Chapter IX.
Gwirith 25th 3002 T.A
Eliel had gone 3 weeks without riding Daeroch and she had never felt so bored, sure she had other things to keep her mind occupied nevertheless bored. Sonir had taken a turn for the worse over the weeks and it up was to Eliel to guide the 21 year old Lami through the process of becoming an alchemist. Lami was the granddaughter of an herbalist so it was not that difficult to teach the girl what her mother taught her and her grandmother before her.
"Kingsfoil or as the elves call it Athelas has unique healing properties" Lami stated "My grandfather had plenty of this growing, used it quite frequent" Eliel rolled her eyes. The girl could talk and it would always be something the Eliel already knew, as annoying as the girl was she still classed her as a friend
"So I have heard"
"My grandfather said it is a weed up north and not many people know how to use it. You'll find it most commonly in animal feed" Lami dusted her hands off on her pinafore and reached for a bottle labeled 'Elixir of Health' "Your mother has quite the skill. You wouldn't find half of these infusions in all of Middle Earth. Where did she learn?"
"Well her grandmother, Rayya was a healer and a nurse to those all over Middle Earth. She taught Sonir and when they found me, I was brought up to learn their ways." Eliel spoke factually.
"Where did they find you? If I must be bold."
"Not at all, they had found me just outside of the Mirkwood Border, you know the elvish lands? While they were travelling from a place called Lake Town up north, where you know they feed Kingsfoil to animals." She joked at the expense of Lami.
"How long were you there? I mean no mother would just voluntary give her child up." Lami was starting to ask question she had never thought about. Eliel was confused, no one actually told her why she was left in the woods or if they even found her in the woods. She just believed what she had been told without a second thought, why would they lie to her?
She brushed the thoughts away "Well I guess mine did" shrugged and Lami perceived that she did not want to talk the subject anymore, but that did not stop her. "Do you ever wonder? I mean my parents left me, but they died."
"I guess some part of me wanted to know who they were. I just trusted that I had always been told the truth, I mean how else would I end up here?" She stopped crushing the grain and flower seeds in the mortar. Eliel never doubted Sonir once, it was only after conversing with the young girl that they started to submerge. When she thought about it she realized a full story that did not have any inconsistencies had never been told.
She played with the gold interlaced metal on her arm and thought perhaps it is time to ask and this instance get a proper story. Lami continued talking about everything and anything while Eliel continued her work in silence and scarcely answering Lami's questions.
Several hours had gone by and Lami decided she should go home and study her notes. Eliel was relived, finally she could have some peace and quiet. She grabbed an apple of the bench and chomped into the crisp red skin letting it break between her teeth, she felt uneasy in her stomach and decided that would be all for tonight. Sonir had gotten up before to fetch some food and then went back to bed, the days were now too harsh on the brittle woman and all Eliel could do was sit back and let her live her life out the way she wanted. A soft sigh escaped from her bowed lips and she went to the book shelf and grabbed any book at all that could make her mind drift away from reality.