Rebian Nights
by Sharlene
Chapter One
The garden was my refuge, both from the oppressive heat and the company of others. They were nice, my fellow shrine maidens. They had accepted me as one of their own and took the time to make me feel useful and welcome. I wore the shrine-issued robes and went to services, just like all the other girls. I took my turns for kitchen and cleaning duties, and tending to the sick and the dying. It wasn't their fault that they were too straitlaced to laugh when I joked about the high priestess's habit of wearing winter length robes all year to conceal her dumpy legs. They'd just never had friends like Miss Lina and Miss Amelia, girlfriends with vinegar in their personality along with the sugar. If sometimes I caught looks of pity directed at me, heard a whisper of "no magic"... Well, it was with the best intentions behind it. It was not their fault I felt out of place and lonely, and I had my garden.
There was a superstition, a rumor among the shrine maidens, that this particular garden brought bad luck. The high priestess officially denied it, but she avoided going in there. No one objected when I volunteered to take care of it, and it was very rare for anyone to pass through the little gate leading into it. In the time I'd been at the temple I had repaired the wall around it and thoroughly cleaned the fountain so that it worked again. I had poured energy into planting herbs for medicinal and culinary purposes, but also into planting decorative flowers and shrubs. It was not vanity that made me think my garden was beautiful.
It was when I was in the garden one day when I first met Dav. I had been feeling particularly miserable that morning and had fled to the only cool spot I knew of, right next to my fountain, under the shade of a willow. I wished, for what felt like the millionth time, that I could indulge in a good crying session. That form of cleansing was still denied me and thinking of it brought all of those horrible days back to my mind. Before I could sink too deeply into self loathing, I heard footsteps and turned to see who had braved the bad luck garden.
I have to admit, I stared. Gaped might be a better word. I had never before thought the word "beautiful" applied to men, but that was the only word that came to mind. His hair was dark but slightly bleached from the sun and his teeth shone as he smiled. "Milady, it cannot be right to be so sad in the one cool spot to be found for miles." Even his voice was beautiful, with a slight accent that I didn't recognize.
He bowed formally and I took in more details about his appearance. His clothes were like nothing I'd seen, baggy trousers tucked into high, gleaming boots, billowing shirt open at the collar and a sash for a belt of the brightest red I had ever seen. His eyes were a deep coal black and danced with humor. I suddenly felt very old and very tired. "Don't you know this garden is bad luck?"
He smiled wider as he sat on the grass, leaning his back on the fountain. "Well, milady, I have been told you may be my luck. If you are here, then the garden is not unlucky." He ran his eyes over my legs, exposed by the short skirt of the summer robes. "And if you cannot help me, at least it is a pleasantly cool spot with a lovely view."
I blushed and pulled the hem of my robe down as far as it would go. "What is it you hope I can do for you?"
He snapped his eyes up to mine and gave a small, closed smile. "Now, that, milady, is-"
"Say 'a secret' and I let you have it on principle."
He lifted an eyebrow at me and I shrugged. He asked, "Do you often respond to secrecy with violence?"
"Only when it's called for," I said dryly. He grinned again, a white slash against his dusky skin. I realized that his smile had been there the entire time, shifting to different forms but not disappearing.
"I'll remember that, and I promise to keep only those secrets I must. And one I do not have to keep is that my name is Dav." He sat up slightly, inclining his upper body in an abbreviated bow before once again resting against the fountain. It was his slight wince that opened my eyes.
"How long have you been sick?" I should have seen it before, and would have if I hadn't been blinded by his looks and infectious happiness. I'd been a healer too long not too take in that wince and then add to it the fine lines and his mouth and the evidence of lost weight.
"Almost a year." He sounded dismissive and didn't bother opening his eyes.
"Lind is the strongest in magical healing here. She's the pretty one with the long, light brown hair, and she's very nice so I know she'll help you." I smiled slightly. Lind was the best friend I had here, the closest to the true friendship I had shared with Lina and Amelia. She'd help this man and be happy to chat with him for a while.
"Actually, it was Miss Lind who sent me to you. You see, if I have magic cast on me something worse than my death will happen. I cannot allow that." For a moment his smile was gone and he wore the grim expression of a warrior facing battle.
Shaking himself as if awakening from a horrible dream, he laughed and stood, giving me another formal bow. "So you see why a healer skilled in non-magical methods seems the very best of luck, no matter what rumors surround this beautiful garden." He offered his hands and asked, "Will you help me, milady?"
I looked at his hand, strong and callused and then placed mine in it, accepting his help and his request. "I will try."
He kept hold of my hand, lifting it slightly as he bent to press a kiss on the back of it. "And for that, milady, you will have my eternal gratitude." I have to admit that I was struck dumb by the gesture and by the expression in his eyes. Even after he broke eye contact and tucked my arm around his, I merely walked next to him in silence.
