Chapter 4
Lucretia's morning fared well enough, though the carriage ride left her with nothing much to do but to think and overthink. Susanna was sad to see her go but when Lucretia explained her plans she was encouraging. Making Lucretia promise to write home to her; 'Home…' She longed for that. 'I haven't had a home in a very long time.'
Her ancestral home was taken from her by the Thalmor before her birth and then she was taken from her childhood home by her bastard husband. But she is here now, far from their conniving and brutal hands and she will make her own way. She held hope that Valerius was still alive; and when he returns, she and Aventus will be waiting for him.
The daydream from before drifted into her head again about the little farm they would have, tilling crops and raising animals; not that either of them knew anything about that life. Valerius was a soldier through-and-through and she was a simple trophy wife to be paraded in front of guests, anything remarkable about her was easily overwhelmed by how unremarkable she actually is. As the carriage rocked back and forth, Lucretia allowed her mind to think back, replaying her earlier years, some good but mostly bad.
As the carriage pulled closer, the view of Whiterun filled her with a small measure of joy. Still stricken with memories of the past and speculations of her future, this right now was her present and she was going to make it work. Lucretia didn't care if she needed to get on her knees and beg for Danica to mentor her; she would not be leaving here until she could use basic restoration magic and when her magicka runs out, being able to dress wounds the natural way.
As she passed through the city gates, she was greeted with the sounds of bustling life from the sharp clank of a hammer on steel to children laughing as they chased each other through the streets to the voices emanating from the market ahead of her. It was well into the evening when she first came through Whiterun but how different it all seemed now. The peaceful atmosphere with so much happiness made her want to change her plans and simply adopt Aventus and find a place to live here. Currently the only things stopping her is the fact that Valerius wouldn't know she was here instead of Windhelm, Whiterun was considered neutral territory and much too close to the Empire, and lastly–'Would Aventus want to live here instead of his family home?' She couldn't rightfully take him away from his home if that is where he wants to be. Pushing those thoughts away, she needed to focus her attention on the now.
As she passed the stalls, the townsfolk called attention to their wares and offered her kind smiles and greetings all of which she was more than happy to offer back. Lucretia imagined that as the afternoon sun was dipping down on the horizon, she would have to postpone her browsing until at least tomorrow; it's not like they won't be here when the sun rises. She continues on her way to the upper level of the city. Upon entering the temple, Lucretia was met with the sight of Danica speaking with a Breton man.
"What is it... what has happened to the Gildergreen? I have traveled long here to worship beneath its branches." Disbelief colored his voice.
Danica kept an even tone as she replied. "It was taken by a lightning strike. Wish I had time to deal with it, but it's hard enough with all these wounded from the war."
"Please, don't just let it stay like this. It's disgraceful." The Breton huffed indignantly.
Danica crossed her arms and glared back at him, clearly affronted by his rudeness. "I really don't have time to deal with you right now. Please just let me get back to my work."
He snarks back, "But this is supposed to be your work." Without waiting for her reply he walks away.
Danica moved to tend to a sick farmer, Lucretia decided it was best to wait for Danica to finish what she was doing before approaching her. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long, Danica had noticed her and offered her a smile which she took as an approval to approach her as she stepped away from the farmer. "How good to see you again and so soon."
They had only exchanged pleasantries on her last visit but it felt good to be remembered. "Good evening, Priestess Danica. I was hoping I might have some of your time."
"Of course. How can I assist you?" She waved her hand back to where Lucretia was previously seated.
"I strive to become a healer. I was directed to speak with you by an associate of mine with hopes that you would take me on as an apprentice. Even just the basics of healing with magicka and traditional healing would be the most helpful. I can even pay you."
"You are a child of Kynareth; I saw it when I first met you. I would be more than happy to teach you but I would ask a favor first."
"Yes! Of course, what can I do?" Lucretia felt her heart bursting with excitement. 'How easy it was to get her to agree!'
"No doubt you have seen the Gildergreen Tree. It's a bit of an eyesore at the moment, more of a problem for the pilgrims than for me but not many of them around anymore except Maurice. Nevertheless, I would ask for your help with restoring it."
"What's so special about this tree?"
