Wizard of the Wood

Snowbound and Solo

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14

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Two weeks. It was hard to believe that it had already been two weeks since Essie had rescued Rylir from the blizzard outside. Two weeks since they resumed living their lives under the same roof. An entire two weeks of compromise and care. It was almost an entirely new experience from what life was like before.

Rylir made a full recovery after the first couple of days thanks to Essie's diligent care and attention. Though she scolded him the first afternoon for carelessly charging out into the frigid mountainside forest and then attempting to make the trek back with limited supplies, Rylir could tell there was something in her voice that was different.

It was more tender – caring.

While she never lost her straightforward and direct approach in addressing him or saying what was on her mind, Rylir could hear something different in the wizard's voice. She was actually worried about him. She was genuinely concerned for what had happened to him. He knew she cared about life and preserving it, but now he had confirmed that she truly cared about him specifically.

The thought made him smile.

Perhaps she wasn't as cold and unfeeling as she generally let on.

Then again...

Rylir could have thought differently because, immediately following his recovery, she cracked down on him hard to learn more about the herbs and their uses than ever before. Essie claimed it was because the spring season was coming in the valley and she would need all the help she could get finding the smaller plants which her own eyes sometimes failed to pick up, but Rylir also suspected she enjoyed their learning sessions.

At the very least, she had built up a tolerance to him and wasn't bothered by his questions or teaching him some of the same material over and over again.

It was after those two weeks that Essie surprised Rylir with something he didn't expect.

"You... want me to go out harvesting on my own?" asked Rylir, legs dangling off of the edge of the flower box he had just tended to. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," replied Essie as she finished dusting the soil off her fingertips. "I believe it will be good for you to go out on a harvesting mission independently. It will be a real test of your skills, and the herb you are looking for is not particularly difficult to identify."

"And it's... mint, right? For infections?" asked Rylir.

"Yes. Mentha piperita. It helps ease internal stress, calming anxieties, and promotion of restful slumber. It also makes an excellent tea. It grows by streams, so you should be familiar with the terrain," stated Essie, a tease hinting in her voice.

"Really? You are really going to tease me about that so soon after I almost froze to death?" asked Rylir.

"It will be good practice for you to navigate to your location, collect the correct herb, and then navigate back. Consider it an opportunity to redeem yourself as well as prove your earlier point about practicing your autonomy and exercising the skills you have learned from me," stated Essie.

"And you think I'm ready? To go out on my own and find this? What if I bring back something poisonous?" asked Rylir.

"Unlikely. Your skills have progressed significantly since you have been spending more time dedicated to your studies. We have drilled the herbs and how to identify them. To be honest, there is little chance of you misidentifying an herb as recognizable as mint," stated Essie. "Also, this is a simple, independent training exercise and not a life-or-death scenario. In addition... I believe you can do this. Don't you?"