Betty looked at the King apologetically, showing signs of being scared as well, "I would assume it's because she's been out all day and didn't eat…Your Majesty."

Closing her eyes to what she said, she really felt like she was going to get a beating for not looking after Cassandra well enough. How dare she not feed the King’s woman well enough!?

She was entirely sure that she will get punished for this!

"What? Why wouldn't she eat, dammit!"

Gently, he picked Mahnu up and asked where he should lay her down.

"It's properly because she didn't eat when she was..."

The King quickly interrupted Marcus, "Hush, Marcus."

He sighed, always so troublesome. He looked at Mahnu's sleeping face and wondered how he had coped without her all this time. Moving a strain of her hair off her face, he wondered how we had missed seeing her here in Brackan all that time ago…

"Has she been with you for two years?" He asked, wanting answers.

If only we had looked harder that day! If we had only found her two years ago, I wouldn’t had to endure two years without her!

 

"Yes, we found her unconscious and at the same time we were one of the ones that had also been sick, as it seems to be called." Betty stated this, knowing that more was behind the ‘sickness’, like everyone else that lived here in Brackan. Luckily, Betty and Donald had not done too much and were basically in retirement, earning small change every now and again…So, they had not left their place very often to be spotted to become a slave. They can’t remember a few days at most and had felt very badly that they hadn’t been able to help anybody that had looked lifeless beforehand. They had tried twice to feed and clothe people, but then felt very scared upon seeing more and more people become that way. Thinking ahead, they got as much food as they could and stayed in their small home, waiting…Waiting to either become like those just outside or waiting for those outside to become normal again…

Upon finding themselves separated when they ‘woke’ up, both of them rushed back to the safety of their home, only to have found the young lady close by to their humble home…

In these two years, Betty and Donald gladly took in the young lady, to make up for the fact that they weren’t able to help back then. They did everything in their power to keep the young lady alive and tried to find her family…Yet, no one recognized her when they finally were able make a simple drawing of her…And when the young lady finally woke and was walking around, she did not want to meet anyone and ask about her family herself. Betty and Donald took her in after that, calling her Cassandra and their daughter. It was a fulfilled wish, that they finally had a child, especially when they were already so old, but nonetheless, they loved Cassandra very much!
"Oh, I see."

"She was a frail thing. Didn't wake for a whole week. Then we were worried because she seemed to be bed ridden, unable to move much at all. But after two months, she was able to move a little bit more. We were often pacing, trying to come up with ideas to make sure she somehow got some food into her and had water a lot. We ended up using that over there, to help her digest everything."

The King looked at Betty, shocked, then looked to where she pointed to, seeing an obvious, homemade funnel type contraption, with a tube looking thing attached to it.

Donald then added, “At first, doctors were hard to find and then we were stuck by her bed just coming up with this idea ourselves, and even so, we felt like we had lost her twice! We were really scared back then.”

"Again, Your Majesty..."

The King looked at Marcus and silently nodded. They were thinking that it was the same thing that happened with The Chest of the God's as well. Mahnu had been bed ridden for a month at that time but…

The King felt an ache go through his heart, as he pictured his bed ridden woman nearly dying, due to not being able to drink water and eat food.

Perhaps that was why that hadn’t been able to find her, because Betty and Donald hadn’t gone outside often enough, or for long, and when they did, they weren’t thinking about what was going on outside and who might be looking for this very person.

‘We felt like we had lost her twice!’ Those words further silenced King Richard, as he sighed and put a hand to the face that he nearly never saw again.

How fortunate!

I am so lucky that Betty and Donald were there for you, my dear! So lucky! Thank you for surviving!

 

"It's best if I get something for her to eat, for when she wakes up." Betty walked out of the small bedroom, to go to the kitchen.

The King watched as Betty went to the kitchen and then Donald bent down near Mahnu. "You know how children are lots of work? It was like we had suddenly gained a child, which Betty and I didn't mind as we couldn't have any children."

The King waited eagerly for the elder man to continue.

"She gets startled easily and sometimes day dreams. It was like she had never seen a flower before…”
Donald lets out a small laugh and continues, "And, boy, does she love climbing trees! Even though she is an adult, it was as though she hadn't matured properly." The old man sighed, "Betty had to explain the whole womanly thing to her from scratch because she thought that she was dying...For some reason, she hasn't gotten used to knowing when she's hungry or thirsty. We've tried to tell her...But she always seems to forget. It worries us a lot, especially now that she goes out by herself. She is stubborn, always thinking she should do as what anyone else can, all by herself. She also has quite nerve-racking nightmares. A doctor had said that her past must have held really bad memories for her, so she must have forgotten her past, in a way to safe guard herself. They...Normally make her cry."

This was also another reason Betty and Donald only continued to look for her family in secret…As they were worried that her family had ill treated her and would be able to keep her away from them, if that was the case.

