Watched
[28th September 1830]
[Present year, mere days before the war would unfold…]
[The Northeastern mountain; along the borders of the Silvern empire and Heinrich territory.]
"Argh!" a knight screamed as his comrades dragged him back to a huge tent in the forest opening.
"Lay him down here," Alina pointed to one of the makeshift infirmary beds, "What happened?"
"A strange animal charged at us. Alan," a knight gestured to the wounded knight that now lay on the bed, "wasn't able to evade the attack in time."
Alina leaned close and began removing Alan's armor and gasped. His right leg was fractured, the bone protruding from his flesh at an awkward angle. Though not her first encounter with such a gruesome injury, she immediately started making preparations. Applying an ice pack wrapped In cloth, Alina began to craft a simple splint for the wounded area.
"Wait… Aren't you going to heal his leg?" one of the knights asked.
"No, the wound is too severe for me to heal. We'll need to wait for one of the other healers to attend to him. I've just given him emergency care to prevent any further damage. Please wait here as I go call one of the healers to h-"
"How can you even call yourself a healer when you can't even do your job?! Why were you even sent out on this mission anyway?!" another knight yelled.
"I'm sorry, but-" Alina was interrupted when a few of the healers entered the camp.
"Honestly, there's nothing like having a meal in the comfort of your own home. I can't wait for this mission to be over… Oh! What happened here?" a thin male healer asked, stepping into the makeshift infirmary.
"Robert, this knight has a fractured leg. Please heal him," Alina said, directing the healer's attention to the injured knight, while a blond-haired female healer peeked from behind him.
"What is it, Robert? Why are you blocking the entrance? ...Ah, I see what happened. Alina is unable to heal, again. How useless!"
"Yeah, why did you healers even send her?" the knight from earlier interjected.
"Honestly, I've no idea. Other than being immensely knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, Alina is unable to properly harness power from her mana. Regardless, she was personally handpicked by the High Priest to be his apprentice," Robert confessed, his tone tinged with a hint of bewilderment as he exchanged a meaningful glance with the female healer, silently seeking validation for his uncertainty.
The knight's incredulous interjection sliced through the air like a sword, his disbelief palpable. Alina felt the weight of their judgment settled upon her shoulders, a familiar burden she bore with resignation.
'Here we go again…' Alina thought, her spirit sinking as she braced herself for the onslaught of speculation and accusation.
Robert attempted to steer the conversation onto safer ground with a tentative explanation. "Well, she could be a charity case. She is an orphan and His Holiness has a kind heart," he ventured, his words a feeble attempt to diffuse the rising tension.
But Claire, with her penchant for drama, seized the opportunity to sow seeds of scandal. "No, no. I believe that Alina is an illegitimate child of…" Her pause was pregnant with anticipation, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper, "The High Priest!"
Alina's protest was swift, her voice trembling with a mixture of hurt and defiance. "Please don't say that about His Holiness," she implored, her words a fervent plea for understanding in the face of baseless accusations.
Claire's laughter, sharp and cutting, echoed through the tent like a cruel refrain. "Oh~ Getting angry, are we? If that is not the case, why else would His Holiness even put up with a street rat like you? Perhaps… No, it can't be. Hm… Are you his mistress?" Her words dripped with venom, each syllable a dagger aimed at Alina's fragile sense of self-worth.
As Terrence and Ellis entered, their presence a welcome distraction from the escalating conflict, the other healers gasped in shock. Robert, his desperation evident, attempted to rein in Claire's reckless accusations. "C-Claire… You need to stop…" he implored, his voice tinged with urgency.
But Claire, oblivious to the gravity of her words, continued her tirade unabated. "In that case, why don't you just sit down there and look pretty? I'm sure that that is all you do with the High Priest anyway, " she taunted, her laughter a bitter reminder of the cruelty that lurked within their midst.
