(Originally posted 6/15/2012)
Note 08/22/2012: After I requested assistance from Critics United for my story "Grimmjow: Four to Love" I became aware that my idea about what the M rating is allowing exceeded the regularities of this site. So I changed this chapter. I will publish the original version on AO3 as soon as I find time.

Beta: OveractiveImagination39

Chapter 14 – Yield of Fate

Shortly after High Noon the footing of the horses carrying the litter became slower and slower until Kira and Hisagi, who where now guiding them, instead of Oswyn and Alric whom the thugs had killed that morning, were not able to encourage the animals to continue any further.

Orihime was glad for the rest, even if it was only for an hour. The path had not changed at all and she noticed the horses´ legs were shaking from exhaustion when she patted both briefly on the neck before she walked over to her mare.

Bram had descended and leaned against the horse's side, his arms tightly wrapped around himself, shivering. She softly stroked his damp hair and took her medical bag, which had been loaded together with the few clothes Nelliel and she possessed, on the mare's back behind the saddle. Raindrops slowly ran down the waterproofed leather bags and she could feel the light mist start to soak her hair and coat.

Avoiding the puddles of mud on the path, she walked over to Sir Ulquiorra. Her knight still was sitting on Murciélago talking with Aziz, "Watch the hour glass. If I have not returned by the time you start moving again, go on without me. I will catch up with you eventually."

Turning his horse, he said to her, "My lady, you should not be outside for long, it is too cold and wet for that."

She lifted one arm to stop him, but Murciélago already had broken into a trot heading back down the path they had come from.

"Where by all the saints is he going?" Orihime scowled towards Aziz.

"My master is looking to see if we are indeed being pursued by the thugs," the boy explained turning the hour glass around, "Please, Lady Orihime go back inside the litter. If you catch a cold my master will get angry," he tried.

She opened her mouth to give a quick retort, but then decided against it. Looking into Aziz's worried and pleading face she realized the boy just wanted to avoid anything that might trouble his master further. Instead she joined the others who had searched for shelter under a huge oak, and shared some cold meat and the few slices of bread they had left. They ate in silence, and shortly after the boys also came over. Aziz carefully placed the hour glass on the ground and rubbed his hands to warm them before he shared a slice of meat with his brother.

The hour passed by without Sir Ulquiorra returning. After the upper glass was empty for awhile, Aziz walked back a few feet, stopped and looked with his hands shadowing his eyes into the distance for a long moment. On his return he briskly brushed his wet hair out of his face, "You have heard my master; we have to go. Please Lady Orihime, Maiden Nelliel return into the litter," he begged them with a strained voice.

They traveled for several hours more, fighting against the rain and cold wind. Yet when they had to stop for the evening, the knight still had not returned, and Orihime, as well as the others in their group, grew increasingly worried. While Aziz, Kira and Hisagi began building a makeshift shelter out of some freshly cut branches, the litter, and two suitable trees in a small clearing next to the path, she continued to glance back towards the direction they had just come. Bram was excused from the activity as he had nearly fallen from her mare as he struggled against exhaustion. Orihime had suggested letting him rest in the vehicle until they had finished their preparations for the night.

As soon as the shelter was ready, the horses were tied at the open sides to act as shields against the wind and rain and to provide some warmth. Due to the Fourth Knight's order, no fire was allowed for light because it would give away their position easily.

By the time Kira, who had taken the first vigil, returned, and Hisagi left the shelter towards the path to watch out for Sir Ulquiorra, Orihime no longer was able to keep her eyes open and fell into a fitful sleep. The men, especially Aziz had begged her and Nelliel to return inside the litter for the night. Next to each other, both boys slept near the vehicle on the ground, wrapped in their cloaks and a fur.

It was deadly dark when she was woken by the sound of voices, one unmistakably belonging to Sir Ulquiorra, who had returned. With a pounding heart she carefully, trying not to wake up Nelliel, crawled on her knees and gazed outside. Standing next to Murciélago, her knight talked in a low voice with Hisagi. Then Aziz stirred below her and got up. After he had placed the blankets back around his little brother he stumbled, brushing the sleep from his eyes, over to his master.

Hisagi left, returning to watch the path and the knight gave instructions to the boy, who hurried back while Sir Ulquiorra did not move at all. Aziz rummaged through a bundle she knew contained the knight's clothes, and Orihime tried to figure out what he was searching for. It was too dark to make out the details.

