about excessive.

There were multiple sheer tapestries hung from the ceiling and tied to the walls, creating layer upon layer of mostly reds, almost making it look like we’d be heading into a tunnel of fabric to stand before the king on his gold and red throne.

The king, in particular, truly was young, looking even younger than I expected, but also not what I was expecting.

Fairly skinny, only having a little bit of a bulge to his belly, and having a very boyish face, he had thick brownish-red curls and quite a few freckles. I was fairly certain the Queen said he was twenty, but if I had to guess his age, I wouldn’t have gone with anything over sixteen.

He was dressed well, at least, like he took this seriously, wearing a white silk shirt coupled with navy blue silk pants, along with a gold belt and matching chain necklaces. There was also of course the small gold crown on his head, contrasted against his reddish-brown curls, but at least he wasn’t excessive in his attire.

Similarly, I was dressed a certain way, having been required to wear black leather pants, a white silk shirt, meant to symbolize peace, as well as a dark navy blue robe with silver highlights, meant to symbolize the kingdom I represented.

For him, all the color in the room was signifying the kingdom he ruled.

Which meant, everything so far was as I would expect it.

Problem was, he wasn’t alone.

On either side of his throne were two naked girls kneeling and sitting on their heels, both of them turned toward him, one of them holding a cup on my right, while the other held a bowl of meat on my left, that he appeared to be eating from with only a knife, stabbing a piece and popping it into his mouth.

The young women were completely naked, but also adorned in jewelry.

The girl on his right, my left, holding the bowl of meat, had numerous gold chains and piercings in unusual spots. Her nipples were pierced, a gold chain running between them, but she also had multiple piercings in a row going up the side of her breasts. And then, she had piercings on her belly and hips, more gold chains connecting various rings, as if she were wearing a gold chain skirt.

A skirt that didn’t hide anything at all, but also kind of gave the illusion that she was ‘sort of’ clothed.

Her skin was a deep tan, her hair a rich brown, her eyes a rich green that I noticed even from a distance, especially since it appeared she had black paint around her eyes to really make the color pop. The girl also had gold bracelets on, as well as a few gold rings in her nose and full lips, along with a few in her rounded ears, but the chain attire was most notable.

I could understand why he had her at his side, considering that she had what I’d probably consider to be the most ‘proportional female figure’ I’d ever seen. Shapely hips, a very defined firm belly, a thin waist, extremely full plump breasts, toned shoulders and arms, all of her looking like she was perfectly portioned, as I might expect on a statue that wanted to show off the idealized female figure without being too exaggerated.

Alternatively, the girl on the right side was kind of the exact opposite.

Blonde hair, fair skin, but also excessive proportions, including a huge ass, thick thighs, and massive tits that were less full and more flabby looking, lying more flat against her chubby belly. She too was adorned in piercings, but only had the one chain connecting the rings in her large nipples.

Unsurprisingly, she had a very attractive face.

They both did.

Definitely someone who would be viewed by most as sexually desirable.

Both of them, in their own unique ways.

However, I notice all this in my peripheral vision, not actually looking at either girl, both of them with their gazes trained on the king as they held his bowl and cup.

Lord Cassian also didn’t look at either of them, seeming just as reserved as before as he led me toward the throne, stopping about a dozen feet away.

“Your majesty,” he said with a small bow. “I present to you Ambassador Allister Rosengard, a human healer chosen by the Queen to represent her kingdom.”

Surprisingly, the boyish king was looking me over in disbelief, speaking directly to me. “I was told you were my age,” he said in surprise.

I gave him a small polite bow, knowing I wouldn’t have to kneel before him, and that it would actually be an offense to our kingdom if I did. For, as a representative of the Queen, it was expected that I would be treated with the same respect as the Queen herself.

“I am twenty-one, your majesty. However, I have also been a Scourge Suppressor for some time.”

“Ah,” he replied with a nod, stabbing a piece of meat with his knife, held by the girl with tan skin, and then chewing for a few seconds before continuing, his mouth still partially full. “That must have been a hard life,” he commented.

“I would say it’s a stressful life, your majesty.”

He nodded, frowning now as he stabbed another piece of meat, his dark eyes looking me over. “And you’re a healer?”

“I am, your majesty,” I replied politely.

He nodded, still chewing as he moved his knife toward the bowl again, except this time going beneath it.

Unexpectedly, in one swift motion, he swiped the sharp blade against the tan flesh of the girl holding it, immediately slicing open her wrist, instantly causing her fingers of her right hand to go limp, causing her to nearly drop the bowl.

Her green eyes flew open in horror and alarm, sincere fear and pain causing her entire body to tremble, blood immediately gushing out onto her knees and the floor beneath her. And yet, even despite that, not only did she not scream, but she also desperately tried to keep holding the bowl up with her palm, the fingers of her left hand grasping it tightly.

Her entire body was shaking violently, even more blood gushing out, and yet her wide terrified eyes remained focused on the king.

The king who was now licking the blade, staring at me as if he was waiting for some kind of reaction.

I gave him none.

Didn’t even look at the girl.

He finally spoke up, sounding amused. “I’ve never met a male healer. Certainly not one that looked like you,” he added, focusing on my shoulders and chest. “So prove it.”

I simply held out my hand out toward her, not even looking, only speaking for his benefit.

“Heal.”

Instantly, the blood stopped flowing, she regained control of her limp fingers, and her trembling even calmed down a little. However…

Her green eyes were still wide.

She was still afraid.

Terrified even.

Her gaze almost unfocused as she continued to stare up at the king, trying her best to keep the bowl of meat steady, no doubt fearing worse happening to her if she didn’t meet his expectations.

The king laughed. “Ha! Wow, you really are a healer, huh?” He laughed again, only to focus on the young Lord, who was as stiff as a board. “You may leave, Cassian. I want to talk to him alone for a few minutes.”

“Your majesty,” he immediately complained. “I would strongly urge you to reconsider.”

The king scoffed. “You heard me. Go stand in the hall. Go on now,” he emphasized, waving his hand. “Out you go.”

After a brief hesitation, he turned around without looking at me and did exactly as asked of him, marching out of the room and closing the large wooden door behind him.

Bad move.

Despite not reacting outwardly, I was close to abandoning all our plans…

And slaughtering this bastard right here and now.

My jaw was set firmly…

As I briefly debated what I would do.

Knowing the fate of our kingdoms…

Rested on my decision.

FEEDBACK: Thoughts on this chapter?

I think you're going to really like what I have planned for the next couple of chapters. There will be some infuriating things, like what happened to the one girl (even worse, unfortunately), but also some justice eventually.

Chapter 37 >>

LIST OF STORIES >>

LIST OF ARTWORK >>