The Healer Pt. 02

"You must have insides of iron, lass. A lot of men don't even have the stomach for butchery; whoever taught you knew what he was doing—it would have taken me and my assistant twice as long to break that animal down."

She dumps the bowl out, filling it with fresh water for the butcher before taking her apron off, "Thank you," she says hesitantly, "I've had some practice with cattle, more so with deer and goats though. But once the skin is off cloven hoofed animals are pretty much all the same."

"Indeed," he agrees. "If you ever decide to change your profession I'd be happy to work with you."

She smiles, tucking the knife back into her boot before unknotting her dress, "I'll keep that in mind."

Coral nods to the King and starts to walk back to her wagon. From behind her she can hear Quell speaking to Rainer, "I've never been as attracted to such a frightening woman. I apologize, father, I did not realize she carried a knife. Or could wield it."

"Aye, it is concerning the skill she possesses with it but perhaps we let her keep it. I imagine if she got an idea in her mind she'd carry it out with whatever was at hand regardless. Let us just be appreciative that we are in her favor," Rainer says with a frown on his mouth.

Coral climbs back up into the wagon next to Marcus and soon they begin to move forward, their journey set back a little. Quell appears, walking next to Coral. She looks over at him, "I should have probably turned my knife over to you."

"Aye," is all he says in response.

"Piers..." she fumbles to word it delicately, "He was worried about my safety and insisted that I keep the blade hidden."

Quell looks at her before nodding, "I understand. It was an oversight on our end that we did not think to check a freshly plucked maiden for a weapon. In our realm only men carry weapons on them but...as a necessity of your profession it is wise for you to have one. Though, please do not wear it on your person in the castle," he says firmly, "that is our law."

"Of course," she says softly, bowing her head in acceptance.

"I must say, it was unnerving watching a fair maiden do such a...such a thing. I'm almost afraid to ask—what other weapons can you wield?"

Surprised, she looks at him thinking it a joke but when she sees the seriousness on his face she realizes that being able to perform a mercy killing without damage to her sensibility makes her a rather surprising threat, "Oh. Um, well I can use a bow, but I don't have a lot of experience with it. I've fished with a spear before..." she tries to read his blank face, discerning if he feels differently because of her unfeminine talents.

"What was the reason behind wielding a bow?" He asks.

She thinks back to the night she spent sleeping in a tree, "There were some wolves attacking our sheep, getting into the pasture and killing off the lambs at night. Piers taught me how to use a bow and had me climb into a tree to wait for them—he is far too old and I insisted on doing it, a fall from that height could have killed him."

"Did you kill the wolves?"

Hesitating, she doesn't want to lie but she doesn't want to come off threatening, "Yes. There were only two renegade males."

"How far of a shot? Was it a kill shot?"

Another pause, "I am not sure...maybe three hundred yards?"

Looking at her he waits for an answer.

She feels queasy, never before has she felt that her normal everyday life, though a little odd for her town, would be viewed by outsiders as making her a dangerous woman, "It only took one shot to take him down. The second went running off so it was a little further away but I got him as well."

Quell nods slowly, looking forward, "Have you ever killed a man?"

"No," she responds quickly, aghast that he has to ask.

"All right, Coral, calm down," he says softly, "we will talk about this later tonight. Let's just keep it between us for now. Well, us and Marcus, assuming he doesn't open his large mouth."

"Of course, Quell," she says.

"I didn't hear a thing, Prince Quell," Marcus smiles at him.

With a nod Quell trots forward to rejoin his father. Coral can feel herself deflating in the seat; she looks to Marcus, "I realize that it is unusual for a woman to have done the things I have, but...surely men are capable of as much. Am I really a threat to them? Are they going to lock me away?"

Marcus laughs a little, glancing at her, "Aye, you're most definitely a threat to them and any other living creature. Sure, some men are capable of handling a knife as well as you, some a bow, some even both but by that point they become soldiers, lass. The thing that makes you, well, dangerous, is that no one expects a woman to be able to slaughter a creature with such skill. It gives you the element of deception—oh, I know you don't mean to intentionally deceive but the centaurs do worry about assassins. It has been known to happen."

She makes a choking sound, "I am not an assassin—I've never attacked anyone, what I do isn't with malice—"

"I know lass, they just prefer to err on the side of caution. You won't be locked up but don't be offended if you discover someone watching you at all times. At least for a while until they are sure of your resolve."

