Hade's Rose

Chapter Six: Berated

"You should have told me it was all getting too much for you" rebuked Edna, her finger wagging at me pointedly.

I was currently sat propped up with extra pillows in my little bedroom. Apparently, it had been quite the drama when Henry arrived in the medical suite with me in his arms. I don't remember this, but was told retrospectively by Edna who is committed now to telling me off for over-exerting myself, not eating enough and I believe dehydration had even been mentioned at one point.

The Doctor, a human elderly gentleman by the name of Livesey, had wanted to run some blood tests on me when I came round not long after I'd been dropped off. This had been before Edna had been sent for, or anyone else was in the room, and I'd refused as it would involve pulling up my sleeves. I feigned a fear of needles and merely promised Dr. Livesey I'd simply forgotten to have breakfast that morning. Although, come to think of it... I think I did forget to eat anything, too worried about bumping into Alice in the canteen.

When Edna arrived, the two had discussed quite candidly in front of me that I need to be more careful and look after myself better. Damn... the last thing I needed right now was more scrutiny, so much for staying under the radar. Dr Livesey wrote me a note to say I needed to be put on bedrest for a week to help regain some weight and get over what looked to be the beginnings of a fever. I had no way of saying that bedrest was probably the last thing good for me at the moment and that the fever was just a result from the sensory overload that morning. My immune system was already weak, and from what I'd managed to scrounge in my research, Mate Deprival basically caused the immune system to shut down over time. Eventually what would kill me would probably be the common cold.

The Doctor released me from his care sometime late in the afternoon, with the proviso that I return to him at the end of the week for a weigh-in and a check-up. Even though it was working against me, I was forced to feel proud of such a diligent medical service here in the Palace, such a contrast to what I grew up with. We had one local doctor and a few medical assistants, who needed to serve a community of about four thousand. The only exception being the nurses who came to give us our implants, Wolfwomen who appeared for a day each year at the local human school.

Edna had made sure I was safely tucked up in my bed, fetching extra pillows and blankets, and surrounding me with soup and tea. Once I was settled, she'd begun her tirade upon my health, but I could see it was just fuelled by worry. Over the last year, we'd grown companionably close Edna and me. She has a daughter who'd moved away eight years ago to the Port Isla to work and ended up settling there. I know Edna misses her.

"For the rest of the week, the only thing I will expect you to be doing is walking from here to the Dining Hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Understood?" Edna's sharp tone caused me to refocus.

"Yes" I replied meekly. "Who will do my jobs instead?" an uncomfortable feeling of jealousy spiked within me, a sudden unwillingness to share the King's private rooms with any of the other young servants.

"I suppose I can sort out the Royal quarters for this week" pondered Edna, her fiery onslaught halting in the face of practicalities. I relaxed back into my pillows, unthreatened by the thought of Edna taking care of my duties temporarily. It was more the idea of one of the housemaids taking my role and then being given it permanently, as they would surely be able to do it faster.

"Thank-you Edna" I smiled gratefully, trying to infuse as much sincerity as I could into my words.

Edna sighed, her bread hair bobbing as she perched herself on the end of my bed. Her work toughened hands giving my feet beneath the blanket a comforting squeeze. "I think I just panicked when that huge Delta warrior came running into the kitchen, his words all in a muddle and his hands flapping as he tried to explain that you'd collapsed." Edna snorted, smiling at the memory, but turned serious again, "I then got an official message from the King who wants an investigation made into the treatment of his staff."

I stared guiltily into Edna's face, "I'm so sorry" I uttered. Self-reproach pulling my shoulders down and causing my eyes to mist over. I'd always hated disappointing anyone, especially those I looked up to.

"It's not your fault silly girl!" Edna shoved my shoulder playfully. "The King is just doing his duty."

Guilt seeped into me, thinking of the extra work I had caused for my friends by my carelessness. "Is he not overreacting slightly?" I asked. In the first month I'd tried quite actively to find out about the King's character and his reputation, surreptitiously asking fellow humans questions and making inquiries. But, after I'd resolved not to reveal myself, all such inquiries stopped as I saw no point in torturing myself with what was not meant to be. Although, since working in his quarters my obsession with him has been renewed, but at least this time I am more covert about it.

"Oh no Dearie, surely you must have noticed by now how diligent King Hadrian is. He's ever so careful that his citizens are properly taken care of." Edna smiled brightly. She is a pure royalist and has been a faithful servant of the crown her entire working life. "You should know that yourself after all he did once the Bane Pack had been exposed! My, you should have heard the uproar in the courts. It was quite the drama I can tell you." Edna confided, although I'd heard this from her a few times before. When his spies had returned from secretly surveying my home pack after an anonymous tip off from someone, the King commissioned half his Delta warriors to surround the Bane territories and force its surrender to the Crown, with him at the front of the mighty ensemble.

Shuddering to myself and pushing the memories away, I tried to look a bit dozy (which admittedly wasn't hard). Edna soon excused herself, but not without promising to check on me in the morning. I just smiled wanly, the light fever and events of the day causing me to drift off into sleep.