At the garden gate he stopped and I took my arm from his, walking slightly ahead to lead the way to my tiny workroom. Since the few patients I treated directly were generally ill past the capacity of magic to help and I would go to them, there were no provisions for patients in my work space. I waved him towards the couch I kept for when I had a lot of reading to do and sat down at my desk, pushing aside the notes I had been making on the properties of willow bark in favor of fresh paper and a pen. "So how did you first realize you were ill?"
"I thought at first that I had the flu or had eaten something spoiled. It settled into a stomachache that wouldn't go away with bouts of nausea and an almost constant bad taste in my mouth." He stood up and started pacing as I made notes. "Eventually my mother had her private healer see me and he told me magic could not cure me. He made up some pills for me to take to ease the pain, but that was all he could do."
"Did you try seeing someone else, someone who could work magic?" I spoke quietly, since his tension level was obviously high.
"Of course I did." He stopped pacing and picked up a beaker from my laboratory table. "What's this stuff?"
"Acid. Please be careful not to spill any, as it can eat through organic matter." I tried to smother my laugh at the exaggerated caution he used in setting it down. "What did the magical healer say?"
"He couldn't find anything wrong." He wandered over to my bookshelves and pulled out a book. "Do you ever read for enjoyment? All I see are textbooks and medical journals."
"What tests did he run? Did you also consult a priestess? How thorough was his check? Did he monitor your organ functions over several days?" I paused for breath.
"You sure are full of questions." He grinned and tossed himself on the couch, still holding the book he had picked off the shelf. "Hm, "All About Marigolds". Fascinating stuff, I'm sure."
I calmly put my pen back in its proper place, stood and walked over. He barely got his fingers out of the way as I snapped the book out of his hands. "You're wasting my time. Goodbye, Mister Dav." He made no move as I replaced the book on the shelf and then returned to my desk, ostentatiously throwing my notes on him in the trash and pulling out my treatise on willow bark.
It was a full ten minutes before he said anything. To be honest, I'd gotten wrapped up in the work and jumped in surprise when he did speak. "He ran test after test over the course of four days. He died suddenly on the fifth. His assistant gave me his notes but all they said was that everything he checked was fine. He couldn't detect anything wrong with me."
He took a deep breath and continued. "There are no priestesses or female magicians in the kingdom I was in. And then, well, I couldn't consult them even if I could have found them."
I frowned, trying to sort out what he'd said. Even with a second rate physician, four days of consultation should have turned up some cause for his symptoms. "You mentioned earlier that magic would be worse than death for you. Why is that?"
He sighed and sat up. "If I can beg your indulgence, milady, I'd like to tell you a story first." At my nod, he started...
by Sharlene
Chapter One
The garden was my refuge, both from the oppressive heat and the company of others. They were nice, my fellow shrine maidens. They had accepted me as one of their own and took the time to make me feel useful and welcome. I wore the shrine-issued robes and went to services, just like all the other girls. I took my turns for kitchen and cleaning duties, and tending to the sick and the dying. It wasn't their fault that they were too straitlaced to laugh when I joked about the high priestess's habit of wearing winter length robes all year to conceal her dumpy legs. They'd just never had friends like Miss Lina and Miss Amelia, girlfriends with vinegar in their personality along with the sugar. If sometimes I caught looks of pity directed at me, heard a whisper of "no magic"... Well, it was with the best intentions behind it. It was not their fault I felt out of place and lonely, and I had my garden.
There was a superstition, a rumor among the shrine maidens, that this particular garden brought bad luck. The high priestess officially denied it, but she avoided going in there. No one objected when I volunteered to take care of it, and it was very rare for anyone to pass through the little gate leading into it. In the time I'd been at the temple I had repaired the wall around it and thoroughly cleaned the fountain so that it worked again. I had poured energy into planting herbs for medicinal and culinary purposes, but also into planting decorative flowers and shrubs. It was not vanity that made me think my garden was beautiful.
It was when I was in the garden one day when I first met Dav. I had been feeling particularly miserable that morning and had fled to the only cool spot I knew of, right next to my fountain, under the shade of a willow. I wished, for what felt like the millionth time, that I could indulge in a good crying session. That form of cleansing was still denied me and thinking of it brought all of those horrible days back to my mind. Before I could sink too deeply into self loathing, I heard footsteps and turned to see who had braved the bad luck garden.
I have to admit, I stared. Gaped might be a better word. I had never before thought the word "beautiful" applied to men, but that was the only word that came to mind. His hair was dark but slightly bleached from the sun and his teeth shone as he smiled. "Milady, it cannot be right to be so sad in the one cool spot to be found for miles." Even his voice was beautiful, with a slight accent that I didn't recognize.
He bowed formally and I took in more details about his appearance. His clothes were like nothing I'd seen, baggy trousers tucked into high, gleaming boots, billowing shirt open at the collar and a sash for a belt of the brightest red I had ever seen. His eyes were a deep coal black and danced with humor. I suddenly felt very old and very tired. "Don't you know this garden is bad luck?"
