24 --- Disgruntled.

Her father was blind.
Laura couldn't help the sobs that racked her small frame. She leaned heavily on Elaine as her father protested loudly. She'd seen him before she went to bed last night and everything was well. He was perfectly fine, just a bit down with the flu, but he wasn't meant to be blind.
Sure, his sight has been failing for a while but Laura thought that it was all due to old age. He wasn't supposed to just wake up one morning, completely blind. She had seen the blindness coming slowly, but this change was too drastic and it wasn't right. It didn't feel right with her.
Mr. Finch was saying something to him and Laura tried to force herself to listen to whatever it was that he was saying, but her heart was beating too loudly and it felt like her chest would cave any moment now.
"... You didn't tell anyone about it." Those words brought her out of the fog clouding her mind. She turned to look at her Father, wincing when she saw him dart his eyes around, like he was trying to pinpoint where everyone in the room was.
"Pardon?" Mr. Finch turned to her then and giving her a pitiful look, spoke to her.
"I said that your father's eye sight had probably been getting worse for quite some time. I should've thought about that when we noticed that his health deteriorated as well. He didn't tell anyone about it."
"That's not true. My sight has been fine. Even better." The King said. Laura didn't believe him, she thought back to that day when she saw Father squint to read a paper and then throw down the paper in frustration. She hadn't thought anything about that but now she saw the truth.
Her Father probably saw how tired she had been and didn't want to cause her any strain. The palace had been bustling with activities for four days now and the Vampires were expected to arrive by tomorrow. Her Father couldn't greet them like this, and she couldn't greet them alone.
She realized that her mind was wandering and reprimanded herself for wanting to not think about this moment. She just wanted to rest.
Banks came in then, an ointment in his hand. Laura couldn't help the wave of gratitude she felt then. Sure, the king wasn't going to regain his sight anymore but Banks kneeed her father more and knew that he wouldn't sleep unless he had the reassurance that his sight would get back.
"Alright, Francis." It had been long since Laura had heard anyone refer to get Father by his name and she had almost forgotten that there was another epithet used for him.
Banks lifted him from his shoulders, settling behind him and taking a hold of his hand. He ran the king's index finger through the ointment and when he had taken a little, he directed his finger to the area around his eyes, helping the king to massage the salve there.
Laura could see how her Father relaxed. Her Father was the superstitious sort and he believed strongly in every ailment having a cure, herbs. This wasn't true but she wasn't going to argue that fact with him currently.
She simply linked her arm through Elaine's and pulled the both of them out of the room. Mr. Finch followed soon after and called out to her.
She turned, he had his tricorne in his hands, his coat over his shoulders and his briefcase on the floor. Laura frowned, he wasn't going to leave now, was he?
"I'd like to speak with you just for a moment." Mr. Finch said and flickering his gaze to Elaine, added, "Privately."
With an agreement from Elaine, Laura led the way to her Father's study and sat down, making sure that the doors were left wide open.
Elaine excused herself, hopefully to get them some tea and snacks and Laura watched as Mr. Finch sat stiffly on a settee, avoiding her gaze.
Laura busied herself with thoughts about the preparations and what was left to do, she didn't push Mr. Finch into getting on with the discussion. Instead, she waited till Elaine had poured the tea for them both, little cakes and biscuits brought in by a maid and then both the maid and Elaine walked out.
Laura turned to Mr. Finch and saw that he was already staring at her. "What's the matter? I feel like something dreadful has happened, seeing as you called to speak with me in private and not in the company of Elaine or my Father."
Mr. Finch cleared his throat and took a very tiny sip - barely, infact, began to speak. "Your Father's sickness is uncanny. It boggles my mind and I can't make sense of the rapidness. It doesn't seem normal to me."
Laura set down her tea cup and stared at this doctor, not really registering his words. "Are you trying to tell me something, Mr. Finch?"
He jerked at the slow but sure way she had said it, her tone not allowing for any misgivings. He sat up straighter in his seat and looked at Laura, keeping a steady gaze with her.
"All these are speculations, I'm not pointing any fingers as I do not know who to be pointing fingers at, but I'd like you to be very careful about who enters your Father's rooms. What he eats, who's serving him. Who makes his bed and airs his rooms."
Mr. Finch, noticing that Laura looked lost, paused his litany. He leaned forward a bit, till he was sure that not only Laura's eyes followed his movement, but also that her attention was on him as well.
