Roses in Winter (Focusedheart & Silence)

Silently he nodded at the news. It certainly wasn't pretty. Aaron had seen plenty of dead bodies being hauled out of the town in cart loads before they were dumped in a large ditch. That was before he had gained enough strength to get on a wagon and ride away. "Sorry to hear it." Seemed that neither of them knew what to say. There had never been a time as children that he could remember them being this way. Now they were older and it was strange. "Uhm I guess you learned healing. How do you like it?"
 
Glad for the subject change, she nodded her head a bit. "Once I got far enough away, I met a healer in a small town. Old man, grumpy but good. He removed the shackles from my wrist and let me work for my food. He taught me all I know and when he passes I took on his clients until the town was lost. By that time I had developed a name and was getting summoned town to town. I'm still learning but it does feel good to help in whatever way I can. One family was displaced by the fighting but their little girl was close to death. I was able to help her. I see her and her family time to time to check in. They had no money but that stallion and they feared they could no longer care for him. So they gifted him to me." She smiles a little. Unsure why she had just spilled all that out at him. The talks they used to have. They were never about such things as what they would do because they both thought they would follow in their family steps.

She looks to him. "Blacksmithing? You are really good."
 
Aaron listened to her tale. It wasn't the life that he had supposed they would have lived. When they were younger he remembered his parents talking about betrothing him to her. He'd always supposed that they would grow up, marry, and work the land the same as their parents. There was no mystery to life and he liked it that way. Everything had been turned on end and he couldn't say that he liked it. "Yeah, blacksmithing." A slight grin came to his face. "I've learned to find some pleasure in the work." Most of it was just work. The passion for it was still growing. At times he found himself wanting to go outside into the field but, it was not his place. Often it was just to stand behind the anvil and pound away at the metal. His arms had grown strong though. "Do you like what you do now?"
 
She nods softly. It was his expression and his eyes as he spoke about his craft that told her that it was just a job. That made her sad for him, remembering how attentive he was when his father was teaching him something about the land.

"I do enjoy it. The knowledge on how to tend to the land and what to look for has helped when I have to collect herbs for various reasons and I do like being able to help others. " She says in response to his question.

Sighing quietly she spoke. "It is hard for me to stay in one place. A lord for the king, a cruel man had summoned me to tend to him. I refused. He got another healer but hasn't forgotten my lack of willingness to help him live. " She shrugs a little. "I don't wish to bring trouble to you....." she says and she didn't. He had a simple life here it seemed and though she had missed him greatly and was happy to have found him, she didn't want him in trouble because of her.
 
Aaron glanced at the woman briefly when she mentioned her reason for constantly moving. As he remembered she was always the more wild out of the two of them. Tabitha wasn't the one to sit by and let things be as they were. Often he saw little point in changing things. "Oh well I could say it was surprising to hear. That wouldn't be true. You always had a strange sense of justice as a kid."

Justice wasn't something that you often got in life and most of the time as peasant you were better to let the rulers determine justice. There wasn't a thing that you could do to change it. Live life as best you could and let the rest of it be. "There isn't anything surprising for me to say I guess." Cautiously he peered about the room. While justice was often better to be left to the rulers he had been using the blacksmithing shop as a front to many other activities. Lying outright to her had been difficult but, Aaron had been alone all these years for good reason. It was too dangerous to let on what his activities were when he wasn't working. "Well you know where to come if you find yourself in trouble." That was all the more hint he could give to her. "I'll be here."
 
She gazes at him quietly for a moment before she nods. "I do appreciate that greatly. Thank you. " She smiles softly to him. She remembered that about him. He was always there when she had needed him. It was just the one time when the raids happened that he wasn't there.

She finishes eating and could feel her exhaustion sneaking up on her. She had not slept very well the pass few weeks having always been alert and jumping st the slightest sounds.
 
Aaron just nodded to her. He had a few others that were hidden in the shop. Well underneath it anyway. They knew to be quiet but, he had to get them out by tomorrow. Evening would be better, but he couldn't do it with her staying here. The blacksmith quietly rolled out a bedroom for her near the fire and he kept his bedroll over the hatch to the underground hiding place.

"You can sleep near the fire. I'm next to one all day long its nice not to be by it while I'm sleeping too." Pulling blanket over himself he listened to the sound of crickets outside and the choppy breathing indicating the wake and sleeping patterns of Tabitha. By the next morning he was up early but, he didn't leave the house unattended. Rather he waited for her to rise. "Good morning."
 
Sleeping by a fire was rare but sleeping well and by a fire was very rare. She savored that throughout the night. She slept soundly until morning.

She stirred a little before waking fully. When she heard him say Morning sleep she nods to him. "Morning..." she gets to her feet. "Thank you for letting me rest here. " She rolls her shoulders a little and let's her body relax.