Thinking back to the night before with Quell, the intimacy they shared contrasted with the way he looked at her today, she shudders, "I don't know what more I could do to prove my resolve."

By the time the caravan climbs the steep incline to the lower path through the mountains into the valley of the centaurs below, the sun has begun to set. The fading light illuminates the shadows of the far high cliffs, darkening the massive town at their base. Though it is hard to make out, Coral strains her eyes to see all that she can of the breath taking view. Hundreds of wooden buildings are neatly lined up down long streets, the tallest of which line the wide main road to the castle, no doubt the center of their businesses. The castle itself is taller than she expected from Quell's description, three stories with the upper parts peaking in watch guard towers, its wide elegant stonework making it seem as if it melted out of the mountain itself. Each floor must be at least twenty feet tall, the castle sitting at least that high off the base of the mountain, a wide stone ramp leading towards huge double doors.

When the caravan finally comes to a halt in the middle of the town there is a lot of happy laughter, cheering and bustling about from both humans and centaurs. Many hands come help unload the bounty of the Atonements, townsfolk coming to greet the newly arrived citizens and assist them with finding the correct place to go. Coral climbs out of the wagon, grabbing her bag, when Marcus walks around to join her shouting, "Hoy, Reid!"

The centaur, obviously looking around for Coral, turns when his name is called and walks to them.

As Coral makes to retrieve her medicine case Marcus stops her, "Naw, lass, I will bring it to you. You must go with Reid now, he will show you to where you are staying."

She nods, nervous, "Thank you, Marcus."

"Quickly now," Reid waits for her before settling into his normal walking pace, trying to catch up to the royal party down the road.

Though she wants to take in all of the sights she is unable to do so at such a brisk walk so she focuses on following Reid through the crowd, having to almost jog to keep up. By the time they reach Rainer, Quell, and the rest of the royal procession, they are walking up the ramp into the castle. Reid stops so suddenly Coral runs directly into his ass, stumbling back a bit.

He gives her an odd look then nods down at her leg. It takes her a moment to realize what he wants. Quickly she crouches down, unlacing her boot before unbuckling the knife and retying her boot, a shade too tight in her haste. She hands the knife willingly to Reid. He holds it as if contemplating, then reaches for her bag, pulling it off of her shoulder and stuffing the knife into it.

"I will carry your bag for now, until you have been introduced to the Queen and Prince. You must courtesy before them—do not speak unless directly spoken too and if you must make eye contact keep your chin down so that way you don't come off as threatening," he starts walking up the ramp, several paces behind the others, "only the royals and guards are allowed to carry a weapon on them in the castle. A weapon is never to be drawn in the presence of a royal, unless specifically commanded to do so." He tries to think of anything else he can say to prepare her; he has never had to prep anyone before, let alone a human, "don't mention anything about that boy Tobias or the ox to the Queen. She likes to be well informed but the King does not wish to frighten her with gory details."

Coral nods, walking through the tall wooden doors behind Rainer. She suddenly feels entirely out of place, knowing that she has not gussied herself up from the trip. Able to finally glance around as the centaurs slow their pace she sees the luscious tapestries and rugs, elegant furniture and extravagant decorations. She also sees humans—acting as servants, they all stand either bowing or curtseying as the procession walks through the long great entry—it is then that she truly starts to worry. All of the guards are centaurs, which she obviously assumed but seeing her race as underclassmen to these majestic creatures makes it soundly resonate that she is in an entirely different world.

The King, Quell and Wistan come to a halt, Coral stops several yards back. She keeps her chin down but is able to look up enough to see a stunning woman walk down the long ramp leading from the second floor; dressed in flowing white fabric, her long, wavy blonde hair falls down her shoulders and almost to her waist. She has a beautiful smile and with bright blue eyes the resemblance between her and Quell is obvious. It is only when she hears the knocking of hooves does she realize that the white extending back from the woman is a soft fur hide with a matching wavy white tail. The Queen is a female centaur.

"You are late, my love," the Queen says playfully, walking forward to kiss Rainer.

"Just a little trouble with an ox, my dear," he says with a gentleness that Coral hasn't heard before.

