Doctor Abbott

by Michelle Laverdure

  Mark shook his head, “You’re on your own man. I’m fine with laying low, I like breathing.” With that he stormed off to go home.

  The next day Kevin decided to test his theory, he went to the tavern alone. He talked with a few warriors and when Reagan made his nightly stop in Kevin brought him over a drink, “So is it true what I hear about doctor Abbott moving to King William’s island?”

  Reagan stood up straight at the question, inflating his chest to show off his immense size. Kevin immediately backed off to put some distance between himself and the warrior. Reagan finished the drink he had been given in one gulp and slammed the mug on the counter. Then he took a single claw up to Kevin’s throat, “Now tell me where you heard such a thing.”

  “It was some female gossip, sir. I did not realize it would be offensive I just meant to congratulate him. They said he was offered a handsome salary.” He was leaning away from the creature’s built-in weapon but looking down at it carefully as he did so.

  Reagan relaxed his stance, “You need to tread lightly where female gossip is concerned. You play with a man’s life on words like that.”

  Kevin gently swiped the claw from his neck, “I’m sorry I thought the doctor was a free man now. Is it a crime for him to leave?”

  “That is not your concern, now is it? I suggest you take leave unless you want me to haul you before the king.” Reagan sneered as he shoved Kevin off the bar seat.

  Kevin left the tavern feeling confident with the seed he had just planted.

  The next day a merchant caravan made it to the square with supplies from King William’s village for trade. One of the merchants sought out Reagan and offered him a box. “This is for the Doctor, it is a package from our king. Will you see that he gets it?”

  Reagan looked a little apprehensive about taking the package and the merchant got nervous, “If you do not know where he is I can take the time to track him down. I was hoping to save some time. I still have other goods to sell and have a list of stuff to track down for my wife.”

  The guard accepted the package and brought it up to the king. He found Mâvis just wrapping up a land dispute and waited for the men he was with to leave the great room, “Sir, there was a package sent from King William.”

  “Excellent,” Mâvis smiled and gestured to the table, “Bring it, I will see what is inside.”

  Reagan cleared his throat, “It is for Abbott, sir.”

  Mâvis drew a claw through the strap on the crate popping it off with ease, “Well, then what are you waiting for? Retrieve him.” He said as he started pawing through the contents.

  “Yes, sir.” The guard left to fetch the doctor.

  A few minutes later he found Lúta in their cottage preparing dinner. She answered the door looking hesitantly outside for a moment, “Is there something I can help you with Reagan?”

  “Is your husband home? The king would like to see him.”

  She rolled her eyes, “Honestly, Reagan, if you are here it is only to bring my husband to the king.”

  He barged his way in to see if Ben was home, “Do you mock my duty, woman? Is he here or not?”

  She shook her head, “He is working, one of his clients was too sick to come the clinic, so he brought his medicine to him.”

  “Where?”

  She glared up at him defiantly, “The glass maker and you are to return him home the moment he is done with the king.”

  “My orders do not come from you, Lúta.” With that he slammed the door closed behind him.

  Reagan found Ben where Lúta said he would be. He was tending to an apprentice who had gotten careless with his work and burned a bit of hair and skin. Ben looked up from his treatment as the guard stormed in, “You are being summoned to the palace.”

  Ben chuckled, “Alright, I’ll be finished in just a few minutes.”

  “No, you will come now.”

  Ben’s face immediately washed into worry, “Is something wrong, is someone ill?”

  Reagan grabbed Ben’s arm, “No, you are to be seen by the king.”

  Now realizing he wasn’t even going to have time to pack his medical bag he turned apologetically to the shop owner as Reagan hauled him to the door, “I’m sorry there will be no charge for this session. Please see that my bag is brought home for me.”

  He thought he saw the shop keeper nod as they left, but it was all so hurried he couldn’t quite be sure. Ben snatched his arm back after being nearly dragged through the village. “Alright, Reagan! I’m coming willingly, no need to be so rough.”