But then the clouds broke apart and in the light of the full moon she observed how Aziz carried a fresh white tunic over to his master. Now it was bright enough that she could recognize the tunic as the one with the ivy embroidery he had worn at the Midsummer feast. With slow, careful movements, the knight took the bloodstained shirt off and replaced it with the tunic over which he pulled back the heavy and thick, but cut up surcoat, and his woolen cloak.

Orihime could not hear completely what he was saying next to Aziz, but she believed that he had requested the boy to unsaddle Murciélago and try rubbing some of the water and sweat from the damp horse with the dirty shirt.

Sir Ulquiorra did not move until Aziz had turned his back to him, guiding the black horse to the others. Now that he believed to be unobserved the pale knight dragged his feet over to a tree where he leaned his back and head against the trunk. Closing his eyes he carefully palpated his chest with one hand while he rubbed his eyes with the other.

Seeing him clearly in pain and exhausted, Orihime decided that it would be the best to get out right now and treat his wound. Yet before she even had opened the door, the moon vanished behind a cloud and it again was too dark. She clenched her fists in frustration and searched the sky for another opening but in vain.

After several moments she gave up and averted her gaze. Meanwhile Sir Ulquiorra had composed himself and approached her, and though he tried, he could not cover that his footing was rather unsteady. Orihime stayed silent, sure that he already had noticed her presence, as observant as he usually was. But his eyes did not focus on her until he was almost to the makeshift shelter.

Getting anxious, she reached out for him. He reached back and took both of her hands in his, stepping close to the horse litter without waking the sleeping Bram, lying directly at the vehicle's side.

"What took you so long?" she whispered while her stomach turned into a knot, at the feel of his cold and clammy hands. Even if she could not see his face clear enough, she was nearly sure, he was feverish.

"The piece of trash had not lied. His brother has come after us, and they were close when the darkness forced them to stop," he paused as his hands twitched, and he took in a shuddering breath before he continued whispering, "They would have caught us before noon tomorrow. That is why I had to wait until I was able to untie and shoo their horses away, to strip them of their biggest advantage. However I doubt that this will discourage them. The self proclaimed King of the forest had shouted his promise that he would kill the man who had murdered his brother loud enough so that I would hear."

He freed his hands from her hold, "Go to sleep My Lady. Though our chances have improved we still need to move as soon as possible in the morning. The most important thing is to keep the distance between us and them as large as possible. Please, go to sleep...," his voice trailed off and after a moment where he seemed to collect himself once again, he placed a hand at the litter for support and slowly sat down next to Bram.

Until Aziz returned, Orihime listened to the Fourth Knight's erratic breathing. On his arrival, the boy tried to give his cloak to his master, but Sir Ulquiorra pushed it away. Aziz's head dropped in return and he crawled back under the sheets next to his brother.

Because there was nothing else she could do for the moment, Orihime followed Aziz example and tried to sleep as well.

When the boy's voice woke Orihime up again, it was still dark, and at first she believed she just had fallen asleep only a moment ago. Nelliel also stirred and Aziz informed them that they should get out because the horse litter would be mounted soon.

Once outside she stretched her stiff limbs and saw that the darkness indeed had started to lift. In the cold air Kira and Hisagi's breath condensed. Both men yawned from time to time and rubbed their hands together to warm then, after pulling one single branch after another from the shelter to free the vehicle. Everybody must have been up for awhile. All horses were saddled and their belongings were loaded. Even the two horses baring the litter, already wore their harness in which the vehicle would be hooked in later.

Orihime walked over to Aziz's horse and looked into some off the bags containing the food supplies, but other then dried meat nothing else was left. And the water bags needed refilling too. In the moment when she started to miss Sir Ulquiorra, the pale knight entered the clearing.

As soon as he noticed her, and the still un-mounted horse litter, his eyes narrowed, and he turned Murciélago around to ride over to where the soldiers were still busy with the removal of the branches. Orihime held her breath when she watched how he rushed towards them, barely affording Kira the time to jump out of the way.

Impatiently, the knight forcefully pushed the rest of the shelter off the litter and said loudly, "Are you deaf or dumb! Did I not say hurry up? This is not a foolish tournament, or any other kind of game you used to played at your lord's castle!"

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and stared startled at the Fourth Knight whose voice never before held such an insulting quality. Orihime swallowed the lump in her throat; he must be in great pain otherwise he would not have lost his familiar calmness and act rather irrational.

