Within the Keep
Prompt 004: Life
Casi se me agota toda la fuerza para luchar un día mas, casi me rendí hasta que pensé en ti…
- Casi, Soraya
"Brother?" Asked Horvath peeking into the library, in the middle of the night. Balthazar leaned away from the book he'd been reading, pointing the line where he stopped with one finger and looked at the door. "Come, its Veronica." Balthazar frowned at the second apprentice and stood from his desk, following the boy, who seemed worried.
"What is it?"
"She has a fever, I heard her moaning from my room and when I checked…" They opened the door to her room and Balthazar saw the girl was on her bed, uncovered and sweating as if she'd ran around the castle for hours. Her cheeks were rosy, approaching red, and she seemed barely conscious. Balthazar touched her forehead with the back of his hand, feeling the skin hot and trembling. Quickly he picked the child up, and told Horvath to guide him with the candle to Master's study. Horvath was already opening the door wide, and they hurried down the stairs, towards the other tower, and down another broader set of stones. Horvath made his way to his master, explaining the situation and Merlin got up from his desk, frowning, as Balthazar laid little Veronica over the nearby table.
"Wake Greta, hurry! Balthazar, bring me three buckets of cold water." The master leaned over the child quickly, worried and using some magic to lower her temperature. Within minutes the whole keep was up and trying to help, Greta was tending ot the child over the table while Merlin tried several healing spells, Balthazar got to the room, with his hands carrying two buckets and a third one levitating behind him. Horvath arrived some time later, bringing sheets and towels Greta had requested. Several of the maid also stood around, one took the levitating bucket and drenched a small towel to place over Veronica's hot forehead.
"Balthazar, go to the kitchen and find me some Hyssop." Ordered Merlin before Greta stopped the boy.
"We are all out, master, the remedy for the court ladies, used all we had." Merlin turned from Veronica to Greta, eyes wide.
"We used it all? Why had no one gone out to collect some more?"
"It's almost winter, lord, none was found."
"Do we have Echinacea at least?" Greta shook her head.
"I'll go collect some, I know where it grows." Balthazar suggested, as Horvath cooled the water of the buckets and was ordered to get some more sheets and water. Merlin turned, it was dark outside too dangerous for the child to be out alone, specially after he heard the rumors of gypsies' magic walking he dark roads. He thought for a second and Balthazar recognized the beginning of a refusal before his master even uttered a word and without thinking he just took off.
"Balthazar!"
The older boy hurried up the stairs and into the darkness, Horvath calling out for him as he crossed the walls of the outside of the keep, but Balthazar didn't listen; his little sister was dying. She'd been in the keep for a very short time, barely a fortnight, and had been very sickly. Merlin had ordered him to care for her, and if finding Echinacea, or licorice root and thyme were all he needed to do, in the middle of the night, he would do it. He entered the forest, knowing the path like the back of his hand and casted a small light that followed his running body, lighting his way. He'd been six when master brought him to this part of the forest for the first time, teaching him about herbs and natural remedies. He could recognize any herb that could help or worsen her condition soon he stopped running and browsed through the small herbs, panting and desperate.
The flowers were to the far corner, purple and open looking just like a daisy. Balthazar gasped in relief and dropped to his knees before the vast collection of flowers nature had kept hidden for him. He had to thank the greater good he had learn to serve, promised he would come back to plant some seeds and watch over this particular patch and started to pull the necessary bits of the plant to create an infusion, then gathered some more licorice root and thyme… Then he saw it, a tall hidden hyssop plant. He gasped, knowing this particular plant would certainly heal Veronica and without wasting time hurried to it.
Merlin saw the collection of plants Balthazar had brought, the boy handing his master the hyssop and for a moment there was silence. Merlin placed his hand over Balthazar's shoulder and nodded, before turning. "Greta prepare the bath for the child, everyone else out. Horvath, heat up those buckets of water and then follow everyone else."
"Yes master."
The days later everyone in the Keep was trying to get some rest. Balthazar sat, dozing off on one of the many thick branches of the apple tree inside the gardens, he'd been fetching water buckets, herbs, sheets and other items up and down the castle's stairs. Horvath wasn't in any better shape dragging not far behind Balthazar with similar chores. That atop the fact that their master had force them to continue their training while Veronica continued to run the dangerous fever. Their minds were never clear enough to do any magic but by now they knew the page's content from memory. A loud snore made Balthazar's eyes open, his head turning to find Horvath under the Weeping Willow, book covering his head, still snoring.
Balthazar got off from the branch and dragged himself to the castle, where he could see some maids moving slowly around, either trying to get some chores done or a little lost themselves. He made his way slowly towards his Master's study, and once there saw his master over the large messy desk, head bowed as if he'd fallen asleep while writing. Veronica was resting over the same table he'd left her a few days back, now covered with a clean gown and several sheets. Balthazar walked to her, pressing his hand over the small forehead and found it cool, not as in cold but… skin fresh. Her eyelids shivered slight and little slits opened her big dark eyes looking up at him.
"Brother." She shuddered out, making Balthazar cry out. Merlin was quickly on his feet, noticing Balthazar's presence and hurrying towards him.
"She spoke, she opened her eyes!" Merlin made his way, and upon setting her eyes on the girl forgot sleep and rest.
"Master." She said in another little shudder, making both of them sigh in happiness. Balthazar let out a laugh and soon was hurrying up the stairs to tell the other the good news.