Destined to the Traveler

02

I snapped out of the initial shock and hurried over to the person that clearly had drowned. The large bodies of the men that surrounded the victim blocked my view of them, but it was evident that they were all in a frantic state.

"Adri, wake up! Adrianus!"

A curly, blond-haired man shouted to his still friend. None of them noticed my presence yet, all in their own worlds as I glanced a look at the person.

To say he was beautiful would be an understatement. Despite the cuts that littered his skin, his unruly dark hair, and torn clothes he held an aura of power and magnificence. I noticed that his chest was still and the men surrounding him were just calling for him.

Right then I realized that these people were unaware of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. If he had just drowned, there was still a possibility of saving him.

Before I was catapulted back to an unknown place and time, I learned basic medical knowledge and CPR through a school course. It was quite a long time ago and I'm sure bringing life back to a dummy is nothing like bringing one to a real human.

"Everyone move!"

I exclaimed before I got on my knees beside the fallen man. His companions, too shocked to comprehend my presence and instantly moved, although their bodies and the atmosphere were full of tension.

My palms touched his marred skin and I began chest compressions. My tiny hands barely covered half his chest, but I gave all my power despite the unsuccessful results. My lips touched his own as I blew my air to his, hoping it would work. After a minute I felt his body jolt before the unknown man began breathing again.

I sagged back down on the floor, as I caught my own breath. Using all my power and giving my breath to him was quite exhausting, especially after the long walk. My fingers instinctively touched my lips at the remembrance that they laid on a surprising pair of soft ones, just moments ago.

The men surrounding me sighed in relief as they began crouching down to their friend. I moved his long, wet hair out of his face and touched his cheek.

"Adrianus"

I called softly, guessing that was his name from what I overheard from his companions.

"Thank you for saving his life."
His blond friend replied as I gave a small smile. I shifted my attention back to the man I saved as his eyes opened. My breath momentarily hitched as his blue-coloured eyes stood in contrast to his skin. They were two pools of water that stood in contrast to the surrounding sand.

He blinked hastily and coughed up water all over my dress. I flinched slightly before helping him spill out all the excess liquid. I could care less about my clothes as adrenaline still coursed through my body at the thought of saving a life.

He flopped back down, his head resting on my thighs. I stilled ever so slightly, but my concern drifted towards his open wounds. Although these waters weren't as polluted if the deep cuts weren't cleaned I'm sure they would get infected.

"His cuts need to be cleaned before they get infected, if not already."

"Infected?"

I realized my error a bit too late.

"If his cuts aren't cleaned he might fall ill. I have some herbs in my hut not too far away."

"Ahh understood. Thank you for your help, miss. If you can lead the way."

The same blond-haired man exclaimed. He and another darker-haired man with shorter hair carried him towards my hut. He was mostly unconscious as his feet were dragged across the forest floor.

He looked huge lying down on the muddy terrain unconscious but lifted up to hit full height, he clearly towered over my petite frame. With his large muscles and over six feet height, it was clear he was at least a high-ranking soldier.

A couple of minutes walk to nearly ten minutes with the men dragging a two hundred pound dead weight on their shoulders.

"Place him on the bed and I'll come back."

I shouted at the men as I hurried to pick up some herbs that grew near my house. With the help of the locals, books, and some of my own previous knowledge I learned quite a lot about natural remedies using specific herbs.

I always believed that my biggest dilemma as a teenager was my indecisiveness towards a career path, but little did I know being thrust back in time, hundreds of years from when I was born would be much more problematic.

Just as the men laid Adrianus down on the bed I began grinding the herbs to make a special paste. I grabbed the morning bucket which had fresh water and a bottle of strong rum from my cupboard.

I bought it a couple of years ago during the harsh winters to keep me warm, but after that the bottle was untouched. I knelt by the bedside and made a half-conscious Adrianus drink a couple of sips of the strong liquor as the next few tasks will be quite painful.

I dabbed a clean cloth into the pale of water and began cleaning his deep wounds. He flinched a bit, but other than that he remained relatively still.

"You saved my friend's life and am helping him now. Who are you?"

"My name is Rheya."

"It's a pleasure getting to be acquainted with you Rheya, although the circumstances are unpleasant. Are you a healer?"

"I have my fair share of knowledge regarding herbs, but no my profession is as a tea harvester, not a healer."

My eyes focused on the bloody cuts as I cleaned the blood and dirt from them. I knew the blond wanted more answers, but truthfully there was nothing more about myself that I can share without being labelled as a lunatic or witch.

"What is your name?"

I asked to seem polite and more importantly, divert the conversation away from myself.

"Apologies for my rudeness, my name is Maximus and the man you are treating at the moment is my brother-in-law and dear friend Adrianus."

I nod my head towards the other man standing beside Maximus, my eyes trained on the wounds. I wanted to know the identities of the three men that take up such a large space from my small cottage.

"My name is Callahan and I'm also their friend."

Silence once again took over as I continued to cleanse the wounds with water. At last, when I was done, the bucket was crimson and covered with dirt. I was about to take the bucket out when Maximus stopped me.

"I'll do it."

He said with a friendly smile.

"Thank you, Maximus."

"Call me Max."

I nodded my head before returning back to my patient. He was a bit more awake now, which would not be in Adrianus' favour. I collected the bottle of alcohol and poured it on the cloth. Grabbing a wood I wrapped that in a cloth and placed it in between his teeth.

"Why the rum, if not for him to consume?"

I heard the suspicious and curious undertone to Callahan's question.

"The liquor will significantly reduce the chances of the wounds causing your friend sickness."

He nodded his head and Max returned back into my small cottage.

"I need one of you to hold his hand and the other to hold his legs. Make sure he doesn't move too much or he'll open his wounds wider."

They nod their head as Max held his legs and Callahan held his arms.

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