"To the east of here is a hidden grove where the Eldergleam resides. It's the oldest living thing in Skyrim. Maybe all of Tamriel. Our tree here in the city was grown from a cutting of that tree. You can still feel the glory of the mother tree through it. Even its name is an echo."
"There is a way to revive it?"
"Trees like this never really die, they only slumber. I think if we had some of the sap from the parent tree we could wake its child. I had commissioned one of the Companions to retrieve the only weapon said to be able to pierce the Eldergleam–Nettlebane. All I need is for you to go to the Eldergleam Sanctuary and bring me the sap."
"I fear I do not know my way around Skyrim very well. Would you be able to tell me how to get there?"
"I would honestly recommend that you use that gold and hire one of the Companions to guide you there and back. It is a pretty far walk and dangerous too, you can find it between Windhelm and Riften–just due east of Darkwater Crossing."
Lucretia tried her best to keep her annoyance from showing on her face, besides if this was all she needed to do to get Danica to train her then she would do it. "Alright. Where can I find these Companions?"
"As soon as you step back outside, you can see their great hall of Jorrvaskr on the opposite side of the Gildergreen. Come back to collect the dagger after you've spoken with them." Danica barely waits for Lucretia to nod before she swiftly returns to her duties.
Just as Danica said, the Hall of Jorrvaskr stood proudly, haloed by the rising darkness and stars as its backdrop; it was easy to imagine how beautiful it would look during sunrise. 'Best to get this over with now.'
Lucretia approached the heavy wooden door and as she opened it, she could hear the cheers and taunts before she saw the fight that was occurring. A Nord woman seemed to have the upper hand against a Dunmer with an older Nord man calling out advice to both of them. No one paid her any mind for a few minutes while the fight continued; the Nord woman gave a battlecry and landed a heavy blow to his nose and he fell; once it was clear that the woman won the brawl the others dispersed, no longer entertained. Even though the older Nord man had not seen her entry nor did he once look at her throughout the fight, he made a beeline directly to her as he knew she was standing there the whole time. 'Well he doesn't look friendly…' As if sensing her thoughts he scowls at her.
"Haven't seen your face before. What do you want?"
'Better to skip the pleasantries, I suppose.' Lucretia cleared her throat before speaking. "I am looking to hire a Companion to see me to and from the Eldergleam Sanctuary. Priest Danica mentioned she hired someone before and recommended I see about hiring an escort."
"Ah, yes. Farkas killed a hagraven and some witches, and brought back a dagger for her. She refused to touch it until he wrapped it in cloth. Perhaps too afraid to get her hands dirty?"
Lucretia ignored the jab at her hopefully soon-to-be mentor. "How much will it cost?"
"Hmm. There shouldn't be much danger aside from the occasional wolves, maybe a bear. How long do you plan to stay there before heading back?"
"Only as long as I need to be, preferably I get what I need quickly then we come back just as quick."
"Well let's say you get there and are leaving within the next 2 hours, I'd say the total would be 300 septims. 150 up front to see you there safely and the rest upon your return."
It was more than she was hoping but still manageable for now. She will have to consider her options later so she doesn't drain what she has left. "Sounds fair enough. Can we leave in the morning?"
"Farkas should be back soon. I'll let him know to meet you at the gates at sunrise." He pulls a piece of blank parchment from his pocket and drafts up their exchange of services and cost, giving him her alias–Cassia–he stared at her hard for a moment longer than he should have, like he knew it was a lie before she spoke it. 'I must be a terrible liar if so many people don't believe me when I tell them my name.' Once she paid for the first part of the contract, he gave a stern nod before promptly turning and walking away from her. Taking that as her dismissal, she returned to Danica to inform her of the news.
"That's wonderful. Here is the dagger." It was wrapped in a dull brown rag, tied closed with a bit of twine. "If you're leaving at sunrise, you best get a room at the inn and go to sleep." Lucretia let Danica usher her to the door.
"Miss. Miss, wait!" A frantic voice called after her. Turning around, she sees the Breton from earlier who had been talking to Danica about the Gildergreen. "What's happened to the Gildergreen is a travesty. Was I correct in hearing that you were traveling to the grove of the Eldergleam?"
"Yes, I am. I hired one of the companions to guide me there and back."
"I am a traveler. A pilgrim. I follow the voice of Kynareth wherever it can be heard. I've dreamed of seeing Eldergleam for years. Might I travel alongside you? I promise not to get in the way."
