The Knight's Duty

Her Magical Hands

''There's something wrong with your horse.'' She told them.

''Quiet!'' yelled Knight Noah for the tenth time since they removed the cloth out of her mouth.

''I really mean it. Strange sounds are coming out of his stomach.''

They ignored her. Of course. Why would anyone listen to a poor herbalist who has no position or power in the hierarchy of the society? Not to mention that she was cursing the king's and the prince's name, threw cones and insults right at one of the most important knights in the kingdom and declined the marriage offer from the prince.

Let us just ignore that she was kidnapped and tied and all in all forced to go and marry the prince. That is an unimportant fact, of course.

She watched the wide blue sky above her, felt the wind caress her cheeks and heard birds singing from somewhere in the forest. It was such a beautiful day and she had to waste it by lying on a horse, being tied and kidnapped and all that.

She growled at the group of knights around her, but she did not want to nag them anymore because they freed her mouth. Thank god for that. She fell asleep during the ride and it seemed that someone got scared she might suffocate with the cloth in her mouth and pulled it out. When she woke up some time later, she was free to speak.

But she really had nothing to say anymore. She was making the syrup and some herbal powder the whole night and she only had a few hours of rest. Right now she was incapable of thinking straight or moving at all.

But no, seriously, strange sounds were coming from the animal under her. Like he was choking or trying not to throw up. He also had a hard time breathing and she felt his body shaking, his legs moving in an unstable rhythm.

She will have to take a look at him once they stop.

The young herbalist sighed. The sun was already setting and the wind was still gently caressing her cheeks with cool air. It was a nice feeling. In a certain, strange way, she was almost glad that she did not have to walk all the way to the kingdom. Of course she would have already been there a couple of hours ago because she knew a short cut, but she will never tell them that. And anyway, it was nice to be lying on the back of a horse and enjoy the ride.

God knew she deserved a rest.

The moon flower pollen she gathered during the night was right now in a huge vessel, mixed with honey and left to boil in the sun's heat. She left the vessel on the window so that the warmth was able to reach it. The last time she left it outside; those naive dragons ate it and were then behaving like crazy maniacs. She will have to research that – the influence the syrup had on other animals. The human being was able to use it as medicine, but it seemed that dragons had a stronger immune system that rejected the liquid and made them behave strangely. Hmmm… When she comes back, she will have a lot of work to do.

The noise in the horse's stomach interrupted her thoughts. It was getting louder and it was obvious that the animal was in pain.

''Hey! There's really something wrong with this animal!'' and as if this was the cue, the horse suddenly jumped on the spot, trying to get her off. Of course he could not do it because she was tied to his body, but he tried a few times anyway.

''What's going on?'' the leader yelled and turned back.

The girl screamed and the men all stopped, watching in shock. The horse neighed and panted, bringing out voices that scared them all.

''Get her down!'' yelled Knight Noah and did it himself as he noticed that everyone was in shock. He jumped off the horse he was riding and quickly approached Blacky, his own horse that had the honour of having the girl on his back. He pulled out his small knife and put his free hand on the horse's stomach. He cut the rope that tied the girl to the horse and pulled her down into his arms. He quickly stepped back and stared in shock at his beloved animal friend that was losing his mind.

''Oh no!'' the brunette gasped as she noticed the horse snarling and biting at everyone who tried to come near him.

''What?! What did you do with my horse woman?'' the knight looked at her in fury, shaking her shoulders.

''I? My hands are tied you idiot!'' when she noticed that two knights tried to get near the animal, she almost lost her mind. ''Get away from the poor thing! Untie my hands! I need to see what's wrong!''

''We can't do that! You might do something na-''

''Do you want your horse to survive or not? Bloody cretins! Untie me! The animal will die if it doesn't get proper treatment!''

Knight Noah finally freed her and she quickly stepped to the horse.

''Be careful, he might kick y-''

But she was already patting the horse's back, calming him and slowly helping the animal to lie down. She kneeled next to him and took a good look over his body. The men all stared in awe.

''Give me my things! Now!'' she screamed and looked sharply at the men who only stared at her dumbly. Michael was the first one to react. He quickly grabbed her bundle that fell off the horse when he started jumping around and gave it to her. She opened the bundle and revealed an herbal treasury.

