Post by Horas on Nov 21, 2008 18:35:23 GMT -5
Ondrew faded in and out of consciousness. He could hear voices, but he could not make out their language. When he was awake, all he could see was the shadows cast by a dung fire. From time to time he saw feet. He counted tree separate pairs. One set, large and wearing boots. The second fat and wide and with large gnarled bunions. It was the last set he liked to see the most. They were small and dainty, and where they walked left no impression upon the ground, as if they floated just inches off the dirty. Ondrew decided the were the most beautiful feet he was like to ever see.
The pain in his back came and went. He did not remember eating, but some times he would wake up and a small earthen bowel with the last remains of some kind of paste, would be sitting beside his head, so he figured he must have eaten at some point.
Ondrew began to count by the number of times he saw the bowl beside his head. It was not an accurate measurement by any means, but it gave his mind something to do. Once he had tried to turn over, but there had been a blinding pain, and when he awoke he was back on his stomach.
It was after the time, by his count that he’d seen eight bowls, that he was first helped upright. He put faces to feet. There was a skinny old man with a bent back, and his hefty wife. Behind them both sat a small lithe girl with big hazel eyes, and long auburn hair. She starred at him intently, as if she knew him.
“Thank you for your hospitality…”
“Turek, Turek Knott. This is my wife Cydia, but you should really be thanking Nara, she saved your life when that fever took.”
“I owe your daughter my life.” Ondrew replied bowing his head respectfully at the young woman, who stared back.
“She’s not me daughter, just a girl from the south woods came north to us, but since me sons have up and married, we’ve needed someone to help tend the flock.” The Knott man said.
“Well, she has my thanks in any case.” Ondrew nodded, and the girl smiled broadly.
“Who are you, and how did you happen to come by those wounds?” The man asked.
“My name is Ondrew of the Burleys. Me and me uncle was taking supplies to the Knott Moot, when we were ambushed by Liddles. They’ve a grudge against my people it would seem.”
“Aye, they left their mark on you,” the woman, Cydia said, with a gentle laugh. Ondrew did not think it particularly funny. He tried to stand, but doubled over. Nara was under his shoulder in an instant, supporting his weight.
“Thh..thank you.” Ondrew said, straightening his legs and standing level for the first time in at least a week. The girl’s body was warm against his side, and he coughed, embarrassed.
“Ah… I suppose I have missed the moot then?”
“Aye, I’m sorry. Still, if you’d like to see it, my cousin Garrad bought me six ewes and I’m sending Nara to drive them here, if you’d like to accompany her… We’d count it a favor.”
Ondrew frowned. “Aye, I’ll do that and still I would owe you.”
They sat down to eat dinner, a rabbit stew, with a few potatoes, which Ondrew found filling, the first real food He’d had in days. He spoke with Knott and his wife for a while, the girl Nara always close, always wordless. Eventually the older couple went to bed, and it was just he and his nurse. Neither spoke for a long time.
“I’ve seen you before…” She said, her voice was so tiny, Ondrew thought it might break.
“Where?” He asked.
“In my dreams. I saw it true, that’d you’d come.” She replied.
“You see things, in dreams?” He asked.
“Aye, some times. And they come true. Always.” She shuddered for a moment, and Ondrew wondered how she could be cold, illuminated in the flames of the fire.
“I understand,” he said, although he didn’t. “What did you see in your dream?” He took a sip of ale from a horn Turek had shared.
“That you would come and steal me away.” She said, simply. Ondrew’s ale spurted from his lips in surprise and made the fire hiss.
“Steal… you away? Why would I do that?”
“To marry me silly.”
“How do you know I want to marry you?”
“How do you know that you don’t?” Her laughter was light and tinkling. Ondrew laughed himself, involuntarily. Anyway, it gave him time to pause, for he had no good answer to that.
“Well, I know that you’re a good healer. But that’s it. How do I know you can cook…”
“You ate my stew!”
“I thought that was Cydia’s stew?”
“Did it taste like shit? Nay, than it was mine.” Ondrew smiled.
“Well, how do I know you’ll be fertile and grant me strong sons?” He asked, leaning forward.
“How do I know you’ve got a cock to get me with child?” She taunted.
“Cause you cleaned me when I was sick. You saw it all.”
