Time to Read:
Within the brick wall of a modest clinic in the Outer City, in an area of the lower of commoners of the Imperial Capital lived, a physician studied a young man closely.
This man wore expensive brocade in a pattern of blue and green, with intricate embroidery along the lapel, collar, and shoulders. The robe was closed at the right shoulder using silver fasteners, something only seen among the military nobility in recent years, while the sash had been matched to the vibrant embroidery, while covering the knots at the waist. The belt and wrist guards were in leather and bronze, and the young lord’s forehead was covered by a wide fabric band with a distinct tribal pattern matching the belt’s decorative pattern.
Even at this hour, he showed no fatigue and, though his black hair was wavy, it didn’t look dishevelled. It was secured in a bun with a single hairpin, and although it looked simple at a glance, the bone pin had been carefully carved and embellished with precious metals.
The young man returned the physician’s gaze unrelentingly, his dark eyes deep like night beneath his sharply arched brows that gave the man an unforgivingly cold air to him.
The physician gazed upon this young lord of high status and great importance, studying the man’s face colour. It was a slight tan, a colour that would be looked down upon by nobles, but seen as a good sign in the military. He took the man’s hand and placed two fingers on his pulse point, a light blue glow appearing at his fingertips, pulsing in time with the strong and healthy heartbeat.
The old man ran his fingers through his beard, which gave the physician a wizened look, as he took in what the pulse reading meant.
“Would you mind opening your mouth for me, young lord?” he requested, and the patient obliged by parting his lips. The elderly physician unceremoniously took the man’s tongue and pulled it out as far as it went, studying its colour and sniffing his breath. It was a healthy pink while there were no foul odours.
After this, he let go and his apprentice put a basin beside the physician’s stool and poured water from a large vase over the old man’s hands to rinse them off of any uncleanliness. The apprentice offered a worn but clean towel for the physician to dry his hands on.
“What year is this, young lord?” the elderly physician ask after having dried his hands, once again taking the patient’s wrist in hand, peculiarly tapping a few times on the pulse point.
The patient answered with certainty: “It is the eleventh year of Emperor Šerçian’s reign.”
The apprentice looked at the physician, eyes wide, but he took no notice of the young one, and simply nodded to acknowledge the answer he received.
“The earth energy within the young lord is stable and your heart is pumping the blood of Denaštür with great vigour. Your lungs contain all the energy of the wind that a person may ever need. Your life is not in danger and the young noble can return to his daily life once it’s comfortable. However, your fire energy seems to be confused, and it confuses your mind. That will make even the greatest warrior stumble over a pebble.”
The patient frowned ever so slightly, apparently not entirely unfamiliar with what this could mean, but remained calm.
“What is wrong with this lord’s fire energies?” the apprentice asked curiously.
The young lord extended his other wrist to the curious child, offering it for the apprentice to use for studies. The physician smiled slightly when the apprentice took a step away.
“I have a šüssad myself, and was once an apprentice of the bow and the sabre,” the young lord explained, urging the apprentice without force. “I understand reading energies and pulse is a matter of many years of practise to master the skill. It is better to observe the patients than to have it explained. In the military, our healers train for many more years than even the greatest soldier. It will not hurt to practise with Master Physician’s guidance.”
The physician nodded ever so slightly and guided the apprentice to what to do as the young lord sat with a straight back on the low stool. “Place your fingers as I have shown you before. Do you feel the stability of the energy in his pulse? That is the earth energy of the young lord, creating stability and strength that his body and mind relies on, giving him a calm demeanour, like a mountain. The flow os water lies beneath it, closely intertwined, proving his health is good and his emotions unwavering. Try to feel beyond these two, child.”
As the apprentice tried to read the young noble’s pulse, and quite visibly failing, the elderly physician spoke to the young lord in front of him.
“As I said previously, young lord, but this is still not the eleventh year of the emperor’s reign. The name of the emperor is correct, but it has been several years since His Imperial Majesty was of that age. Does the young noble know how many princes there are in the capital?”