 

King Richard wondered what to think about first...She was like a little baby chick that was born as an adult. One that seems to need constant watch. It would be better if Betty stayed close by, just in case. Wait...So, she's definitely mortal? Even the...Of course! She couldn’t even survive without food or water now! She’s most definitely human!

King Richard had decided, "Betty, Donald. I would like you to accompany us. I can't leave without those she confides in. I will make it so that you will be close but have your own space. Mahnu and you will not be stopped to see each other."

He couldn’t afford to just take Mahnu away from these people, when they had become a big asset to her. They had helped her with so much and he personally didn’t want Mahnu to go without a father and mother figure…Especially when…She probably never had them in the past…

"We are only but commoners, Your Majesty. How could we accept such an offer?" Donald bowed his head humbly to His Majesty, the King.

"Please come, I'd prefer it...I'm sure Mahnu would prefer it too." King Richard looked lovingly back at the sleeping Mahnu once again…He was absolutely willing to do anything that would help her…

"I don't know what to say, Your Majesty." Donald said.

"Great. Can we help you pack, perhaps?"

"Oh! How could we ask for that from our King!?" Betty had replied, looking mortified.

Marcus stepped closer to Betty. "Did Mahnu happen to have a box with her when you found her?"

Betty looked with wide eyes at Marcus, "…Why yes! She did! How did you know!"

"The box." The King said.

Finally, they had found it!

 

Betty disappeared for a moment and then returned. "Here it is. We tried to open it, but it seemed to be sealed shut and locked so tightly, that no one in town could open it!"

Marcus and the King sighed in relief. Then again, they also were conflicted into thinking that this box had been around the town and they had not known at all! If they had found the box, they probably would have found Mahnu earlier too! Why didn’t they put more of a search upon it!? If they hadn’t been so secretive, and openly asked people about it, showing even a picture of it…Perhaps…

Nonetheless, their relief was high, as they thought back to Betty’s words…

If they had opened the box somehow, then what happened two years ago would have been for nought!

It was at least a minute before the King broke the silence in the room, "…Take it Marcus. You should know what needs to be done."

"You...Know what's inside the box?" Betty couldn't hold in her curiosity. Cassandra had been doing one thing upon finding her…Holding on to this box very tightly.

Strangely, after the Cassandra had woken up, she didn’t know what the box was for at all and it looked unfamiliar. They thought that her heirlooms from her family where in it, which is why they tried to open it. Then, seeing that they could not open it and Cassandra did not remember it, all they could do is put it away for safe keeping, having nearly forgotten all about it!

She knew it was meant for something but could never find out!

Honestly, she had been wanting to find out what was in there since they had found it!

 

King Richard wondered what he should say, "Yes...The reason you were all able to be cured two years ago, was because of this box. It is all because of Mahnu...But for now, we are keeping it a secret. We also need to hide that box very well, so that the past doesn’t repeat itself."

Betty looked at the box and questioned if it were true. They hadn't been told anything on the day that they had been cured. The knights kept saying that everything was to go back to normal and now they were free to go back to living their lives like before. Of course, Betty had seen that others had gotten help over the years but at the time, back then, she had been too busy to look into other’s problems. Had they always been looking for the box and…Cassandra?

For a slight moment, Betty felt terrified!

What if staying home most of those early days, two years ago, was wrong!?

Perhaps…Are they getting invited back to Conrella to be taken into the capital prison!?

Looking at the man that claimed himself as the King of Kralaide, Betty realized that he didn’t look mad. She had said many things today to get herself punished, yet, he had not once stated any kind of punishment…Was it ok that they may had made a mistake and he will spare them?

She really hoped so!

It was clear that nothing more was going to be said by the King about the box, but Betty had heard enough and did not want to pry into something else that might get her punished, so, she was grateful…Because now, she also thought that whatever had made the people sick, was inside the box, and if she had opened it, everyone would have gotten sick again! Having caused so much troubles already and not getting punished…The box was better off in their hands!

 

The King turned towards William, and said, "Find a carriage, I'd like to leave as soon as possible..." Then, he turned to the elderly couple, "Is that okay with you? Betty, Donald?"

"Well, yes, of course. Her meal is ready, so I will start to pack right this minute."

The King picked up the meal and sat it beside Mahnu, settling beside her also.

"Mahnu."

"Mmm..."

Marcus left the small room and closed the curtain, to give his Majesty and Mahnu some privacy.

Besides, it was a good opportunity to think of the resting place of the small box in his hands.

He knew that it would only be safe if it was hidden, so it couldn’t just be stored in a town. No, just like The Chest of the God’s, this box should also be well hidden and just as hard to find!

He knew that The Chest of the God’s was hidden out far to the west, so hiding the box deep under Havlish may be the best place for it. Not only because the chest and the box will be separated, but because Havlish was where the Loyal Royal Knights were from, and that they should guard it well…

Yes, a deep hole is to be dug with traps, perhaps close to the center…And quite a number of men would be needed to help!