A Mentor's Struggle

Chapter 3

Little did I know how terrifying sleep could actually be. I found myself standing in the middle of the throne room, Lief was sitting on his throne glaring daggers at me with a stone cold expression.

The only look in his face was pure hatred as he stared at me. I fell to my knees, pained to see him look at me in such a way.

"Sir Benedict! You have committed treason and threatened your king! You are to be executed, tomorrow at dawn," he declared.

I stared at him with tears in my eyes, shaking from fear at seeing him treat me in such a way. The scene quickly changed to the forest.

I looked to my left and saw Lief in the ground beside me, he was bleeding out from a gash across his chest. I raced to his side and ripped off his torn shirt, desperately trying to save his life. It just kept bleeding out though, his eyes stared at me with inhuman hatred, and if looks could kill, I would have been spawled on the forest floor ungracefully in that moment, stone cold.

I churned my stomach to see such hatred in a dying man's eyes, I felt tears melting slowly down my face as he continued to glare at me. It broke my heart and it felt like someone had ripped it from my chest and trampled it with their whole calvary.

It hurt that he could look at me, of all people, in such a way. I moaned to the sound of his blood dripping into the red puddle already surrounding him and he whispered,

"This is your fault," before going still.

Suddenly, a regular man laying in my arms felt like a staue, he was impossible to lift, and I could even budge his arm that dangled limply around my shoulder. I found myself shaking from grief and terror as I watched the one person I cared about die in my arms.

Finally, my eyes opened and I felt strong arms around me, pulling me into a hug. This person's embrace was desperate, almost like they were clawing at me, thirsting for my comfort and a wave of calmness flooded over me. I gasped and clung to the person holding me, still crying.

I moved my head to look around and take in my surroundings. I was in my room, it was completely dark and Lief was sitting on the floor next to me, holding me tightly and whispering quietly to calm me down.

"Your okay, Ben. It was just a nightmare, calm down. Breathe in. Out. In. Out."

I followed his instructions and put my head on his shoulder. Gently, the soft sound of his coaxing drifted slowly into the warm night air and we were cloaked in a sheet of silence.

"Goodness, Ben! Your freezing! Why are you so cold?"

"When I went to collect herbs, it began to snow. I got to cold and collapsed. I'm lucky to be alive."

I was shocked to see tears begin to form in Lief's eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Uh, you had a broken leg and you were drunk."

"Oh. That explains the headache."

"Yeah, I hope it hurts badly, cause you were dumb enough to get in a fight!"

"I'm fine!"

"How did you even get off the bed?" I scolded him.

"It hurt, but not as much as hearing you cry out," Lief yawned.

Gently I put a hand under his knees and one on his back and gently laid him on the bed.

"Uh, Ben?"

"Yes, Lief?"

"I, Uh, have to relieve myself."

I sighed in exasperation, not awake enough to carry him. I did anyway though. I lifted him into my back and he latched his arms around my neck and his knees pressed against my waist. I carried him to the ladder, barely struggling under his weight. I begin to climb down the ladder and prayed silently that the Lord almighty prevented me from dropping my already injured king.

Once we were off the ladder I continued to carry him towards the woods. I found a tree to prop him up against and turned around while he fought to get his trousers down. After a couple seconds, I heard him call out,

"Okay, I'm done!"

I couldn't help but laugh at how childish he sounded. I walked back over to him and turned my back to face him so he could climb back on my back. He shot me an apologetic glance as felt me stumble.

I ignored it and continued to my chambers. I finally reached the ladder and started climbing it with him on my back. It's harder than it sounds, okay? Just you try climbing up a ladder with a full grown man hanging onto you for his dear life.

I just continued praying and finally we reached the top. I tenderly laid him on my bed and he gave me a furious glare.

"What?" I moaned gasping for air.

"Must I sleep on your bed? You need it as much as I do."

"No, I do not-" I began to choke on my words as another coughing fit captured me.

This time, I fell to my knees. I saw Lief come to help me, but I glared at him and stared at me in horror, obviously it was killing him not being able to help me. I finally finished and I felt like I had lost my lungs.

"What just happened!" He demanded, though I could see through his facade easily and I knew his eyes were alit with panic.

"It's nothing" I whispered.

I knew very well that it was not even in the range of not nothing. People who coughed like that didn't have the common cold, in fact I usually estimated how long my patients had to live when they coughed like that. Of course, I would never tell Lief that.

"Alright, I have a cold from being out in the snow for so long. It no big deal."

"That's it! Your sleeping in this bed, king's orders!"

"Fine! But you aren't sleeping on a cot. I'm carrying you to your chambers!"

"I'm not letting you take me down those stairs again."

"Then I'm sleeping on the ground."

"You are the most stubborn man I have ever met! Fine, you may carry me to my chambers."

"You say it like that's a blessing," I laughed.

"Well, not everyone in the kingdom gets to carry their king," he said trying not to smile.

I laughed and crouched by my bed, gently helping him climb up my back. He gave me a nod and for the second time that night I climbed down the ladder with the king of Sirona on my back, clinging to me with a death grip.

Once we were finally down the ladder, I started the long walk to his chambers. Why he had my chambers all the way across the citadel from his, I had no idea. One would think that a king would keep the court physician close in case he got hurt.

That was one reason why I was a knight and a healer. Finally we got to the entrance of his chambers.