"I'll be out of your hair soon though my, once I get saddled up. Have a patient in the next town." She had gathered up her saddle bags as she spoke. She didn't want to just suddenly leave but this was her life now and she didn't want to be a bother to him.
 
Aaron reached into the breadbox and gave her a few thick slices with some butter on it. Wasn't much though it was still better than nothing. "Travel safe." Walking out with her he opened the gate to his shop and let her out with the stallion. The blacksmith watched her leave before he stepped into his small home briefly to take some food below to those he kept. Each of them received a slice of bread and a slathering of butter.

It was another full day of work and he waited till it was long after dark to usher the woman and her two children out of the town. "Move north." Handing each of them a large water bladder and then a satchel with food and bed rolls he nodded to them. By now they would be in safer territory. It was the only reason that he stayed so close to area of war. He could help only a limited number of refugees, but those that he could often got away. On his return home he heard the familiar sound of guards patrolling the roads near the village he lived in. Ducking behind a bush he waited before he started to run for the village.

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Panting he threw his door open at the house. A stream of blood ran down his back. Inside a nervous looking man held out the fire prong. Aaron shut the door. Wincing he moved over to the bench. "You need me to get you out?"

The man nodded anxiously. Aaron winced again. "Pull this out and get me patched up. I'll get you out but, I need you to do me a favor. Tell a travelling healer called Tabitha that the blacksmith needs her help when you get there." Soon as he was temporarily patched up Aaron put together a small pack of goods. Starting out into the night again he led the man to the crossroads and showed him the hidden path in the forest. "Follow that till you get to the town then there will be another home with a plain black rag and a hole in it hanging on the gate." That had long been a symbol that the refugees learned to follow. Anyone with the black rag and hole in it was friendly.
 
It had been an easy day travel once she had gotten on her way. The family she met was with their first child. The mother was experiencing some pain that seemed to result from the birthing. Tending to the woman, she provided herbs that would ease the pain and gently told the woman that she would have to rest. A poor farmer though couldn't always rest.

It took some convincing but she managed to get the husband to understand that his wife could be in serious danger if she did not rest. In times of need the neighbors would assist one another, even in hard times. This was no different as the neighbor sent their son to help which left the new mother to rest.

She finishes up with the couple and heads back through the town to continue on her way.

When a stranger approached her, he could only be a refugee on the run like so many others. It was his message that made her stiffen. She nods and gave the man some coins for food.

Once in the saddle she urged her horse on. The stallion responded instantly to her leg and leaped forward. Riding hard was nothing new for her and her horse. The pair navigated the terrain back to the town as a working team.

Once there she had dismounted at the black smith's shop. Making sure her horse was alright and tended to, she announced her arrival. "Aaron?"
 
The guards had made a sweep of the town looking for whomever might have been the one to be wandering the roads the night before. Aaron had gone out to work in his shop for the early morning hours. At least until the guards left. Shortly after he went back into the house and he closed the gates to his shop. It felt like it was close to the same spot as when he was kid. Somewhat ironic.

Laying on his stomach inside the house he was sleeping when a gentle knock sounded at his door. Sitting up he pulled a blanket over himself and cautiously peered outside. Another refugee and his family had arrived. Aaron took them inside and ushered them down into the secret tunnel below his bed before he rolled the bed over top of it again. He'd barely laid down and he heard the woman calling for him.

Lazily he drug himself toward the door and swung it open before heading out to the gate. Groaning he pushed the gate open and let her inside. Aaron cringed as he pulled the gate shut and latched it again. "I need you to clean this up if you could." Walking into the house slightly hunched over he motioned for her to shut the door before he let the blanket drop from his back. Near the near wound was an older one that had faded though it was still slightly raised. "I have to be able to work soon. Maybe 2 days is all I can take off."
 
Leaving her horse outside, she had grabbed her saddlebag that held her herbs and healing items. Once inside, when he pulled the blanket down to reveal the wound he had gained , it showed her the older one next to it. It was clear to her the cause of the wound but she would not have that discussion with him now.

She nods for him to sit. "I will need to clean the wound first and then close it up." She took gentle care when she touched him, she had clean water ready and began the process. Once she had it cleaned she began to mix some herbs ,creating a paste with it.

"With this you should be back to work in two days but I will give you an herb that you must take at night before sleep. It will help fight infection and help with healing."

She gets the paste ready and then begins to apply it. To stitch it closed now would only cause him more problems given the location, especially if he wanted to return to work so quickly.

Once done she nods a bit. "That paste with become absorbed by the body and keep insects from trying to infect the wound. It will last a week and by the time it's gone, the wound should be well enough into healing to not need further care." She instructs.
 