  The guard paused to growl at him and Ben passed by glaring back and rubbing his arm. Ben then picked up his pace to keep ahead of the aggravated beast.

  Ben found the king in the great hall going through the contents of a crate. Mâvis smiled at him the moment he walked in, “Ah, there you are. It seems our good friend King William has sent you a package.”

  “Is that all? I was dragged here so abruptly I thought there might be something wrong.” Ben shot a glare to Reagan who was now at the door.

  The guard cleared his throat, “Sir, I need to tell you something.” But before he could get his last words out Genevieve was strolling in with Jocelyn at her feet.

  Mâvis responded after kissing his wife, “Is it of an urgent nature?”

  Reagan thought on it as he watched Ben interact with the family, picking up Jocelyn for a hug and leaning over to accept a quick kiss on the cheek from the queen. The king was clearly in a chipper mood at seeing Abbott. Perhaps he was wrong on his assumptions. Perhaps Kevin was lying or heard wrong. Finally he replied, “No, sir. It is not.”

  “Good, then you can allow us some privacy, I am sure.” The last words rolled off Mâvis’s tongue with a bit of a warning and Reagan quietly ducked out.

  Ben smiled as he started examining the contents of the crate, “Wow, William put a lot into this. I’m impressed.” He held in one hand a bottle of cognac and in the other a couple bars of chocolate. The rest of the crate contained a bag of rice, a stethoscope, a pocket watch. Some canned fruits that had to have come from a human vessel or the spirit trader. The more he dug through the contents the more he marveled at what the container held.

  “So what is all this?” Mâvis inquired.

  Ben reached in his pocket for his Swiss army knife and pulled out a can opener. He made quick work of a couple of the cans, smiling mischievously as he did so. “Why don’t we find out, sir?”

  The first can he opened contained pineapple. He took out a ring of it and immediately offered the first piece to Jocelyn. She puckered viciously as she tasted the fruit, drawing matching scowls from both the king and the queen. Ben offered them both a slice before taking one for himself.

  Ben tried not to laugh too hard at the king’s expense as his face quickly matched his daughter’s. Genevieve was clearly enjoying the fruit as she plucked another out of the can that was offered to her. “That is a tropical fruit, it grows in warmer climates.”

  The next can he tackled had peaches in it and Jocelyn loved those, wanting more immediately.

  The last can he tried had pears in it and Mâvis took it over being the only thing that he liked so far. Genevieve handed Ben a long rectangular bar and this one got the biggest smile from Ben. “This is chocolate, interesting that you would be drawn to it. It is said that women have a natural affliction for this and even enjoy it more than sex.”

  That got a growl from the king. Ben laughed as he tore open the paper wrapper and pealed back the silver foil. He broke off a piece to offer it to the queen. “Don’t eat it quickly, let it melt in your mouth a bit. That’s the best way to enjoy it.”

  Mâvis watched suspiciously as his wife tried to hide a giggle. Mâvis snapped a piece off the bar on the table, sniffed it and tested it briefly with his tongue before popping it into his mouth. He grunted and sneered a bit, “This one is not so good, it sticks to my tongue.”

  “Really? I’m shocked, I have never met anyone that didn’t like chocolate. This foo
d is so valued by humans that it is even thought to dull pain and affect mood. In some parts of the world there are wars going on over this very food.” Ben offered a piece to Jocelyn. After tasting it she put her peaches aside and snatched up the rest of the bar on the table.

  Mâvis inquired. “A war, over something as simple as this? Are they starving?”

  “A bit, but those wars are a huge part of why they are starving. Cocoa is a major source of wealth for those places and their other resources are taken for granted or destroyed to make room for this sort of crop.” Next Ben cracked open the cognac, “Here try a splash of that in your tea.”

  Mâvis sniffed the liquor before taking a swig off the bottle. He then examined the bottle before replying, “I like this, very nice.”

  “It is made from the same fruit as the wine you tasted at King William’s palace.” Ben poured some of the contents of the bottle into a mug for Genevieve, then some for himself. “There is another bottle in here, why don’t you and Genie take this one.”

