Ep 109. As Long As They’re Dragonkin. (4)
Serenis and Raizel stood behind the red-haired herbalist who’d since introduced herself as Eline, watching in awe as the woman went about her ‘work.’
Even with Theolus squirming in her embrace, Eline expertly made her way through the prison to examine each dragon with a single free hand. She was powerless to move away the dead in any manner, but she was perfectly capable of applying proper herbs and medicine which she produced from the innards of her cloak.
The herbalist busily went about doing what she could to restore the kin’s vitality – all the while feeding an occasional treat to the hatchling in her arms. But what shocked the two dragons most was something else altogether.
“Rrgh…gh…”
“Hang in there, Sheila. Hold still…you’re going to be okay.”
“My…arm…my arm is…”
“Keep your arm steady. It’ll sting just a little, but once the stinging goes away, you’ll be able to move it again.”
Both Serenis and Raizel expected silence from the dragon, if not an outright insult.
But what they instead heard were words they never would’ve heard themselves.
“…Thank you.”
“Of course. You’re welcome.”
Finishing her treatment, the herbalist quickly moved onto the next dragon. She briefly glanced at Theolus who’d climbed unto her shoulder, waving a piece of honeyed snack in her hand.
“Look, Theo! If you can cover your ears and count to 500 with your eyes closed, you can have your next treat. Ready?”
“Weady!”
Once the hatchling enthusiastically shut his eyes and covered his ears, Eline approached the groaning elder. A piercing glare could be seen in their only eye as the herbalist approached him.
“…I told you to kill me, human.”
“Sorry, Cerion. You know I’m too weak to do that. But here, I brought you something.”
As Eline rummaged through her cloak, the elder let out a demeaning snort.
“Your job is to record our suffering, not lessen it. If that wretch finds out what you’re doing to us, he’ll kill you.”
“And I’m ever thankful that you haven’t told him. Here.”
Eline swiftly plucked out two small vials from her cloak. And although the elder was first disgusted at the sight of medicine, it didn’t take long for one of them would pop open to a familiar, luring scent.
“You…brought ale?”
“I did. You said you liked them.”
“I never…how did you…”
“You muttered it in your sleep. Did I mishear you? Did you actually not like ale?”
“No, I…I do, I…”
“But if you want it, you also have to drink the other one too.”
“What’s…the other?”
“Just water.”
“…Just water?”
“Just water. Do you want it? Yes or no?”
“…You know I cannot move my body.”
“That’s okay. Just keep your mouth open.”
Smiling, Eline popped open the vial of water and poured it into the paralyzed elder’s mouth. He reluctantly gulped it down, though the dragon found a small lump being swallowed with the water in his last gulp.
“? What was…was something in that water?”
“What are you talking about? It was just water. Here you go! As promised.”
This time, Eline simply held the vial of ale in the air, offering it to the elder.
And, without a second thought, the elder snatched the vial from the woman with nary a thought.
Only after downing the entire thing did he realize that his body was no longer paralyzed.
“…? My body’s…something was in that water!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s good to see you moving again, though.”
“…”
“I’ll try to bring more next time. I’ll see you then, okay?”
“…Hmph. Very well.”
That was the last time Cerion would grumble about wanting to die.
And Serenis and Raizel watched on as Eline went about her work – which seemed nothing short of a miracle in their eyes.
“Hey, lord.”
“…Yes, child?”
“Weren’t those guys all silent and gloomy when we tried to talk to them?”
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“They were, yes.”
“Then how the hell is she doing that?”
“…I suppose…they trust her that much. And she’s much better skilled than we are.”
Unlike them, Eline seemed to know what every single dragon wanted and needed. And she was swiftly using all sorts of tools at her disposal to apply them, from foods and medicines to persuasion and trickery.
‘And most of all…she’s not using magic.’
Healers used magic to restore all recent wounds. And this worked miracles in most cases.
But at the same time, that was the limitation of recovery spells – and by extension, healers. They couldn’t do anything about severed wounds, sicknesses, or a person’s forlorn spirits.
All of that fell into the realms of actual doctors.
And right now, Serenis was witnessing the best one she’d ever seen to date. Especially since she’d never, ever seen a human doctor treating her kin so expertly since…
‘Me?’
✧ ✧ ✧
Hours passed by as Eline went about tending to each dragon within the dungeon. When she and Theolus returned to join Serenis and Raizel once more, a relieving news accompanied the herbalist’s accomplished smile.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I’m not too sure why, but everyone seems to be doing much better than before. It’s almost like they’ve all taken a load off their shoulders.”
‘The seal…’
Serenis’ mind immediately jumped to the spell circle that had secured the dungeon’s parameter. Despite the risk of harming those supplying it, its breakage seems to have worked out in their favor in the end. Though, without Eline to pick up the pieces, their conditions may very well have worsened instead.
The dragonlord beamed an appreciative smile towards the herbalist.
“We’re in your debt. Thank you for what you’ve done.”
“It’s the least I can do. After what the empire’s done to your brethren…”
Silence ensued as Eline finished her statement. Though she hadn’t been present during the actual invasion, after several years of caring for the imprisoned dragons, she hardly needed being told what had happened to incur misfortune upon the star’s most feared lifeforms.
Meanwhile, Raizel looked towards one of the towering windows of the throne room.
The sun had nearly set outside – and there were guests they were expecting other than Eline.
“Lord, you said they’ll be here by nightfall, right?”
“That should be the case, yes.”
Eline exchanged confused glances between the two dragons.
By now, Eline was aware that Raizel was a dragon despite their human-like appearance. And, as difficult as it was to believe, she was also wary that Serenis was the dragonkin’s lord. But she still had no clue who the ‘others’ being mentioned were.
