Secret :
3rd of Fall, 510 AV
A hacking cough flew from Fenilen's lips. He was curled into a ball, hands gripping his stomach as pain coursed through his abdomen. Tears welled at the corners of his eyes, a few already on the ground. Anyone could see that he was in pain. Sweat ran in rivers along his entire body. He coughed constantly, convulsing with each cough, spittle flying from his lips.
He was a sorry sight, laying on the ground like this. He had been sick for almost five days now. It had started simply, with a cough and a sore throat. The next day, it was a fever. Then, it turned into a massive pain in his abdomen, along with diarrhea. The pain and coughing had only gotten worse since then, to the point where all he could do was lie on the ground and cringe in pain.
Elheld sat in the corner of the room, a frown on his face as he watched his nephew wither away like this. Slowly, quietly, he approached, kneeling down on the opposite side of Fenilen. He scooped water up in a ladle, bringing it to Fenilen's lips, watching as he drank it down greedily, just as much water landing on him as in his mouth. He repeated this several times, eventually switching to a bland soup, the only nourishment he could bring himself to eat.
A reassuring hand found itself to Fenilen's shoulder. "You'll be all right, Fenilen. I'm seeing improvement," Elheld said comfortingly, a smile playing across his lips.
A fake smile, Fenilen knew. Fenilen just frowned. "All I can do now is hold on to hope, and pray to Priskil," he muttered weakly, looking Elheld in the eyes. "I'll pray to her to help me through this, so that I can continue my work," he then explained, closing his eyes.
Elheld sighed deeply, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly before returning to his seat.