Terrence's voice, thunderous in its righteous indignation, shattered the fragile tranquility with a stern rebuke. "Claire! That is disrespectful to the church and His Holiness! You're well aware that His Holiness lives a life of celibacy. I hope that I never hear such foul nonsense ever again."
For a fleeting moment, the tent was engulfed in a solemn hush, the weight of Terrence's words hanging heavy in the air. Yet, like a storm brewing on the horizon, the tranquility proved to be merely a temporary respite from the tempest of discord that raged within the tent's confines.
"Hmph! Let's go, guys," Claire huffed, her frustration palpable as she stormed off, leaving only a handful of healers behind in her wake.
Though the immediate conflict had dissipated, Alina still felt the weight of unease settling upon her shoulders like a heavy shroud. As she made a move to depart the tent, Terrence's firm grip on her arm halted her.
"You can stay here," Terrence insisted, his voice carrying a note of concern that softened the edges of his stern demeanor.
Alina hesitated, torn between the discomfort of lingering in the aftermath and the desire to escape the lingering tension. "No, I'm not really doing anything here. The other healers have attended to everyone. So, I should… go now…"
But Terrence's resolve remained unyielding. "If it's because of what they said, I can have a word with them," he offered, his voice gentle yet resolute.
Alina shook her head, a wistful smile playing at the corners of her lips. "No, there's no need to. I'm already used to it… Oh, my water bag is nearly depleted. I'll go look for a water stream to refill."
"Alina..." Terrence's concern was evident in his voice, his brow furrowing with worry.
"Don't worry. I won't wander too far away. I have a dagger with me in case of anything, but I'll scream if there really is trouble," Alina reassured him, her tone teasing as she darted off toward an unexplored corner of the forest.
Terrence moved to follow, but Ellis intercepted his path, his expression grave with caution. "But there are wild, dangerous animals–"
"Don't worry. I've already erected a protective barrier within a five-mile radius when I scouted the area earlier. Nothing threatening– be it human or creature will be able to break through the barrier," Ellis explained, his confidence unwavering in the face of Terrence's concern.
Terrence's brows furrowed in reluctant acceptance. "What if Alina wanders out of the barrier?"
"I'll know when she goes near the barrier. Just give her some space for now," Ellis reassured him, his tone firm yet reassuring.
With a resigned sigh, Terrence conceded. "Fine," he huffed, reluctantly acquiescing to Ellis's expertise and Alina's independent spirit.
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The forest enveloped Alina in a cloak of quiet solitude, broken only by the rhythmic cadence of her footsteps and the soft crunch of dried leaves beneath her boots.
As she ventured further from the safety of the campsite, a sense of unease settled over her like a shadow.
'Strange… Is this how forests are?' she mused, her brow furrowing in contemplation. 'I remember the forest back in the empire being filled with life. However, in this place, it seems that not a single animal or insect was out and about.'
The silence, once comforting, now felt oppressive, weighing heavily upon her shoulders. Alina hesitated, on the verge of retreating to the familiarity of the campsite, when the faint sounds of splashing water reached her ears.
'There should be a stream in that direction,' she reasoned, her curiosity piqued by the promise of running water. 'I don't think that it is too far away since I can hear it. Maybe the animals are on the other side of the stream upon hearing our group hike up this side of the mountain?'
Yet, doubt gnawed at the edges of her resolve, whispering of unseen dangers lurking beyond the safety of the campsite. 'But what if there's something dangerous on that side?' she wondered, her gaze flickering back towards the distant glow of the campfire.
Alina's heart ached with the weight of past wounds, the echoes of hurtful remarks still lingering in the recesses of her mind. 'No,' she resolved, her voice firm with determination.
'I would rather go on a small adventure than return to hear all of that. Six years of having listened to those remarks still hurt a lot… Besides, something tells me that the High Priest will never allow me to leave the church once I've returned from this mission.'
With a deep breath to steady her nerves, Alina forged ahead, her footsteps resolute as she followed the melodic call of the running water, her spirit alight with the promise of discovery and newfound freedom.
