SWNOVELXO Chapter 9: Isn't That Beautiful?
Eric's return to the waking world was marked by vicious pain across his entire body. He let out a sharp breath and clutched his side. He was still in the cart, its rattling was now very much a bother to him.
"Ugh, wow." He spoke without realising.
"Ah, you're up I see. Have fun on your trip?" The knight said, his voice laced with venom, "We're close to the chapel now, we're going to get you healed but trust me, you're going to carry this forever. What were you thinking? You could've died. You should've died."
He was right, Eric didn't understand what had gotten into him either. It's not like he was very heroic back on Earth.
"I don't know. I just… felt like I had to. Probably shouldn't have."
"You're going to make a bad soldier." The knight said, "But, all things considered, we're all glad you were there. You showed heart."
The cart slowed to a stop, he heard men running passed, calling out for help. Eric rocked himself upright. It was a struggle. He put his hands behind him and pushed himself down to the edge of the cart.
"Okay. I can do this."
The knight chuckled at his reassurance and before he could tell him to wait to be carried, Eric was up onto his feet. His eyes widened in pain. His first step felt like moving through knee-deep mud. His breath was already astonishingly heavy.
"Yeah, this was a mistake. I really wish I had gone back for that cane."
His arm raised up and when he looked over, he found the knight holding him up by his arm, he didn't say anything, but he smiled and looked away. They hobbled together towards the chapel. It was an ancient looking stone building, little more than a single tower and a room to the side, likely for the priest to sleep in. It was covered in moss and lichen, water stains and cracks. It didn't even have glass windows, just wooden slats in the wall. Its door was a simple board construction, barely hanging onto its hinges. A man in armor ran up to it and knocked on, hard.
The door creaked open, in its crack was an old, bald priest with a fluffy white beard.
"Oh well, hello there, how can I help you? Service isn't until midday…" He said in a timid voice.
Eric was halfway up the dirt path to the door when the two men locked eyes. The priest's eyes widened, and he began speed walking down the path, his long white robes flowing in the breeze. He clutched onto a two-handed walking stick, a moon crest at the top. They met each other a quarter of the distance remaining.
"Gods above boy, what happened to you?" Concern filled his voice as he passed Eric the staff for him to hold in his left hand.
"That's so much better, thank you." Eric's voice was still hoarse with smoke damage, it was a challenge to express his gratitude properly.
"Come, come, we'll get you fixed up in no time at all, come." He rushed ahead on wobbly legs, "Yvett! Get the ritual offerings together! We've got patients!" He yelled into the chapel.
"What? At this hour? Can't they wait 'till later?" A shrill female voice called out.
"What? Woman, I- what- We don't have time for your nonsense today get it together!" The priest replied as he crossed the threshold.
"Whaddya think their story is?" Sven had sneaked up behind Eric and the knight "Glad to see yer' up an' runnin' again lad."
He slapped Eric's back, causing him to wince in pain. The knight shot Sven a look of pure rage, causing him to scarper off towards the chapel.
"There's not going to be enough of them to heal everyone…" The knight expressed sombrely, "You should be our first priority, you're actually here. As for the villagers… Gods I don't know."
Crossing the doorway, Eric was promptly set upon by a hunched over old woman, her thin white hair sticking out at odd angles.
"Oh dear, oh dear, ya badly burnt, ain't 'cha lad?" Yvett said, circling him, assessing his injuries, "Leg's not doin' great neither… Gods what d'ya do to your hands?"
She poked and prodded at him, finding new injuries wherever she looked, "Right, that's it. Off, all of it off we need to find everythin' wrong wit'cha. C'mon, we'll treat you in the other room, can't have you naked in front'a the Gods now, can we?" She began dragging him towards the room on the side of the chapel.
"Right, take it off."
Eric stood, alone with this old woman in a cramped room with two, very separate beds. He stared at her for a moment, then looked down at himself.
"Go on lad I don't have all day." She said impatiently.
The pain involved in removing his singed and ripped clothing was unbearable, it became very apparent that he needed help, not that he we would accept it. Wrenching his clothes off, the damage was revealed. Not an inch of his body was left unharmed, between the cuts, splinters, burns and bruises, almost 100% of his skin had some form of damaged. Yvett's eyes narrowed in focus, she circled him a few times before slowly nodding and leaving the room. Behind the door Eric could hear her commotion.
"Cark! Get in 'ere we're gonna need the two of us!"
"What? Is he that bad?"
A series of footsteps approached the door again, the two of them bursting in. They rushed around him, assessing his injuries once fully exposed. They looked at each other seriously before scampering to several draws around the room. Eric recognised some, a handful of small vials of water, a gold coin, two half moon necklaces, however, there were no herbs. Instead, there was a small vial of a viscous, brown liquid. The priest, Clark, began to rub the water over his body, Yvett popped open the vial of brown syrup and poured it over the gold coin, as she did so, the room filled with the smell of menthol and herbs, like the strongest medicines on Earth were mixed together and boiled to a concentrate.
"Oh God don't tell me I have to-"
She crammed it into his mouth. The flavor was abhorrent. He cringed at its intensity and the two healers laughed to each other. Together, they began chanting, their hands clasped together. Eric took deep breaths, the pain of the massaging still searing his wounds, he waited and waited until finally, from the tips of his fingers and toes, up through his arms and legs, to his chest and stomach and finally up to his head, an overwhelming feeling of pleasure spread, coupled with a bright green glow emanating from his skin, he watched as cuts and scrapes sealed shut, his bruises faded and the burns dried and peeled, floating up off his skin and evaporating into the glow.
"Oh, oh that's good"
He felt the soles of his feet regrow their skin and for the first time in a long, long day his feet weren't in agony. He couldn't help but ask, "So, I've only really experienced this recently… no healers in my village. How does it, uhm, like, work? Is it a type of magic or medicine or what? How is it happening?"
Clark looked at him in confused offence, Yvett in bewilderment, "Boy, don't you ever call this magic again." Clark said, Yvett nodding her head in agreement and tutting at him, "This is a blessing from the Gods above, from Indar, her majesty blesses us in our times of need for just a mere offering of gold and herbs, don't you ever compare this to the filth of common sorcery." His eyes contained a focused hate, a loathing that went unspoken.
"So, the Gods actually listen? And help? That's uh, that's not what I was told, I guess."
"And what is it you were taught lad?" Yvett asked, her face a visage of raw suspicion.
"Well, uh, see, it's not like we didn't believe or anything it's just, my Dad always said the Gods let us solve our own problems."
He wasn't lying. His father back on earth was a builder. A hard man and a devout catholic, thing is, he never told Eric to pray for things, rather he said he should pray for the ability to do it himself, for forgiveness etc, "God doesn't sit around all day waiting to help you, Eric, you gotta make it on your own." He always told him.
"Ahhhh, he was of that generation, hm? Makes sense, he was no doubt a big, self-reliant man if he was of such beliefs." Clark pondered, "He was wrong though. The Gods do indeed answer the prayers of those faithful and those whose offerings are pure in sincerity. They watch over us and protect us in our times of need, just as they have healed you now, the power comes from them, not us."
"Perhaps some education is in order now that'cha healed up, hm? Can't have ya thinking we're doin' magic in the church, can we? We'll give ya a sermon after we heal up the rest of your brothers in arms. But for now, all ya need to know is that if you ask sincerely, honestly and with a pure heart, the Gods above will help you as long as you offer something in return, isn't that beautiful?"