Apples of Gold (complete)

Part 20 - Saving Joseph

Part 20 - Saving Joseph ©2018 CarolynAnnAish 

Over twenty very long hours had passed since the scene in the throne room...

Doctor Wells, having consulted with all the city doctors who could be summoned gave the composite prognosis to the king and queen of Justiceburg, the captains and others who met in a chamber beside the one where Joseph lay.

"We have the painful duty to announce to you, Your Majesties, that Sir Joseph's days on this earth are numbered. We cannot heal him from the poison that has entered his frame. We are all most distressed, Your Majesties, and offer you our heartfelt condolences. The best that can be done is to make him comfortable; attend to his needs and seek to carry out his last wishes."

"How...how long... will it be?" the queen asked, wishing with all her broken heart that she had not asked this question, but wanting to know.

"No more than a week, Your Majesty," Doctor Wells said; "and, perhaps, two or three days." Silence followed these words. The queen began to sob and left the room to return to sit beside the bed where Joseph lay.

"It's our advice, Your Majesties," Doctor Wells said to the king, "that you refuse liquids or food of any kind; that way, it will be easier for him."

If Joseph had been a son born to the king and queen, they could not have been more devastated by Doctor Well's prognosis of impending death for him. Such was their deep grief at these words, they saw no one else's reaction to the news. From the lowest to the highest, in the castle, who knew of Joseph's sacrifice for the king, were in shock.

The captains, not consulting the king, convened a special meeting, to share their united grief and to discuss, not only how this had happened, but how to prevent any repeat of such premeditated betrayal and treason, enacted right in the innermost sanctuary, before the eyes of those who should have had the powers to prevent it.

"I should have been the one to sit there," Captain Randell asserted. Others repeated this statement, until Captain Randell announced; "No one should have been poisoned. But we must agree; Joseph did this, not just for King Lemuel, but for us all; we should have done it, not only for the king, but for Joseph. The least and the best we can do is to pray to God that somehow, somehow..." bowing his head, his voice broke, then he continued, "we must pray that Joseph will be spared. Pray that God, in His wisdom and kindness will see fit to allow Joseph to recover health and one day to sit on the throne of our beloved kingdom."

"We must repeat the search in the city for both this 'Poisy' woman and Faidor, not just go door to door this time but search within each house and all the inns for anyone in hiding," Captain Berman asserted.

"Yes," another captain agreed, adding, "we must then, send companies out to every other village, town and city; scour the countryside. They will be somewhere, and likely together."

"Perhaps someone sponsored them, do you think?" Karl suggested.

"Likely," Captain Randall agreed, adding, "We must look diligently at every possibility; perhaps even someone who wants the throne; it could go that high."

***

Joseph was alternately in pain, terrifying pain, then his legs felt numb. He heard people talking about him; the queen's soft voice telling him how much she loved him; the king agreeing with her. He believed he dreamed a good dream. On opening his eyes, he couldn't focus and soon closed them, moaning so deeply that when he stopped, those in the room thought he had ceased breathing.

The king had commanded that Joseph be placed in the bedchamber closest to the king's and queen's quarters. This chamber soon filled with court people who needed to be near the king and queen at a time like this and although the crowd around the walls grew, and people stood for hours at a time, no one told them to leave.