"That's him, huh? He looks like he's been through hell," an unfamiliar voice said. I assumed that was Louis.
"Yeah, he is. I'm even surprised he's alive. Though there have been some inconsistencies about my examination." Analise sighed. I felt my stomach knot up. I definitely didn't need to be identified.
"Like what, Lise?"
"Well, for starters, all those scars on him look like they weren't healed naturally."
"Like with magic?"
"Yeah, exactly. I'm at a loss for where this man would have received treatment."
"Magic isn't exactly common, and healing magic is even more rare."
"The limited healing magic I know is way beyond healing his wounds. I'm lucky I can even cure common illnesses." She responded. My ears perked up at the news of her actually knowing magic. I didn't believe that she didn't know anything if she really was as famous as the peasant said she was.
"Well, enough chit chat, why'd you want me?" Louis said to her, standing up from a chair.
"I need a few rare herbs from the forest, and you're the only one good enough to track them down." She said, turning back to the table.
"Ah, I figured you needed something from the forest, or else you wouldn't have called for me. Yeah, I'll help you, you know that, Lise. I'd do anything for you." Louis said, getting closer to her.
"Thank you so much, I know he'll appreciate it too." She said, taking him in her arms. I heard them kiss, and I cringed inside. I know they believed me asleep, but there was still no need to kiss in the same room as a patient.
"Alright, I'll be off." He said, taking a piece of paper off the table and turning towards the door. "I love you, Lise. I'll be back soon."
I heard the door open and close. Ana started humming again, finishing up the salve. "You can stop pretending to be asleep now. I know you've been awake for a little bit." I frowned and opened my eyes.
"H-how did-"
"I know? Easy, your breathing isn't as shallow when you're sleeping. You try not to hurt yourself when you breathe." She smiled at me," Now, I can apply this salve now, or we can wait until Louis gets back with the herbs I need."
"I'll wait." This woman was good at healing if she could hear my breathing change. "You know magic?"
"Okay, that works for me. Yes, I do. I know a few spells, but unfortunately, your wounds are a bit too far outside my expertise. So traditional herbs and bandages will have to suffice." She said, grabbing the pot from the fire. "Let's get you cleaned up; you're covered in mud, and you got some blood in places." She set the pot on the floor by the bed and grabbed a rag. She dipped the rag in the pot and squeezed out the excess.
She brought the rag to my face and wiped away the dirt and dried blood. "You wanna explain a few things for me. If you feel well enough to talk, if you don't mind."
I had to come up with some answers for her to protect my identity. "Okay, what would you like to know about me, Lise?"
"Well, first off, what's your name? That's a good place to start."
"Justin, my name is Justin." The only name that came to mind was my grandfather's.
"Just Justin? You don't have a last name?" She asked as she kept cleaning me up.
"Thy-Thomas." I couldn't exactly use his last name, though. That name was way too famous to use. It would cause too many problems if I used it carelessly.
"Justin Thomas?" She paused for a minute. I could only hope she believed me. I'd rather not be killed in my underwear in such a state. "Alright, it's nice to meet you, Justin."
"It's nice to meet you, too, Lise," I said. This peasant was getting on my nerves; she was about to ask me something she really wouldn't like the answer to.
"So, how did you get this in bad shape?" She said, moving on to my torso.
That definitely was a question I didn't want to answer, for two reasons. For one, it was embarrassing that I got beaten up by a peasant. Secondly, I didn't want her to know my true identity. "I'm an adventurer, and I had a run-in with some nasty bunch of bandits."
"You expect me to believe bandits did this to you and that you're an adventurer with your outfit?" She motioned towards my ruined clothes in the corner of the room.
"Well, it's true." I retorted. Bandits? Really, that was the best I could come up with? Ugh, this was stupid. If I had my full strength, I could easily heal myself, as I had many times before. I recalled my grandfather's tomes, which I had inherited, and inwardly scowled. They were tucked away in a safe spot, but I wanted them in my possession. I found one in his study when I was a child, about a spell called Fireball. I couldn't quite understand most of it, but the parts I did grasp made my fingertips tingle.
"Well, that doesn't explain all those scars." She pressed on.
"You sure ask a lot of questions."
"We don't normally get visitors like you that often. Usually, all we get are tourists."
"Tourists? Why would you get tourists?"
"People far and wide want to see the town that was named after the famous adventurer who saved us all those years ago."
"Really? People come to this backwater town to see what?"
"People come to this backwater town to see the Tavern he stayed at, the cave that he cleared out, and the statue that we built to honor his life when he passed." Her tone got angry at my comment. I'm not surprised she got angry, but I was surprised to let it slip. I'm surviving on the good graces of these peasants, and I couldn't anger them too much. Besides, there was something I needed from this cesspit when I could walk.
"Sorry, I'm just used to slightly bigger towns, and as famous as this town is, it still is a fair bit out of the way from the major cities." I quickly apologized to my chagrin.
"I'm just not used to people calling the place that I grew up in a 'Backwater' place. I heard tales of the man who single-handedly helped this town, not only by fighting the surrounding monsters and bandits, but also by healing the sick and wounded. He's the reason why I chose to become a healer." She said, wringing out the bloody cloth into the bucket. She dipped the rag into the pot and started on my legs.
"Thyme is the reason you became a healer?" I looked at her.
"Yeah, he healed my grandmother when he was in this town. He used such advanced magic to cure her. She had been sick all her life. I heard her father and mother thought she wasn't going to live past a certain age." Her eyes got dreamy when she started her story
"So, he waved his hands, and she was healed?"
