Chapter 3 Aylarra

Between life and death, then and now, there and here, delirium and reality, nightmare and dream, whispers and more promises that Ayla could not remember, calloused fingers and strong hands, she gradually started feeling better.

It was during the day when Ayla opened her eyes and felt like she was alive, and not trapped somewhere between worlds. She was lying in a bed that she didn’t recognize, covered with soft animal furs. While she had been sick, Ayla forgot about the war and King Rhobart, but now that she was better everything came crashing. She groaned wishing she could be far away from Nordmar and buried her nose in the furs and inhaled deeply. Milton’s scent filled her lungs.

After she had her fill with that snow scent, Ayla moved her head left and right, trying to see if she was alone. When she didn’t spot anyone in the room, Ayla tried to get in a sitting position, but she felt weak like she had been sick for a long time. When she wanted to move her hands, Ayla saw they were trembling. Horror filled her, thinking she was still sick. What kind of sickness was this that left her weak as a newborn?

Being weak or showing weakness was not an option. Ayla was in a place where she was sure people hate her. Not because she was to blame for anything but because people would look at Ayla and see her as the daughter of the man that was responsible for the death of sons and daughter of Nordmar. So, Ayla tried to move and sit on the bed.

It took her a long time and a lot of energy to get into the position she wanted, and the effort left her panting and sweating. Ayla leaned against the pillows, closed her eyes to rest, just for a few minutes. When she opened then again, it was twilight. She started wondering for how long has she had been sleeping when Ayla realized she was not alone. She heard Milton's voice before she saw him.

“You are finally awake!” the Fire Mage said in a cheerful voice and moved close to the bed. “You scared me for a moment! And Rhobart he…. He was out…. Never seen him….”

Milton stopped for a moment, smiled at Ayla, and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Ayla was curious about what Milton wanted to say about the King but decided not to ask.

She returned Milton’s smile, “Like I died and came back. But I am glad to be alive. “

When Milton only nodded, Ayla added, “I feel very weak. How long have I been sick for?”

“A month. The sickness that we call Death-Shake can kill a warrior in days. Not many survive it. Count yourself lucky.”

Shock hit Ayla. No wonder she was feeling weak. She didn’t remember a time when she had been sick for more than a few days at a time. And surely medical treatment had been used to save her life. How is she ever to pay the King for everything? She had nothing, was nothing.

“Is the King mad at me?” Ayla asked. She actually wanted to ask how will the King make pay for whatever herbs Milton had to use for her potions.

Ayla grabbed her mother's amulet and waited for Milton’s answer.

Milton looked at her hand while he talked, “Mad? Because you were sick? He was rather mad at himself. I’ve never seen him….”

A knock on the door interrupted whatever Milton was about to say.

Milton muttered something about Inoss and timing before saying, “Come in!”

When the door opened, Kerra darted into the room, followed by a maid that was carrying a tray.

“Kerra!” Ayla said excitedly.

The snowcat jumped on the bed, went to Ayla, and started licking her face. Moments later, Kerra started purring.

“I missed you too!” Ayla said while she tried to calm Kerra down.

The maid put the tray on the table, then went and said something to the Fire Mage.

“Excellent! Thank you! You can go, I will take care of the rest,” Milton said to the maid, and she left the room.

Kerra stopped licking Ayla and decided to sleep on her lap. Ayla was never allowed to have pets while growing up, and while Kerra wasn’t hers, the Princess started loving the snowcat.

Milton went to the table, picked up a bowl, and brought it to Ayla.

“While you have been sick Kerra never left your room. Well, except today. She tends to get restless if she stays inside for many days. So Rhobart took her, well, hunting. I think. Hungry?”

Ayla was actually starving so she gave a short nod and then looked at the sleeping cat, “I understand her. Back home I went outside each day. I had a small garden, where I used to plant flowers and herbs. I got anxious if I didn’t get to tend to my garden daily.”

The Fire Mage wanted to hand over the bowl full of broth but when he saw how her fingers trembled decided against it.

Ayla smiled bitterly, “I am afraid I am going to need some help. Sorry.”

Milton shrugged like it was no big deal, “It is not the first time I am helping someone eat. During the war, I had to help those that were too sick or too wounded to eat. Some lost limbs and had to learn…”

Horror must have shown on Ayla’s face because Milton muttered an apology, “I shouldn’t speak of such things.”

“Why? They are true, aren’t they?”

Milton cleared his voice, “So you are interested in gardening?”

Ayla was about to answer him but when she tasted the food her eyes went wide, “By Adanoss! That broth contains dragon-roots! I can’t eat it!”

Her finger went around the amulet once more.

Milton’s eyes followed the movement of her hand then looked at her, “Why?”

“Because it’s rare and expensive. And because you shouldn’t waste it on me!”

Milton chuckled, “This dragon-root is only for you. It will help you gain your strength back.”

“But…”

“It took a long time and effort to track down this dragon-root. And then the time to prepare the food. Now stop protesting and eat.”

Ayla knew she should waste Milton’s medicinal plants. If she didn’t eat the broth it would probably be thrown away and it would be such a waste.

Left with no choice, Ayla ate while she told Milton about her books and her little garden. She told him how her mother and grandmother started teaching her about plants and herbs. Her mother died when Ayla was nine years, a month after the war started. Her grandmother died the following year, leaving her alone with her father and brother.