The Queen kisses each of her sons on the cheek. As she turns to lead them to another room she stops, her eyes landing on Coral, "And whom do we have here?" Her voice is pleasant but portrays a mild surprise with a hint of threat. The Queen walks towards her, waiting for an introduction.

Unsure if she is supposed to respond or not Coral keeps her mouth shut. She grabs the sides of her skirt and dips down into a courtesy.

"This maiden, my darling, is Coral Blackthorn. Wistan injured his leg while playing too roughly with Quell and we were fortunate enough to stumble upon her in the last town. She is a rather gifted healer and was gracious enough to join us," Rainer words it carefully, as if she had a choice.

"A maiden healer," the Queen says, truly surprised this time, "and such a beautiful creature at that. We are truly blessed to have you, Lady Coral," she says rather sincerely.

Coral rises, glancing up to take in the Queen; she is surprised to find that they are roughly the same height, her body smaller, more like a pony than a horse yet that doesn't make it any less nerve wracking, "Thank you, your majesty. But it is just Coral, I have no title." Her voice is soft and small, portraying her obvious nervousness.

The Queen reaches out and tips her chin up with a gentle hand, "You do now, Lady Coral. We value all gifted creatures."

Coral nods slightly, offering a smile in response. Her eyes catch movement from behind the Queen. A tall, handsome man walks down the ramp, first encountering Rainer; he shakes the centaur's hand, clutching his shoulder. They smile warmly at each other. She watches the man do the same to Quell before wrapping Wistan up in rough hug. When he turns towards the Queen his eyes meet Coral's and she gets a good look at him. His long, black, coarse hair is twisted into dreads gathered at the nape of his neck and his smooth, earthy brown skin off sets his deep brown eyes. He is dressed as elegantly as any she's ever seen and when her eyes glimpse his wrists she sees that he doesn't wear any cuffs.

With a smile, the Queen glances to the man, turning back to Coral, "Lady Coral, may I introduce my oldest son, Prince Vadim."

Coral draws in a sharp breath, just able to contain her shock; it takes her a moment to process before she quickly drops down into another courtesy, "Please, forgive me sir."

She hears a soft laugh, "There is nothing to forgive, Lady Coral, simply a pleasure to take and that is all mine."

Rising, she offers a small nod in acknowledgement but doesn't dare look up at him.

"Well," the Queen says, "I believe the feast is a few hours from being ready. That should give all of you time to freshen up a bit and rest." She turns to leave, walking beside Rainer. Wistan follows a length behind yet Quell remains.

"Come, maiden, I will show you to your quarters," he says softly, standing in front of her.

"Please, brother, allow me," Vadim interjects, resting his hand on Quell's shoulder, "you have had a long day of travel and are no doubt ready to relax while I, on the other hand, have been waiting with bated breath for your return. It is the least I can do."

Cautiously Coral looks up to see Vadim smiling at Quell, while Quell does not appear to be in as pleasant a mood as his brother. He glances to Coral—she thinks she senses a hint of worry in his stance. None the less, he agrees, "Thank you, Vadim. Lady Coral, I will see you again at the feast." He gives her a pleasant half bow before reluctantly turning and following his parents.

Vadim rests his hand on his chest, tipping forward, "Please, mistress, follow me."

Coral walks beside him; compared to the pace of his brothers he strolls leisurely down the hallway, making pleasant conversation with her, "It is truly a stroke of luck that my father was able to retain your talents for our kingdom. I know he has encountered healers before but none savvy enough to catch his eye—you must truly be a master of your craft, Lady Coral."

She finds that she is even more nervous around him than the centaurs, "I do what I can to help any who need it, sir."

"Please," he says, smiling to her, "call me Vadim."

She nods anxiously; his words reminding her of a similar encounter with Quell.

"May I ask, Coral—if I may be so bold—but how is it that such a fair maiden as yourself was...unattached to her community?" He chooses his words carefully, smartly.

Glancing at him for a moment, she deciphers the true meaning of his question, answering quietly, "I was due to be crowned with a garland at my town's Celebration this year."

"Celebration?" he asks, "I am afraid I am not familiar with this term."

