Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

It was quite late when Jovana finally got back home. The house was dark and silent when she entered the lab. She fell into her chair, looking at the liquid dripping down into each vial. Many thoughts were swirling in her head, and she felt so tired. The preparation for the Serendipity Ball was almost complete. It was a matter of a few days. The ball was almost here, and when it came, she would walk straight into the trap.

Jovana took a deep breath and sighed with resignation. Gallons of the substance were pumping through the glass pipes. "It will take the whole night to finish, but I'm sure I made the right variation this time. It's just a matter of finding out which vial is the one."

Suddenly, Jovana's thoughts trailed off to the Duke. 'Caspian. He did nothing but protect me, and I did nothing but lie straight to his face. I was supposed to keep an eye on him, not to fall for him and—' Jovana stopped that train of thought right there. 'No, Jovana. This is not the right moment for self-reproach.'

Jovana's thoughts were interrupted by slow, weary paces rubbing on the stone floor. "Who is there?" she asked.

"It's me. Were you expecting someone else?" Keith said as he came into Jovana's view.

"No, I… Sorry, Keith, of course it was you."

"You obviously don't know anything yet," Keith said, and the way he looked at her told Jovana right then that something was wrong. "Why is it always me who brings bad news?"

"Eli?" Jovana gasped, her heart racing with fear.

Keith sighed. "Yes." Time stopped halfway through Jovana's breath, her heart raced, and the color drained from her face like rain in the gutter. "He's not dead, Jovana, but he's holding on by a thread. One of your servants came running to me saying that your brother decided to spend the night in the living room and kept everyone out."

"In the living room?"

"I'm afraid he's no longer able to climb the stairs to get to his chambers," Keith said while Jovana looked at her workbench through tears, holding her head as if she were preventing it from falling to the ground. She had never felt so empty and wounded inside since the death of her parents.

'I know the answer is in one of these vials. I just need to buy Eli a couple of days. I have a few Serendipity effects I can use, but it won't be enough. And I need Keith to help me keep this a secret. I can't let the news of Eli's illness reach the wrong people.' Jovana mused in her head, and then called out, "Keith?"

"Yes, Jovana?"

"Can I ask you for a crucial favor?" Jovana asked.

"Anything for you, dear."

"I need total silence around this news. No one outside this house should know that Eli is sick. And I need some excuse about my brother being somewhere else until we find a cure. Can your shadows do that?"

"Of course. We will ensure the silence of your servants and come up with a solution for the outside world," Keith said as he gave Jovana a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Keith."

"Don't worry, we have your back. Not a single whisper will leave this house. It's a promise," Keith said as he put a hand on Jovana's shoulder, and she hugged him tight while he patted her back. "The Serendipity Ball is approaching. We will find the cure, you'll see."

"Thank you, Keith. I don't really know what I would do without you."

"I'm sure you would have set up your own personal spy organization. Probably with better results. I'd better go now. We both have a lot of work to do," Keith said while Jovana nodded as she watched him leave. She gave one last check to all the vials, then went out to see her brother.

As Jovana entered the living room, everything was dark. Elijah was lying on the couch with his eyes closed and a grimace of pain distorting his face. Jovana sat next to him, gently stroking his forehead. 'He can't hold on anymore,' Jovana thought as she shuffled the vials in her hands. "Eli?" Jovana gently stroked his hair as she said his name.

His eyes slowly opened. There was a brief flash of realization, like he suddenly understood his sister was there, and he had to put on his mask of stoicism. But he couldn't move. Charade time was over. "I should have told you." His voice was feeble, while Jovana shook her head.

Elijah was about to turn away, but Jovana gently held him. "We are a family, Eli. You and me, the last Staffords. We'll get through this together. And we'll fight. That's what the Staffords do," Jovana commented.

Elijah looked at her, trying to find the strength to give her a feeble smile. He said, "How can you be so brave?"

"I learned it from my brother."

"I wish I had the strength to hug you."

"Well, you can hug me while I take you to your room," Jovana said, while Elijah shook his head.

"I… I can't, Jovana."

"Of course you can! You are a Stafford. And it doesn't matter how painful it gets, we always come through," Jovana encouraged, smiling at her brother.

"That's what Dad used to say," Elijah said, a wistful smile appearing on his face.

"And his dad before him," Jovana quipped, and with an extreme display of willpower, Elijah stood up. His legs were shaky, and he could barely move them, but he started walking, one painful step at a time.

When they finally reached his bedroom, Elijah was completely exhausted and practically unconscious. Jovana tucked him in, but she saw he was in a great deal of pain.

'He can stay here until we find the cure at the Serendipity Ball. But I should do something to ease his pain,' Jovana mused as she wiped the tears from her eyes and dropped the two vials on his nightstand. "Come on, Eli. I need you to drink this." Jovana lifted his head, and sip by sip, she let him drink the first vial. His eyes closed, and his breathing became regular.

He was deeply asleep, but Jovana could still see the pain tormenting him. She made him drink the second vial, and after a few seconds, the pain disappeared. 'My painkiller vial. Whatever happens, just taking the pain away was well worth the effort of the whole Serendipity operation,' Jovana thought to herself as she smiled and rested a hand on Elijah's forehead.

"Rest, big brother, and hold on. I will take care of the rest. I promise." Jovana sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted, and looked out the window.

One memory of the hearing concerning the creator of Serendipity was still very vivid in her mind. "The creator swallowed the bait. He will soon appear in front of you for judgment, Your Majesty."

Jovana looked at her brother and stroked his hair as she thought, 'When this whole thing started, I thought that after finding a cure, I could shut the whole operation down and take the secret of Serendipity to my grave. But it's clear this can no longer be the case.' Her eyes went back to the window. The moon was shining white and bright in the sky, almost full. 'I don't know if Caspian was lying or what he was planning, but it's clear that I couldn't take the time to be cautious. I'm afraid my next operation might also be the last.'

Jovana stood up and walked toward the window, touching the glass with her fingers as she thought with a smile, 'Guess I will be the one walking to the gallows. My life for Eli's. Seems fair.' Jovana's eyes challenged the darkness. 'Well, I'll be sure to give them one hell of an ending.'