Hearts' Remedy
Chapter 10
The vision of the village they ran through flashed by like a blur as he kept up with the boy, slightly ahead of him. For a boy he was pretty quick, thought the weary traveler. And before he could blink a second time, both of them banged into the healer's lodge within minutes.
"Gor, help!!!!"
The boy turned to his companion with an apologetic smile. His companion, in a state of shock had jumped three feet into the air with his hands over his ringing ears.
Scratching his head with a free hand the boy smiled and said to himself, "He he he, I forgot that my teacher is away."
"You're teacher? He wouldn't happen to be the Bright One that I seek!" the Companion shouted in surprise.
"No, my weary friend. Gor wouldn't know how to take care of animals. I am calling for him because I need an assistant and since my teacher is away, you may be of some service, Mister, if you want to save your feline friend here."
"Wait, here," said the boy disappearing through the red velvet curtain. He returned with an empty basin and a towel. Walking past the still traveler he stood next to the sink, taking off his—no—her hat! She put a dirty hand to her hair and released a messy, twisted, brown matted, braid that went way past her knees. Her companion rubbed his eyes in disbelief, while he watched her clean her hands with soap over the sink.
"You're a girl!" He shouted.
"What did you think I was?" She said with a heavy sigh.
"I thought you were a…a…"
"A boy." She finished, scrubbing her hands really hard.
"But only the Bright One can heal Artemis! Not some girl who has a healer for a teacher!"
She whirled around and stomped towards him. A small, soapy index finger poked him hard against his chest. "Gor is bright, but he is not the one you are looking for to help your cat, Artemis."
"But you're a girl."
"So what? You've seen how well I fight. Is it so hard to believe that I can heal, too?"
Serena flipped her braid off her shoulder and continued in a haughty manner, "You can stand gawking there all you like, but I got a life to save."
She returned to the sink to finish cleaning her hands.
"But how can I trust that you know what you are doing," He said gloomily.
"There's two ways," she said, while filling up the basin with clean water. "One way, is walking around the village, asking everybody, if 'Serena' knows what she is doing. Or, you can follow me into the sick room and be of more assistance, Mister." Serena flung the towel at him and carried a full basin into the next room. He followed her hastily.
Once on the other side, he watched as Serena dabbed Artemis's head with a damp towel. He looked about him for a chair and found a stool near by. Grabbing it, he seated himself next to the girl. Serena worked her fingers through Artemis's tangled fur with extreme gentleness. She opened her eyes once to glance sideways at her companion.
"He is very sick. You should have brought him here earlier."
"I know. I am sorry."
"Please move back, it is hard to work with you breathing down my neck," Serena said without looking at him again.
He only moved an inch back and Serena's shoulders slumped. Turning her head fully towards him she asked, "You really don't trust me, then?"
He looked the other way like a stubborn child and shrugged.
Shaking her head, she turned back to her patient. A strange glowing light passed through her that caused the traveler to look at her. He fell backward in shock and felt the light pass over his eyes. Serena heard him murmur, "Bright One," before he passed out completely from either the impact with his head against the floor, or from the blast of warm light that filled the room.
_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:
The absence of that light left a gaping abyss in his deepest thoughts. It was so dark and gloomy; he missed the light of the Bright One. He missed the way it touched him and cleansed the deepest parts of his soul. He hoped that in comforting him, the light might have saved his best friend's life. Artemis! His eyes flashed opened in realization.
Through the haze in his eyes, he sees a laughing Serena holding a smiling, bright, white cat in her arms.
"I told you to stand back! My powers can send a tired man through a long doze."
Artemis jumped out of her arms and onto his owner's chest with lightness. Serena sat at the edge of his bed, smiling at the blissful cat, which was more than happy to see his master awake again. She reached out and placed a warm hand across the stranger's cheek. Smiling gently at the stranger she said, "You worried me. I was afraid you bumped your head and lost your mind. That, I cannot save."
He smiled back, "Thank you, Bright One, you are most definitely a goddess from heaven here to save us all."
"It's Se-re-na. Believe me Mister, if I were a goddess I wouldn't even be here."
He sat up to meet his gaze with hers, "Then you were born with this incredible gift to heal?"
"Yep!" She said with a triumphant fist over her heart.
"A child given the ability to heal…" he murmured.
