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On any normal day, the kits would be out playing and laughing. On any normal day, the mothers and wives would be together and gossiping or making fine items to trade in the market. On any normal day, the fathers and husbands would be in the woods hunting or trading goods to help support their families. On any normal day, the Princess would be among them all, enjoying their company and enjoying life.

But it wasn't a normal day, and hadn't been for a time. As a Princess, Zariah had been sent out into the rest of the world to get to know what - and who - was out there. She had met many Noodles, some of power, some of not. She had even met a few Gods, something her parents never would have expected. She was instructed to make allies, to find out their enemies, to know more than what was in her immediate surroundings. The King even hoped greatly that Zariah would find herself a mate, and take her place as Queen so her father could step down. This annoyed the vixen, but she never let on that her love life was the last thing on her mind. Unfortunately, they had not realized one thing: The outside world was full of things other than Noodles, and one of those things was bound to follow the Princess back.

That thing had turned out to be some sort of sickness, and it was wrecking her home. It had been a long time since any of her Noodles had left the village, and none of them had realized that not being exposed to disease would make them weaker to it. Sure, they had colds and sometimes flues, they had Noodles sick with various things, some common and some not so much... but nothing like what they had now. It had taken a little bit of time to hit the Princess, so no one knew she carried a virus until it was too late. Several kits had already gotten sick, a couple of the elders, and a few of the women. One kit had been taken from them... and now the Princess was bedridden. She couldn't walk, could hardly talk or eat, and the only food her body wouldn't reject was a special soup from the only doctor around. Zariah had warded the doctor off for days, nearly weeks, insisting she take care of the rest of the village before taking care of her. So while the others slowly got better, Zariah only got worse. It seemed to be a disease that had to be caught in time... and the Princess was past that time.

Desperate to find help for his daughter, the king sent out the strongest and healthiest Noodles without a family to care for to find the best doctor they could and bring him or her back to the village. Days passed... but finally, someone came.

Upon finding one peculiar male, one of the ones sent out returned to the village with him. The others had decided to keep searching, to find someone who knew of medicine, who didn't rely on 'silly' jewelry. Of course, when they reached the village, the messenger bolted off to find the king, leaving the 'doctor' without escort.

The villagers had been trying to go on with their lives, while their Princess fought for hers. A few noticed when the two males came into their little home, but none really payed attention. Some of the kits who had been out playing, however, noticed right away. "SIR! SIR!" The kits ran up to the male, not the least bit scared of a stranger. "Sir! Are you here for the Princess?" One kit stared up at him with big blue eyes, pleading. "Please help her! She's this way! Follow us!!!" Another chirped, and they ran off with a couple tugging on the strange Noodle's paws.

As one went through this village, one could tell it was large but quaint. The size resembled that of a large city, but it was apparent that it was one of those 'everyone knows everyone' kind of places. The buildings looked sort of older, the streets lined with smooth stone, but it somehow had a modern feel to it, as if it had been around a very long time but the occupants were growing with the times.

The castle was located at the center. There was no moat, no fancy ten foot high gate, merely a lush green hedge and one lonely guard at the only gate out front. Inside the hedge, the castle only stretched up four stories high, the fourth being only of three towers, but it still held a regal feel. "Here! We can't go in... but... oh! There's the king!!!" The kits scurried away as the father of the Princess came down the walkway. The guard opened the gate and waved the male in, who only received a quick, hurried nod from the king as he was ushered into the castle and up to the waiting Princess.

The king led the male up a split flight of stairs, down a hall, and up another flight. As he led him down that hall, the king hurriedly explained what had happened, how everything was fine and then kits started getting sick. Then the mothers. A few of the fathers... and how the Princess had refused to be treated until she was beyond the help of their doctor. They had tried to get her up to her room in one of the towers, but she was too weak and refused to be carried. When they stopped at the door, the king looked Valen straight in the eyes, and told him to rest assured, the Princess was far from herself and that he was to tell no one of such royalty sick in a guest room. His daughters image was quite important to him...

But, not so much to the Princess herself. When the doctor was ushered in the room, Zariah was in the middle of trying to fend off two young girls armed with brushes and jewelry who insisted she always look her best.

"If you two don't get away from me I'll have you removed, got it?" Zariah did her best to bark at them, to which they cast uneasy glances at the two males and darted out. "Dad... Who is this?" She let her golden eyes slide over to the demonic, eyeing him warily.

The king nodded at Valen, as if to let him answer that.

Polite. Good quality. He kept his wings neat and his posture crisp. Zariah was just about to think that he might be worth something until he spoke.

"Of sor-" The Princess raised a brow before she was thrown into a coughing fit. Her entire body shook, chest ached heavily and the soreness of her throat brought tears to her eyes. Laying her head back, she sighed when she was finally able and tried again, voice softer and sounding almost defeated. "Of sorts? Dad..."