Aaron took a seat and bent his back so she could see the wound clearly. It began to ooze thick dark blood. An involuntary muscle twitch started when she began washing his back. The nerves had a habit of doing their own thing. Water ran down his back and it soaked into the top of his pants before he felt the paste being gently pushed into the wound. It stung at first and he winced. "Alright." A little bit of herb would be good enough.

Once it was done he straightened his back and nodded to her. "Ok." Taking the herb he smelled it. The herb didn't smell any good, but if it would do the job he would take it. "How do you want me to eat this? Is it supposed to be just chewed up, put in a tea, or ground over food?"
 
She looks to him and nods a bit. "The easiest way is to put it into a tea. Your body will absorb it better at that rate as well." She watches him a little, then looks away from him and rubs her arms slightly before relaxing. Her eyes were watching him quietly. "How did you get that?" She asks curiously as she watches him. If he refused to answer her then she wouldn't push the issue. Yet she was still concerned though, a wound like that didn't just happen and if Aaron was drawing the attention of the wrong people, she feared for his life once more.

It wasn't the thing to do anymore though was it, to care. Then again she never stopped. She never stopped taking care of those who needed it and giving what she could when those had little. Would he shut her out or would he tell her what was going on? She wasn't sure what the answer would be though it made her wonder.
 
Aaron nodded at the instructions. "I can do that." He frowned some as he rose from his place. It felt very sore and he'd been laying down for good reason. A slight cough below them sounded and he pretended not to hear it. "Guards around this area get a little wild." Turning slightly he met her gaze. "Don't tell anyone why you came here. Say it was a fever or whatever else. They would kill me if they found out I was the one they shot last night."

The man quietly started to prepare the herb. "I'll probably just rest now." If he had to get up in the middle of the night to try and get the next man across the border then he would do it. With the guards coming to the town more frequently it was becoming dangerous for him to keep people in his little dug out.
 
She was hesitant as she gazed at him quietly for a moment. Yeah the guards were hard and did get wild all the time. The man was hiding something and the cough that she heard only gave her a conclusion that he was doing exactly what the guards always hated. She didn't bring the sound to attention though and nods to him gently. "I better get going. Get some rest." She looks to him carefully. "Keep taking that tea." She pulls a bag from her saddlebag and nods to him. "Inside are other herbs with the instructions that are with them. In case the guards get wild again." She says to him.

She gathers back up her items and the saddlebags. She heads back to the door and outside to her horse. The animal nickered at her softly and pranced a little again. She murmurs softly to him. "I know...It's okay."
 
A guard stopped the woman. He didn't recognize her but, they had been watching the Blacksmith for some time and it seemed ironic that he was suddenly not working the night after they had put an arrow into a man sneaking outside the city walls. "How is the blacksmith? I need a horseshoe put back on my animal before its rendered lame." If it was serious as they thought the man wouldn't be able to help for some time.

Gradually a smirk came to his face. It didn't matter what the woman said. "Oh well in that case I'll get the good blacksmith up. We all know he cares for the animals. It should hinder him."
 
She tenses when a guard stopped her. Her own horse snorted and pawed the ground a little. "He was kicked in the shoulder when handling a horse." She tenses when the guard still wished to bother the blacksmith just yet. "As his healer, I do not recommend it. That shoulder needs time to heal from the kick." She states and then adds. "He said he would return to work in just two days if at all your horse can wait the two days." She says as she makes the suggestion. Aaron must be in something much deeper than she thought and on top of it, she was standing there hoping that she was still hidden as well in a way.
 
The man just snorted. "A kick to the shoulder eh? Can't hurt a burly fella like that too badly." Leaning in closer he peered into her face. As a common soldier he was not privy to all the faces that he should be looking for. Most he watched were within the town. "You'd best be on your way." Sneering he passed her by and pounded on the gate. "Blacksmith open up in the name of the king. My horse needs a shoe fixed."

Aaron slowly got up and put on a fresh shirt. The fire was still running but it would need to be stoked. Business of the king never could wait. Grabbing the gate he opened it and started the fire. He watched the guard with some irritation as the man took a seat and just watched. "Which shoe is it?" Nodding he picked the horse's leg up and picked at the dirt clods stuck in the animal's hoof. "Its not a loose shoe. Horse has a rock stuck here." Pulling out more clods of dirt he finally got it loosened enough to get the rock out. "There."

Glowering at him the guard decided to give a slap to his back to see if it was the man. "Well now that's a smart blacksmith. Didn't know your kind knew anything about animals."

To cover the wince Aaron coughed after the man hit his back. Frowning he watched the man go and then closed the gate again before returning to his little house. It was a near miss and he didn't like it being such a close call.
 
It was too dangerous in this town. It was not safe at all. Even her horse was telling her as much and that they needed to move on. She didn't want to leave Aaron though.

She had moved away from the shop and down the way a little to the outskirts of the town. What was he into? The guards were watching him closely and that meant time was limited.

What could she do though?
 
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