There were hundreds of small glass bottles with tinctures, syrups, powder, dried flowers and blossoms, small roots, herbal liquid mixtures and things many did not even know what they were. She also had a few objects, instruments, which she used for different occasions. There was a long rope for example that could be used by caw breeding, Knight Noah thought; different types of knifes, spoons, a few needles and thick threads, several small rags and two bigger ones, small bundles with more herbals and a small bottle of water.

She was actually carrying all that? She? As in the petit girl who looked like a child? The bundle must weigh more than her body!

Even though the bundle contained hundreds of things, the girl seemed to know exactly where she could find whatever she needed. She pulled out a small glass bottle containing a colourless liquid. She removed the cork and moved in front of the horse. She held the bottle under the horse's nose for some time, making him breathe in the strong herbal smell and once she noticed that the medicine started to work, she quickly put the cork back in and put the bottle back.

She caressed the horse's head and watched as he become sleepy. She gently made him close his eyes and after a few more moments, Blacky was fast asleep, breathing deeply and slowly. To check if he is really unconscious, she carefully pinched him and patted his cheek. He did not react.

The Knights watched her breath in and out in relief and kneel in front of the animal's stomach. She undid one of the ribbons around her wrist and expertly pulled her hair together, binding it into a tight bun. She took the bottle of water from her bundle and used the water to wash her hands.

Then she breathed in and out again.

Her attitude changed completely from that moment on. Her eyes were focused on the animal, but seemed distant. She was breathing steadily; her hands were moving quickly but purposely; she fell into her cold, concentrated and calm mode of a person that would be called a surgeon in more than a thousand years.

Her hands touched the horse's stomach, massaging it, searching for the cause of his pain. She found something and pressed a little stronger. What she found made her frown and for a second, her eyes stared into the air in front of her, her mind lost in thoughts. But then she was focused again, moving quickly.

She did not take one of those knifes from the bundle but pulled one from somewhere at her waist. Knight Noah was sure that this was the knife she used to cut the rope that was tying her wrists some time ago.

Before she put the knife on the horse's skin, she greased it with the liquid from one of the bottles. She then turned back towards the men who had to take a step back because of her sudden cold behaviour.

''I have to open up his stomach to look what is causing him pain. Those who are sensitive when it comes to smells and blood should step away. The sight might also be quite unpleasant.'' She explained and immediately turned back. Just for a moment, Knight Noah wanted to stop her.

Because, who in the world would let a stranger near his horse? And to open his stomach! Blacky had been with him for his whole career as a knight. If he died now, Noah had no idea what he would do. This horse was like family to him. He knew that the girl would not kill his horse just like that; if he learned something from their conversations, it was that she really did want to help living beings. And even if he did not let her do anything, the horse might die. The sounds that came from him were horrible! What could she possibly do to ease the pain?

The girl pulled out one of the rags from the bundle and tied it around her lower face, covering her nose and mouth. She knew all too well what a smell she is about to breathe in.

Then she carefully cut into the flesh, directly down the stomach. The cut line was a little longer than a man's hand and the girl seemed to know exactly where she had to cut because there was little blood. Before she put the knife down, she wiped it into one of the clean rags and greased it once again. What she just did would be called disinfection in more than thousand years.

She then put the knife down on another clean rag and carefully put her hand on each side of the cut line. She opened the stomach.

Knight Noah and the others were standing behind her but the smell hit them like an arrow. They all stepped back some more, one of the younger knights gagging at the side and another one desperately holding his nose.

''My god, I'm dying!'' groaned one of the men and threw up. Knight Noah glanced at him, but he had no problem with the smell; he went through a lot worse smells than this one. However, his face did colour a little green.

''How can she stand it?'' whispered Knight Michael, while facing away to hide his pale face. Knight Noah had no idea how she did that. And in all honesty he did not care at the moment. All he wanted was that his horse would be all right.

''I need someone with strong hands to help me.'' The brunette suddenly called without turning her head. Knight Noah stepped forward and kneeled down on the other side of the horse. The girl did not look up when he offered his hands.

''Take one of the rags and tie them around your face and put a few drops of that liquid over your hands.'' He did as he was told. ''Now hold this apart. I need to look what is inside but I can't do everything on my own – so I need you to hold this still.'' He put his hands the way she had them before and was surprised how cold the horse's skin was.

