The second course was the soup. It was a cold melon and basil soup. The servants switched out the plates 15 minutes after we received the first course. I just looked at it skeptically. Cold soup was not something that I had in the other world. I knew that it existed, but I never had one before. I took a spoonful and found that it was slightly sweet and had a cooling effect on my body. I finished it and found that my skepticism made it so I was one of the last to finish. The next course was stuffed mushrooms. I had these before so I was prepared to eat them. They tasted great. "I am have a really nice time." I said to Anthony. He rolled his eyes. "We all know. Your blood betrays you here." he said. Fabien actually smirked. "It's actually refreshing to see you act so genuinely around us. You always put on that annoying act." he said teasingly. That made me smile a bit. "I don't hide as much as you think. I just have my own honor and reputation to uphold." I joked. The next course was the salad. Something very light at the midpoint of the big meal. There was nothing to talk about. We were ready for action.
I was really getting a bit full. Looking at either side of me, I noticed that they had not been finishing most of their courses. I certainly wished that they had told me that. In a big meal like this, you needed to have hunger and a lot of endurance. The host of this gathering was the king. He lifted a goblet of red wine and we all did the same. He praised Sir Killroy without saying that he was the king's nephew. Everyone had to keep up appearances. It was a matter of pride and propriety. Sir Killroy was gracious and said a few words himself. His mother and all the other members at the table got a refill of wine for the big toast. We took a hearty drink when he finished. The big main course was a full plate of herb-crusted venison medallions with sauce. It was all served to us right away. We ate heartily. I was surprised by how good it tasted. The meat nearly melted in my mouth. This was the food of royalty and nobles. It was a cut above what I would eat. About 10 minutes in, Bishop White began to cough loudly and uncontrollably. Sir Killroy's mother suddenly stood up clutching at her pale throat too.
Both of them were at separate tables. Lady Killroy was at her son's side at the place of honor at the main table. The minor noble's table was on a slightly raised platform from the rest. The table for major nobility was higher than that. The royal table was higher than all the rest. Sir Killroy was troubled and immediately stood to try and help her. "Mother!? Mother, what's wrong!?" he asked. She did not respond. It did not look like she could respond. No one wanted to attend to the albino bishop. Sir Killroy and his friends surrounded her and tried to do something. I got up and hurried over to Bishop White. "What's wrong, Your Grace!?" He was going blue in the face. "I need you to calm down, Your Grace. Panicing will only make it worse and you'll pass out faster. You are a man of God. Have faith." I said. He seemed to be able to focus on me. "Are you choking on something or is it that your throat is closing. 1 finger for the first thing. 2 fingers for the second." He held up 2 fingers. "Are you known to be very allergic to any meats, cheeses or spices. Use your fingers. 1 for yes. 2 for no." He held 2.
Now that I knew that, I suspected poison was involved here. "I can perform an emergency procedure to try to save your life. You need immediate access to air. I can cut your wind pipe open to allow to breathe. Would you like me to try it?" I asked him. Bishop White held up a finger. I had him sit down and took out my dagger. I took a candle and put the tip in the flame to sterilize it. He was losing consciousness. I took my finger and ran it along his throat. I had to make the hold right under his Adam's apple. The blade sunk into his flesh to open up his wind pipe. I called for a straw. There were metal ones that the children were using for their berry juice. A quick servant was able to hand me one quickly. I put it in the hole and held it in place. I could see the bishop's chest begin to rise and fall. I looked at Humphrey and Henry. "This straw is allowing His Grace to breathe. You are his attendants so it is up to you to keep it in place and unobstructed until we find the cause. If it is poison or an allergy causing his throat to close, we can only wait until the swelling goes down." I instructed them both.
