Chapter 6
As the weeks went by, Lavi and Elah worked together on all the different tasks given by her parents in their free time. While Lavi trained, Elah worked with her mother on learning about different medicinal herbs and other strange remedies. Elah was sure she was probably going to make a living as selling the remedies and wrote down as much information about as she could.
Elah also worked on her healing by working on any injuries or just sore muscles the boys had. It didn't take long before she was able to heal more than one injury without losing consciousness afterwards.
Even though they spent a lot of time getting to know each other more, she never asked Lavi personal questions about his mother or his life before he came to train with her father. She did discover that he did not want to join the royal guard or any of the armed forces, he wanted to travel and find new adventures but with his training he would most likely be forced into the royal guard.
Elah loved his free spirit and found that she was doing everything she could to get him to smile. She wished she could run away with him to find new adventure somewhere, she was growing tired of her boring life, especially since her parents hadn't given her any free time in weeks.
She still felt the need to have some time to herself, even if she did enjoy spending time with Lavi. She had grown very fond of him and she hoped he felt the same but knew he would probably end up finding a girl his own age eventually.
It was a sunny afternoon while Lavi and Elah were working on fixing the chicken coup when Jabin came to them. “I think you have both done enough to earn back your free time. So once you have finished with the chicken coup, you can both have your free time back” he told them, with a smile. “We also need to get ready to say our goodbyes to Varg, he will be leaving us in three days.”
Both Lavi and Elah looked at each other and smiled. The news couldn't have come at a better time. They were both tired from all the work they had been doing and welcomed the break.
As they finished their work on the chicken coup, they both talked about the little gifts they had been working on for Varg’s going away. Elah had finished a blanket for him when she was working with her mother in sewing lessons. Lavi had made him a dagger during weapon creation lessons, it wasn't fancy but it was very sharp and practical.
The next evening after dinner everyone sat in the living room and gave their gifts to Varg. The moon was full and while Jabin and Ebele had a drink their children were given time together, which was mostly spent in the garden. River was closest with Varg and took most of his time and after getting bored with the conversation Talib went to read in his room.
After spending weeks together Lavi and Elah found it nice to just sit and talk, especially since they were not working at the same time. They takes of adventure and what they hoped their future would be like but that wasn't what held Elah captive.
It wasn’t long before they found themselves sitting in the garden alone. The others had all found something else to take them away, leaving just the two of them sitting on a bench by a garden in full bloom.
The moon was illuminating the flowers and the soft breeze cooled the garden from the heat of the day. Elah watched as the breeze played in Lavi’s loose hair around his face, his skin looked silky smooth and his lips looked soft and she tried to keep up with the conversation but was finding it increasingly difficult.
The moon light made his green eyes sparkle as it danced across his face, showing off his handsome features in a way that had Elah spellbound. His long brown slacks gently hugged his legs, subtly showing off his muscles but she wanted to know what he looked like without his loose white shirt that gently moved about in the breeze, teasing her.
She watched as he reached into his slacks side pocket pulling out a beautifully decorated dagger. The metal had been polished and shone in the dim light, mesmerizing Elah with its beauty.
Holding it out he looked into her eyes, “I made this for you so you can take it next time you go into the forest” he said, smiling at her softly. “I know it’s small but I hope it will help to protect you.”
Elah gently took it from him and looked it over in the moonlight. “It’s so beautiful, you didn’t have to do this” she said, looking at the dagger. “But I don’t have anything for you.”
As she sat staring at the dagger, she finally thought of something. She then reached behind her neck to unclip the leather necklace she had made. She had found some seeds and other pieces she had thought were pretty in the forest and arranged them to make the necklace.
Grasping both ends, she looked at it, hoping he would like it and not just tell her he did. She then reached behind his neck and fastened the necklace in place. It wasn't much but at least it didn't look girly.
As she began to slide her hands away, he caught her arms and held them in place, her face an inch from his. They could feel each other's breath on their cheeks as they stared into each other eyes. Even though she didn't have any reason to, she felt nervous and told herself she was being silly.
He then gently slid his hands down her arms and let her go before placing one of his hands behind her neck and the other around her body, he then drew her closer. “Thank you” he murmured before brushing his lips gently against hers.