He watched the girl take out two long spoons, greased them with that liquid and carefully pushed them into the stomach. She moved them around and after some moments she found what she was looking for. She blinked in surprise but soon the expression was replaced with curiosity.

''Wider, please.'' She told the knight and he carefully pulled the skin wider apart. The young herbalist reached for one of the knifes and greased it with the liquid. Now she was holding one spoon and a knife and reached with both of them into the stomach. For a few moments, she carefully searched for that thing she found before and when she finally found it, she started cutting it. Just a few moments later, she pulled that thing out with the help of her instruments.

They all stared at the big ball of something bloody and very very disgusting. There was even something sticking out of it – something that looked like a stalk of hay. But it could have also been something completely else. The girl had no time to stare at the thing. She put it on a rag next to her and focused again on the stomach. She observed the inside of the stomach and tried to form an estimate of its state.

When she realized what she had to do, she quickly washed her hands again, wiped and greased them and took out a few glass bottles from the bundle. She opened them and with the help of another greased spoon, she put a certain amount of liquid medicine into the wound. Then she took one of the needles and a thread and sewed something in the stomach. When she was finished, she put some medicine on it again and then started to sew the stomach together. When she was satisfied, she took another bottle and carefully mixed the powder with one of the liquid medicine and put it over the sewed up wound. She finally sewed up the skin and greased it with another liquid that smelled like honey.

She observed her work after that for some time and finally reached for one of the clean blankets in her bundle. She threw it over the animal's body and noticed that the animal's breathing became uneven. She quickly took the bottle she used at the beginning and again let the horse breathe in the opiate.

''Ssshhh…'' she caressed his front head and kissed it. ''It's alright. I'm sorry it hurt you. It's alright now. You'll going to be as good as new tomorrow.'' She gently put his head down and patted his head. The vulnerable animal was fast asleep and his breathing was slow, calm but deep. The horse survived. Now, he only has to make it through the night and everything will be alright. Knight Noah stared at the girl in awe and then at his horse then gently patting his head.

''Give me something to cover the poor thing.'' She looked around, her expression collected and calm. ''It might be warm, but not warm enough for the horse.'' She explained when two of the men gave her two more rugs. She put them over the blanket she had thrown over the wound carefully and made sure that the horse felt warm.

She caressed the animal one more time, her eyes finally softening; then she slowly stood up and sighed.

''I want everyone to wash themselves in the lake nearby. It's behind those trees-'' she pointed towards her left and took another bottle of herbals out of the bundle.

''Take this. You all have to grease this all over your body in order to prevent a possible infection. I know that you were not near the horse during the operation but one can never be sure.'' She explained and started arranging her belongings together. The dirty ones had to be either washed or thrown away; she did not know yet what she would do with them. First, she had to examine what she pulled out.

When she noticed that the men did not move at all, but were staring at her as if she was a rare animal, she started to feel really annoyed.

''Well? Will you go? You have to wash yourself! Go quick!'' she threw the bottle she mentioned before at Knight Michael who caught it and shooed them away. Everyone except the leader Knight went towards the lake that was supposedly hidden behind those trees.

''It's five maple trees from that linden. Be careful not to fall into the lake!'' she yelled after them and rolled her eyes when she heard a surprised yelp from one of the men who did fall into the lake.

''By the lady…'' she sighed, not realizing that Knight Noah was watching her. She then crunched down and stared at the ball of something she pulled out of the horse's stomach. She took a twig and poked into it, cutting it into small pieces. The knight crunched down next to her observing the thing as well.

''What in the world is that?''

''It looks like indigestible food. Let's see…'' she started poking it into even smaller pieces and mumbled under her breath. ''Hmmm… Carrots, grass, hay…'' She looked closer at the hay and crushed it. ''Aha… Old hay…''

''What does that mean?'' the Knight asked her, trying to handle the smell. She did not answer right away but continued with her observation and thinking. The thing had a strange smell. It was not just the smell of the inside of a stomach, but something else. Something poisonous or old. That straw of hay had a strange colour. The whole bundle was most probably hay and if she was right, it had not been eatable when the horse ate it. On the other hand, it could also be something else that caused all this. However, the more she looked at the thing, the more she was sure that it was hay that caused the horse's stomach to get ill.