The king quickly assured his daughter that Valen had the best reputation around, he wasn't practical but he was highly sought. Zariah wasn't buying it, but she didn't really have the energy -or time, she hated to think- to argue anymore.

"Fine... Valen." She pulled herself to sit and faced the male. "Due to various circumstances, I reques-" Another coughing fit about knocked her off the bed. When it passed, she swore under her breath and tried to regain the formality. "I request your services as a healer. What is it that you request in return?"

The princess frowned. His parents? That sounded almost like something one would say on their death bed. Odd, seeing as how he was the healer and she was the one who could barely hold her head on straight.

Once more, she took a moment to really study this male. Something about the way he spoke and the look in his eyes was off. There was something he wasn't telling her. She had met Gods, she had met a Mob Boss, she had met a fan-girl-Prince who had a great secret as well. She had not pried into any of their lives, as long as hers was not threatened, but Valen... Here was a stranger, standing in her home while she lay sick and weak, talking about sending coins to his family while asking nothing in return for himself for his services as some form of doctor that wasn't anything like normal.

She figured she had every right to ask, even if the look her dad shot her when she opened her mouth said otherwise.

"How, exactly, are you-" Another fit. This one was short, ending in a very annoyed, "Son of a-!" She shook her head, and tried again, fur bristling from irritation with herself. "How, are you going to heal me, Valen? It is quite odd to ask such a request, please understand." She eyed him carefully, eyes mimicking his.

Right, because that was such an obvious and common way to heal a Noodle.

Her thoughts must have come across on her face, as her dad gave her a half smirk, half 'manners, young missy' look. She studied the male for another moment.

Absorb? ... Zariah sighed softly. By this time, even such a brief conversation had taken its tole, along with the coughing fits it included.

"... Very well, Valen. I am most certainly not a doctor, so I cannot come close to judging or discounting your methods." She paused, waiting for another fit. Thankfully, her already labored breathing wasn't interrupted and she continued. "Do as you need to, and I will see to it that more than a few gold coins find their way to your parents' paws." She gave him a level look, "Just watch your own paws, I am a princess, after all."

Something about that last line caused her father -the King, for deities sake- to laugh. Not smirk, not chuckle, but laugh out loud. The look she shot him made him have to clamp a paw over his mouth, but the twinkle in his eye showed pride that even when his little girl was sick, she was still a little spit fire.

Zariah studied him as he moved closer. He was, though a bit shady, still respectful and polite. With him closer, she couldn't help but take a little note of his features, not just his posture. His fur was a pretty shade, almost like her own for the most part, wings a pretty marbled flame color, and hair shaggy but neat at the same time. And with his light amber eyes on her, looking up through his hair and lashes, she felt slightly embarrassed that he had to see her looking like death.

Mentally, she rolled her eyes. Idiot. She was royalty, she didn't need a commoner's approval on her looks.

Still, she found herself resisting the urge to tuck a stray lock away.

"I am sure I speak for both our minds when I say there is no point in waiting..." Zariah slipped off her own glove, one of white lace, and gently laid her hand in his. In the moment her hand had moved from the glove to his, she realized how thin and shaky it was... and she was quite happy no one else would have to see her so sick like this.

She watched his eyes, even after they closed, half thinking he was nuts and half believing that he could heal her just like that. Her eyes stayed on their mark, watching the pendent change in her peripheral, even when her hand became quite warm from his. Then her arm. Then her body. She let a small smile cross her lips. It felt nice; too long, it seemed, she had been feeling so cold from the disease.

What didn't feel nice was the feeling that followed the heat. Her gut twisted and her chest felt heavy. It was as if whatever had a hold of her was refusing to let go. For a second, Zariah was frightened, and her eyes darted to the pendent. What was it doing to her? She couldn't doubt this man any more, but she could still doubt his motives. Was he really trying to heal her? It felt more like he was making her end rapidly approach.

Still, the princess stayed still and silent, not letting anything she was feeling show on her face -aside from the split second of fear-, aware of her fathers eyes burning a hole in her being.

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain ebbed away, seeming to flow out of her like the warmth had flowed in. She saw her eye color reflecting in the pendent, then her eyes were back on his. For a moment, she just looked at him, her hand slowly drawn back to her lap when he released it.

How did she feel? Shocked, mainly. It was as if timed slowed around her. What could she say? She didn't feel sick any more, this much was true. But she couldn't seem to clear her mind long enough to say it. Slowly, she looked down at her hand, and smiled when she saw it no longer shook or looked awful. Just as slowly, she looked back at Valen.

"I can't even begin to imagine how that worked... but I think it did..."