Crazy Duke and Fallen Queen

The doctor visits Alexander and prescribes some medicine with a worried face. He orders to keep the room warm but to wipe him with cold towels to cool down his skin.

«The Lord needs to drink a lot,» he says, then.

I nod, mentally listing the tasks.

Then, the medic grabs the blanket and uncovers my husband all of a sudden.

«I need some aquavit, my Lady,» he mutters, and I open the room to order the servants.

I can't maintain the fire by myself, so I'll have to call someone to help me. However, what will the doctor do with the alcohol?

When the bottle arrives, he infuses a pair of socks in the beverage and puts them at the Duke's feet. Then, he also soaks a towel and ties it around the neck.

I just look at them, dumbfounded.

«This will help with the fever,» the doctor explained. «Meanwhile, someone can wipe the Lord's face with a cold towel. I've already made him take some honeysuckle, the fever should soon calm down.»

I just nod and walk towards the bed.

«Thank you, doctor. I'll call for you if there is any change, so please don't go too far,» I whisper while moving a lock of hair from the Duke's forehead.

Alexander is still shaking. I hope the remedy will start working soon.

I wipe his face and chest, focusing on his breath. It looks like he's gasping, but it might be an effect of the fever.

It takes almost an hour for my Duke to calm down. When he stops trembling, I drag an armchair to the bed and sit on it.

I've brought the basic set for embroidering with me, so I can try the two stitched I saw the nanny was using.

It's not as easy as it looks when someone else is doing it, but it's not impossible either.

The result of my efforts is sloppy. I'll need to train a lot before showing the job to anyone else.

When I prick myself with a needle, I toss the work on the floor and check on Alexander.

His fever is now just noticeable, and he's sleeping soundly. However, the doctor said to make him drink water.

I fix the pillows behind my Duke's back and try to make him drink, but the water flows down on his chin. His lips stay closed.

I try to open his mouth with my fingers, but most of the liquid keeps flowing down.

It seems that I don't have a choice.

I add some other pillows so that my Duke is closer to a sitting position and take a sip myself. Then, I force my lips on his and split them open. I push the water in his mouth with my tongue and wait for him to swallow.

I repeat the procedure for a couple of times until the Duke chokes. He starts coughing, and I panic for a second.

I didn't just hurt him, right? He won't drown, will he?

When Alexander opens his eyes, he stares at me with a dark expression.

«Thea,» he whispers, and he goes back to sleep again.

«No, no! Drink some more!» I exclaim, but he's already back in his dreams. I lean the cup back on the bedside table, and I consider moving the pillows to the side to let him lie down comfortably.

Even though I was almost sure that he's sleeping, he grabs my hand and squeezes. He murmurs something, but I can't understand what he's saying.

«I hoped I would stay with you a bit longer,» he says, after a minute of silence. He opens his eyes again and stares at me with watery pupils. I don't know if he's conscious of his words, but it sounds like he thinks he's dying.

«You'll be like new tomorrow,» I note. The fever has gone down, and my Duke is breathing regularly. If he doesn't worsen during the night, then it will finally be all over.

«I hope you're right, my Queen,» he continues, and I startle when I hear the way he calls me.

«I am not a queen, Alexander,» I point out.

«You will always be... always... my Queen,» he breathes. He's not looking at me, so I can't tell what he's feeling.

Is he flirting with me, perhaps? This shameless moron!

«Spare your energies to heal,» I sigh.

«I don't mind dying if it's in your arms...»

Oh, my... He's really hopeless. Have the odours of aquavit clouded his thoughts?

«I wouldn't be happy about that,» I reply. «I wouldn't like to hold a corpse, so please wait a few minutes.»

«No, no, don't go away,» he complains and pulls my hand on his chest. «Stay with me...»

«I'm not going anywhere far, Alexander. I'll just sit on the chair.»

«No,» he pouts.

I snort while caressing his head. I sit by his side while he surrounds my waist with his arms and leans his head on my lap. I stay like this until he falls asleep.

Only then, I manage to sit back on the armchair. I embroider for the rest of the evening, starting to understand how to do the cross stitch symmetrically. I'll be able to write letters soon.

I try to embroider an A, but I choose the wrong proportions, and it turns out shorter than I wanted. Oh, for sure, I won't show this to my Duke. I'll redo it until it's acceptable, and then I'll gift him a handkerchief.

Once done, I walk out and show the clothing to the nanny. She examines the letter with a keen eye, and then she nods satisfied.

She's obviously lying. It's not all right. Yet, I smile happily that my first try didn't turn in a painting of blood.

Then, I eye the nanny's work, and all my enthusiasm dies down. She's been using so many colours. And she's way faster than me. I think she's drawing two children running in a green garden. Oh my, it's a form of art! I can't even visualise something like that, let alone decide which colour to imprint in which point!

«Will I even be able to make something like that?» I ask, without even realising that I've talked out loud.

The nanny shrugs, making me understand that she doesn't know the answer, but that it doesn't matter so much. I guess I have other talents that I can exploit. If I save enough money, I can pay someone to embroider Alexander's initial for me. The most challenging part will be to keep it a secret.

I walk back into the room and sit back on the armchair. I fold my legs at my side and continue with the work. Even though I'm terrible, it helps me distract.

Alexander doesn't move for the whole time, so I lower my guard and relax. Gradually, I move to sit more comfortably. I even steal a pillow from the bed.

In the end, I lean my head on the side and continue to embroider with less attention each second. I don't even notice how my eyes feel heavy, and I fall asleep without realising.

I'm all crouched on the chair. My head is half on the armrest and half on the pillow.

I dream about the needle passing through the fabric and creating a beautiful yet modest black A. Oh, if only I could do it in real life...

I could embroider all of my Duke's shirts and handkerchiefs. Everyone would know that he has a wife that takes care of him. Not just a parasite that only knows how to profit on his kindness.

When I open my eyes, my neck hurts like hell and my legs tingle. I unfold them, and a pang of pain hits my knees. Oh, I shouldn't have slept like that. Now, I have to wait for my blood to circulate again before being able to walk again!

I lift my gaze and look at the bed.

Alexander is awake and lying on the side. He has an arm folded under his head, and his eyes are fixed on me. He smiles when our gazes meet.

He has removed the alcoholic bandage around his neck, and the socks as well. He's not trembling, so he must be all right.

Still, he's uncovered and barefooted.

I narrow my eyebrows and grip the blanket. My legs are crossed by that painful electricity once again, but I ignore it. I just sit down to avoid falling like an idiot.

I tuck the sheets for my Duke and touch his face to sense his temperature. Since it seems normal, I move my fingers on his neck and chest. Still good.

I sigh, relieved that the hard part is finally over.

«Aren't you going to touch some more?» he teases me, but I'm so happy that he's alive that I don't reply.

After all, he said naughty things even when he thought he was dying. How can I expect of him to act seriously now?

I peck his forehead and stay next to him. Partially, it's because the tingle in my legs hasn't stopped yet.

«I should scold you until your ears bleed,» I whisper. 

Yet, I don't have any energy to complain.