He waited a couple of second, hovering mere millimetres from her lip, to see if she would pull away but she didn’t, she waited for him to lead her into what he would do next. He held her tighter, feeling her grip tighten around his arms, he brushed her lips with his again before kissing her harder, crushing her lips beneath his. As he kissed her, her overwhelmed emotions caused her hands light up, causing a serge of energy through his body.
Lavi paused for a moment, the energy he was receiving somehow felt different to the energy he felt when she healed him. It felt like she was lightly caressing with her energy but at the same time it was giving him a boost of energy, to him it felt wonderful.
As she breathed out, her lips slightly parted giving him the opportunity to deepen their kiss. She felt her whole body melt into his as she experienced her first kiss. It was an experience she would never forget because it felt better than she ever dreamed it would, she didn't want this moment to end.
As he pulled away slightly and looked into her eyes with a gentle smile, not letting her go. She returned his gaze and could stop the sweet smile that slowly formed on her softened face.
As he gazed into her wide eyes, he delicately brushed his fingers across her soft cheek, then gently kissed her on the forehead before whispering, “You have no idea how strong I have had to be not to do that before now”.
“Kiss me again” she breathed, desperate to feel his soft lips on hers again.
He smiled and kissed her again, not restraining himself this time and explored everything she had to offer. Her hands and lips lit up this time, causing his whole body to feel the energy produced by her emotions, letting him know her feelings for him were strong. This made him want to hold her in his embrace forever.
As he pulled away, he whispered, “I think we have been in enough trouble, we should head in.”
“Okay” Elah managed to say, too weaken by the experience to argue but still disappointed.
They held hands until they were in site of the door and walked in as friends. It was difficult for the both of them to wipe the smirks off their faces but everyone else seemed too preoccupied to notice.
They walked through the house and up to their rooms, both fully aware of the other. Elah could smell the scent of his soap and Lavi noticed the way her skin glowed even in the dull light. When they reached their rooms, with out saying a word, they both scanned the area to ensure they were alone before sneaking a small kiss and separating for the night.
As Elah got ready for bed she stood in her room looking at the dagger Lavi had given her. It was beautifully crafted, with leafy designs running from the handle to about half way down the middle of the blade. The dagger was beautiful and she felt her gift to him was trivial in
comparison and vowed to come up with something better.
Taking one last look, she hid the dagger in with her clothes and slid into bed. As she laid in bed she thought about Lavi and how it felt to kiss him and have his arms wrapped around her but she didn’t want to remember, she wanted to experience it again. She wanted to feel his soft lips on hers and taste him again but for now she just had to bath in her own happiness as she drifted off to sleep.
As their children slept Jabin and Ebele sat out on the verandah enjoying each other’s company. The cool evening breeze kept them cool, as they drank fruity drinks and held hands taking pleasure in the simple touch they shared. Ebele hated it when Jabin went into town and even though he was not going tomorrow, he would need to rest up for the long and very early trip the next day, so this was the last opportunity she would get to relax with him.
As the moon moved higher in the sky and Jabin had cleaned up their glasses, Ebele sat in her chair listening to the noises of the night, when she heard a noise that didn’t belong. She stood up and scanned the area looking for the noise that was getting louder.
“Do you hear that Jabin?” she called, looking over her shoulder to see where Jabin was.
Jabin walked straight out of the house and stood beside Ebele, the night was clear and the stars looked like millions of little gems dotted across the sky. They both listened carefully and when he heard it, he too scanned the area for the noise as well. As he scanned he saw a twinkle in the distance.
“There” he said pointing at the small hint of a light coming in their direction.
“I wonder who would be coming here at this time of the night?” Ebele asked, watching the light grow in size as it got closer.
“Well, I guess we will soon find out” Jabin said, relaxing back into his chair in an attempt to keep Ebele calm, while he thought of the different scenarios.
Ebele sighed as she relaxed next to Jabin. She was hoping to have an uneventful evening and was ready for bed. They both sat in silence as they watched the light grow into three horses, with lamps hanging from the horses chest providing light for the riders.
Once they were close enough, Jabin got up and greeted the riders, while Ebele waited for Jabin give the word as to what the riders wanted. While she waited, she couldn't push away the bad feeling and gripped the chairs arm rests to try and calm herself down but failed.
The riders walked up onto the verandah and silently took off their long dark brown drench coats, revealing two in royal guards in uniform and the third a young boy dressed in brown slacks and a black loose shirt.