"I am not a child! I am eighteen!" At her outburst, Artemis meowed in outrage. A cat's ears can be just as sensitive as human ears.
Artemis hopped off the bed and curled up into a ball on the carpet in front of the hearth. Luna who had remained hidden in the shadows thought that the beautiful white cat had fallen asleep. She moved towards its body and snuffed it cautiously. Artemis sensing this new feline presence awoke with a start, startling poor Luna. Luna, being as shy as she was, bolted through the curtain, embarrassed at being caught analyzing the beautiful kitty. Artemis chased her in hot pursuit, both disappearing through the curtain.
"Artemis!" His owner shouted after him as he rose from the bed.
Serena's small hand stopped him. "Let him go. Luna will know when to bring him back. And—what do you mean I'm a child? You can't be that much older than me! Does that make you a child?"
"I am twenty-one, and look nothing like a child."
"What do they call you? Where is your home? I will drag you there and have your mother spank you till you're rear is raw!"
"They call me Darien." With that he kissed her hand.
Looking at her red face and steaming head he laughed. "I don't think you would want to know where I live. But it's curious. You do not recognize me?"
"You're not from around here! How can I recognize you?!" Serena shouted.
"Then, I guess you weren't born here."
"What if I'm not?"
"You're not born here," Darien finalized.
Darien reached into his pouch and fingered a few gold coins. He grabbed Serena's hand and pressed the coins into her palm.
"I don't want it, I don't want it!"
"Serena, will you quiet down? I'm losing my hearing."
"I don't take money for little things like this."
"But you saved my life today, and healed my cat."
"But you can't pay me back with money! I don't need money. But if it were Gor, he will take it, especially from men of your stature. You should wait for him to return. He should be back by tomorrow. You can give it to him, then."
"Serena, it's yours. I don't want to give it to anyone else, but you. Besides, I won't be here by tomorrow."
Serena pushed his hand away and shouted, "What?!"
"Serena, I would worry my mother sick if I stay here any longer."
"But you need more time to recover. You come from a long way. The castle?"
Darien smiled. "Yes, the castle."
"Then, that is your home?"
"Yes, it is."
"You must be the son of some lord, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, you will send a message to your king?"
"What message?"
"More money for the needy." Serena supplicated.
Darien gave her a quizzical look. Serena answered him, "I think he should lower taxes and donate some money to the poor orphanages in the kingdom."
"Serena, it's not that easy."
"You said that you want to pay me back. Then, pay me back this way. Send my message to your king and say it is from Serena."
"With that tone, you will not win his favor."
"Send the message," she insisted.
"Consider it sent."
He whistled for his cat. Then turned fully around to face Serena again, "You know I have not fully repaid you, yet? Sending a silly message is not considered payment at all, for a man of my stature."
"You have better things to waist your gold and silver on." Serena said with a wave of her hand to dismiss the subject.
Darien frowned, "I shall find some other way to pay you back without riches involved."
"If you can."
"Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?"
"You are the first," Serena said through clenched teeth.
"You are even harder to please than the ladies of the court."
Serena glared at him.
He returned the glare with a small smile, "But I must ask you for yet another favor."
"Who's harder to please now?" Serena grumbled.
"I'll pretend you did not say anything."
"What do you want?" Serena was growing impatient and by now, Artemis stood between them, watching them closely and silently.
"Where can I find a horse?"
TBC
--------------------------
Hello everyone. I don't got a lot of time anymore, so I'll cut it short just like I did with this chapter. Me school work has been piling up pretty high. Me teachers won't get off my back. And everybody thought I was a perfect student who could keep up with everything, but they're all wrong! So they can now all back off, because I'm getting back to writing, since it is the only thing that cheers me up. ^_____^
This chapter is once again not meant to be written for excitement. I think it leans more on the side of funny. Not exactly the ha-ha funny, but actually the cheering ME up funny.
I got some good emails of late and never really thought about writing again until now. Thanks everyone! I did not figure that anyone would bother reading my stories. Thanks for sparking up my interest again. For future reference, if I ever go on long term hiatus again, it is because of really important stuff that can't be left undone. If possible, I can pick up a pen or in this case a computer, and write everyone a nice compressing chapter. -______-
BYE BYE *me waves to everybody*
-MistyWing
Chapter 10
The vision of the village they ran through flashed by like a blur as he kept up with the boy, slightly ahead of him. For a boy he was pretty quick, thought the weary traveler. And before he could blink a second time, both of them banged into the healer's lodge within minutes.