Sir Ulquiorra gazed back at each one, his green eyes glowing with a burning intensity out of his blotched looking face. His hair hung untidy, like the rest of his disarranged clothes, around his features. He was a mess, and by taking in his appearance Orihime was unable to say how he managed to sit this straight on the horse. His complete condition bothered her greatly.

Aziz moved first, and the other men silently hurried to help him pull the branches out of the way. She pushed her shoulders back and approached him, "Sir Ulquiorra, a word please... "

But he ignored her and turned Murciélago in the other direction, leaving the clearing. Anger, born from the helplessness she felt because of his stubborn refusal to listen to her, grew in Orihime and she clenched her fists tightly. Nelliel now standing at her side, placed her arms around the other woman's shoulders, "Let him go. He is beyond reason at the moment. Unfortunately, it seems you will have to wait until he falls off his horse, before he will accept your help."

+o+o+

For some hours they traveled in silence, pushed forward regularly when their pacing slowed down, by the hard and inpatient voice of the Fourth Knight. Inside the litter Orihime and Nelliel did not speak either. Instead both listened quietly to the splashing of the horses footing on the muddy ground and the dripping sound of the increasing rain on the vehicle's roof.

Once more the rocking of the litter faded as the horses´ pacing slowed down. This time it was Nelliel, who dragged the curtain back on her side to look out of the window. "He is doing worse," the maiden remarked with frustration after she sat back.

Concerned, Orihime gazed out of her window and studied her knight closely. Nelliel was right. His posture was not upright any longer. Sitting hunched forward and with a drooped head, he swayed unusually. His right hand had already searched for support at the saddles pommel. The reins draped loosely around his arm. Every now and then he raised his other hand and touched his chest. Besides that he seemed unaware that their pacing had slowed down, he also had stopped trying to keep the front of his cloak closed. The fabric was hanging wet and heavily around his sluggish shoulders.

Shivering from the freezing wind, Orihime returned into the shelter of the horse litter. Biting her lower lip, she sadly nodded her head in agreement.

Though he had been right about the cut not being deep, this was not what worried her as a healer. Mostly, the injury itself did not cause the greatest harm; rather it was the infection that too often set in that in a lot of cases led to death.

Sword wounds especially were cursed, and she had not seen a single one that had healed on its own unless it was properly cleaned. According to Master Isshin, the reason was that a weapon inherently was evil, and the evil was carried forth into the wound, poisoning the patient's humors. This also was the reason, why the physician believed that wine, as a holy liquid representing Christ's blood at the Lord's Supper, was able to clean and purify especially wounds of this kind.

After Orihime had touched Sir Ulquiorra's cold but sweaty hands last night, she was sure he had developed a fever, and this was one of the first signs that his wound indeed was infected. Furthermore it was far too cold and wet for a person in his condition to be outside. If he only would listen to her and share the shelter of the horse litter, he could at least avoid the cold. She had tried to convince him when the rain had started getting heavier, but of course he had refused.

They fell into a tense silence again, but it lasted not long. Aziz's disturbing shout, calling his master's name broke it. In the same moment the horses carrying their vehicle came to a sudden stop. Having a bad feeling, Orihime pulled the curtain back and bent as wide as possible out of the window.

The heavy rain still poured out of a dark gray sky. The boy had jumped from his own horse and kneeled on the muddy ground next to Murciélago. The black horse's saddle was vacant and the animal shook his head and looked down.

Nelliel joined Orihime and both women watched quietly together with the others, how Aziz helped Sir Ulquiorra to stand up. Back on his feet the pale knight accepted his squire's help and leaning on the boy for support, he slowly walked back the few steps to his horse. But there he ignored Aziz's offer to help him back into the saddle. However, the Fourth Knight needed two tries before he was able to mount Murciélago again. His squire holding the reins looked deeply worried, and refused to move when his master said something to him in a low tone.

Then, raising his hoarse voice, Sir Ulquiorra repeated, "I said tie me. Now, do it."

The boy's hands let go of the reins albeit reluctantly, and he walked over to the horse carrying the cooking and other equipment. After some searching, he returned with two ropes. One he tied around the pommel and the saddle's high backrest, and the other one he spanned from one of the knight's ankles to the other.