“What an odd question. Eight Prince Rü’ia is the twenty-fourth of the Imperial princes and the emperor is already so old and it’s already so many years since Eight Blood Prince Çelut was born. There would be no more than eight of each kind of Imperial Prince.”
“You truly recall no one else, young lord?” the elderly physician asked.
The patient shook his head. “Other than the provincial princes, there are the Emperor’s brothers, the emperor’s eight sons, and the emperor’s eldest nephew from each brother. There are twenty-four.”
The physician stroked his beard again, considering his words closely before he spoke up once more.
“Young lord, as your mind is confused, I suggest you seek out your elders. If your parents are still alive, then they may be most suited to nurture your lost memories. Elders will guide you u til your memories properly return.”
“If so, what is my life now then,” the patient reasonably asked.
The physician looked at the young lord, whose situation could only be described as undesirable and unfavourable.
“Only Nükiž will know the truths of this matter. I am no shaman, diviner or oracle, and do not speak with the deities, and medicine is not aligned with the Sun. However, may I so boldly suggest that the young lord ask someone you know well? Is there anyone within the Capital to whom I could send word?”
“My šüssad is a general,” the young lord said, only now looking somewhat troubled as his brows pulled together, making him look stern and unyielding. “If I am in the Capital, however, he may not be here as he is frequently away, so I supposed it is his wife who is most familiar with me.”
The elderly physician glanced at the apprentice, who was still trying to read the energies. He turned back to the young lord. “Then shall I send word to the general’s estate? Which general are we speaking of?”
The young lord shook his head. “There is no need to worry about the matter. It is fine, Master Physician. I shall go there myself, if nothing else.”
The physician frowned. “Young lord, I am quite afraid I cannot send you away without confirming you truly know who you are and ensure someone will take care of matters for you.”
“Oh.” The young lord fell quiet, then opened his mouth to speak.
Loud knocking rattled the gate to the clinic. Both physician and patient turned toward the sound, one looking calm, the other frowning.
The young apprentice, however, had quite a fright and jumped back several steps at the first knock. It took a moment to find the mind to head over to the door and open it.
Behind it stood three imposing, uniformed men. They all wore green brocade that looked almost black in the dark hours before dawn. On the fabric covering their chests were the medallion of confronted winged tigers that only the Imperial Bodyguards could wear. The imperial bodyguard standing in front was somewhat shorter than the other two, with his black hair tied back instead of worn in a bun like the typical soldier, but the sabre at his waist made him just as intimidating.
Fearing that trouble may have arrived at their doorstep, the apprentice backed away and bowed without a word, allowing the three highly regarded guards to enter immediately.
The leader of the Imperial Bodyguards stepped inside first. The scent of medicine and dry herbs assaulted his nose, and Židad took in the interior of the humble clinic. It was divided by a fabric to separate the patient area between the shop in front and the unwell asking for help.
His eyes fell on a table to the side near the entrance. The table was made from bricks and a rock surface that had been carefully smoothed out. While the rock didn’t look local, Židad figured it must still have been cheaper than wood. However, it was the items on the table that caught his attention.
One was a familiar silver token that he saw almost every day. He had the fortune that the Captain wished to share guard duties with the bodyguard unit, so he could recognise the identity token of an Imperial Bodyguard Captain with ease. But there was also an accessory next to it. It was a silver, bead and silk string piece of jewellery. The silver was in the image of a flower, a delicately filigreed charm, with beads and gems to decorate the charm and braided string that ended in a tassel.
This was something Captain Züčan wore daily since the prince had personally purchased it at a market stall for the Captain.
“Where did you get those from?” he inquired as he pointed at the items. The child by the door shook his head, unable to answer out of fright. Židad didn’t blame the young apprentice.
The physician stepped out to through the fabric at this time to find what the unknown visitor was looking at. He paused when he saw the three imposing figures of three Imperial Bodyguards. Cautiously, he replied, “Those are from a patient.”
“Is that patient still here?” Židad hurried to ask.
The elderly physician stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Has the young lord committed a crime to be persecuted by someone of your high status?”
Židad was silent for a moment, studying the old man to determine the purpose of the inquiry, before he replied to the physician’s question. “No, the owner is in the military. We are here to escort him back with us to his abode in the Inner City.”
