I wanted to explore the part of the story where the prince is blinded. Though I have my own disability, blindness isn't it, so forgive me for any inaccuracies and please let me know if anything ought to be changed.
He stumbled, boots sending pebbles skittering out of his way. He was filled with a deep-seated sense that he needed to help someone, someone important.
But there will several problems with that. He didn’t know where he was. How had he gotten here? Why was it so dark? Everything hurt. Something warm and soft bumped against his leg, accompanied by a small whimper. What-
He stopped at the sound of a man’s voice. For a moment, he thought about staying quiet, hiding. But, if he was being honest with himself, he didn't think that would be wise, as terrified as he was feeling right now. “Y-yes?”
“I-,” he faltered. “I’m in need of some help.”
“Of course,” the man came closer, and for a moment the silence was palpable, as though he’d stopped in shock. “What happened to you?” he finally managed.
“I can’t remember,” he tried to keep the panic out of his voice. The warm something touched him again.
“That’s okay, that’s okay,” the man seemed to be trying for a calming voice, but seemed unpracticed at it. That he felt a need to calm him didn’t seem a good sign. “Here, come with me into the village, it’s not far. My sister is the apothecary there. Can see to your dog too.”
Dog… he put his hand down, and a wet nose pressed into it. The dog whined, and it sounded familiar. Absently, he scratched her behind the ears, processing.
Then the man pressed something into his free hand, some cloth. “What’s this?”
“Um. For the blood. On your face.”
“… yes, but try not to worry! Jenna says heads bleed worse than they are. Do you know where it’s coming from?”
“That’s alright, that’s alright.” Fae, he wished he’d stop saying everything was alright.
“Wait. you can see blood on my face?”
The man was quiet. “Let's get you to my sister. What’s your name?”
His name? Did… did he not know his own name? He searched his mind, looking for anything, anything. It was frighteningly blank. Except a deep, deep certainty that something was wrong. Something had happened to someone he loved. Something bad.
Something familiar stirred… “Um,” he winced, grasping for it. “Theo! I think… I think I’m Theo.”
Theo strode down the road as he had since he had come to Brookside - with Oracle at his side and a walking stick in his hand. He was meeting Davey at the tavern for supper, but he had to stop by Davey's sister Jenna’s first. She was still trying different tinctures to restore his sight. But he’d long given up hope for that.
He hadn’t quite got the hang of navigating around town for himself, but he was determined to learn. At first, he hadn’t minded so much if Davey or Jenna accompanied him everywhere. In fact, he’d appreciated it. But, when neither his memories nor his sight showed any sign of returning, he’d begun to put down roots in Brookside. He needed to get on on his own.
Finding Jenna’s wasn’t too hard on account of Oracle loving the treats she got there. In fact, if he got lost, he could let Oracle lead them with reasonable confidence that they’d arrive at the apothecary within half an hour or so, no matter how distracted by smells or rabbits she got. As a result, he was beginning to orient all other locations in town around her home.
Theo knocked on the door to announce himself, then entered. Jenna kept her personal rooms in the back so there was no risk of taking her unawares. Plus, he couldn’t see.
Oracle, the traitor, ran ahead, leaving him at the front of the shop. He laughed, walking slowly towards the counter in case anything had been forgotten in his path. Jenna tried to keep things clean on days she knew he’d be coming, but she was a bit scattered and forgetful.
Laughing sounded from behind Jenna’s counter, near the floor where she had likely crouched to pet Oracle. “There’s my good girl! Have you been keeping an eye on your dad?”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on her,” he protested. “She’s incorrigible, really.”
“Of course, of course,” he could hear the smile in Jenna’s voice. Then came a clink of glass as she retrieved his medicine from wherever she’d had it waiting. “How are you feeling?”
He shrugged. “Fine. No pain. Just,” he gestured at his eyes, and the woman hummed in understanding.