When he was finished, Aziz turned his head upwards to meet his master's gaze, but Sir Ulquiorra continued looking straight ahead and some time passed. The boy needed to clear his throat before the pale knight realized that his request had been fulfilled.

Then he rode to the front and they started moving again, but everyone was aware that it was the horse who set the pace and not his rider.

In the evening the rain stopped, but this was the only good thing. The sky still was clouded and the cold wind brushing through the trees bit into everybody's skin like small knives.

At some point, for no clear reason, and even before it was really dark, the black horsed stopped. Like acting on an unspoken agreement Aziz and Bram jumped to the ground and the soldiers led the horses baring the litter to the next suitable place. Before Sir Ulquiorra realized it, Aziz had begun to loosen the ropes which securely had held him in the saddle.

The pale knight said nothing. He also gave no comment when Kira came over and assisted Aziz in helping him get down from Murciélago's back. The two waited until Orihime and Nelliel arrived and took their places before they went to un-mount the litter and set up the camp.

"It is not dark, we have to move on," Ulquiorra mumbled absently and tried to get out of the women's hold. But as soon as they loosened their grip, his knees buckled.

"We are going nowhere for today. We all, and the horses, need to rest. Especially, this stubborn little mule here," Maiden Nelliel announced, tightening her hold around the smaller man's waist to keep the knight on his feet. For the duration of a heart's beat, a smile darted over Orihime's face, but as soon as she touched Sir Ulquiorra's forehead it vanished. Her fear had become real, he was burning up, and the fact that he did not protest any further only increased her anxiety.

"Sir, please I need to clean your wound and bandage it properly," Orihime's voice was soft but firm.

This time she did not wait for his answer, but carefully guided him to the litter where she and Nelliel let him down, so that his back rested against the vehicle. Aziz already waited, Orihime's medical bag in hand.

"Can someone light a fire?" she kneeled next to the knight who had closed his lids.

"No fire... too dangerous," Ulquiorra's eyes shot open and his hand grabbed her arm.

Orihime scowled and looked questioningly over to Hisagi and Kira.

"Sir Ulquiorra is right, Lady Orihime," Hisagi concluded, "The smell of a fire can be sensed even from far away, and can help the thugs to locate and estimate the distance between us. And this could encourage them to speed up."

Orihime didn't like it at all, but she nodded despite her misgivings. It was not only Sir Ulquiorra, who was in desperate need of the warmth a fire provided. The others needed it as well. The men's clothes were heavy and wet from the rain, and she knew that everyone was constantly freezing. Though Nelliel and her clothes had remained dry in the shelter of their vehicle, the cold air still gave her chills.

But for the moment they had to cope with the situation the best they could. Still it only was a question of time before not only the injured and feverish pale knight would run out of his strength.

She advised Aziz and Nelliel to bare Sir Ulquiorra's upper body while she prepared the treatment. For the moment Orihime only wanted to wash out the wound with wine and bandage it to shorten the time he was without any cover. If he had not caught a cold by now because of his threatening weakened state, she would not want to endanger him getting one during her treatment.

Orihime's hands move mechanically during the cleaning and she pushed the sensation of touching more of his uncovered skin than ever before as far from her mind as she could. Yet before she started with the wrapping of the bandages, her eyes wandered over his chest and stomach. The flesh was well toned, with muscles visible at the right places, and his pale skin was astonishingly smooth without any noticeable scars. Forgetting about the knight's squires and Nelliel, her fingers ghosted over his chest.

Since she had started with the cleaning, Sir Ulquiorra had held his eyes closed. Only a few times she had noticed his lids flutter slightly; a washing with wine could not be done painlessly, however, when her fingers touched him, his emerald eyes opened, clear and intense. She froze and their gazes locked. Moments passed until she felt him shiver.

Orihime averted her gaze and she hurried with the bandaging of the wound.

After he was dressed again, Aziz offered a spare slice of bread and cold, but fresh meat to his master but Sir Ulquiorra shook his head, "I am not hungry."

"Sir, nevertheless you should eat at little," Orihime reminded him, but again he refused. She sighed, "Drink at least something, Kira has refilled the water bags," she paused, chewing at her lower lip. Finally, she decided to voice her worries, "But we are low on food and we cannot continue this pacing forever. Everyone's strength is running out. We need a safe place were we can rest for some days...," she said, but what she meant was that he was the one in deadly need of such a place.