It surprises her a little as she assumed that everyone had a yearly Celebration, "Where I come from and all of the places that I know, well, up until now that is, each town holds a Celebration following the Atonement. The Celebration is the time in which everyone celebrates another year past, marking them another year older. We are not allowed to marry until we have surpassed our eighteenth Celebration, during which a maiden receives her garland and as my village is holding theirs—" it gets caught in her throat when she realizes it, "tonight, during which I would have earned my garland, so I was not available to receive offers of marriage when I was plucked by the King. That is why I was unattached. Am unattached."

"How truly interesting," he says, opening a door for her. He motions a nearby servant, the woman comes rushing over and curtseys, "Lady Coral will be staying here with us; can you please arrange for a bath to be drawn for her in these quarters? And some clothes too."

The woman nods and rushes away; Vadim follows her into the bedchamber. Coral sees that her bag is already waiting for her, looking worn and faded, entirely out of place resting at the base of the elegantly carved wood wardrobe against one wall. There is a large fireplace with a roaring fire; the floor is covered in a massive plush rug. There are several pieces of furniture, all human sized; a desk and chair, a vanity, a taller table with a pitcher and basin. While there is a small four post bed, there is also a large mound of pillows and a rather oddly shaped piece of furniture she is not familiar with; it appears to be a plushly padded narrow table with wide legs angled outward. It reminds her of the stands a carpenter uses when sawing wood.

She can feel him watching her curiously; suddenly realizing she is alone in a room with a strange man, she is a bit on edge and tries to elongate the conversation, "Is that not how it is done here, Vadim? The Celebration?"

He smiles warmly, somehow quelling her fears instantly, "No, we do not do it as such though I could see the benefit. Here we measure one's years down to the exact day, so the day that one is born is celebrated on the same day the following year. It means everyone has their own special day but that also means more celebrations. It can be tiresome, especially in the summer," he smirks, dropping his gaze, "as there is little to do during the winter that is generally when babes are conceived."

Shocked, she laughs before she can restrain it; sensing that she has a hearty sense of humor, he laughs as well.

A man comes in carrying a large wooden wash basin, generally used for washing large amounts of clothes; it is roughly three feet across. Vadim frowns, looking strikingly like a lighter shade of his father. The woman servant rushes in with a large piece of stitched leather to line the tub with, to prevent water from seeping out. Before the tub is set down a third servant rolls out a cow hide underneath it.

The woman comes over to apologize, "I beg your pardon, Prince Vadim, my Lady, but this is the best we could come up with on short notice. There are no actual wash tubs in the castle and I am pretty sure there is nothing in town that would be suitable. I shall have a chat with the blacksmith right away and have him fashion one from copper."

Coral looks at the tub, happy enough that it is twice as wide as the one she used to use, "No, please that won't be necessary. This will do just fine."

The woman nervously looks from Coral to the Prince. He smiles at Coral, "It truly is no trouble, my lady."

She shakes her head, the title still odd to her ears, "Nonsense—if there are no wash tubs in the castle then I wonder where you bathe, Prince?"

He laughs, "I bathe in the castle bathhouse with the rest of the centaurs."

"All right, then I shall bathe there too," Coral says.

Surprised, he looks at her curiously before turning to the woman, "Please, Gladys, would you fill it up with warm water for my lady?" After the servants disappear he turns back to Coral, "If that is what you wish in the future then I won't stop you. I assumed that perhaps you would prefer something more private—my kind are a little less shy about nudity than humans and far more familiar with the nakedness of other centaurs than the nakedness of a fair maiden human such as yourself."

She holds his gaze but something in the way he looks at her makes her blush and look away, "Please, forgive me, Prince Vadim."

Motioning her towards a plush settee he waits for her to sit down before joining her, the shortness of the seat causing them to sit closer together than would be proper in a less intimate setting. He rests his arm on the back, angling his body to face her, "It is I that should beg your forgiveness, my Lady. There are times that I forget that I am human as well," when she looks up at him he continues, "I suppose it was rather jarring for you to be introduced to me that way—and rather like my family to not tell you ahead of time. It does not happen often, perhaps once in a thousand but between centaurs there is a possibility for a human babe to be born, though the offspring, to my knowledge, is always female. They all treat me as if I am one of them and the humans as if I were a centaur but it doesn't change the fact that every day of my life I have felt out of place. As a woman and a healer, being thrust into this lifestyle, I imagine you are perhaps the only one who could truly know what that is like."