father.”
Raygan gave her fake Princess smile and opened her father’s door. The Bishop was another man who had never looked at her with any desire, and she was glad of it. She didn’t like Lyfair or Selmac for that matter. The Bishop made her skin crawl and Selmac was very odd and smelled funny.
The cups and plates rattled on the tray as she closed the door. Her father turned his head and saw it was her he smiled weakly. “My beautiful dove has brought me breakfast.” He looked better today—or was she just telling herself that not wanting to believe how sick he truly was?
He was sitting up in his huge canopy bed. His thin gray hair was a mess, but the color of his skin was not as pallid as it was yesterday. Her father had once been a very handsome man. In the last few years, he had grown heavy from all he ate and drank and then the sickness had stolen away what was left of his good looks. The only thing the illness had spared was his beautiful eyes.
“You need light in here.” The Princess set the tray down on the table near the foot of her father’s bed. She walked across the room and pulled open the massive drapes that covered the King’s window. The sun instantly lit up the room shining through the windows like a radiant spear. The Princess’s lips tightened as she saw the large amount of dust motes flitting around in the rays of sunlight. “I told your servants I wanted theses windows open, and this room cleaned. They have gotten lazy since you’ve been sick.” It took almost all the strength the petite girl had to push open the gigantic windows of the King’s bedchamber. Once they were open she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her father’s room smelled of disease. The fresh air would do them both some good.
The King shielded his eyes. The sun was bright for someone that stayed closed up in a dark room day in and day out.
“Lord Selmac told the servants to keep those shut. Finn said it was not good for my breathing,” the King said, squinting.
“Nonsense, Finn Selmac is a fool and an incompetent healer. How can you get any better closed up in the dark breathing filthy air?” The Princess ran her finger across the footboard of the King’s bed and held it up for him to see.” This room is unacceptable, I guess since you’re sick the servants don’t feel the need to work, every one should be…”
“Raygan,” her father grumbled. “Not a very nice attitude, young lady. My servants do their best, and Finn Selmac has been my friend for years. He’s just doing what he thinks is best.” The King broke into a coughing fit then cleared his throat, spitting a large amount of phlegm into a bowl that set on his bedside table. Raygan turned her head. The King spoke quieter when he continued. “Besides being my friend he has seen to your health since you were a child. You should show the surgeon a little respect, my dear.”
“He never did anything for me more complicated than wipe my nose,” the Princess said with a flip of her hand.
The King coughed again and this time he wiped his mouth with a rag. He clutched the nasty thing tightly in his hand. The cough had gotten worse over the last month. “Finn is my healer, he is the man I chose and that’s the end of it.”
Raygan rolled her eyes and picked up the tray of food from the table. The small girl walked over and sat down on the great bed by her father. “Now eat this before it gets cold.” She scooped up a spoon full of the King’s favorite porridge. “Now open up, you need to eat so you can start getting your strength back.”
The King took a very small bite off the spoon, she wiped his mouth. She tried to hand him a cup of water, but King Aaron’s hand was shaking so hard Raygan had to help guide the cup to his mouth. He drank deeply as if he had not had a drink of water in days. When he was done, she wiped the water he had spilt off his face and chest.
“My, dear sweet girl, you’re the only one that thinks I have any chance of getting better. I’m afraid I must tell you you’re wasting your time.”
“You