"There is nothing to worry about, Princess. I'm merely suggesting. Just like how I'd suggest that your Father rests very well and that he takes all his medication. The blindness and his failing health are moving at an alarming pace. You could see the way his loss of sight came as a shock to even him. I'm not saying that anything is amiss, I'm just advising that you should be careful about those who come in close quarters with The King."
"Including you?" Laura dared him to exclude himself from the warnings and Mr. Finch could see that she wasn't ready to accept the strange change in her Father's wellbeing.
He nodded, "Yes, including me."
Laura stared at him for a while, deep in thoughts. What exactly was Mr. Finch trying to tell her? He wasn't being as forthcoming as she would've hoped but she knew that he was being extra careful, fearing for his own life.
This man thought that her Father was being poisoned. He didn't need to speak it out loud, but that was his guess.
Mr. Finch could see that Laura was beginning to understand what he had spoken and he smiled, getting to his feet, his tricorne on his head. "There's no sign of anything in his system so I'm just grappling at imaginary straws. But I've never been wrong in my entire life. At least, when it comes to my patients."
He put on his coat and made for the door. Laura realized that she hadn't cleared something up with him and called out to him, watching as he jerked to a halt.
"You do know that you accuse everyone in this palace of doing something to harm the King. You accuse me, Elaine, Banks, the maids and the guards, and even yourself. Why?"
Mr. Finch turned to look at her then, frowning. "I'd never accuse you. You don't have a motive for anything. But the rest of us? You should be on high alert, Your Highness."
Bowing, he walked out of the study, shutting the door behind him.
Laura sagged against her chair, wanting to cry but willing the tears to dry up on the inside of her. Crying and wailing about what Mr. Finch had just shared would be her giving credence to the information. And she'd be damned if anyone was in fact doing anything untoward to her Father.
With that in mind, she rose from her chair and walked out of the study, going straight to his rooms. Two guards stood at the doors and she told herself that she had to change them and put people that she trusted. Maybe Malik and Austin.
The guards pulled open the doors for her and she sailed on, halting when she saw that Banks sat at a chair that he had probably pulled close to the bed and that the King was fast asleep. Her Father was looking so peaceful and Laura thought back on the horrific shout he gave when he found out that he couldn't see. Her dear Father.
Banks had looked up at her entrance, but it was now that she acknowledged his presence. If there was anyone that she trusted with her Father, it was this man. And maybe Tony, her father's secretary, who should've been here.
Laura looked around the room, trying to remember if he had come in at any time. The man was a recluse and hardly ever showed his face around the castle.
But he was also her Father's close friend and she expected him to be here, with him.
She looked at Banks and saw that he was still staring at her, pity in his gaze. "Come here."
She didn't wait for a second prodding but flew into his outstretched arms. Sure, Banks and her didn't always see eye to eye, but she remembered how he had been like an uncle to her while growing up. She had even called him her best friend when she was nine years old. Banks was almost like her Father and she needed to know that she wasn't alone then.
"Your Father is a very strong man so just relax and you'd see. He'd come out of this stronger." Laura sniffled against his chest and tried not to think of her Father's predicament, silently willing her tears away.
"And besides, someone has to give you away during your coming nuptials and I won't be the one to do it." That last part was inflected for her Father and Banks prodded her Father's foot, causing her to laugh.
She really hoped that it would be the case. That her father would be healthy enough to come for her wedding. She had decided to get married because of him and it'll be a shame if he was absent. She wasn't even sure that she'd want to go through with it if he wasn't there.
"Mr. Finch said something about us being careful with who we let close to Father." She whispered into Banks chest and by the silence after, thought that he hadn't heard her, until he replied.
"That's good. That's a sensible thing for him to say. And it's true." He drew her till she sat knelt straight, her gaze locked on his. "We do have to be careful. Especially as the Vampires are coming to the castle."
Laura gasped when a thought entered her mind after what Banks had said. "You don't think that this is because of their arrival, do you?" Banks didn't make any move to counteract or give credit to what she had said and Laura shook, on the brink of a discovery that she couldn't grasp just yet.
"You really don't think we have someone working with the Vampires here, do you?"
"Think about it, it was when the marriage had been accepted that the King started feeling worse. The vampires might be in communication with anyone..."
Laura didn't hear the other words that were spoken by him, her eyes were ringing and she thought that this must be it. The vampires wanted to rule.
"...Of Course, I might be taking thoughts from the air and all those might not be true."
She didn't wait for Banks to say anymore as she sprang to her feet. "We'd have to make sure that they don't come here. We can't risk it. We can't risk my Father's health."
She had just gotten to the doors when they pushed open, a flushed Elaine running through the doors.
"They're here."