“I talked to my friend Lionel in the next town over. He had some success with Faewart, but only with a few elderly patients who were beginning to get cloudy vision. I’ve made some adjustments for you, but.” She sighed.
“I know. Don’t worry, Jenna. At this point, I’m just trying things to please you. Did you happen to make more treats for Oracle?”
“You know we’re reaching a point where I should just teach you to make them so you don’t have to keep buying them from me?”
He shrugged. The job Jenna and Davey had gotten him teaching the local children paid well enough, and he wanted to thank them for all their help however he could. He suspected she didn’t charge him near enough for the medicine, especially when you factored into account all they’d done for him before he’d gotten the position. “And the tea?”
“Still having bad dreams?” she asked. She tried to seem nonchalant, packing his items into his satchel for him. She’d taken to doing so after he dropped one of her glass vials onto the floor while trying to do it himself.
“Any memories?” she suggested gently. “Sometimes those come back in dreams.”
“Theo!” Davey’s jubilant voice greeted him, accompanying a bracing thump on the back. Theo found himself grinning. It was hard to sulk around Davey. “Got you a pint,”
“And likely helped yourself to some of it,” he teased, making a show of feeling the difference between the lip of the mug and the liquid below.
“No trust anymore!” Davey shook his head, pretending to be offended. “But how was your day? How were the little whelps?”
Theo chuckled. “They were alright. Only the ones who didn’t have to help their families with the harvest showed.”
“Ah,” Davey said knowingly. “So you got to teach them all that useless nonsense you like. Politics and old elven or something?”
Theo scowled. He had indeed been thrilled to spend an hour working on the wealthier children’s old elven. That had been the deal when he had been hired, teach all the children basic maths, grammar, science, and teach those that didn’t need to help with the harvest more erudite subjects. Their parents paid for the extra tutelage, while the city paid him a salary for the other children. “Make any interesting tables?” he asked instead.
Davey slapped his hand down. “You still don’t appreciate a good table!”
Theo grinned, taking a sip of his drink as a barmaid arrived with their dinners and something for Oracle. Both men thanked her, and Davey went back to proclaiming the merits of fine wood working with hardly a breath in between.
Theo, unconcerned, lowered Oracle’s bowl to the floor before continuing to listen with a bemused smile on his face.
Once Davey felt Theo had been appropriately scolded, he told him what the woman had brought them and they tucked into their meal.
“So, uh. Jenna mentioned you were having trouble sleeping,”
Theo raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t know you were an apothecary.”
“Maybe not. But. I am your friend.”
Theo swallowed. “I know.”
“Then let me help. What’s wrong?”
Theo was quiet for a long moment. Davey waited him out. Under the table, Oracle whined, and he passed her a scrap of meat from his plate. Then he sighed. “Sleeping isn’t the problem. It’s what happens while I’m sleeping.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
“I found you, remember? You weren’t in good shape. I can imagine quite a lot.”
Theo shifted in his seat. “There’s this woman. I know her.” He closed his eyes, even though it made no difference to his sight, trying to remember. “But I don’t know how. She’s… she’s terrified. Davey, I’ve never seen someone so frightened. She’s tied up, and I- I try to help her. But then, there’s a knife, and there’s blood… so much blood.” He shook his head. “I’m afraid to go to sleep.”
Davey placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Theo.”
Theo tried to wave him away unconcernedly, but his hands shook. Found out, he lowered his head. “I can’t shake the feeling that I have to help her. But I don’t know how.”
Curtains fluttering in the breeze.
A crash. Theo ran around the corner, narrowly missing the cobblestone wall.
A woman knelt on the ground before him. Her wide, fearful eyes caught in a beam of sunlight where she struggled, chained to a heavy table leg. A gag had been forced into her mouth. Theo surged towards her, unthinking. “Hold on, hold on!” Gently, he brushed the wild blond hairs out of her face. “It’s okay, you-“
Pain, blinding pain. More than he had ever known. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Then, a woman’s horrible laughter.