"Well I don't see why not. I will be heading out at dawn with a Companion. If you meet us at the city gate, you're welcome to travel with us. Also you can call me Cassia."
The breton's face lights up, "I thank you for your kindness. My name is Maurice Jondrelle, by the way. I will meet you in the morning."
The sun rose sooner than Lucretia would have preferred; the inn's patrons were rather rowdy last night making sleep difficult to find. She gathered her curls to one side and braided it down, it wasn't pretty or neat but it should hold for the trip. When she returns to Windhelm, she will have to have Susanna teach her some Nordic styles.
She was the second to arrive, a large dark-haired Nord leaning against the post near Adrienne's shop stood straight when he saw her making her way towards him and allowed her to approach him. Didn't make him look any less intimidating, especially with the black war paint smeared around his eyes and his large body. 'He's as large as Valerius.'
Lucretia hoped to get off on a good foot with the Companion, she gave him a bright smile and greeted, "Good morning! I take it you are my Companion to the Eldergleam Sanctuary? You can call me Cassia."
"Yeah. Name's Farkas. Skjor said it was a quick job. Mostly walking there and back, making sure you don't die."
"Yeah that pretty much sums it up. I need restoration training from Danica, the Priestess of Kynareth, to become a healer. She wants me to help her heal the Gildergreen by getting sap from the parent tree before she will agree to train me."
Farkas grunts a little then asks, "A healer? With magicka?"
She forgot about the Nordic prejudice towards most magic related things. "Um, yes. Though I asked for her to also train me in healing people the natural way. I don't have a lot of magicka so I need to be able to tend to wounds with whatever knowledge I have and the tools in my bag."
"Huh. I've never trusted magic types. But restoration is the only good one. Fine then. We should head-" A yell cuts him off.
"Hey! Wait! Don't leave me behind!" Maurice is making a mad dash from the marketplace towards them. Farkas looks on distastefully as Maurice stops before them and leans on his knees, huffing and sweating. "I was worried I missed you! Glad I didn't."
"What do you mean? You're coming with us?" Farkas crossed his arms and glared down on the Breton.
'Now he is trying to be intimidating? Gods…' Lucretia interjected before Maurice, who looked absolutely affronted, could speak. "He is a pilgrim of Kynareth. He asked to be my traveling companion to the Sanctuary. I hope this isn't an issue?"
"Whatever. Just don't go running off into danger. I don't want to have to throw either of you over my shoulder to carry back."
"Of course. I would prefer to keep you between me and anything that might want to kill me. I'm sure Maurice would agree." At her pointed look, he nods.
"Well, let's go."
She and Farkas got on well with each other once they started talking. He liked to claim he wasn't smart but Lucretia disagreed. He was incredibly open to talking and was able to offer her a lot of insight into life in Skyrim and a range of different topics. They had only been traveling for about four hours and Maurice complained the entire time. Constantly interjecting on her discussions with Farkas and adding nothing to the conversation except for more complaints about the weather, the bugs, the roads, whatever he could think of. If he wasn't complaining, he was constantly stopping to look at trees, pick flowers, and staring at clouds. Frankly, he was getting on her nerves and she was pretty sure she heard Farkas growl a few times.
After the sun had hit its highest point and they followed the eastern road as it turned south, they were attacked by a pack of wolves. Lucretia drew her dagger and lit fire to her left hand and braced herself should a wolf get past Farkas. She was left bewildered when Maurice ran away from her and towards a wolf with only his fists raised!
"What in Oblivion are you doing?!" Lucretia raced after him, amazed he managed to get one hit in before the wolf rounded on him, knocking him over. She wasn't a fighter nor a mage, she couldn't do much with her flames other than use it for light and to warm her hands. As she closes the distance between herself and her idiot companion and the wolf, she swings her dagger to slash at the wolf's face then follows with a slap! of her enflamed left hand to its eye. It gives a yelp and puts distance between them, it recovers quickly when it realizes her slap barely did any damage. It snarls before dashing back at them only to be intercepted by a swing from Farkas's sword. Lucretia releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding, the tension in her body slipping away. 'Thankfully that was a quick fight.'