When the question that the knight asked seemed to finally reach her mind and she opened her mouth to speak, the other knights came back, freshly washed with their clothes wet as well.

''You don't mind Miss if we walk around half-naked, do you? We have to get dry.'' Knight Michael asked with a teasing smirk, but the girl was unfazed. She just brushed the matter off with a wave of her hand and told them to make a fire. ''And I suggest a huge one.''

She then sent the leader Knight to wash himself too and ignored the others. She searched for two stones, found them and cracked them together. After the second try, a sparkle flew into the now scattered ball she was observing and a small fire emerged from it.

''What are you doing?'' asked one of the men and came closer.

''Burning what might be infectious. Stay away. You're clean now, no need to make me send you back into the water.'' She smiled up at the man when he walked backwards and only now noticed that they really had nothing on but their underwear pants.

''I hope you washed those too.'' She looked at them strictly and they nodded.

''What is that medicine, anyway?''

''Just some herbals to disinfect whatever might have gotten on your clothes or skin.''

''Shouldn't you wash yourself too? You're quite dirty and you have blood all over your clothes.''

''Ah, yes… These are for the fire. It's no use to was them.''

''You got anything else to wear?''

''Yes, don't worry. I'm always prepared for something like this.'' She brushed the matter off but then quickly looked up again. ''Oh and don't use this fire for the bonfire. I don't know if the smoke can do something serious. Gather some wood and…'' she realized that they were watching her in amusement.

''Alright, alright… I won't command you around. You know what you have to do. Just be quick. I don't want you to catch a cold.''

''No worries, lady. We went through worse things.''

''I'm all clean!'' called Knight Noah when he came back and he too wore only underpants. The brunette glanced at him and stood up.

''I really need to wash myself.'' She started, looking around. ''I'm quite dirty right now and I would be happy if your knightness would let me take a bath in the lake.'' She teased again, her old amusing-self back.

Knight Noah was not insulted. He knew that she was being sarcastic, expecting him to turn her wish down. That is why he just nodded and looked at his horse.

''Make a bonfire and find something to eat.'' He told the men, forgetting that the girl already made them do that and then turned to the surprised girl. ''I will accompany you.'' She tiredly nodded at him and pulled out fresh clothes from her bundle. Knight Noah really had no idea how she was able to carry that thing without being crushed.

She looked at the horse again, but then made her way towards the lake. The knight took one of the blankets she offered and threw it over his shoulders to stay warm. He walked next to her, not saying a word.

There was the lake the girl mentioned. It resembled the one in which she was swimming the night before. Trees were surrounding the lake like snakes, creating an image of fortress. In between the trees, there were many colourful flowers and bushes the name of which remained a secret for the knight. He still could not believe that this forest was hiding so many different places, while having huge trees that grew wide apart and therefore should be preventing any secret places. Still, there they were. This was the third lake he saw during his duty of bringing the girl to the Prince. He knew that this lake was not the same he saw the night before. That one was far more open and wide. This one was smaller and closed by the trees. It was the perfect place for animals to hide.

Knight Noah had no idea how she knew where it was, for the forest was inhumanly huge. When he asked her that a moment later, he received a shrug and an ''I know the whole forest better than the back of my hand.''

They stopped at the lake. The girl sighed in relief and started to throw her clothes off. The knight sat down on a rock and turned away. At least he could be polite and not watch her undress.

He heard her walk into the lake and dive in. He risked a glance to the side and noticed that she left all her clothes behind. This meant that she was completely naked. This again meant that he could have a problem if he does not stop thinking about it.

He heard her splash around and sigh in joy. It made him uncomfortable. And very aware of her sex.

''I have to thank you for what you've done.'' He suddenly spoke up, surprising her. ''I believe that my horse would be dead if not for your help.'' He continued and glanced at her. Only her head was outside the water so there was no fear of seeing something that might make him do things, which could cost him his beloved head. But her eyes. Her eyes were so alluring and he could walk into the water and have his way with her if only she let him.

''You are welcome.'' She replied with a little deeper voice. ''But I do this practically every day. If there is a chance for a living being to survive, I am glad to be helpful. I would have done it even if it weren't your horse.'' She explained and swam around.

''Please explain what just happened. And in detail. ''He stared into the forest, away from her.

