When the Ribbons Dance

Chapter 04

I had hoped to be able to finish this fic, or at the very least, put down 50,000 words, however, between the stomach virus, my current, on-going battle with bronchitis for over a week, my principal passing away, 5 days away from everything, it was not meant to be.

I'm not abandoning it, in fact, I will be able to develop my characters now and give it the attention it deserves. Sadly, it also means it will be added to my growing pile of on-going fics. At least, this one will be original and all mine.

This is all I have for this chapter. At 4,446 words, I think I'll consider the chapter complete. As always, scrunched words and crazy formatting, courtesy of Watty.

Whenthe Ribbons Dance

Chapter4

The goodfather was taken to the nearest dwelling and put on the table. Glenysrushed off to fetch Aelhaearn and someone else was sent to retrievethe village wise woman. The fires in the fireplaces were stirred toroaring, heating up the dwelling. The man was breathing, painful,racking breaths that rattled his chest. Aelhaearn arrived first,Glenys behind clutching a large satchel. Much to the priest's ire,his robes were cut from him, laying bare his pale, concave chest andabdomen. Glenys paid no attention to the man's protestations that sheshould not be there and continued pulling small bottles and sacksfrom the bigger bag.

"Pleasetell me," Ioseph grimaced and wheezed as Aelhaearn pressed lightlyon his ribs, "you did not send for that witch to attend me!" Helet out another whimper of pain as the Druid pressed on another partof his chest.

"Who,Efa?" Aelhaearn stepped back and motioned for water to wash hishands with. "She is no more a witch than you! Or me, for thatmatter!"

"TheChurch does not approve of her ways."

"TheChurch approves of little! They would not approve your friendshipwith me. A bunch of cranky old men who begrudge all of us a moment'senjoyment! Ah!" Aelhaearn looked up with a smile, towel in hand."Efa! So glad you could make it!"

Physically,the old woman was the exact opposite of the Druid. Where he was tall,slender, and neat, she was short, grizzled and looked as if bathingwas an option. She had a bulbous nose and was missing more teeth thanshe had in her mouth. "Make it? Is this a party?" The villagewise woman was cantankerous and argumentative and her bed-side mannerwas nonexistent, but she knew her herbs and remedies. She pushed pasteveryone in the room and stood next to the Catholic Priest. "Ho!Lookit yer skinny arse! What happened to you? You look as if a horseran you over!"

"Yes."

Sheturned to the druid with a grin. "Ah! It is a party!" Much to theconsternation of the patient, she began to prod in the same placesAelhaearn had just pressed on and not as gently. She asked him toinhale, exhale, cough. "You've got a few cracked ribs," shefinally spat, "and some bruised ones as well." She squinted athim in the dim light. "Who ran over you?"

"Dafydd'sMaster at Arms, Cewydd." She pressed again, causing the man tohowl. "Woman! Do you mind?"

Sheignored the priest and continued questioning the druid. "Thatmiserable toe rag?" She turned to her own bag of herbs andmedicines and set Glenys to boil water. She pulled a bolt of linenfrom her bag and began to tear them into strips. "Why was he heremaking people miserable? Aelhaearn, do you have any turmeric?"