She turns and offers her hand-free of flames–to Maurice, just as she is about to pull him up she feels a large hand clamp down on her shoulder and forcefully tugs her back, the force breaks her hold on Maurice's hand and he flops back into the dirt. Farkas's hand leaves her as he surges forward and grabs the front of Maurice's tunic. "I wasn't paid to protect you, only her. You ever endanger her again on this trip, I will skin you alive. Got it?"
Farkas doesn't wait for a reply before dropping him back in the dirt and turning to her. He is less rough when he grabs the front of her cloak and pulls her towards him,Farkas glares down at her for a moment before his gaze softens and he releases his grip on her cloak. "Who in their right mind slaps a wolf? If you're going to use your hands, you could at least punch it. Are you hurt?"
"Uh, no… I'm okay. I wasn't planning to go after it. I'm not skilled in fighting but…" Her eyes flickered to where Maurice was picking himself up from the ground. "Anyways, thank you."
Farkas turns away and starts back down the path, calling back to them, "We are nearly there. Let's go."
The rest of the trip goes smoothly, Maurice kept whatever complaints he had left to himself and quietly followed behind Lucretia who followed two steps behind Farkas. When they finally make it into the sanctuary, she hears him mutter to himself, his voice overwhelmed with emotion. "I can't believe I've finally made it here. It's like it was in my dreams."
Lucretia absolutely agreed. 'It's breathtaking!' The sanctuary was a grove that was formed inside of a cave; a small river winding its way through with pine trees, plants, and large roots everywhere. She couldn't tell where the river started nor where it went but waterfalls from above fed into it. High above stood what could only be the Eldergleam tree, partially shrouded in fog and mist; light shone down upon it from an opening in the cave's ceiling, giving it a very ethereal appearance. The sensation that washed over her also made Lucretia feel overwhelmed with emotion, she had never felt the presence of one of the Gods so profoundly before; she gave a simple prayer. 'Bless us, Divine Kynareth.'
Maurice spoke reverence, "Come to me, Kynareth, for without you, I might not know the mysteries of the world, and so blind and in terror, I might consume and profane the abundance of your beautiful treasures."
Farkas turned and looked at them confusedly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Maurice looked unfazed as he turned to Lucretia, "Please move quickly. Eldergleam awaits us."
"Yes, of course. Farkas, let's keep moving." He nods and continues along the path, pausing momentarily when he sees two other people milling about but continuing on when they don't seem to pose a threat. As they passed by, the male Nord greeted the new arrivals, "Welcome to Eldergleam Sanctuary, my friends. If you have any questions, speak to Asta." The female Nord smiles at them but doesn't approach. Lucretia returns her smile briefly but continues on; she hopes she doesn't come across as rude but she is too restless to stop for smalltalk. Maurice does stop momentarily to ask them a few questions.
The further up the path they went, the denser it became until there was no way past the massive roots that extended from the Eldergleam Tree. 'I suppose this is where the dagger comes into play?' Lucretia pulled it from her bag, unwrapping the rag wrapped around it. Even to her untrained eye Lucretia knows it's not an attractive dagger; it is crudely engraved and flaked with what she assumed to be old blood. Farkas notably shifts his weight beside her, watching to see what she would do; she hates for it to come to this but she has little option, she pricks the bark of the roots and the effect is immediate. The root blocking their path retreats as if greatly wounded; she felt mildly relieved she wouldn't have to hack her way forward if a mere prick was all it took. She pushed forward to the next root blocking the path, then the next until nothing stood in their way to the base of the Tree.
She turns to look back just as Maurice comes running forward with a glare directed at her. "I had no idea you were a woman of violence. What exactly are your intentions in this blessed place?"
"The reason I needed to come here was for the sap, to repair the Gildergreen." It wasn't like Lucretia wanted to hurt the Tree.
"You would violate this marvel of Kynareth's glory to fix that half-breed stump in Whiterun? That's abominable. Barbaric. I'll have no part of this. Why didn't you tell me what you intended?"
"I was not aware I had any other option from what I was told. Do you have a better idea?"
"Well... yes. There is something. It won't repair the tree back at the temple, but we could bring them a new one."
"Then please, show me. I wish not to harm the Eldergleam any further. If you can offer a peaceful solution, I will gladly take it."
"Follow me. I think I can convince the tree to help us." Lucretia follows with Farkas just at her shoulder. He had been glaring silently at Maurice during the entire verbal exchange.