''Hm… How should I explain it?'' she swam over the lake and stopped in the middle, taking her time to wash herself.

''It must have been something he ate or something he eats.'' She started, gently dipping her hair into the water. ''There was a bundle of indigestive pieces of food, pressing at his stomach and making him ill. I opened his stomach, cut the bundle out and then sewed up the wound.''

She swam to the edge of the lake, pulled out her hand and reached for some flowers that were growing there. She plucked a few blossoms, squashed them in her hands and then massaged them into her hair. ''He's going to be alright, but I think that there must have been something wrong with his food. If there was just one time, he ate something bad, then it's alright, I guess; however, the size of the bundle shows that it must be the food from the castle stable he eats regularly. If it is so, then we have a problem. I assume, this horse is not the only one eating there.'' She went silent at that, leaving him with his own thoughts.

Knight Noah was really thinking about it. The regular food, she said. It's been a few weeks since the new stableman arrived. He had to talk to him as soon as they reach the castle. But how did this woman know all this?

''How do you do it?'' he asked her, without turning his head.

''Do what?'' He heard her voice and the sounds of splashing water over her body. He must not think about her body right now. That would not be a good idea, considering that the prince wanted her.

''Knowing what is wrong with the animal or anybody for that matter?''

She was silent for some time. He was sure that she was staring at him, contemplating about his sudden curiosity.

''Since I was a very young child, I was taught to recognize and to understand health irregularities. I was also taught to heal or at least to ease the pain. It's not that I just know. Well, I do that now – but that's because I've seen many things regarding body irregularities. ''

He heard her move around in the water when she talked again, seeming to be closer than before. ''It's the same as you handling a sword, I guess. You were taught to fight, you know how to move and you don't have to think about each step you make. It's the same with me noticing things. I recognise an irregularity the moment I see, hear of feel her.''

''And you carry medicine with you wherever you go?''

''Not always. When I'm gathering flowers or roots or any other parts of a plant, I usually don't carry anything but an empty basket. I put those plants into the basket as you have seen. But when I'm on my way to the kingdom, then yes, I carry the bundle.'' She had a smile on her face while she was telling him this – he could hear it.

''How can you walk with that thing on your back? It must weigh more than you!'' he exclaimed. He really wanted to know how she did that!

She laughed at that and nodded. ''Well, it is heavier, but when I put it on my back at a certain angle, it's easy to carry. I don't have a problem to be honest. And I'm used to it so…''

The knight nodded and thought about everything she told him.

''What about all those things you put into his stomach? That liquid?''

''Ah yes. First, I made him sleep. The thing he breathed in is opiate. It's a little complicated so I won't explain the details, but the point is that there are plants that can make us fall into deep sleep. And I mean so deep that nothing can wake us up. Of course you can't use the whole plant and you can't just eat it or sniff at it – it's at a certain temperature of cooking that the certain plant can have such an effect.'' She explained and dipped in and out of water.

''Then I used a mixture of herbals. It's actually something to disinfect and heal the wounds. I can show you one day if you'd like to see how it's made.''

''I'd like to see that yes.''

He heard her swim closer and he knew that she would be coming out soon.

''Could you please hand me one of the cloths?'' she asked him gently. He turned around, his eyes widening at the view. She was crouching at the end of the lake, the majority of her body hidden under the water, her shoulders bare and her hair hiding her chest. Her eyes were dark and shiny in the moon light, boring into his eyes. She seemed like the goddess he saw the other night, only closer and far more erotic and alluring than he could handle.

He gulped, forcing his body to calm down and turned away, breathing like a maniac while his hands roamed for the clothing. He threw it over his shoulder, not allowing himself to look at all. She was a walking temptation. He would… He could… But he will not…

He heard her wipe her body in the cloth and then put on her fresh clothes.

''All done.'' She told him gently and he turned around, coming face to face with the most beautiful woman, he has ever seen. Now fully clothed with her long hair wet and her feet lost in moss, she looked like a nymph. The moon illuminated her small figure and made her eyes shine. He could smell the wonderful fragrance of mint and camomile and he could hardly resist to actually sniff at her neck.

''After you, mi lady.'' He told her and let her walk in front of him. Watching her figure from behind, he only now realized that he still had no idea what her name was.