Eight Intertwined

22 - Alfyn

The village of Clearbrook was tucked away far from the eyes of most travelers and passerby, perched between tall trees and gentle streams that characterized the Riverlands as a place of such beauty and serene grace. The town was so small that it almost seemed as if a single sneeze was all that it would take to blow it right off the map, insignificant to the world at large but everything to the people who lived within its boundaries. 

Alfyn Greengrass stood in a cozy home within the village, his light brown hair unable to settle properly in its loose ponytail at the base of his neck. He wore a vibrant emerald jacket that seemed somehow too large and too small for his imposing and large frame, and a loose satchel that was barely organized hung from one shoulder. He stood at the counter of the house's kitchen area as he ground materials together to form one cohesive liquid. 

His work was in the foreground of coughs that echoed throughout the small room. An old man was stretched across the bed, a young woman in the seat beside him. Her eyes were filled with concern as she watched tears stream down his cheeks as a result of the violent seizing of his body. "Grandpa... Be strong!" the girl whispered, reaching out for his hand as if that would be able to save him from the illness that was coming to deal such damage inside and out. 

It was after a few breathless moments that the young woman, Henriette, forced herself to her feet, and she walked in Alfyn's direction with concern glazing over her eyes anew. "Can you really save him with that medicine of yours?" she asked. There had scarcely been a reason to doubt Alfyn's skills in the past, and she was fully aware of such a fact. Still, that did little to calm the paranoia that existed every single time that she even dared to imagine one of her loved ones hurt or suffering. 

"You betcha! Just sit tight," Alfyn assured her. He worked diligently for a few more moments before a triumphant grin crossed his features. "Bam! That should do 'er!" He approached the old man with a bowl in hand, bold liquid medicine sitting at the base of the dish. He held it towards the man's lips a moment later. "Drink it down slowly now..."

The man followed Alfyn's directions, and for a long moment, the room was silent. Everyone was expecting him to burst into yet another coughing fit again, but the sound of his wheezing never returned. Instead, the man's eyes were overcome with relief and shock as he looked at Alfyn. "Well, I'll be! Thank you, my boy," he said gratefully. 

Alfyn chuckled and shook his head. "Don't mention it. Just doin' my job," he replied simply. He moved back in the direction of the counter to gather his supplies together once again, every action methodical and practiced just like the sincere smile that was pressed simply across his lips. "This'll stop the coughing for now, but your lungs have seen better days. Try to give the pipe a rest, sir, you hear?"

The old man nodded as Alfyn crossed in the direction of the door. Henriette intercepted him before he could go. "Oh, Alfyn! Thank you ever so much!" she exclaimed, her eyes still brimming with tears from the overwhelming fear that she had felt just a few moments prior. "How blessed we are to have an apothecary like you in our little village." She shoved one hand into her pocket and pulled out a few leaves before trying to drop them into Alfyn's palm. "It's not much, but... Please..."

Alfyn shrugged nonchalantly. "Nah, it's on the house. Why don't you hold onto that and buy something tasty for you and your grandpa?" he asked. Henriette, seemingly understanding that Alfyn had already made up his mind, nodded hesitantly and returned the leaves to her pocket as he walked towards the door. "I'll be back to check in on him, okay? Be careful until then." 

Alfyn was out of the house not long afterwards, his smile still simple and perfect on his asymmetrical features. He let out a sigh as he stared down at his feet, and he began to follow the familiar path up to the most bittersweet part of the town. Clearbrook was a small and simple place with the entire town taking up a full perimeter of less than a mile. Alfyn was headed back to the far corner of the village to visit the one person who he knew he would be able to count on above all else.