"Gor, help!!!!"
The boy turned to his companion with an apologetic smile. His companion, in a state of shock had jumped three feet into the air with his hands over his ringing ears.
Scratching his head with a free hand the boy smiled and said to himself, "He he he, I forgot that my teacher is away."
"You're teacher? He wouldn't happen to be the Bright One that I seek!" the Companion shouted in surprise.
"No, my weary friend. Gor wouldn't know how to take care of animals. I am calling for him because I need an assistant and since my teacher is away, you may be of some service, Mister, if you want to save your feline friend here."
"Wait, here," said the boy disappearing through the red velvet curtain. He returned with an empty basin and a towel. Walking past the still traveler he stood next to the sink, taking off his—no—her hat! She put a dirty hand to her hair and released a messy, twisted, brown matted, braid that went way past her knees. Her companion rubbed his eyes in disbelief, while he watched her clean her hands with soap over the sink.
"You're a girl!" He shouted.
"What did you think I was?" She said with a heavy sigh.
"I thought you were a…a…"
"A boy." She finished, scrubbing her hands really hard.
"But only the Bright One can heal Artemis! Not some girl who has a healer for a teacher!"
She whirled around and stomped towards him. A small, soapy index finger poked him hard against his chest. "Gor is bright, but he is not the one you are looking for to help your cat, Artemis."
"But you're a girl."
"So what? You've seen how well I fight. Is it so hard to believe that I can heal, too?"
Serena flipped her braid off her shoulder and continued in a haughty manner, "You can stand gawking there all you like, but I got a life to save."
She returned to the sink to finish cleaning her hands.
"But how can I trust that you know what you are doing," He said gloomily.
"There's two ways," she said, while filling up the basin with clean water. "One way, is walking around the village, asking everybody, if 'Serena' knows what she is doing. Or, you can follow me into the sick room and be of more assistance, Mister." Serena flung the towel at him and carried a full basin into the next room. He followed her hastily.
Once on the other side, he watched as Serena dabbed Artemis's head with a damp towel. He looked about him for a chair and found a stool near by. Grabbing it, he seated himself next to the girl. Serena worked her fingers through Artemis's tangled fur with extreme gentleness. She opened her eyes once to glance sideways at her companion.
"He is very sick. You should have brought him here earlier."
"I know. I am sorry."
"Please move back, it is hard to work with you breathing down my neck," Serena said without looking at him again.
He only moved an inch back and Serena's shoulders slumped. Turning her head fully towards him she asked, "You really don't trust me, then?"
He looked the other way like a stubborn child and shrugged.
Shaking her head, she turned back to her patient. A strange glowing light passed through her that caused the traveler to look at her. He fell backward in shock and felt the light pass over his eyes. Serena heard him murmur, "Bright One," before he passed out completely from either the impact with his head against the floor, or from the blast of warm light that filled the room.
_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:_:~:
The absence of that light left a gaping abyss in his deepest thoughts. It was so dark and gloomy; he missed the light of the Bright One. He missed the way it touched him and cleansed the deepest parts of his soul. He hoped that in comforting him, the light might have saved his best friend's life. Artemis! His eyes flashed opened in realization.
Through the haze in his eyes, he sees a laughing Serena holding a smiling, bright, white cat in her arms.
"I told you to stand back! My powers can send a tired man through a long doze."
Artemis jumped out of her arms and onto his owner's chest with lightness. Serena sat at the edge of his bed, smiling at the blissful cat, which was more than happy to see his master awake again. She reached out and placed a warm hand across the stranger's cheek. Smiling gently at the stranger she said, "You worried me. I was afraid you bumped your head and lost your mind. That, I cannot save."
He smiled back, "Thank you, Bright One, you are most definitely a goddess from heaven here to save us all."
"It's Se-re-na. Believe me Mister, if I were a goddess I wouldn't even be here."
He sat up to meet his gaze with hers, "Then you were born with this incredible gift to heal?"
"Yep!" She said with a triumphant fist over her heart.
"A child given the ability to heal…" he murmured.