  He also left a couple more of the chocolate bars for the queen and the princess before packing up the rest of the crate, “I have to say I am incredibly impressed by the assortment of stuff he acquired. I wonder if he would take requests. Do you think I should make him something in return? None of this stuff was easy to come by.”

  Mâvis tooled through the can of pears he was still working on, even drinking the juice left over, “I am sure he will be delighted to see what you come up with. Inquire on more of this one.” Mâvis shoved the empty can back to Ben. “Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?”

  “I’m afraid my wife and I have plans already, I hope you’re not insulted. Perhaps we can come tomorrow?” Ben packed up the crate and moved to lift it.

  Mâvis took note of the size of the box, “Reagan can bring that back for you, send him in on your way out. We will expect you and your wife tomorrow.”

  Ben nodded at the request and left. Seeing Reagan outside the door he commented cheerfully, “Looks like all is well after all, glad to see it was nothing truly urgent. Is it possible you could help me with the package?”

  Reagan answered with a mild grunt and went into the great hall to retrieve it. Mâvis was in the middle of sealing the crate back up when the guard approached. “So, Reagan, what was it you needed me for?”

  “It appears I may have been mistaken on the thought. All is well.” He picked up the crate to leave.

  “And what thought would that be?” Mâvis crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for a reply, eyeing the guard suspiciously.

  “There were murmurs in the tavern last night of Abbott taking position with King William. When this package arrived I assumed it was related to the story. I see now that it was nothing more than a story. I hope you are not as alarmed by it as I was.”

  “And who was the source of this story?”

  “That is what bothers me about it. There was discussion all over the tavern last night, although the human named Kevin questioned me directly. I find this unusual as the humans are incredibly leery of me for the most part. They would be more likely to approach Thomas for inquiries related to the palace.”

  Mâvis chewed at his lip for a second as he thought over the events of the evening. Abbott had not acted in the least bit peculiar, but then again he was well trained in how to behave in the presence of his former master. But he wouldn’t betray his king in that fashion. Abbott’s style was far more direct. Should he want to leave he certainly would start his negotiations here with his king.

  Deciding he would not feed these rumors with another thought he dismissed Reagan with a warning, “Should you hear any further discussion I wish to be notified. Story or not I will question your sources myself.” Reagan nodded and left to bring Ben his goods.

  When Ben got home Lúta was waiting for him, her anger wearing heavy on her face, “Reagan was here looking for you. Why do you entertain the king still?”

  “I told you already, he is the king. How am I to refuse him?”

  “You are a free man now you have the right to refuse him. Ben you need to stop answering his calls.”

  He lowered his voice, “Reagan is on his way here can we discuss this later?”

  The guard was already coming through the door however, “Where do you want this, human?” Ben pointed to the table and stood with his hand on his hips staring at his wife. She lowered her eyes realizing how careless she was being with her discussion.

  Reagan responded to what he heard on his way in, “You do know if you refuse him he will just invite himself over. Just because you are master of your own title does not mean you are free of him. I have known Mâvis since he was a cub, he is not one you want to test when it comes to loyalty. Why do you think I came to work for him? He will be loyal to his people without fail.”

  “I have no intention on refusing him, my wife is just nervous in his company at times. I am not, I enjoy his company. Honestly, since I moved out of the palace I rather miss him. He can be quite witty at times.” Ben paused as Lúta scoffed and stormed out of the room. “She loves Genie, I’m not sure why she’s so upset. But I’ll talk to her, I swear.” The guard nodded and left, feeling more comfortable after talking to Ben.

  Chapter 39

  The next evening Ben packed up a few items for King William, including an old French story book he was offered by a client. Despite her protests he managed to convince Lúta to join him for dinner at the palace.

  They entered the great room with the items in hand and Ben offered them up to Mâvis, “I was thinking if you had anything going across the pond that I could throw them in your crate.”

  Mâvis plucked up the book with odd writing on it, “I have nothing this time, what is this?”

