The Healer Pt. 03

"Did you sleep well, my lady?" He asks with a gentle smile.

The question catches her off guard, images of the night before, with Quell and the mounting stand flashes in her mind. She coughs, choking on her juice; Coral can feel her face turn bright red, "Um...yes, thank you Prince Vadim," she manages to choke out, her eyes briefly flashing to catch a smirk on Quell's handsome face.

She spends the rest of the time eating her breakfast in silence, listening to the idle conversations of the family around her. When Rainer chastises Wistan for drinking too much the night before, a smile reaches her lips and she oddly finds herself wondering if this is what it is like to belong to somewhere, to have brothers, a father and a mother.

"What do you find so amusing, Coral?" Rainer's voice draws her out from her thoughts; she looks up to see a frown on his deep, dark skin.

"I apologize, sir," she stammers out, her eyes dropping down to her plate.

"Do you think that Wistan's behavior was amusing? He's lucky he didn't break another leg! Well, out with it maiden!" The sharpness of his tongue draws everyone's attention to him, only for their eyes to fall on her.

She clears her throat, "That must have happened after I left; I didn't see any of it, master centaur."

"Then why do you smile so?"

Poking the bread around her plate, her voice is small, "I was just wondering if this is what a family feels like; brothers talking and enjoying one another's company, parents irritated at their children's foolishness but in general a warmth I have never known before. It was a silly thought, I was just caught up in it is all, sir."

Unexpectedly, she feels Rainer's hand encircle hers, his large fingers squeezing gently, his voice soft and kind, "It is not a silly thought, Coral. Yes, this is what a family feels like."

She looks up hesitantly to see an odd smile on his face. He squeezes her hand once more, before letting go, "You will have one of your own, someday soon no doubt," his lips start to frown and his voice turns irritated once more, "with your own foals who act like fools. You will cause the death of me, boy."

Everyone can't help but laugh heartily, finishing up their meal. With the Queen and King having already finished and left, Vadim and Quell walk out of the breakfast room alongside Coral.

"After dinner this evening, I'd like to take you to town," Quell says, though there is cheekiness in his gaze, he adds, "to show you the building that Rainer wishes for you to occupy."

Smiling, she averts her gaze, "I'd like that."

"Perhaps I will join you," Vadim cuts into their moment, "I hear there is a new shop that sells wares from beyond our borders. It seems most interesting."

Coral turns her attention to him, offering a soft nod.

"Shall I see you down to the surgery?" Vadim asks with a gentle smile.

Knowing that he is to be mated soon she feels almost more at ease around him, thinking that she mistook his kindness for affection. Yet when she glances at Quell she can see that he is jealous of the growing relationship Coral has with his brother.

"Thank you, Prince Vadim, but that won't be necessary. I have my own escort," she motions to the centaur from this morning, who is still shadowing her.

"Just as well," Quell says, "father wants us to go over the books Elex." He bows slightly to her before turning to walk down the hall.

Vadim remains, his eyes still lingering on Coral's face. When the intensity of his stare causes her think that perhaps she is wrong yet again Vadim bows and turns, drawn away by Quell's fading voice, "Are you coming, brother?"

The doctor is already busy at work, straightening up the surgery, by the time she arrives. There are a few servants who have come to help, a woman who sweeps and dusts and two men moving furniture about. Coral jumps right in to assist.

The stacks of books are sorted by category and shelved appropriately. When they get to the cabinet full of herbs and vials, he defers to her as to how it should be sorted. Coral suggests they put them in order by the first letter of their names, which works well for the bottles that are labeled. For those that aren't they have a guessing game between them, each smelling the bottle and conversing before deciding what it contains. It is only when they break for lunch that Coral is finally able to sit down and rest; the surgery is far more organized than before, leaving only stacks of notes that Pelium has kept over the years. Washing down her bread with a glass of water, she stretches her feet out in front of her.

"Have you had time to read any of that book I gave you?" Pelium asks conversationally.

"Yes, in fact I have made it more than half way through," she opens the book, having brought it with her, to the point in which the ribbon marker is so that she can show him her progress.

"Oh my, I did not think that you would have gotten that far so quickly! I found it rather dull, myself, though it has been many, many years since I read it."