“Aye, I did. And…” She said, scooting around to sit by his side by the fire.
“And what?”
“And I liked it!”
They were still smiling and laughing as the fire burned down.
Result:
Nara Improves to Expert Healing
Nara Improves to Noteworthy Herbal Lore
The pain in his back came and went. He did not remember eating, but some times he would wake up and a small earthen bowel with the last remains of some kind of paste, would be sitting beside his head, so he figured he must have eaten at some point.
Ondrew began to count by the number of times he saw the bowl beside his head. It was not an accurate measurement by any means, but it gave his mind something to do. Once he had tried to turn over, but there had been a blinding pain, and when he awoke he was back on his stomach.
It was after the time, by his count that he’d seen eight bowls, that he was first helped upright. He put faces to feet. There was a skinny old man with a bent back, and his hefty wife. Behind them both sat a small lithe girl with big hazel eyes, and long auburn hair. She starred at him intently, as if she knew him.
“Thank you for your hospitality…”
“Turek, Turek Knott. This is my wife Cydia, but you should really be thanking Nara, she saved your life when that fever took.”
“I owe your daughter my life.” Ondrew replied bowing his head respectfully at the young woman, who stared back.
“She’s not me daughter, just a girl from the south woods came north to us, but since me sons have up and married, we’ve needed someone to help tend the flock.” The Knott man said.
“Well, she has my thanks in any case.” Ondrew nodded, and the girl smiled broadly.
“Who are you, and how did you happen to come by those wounds?” The man asked.
“My name is Ondrew of the Burleys. Me and me uncle was taking supplies to the Knott Moot, when we were ambushed by Liddles. They’ve a grudge against my people it would seem.”
“Aye, they left their mark on you,” the woman, Cydia said, with a gentle laugh. Ondrew did not think it particularly funny. He tried to stand, but doubled over. Nara was under his shoulder in an instant, supporting his weight.
“Thh..thank you.” Ondrew said, straightening his legs and standing level for the first time in at least a week. The girl’s body was warm against his side, and he coughed, embarrassed.
“Ah… I suppose I have missed the moot then?”
“Aye, I’m sorry. Still, if you’d like to see it, my cousin Garrad bought me six ewes and I’m sending Nara to drive them here, if you’d like to accompany her… We’d count it a favor.”
Ondrew frowned. “Aye, I’ll do that and still I would owe you.”
They sat down to eat dinner, a rabbit stew, with a few potatoes, which Ondrew found filling, the first real food He’d had in days. He spoke with Knott and his wife for a while, the girl Nara always close, always wordless. Eventually the older couple went to bed, and it was just he and his nurse. Neither spoke for a long time.
“I’ve seen you before…” She said, her voice was so tiny, Ondrew thought it might break.
“Where?” He asked.
“In my dreams. I saw it true, that’d you’d come.” She replied.
“You see things, in dreams?” He asked.
“Aye, some times. And they come true. Always.” She shuddered for a moment, and Ondrew wondered how she could be cold, illuminated in the flames of the fire.
“I understand,” he said, although he didn’t. “What did you see in your dream?” He took a sip of ale from a horn Turek had shared.
“That you would come and steal me away.” She said, simply. Ondrew’s ale spurted from his lips in surprise and made the fire hiss.
“Steal… you away? Why would I do that?”
“To marry me silly.”
“How do you know I want to marry you?”
“How do you know that you don’t?” Her laughter was light and tinkling. Ondrew laughed himself, involuntarily. Anyway, it gave him time to pause, for he had no good answer to that.
“Well, I know that you’re a good healer. But that’s it. How do I know you can cook…”
“You ate my stew!”
“I thought that was Cydia’s stew?”
“Did it taste like shit? Nay, than it was mine.” Ondrew smiled.
“Well, how do I know you’ll be fertile and grant me strong sons?” He asked, leaning forward.
“How do I know you’ve got a cock to get me with child?” She taunted.
“Cause you cleaned me when I was sick. You saw it all.”
“Aye, I did. And…” She said, scooting around to sit by his side by the fire.
“And what?”
“And I liked it!”
They were still smiling and laughing as the fire burned down.
Result:
Nara Improves to Expert Healing
Nara Improves to Noteworthy Herbal Lore