Under the Veil

Part 6

(apologies, this seems to not have been uploaded, must have been confusing to read chapter 7)

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Leto ran down the hallways of his castle, Sierra secured against his chest, Dr. Yueh at his heels. She was gasping for air but getting less and less oxygen into her lungs. Her eyes were crying red, the crimson tears disappearing into the blood flowing from her nose, staining Leto's dark blue vest.

Edward almost kicked open the doors of her chambers, startling Nesta who jumped with a scream. The white roses she was holding scattered in the air and faded onto the ground.

"Your Grace!"

He moved past her, crushing the white petals underneath his boots, letting nothing get in his way. He laid Sierra carefully on the silken sheets, gently resting her head on the hill of pillows. He sat by her side, his veins burning with worry and fear at the sight of her bloody face. She had never looked so vulnerable before. It made him feel sick.

"She won't last long," he said with a hoarse voice. "Wellington."

"Sir," Dr. Yueh started as he stepped forward, "I'm afraid I don't know much about Valen anatomy."

"I don't care, save her life, now!"

Leto's commanding voice left him no choice. He nodded before going right to work, leaning over the Duchess, putting his hands on her, his fingers on her face, using his skills to try and find out what exactly was wrong with her, and, most importantly, how to stop her from dying.

"What happened?" Nesta whispered to Edward, not wanting the duke to hear her.

Leto ran a bloody hand through his hair, staining his forehead with the blood of his son, as he was pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed.

"She was poisoned, I think."

"Oh dear," Nesta brought a hand to her chest. "By whom? By what?"

"Don't know."

"Well, maybe one of her potions can help," she offered, drawing Leto's attention.

"What potions?"

"I... she has a box full of potions. She told me to be very careful with it. She said she has a potion for almost everything."

"Everything?" Leto raised an eyebrow, a ray of hope shining on his desperate heart.

"Trouble sleeping, nightmares, stomach ache..."

"Poison?"

"I'm afraid she hasn't mentioned, your Grace."

Sierra's voice suddenly echoed inside his mind: "Pink. I need pink."

"Show me."

Nesta did as she was ordered and went to fetch the heavy wooden box. Edward helped her carry it to the vanity. It looked like an oversized jewelry box, or an oddly shaped old doctor case. Leto quickly, but carefully, opened it. It had many different compartments containing what seemed to be dried flowers wrapped in fabric, seeds in pouches, and recipe cards. He found small vials wandering around drawers, rolling into each other in a clear ringing noise. He went through all of them, finding different ones with different shades of pink.

"The top drawers are for head related ailment, my Lord," Nesta explained. "It's like a body, you see, from top to bottom."

"I don't know which one to give her. These aren't labelled."

"I know, I told her how dangerous that was. She said people are less likely to touch things that aren't labelled."

"Sir," Dr. Yueh called as Sierra was starting to drool blood.