"I found it rather intriguing. If I may be so blunt," she flushes slightly, "it contains a great deal of information about things that I...am not yet acquainted with."

He laughs slightly, "I suppose had I not already been mated at the time, I too might have found it more of an attention keeping read. Any questions?"

"No," she says, chewing on a piece of meat, "Master Gladstone is quite thorough. Actually," as the thought crosses her mind, she thumbs back a few pages from her marker, "there was a strange recipe in here for an elixir that he concocted. Something to prepare a maiden to receive a centaur?" She stops on the page, showing it to him as he walks over to her.

"Yes, I remember this now," he says, walking to a shelf to grab a second book, "I am not sure if he wrote it in the old tongue because there were no names for the plants or if he was trying to keep it a secret, but I do know that when I looked them up there were a lot that were unknown to me."

Coral sets her plate aside, rising to place the book on the tall table the doctor stands at. He opens the second book to the name of the first plant; she discovers that it contains a picture and description of the plant as well as suggested uses. Underneath the plant's name in the odd language, she can see that someone else has since penned its new common name.

Coral grabs a quill and a piece of paper, writing down the recipe with the common names of the ones they come across. The first three that are unknown to the doctor she immediately recognizes by the picture, her assumption confirmed by the list of uses below. When they make it to the final ingredient on the list the doctor shakes his head while turning to the page, "Now this one is entirely unknown to me. I have never seen a plant like it before."

Seeing the elongated, rough edges of the leaves and the conical shape of the flower she knows what this one is as well, "Well that is spearmint; surely you know of it?" Looking up at the doctor she sees that her words don't cause recognition on his face. When she mentioned the common names of the other plants, he immediately knew what they were as he is used to seeing them dried or smelling them in powder form, not so much familiar with harvesting them from the wild.

"Spearmint?" he repeats, the words foreign on his tongue, "I can't say that I do. Is it poisonous?"

She looks at him oddly; it is somewhat common back in her village, and she knows the horses love to munch on the plants when she takes them down by the river, "Not at all; it is generally given to help soothe an angered stomach. But I've used it for burns as well." She walks over to her medicine chest, unlatching the lid. It takes some digging, but she finds a vial of powdered leaves. Coral hands it to the doctor.

He cautiously opens the bottle, bringing it up to his nose. His eyebrows jut up, "Oh! That is surprisingly pleasant. Very crisp and fresh smelling."

She smiles. Grabbing a small bowl, she drops a blob of honey in it, dusting the powder on top. Stirring it with a glass stick, she hands it to him, "It will taste much like it smells, but colder."

"Colder?" he says, doubtful, until he takes the stick and licks the end of it. A smile crosses his face, "That is invigorating!"

"You've never heard of it? There are other kinds—peppermint maybe?"

"Mm, I think we have catmint growing around the grain stores, to keep the cats close so that they can catch mice. Is it similar?"

"Not quite," she says, looking back down at the recipe. She reads through the list again, "It appears we have everything else, but it requires freshly muddled mint. Is there a baker in town? One that makes sweets?"

"Yes," Pelium smiles, rubbing his belly through the vest as if he has fond memories of the goods he's eaten, "she is a very talented woman," He looks down at the recipe, "Why don't you mix up the rest of the ingredients, then go visit the baker his afternoon. When you find your mint, you can muddle it and give the potion a try yourself." Seeing the shocked expression on her face, he says, "It needs to be tested, obviously. As it is to arouse a human woman, I cannot test it myself. Nor my mate—she is also centaur."

"The author says that the mate should apply it to the woman," she can feel her face burn red; she shakes her head as if to discard her embarrassment.

"Maybe," the doctor shifts on his back legs, "Quell could apply it to you. I hear that you two are familiar with each other."

Coral chokes out her words, "If the potion does as it says, perhaps having a centaur nearby would not be the best idea, unless I am fully prepared to mate with him."

