Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Rebuilding Ferry Town

"What is this?" Patience asked, holding a thorny ginseng root in his hand, his eyes full of curiosity. "Chickweed and plantain leaves, soaked in oil, then added with beeswax to make an ointment." "That should work," she agrees, "but the thorny ginseng root has to be applied first." I was terrified that he was going to argue again, but he just nodded, looking very tired all of a sudden.He leaned back in the chair and pulled the blanket tight, lowering his eyelids and closing them. I heard a knock at the door, and when I opened it I saw Kettricken standing there with Rosemary beside her. "One of my ladies told me that Burrich is back," she began, looking at the room behind me. "So, it's true. He's hurt? My husband, oh, how's Verity?" Suddenly, she turned paler than I'd imagined.

"He's fine." I reassure her. "Come in." I cursed myself for being careless. I should have passed the news to her as soon as Burrich came back, letting her know what he had brought back, otherwise she wouldn't have known anyway.When she entered, Patience and Leixi, who were busy heating thorny ginseng roots, raised their heads and greeted her quickly and in low voices. "What happened to him?" Kettricken asked.So I told her all that Burrich had reported to the king, because I thought she had a right to know what was happening to her husband, just as Shrewd should know what was going on with her own son.She turned pale again when she heard the surprise attack on Verity, but waited quietly for me to finish. "Thanks to all the gods for keeping him nearer to my mountains, where at least he won't be attacked by others." As soon as she had finished speaking, she went over to Patience and Lacey to watch them make thorny ginseng root.I saw that they had been heated enough to be soft, so they ground it into a paste, let it cool down, and then applied it to the wound.

"Ash berries clean these types of wounds very well," she suggested aloud. Patience looked up at her timidly. "I've heard that, but the warm thorny ginseng root can significantly reduce wound infection, and the raspberry and smooth elm leaves are also effective in cleaning such broken skin wounds or making poultices." "We don't have a cotyledon of Rubus," Leixi reminded Patience, "it got damp somehow, and it became moldy and unusable." "If you need raspberry leaves, I have them," said Kettricken softly. "I'm ready to make morning tea. This is the folk recipe my aunt taught me." She lowered her head and smiled awkwardly.

"Really?" Leixi asked suddenly with great interest. "Oh, my dear." Patience suddenly exclaimed, stepping forward to hold Kettricken's hand with a sudden and subtle intimacy, "Is it true?" "Yeah. At first I thought it was just... but then I got other symptoms, and I even had a few mornings when I smelled the sea and I was sick. Then I just wanted to sleep all day." "But you're always going to have those feelings," Lei Xi marveled, laughing, "and the nausea goes away after the first few months." I stood there very quietly, excluded from the conversation like an outsider.They completely forgot about my existence, and the three ladies suddenly laughed together. "No wonder you want to hear about him so much. Did he know about it before he set off?"

"It didn't even occur to me at the time, but I really wanted to tell him and see the look on his face." "You're pregnant." I said it stupidly, and they all turned to look at me, and then laughed again. "It's still a secret," Kettricken reminded me. "I don't want to let it out before King Shrewd knows. I have to tell him myself." "Of course I won't say it," I assured her.I didn't tell her that the Fool had expected it, and it was days ago.Verity's child, I thought, and suddenly a strange shudder ran through me.One of the branching paths that the Fool had already noticed, and the possibility of multiplying them, emerged: this good news immediately excluded Regal from the right of succession, taking him one step further away from the throne, and another little life stood in the way. Between him and the power he desires, he will not ignore it!

"Of course not!" I repeated more sincerely. "And it's best to keep it an absolute secret." Because if it got out, I'm sure Kettricken would be in as much danger as her husband. That winter, Bearnes seemed to be on the verge of destruction like a crag hit by a stormy wave.At first, the Duke of Prondi often sent uniformed messengers on horseback to carry the Duke's messages directly to Kettricken, and the messages at first were optimistic.The Queen's Opal rebuilt Ferrytown, and the local residents not only thanked her, but also sent a small box of small pearls that they regarded as treasures.This is strange, these treasures, which are reluctant to rebuild their homes, are generously donated to the queen who gave up her personal jewels to help build the village. I can't help but wonder if others can understand their great sacrifice; and Kettricken received After this little jewelry box, I couldn't help but burst into tears.

Later, the messenger brought even more dire news.The Red Ship kept attacking Bynes in between bouts of storm, and the messenger reported to Kettricken that the Duke wanted to know why the members of the Skill Party had left the Red Tower.When Kettricken asked Duanning directly for proof, the answer he got was: the situation there is too critical, and it would be too dangerous to let Will stay, because his spiritual abilities are too precious to be riskyly used against On top of the red boat.But few people heard the strangeness.Then the news from the messengers got worse and worse, for the Outislanders had established themselves on the Isle of the Hook and Becher.Although the Duke of Prondi organized fishing boats and soldiers to attack bravely on his own, he was ultimately defeated by the powerful offensive of the Red Ship, resulting in heavy casualties of ships and personnel.At the last critical moment, Verity's emerald was handed over to Ketui

Ken, who gave them away without hesitation, but we have no way of knowing if any assistance has been rendered as a result, and we are not even sure that they received them.Then, the messages from Bearns became more and more erratic, but it soon became clear that the messages had been sent but we hadn't received them.And communication with Prondi was completely cut off.Kettricken then sent her own emissaries from Buckkeep, but both were missing, and she swore she would never sacrifice another life.At that time the brigands occupying the Isle of the Hook and the Isle of Becher had begun repeated raids further up the coast, though still avoiding the direct approach of Buckkeep, but were continually making feints and feints to our north and south.Regal remained unmoved by the attacks, declaring that he was saving resources until Verity returned with the ancient spirits and would use them all at once to drive out the raiders.Yet Buckkeep's pleasures and entertainments grew more frequent and extravagant, and his gifts to the Inland Dukes and nobles grew more generous.

Burrich returned to his room in the afternoon.I would have liked him to stay where I could take care of him, but he scoffed at the idea and complained that Lacey took care of his room herself.But she had only lighted the fire, made sure the water was clean, that the bedding had been dried and beaten, that the floor had been mopped and sprinkled with rushes, and there was nothing to complain about.