"There is a abbey on the other side of the forest. They are supported by Lord Aizen and therefore they cannot refuse to give shelter to a group led by one of his knights," his voice was hoarse and unsteady. He was shivering again.

Orihime toke his hand, but when her fingers searched for his pulse, he drew it away. "I beg you, please consider sleeping inside the litter," she tried once again but again he shook his head.

"Aziz, also knows the location of the abbey, " he added and shifted, not without some effort taking something out of the bag at his belt, "Take this, " he handed a silver brooch with a large Gothic four inside the backwards crescent moon of Las Noches, over to Orihime who took it, clearly irritated.

"Whomever you show this sign in the Hueco Mundo, will immediately recognize it and know that you belong to me and that you and everyone in your company is under the personal protection of Lord Aizen and therefore has to support you," taking in a unsteady rasping breath Sir Ulquiorra closed his eyes again.

"No, "Orihime whispered, "No – please, there is no need to give this to me now. Take it back," she held the brooch out for him to take but the knight's eyes stayed closed. He had fallen asleep and she decided to let him rest. Before she crawled into the litter, Orihime covered him with one of the dry furs from the inside, which she hoped would keep him warm enough.

+O+o+o+O+

Grimmjow took his sword from the saddle and mounted it to his right side so that he could draw it easily with his left hand. DiRoy had bandage his injured right arm tightly like on the days when he trained. Not that he believed he would need to use the sword on that woman. But one never knew, and he wanted to be prepared in case her request should turn out to be something completely different

She only had said that she wanted him to come to her hut, without elaborating any further, but Baraggan´s remark and DiRoy´s embarrassed look on his face made it easy for him to guess what she was up to. She was a strange woman, possessing some odd power. Yet he could not deny being in debt to her. Without her treatment he no longer would be alive, and therefore he would do what he suspected she would ask of him.

The late afternoon sun blinked every now and then through the partly clouded sky which had made his ride from Las Noches to her hut a quite relaxing trip, though it was rather cold already.

The door was left ajar and he entered without knocking or announcing his arrival. Inside the pleasant smell of drying herbs greeted him. Small bundles of them, hung everywhere from the rope covered ceiling. He shifted a little from the left to the right, peering into the room. It did not take him too long to get an impression of the hut's inside and to see her standing at a table located in the room's back, waiting for him.

Bending down a bit he walked in and securely made his way towards her, avoiding contact with the frail dried bundles of plants. He did not want to anger her by being disrespectful to the fruits of her labor - especially not after he had experienced their efficiency first-hand.

When he approached her, she cocked her head and smiled at him with some teasing amusement, "Welcome warrior. I am glad to see you looking so much better."

"I am here to wipe off my score," Grimmjow answered standing upright now. But even if he tried to give the impression of being relaxed and confident, he could not deny feeling unfamiliar tensed. Normally, he made this kind of request to a woman and not the other way around.

She laughed softly and pointed at two mugs standing at the table, "Sure, I am looking forward to that. But let us drink this first," she lifted one mug to her lips and waited for him to take the other.

Grimmjow hesitantly grabbed his mug and gazed into it, attempting to find out what was inside. The substance looked red, but did not smell like wine. For a short moment, he thought it might be blood, but he knew the smell of blood and the liquid's scent was a different one.

He snorted, after all she had done, she surely would not have called him here so that she could then poison him. Taking a small sip he still could not determine what the liquid was made of, but whatever it was it tasted not bad. Taking larger gulps he cleared his mug while she also finished hers.

"Come," she said making an inviting gesture to walk over to the left side of the room. There, a good arm length away from the wall, a comfortable straw mattress was lying on the ground, covered with a very simple cotton blanket.

Her bed.

"Undress yourself and lay down," she requested bluntly.

Under her careful eyes he opened his belt and dropped it together with his sword to the floor. Next he pulled the tunic over his head avoiding raising his right arm too high. But after having some practice he now managed to do it smoothly. Standing half naked in front of her, he felt his confidence slipping. This was different. All other times he had been on the edge, torn apart by his longing for Nelliel, only searching for a kind of illusion, the other women had given him.

Again this amused smile covered her face. Her eyes measured his bare upper body, taking in his broad shoulders, wandering over his well toned chest which rose up and down in a slightly faster pace. Then her eyes turned down to the perfectly visible muscles of his stomach and stayed at his hips, which still were covered with the fabric of his trousers. He knew very well what she expected him to do. With a tight feeling in his chest, he slipped out of his leather boots before undressing himself completely.