"That is a good point," the doctor frowns, seemingly oblivious to her nervousness on the subject, "it might still work if you apply it yourself. It is necessary that we test it though, Lady Coral. If this elixir does as it says, it could change our fate drastically. If a woman had more incentive to be with her mate physically, that could result in an increase in conception and birth rates. It might even lie to rest a maiden's fear of taking a centaur as a mate. As it stands now every third Atonement the King must pluck several maidens just so there will be enough available who might take the chance. Though some find love in a centaur companion, they always seem to be terrified at allowing a centaur to mount them. I suppose I can understand why. This elixir could change everything."

She can see the excitement in his face, understanding just how important this rediscovery could be. Pushing aside her fears, she nods, "All right doctor, I will do my best."

Though he has talent with some aspects of medicine making, his true skill must lie in tending to wounds because Coral impresses him as she prepares the ingredients with speed and accuracy, mixing the decoction with expertise. It doesn't take her more than half of an hour to make up enough to fill a small vial, roughly the size of her palm. She takes care to leave enough open space to accommodate the spearmint leaves, assuming she is able to find any.

Coral gathers up some other supplies, several empty parchment bags, a few small leather pouches and empty vials; when the doctor looks at her curiously, she adds, "If the baker does not have any, perhaps she will know where I can harvest some. I might as well go prepared to pick up a few extra plants if I have to take a walk—are there any herbs you're short on?"

He thinks on it, listing a few. As he walks her to the door, he throws the translated recipe she had written into the fire, "Lady Coral, I must ask that you keep this a secret for now, especially the contents of the recipe. I will inform the King as to what we are working on but it is important that this elixir remains only in your control. While I am proud to be a centaur I must be earnest with you and say this: there are some centaurs to whom chivalry is a viewed as a luxury. Further to the east, beyond our King's borders, the lands are still wild. Centaurs live very primitively and would not hesitate to steal a maiden or two, for their own personal satisfaction. While some of those maidens escape, many meet a worse fate. It pains me to speak poorly of my brethren but if those savages were to get a hold of something like this and use it on their victims," he shakes his head, "I'd hate to even think of how this would affect an unwilling mate. No doubt it would ruin her mind."

Coral gets a shiver down her spine, the items in her basket seeming heavier, not only carrying the weight of peaceful, loving centaur-human relationships but also the fate of kidnapped maidens as well, "I understand, Doctor."

She is surprised to discover that her escort is not waiting for her outside the door. She walks down the hall looking for him, before heading up the ram to the first floor still unable to see him. Making her way to her room, she feels as if she is doing something wrong and secret; not only are the doctor's words still echoing in her head but being on her own in the castle for the first time makes her hasten. She finds her satchel in the wardrobe and transfers the basket's contents over; packing her knife from the vanity drawer, she changes out of her soft shoes and into her old walking boots, lacing them up over her white stockings. With the bag over her shoulder she heads to the part of the castle that she last saw Quell and Vadim.

Rounding a corner down from the breakfast nook she finds the brothers as they walk out of a room together; Quell holding several papers in his hand, Vadim a book. Both men look at her as she approaches, surprised to see her.

"Good afternoon, Princes," she says while curtsying.

"You seem to have given your escort the slip," Vadim says with a smile.

She shrugs, "He was not outside the surgery when I left—I imagine he believed I would be there until supper. Do any of you know where he has gone? I want to head to town on an errand. For the doctor," she adds awkwardly, trying to make it sound casual.

"I would take you myself, maiden, but I still have work to finish," Quell says, "is it something that can wait until after dinner?"

She feels her shoulders drop, "Unfortunately I might also need to head to the woods that border the town so that I can collect some herbs. But if you are busy, perhaps I can wait until tomorrow."

"Nonsense," Vadim says, with a smile, "I will take you myself. As it has been made abundantly clear by our father, I am more of a burden than an aid when it comes to the books." Winking at Quell, he hands him the book.

Quell's face does not look happy; as a frown starts to set on it he says, "Excuse us for a moment Lady Coral, I wish a word with my brother." Before he can get a reply, he steps into the closest room.

Vadim shrugs and follows, shutting the door behind him though it does not latch. Carefully, Coral steps closer to the door so that she can hear their conversation.

"What are you doing, Vadim?" Quell asks, his voice gritty with irritation.

"Simply coming to the assistance of our young maiden," Vadim's voice is as smooth as velvet.

There is a pause before Quell speaks, his voice almost dangerously low, "I have chosen her to be my mate, brother."