Maurice kneels before the Eldergleam, silently speaking a prayer to Kynareth and she answers. A small sapling appears before him, a beautiful gift. 'A goddess who answers.'
"The Eldergleam has blessed us with a sapling. You should take it to Whiterun. Danica will want to see that the true blessings of nature lie in renewal, not a slavish maintenance." He passes the sapling over before he speaks again, "I believe I'll stay here and bask in Eldergleam's warmth a bit longer." Lucretia gratefully thanks him for the help. "It was my pleasure, friend. In a way, I envy you getting to carry such a direct sign of Kynareth's grace."
She and Farkas share a nod before they back down the path. Lucretia will have to come back another time when she did not feel pressed for time. The return walk went by much quicker and she spent much of it asking Farkas all sorts of questions. When she became concerned that she was bothering him, he reassured her it was anything but annoying. They made it back to Whiterun about two hours after sunset, Lucretia gave Farkas the rest of the gold she owed the Companions and they bid each other goodnight with Farkas turning towards Jorrvaskr and Lucretia heading for the Temple. If Danica wasn't available, she would return in the morning but it was worth checking while she was already nearby.
To her surprise, Danica was still at the Temple. She was kneeling and speaking softly to a wounded soldier. Upon noticing Lucretia's entry, she speaks a few more words before standing and coming to her. "Hello, child of Kynareth. Were you able to get the sap?"
"Actually, no. I bought back a sapling instead." Lucretia hopes this doesn't ruin her chances of being trained, it's not what Danica asked her to do.
"But... I can't run the Temple without the support of people who are inspired by the Gildergreen. How can this little tree bring new worshippers?"
"Well… Maurice had told me: 'that renewal is more important than maintenance' and to be honest, I do agree with him on this."
"I... you're right of course. It can be hard to hear the winds of Kynareth when all you hear is the rabble in the temple. Death feeds new life. I'm sure that, in time, this little sapling will grow into a new Gildergreen that will tower over Whiterun. Thank you. Report to me in the morning to begin your training."
"Really? I failed to do what you asked for; you will still train me?" Lucretia asked with a bit of hesitation.
"Absolutely. Sometimes you need to do what you believe to be right, even if someone else does not agree with it. Though be warned, actions will still have consequences whether or not you believe yourself to be right. Now come, it is late and you must be tired." Danica walks Lucretia to the Temple door and they bid each other goodnight.
Days passed by quickly for Lucretia under the tutelage of Danica. Since Lucretia lacked the necessary amount of magicka to begin healing others, she was to start with learning how to stitch and bandage wounds first. Something that was easy enough to begin with considering the amount of soldiers and villagers who passed through the Temple. Occasionally members of the Companions would make an appearance, the most frequent faces Lucretia has seen were Farkas and Ria; pleasant company who were more than willing to let her practice on them under Danica's watchful eye.
By Danica's endorsement, Arcadia also agreed to teach her alchemy; an extremely important skill for any healer who did not have magicka at his or her disposal. Arcadia began with lectures in the evening after she closed up shop and Lucretia was finished with Danica. She started with showing her the plants she currently had in stock and stressing that the same plants can be used to hurt as much as they could to heal. She had also given Lucretia a blank journal for her to keep track of notes, something she was immensely grateful for. At night, she would read alchemy and restoration texts given to her by both women and practice casting a basic healing spell on her cramped hands and sore knees–the latter which hurt every night after kneeling on the stone floors in the temple beside the wounded as she stitched cuts and wrapped limbs.
Lucretia made sure to write her promised letter to Susanna after her short healing practice; informing Susanna of the required task that Danica asked her to complete before she would accept her as her temporary apprentice and the steady progress she made so far; she also mentioned the unexpected but most welcomed training she was receiving from Arcadia, costing only her time and assistance. Lucretia lightheartedly joked that if Susanna wanted to find a good looking man, she would need to visit Whiterun sometime and meet a few of the Companions. She was nervous when she asked if anyone had come looking for her and expressed her anxiousness about leaving Aventus at Honorhall. She scrapped two letters before settling on the third one and had it sent in the morning before she changed her mind again.
