AN: I know we juuuust had a Yori chapter, but here's another one for the holidays. Happy Holidays!
YORI
Although the troops wouldn't be staying long at the Sunridge Fort, Yori decided to take advantage of the brief respite to see a doctor who would not report immediately to Hanabusa. Despite the continuation of her nightmares, Yori had put off seeking medical advice for one reason only: the camp doctors were loyal to Hanabusa, and they would surely inform him if anything was seriously wrong with her. Merely visiting one would most likely be mentioned…
Yet she could not sleep in peace. Night and night again she was plagued by dreams, and almost every time she awoke to an overwhelming nausea. Whatever this thing was, it did not bode well for her. Sometimes in her dreams, Hanabusa was killed before her very eyes. Other times, she stumbled across Yuki or Zero lying bloody and cold on the battlefield. And then there were nights in which she dreamt of her home, of the fires that had devoured every last scrap of her childhood...every member of her family..
That was why she was here. A servant had already made an appointment for her, although she had been told that such a thing wasn't necessary. She could drop in whenever she wanted. She also knew that here in the Dawn Plains, the doctors still clung closely to their roots. They were far more spiritual or even magically attuned, she'd heard, than their counterparts across the kingdoms.
Stepping inside the room, those rumors were confirmed. Immediately she inhaled the scent of lavender, its perfume so strong that her eyes watered. Around the room was a multitude of herbs, magical symbols, and other objects whose meaning she could not even guess at. Rather than the traditional medical table, the floor was strewn with frilly, burgundy cushions. In the center was a low wooden table, but certainly not one that she could be examined on.
At the back table, an elderly woman was hunched over a bowl of herbs, slowly grinding them up into the bottom with a mortar and pestle. Yori wondered how accurate this woman's diagnosis would be, even though she did have a good reputation. With a short breath to gather her courage, Yori took another step inside and spoke in a quiet but firm voice as she said, "Hello."
The old woman turned towards her and squinted from under heavily wrinkled lids. "Hello, dear. You must be the Lady Sayori."
"Yes," she affirmed, finding it strange to be called such.
"Sit, sit." As Yori did so, the woman hobbled over and lowered herself onto one of the cushions. Once she was settled, the doctor asked, "So dear, what seems to be the problem?"
How did she explain? No matter how she phrased it in her head, she came out sounding crazy. With a mental sigh, she began, "I've been having terrible dreams. Every night…" The elder woman was listening intently, so she continued, "I don't know if it's from anxiety or something else… We're going to war soon. It only makes sense, I suppose. But...I have these dreams every night. And when I wake up, I feel very ill."
"Ill? In what way?"
"I usually feel nauseous. Most times I throw up, but not always…" Yori fiddled with her skirts, abruptly nervous. Who got sick from a simple dream?
"What else?"
"Well...a headache, I suppose. Often I'm tired, other times I don't feel like eating anything… I haven't said anything yet, but these symptoms won't go away…"
"This may seem impertinent, but when was the last time you had your monthly bleeding?"
Yori blinked. When had she..? Her brow furrowed and at last she shook her head. "I'm not sure. Weeks, I suppose. I missed the last one, but I've been under a lot of stress and…" She trailed off, the pit of her stomach suddenly dropping. It wasn't possible, was it..? Surely not...not now...not here… Not at this critical moment, in which the balance of the Nine Kingdoms hung.
"Sit over here next to me, dear. I have to do an examination, but if I had to guess...I'd say you're with child."
The auburn-haired archer moved beside the healer mutely. No, surely the old woman was mistaken. With all the running, the scant food, the climb through the mountains...her body had been under heavy duress. To be pregnant...surely not…and surely that wouldn't come with nightmares..?
The doctor began her inspection, pausing to ask, "Any other strange symptoms?"
Yori thought carefully, then shook her head.
"No dizziness?"
"No."
"Constipation?"
"No."
"Have you felt sick after smelling anything with a strong odor?"
"That's a symptom?" Yori asked. At the old woman's nod, she murmured, "Well, yes. But only once or twice."
"Hmm. Hmm." After a few more moments, the doctor at last clucked her tongue and nodded. "It does indeed seem that you are with child. Congratulations are in order. Although, from what I heard, your wedding was not that long ago? Tsk tsk, young lady…" A cackle.
Yori paled.
"Oh, wipe that look off your face. Do you know how many young brides I have seen in this very room under these very circumstances in my lifetime? You're hardly the first. And not just brides! No, no, women of all sorts. It is too early, I'm afraid to tell you if it's a boy or a girl. Come back again in a few months."
"A few months...right," Yori answered dimly, her mouth gone dry.
"Here, let me mix you an elixir to help you sleep. It won't harm the child." The healer stood and hobbled back to her table, where she began to select a few herbs and throw them into a second bowl.
"Is that… Are nightmares normal?"
"Well, I wouldn't say trouble sleeping is abnormal, especially under the circumstances. Mental stress combined with the physical changes of a pregnancy...they can provoke all manner of symptoms. These dreams are probably a manifestation of your worries, perhaps even a warning... You have a new life to protect, after all. War isn't the best place for an unborn child."
The old woman paused, then, "Ah, if you're worried about anyone else realizing the timing of all this, babies come at all different times, and rarely on time. Yours could be early and no one would question it. Anyway, the elixir should help you to sleep through the night. I'll give you something for the nausea, as well."
"May I ask you a favor?" the former Wakaba noble murmured.
"Of course, dear. What is it?"
"Don't...tell anyone I was here, please? I want to...to share the news myself."
"Certainly. I wouldn't rob you of that pleasure."
Yori plastered on a faint smile and nodded.
A child...she was going to have a child. That in and of itself was not alarming, but… She couldn't be pregnant now...not when battle was approaching. She had to be there to protect Hanabusa. To protect Yuki and Zero. To avenge the deaths of her family in whatever small way she could. But...if she was with child, she couldn't fight along with everyone else, could she? Well, she could, but she'd be putting her unborn child's life at risk.
How could she tell Hanabusa this now? For a moment while the doctor's back was to her, she pressed her face into her hands. If she told him, he would undoubtedly send her home. Where he had asked her to stay in the first place, where his mother had begged her to remain. She didn't want to stay behind. Her anxieties would eat her away.
No. She would tell Hanabusa, of course. But...not yet. Not just yet. And then...rather than fight on the front lines, she could stay behind them and help the healers. She had enough skill to be of use, and that way everyone would be put at ease. Lady Sumi especially. At the moment, that seemed like the best option for her.
"Here, dear." The healer pressed a pair of vials into her hands. "Purple is for sleep, green is for nausea. Make sure to sleep and eat properly. And keep in mind that the first trimester is tricky, but if the baby makes it past the first 3 months, the chances are good that it will grow healthy to term."
The archer must have made an unconscious expression, because the elderly woman clucked her tongue and explained, "I don't think it's best to sugarcoat things. Best to be prepared. Pregnancy isn't easy."
Yori knew that. She'd watched her stepmother go through the pregnancies of her half-siblings… And now she was going to go through it herself. The thought was daunting. Terrifying. Was she really prepared to be a mother?
Nonetheless, the only path was forward. She had known this might happen, and she had not let the possibility scare her before. Everything would be alright. With that resolve, she placed the vials in her pocket and thanked the healer.
At least now she had an answer to the cause of her dreams...
AN: Flickerflame8, I hate it when you guess right! Hehe.