After the Battle

[Calico]

After her daily duties Kate slunk back to the barracks, just in time to see most of the other guardsmen readying for a patrol. In a shadow, leaning against one of the pillars of the entry way she watched the others get ready. A slight frown tugged at the young woman's lips, with her arm still in a sling there really wasn't any way for her to join them. The throbbing from her left shoulder was enough that she'd felt slightly ill since she'd sobered up the night before. She couldn't move her arm at all with out stabs of pain, yet at the same time there was some thing about the pain that made it feel like her arm just wasn't sitting right and she needed to move it. There has got to be some thing I can be dosed with for this. At that though she turned and headed into the barracks, an idea slowly coming to mind.

She remembered a healer, on that lived not far from the swamps. A woman who was a member of a group called The Sisters of Virtue. When she had been younger her father had sent for the woman more than once and Kate had watched as people that had not right to recover mended. If some one could give her some thing for her dislocated arm the reclusive sister would be the one. Though the trip wasn't a particularly long one, it would take her dangerously close to the Kaldorian's borders.

Wincing Kate carefully dug her foot locker out from under her bunk with her good arm. The barracks were all but deserted now. As quickly as she could with out hurting herself any worse, she changed out of her uniform and into her old armor. Hesitating as she slid the shoulder knots back on. They marked her as a Covian, but Kate did wondered if she was breaking some regulation wearing them with out her uniform. She wasn't entirely sure if it was all right to be out of uniform even if off duty, though where she was headed had nothing to do with Cove. Some small part of her mind was troubled that she even felt so compelled to wear the knots. Kate hadn't been in a habit of broadcasting her loyalties since she left home. Hoping feverently that she wouldn't run into any one that she would have to explain herself to, the injured guard crept back outside.

Putting some distance between herself and Cover Kate slowly begin to feel more sure of herself. The air was heavy with the scents of spring, and the air was warm, though the blonde woman was having a hard time enjoying the hike. Every step, however lightly, placed jarred her arm. She was exhausted by the time she found the healers hut deep with in the forest. Faint wisps of smoke curling up from the chimney assured her that the healer was at home.

While Kate made her way across the neat yard, the door to the hut swung open. The short healer appeared in the shadows of the door way looking much as Kate remembered her: very short, slightly to thin, the skin of her face nut brown. She seemed to have more wrinkles than Kat remembered, but her green eyes were still bright and her expression calm.

Kate paused, not sure what to say; whether to announce herself, giving her true name, that the Sister was sure to recognize, or to just act like she'd been sent this way by some villager.

"Come in m'lady, what is your hurt?" The healer spoke first, some thing in her tone, the clean common tongue and how she addressed her made Kate smile faintly. Perhaps she does recognize me then?

Ducking slightly she entered the dimly lit hut. "Come come m'lady, have a seat here," the healer steered Kate by her good arm to a willow wood chair by the cool hearth.

Taking a slow breath the young woman glanced around the sparsely furnished room, pushing a few lose strand of hair behind her ear she didn't exactly look at the healer as she spoke. "I marched with the Covians into a skirmish against the Kaldorian army last eve' Mother. Durin' the fight my arm got knocked funny by a macer. The healer back at the barracks set it right, I think, but well... I'd just feel better if you looked at it as well."

As Kate explained haltingly the healer hand moved forward, gently untying her sling and carefully un-strapping her leather sleeves. Her eyes dropped to look at her right hand, curled easily around the arm of the simple chair. She'd looked at her swollen, horribly bruised shoulder once earlier that morning, and wasn't about to again. Hack and slash she could handle, there was some thing almost clean about a knife or sword wound. Things that were twisted, broken and couldn't be simply stitched had never sat well with the noble woman.

The healer clucked her tongue quietly and turned on her heels to fetch some thing from the cupboard across the room. "Your lucky then m'lady. A blow like the one that did this should drive straight down, breaking bones along the way and crushing a lung for good measure." Looking over her shoulder quirking one brow, "or if it doesn't miss completely takes your arm off neatly at the shoulder joint."

Kate remained quiet, as the healer finished gathering jars and moved back towards her. "Must not have been a straight hit since your arms still attached... sort of." With deft fingers she began smearing some thing that smelled horrible on Kate's shoulder. Her arm went promptly num and Kate shut her eyes.