“I’m sorry, um…’others’?”
“Lord called the entire kin over to this place. They’ll be here soon.”
“The entire…more dragons are coming?!”
Eline quickly clasped her mouth, realizing she’d yelled without intending to. And, at the herbalist’s evident shock, Serenis returned a brief nod to confirm Raizel’s words.
“They’ll be arriving by nightfall to retrieve the kin.”
“…Oh. That’s…um…that’s great! Yes, great. I’m glad to hear that…”
While Raizel and Theolus struggled to understand why the woman was stammering so, Serenis had no problem reading the reluctance in her voice.
The dragonlord briefly glanced at the hatchling in Eline’s arms – who was comfortably snacking on a walnut – as well as the other dragons that had been under her care in the dungeon. While some had recovered considerably after Eline’s treatment, a few others were still far from being well. As their doctor and caretaker, it made sense that she would be concerned of their wellbeing.
But more importantly, Eline’s own fate practically rested on their presence.
Without the imprisoned dragons, the herbalist’s current position was meaningless. And it wasn’t difficult to imagine what the emperor would do to her if he were to return to the palace, only to find all his prized prisoners missing.
Finally, Serenis returned her gaze to the red-haired woman.
“Would you like to go with them?”
“?…I…beg your pardon?”
“Would you like to accompany the kin to our nest? I’m sure the valley has enough room to spare.”
“I…I’m not sure what you mean, dragon. I’m a human…an Akeian at that. Twelve forbid your brethren welcome someone like me to their home…”
When Eline had first begun her job, the imprisoned dragons had been nothing short of hostile. Death threats flew on a minutely basis, and she would’ve died a hundred times over if the imprisoned dragons had their former strengths.
However, Serenis begged to differ.
“Is that so?”
The dragonlord immediately shifted her gaze to Raizel, asking her next question.
“Child, how would you feel if Eline were to live with us at the valley?”
“…I literally couldn’t care less?”
After snickering at the rather expected answer, Serenis then turned to the snacking hatchling, waving her hand to gain his attention.
“Theolus.”
“Wam?”
“Would you like Eline to come with you?”
“Ewine?”
Theolus turned to face his caretaker with a mouthful of walnut. After gulping down everything in his mouth, the hatchling happily threw his arms in the air.
“Mama Ewine!”
As Theolus happily squirmed about on her lap, Eline couldn’t help but laugh, tickling the joyous hatchling.
Serenis’ smile widened at the sight. After locking eyes with Raizel, the dragonlord teasingly pointing at the human-dragon pair before them.
“What do you think, child?”
“What’s there to say about it? She’s being a better mother than Aether.”
“Oh, I was more so asking if you’d like to be tickled as well.”
“…You’re kidding, right?”
“Perhaps?”
Serenis snickered at the youngling’s twitching, confused expression. Kidding aside, it meant a lot to hear another dragon equating the human herbalist to a parental figure.
And finally, the dragonlord looked to Eline for the last time.
“Eline. If a kin considers you their mother, then I’ve no qualms considering you dragonkin as well. You’ll always be welcome in our nest like any other. And…I’m sure Theolus would appreciate your presence.”
The dragons here still required someone to care for them in their recovery; magic couldn’t treat the condition they were in. Imprisoned or not, having a skilled doctor around could very well decide life and death.
But Eline’s eyes only twitched in disbelief. She slowly pointed her finger at herself, stammering her next words to confirm what she’d just heard from the dragonlord.
“A…dragonkin? Me?”
“As long as you wish to be.”
“…”
Eline’s expression grew somber as she lost herself in thought.
Akeians knew of their nation’s identity being a warring nation. But only a few knew of its historical feuds outside of Astellion, and even fewer knew of Akeia’s invasion on the dragonkin.
Unfortunately, Eline was one of those ‘even fewer’ people.
Ever since the herbalist had been forced into the position of tracking the imprisoned dragons’ status, she’d always thought her nation, and herself, doomed.
She’d feared that dragons would one day come to exact revenge upon Akeia. Even just from the horrors she’d seen within the dungeons, the moral transgression being performed by the empire was beyond saving.
Earlier when she’d found Serenis and Raizel in the throne room, she’d thought her fears had come to reality. She’d fully expected her life to end within the next few moments.
And yet here she was, somehow being offered to become one of them instead.
The herbalist finally jolted awake as she felt a tug on her hair. She looked down to find Theolus pulling on her curls, whimpering at his dazed caretaker.
“Mama! Shmile!”
“…Theo…”
Eline had lost her friends and family to the empire’s cruelty. Once she was forced to inherit her parents’ role, she’d given up on living a peaceful life – she’d either die to the dragons or to the emperor, whichever came first. An escape route wasn’t available.
Or, hadn’t been available.
“…Should I go with you, Theo?”
“Go? Wheae?”
“You’re going home, Theo. You’re going to your family’s home. You’ll finally be able to make friends there…”
“But my home is hwere!”
“No…this place isn’t your home, Theo. You don’t belong here. Dragons live in a big valley, far away south.”
“Mrgh…big home?”
“Mhm. Very big home.”
“Then Ewine can stay evewyday now?”
“…”
The herbalist gently rubbed the celebrating hatchling’s head.
She’d nursed him before he’d even hatched; she couldn’t even think of abandoning him now. The same went for all the other dragons that yet needed her help.
Besides – 26 was a little too young to die.
“Mhm. I can stay as long as you’d like, Theo.”
When Eline nervously turned to Serenis, the dragonlord returned a faint smile, nodding in approval.
A silly grin curved the herbalist’s lips. She pulled Theolus closer, hugging him tighter than she usually would.