The Apothecary

The stars were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He could no longer move, the blood loss from the fall far too great. Even as the world grew colder at least the final thing he’d see would be those stunning stars. As darkness tightened its grip on him he could have sworn he saw a faint green glow beside him. ‘don’t give up’ it said in a small voice. Had he had any strength left he would have laughed. The pain began to ease, warmth spread through him as darkness finally filled his vision.

He never expected to open his eyes again and yet.

“You’re awake!” the first thing he laid his eye on was a woman. Her amber eyes full of worry as she took his hand. “Are you still in pain? Your wound is still healing you shouldn’t try to move.” It was some kind of log cabin In the woods, herbs strung from the ceiling and medicines in the process of being made. He had heard rumors of an apothecary hermit living in a nearby forest, but he never expected her to be such a young woman. Despite her warning he did try and stand up. His arms which he thought were broken were simply bandaged. His side that had been split open seemed to be no more than a scratch. He was sore as hell but in the end not to worse for wear. “The food in your satchel should still be good… are you hungry?” He carefully nodded and having warmed them by the fire she handed him the rations in small bite sized pieces.

It didn’t take long to finish off what was left, his journey was never supposed to have been a long one. A simple check of a bandit camp in the forest. There was only a single question on his mind. “How did I survive?” His wounds were not those of someone about to die and yet he had been convinced it was the only outcome.

“It’s not my specialty but I do have a little healing magic” the woman looked down sheepishly. “I prefer to heal with medicine since magic can shorten one’s lifespan… but I figured you didn’t have that option.” She bowed her head. “I’m sorry but I must ask that once you leave you keep that fact a secret. I have enough patients as is… I don’t need someone using me for my magic as well.”

He did now owe her his life, so it wasn’t the most impossible ask. “Alright, but please tell me your name.”

“Ciella” she responded without hesitation… yet she did not ask for his in return. “You should let the medicine work and rest till morning, I want you back to you home before you get hungry again.”

For someone who was willing to bring him back from the brink of death but not willing to feed him. Well, the man couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll rest then” first she changed his bandages and made sure he was not running a temperature. She tucked him in as a mother would a child and then went to eat some kind of simple soup with a wooden spoon.

Morning came far too soon as her gentle hand tapped his shoulder. “If you don’t leave now, you may be too weak to leave at all” she sounded so worried. He sat up and tested a few movements. He would never tell her, but he felt better than he had in years. Old injuries seemed to have been healed along with the new one.

“Ciella” He started. “I must do something to repay you-“but she covered his mouth before he could say anymore.

“Repay me by living a long life and being kind to the forest” she was clearly flustered. He decided to drop it and simply nodded. He was powerful enough that he could do something for her later without her protesting. “Good, now follow this path and you should arrive at the edge of town… they should find you quickly” she gently ushered him towards the door.

“Ah my bag!” I tried to protest which made her jump. Flustered, she tried to rush back to the bed and grab a bag that didn’t exist. With her back turned I grabbed a roll of what appeared to be bread and placed it in my satchel. “Apologies it was right here all along” he gave her a mischievous smile, but she was just relieved he wasn’t leaving anything behind.

“Please be more careful next time you enter the forest” she gave as her final warning before waving him off. The path turned a corner rather quickly and he found himself outside the forest shortly after.

“Here he is!” a gruff voice called out. He was captain of the guards and a bit of a worrywart. “My liege where have you been?”

“Garreth it is perhaps best to simply call me Albert when we are outside of the royal hall?” He moved to show his wounds. “I took a tumble and an apothecary named Ciella saved me.” He noticed the guard flinch. “you’ve heard of her?”

“I’ve heard of a monster with the same name, a fairy who traps souls of those seeking aid. She can cure any ailment, but the price is being turned into fertilizer for her plants.” Yet that was not at all what Albert had experienced.

“I’ll have to look into her more, she did not ask me for any price, and I do not wish to be indebted to a fae after all” He couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear.

The guard protested but he knew that look meant there was no getting through to Albert. The two met up with the search party and headed back to the castle.

It would be another few days before the wounds were all fully healed but that gave him time to do some research. Next time he saw her she wouldn’t be able to shoo him away so easily.