"'Tis all right m'lady," the words were spoken softly, "It's supposed to do that, not I can see how badly things were torn."

Opening her eyes tentatively, Kate nodded once, and went back to staring at her right hand.

"Were there any others that might need my attention m'lady?"

"Oh!" she turned to look up at the healer, her shoulder momentarily forgotten, "Aye, there was another, at least another that was vera bad off that I know of Mother. Back at Cove, one of the Templars was supposed to be close to death."

Though her hands didn't cease their careful manipulation of the injured shoulder a slight shadow flicked across the healers expression. "A Templar m'lady?" Some thing in how she said it made Kate get quiet once more.

"Aye..." The word was half whispered. Belatedly Kate remembered the things that some other religions said about The Sisterhood.

Watching her, the healer could tell from the young woman's expression that she realized the trouble. "Even if I did journey there m'lady, it's doubtful he would accept my help." She gave Kate a measured look, then turned back to the shoulder. "Now you I can do some thing about though. Who ever set this knew at least some thing about what they were doing, be glad for that. The bones are back together as they should be, and you are even luckier than I'd first though. Nothing serious seems to be torn, just badly wrenched."

"Can I have some of that stuff to put on it till it heals then?" Brightening some what as she looked back up at the healers calm expression, but the look the older woman gave her made her smile falter.

"No, it's very hard to gather the ingredients for that, and even more tricky to brew. Besides, if that hurts a little you'll keep it stiller and let it mend." The healer flashed a quick toothy grin before turning to move back to her cupboard and Kate gave the back of her grey head a very dirty look.

"It'll last a few hours at very least, should give you time to get back. There are a few things I'm sending with you though m'lady." Handing the injured woman a small brown skin that smelled strongly of mint, the healer continued, "this you can rub on it as much as you like, it should ease the tension and allowing things to heal better. Nothing special, that's as old as the sands and the herbs are plentifulenough nobles use it on a steeds strained tendons for the same reason. For the pain," she handed over another parcel, "steep two pinches of this in a kettle of hot water, you can mix it with any sort of tea to try and make it taste better."

"Try and make it taste better?" Kate gave the second package a wary look, "is it that awful?"

"Not as awful as your arm hurting would be, that will keep you from getting of kilter from the pain. It will still hurt, but again, then you'll keep it still that way m'lady." With a fond smile the healer wrapped a cotton bandage around Kate shoulder to keep the ointment from gumming up her armor before she bucked the leather selves back on. "And wear the sling at all times, might feel better as the week wears on, but it won't be solidly healed for a month."

Kate's copper eyes widened as she looked up at the healer. "A month?! But I've got duties Mother, I can't be gimpin' around that long! I'll already be missing training as is..."

"Calm yourself m'lady, you can get back to training before the end of next week. You'll just have to be careful with it, no shield, and stay out of any heavy fighting. Be glad you still have an arm."

With a sheepish look Kate turned away from the healers stern expression. "Thank you Mother.." She trailed off at a loss for words.

There was a few heart beats of silence in which the healer looked Kate over with an appraising eye and Kate looked down at her left hand, wiggling her finger tips to make sure she still could.

"Best be heading back m'lady, if you need to report back before dark." The old woman's quiet words breaking into Kate's though. Looking back to the healer she nodded.

"Aye, I should," Standing carefully she offered a slight bow before turning to go.

~~~

Dusk had not quite fallen when Kate made it back to the barracks. She went straight back to her footlocker, and changed back into her uniform, tucking the package of salve the healer had given her in a spare boot before going in search of some where to test her new tea.



((OOC: ...felt like this bit of story needed to be writen.  Allready started playing her with an injury from the battle, thought I should make some thing of it.  This might seem a little stiff, and I'm sorry about that, this character hasn't compleatly taken over my brain yet... should get better.  If I messed some thing up, please point it out... as in, ya'll have permission to rip the writing appart ect. *smiles*))

[Gregor Eason]

(OOC: Well written story. Nicely broken up too; I hate stories that are just columns and columns of text *groans*. Good to see we have some writers amidst the flock  )