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"Yes, I was right! There is a stream here and it is beautiful," Alina exclaimed with a radiant smile, her eyes tracing the shimmering path of the clear water cascading down from the mountain peak.
As she had suspected, life thrived on the other side of the stream. Birds serenaded from the verdant branches of nearby trees, while graceful deer grazed lazily on the lush grass. Butterflies danced among the vibrant blossoms, their delicate wings painting the air with flashes of color.
'I wish I could stay out here the whole day, but I'm sure that Terrence will begin to worry if I fail to return within the next couple of minutes,' Alina thought ruefully, her fingers trailing lightly over the surface of the crystalline water as she filled her water bag.
Just as she prepared to depart, a shrill cry pierced the tranquil air from the other side of the stream, followed by a softer, more plaintive sound.
'I think that an animal was hurt. That's the only thing I can think of. It sounds like it is in pain. I shouldn't g–'
But Alina's compassionate heart wouldn't allow her to ignore the cries of distress. With a determined leap, she cleared the stream and raced toward the source of the anguished calls, her senses keenly attuned to the task at hand.
Arriving at a small clearing in the heart of the forest, Alina cautiously scanned her surroundings, her hand instinctively reaching for the comforting weight of her dagger. Finding no immediate threat, she approached a trembling rabbit with cautious steps, she observed the deep gashes that marred three of its delicate limbs. Despite its valiant efforts to escape, the rabbit's chances of survival seemed bleak. Yet, its spirit remained unyielding, attempting to even crawl upon sighting her.
"Shh… It's okay. I'm here to help," Alina murmured soothingly, her voice a gentle caress as she approached the injured creature.
Ensuring she was alone, Alina drew her dagger once more, her heart heavy with resolve. "I'm sorry, Your Holiness. I can't just walk away," she whispered softly before slicing her palm with the blade.
With steady hands, she positioned her wounded hand above the rabbit, allowing her blood to trickle onto its injuries. As if touched by magic, the wounds began to close before her eyes, the rabbit's pained cries fading into relieved silence as it darted away to safety.
"Goodbye, Mister Rabbit," Alina whispered with a fond smile, her heart warmed by the small act of kindness she had bestowed.
As she rose to her feet, Alina glanced down at her palm, the wound already beginning to close. 'Mm. The wound has closed up. I just need to wash the blood off my dagger and hand before returning to the others. I don't want Terrence or Elias to know about it.'
With one last glance around the tranquil clearing, Alina sighed contentedly and began her journey back to camp, her heart light with the knowledge that she had made a difference in the life of a creature in need.
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Deep within the shadowy embrace of the forest, concealed from Alina's watchful gaze, a figure lurked among the branches of a towering tree overlooking the clearing. With keen eyes that missed no detail, he observed the scene unfolding below.
"What an interesting find," the man murmured with a sly grin as a second figure materialized beside him, his presence a silent echo of anticipation. "Perhaps this is the true reason they've put up this protective barrier."
"Commander, shall I retrieve the girl for you?" inquired the second figure, his voice edged with deference.
The commander's gaze remained fixed on the unfolding tableau below, his mind already spinning with schemes and strategies. "No, I'd like to observe the girl for now…" His words trailed off as his attention was drawn to the rabbit that had ventured close to their hidden perch. "Floyen, catch that rabbit for me. I have an inkling that the girl will return to visit the animal she has just healed."
With a nod of understanding, Floyen swiftly sprang into action, his movements calculated and precise as he deftly captured the unsuspecting rabbit, ensuring it made no sound that would betray his presence.
"Dear Miss, I hope to see you soon… Come, Floyen. We need to strategize for when the enemy crosses our borders. The low-level monsters have been keeping them busy, but I expect an invasion within the next couple of days, " the commander declared, his voice laced with anticipation as he and Floyen vanished into the depths of the forest, their minds already consumed by the looming threat on the horizon.