Mist on the Moon

He's brave to stay with her

The next morning Trent called a special meeting of his royal knights. He called it early, before breakfast. The subject dealt with the best way to prevent the disease from reaching into the heart of Bavaria. Nine royal knights sat around the table, including two who were yawning. Justin was among the knights, but one man was conspicuously absent. It was Patrick, Trent's long time best friend, who always took the seat to the right of the king.

"Has anyone seen Patrick?" asked Trent, but no one had yet seen him on this morning. Trent motioned to one of the knights who stood near the door ready to do his bidding. "Go, check on Patrick." Then he began their meeting.

"Gentlemen, most of you know what this is about. It is because of the serious disease that has already stricken part of our kingdom, and now is raging in Augsburg. We must find a way to prevent it from spreading."

"Can we not post guards along all the roads to make sure none are traveling who are afflicted with the disease?" posed Talbot.

"But can we tell simply by looking who has it?" asked Conrad.

"I think checking those traveling on the roads may be a good idea," said Trent. "Patrick has told us that those carrying the disease show great lethargy and also run a high fever."

The guard returned. "I went to Patrick's suite. I found him lying in his bed, huddled in blankets. He is obviously not well. If I understood him correctly, he told me he has it, whatever that means."

The color seemed to drain from Trent's face. "Oh, no!" he almost shouted. "Then he has it! Wait here," he told them.

Trent went immediately to Patrick's suite. He knocked on the door and from inside he heard Patrick's slightly muffled voice, "It's open."

Walking quickly past the living room toward the bedroom he looked inside the semi-dark room to see Patrick, almost completely covered with blankets. "Patrick?"

"Yes, my lord." He answered, his voice not sounding like himself.

"I'm sorry. Did you get it too?"

"Yes. It's terrible. Stay away, Trent. You don't want to get this."

"Can we get you anything?"

'No. Not hungry. Sick to my stomach and cold. Really cold."

"You take care, Patrick. I'll send a doctor."

"Yes."

Trent would have gone close, but he was afraid for himself, but even more for his wife and children. He didn't want to take a chance on infecting them. He returned to the meeting, telling his knights that there is no use in checking on those who are traveling. He told them Patrick seemed perfectly healthy the evening before when he made his report to him. The meeting broke up and Trent was left with the feeling that his family might be in danger as it was just the night before that Patrick had stopped to tell them about the disease. Now, Trent didn't know what to do.

He went to visit the doctors. They told him that Rainart, the doctor who was sick seemed to be improving a little. That in itself was good news to Trent. The disease, whatever it might be, was apparently not a death warrant. But as he talked more with the doctors he came to realize that while a healthy person might expect to recover, an older person or a child might not. On leaving the operations center, he was far from content.

He returned to their suite and once there gave a big hug to Cara and then to Kirah and Brendan.

"Things went well at your meeting?" asked Cara.

"No, actually not. I'm just so happy to see that we are all healthy." Then, in a more somber manner he added, "Patrick has come down with it, Cara."

"No! He was just here last night and seemed hale and hearty."

"I know. That's what's so discouraging. I visited Patrick in his rooms today. He sounds terrible and was bundled up as if it was the middle of winter with no heat."

"I'm so sorry for him." Then Cara had another thought. "Trent," she said, a worried look on her face. He turned to her. "Trent, when you went to Patrick's suite, you didn't. . ."

"No," he answered, knowing where her thoughts were going. "No, Cara, I stayed away from him."

"Thank God!" she sighed. She went to hug her husband. For now, at least, their family was out of danger.

* * *

But, in another part of the kingdom, Evie suddenly was not feeling well. Their party, including Lord Alexander von Stauffenberg, his coterie of knights, his son and his new wife, Evie, had already been on the road for more than three hours. She had been coughing, and Richard, riding alongside her was getting concerned. Even as he watched, Evie seemed to be getting more and more lethargic.

"Evie, my dearest, hold on to the saddle. "I'm afraid you're going to fall off."

Evie looked at him with tired eyes. "Richard, I don't know what's happening to me. I can barely hang on to my own horse."

"Hold on Evie. We've got to get you back."

Richard rushed ahead to tell his father who was leading the knights. "Evie is terribly sick, father."

"We're only a third of a way to our kingdom. Better turn around and get her back. The doctors at the castle surely will be able to care for her." Then in a loud voice he said, "Knights, were going back to Bavaria. Evie is extremely sick."

Richard went back to Evie, where she rode, still barely hanging onto her horse. "Evie, you ride with me." He brought both horses to a halt, helped Evie to get up, and then hopped on behind her. He held the reins with his arms safely around Evie. Evie's head was down, she was feeling so sick, but she leaned back, whispering a thank you to Richard.

A few hours later the contingent of knights were admitted at the gate. Richard helped Evie off their mount and assisting her entered the castle. He knew just where to go, to the operations center. There he stayed with her while they asked her a few questions and checked her pulse and her temperature.

It wasn't long before the doctor proclaimed. "She has it! The same as Doctor Rainart and Patrick. Take her to her apartment immediately, the one she stayed in before her marriage. Give her water and use whatever bedding is there to help her stay warm. But do not stay with her or you will come down with it too"

"But what is it doctor? Can't you help her?"

"It's the disease. The same one ravishing the people of Augsburg. There is no cure."

Richard asked more questions but hardly got more answers. The doctors seemed to know little about the disease. They told him that after a time those who are healthy generally recover, but that others die. They advised him again to take her to her apartment, but not to stay with her.

* * *

News travels fast within a castle and it was only an hour or two later that Trent brought Cara the news. "Cara, your sister and Richard and the company of knights have returned. Evie has the disease."

"Oh, no, Trent! What can we do? What can I do?"

Trent came to her and holding her close slowly shook his head. "Cara there is nothing you can do. Don't even go close to her. If you should catch it and then transmit it to our children. . . You have to think of them."

"Richard. Richard is always with her. Did he get it too?"

"No, not yet. The doctors have told him to get her to bed, make her comfortable, and then leave, but he won't listen to them. He is with her now."

"Oh, Trent," said Cara. "He is too brave. I hope he doesn't come down with it too."

"I do too, Cara."