Without any further detour he sat down on the bed and lay on his back.

He gazed at the ceiling, avoiding looking at her. But from the sound of her clothes, he easily could guess that she undressed herself as well.

He did not need to wait too long before she stepped over him, and slowly sat down on his thighs. His resolution wavered. Then he averted his gaze from the ceiling to the woman in front of him. Lifting her arms up, she unbound her pigtails and her black curly hair fell down, teasingly framing her face. While most of the locks rested on her shoulders, one strand had fallen upon her ample chest and guided his eyes to her firm breasts , which made his heart beat faster - even against his wishes - but they were full, well-shaped and nearly as perfect as Nelliel's.

Grimmjow could not keep his eyes from wandering lower, taking in her slim waistline and her taunt stomach. His tension grew and a low, desperate growl escaped his throat.

"I will not kiss you on the mouth," he pressed out between clenched teeth.

She bent forward and placed her hands on the ground, left and right of his hips, "It is your body that I require, Warrior, not your heart. I will not claim what already is occupied."

Then she lowered herself until she nearly touched him, before she slowly moved forward until her face was right above his.

Grimmjow clawed his fingers into the ground. Her lips, full and red, shimmered alluringly, and her eyes were deep and dark when she breathed into his ear, "I am sure she will not mind as long as your heart stays true to her."

Her words carried upon her hot breath blowing at his ear, rushed through his mind and burned away the last bit of scruples that had plagued him. Overwhelmed by a sudden, uncontrollable passion Grimmjow embraced her tightly and pressed her flush down on his heated body before he rolled over so that she came to lay under him.

Her nails dug deep into the flesh of his shoulders, drawing blood. She moved her hands down leaving red trails on his back.

Grimmjow grunted before he lost himself completely to the passion this woman created in him. Yet this time he was not at all the master of his actions but merely a servant who obediently followed her movements until she allowed him to find release.

A few pounding beats of his heart later, he went limp and collapsed upon her, dizzy from the sudden removal of the tension, that had grown far beyond what he ever had experienced before.

For a short moment Grimmjow was not sure where he was, or if he even still was conscious. Until he noticed the woman patting his hair, "Well done, Warrior, well done," she whispered; her voice for once, soft and kind.

After another moment, Grimmjow stirred in her arms. He was tired and suddenly felt strangely out of place.

"You can go now. Your debt is paid," she announced and released her hold on him.

Grimmjow did not wait. He immediately dressed himself again. And without any further look at her, and a lowered head, he silently left.

Cirucci remained lying on the bed, her black curls spread in a tangled mess around her head. Humming a lullaby, she placed her hands on her lower abdomen and with a confident and happy smile on her face she went to sleep, Grimmjow's seed carefully embedded within her fruitful body.

Explanations

To make leather waterproofed: Brain tanning is another common method of turning skins or hides into water-resistant leather. Used by ancient Native Americans, brain tanning involves soaking cleaned skins in a mixture of water and the animal's own brain. Though this may seem disgusting, brains contain both emulsifying fats and softening agents that help preserve the finished leather.

Middle Ages Medicine
Medicine was basic and Middle Ages doctors had limited knowledge. Medieval doctors had no idea what caused the terrible illnesses and diseases which plagued the Middle Ages. The beliefs about the causes of illnesses were based on the ancient teachings of Aristotle and Hippocrates. The Middle Ages doctors paid attention to a patients bodily fluids, which were called Humors, or body fluids. The body of the patient was viewed as a part of the universe. There were four humors which directly related to the four elements and in turn the human body. Physicians diagnosed their patients by close examination of their blood, urine and stools, and determined their complexion or balance of humors.

Wounds were cleaned and wine was widely used as a cleansing agent as it was believed that it would kill disease. Mint was also used in treating venom and wounds. Myrrh was used as an antiseptic on wounds. Yarrow, or Achillea was used to treat headaches and wounds, especially battle wounds.

Author's Notes:

Thanks everybody for your lovely and encouraging reviews. Especially that one from an anon made me very happy and blushing because I guess it is one of the greatest honor for every author when a reader says that he could not stop reading because the story hooked him.

In this sense I would like to encourage, especially new readers to give me their opinion because they might have read the chapters shortly after the other and might catch things in the consistency that have been missed before.