“Can I get you anything to drink” Ebele offered, wanting the opportunity to leave.
“Water would be great” one of the guards said, with a smile.
Ebele raced off and tried to calm herself before collecting some glasses and a pitcher of water. She then tried to calmly walk back outside and put the drinks on a small table on the verandah.
After sitting around the small table and taking a drink each, one of the guards finally spoke “I am Jaymz, this is Kahrl and this is Leif” he introduced everyone, giving Jabin and Ebele enough time to acknowledge everyone as he went.
Jabin introduced Ebele and himself to the three and sat back to hear what they wanted. Although he was pretty sure he was probably not going to like it.
“Nice to meet you,” the eldest looking of the two guards, Kahrl said, “We are here to collect Varg and Leif here will be your new student.”
“Did you bring your belongings?” Jabin asked Leif.
Kahrl then turned to Jaymz and told him to collect Leif’s bags from the horses. “The king has requested that Leif’s identity be kept secret, this means you can not refer to him by name in public places” Kahrl instructed them, giving them a cautionary look.
“Okay, may I ask why?” Jabin asked.
“No, the king just wants his presence here to be discreet and will pay double your usual amount for your discretion. He also understands you do not have your usual number of students at this time and will be back paying you for your lack of one student and will ensure that future payments will reflect three students” Kahrl explained.
“Okay, can you please explain that again” Ebele said, looking confused.
“Basically you will be back paid to reflect three students and all future payments will be as if you have four students” Kahrl explained, looking irritated.
“Oh, that will be nice” Ebele said sweetly. “Will I need to make up beds for all of you tonight?” Ebele asked.
“Thank you, unfortunately we will need to collect Varg and his belongings and head out” Kahrl answered. “We need to be back by mid morning.”
Ebele nodded and headed up to get Varg ready. While they waited, Jabin took some food from the kitchen and offered the three some food before they left and packed a bag of food for the road. As they waited they discussed general events and news from the city. Jabin knew he wouldn't get the opportunity and didn't want to make things anymore uncomfortable then they already were.
It didn’t take Varg long to finish his packing and after introducing himself to the two guards, Jaymz and Varg were sent to get the horses ready. “Jabin, if there are any issues or concerns you need to let us know” Kahrl said, putting his coat on and headed toward the horses.
Ebele followed Kahrl to say their final goodbyes to Varg, leaving Leif to wait alone on the verandah. As the horses left Ebele stood watching them disappear with tears running down her cheeks. Jabin hugged her and let her cry in his arms, until she couldn't cry anymore.
“I know you’re upset about Varg’s departure but we need to get Elah out of here tonight, Leif is the kings son” Jabin whispered. Jabin had recognised his mothers deep turquoise eyes and his father’s facial features and was now panicking about it.
Ebele pushed Jabin back to look into his eyes. She was shocked and now concerned. “Okay, once we put Leif to bed we will get River and Elah ready” Ebele said sighing.
She was sad to have to say goodbye to Varg and now Elah, she felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. Even though she knew Elah would be safe, she knew she would no longer be under the same roof and under her watchful eye.
While Jabin settled Leif into his new room, Ebele prepared as much as she could for Elah and River. Once Leif was in bed Jabin woke River and told him he needed to take Elah to his parent’s house, River looked confused but didn't question his father.
While Jabin helped River get ready, Ebele woke Elah, who was in a deep sleep snuggled in her bed. Her mother gave her a bag and told her to pack only what she needed. Elah snarled at her mother but was too tired to argue with her and did as she was told.
As she packed her bag she hid the dagger in her clothes, she wasn't going to leave it for someone else to find. Once she had everything she thought she would need packed, she dragged her bag out into the hall and stared at Lavi's door before meeting with her parents and River in the living room.
“Elah, River is going to take you to stay with my parents” Jabin instructed, kissing her on the head.
“What? No, I can’t go, what did I do?” Elah protested, folding her arms across her chest.
“You haven’t done anything wrong, we just need you to go for your own safety” Ebele said, pulling her into a warm hug.
“I can look after myself” Elah hissed.
“We better go before we wake anyone up” River said, grabbing Elah’s bag.
“Everyone?” Elah questioned sarcastically. “Lavi and Talib are the only ones sleeping and now I can't say goodbye to them.”
“Elah, settle down” Jabin growled. “You will get to see them again soon.”