"I am not a child! I am eighteen!" At her outburst, Artemis meowed in outrage. A cat's ears can be just as sensitive as human ears.
Artemis hopped off the bed and curled up into a ball on the carpet in front of the hearth. Luna who had remained hidden in the shadows thought that the beautiful white cat had fallen asleep. She moved towards its body and snuffed it cautiously. Artemis sensing this new feline presence awoke with a start, startling poor Luna. Luna, being as shy as she was, bolted through the curtain, embarrassed at being caught analyzing the beautiful kitty. Artemis chased her in hot pursuit, both disappearing through the curtain.
"Artemis!" His owner shouted after him as he rose from the bed.
Serena's small hand stopped him. "Let him go. Luna will know when to bring him back. And—what do you mean I'm a child? You can't be that much older than me! Does that make you a child?"
"I am twenty-one, and look nothing like a child."
"What do they call you? Where is your home? I will drag you there and have your mother spank you till you're rear is raw!"
"They call me Darien." With that he kissed her hand.
Looking at her red face and steaming head he laughed. "I don't think you would want to know where I live. But it's curious. You do not recognize me?"
"You're not from around here! How can I recognize you?!" Serena shouted.
"Then, I guess you weren't born here."
"What if I'm not?"
"You're not born here," Darien finalized.
Darien reached into his pouch and fingered a few gold coins. He grabbed Serena's hand and pressed the coins into her palm.
"I don't want it, I don't want it!"
"Serena, will you quiet down? I'm losing my hearing."
"I don't take money for little things like this."
"But you saved my life today, and healed my cat."
"But you can't pay me back with money! I don't need money. But if it were Gor, he will take it, especially from men of your stature. You should wait for him to return. He should be back by tomorrow. You can give it to him, then."
"Serena, it's yours. I don't want to give it to anyone else, but you. Besides, I won't be here by tomorrow."
Serena pushed his hand away and shouted, "What?!"
"Serena, I would worry my mother sick if I stay here any longer."
"But you need more time to recover. You come from a long way. The castle?"
Darien smiled. "Yes, the castle."
"Then, that is your home?"
"Yes, it is."
"You must be the son of some lord, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, you will send a message to your king?"
"What message?"
"More money for the needy." Serena supplicated.
Darien gave her a quizzical look. Serena answered him, "I think he should lower taxes and donate some money to the poor orphanages in the kingdom."
"Serena, it's not that easy."
"You said that you want to pay me back. Then, pay me back this way. Send my message to your king and say it is from Serena."
"With that tone, you will not win his favor."
"Send the message," she insisted.
"Consider it sent."
He whistled for his cat. Then turned fully around to face Serena again, "You know I have not fully repaid you, yet? Sending a silly message is not considered payment at all, for a man of my stature."
"You have better things to waist your gold and silver on." Serena said with a wave of her hand to dismiss the subject.
Darien frowned, "I shall find some other way to pay you back without riches involved."
"If you can."
"Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?"
"You are the first," Serena said through clenched teeth.
"You are even harder to please than the ladies of the court."
Serena glared at him.
He returned the glare with a small smile, "But I must ask you for yet another favor."
"Who's harder to please now?" Serena grumbled.
"I'll pretend you did not say anything."
"What do you want?" Serena was growing impatient and by now, Artemis stood between them, watching them closely and silently.
"Where can I find a horse?"
TBC
--------------------------
Hello everyone. I don't got a lot of time anymore, so I'll cut it short just like I did with this chapter. Me school work has been piling up pretty high. Me teachers won't get off my back. And everybody thought I was a perfect student who could keep up with everything, but they're all wrong! So they can now all back off, because I'm getting back to writing, since it is the only thing that cheers me up. ^_____^
This chapter is once again not meant to be written for excitement. I think it leans more on the side of funny. Not exactly the ha-ha funny, but actually the cheering ME up funny.
I got some good emails of late and never really thought about writing again until now. Thanks everyone! I did not figure that anyone would bother reading my stories. Thanks for sparking up my interest again. For future reference, if I ever go on long term hiatus again, it is because of really important stuff that can't be left undone. If possible, I can pick up a pen or in this case a computer, and write everyone a nice compressing chapter. -______-
BYE BYE *me waves to everybody*
-MistyWing