  “It is for the boy that washed up on shore. Some stories in his own language. He may find it reminds him of home, or at least is something familiar in a world where nothing is really familiar as of yet.” Ben tooled through his food, cutting into his meat. He took a sip off his tea and noticed that it tasted of cognac and looked into his mug. “That is good, sir. What do you think of it?”

  “Not bad. Not as strong as what I am used to.” Mâvis was eyeing Ben intently as he ate. “Abbott, are you enjoying your cottage?”

  Ben took immediate note of the odd question but didn’t skip a beat in eating his meal as he responded, “Of course, it’s very comfortable. We have everything we need there, including room for a family.” He smiled warmly hoping to crack through the king’s stiff gaze.

  Mâvis saw nothing alarming in Ben’s reply but noticed Lúta freeze and lower her fork as soon as he asked the question, “And what about you, Lúta? Is your new home to your liking?”

  Genevieve put her hand on Lúta’s signaling her not to answer, “Mâvis, of course they are happy, let them be. What kind of question is that anyway?”

  “Just seeing if they are in need of anything, love.” He smirked sarcastically before addressing Ben again, “You do know if you are in need of anything you can come to me, do you not?”

  Ben was now feeling significantly bothered by the direction of the conversation, “Of course I do and hope that you would do the same.” Ben took another bite of his food, chewing slower now as he tried to process what was going on. “Is there something bothering you, sir? You seem a bit on edge this evening.”

  Mâvis straightened up and started on his own food as if it was just put in front of him, “Not at all Abbott, please enjoy your food.” But the king spent most of his meal now taking frequent mental notes of Lúta’s disposition. It wasn’t long before Ben noticed and the rest of dinner went along rather quietly. The king took one last look at both of them and stormed out of the room.

  Ben wiped his mouth and placed his napkin on the table, “I suppose I should go talk to him.”

  Lúta stood before Ben could even get up, “You will not, take me home. I want no more of this.”

  Genevieve grabbed her friend’s hand, “Lúta, it is alright, stay. You kn
ow how Mâvis gets. Please do not leave me to finish my meal alone. You too Abbott, please just enjoy your dinner. I have missed you both so much. The palace is empty without you here.”

  Ben paused for a moment, “I will not sleep tonight if I don’t figure out what is going on.”

  As soon as Ben left Genie turned to Lúta, “There is rumor that Ben was offered a position with King William. Reagan heard discussion of it in the tavern the other night.”

  Lúta looked shocked, “If he did, Ben told me nothing of it. However, I would support him completely if he did.” Lúta attempted to finish her meal now that she was alone with the queen.

  “If it is true Mâvis would feel highly betrayed, it was his biggest fear in freeing Ben.” Genevieve reached for Lúta’s hand to get her attention, “Plus I would miss you terribly. Truly you are like a sister to me now. I am not even sure what I would do without you.”

  “You know I love you and Jocelyn, but your husband is dangerous and controlling. We will never have peace here. It does not matter that Ben is no longer his slave. So long as we live here Ben will be in your husband’s shadow. I will not live that way. I will not let our cub live that way.” She covered her stomach as if to shield herself.

  Genie gasped at the realization of what Lúta was saying, “Are you pregnant?” Lúta nodded through her now teary eyes. Genevieve scooted closer and covered her friend’s stomach with her own hand, “I swear to you Ben is safe and he is free. The king is just in fear of losing his friend. I will talk to him and put this right. Please can we put all this talk of King William’s offer to rest? With everything else Mâvis has to deal with the last thing he wants to hear is that his friend is leaving.”

  Lúta stood to leave, “That is just it though, if Ben was truly free it would not matter to Mâvis what he does. We are still prisoners here, maybe not in the palace anymore but tell me for even a moment could Ben take a step off this island? What would happen to him? What if anyone else wanted to take a step off the island? Would the king care?” Genevieve’s mouth hung open as she wasn’t even sure how to answer the question. Lúta wiped her eyes, “You know I am right, Genie.” With that she took her shawl and left.