Elah snapped her mouth closed, her father looked like he was getting angry and she didn't want anymore taken from her, given that she didn't have much now.
“I’ve packed an overnight bag for you River so you can stay with Elah while she settles in” Ebele said, looking at River over Elah’s head.
Ebele hugged Elah h
arder as tears ran down her face once more and Jabin held them both in his arms. They knew she was not going to be too far away but she was still going to be away from her family, Talib and River would miss her and they would all have to keep her from their conversations.
Ebele reluctantly let Elah go and watched her and River disappear on a horse into the dark forest. Both Ebele and Jabin didn’t sleep well as they worried about their two children travelling through the forest at night. They both got out of bed early to let Talib and Lavi know that Elah was gone and not to talk about her. Ebele was surprised at how hard the news was for Lavi but let it be, as she thought about how close the two had become recently.
River had to keep waking Elah up as they rode through the forest. She was not use to being awake so late at night and neither was River. So River decided to play a game with Elah to keep them both awake. River would say the name of an herb and Elah would have to tell him about it. They played until the sun started to rise and once there was enough light, River to started pushing the horse faster.
The horse weaved through the trees fast enough to make them blur. Elah had never gone so fast and hung on for dear life to the horses’ mane, even though River had one arm around her. River smiled at Elah’s sudden need to hold on tighter but continued to push the horse through the forest.
It took quite some time before Elah was able to relax and was exhausted from lack of sleep and from holding on so tightly. River noticed the change and pushed the horse slightly faster, Elah didn’t notice the change and rested her hands on the horses neck.
“Are you okay?” River asked, giving her a little squeeze.
Elah just nodded and started to rub the horse’s neck. The horse was sweating and Elah could tell it was starting to tire. Closing her eyes, Elah relaxed her hands on the horse’s neck. A light glow came from her hands as she searched the horse for injury but found none. Without realising it she sent a burst of energy through the horses body giving it more strength to keep going.
River watched the glow brighten and tightened his grip incase she used too much energy. He could feel the horses body strengthen and as the glow soften he could feel Elah’s body slump against his arm. “Still with me?” he asked, continuing to push the horse.
“Yes but I don’t know how much further the horse will be able to go” Elah said softly.
“We don’t have much further to go” River said, pushing the horse harder.
It didn’t take long before they arrived at a cottage with a thatch roof and stonewalls. Elah remembered the flowery gardens that surrounded it and even though it looked like it had never been looked after, her grandmother spent a lot of time fussing with the plants to make it look the way it did. The interior had two large bedrooms on the top level and an open living area on the main floor with a large kitchen, which could warm the entire house.
Their grandfather greeted them at the gate, the cottage was fenced in by large hedges. It would have been a clearing in the forest before the cottage was built but the cottage had been passed down from generation to generation on jabin’s side of the family and no one really remembered what the area looked like without the cottage.
The cottage usually went to the oldest child but because Jabin’s father was the only child to have any children the cottage went to him and not his older sister who worked in the city teaching young children and never married or had children. River being the oldest of three was next in line to receive the cottage, especially since Jabin had no need for it.
Once their bags were taken in their grandfather took the horse to the stables and came back to see his wife sitting in the kitchen feeding the children. “You two look like you haven’t slept” he said, as he sat down and grabbed a muffin.
“Yeah, we had to leave late last night” River said, rubbing his eyes.
“Well best eat up and head up to bed” their grandmother said, pushing more food across the table.
They both helped clean up after eating their fill and headed up to the single large bed in the spare room up stairs. The room had once housed three small beds were Jabin and his siblings had slept but those beds were long gone, replaced by a large bed when Jabin married. Jabin and Ebele lived there until their current house was built.
Elah awoke with the late afternoon sun shining on her face causing her face to heat up. She rolled over to see River still asleep at the other end of the bed. Elah quietly rolled out of the bed and closed the curtains and headed downstairs to see what her grandparents were up to.
She found her grandfather trimming the hedges in the back yard and her grandmother nearby digging in a small vegetable garden. Picking up a small spade, Elah went and started to help her grandmother.
“Oh Elah, how did you sleep my dear?” she asked, surprised to see her.
“Like a baby” Elah answered, with a smile.
“That’s wonderful” her grandmother laughed. “Is River still asleep?”
“Yes, I think he really needs it” Elah answered, digging in the dirt.