"It appears that she has yet to choose you, Quell," Vadim's voice matches his threat, "and it seems we are at an impasse because I am very fond of Coral as well."

"You already have a mate waiting."

"Ack," Vadim says exasperatedly, "one that father forces on me because I have yet to find one that matches me!"

Coral hears a soft, gentle voice near her ear, "I haven't heard them fight like this since they were foals."

She turns quickly to see the Queen; dropping down into a curtsy, she can feel her face burn red, "Queen Kiera, I...ah..."

The Queen looks at her as she rises, "If they didn't want to be overheard then they shouldn't talk so loud. It seems, Lady Coral, that they fight over you."

She keeps her eyes down, focused on the soft white hooves that sit at the bottom of the Queen's gown. She doesn't know what to say so she keeps her mouth shut.

"My husband told me why he plucked you. You are a gifted young woman, full of compassion and kindness. You will make a loving, devoted mate for my son...whichever one you choose to mate with."

Coral looks up, surprised, "I was under the impression that Prince Vadim is engaged...?"

She smiles, "He is, but I would never stop him from finding love on his own. However our law states that no human my hold the throne—just as Vadim will never be King, you would never be Queen. Not even if you mated with Quell."

Coral shakes her head, dropping her gaze, "That doesn't matter to me. I just...I just want to lead a simple life with the one I love, who loves me just as much."

Kiera lifts the maiden's chin, "Don't fool yourself, child. Neither one of them would give you a simple life but rest assured that I have raised my sons right. Both would love you as the stars love the night sky, until the moment that they are no more. I give you and either of my sons, my blessing. Just take care to choose carefully because once you are mated, you are bound to him, and only him." Letting her chin go, the Queen continues her walk down the hall and disappears from sight.

Vadim's voice drifts back out to her, "Then it seems the only way to solve this is to leave the decision with her. Rest assured brother, I will bare you no ill feelings if she chooses you as her mate."

"Finally you speak some sense, Vadim. I too will not hold it against you."

Stunned, Coral barely hears them approach in time to back away from the door. Quell walks out first; though his face is unhappy he speaks pleasantly, "Vadim will escort you in your search for your herbs; after dinner you and I will venture back to town to look at the building, if that is agreeable with you?"

"Of course," she says, trying to pretend as if she didn't over hear their bickering and the Queen didn't just offer her blessing, "I will look forward to our time together." Her gentle smile eases Quell's worry. He bows slightly, leaving them.

Vadim clasps his hands behind his back, walking alongside Coral, "So, my lady, where is it that we venture to?"

"To the baker," she says quaintly, "the doctor says there is one that specializes in sweets?"

"He would most definitely know," Vadim chuckles, "he has a terrible sweet tooth."

As they walk through town both centaurs and humans stop to bow to Vadim as he and Coral pass. He greets each with a smile and a nod, though his attention never waivers from her. It takes them half an hour to reach the baker; the shop is towards the further end of the main road from the castle. Vadim opens the door for Coral, following in behind her, "Good day, Tillie."

The baker is in her late thirties, plump but not unpleasantly so, her cheeks rosy and her hair a dull brown; she rushes out from behind the counter, dropping into a curtsy. Several customers also caught off guard, do their best to bow with their hands or mouths full of goods.

"Good day, Prince Vadim. It is such a pleasure—I wasn't expecting you," Tillie says with a smile, turning to Coral.

"This is Lady Coral," Vadim says, introducing her.

"My lady," the woman curtsy again, "I have heard talk around town about you—we are so fortunate to have such a talented healer join our community. I know many are looking forward to meeting you."

Coral nods, "Thank you, Tillie. I have come in search of something and I was hoping that you might assist me."

She looks surprised, "Of course, my lady, what can I do to help you?"

"I am in need of some fresh spearmint; once as a child when I traveled to a neighboring town, the baker there used it in her sweets so I figured who better to ask," she smiles at the woman.

"Oh, alas, good lady, I do know the plant you speak of but I have not seen it in all my years in this town, neither for trade nor on my walks around the forest. Such a shame too, I used to make a wonderful frosting for cakes with it," the woman frowns, remembering a life past.