When Ayla finished eating she realized that she was already feeling stronger. She moved a hand and joy filled her heart when she saw that the trembling stopped. But not only that but Ayla felt stronger than she felt half an hour ago.

Milton handed her a cup of tea, “Now drink this. It will help heal your body faster.”

Ayla took the cup smelled the tea, drank, closed her eyes, and said, “Embelia and white eclipta. Embelia for healing and white eclipta to help me sleep well.”

“You are good with plants, aren’t you?”

Ayla shrugged, drank some more, and replied, “My mother used to say that on the day I was born the royal garden bloomed with all kinds of flowers and plants. Even to this day, I don’t know if she was joking or telling the truth. Besides, I only know the healing plants used by the Water Mages.”

Milton laughed, “There is no such thing as healing plants used by the Water Mages. Fire Mages, Water Mages or Dark Mages use the same plants for healing.”

“But Drax told me that Water Mages use different plants than the Fire Mages.”

“I have no idea who this Drax is, but he doesn’t sound like he knows a lot.”

“Well, you see, Drax is a Water Mage novice. He is, was, my only friend.”

Milton shook with laughter, “I think your friend Drax failed his Herbology Class.”

When the Fire Mage finally stopped laughing asked Ayla, “Do you know why all Mages use the same plants?”

When Ayla shook her head Milton continued, “Because healing wasn’t a gift from Adanoss or Inoss and most certainly not a gift from Beliar. It was the last gift of Aylarra to Inoss.”

Ayla narrowed her eyes, “Aylarra is the name of our planet. And it was Inoss that created it.”

Milton pointed at her amulet, “I thought you knew since you are wearing an aquamarine. It is the stone of the goddess Aylarra.”

“I never heard of a goddess Aylarra,” Ayla said.

“That’s because we don’t talk about her too often. When the Void created the gods from his emptiness, he created four gods, not three. First was Inoss, the Fire, then Beliar, the Darkness, followed by Adanoss, the Equilibrium. Aylarra, the Peace, was the last of the gods, and the only female. Inoss loved his brothers very much, but Aylarra was his favorite. Even the Void and Adanoss loved the gentle Aylarra with all their souls. Beliar didn’t love his sister and was jealous of her. One day, filled with rage and hatred, Beliar killed the goddess. When Inoss found the dead body of Aylarra he wept and the first planets and stars were born from his tears. And because he loved her so much, Inoss made our world from her body. In the beginning, the planet was bare, but when the Fire god stepped on it, it filled with flowers. Do you know why?”

Ayla was so captivated by the story that she almost missed Milton’s question.

“No,” she answered.

“Because Inoss used to call his sister Ayla which means flower in the language of the gods.”

“So my name means flower,” Ayla said.

Milton nodded,” And from her last gift to Inoss, Mages and herbalists make all sorts of potions and remedies. There are women that worship her, even if she is no more. After all, Inoss created the woman from the image of Aylarra. The women that worship Aylarra usually have an amulet with an aquamarine.”

“In Myrthana we worship Adanoss. This amulet belonged to my mother. And before that, it had belonged to her mother, my grandmother, and so on for many generations. But I never heard them talk about Aylarra. Thank you for telling me about her, even if her ending is sad.”

Milton gave her a sad smile, “You know, there is a bit of the goddess in each man and woman from this planet.”

“How so?”

“Because Inoss created the humans from the soil.”

Milton looked out the window, “It is growing late and I should let you rest.”

“Thank you for talking with me and taking care of me,” Ayla said.

“Just doing my duty. And if you ever need to talk to someone I would be happy to listen to you.”

Before he left, Milton added a few logs into the fireplace, helped Ayla settle for the night, and retreated to his tower.

That night Ayla dreamed of flowers and snow. When she woke up there was something about her dream that she tried to remember but no matter how hard she tried Ayla could not remember. In the end, she let it go.

While she got up from bed, Kerra, in her battle form, tracked all her movements. Ayla went to look in the mirror that was in the room. She frowned when she saw how she looked – she lost weight, the undergarment she was wearing hang loose on her body, her black hair lost all its shiness, her blue eyes looked haunted, and the dark circles from under her eyes made her look more tired than she felt.

When she finished studying herself in the mirror, Ayla decided to inspect her new room. Given that this was her new room. It was simple but beautiful. Feminine. Apart from the bed with its two typical nightstands, the table, and the mirror, two chairs, a wardrobe, a desk with an armchair, and some empty shelves completed the furniture of the room. Soft rugs made from animal furs covered the stone floor.

On the table, Ayla spotted some books, a bouquet of flowers, and a basket with fruits. She had never seen flowers like these before, they were small, white, delicate and the petals formed a bell. She picked the bouquet up and smelled them – the scent wasn’t familiar to her, but she loved it.

After that, she decided to look at the books. There were five in total, three of them about medicinal plants and flowers from all the continent, and the other two about stories and myths about the gods.

“Oh, Milton! Thank you!” Ayla said.

A door closed behind her and when she look to see if someone entered the room, there was no one there. Ayla frowned, but she turned her attention back to the books. She picked up one, took a fruit from the basket, went to the bed, sat on it, rested her head on Kerra’s belly, and started reading.