The physician acknowledged this and couldn’t help but look over his shoulder, but said nothing. However, the young lord had naturally overheard and stepped through the fabric, habitually lowering his head. He looked at the bodyguards, taking in their uniforms.
“That is quite an achievement,” he then commented as he took his things. “Master Physician, I believe I can leave now. These people should be able to confirm my identity.”
The physician hesitated.
Židad saw this, and said with great respect, “Captain Züčan, your arrival is awaited, to ensure you are safe and sound. If you do not have a serious ailment, please come with us. And in the case that you do have an ailment that bothers you greatly, please let us seek the help of a renowned physician who knows the matter in great detail.”
Çetžak nodded, acknowledging this. He attached the token and the accessory to his belt.
The physician had to nod as well, unable to go against the Imperial Bodyguard’s thoughtfulness.
“Then, let us depart.” He took a few steps, but, ultimately, Çetžak paused and looked at the leading military officer, studying his face thoroughly. “I recognise you,” he said. “You are Židad, are you not?”
“Yes?” Židad looked at the physician, then back at the Captain. “May I inquire why you ask, Captain?”
“Oh, it is nothing,” Çetžak replied. “I worried you might be an older relative.”
Židad turned to the physician again for an explanation.
“The young lord has likely consumed an amnesia tonic. He does not remember the past few years.”
Even as his heart lurched, Lieutenant Židad only acknowledged this with a respectful nod and motioned for the Captain to leave first.
Author’s Note
More worldbuilding notes for the interested:
Creating the medical examination of this scene was… interesting. This isn’t the first time I write medical practices in this setting, but I have never had it so extensively featured. I tried to create something that fits the examinations and medical practices I have previously written into the canon story, while trying to expand it and show the ancient influences that would have affected how medicine in Zuladiar works. The Fubaž believe in four deities and divide the world based on four elements, including people’s alignment to elements by birth as well as what their divined name aligns to. Züčan (strength) is earth element, and Židad (darkness) is air element. Nür (sun, light) would be fire. Likewise a person has four elements: fire, water, air and earth. In this case fire refers to Çetžak’s intellectual and cognitive capatabilities (because Nükiž is the deity of knowledge and intelligence), water refers to health and emotions, air his general spirit, and earth to his demeanour and vitality. But there will be more on this later
It was also difficult to try have a humble physician be polite to a highly regarded military officer, who simultaneously is just as polite to the physician. I opted for Çetžak to call the healer “Master Physician” as a sign of respect, while the physicial calls Çetžak “young lord” because he assumes Çetžak is an aristocrat (in this case). In this setting “young master” is used for anyone who is the son of a master of the household, while “young lord” is irrelevant whether someone is the master or the son of the master of a household. Çetžak is significantly younger than the physician, so it’s only polite to say. The apprentice would be rude to call Çetžak “young”.
Wood in this setting is an extremely valuable commodity. It’s generally a very expensive thing to use as a material, especially in larger quantities. U’il-šanad having wooden furniture actually shows his wealth. Wood from lands further away can also be more expensive than both precious gems and precious metals at times.
This is a small detail but not actually irrelevant: silver is the colour/metal of Denaštür, and Denaštür is the deity of leadership. Çetžak’s position is shown with a silver token for a reason. I mentioned last chapter that a Captain is a honoured third rank, but his silver identity token really shows how incredibly important his station within the military actually is; he is the commanding officer of the entire Butterfly Unit of the Imperial Bodyguards and all of U’il-šanad’s bodyguards, and people would be hardpressed to go against his command of this highly specialised unit and is directly under the Commander. A Division General (also third rank) usually doesn’t have a silver token because a General (second rank) essentially has the same commanding power as an Imperial Bodyguard Captain, even if an army (and a division of an army) is larger than the entire bodyguard unit in charge of a single prince’s safety. But like I also said, within the army as a whole, a Captain is still a third rank, with the same level of power as a third rank, even if the material benefits (like salary) are that of a second rank officer (hence the honoured third rank status).
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