The Moon Druid of Arcedia; And the One Ring to Rule Them All

~10 Convallaria Majalis; The Lily of the Valley~

~Convallaria Majalis; The Lily of the Valley~

Ahshsala enjoyed the sweet smell of the herbs she was mashing in the Molcajete dedicated to medicine making. Her small feet swung to the rhythm she was humming. She liked the days she would spend helping Taeynaeya Merelyth take care of the sick people from the neighboring villages.

The small redheaded girl had always had a green thumb and now found a good use for it. She harvested the herb garden, made medicines, and could keep the supply stocked year-round. It was an uncommon gift among the people of Arcadia to have a natural connection to the wild. Wherever Ahshala went the wild followed.

Her talent for healing was also useful as a Druid healer's apprentice. Taeynaeya was elven, much like Ahshala, and had immigrated to the Ahshood valley from Middle-earth during a time of war much like Ahshala's family. She was well equipped with knowledge of elven healing from both parts of the world and dedicated her time to passing that knowledge along to the young fiery-haired elven girl she taught.

Being young for elven standards Ahshala was mostly involved in basic matters, calming down fever, treating minor cuts and bruises, all things appropriate for someone in their youth to handle. Death was not yet something she should know, and Taeynaeya would do all she could to keep it that way.

"Don't forget to add the ginger," The light feminine voice of their teacher instructed the young girl mashing the mixture of turmeric and echidna. She smiled and did exactly as she was told.

The mixture was one of two Ahshala was to administer to a young earth genasi boy with a fever and cough. This one was to be mixed with water and drunk as a warm broth to boost his immunity and soothe his scratchy throat.

When it was ready she happily strode through the small curtained hall to the young boy's bedside. He was her age and had dark skin speckled with light dots and veins like the rare Gabrro rocks found in the oldest parts of the mountains. His hair was mingled with rock-like growths near his forehead and ears as if he could have been hewn out of the rocks. Ahshala thought he looked super cool.

"I have your medicine!" she said brightly as she set the two bowls down on the small table, "One is a soup you need to drink and the other is a paste that I need to put on your head and your collar bones."

The boy didn't look at her but he acknowledged her by nodding his head and sitting up with his back against the pillows. He set his hands out in front of him as a gesture for her to put the bowl of soup in his hands and Ahshala complied.

"It's a little spicy," she warned, her tone never once losing its cheer, "But it's warm so it'll soothe the scratchiness!"

He still wouldn't look her in the eyes and his head wasnt even turned, which she found odd. She was staring into his coal eyes intently. She couldn't see a pupil because of the strange cloudiness in them. They were something she had never seen before and it piqued her curiosity.

"How come you won't look at me?" She questioned as she absentmindedly fiddled with the tight braid her mom helped her with that morning and pulled out a stray buttercup growing between the grooves. Neither child noticed the awkward stares from the other patrons and nurses in disbelief at the bluntness of the freckled girl. Ahshala was in her twenties, but as an elf, she was incredibly young and looked to be around 10 or 11, and she acted like one too.

The little boy laughed a little and those around them relaxed.

"I'm blind," he smiled and waved a rocky hand in front of his face. "I can't see you."

"I've never met a blind person before." She stated shrugging her shoulders and removing the empty bowl from his hands. "How do you know where you are walking?''