He smiled wider as he sat on the grass, leaning his back on the fountain. "Well, milady, I have been told you may be my luck. If you are here, then the garden is not unlucky." He ran his eyes over my legs, exposed by the short skirt of the summer robes. "And if you cannot help me, at least it is a pleasantly cool spot with a lovely view."
I blushed and pulled the hem of my robe down as far as it would go. "What is it you hope I can do for you?"
He snapped his eyes up to mine and gave a small, closed smile. "Now, that, milady, is-"
"Say 'a secret' and I let you have it on principle."
He lifted an eyebrow at me and I shrugged. He asked, "Do you often respond to secrecy with violence?"
"Only when it's called for," I said dryly. He grinned again, a white slash against his dusky skin. I realized that his smile had been there the entire time, shifting to different forms but not disappearing.
"I'll remember that, and I promise to keep only those secrets I must. And one I do not have to keep is that my name is Dav." He sat up slightly, inclining his upper body in an abbreviated bow before once again resting against the fountain. It was his slight wince that opened my eyes.
"How long have you been sick?" I should have seen it before, and would have if I hadn't been blinded by his looks and infectious happiness. I'd been a healer too long not too take in that wince and then add to it the fine lines and his mouth and the evidence of lost weight.
"Almost a year." He sounded dismissive and didn't bother opening his eyes.
"Lind is the strongest in magical healing here. She's the pretty one with the long, light brown hair, and she's very nice so I know she'll help you." I smiled slightly. Lind was the best friend I had here, the closest to the true friendship I had shared with Lina and Amelia. She'd help this man and be happy to chat with him for a while.
"Actually, it was Miss Lind who sent me to you. You see, if I have magic cast on me something worse than my death will happen. I cannot allow that." For a moment his smile was gone and he wore the grim expression of a warrior facing battle.
Shaking himself as if awakening from a horrible dream, he laughed and stood, giving me another formal bow. "So you see why a healer skilled in non-magical methods seems the very best of luck, no matter what rumors surround this beautiful garden." He offered his hands and asked, "Will you help me, milady?"
I looked at his hand, strong and callused and then placed mine in it, accepting his help and his request. "I will try."
He kept hold of my hand, lifting it slightly as he bent to press a kiss on the back of it. "And for that, milady, you will have my eternal gratitude." I have to admit that I was struck dumb by the gesture and by the expression in his eyes. Even after he broke eye contact and tucked my arm around his, I merely walked next to him in silence.
At the garden gate he stopped and I took my arm from his, walking slightly ahead to lead the way to my tiny workroom. Since the few patients I treated directly were generally ill past the capacity of magic to help and I would go to them, there were no provisions for patients in my work space. I waved him towards the couch I kept for when I had a lot of reading to do and sat down at my desk, pushing aside the notes I had been making on the properties of willow bark in favor of fresh paper and a pen. "So how did you first realize you were ill?"
"I thought at first that I had the flu or had eaten something spoiled. It settled into a stomachache that wouldn't go away with bouts of nausea and an almost constant bad taste in my mouth." He stood up and started pacing as I made notes. "Eventually my mother had her private healer see me and he told me magic could not cure me. He made up some pills for me to take to ease the pain, but that was all he could do."
"Did you try seeing someone else, someone who could work magic?" I spoke quietly, since his tension level was obviously high.
"Of course I did." He stopped pacing and picked up a beaker from my laboratory table. "What's this stuff?"
"Acid. Please be careful not to spill any, as it can eat through organic matter." I tried to smother my laugh at the exaggerated caution he used in setting it down. "What did the magical healer say?"
"He couldn't find anything wrong." He wandered over to my bookshelves and pulled out a book. "Do you ever read for enjoyment? All I see are textbooks and medical journals."
"What tests did he run? Did you also consult a priestess? How thorough was his check? Did he monitor your organ functions over several days?" I paused for breath.
"You sure are full of questions." He grinned and tossed himself on the couch, still holding the book he had picked off the shelf. "Hm, "All About Marigolds". Fascinating stuff, I'm sure."
I calmly put my pen back in its proper place, stood and walked over. He barely got his fingers out of the way as I snapped the book out of his hands. "You're wasting my time. Goodbye, Mister Dav." He made no move as I replaced the book on the shelf and then returned to my desk, ostentatiously throwing my notes on him in the trash and pulling out my treatise on willow bark.
It was a full ten minutes before he said anything. To be honest, I'd gotten wrapped up in the work and jumped in surprise when he did speak. "He ran test after test over the course of four days. He died suddenly on the fifth. His assistant gave me his notes but all they said was that everything he checked was fine. He couldn't detect anything wrong with me."
He took a deep breath and continued. "There are no priestesses or female magicians in the kingdom I was in. And then, well, I couldn't consult them even if I could have found them."
I frowned, trying to sort out what he'd said. Even with a second rate physician, four days of consultation should have turned up some cause for his symptoms. "You mentioned earlier that magic would be worse than death for you. Why is that?"
He sighed and sat up. "If I can beg your indulgence, milady, I'd like to tell you a story first." At my nod, he started...