“Well I think we should wake him or he will not sleep tonight, so why don’t you run along and get him up, please” her grandmother requested, with a warm smile.
Elah nodded and put the spade away, she wasn't going to protest because she wanted to know what River knew. Elah had never visited her grandparents without her father and wondered how they would be towards her. She didn’t want to get them off side, especially since she was not sure how long she was going to be staying.
She didn’t know much about her grandparents except her grandfather often went into town on business. Her grandparents were quite young, Elah guessed they would be in their mid four hundreds and since fae lived into their low eleven hundreds, they still had a long life to live. She also knew her grandmother was a good sewer but had no idea if she had a job or not.
Elah quietly walked in the bedroom and sat next to River. Pushing him gently on the shoulder she whisper his name causing him to stir. She continued to do this until he opened his eyes.
“What’s going on?” he moaned.
“Grandma said if you don’t get up, you won’t sleep tonight” Elah softly answered.
“Oh crap” River said, sitting up straight, “I have to get going.”
“No, you have to stay the night with me” Elah complained.
“Elah, I have to get back and I need to move before I loose too much light”
“River, it’s late afternoon. There is no way you are going to get far in todays daylight” Elah pointed out, folding her arms across her chest.
“Seriously!” River said, getting up and pulling open the curtains. “Well I guess you are going to get it your way tonight” River admitted, giving Elah a weak smile.
“So what are grandma and grandpa up to?” River asked, as they went down to get their bags.
“They were both in the garden” Elah said, making sure she took the bag with her dagger up herself.
“Maybe we should make some dinner after we take your bags up” River suggested.
“That would be a nice way to thank them for letting me stay” Elah said, wanting to stay as close to River as possible.
As they walked into the kitchen their grandmother was at one of the benches sorting some vegetables from her garden. She looked up and smiled at them and gestured for them to sit on the other side of the bench.
“She must have come in while we were upstairs” Elah whispered to River, as they walked over.
River just laughed at her and started to help sort the vegetables as he sat down. Elah copied not sure what to do with herself. “I was thinking about cooking up these vegetables for dinner” their grandmother said.
“Oh that sounds great, can we help?” Elah asked, looking around at all the different vegetables.
“Of course you can” their grandmother said, starting to wash the vegetables.
They spent the next hour preparing dinner and as they did they talked about what they had been up to at home and how
Elah was strengthening her healing abilities. Their grandmother was not sure if they would be much help in that area but would try and support her anyway they could.
Elah didn’t feel comfortable talking about her healing and tried to change the subject as often as possible, to no avail. Her mother had made such a big deal about how everyone’s gifts were private, Elah had gotten use to keeping as much as she could to herself.
After dinner they sat in the garden and relaxed in the cool of the evening breeze. The day had been hot and it hadn’t rained for a while so the heat was dry. This made Elah’s bath extra enjoyable as the water felt nice on her dry skin.
River was happy to climb back into bed at the end of the evening and Elah made him promise not to leave without giving her a chance to say goodbye. She also instructed him to make the others come and visit her. She was worried about being left here on her own and really wanted to see Lavi again but didn’t want to make it obvious.
She laid in bed thinking about the night before and how much she wanted to see Lavi again but was not sure how long it would be or if she would see him before he left. She quietly cried herself to sleep, her unknown future frightening her.
The morning sun woke Elah, she had not slept well, as she worried that River would leave without giving her a chance to say goodbye. But she rolled over to see River still asleep next her. She moved closer to soak up some of his body heat, not because she was cold but because she wanted savour the feeling of being near someone familiar.
It wasn’t long before River woke up and started to get ready for his trip back. Elah just followed him around and watched him, with a sad look on her face. He thought she was being gloomy about the whole thing but understood since this was the first time she had spent any length of time away from home.
“Why don’t you just stay another day” Elah pleaded with him, as he readied his horse.
“You know I can’t Elah” River answered, kissing her on her forehead.
Tears started to roll down her cheeks as he gave her one last hug before getting on the horse and riding off. Elah stood at the gate watching long after he had disappeared from her view, she felt so alone and lost, and had no idea what to do about it.
As she walked back into the cottage not sure what to expect she found her grandmother sitting in an arm chair in the living area. She was warmly invited to sit with her where Elah sat in her grandmother’s arms crying for some time.
A Healer's Destiny Page 6