"Yeah, something like that. Though Thyme also told my grandmother to take this liquid that tastes like cherries. I remember that my great-grandmother had to mix a batch for her every week. When she no longer coughed, she didn't have to drink it anymore." She smiled as she finished wiping down my legs. She wrung out the rag and placed it into the pot. Louis walked in with a bag in hand.
"You're telling the story of how your grandmother was saved by the 'Hero,' again?" Louis teased with a smile. He looked over at me. "I'm Louis. It's nice to meet you."
"Justin Thomas." I answered back, "I'd say it was nice to meet you, but I'm laid up in a bed and about to die."
"Whoa, that's a bit aggressive, friend. I get that you're hurt, but that's no way to talk to someone who's trying to help you." Louis said defensively.
"Forgive him, Louis. He's a bit worked up from all the poking and prodding I've done since he woke up." She covered for my transgression.
"It's fine. I brought the stuff you wanted, Lise," He said, putting the sack on the table.
"Thank you so much, Louis." She said, getting up and kissing him.
"Well, I would stay and talk more, but I have to meet the boys at The Staggering Tankard for a drink." He said, grinning at Ana.
"That's good, dear. Just try to be home at a decent hour this time." She said, kissing him again, "Have fun. I love you."
"Love you, too." He said as he walked out the door, "I hope you get better soon." I wanted to vomit from the display of affection before me, and it took all my strength not to grimace in disgust.
"Me too, so that I can get out of your hair." I smiled, trying to befriend him.
"Alright, now I can finish your salve and get you wrapped up." She smiled at me and then went back to the counter. "I'll continue the story when I'm done grinding everything up. You rest; I need to concentrate on making sure I get the portions right." She said, opening the bag and pulling out several herbs I recognized: Elf's Wood, Golden Root, and Amber Thyme. These were not common herbs; I was surprised to see them in a place like this. They all had medicinal properties.
She ground the herbs and lured me to sleep with her song. A searing pain in my torso woke me up. I inhaled sharply and held in a yelp.
"Sorry, but this needs to be done. The pain is gonna get worse before it gets better." She pursed her lips after she got done speaking.
"Admit it, you're enjoying this after the 'backwater' comment." I breathed heavily from the massive spike in pain.
"I might, but I'd much rather you be on your feet than in a ditch somewhere." She smiled, "So where was I? Oh, right, the tonic that my grandmother had to drink. So, my great-grandmother actually kept the recipe after Grandma got better."
"So, there's a recipe for a Potion of Healing lying around this town. Interesting, even the alchemists in the city have trouble making one from the scraps they have collected." I said, breathing through the pain.
"Potion of Healing? That's what my grandmother had to drink? That's amazing. I knew it was some potion, but an actual healing potion. I couldn't even dream of it." She sat back in her chair.
"So, do you know where the recipe is?" I asked if that recipe would net me a fortune. With that, I could rebuild what I had lost against Mathios.
"No, I don't. My grandmother told me that when he came back a few years later, and during his visit, he asked for it back after seeing the full recovery that she had made." She frowned.
"That's a shame, really. You'd be able to help so many people with that." I said it was the truth. Not the plan I had for the recipe, but I needed her to trust me.
"You're right, but my grandmother told me that Thyme was a real gentleman about the whole thing. He even treated her to dinner to celebrate."
"I bet he did; he was an old dog." I retorted. From all the stories my grandmother told me about him, he was very popular with the ladies. She gave me a questioning look, but I shrugged it off, "Stories I heard about him throughout my travels."
"That's a family secret, though. The rumor throughout the town at the time was that he bedded her after. My grandfather got jealous and romanced her immediately afterward, but my mother was born 9 months later." She smiled, "I guess those stories keep growing, huh?"
"I guess they do." I chuckled involuntarily.
"So, I need you to sit up so I can apply the salve to your back, and then I can finish wrapping you up." She smiled at me. I nodded, and with her help, I swung my legs off the bed and sat up. Everything exploded in pain as I moved my body. Mathios had done a real number on me this time. He really did plan on killing me. Analise applied the medicine, and I grunted in pain.
"I could go for some of that whiskey right now." I half-joked. It would definitely help with the pain.
"Sure, right after I'm done wrapping you up." She chuckled at me as she finished up. She brought the bowl to the table and grabbed a roll of bandages. She walked back, turned around, smirked, leaned back, and grabbed the bottle. I held out my hand to grab it,t and soon I felt the burning liquid go down my throat.
"I thought I had to wait until you were done with the bandages?" I coughed and smiled at her.
"I took pity on you." She smiled, "Lift your arms and hold them out." I did as she said, and it took everything I had to hold my arms in place. They were shaking from the weight of it. She started wrapping my chest, and it was tight. I couldn't breathe at first. It was a good thing, though; this will keep the ribs from moving too much.
"Alright, almost done." She said as she tied the bandage off. She sighed and leaned back. "Damn, hand that bottle over. You can also lie back down now."
I handed her the bottle beside me and turned to lie down. I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep. I heard her cough as I started closing my eyes.
"Sleep well, Justin. I'll change your bandages tomorrow." Analise smiled at me and stood up. I grunted a response and heard the chair get put back to where it belonged. She began humming her song as she cleaned up her work area. When I woke up tomorrow, I planned on using magic to heal my wounds so I could walk around town and search for my grandfather's stash.