Chapter 7: The Healing
When he awoke, Bersi saw that he was laid down a bed, which despise the harshness of the North, were warm and soft, and made from the softest straw and wool. The scent was not one he would expect, there was not a trace of time's passing for its warmth and comfort equaled it in its alluring aroma, reminding him of a summer's day in a meadow where white lilies grow under the shade of towering trees. And his pillow and blanket were of equal qualities to his bed, and it bid him nearly back to sleep if not for the humming of a maiden, could he gain the strength to sit up and search for the owner's voice that seem to vanish whenever his eyes became heavy.
And then he saw her. The Dvergr Marian was humming at the table, like happy child playing with her toys. She was with her golden tools, preparing food, Bersi could guess, for there was a cauldron in the hearth, and the fires did it burn to make the water boil. And the black barrel she called Mjölnir moved to and from Marian, for it assisted her with the preparations in spite not being able to speak.
As for Marian, she was no longer bare, for she wore clothes, which was not for the workers of the mines or the smiths of metal and gold. She wore the clothes of old, and presented herself as if she was at peace with it. She wore an apron dress above her gown that reached up to the floor and hid away her feet from his gaze. Upon her chest were brooches and beads, which drew any eyes, and upon her head was a scarf that covered her silver hair, which was worn as a long single braid that reached down her back. And her clothes did hide her figure from him, and made her seem like a different child all together different from the one who bathed in the Spring. Marian hummed, and her feet and body did not still as she was preparing, and soon she came to song again.
There is not many hare left,
But I haven't even wept.
It's now all skinny and due.
What in the world should I do?
Because there's a man here, far did he roam,
And now he's the guest in my home.
The bed and blanket is old,
And I do hope it is not cold.
It's worn and it stinks of me too.
What in the world should I do?
My hands are clumsy and small,
Not good for cooking at all.
So when you're eating the stew,
Please tell me it's good to you.
It's been such a great long time,
And I don't know if there's wine.
But don't be mean to me please
Because my mind won't be in ease.
Because there's a man here, far did he roam,
And now he's the guest in my home.
What in the world, can I do for you?
And her self mocking did come to truth, for she cut herself with her knife, and a little whimper came from her lips for a moment. And though, Bersi noticed this and tried to seek her out to aid her, he did not hardly guess that when he stood up he was bare.
Marian saw him and did not look away with her golden eyes. She simply smiled, and said, "Now we're even," and went back to cutting after treating the cut.
In surprise, Bersi took the clothes folded by Marian on a chair, and quickly made himself decent.
"Be at peace, for I cannot see far for my eyes have been strained from all the fine working I have done through all these years," said Marian, and small sigh flowed out from her, and she spoke again. "There is no need for shame for are we not grown man and woman? And I have not seen any exact part of you, though I can see that you are tall and strong man through your outline."
Bersi did not pay attention for he was looking for his possessions, to which Marian spoke, "I have taken them for washing, for your clothes have been worn for far too long even without the bright light of the sun. What little possessions you have are upon that table," and she pointed it in question, and there was everything that Bersi ever had in that bag of his, but not the single one reminded him of home, the White City.
Marian noticed the shadow that has fallen on Bersi. "Prepare yourself. Go to the bath, and bathe in the hot Spring, and the let the gold and jewels give you warmth in the spirit. Any of your questions shall be answered after Supper, so make haste, as so you will not let the food get cold, or let a woman who prepared it for you keep waiting." And Bersi only nodded, and went to the bath, passing of the clunking Mjölnir on the way.
And in the warm waters of the Spring Bersi went, and washed away the dirt and the smell of all that he come upon. The water did hurt him so as it touched his bare skin, and it was here, that he saw for the first time that he was bruised and battered by his journey. The steam wafted into him the smell of ancient and healthy forests that weathered the years and it came upon Bersi like comforting warmth, and the pain of this healing heat of the Spring waters went away, and with the treasure that glowed in the room, they have spirited him back into the good days in the White City, where he was the ward of children, and was loved. But he did not go far back, for he knew what it would bring, for there was one thing that the Spring could not heal was his broken heart. And then he went into the waterfall, and there his returned.
Bersi finished bathing quickly, and made himself dry. Marian called from the other room and asked him if he was finished washing, to which Bersi replied that he did. But before he can robe himself, Marian came into the room, looking concerned. She carried with her a salve in a bottle, and told Bersi to sit down and be still as she will put it upon her. "I will put it on myself," said Bersi, "For it is not well for a lady to do such a task."
But Marian will have none of it, telling Bersi that the salve was magical, and only those who knew how to apply it correctly, would it yield the intended effect of the salve. And Bersi was silenced, and he sat down upon a stool, still bare. Marian then rolled up her sleeves, and dipped two fingers into it. She touched Bersi's body with her fingers, and applied the salvs upon the bruises in movements that he could not wholly understand. And it instantly made him feel a bit better, for it took away the great burning the Spring put upon it. And pleasantness went over Bersi, and went over him greatly, for he was in a stupor, and he became enamored with the warmth of Marian's healing, and the breath that she gave out upon his bare skin, which flowed upon it and made his hair alert of her presence. And as she drew closer, the scent from the bed that Bersi had slept in before was now clear to him, for it was Marian's. It was like the green earth on a summer day, and the sweet scent of the lilies waved into him, every time she passed in front of him. And here, Bersi was made aware of Marian's womanhood, and she in turn, took noticed, but quickly turned away, not saying a word, only that her face bore red a little. But Bersi was not shamed, and after she took her caressing hand from him, did he knew what happened, and he lead out a sigh of his disappointment. However, Marian shook her head, and smiled at him with her freckled face still red, and said, "It is only natural, but am I enough of a woman for you? I am only a Dverger."
Bersi shook his head, and said, "You are woman enough." Marian smiled, but turned away to cover her shame.
"Make yourself decent, for supper is nearly ready," she said, but with a stammer, and went back into the other room, as Bersi complied. And for a moment, he wished the days of living with Marian would not come to an end, but his quest lingered in his mind like poison, and his eyes became fierce once more.