One morning Arcadia shows up at the Temple to speak with Danica about taking Lucretia outside of the city in order to show her how to properly gather plants; Danica agrees since they had no one currently waiting to be tended to. Lucretia quickly gathers her bag and journal from her cot in a small closet off to the side in the Temple, she doesn't complain about her accommodations since she's grateful for a place to sleep without having to pay for it. As she exits the Temple and begins towards the steps, Lucretia sees Farkas and his brother talking as they stand near the steps of Jorrvaskr, they both turn to her so she spares them a quick wave before quickly making her way down to the market to meet Arcadia. "Here you go. You will be needing this," said Arcadia as she passes off a braided basket to her.
They didn't go far from the city before Arcadia was telling her the purpose of their trip, though it wasn't surprising in the slightest. "Once you are out here, you will need to know how to find and identify plants. Some can be deceiving and share nearly the same appearance but will kill you in a matter of moments. You will learn how to identify these differences as well as how to properly harvest the plants to utilize their fullest potential, this goes for both making healing potions and poisons."
That took her by surprise. "You want me to learn how to make poisons?"
Arcadia chuckled, "Of course. You need to know how to make a poison in order to make the antidote. Can't have you fumbling through your potions and guessing; what would that say about me as your teacher? I am going to explain first and I just want you to listen and watch, then you will have your turn. Come now, look at these." Arcadia gestures to small bushels of red and blue flowers that were running alongside the road, she kneels before them. "As I've told you before, mountain flowers are common throughout Skyrim. They come in a variety of different shades: blues, reds and purples are easily found without even needing to leave the road to find them in abundance. There is one other variety that very few have ever found, yellow mountain flowers. They seem to only be found in dangerous, nearly inaccessible locations. The worst bit is that even if you manage to obtain yellow mountain flowers, they are impossible to grow in a garden." Lucretia hurriedly adjusted the basket on her arm in order to take out her journal to make notes, Arcadia briefly paused to let her catch up. "Blue mountain flowers are great ingredients for making health potions while the red ones can damage health, thus making them great for poisons." Arcadia waited until she had Lucretia's attention again before gesturing to the basket, she said, "Come here so I can show you how to trim the flowers so as to not waste the ingredients while also ensuring they continue to grow back."
Lucretia knelt next to Arcadia as she takes out a pair of curved pruning shears. "Some plants, based on which part of its body you use, can be beneficial in a multitude of ways. For instance, the red mountain flower petals can be used with other reagents to create a potion that will restore and fortify magicka, but the stem can be used to create a poison that damages health or magicka. Everything has its purpose." Arcadia's movements were absolutely fluid as she cut the red mountain flowers from the brushy plant it originated. "Make sure you leave some space right here–" She gestures to where the stem still attached to the main plant had about a knuckles length left on it, "When you leave at least this much left–you can stagger the lengths–it helps promote growth instead of just hacking away at the plant until it's nothing more than a dead shrub. If you do not have any questions about what I have told you so far then it is your turn. Go ahead and cut the blue mountain flowers, they're fine to stack on the red."
Lucretia sets her journal off to her side as she takes up the shears from her mentor. "I believe I understand, this part seems to be the easiest. It's essentially the same as pruning decorative houseplants." She began trimming them the same way Arcadia did and stacked the blue flowers into the basket; it took her no time at all to finish.
"Pruning is a good way to put it." Arcadia stands and dusts the dirt from her knees. "Now I want you to stay on this strip of road, easily within sight of the city and the guards. You will be filling this basket the rest of the way. Once it's full, bring it back to my shop so I can set them up in bundles to dry then I want you back out here collecting more. We will need them later when we delve further into making healing potions. Make sure you take breaks too."
"Yes, Arcadia," Lucretia nodded obediently, though the look on her face might have given her away. "Don't think I don't know you work yourself to the point of skipping meals. When you come back into the city, stop at the inn for a meal or at least the market for some food to take with you."
Lucretia felt good even though she was being slightly chastised. "I will, I promise," she said with more conviction this time. That seemed to placate Arcadia enough to let it go.
"Alright, gotta get the shop open." She gave Lucretia a nod before she turned back towards the city.
Lucretia allowed herself to fall into the smoothing rhythm of constant work, a blissful distraction to ignore her issues and worries. When she retires for the night, she will make drawings of the flowers to go with their descriptions.