Healing and Swordplay

When Kori awoke the sun was streaming through the window. People were already moving about throughout all levels of the castle; the girls had slept in. She smiled at the sight of Erika's beautiful face on the pillow beside her. Desi, the servant girl assigned to Erika's quarters came bustling into the room. Erika's eyelids fluttered and she awoke.

Desi had brought fresh towels. "Good morning, my ladies. Your uncle's come visiting."

They scrambled out of bed and across the marble floor to Erika's bathroom, where they found Brunhilde. She scowled at the sight of Kori there, still in her night dress.

"What on Granat…?" she began.

Erika held up a hand to forestall her. "Mother, please."

Kori did not think she was ready to face Brunhilde just yet, so averted her gaze. The trouble was, she could not blame Brunhilde in the least for disliking her.

Brunhilde put her hands on her hips and addressed her daughter, affecting to ignore Kori. "Well Rudolph has turned up again. Such a leisurely existence, bobbing in and out of our lives as he feels like it. I wouldn't mind if you both slept through his visit."

00O00

Rudolph came up to visit them soon afterwards in Erika's sitting room.

"How are my favourite girls?" he demanded, giving them each a fierce hug that carried them off their feet.

Kori giggled. "I've missed you so much uncle and it hasn't even been a week. But the three of us together again… it feels so right, doesn't it?"

"That's my usual sunny Kori," he said, approvingly.

Erika nodded. "You both brighten my life in this sad time." She took him by the arm and led him to her favourite sofa where the girls plumped down on either side of him. "Tell me about your travels, uncle."

He obliged, describing a recent visit to the Silberplatz market. "And at the market I purchased gifts for both of you. He slipped his hand into his pocket and drew out slim packets wrapped in tissue and marked with their initials. "I think you'll be pleased. Only girls as beautiful as you two could wear such things and they have a practical purpose too."

Erika opened hers and gave a soft cry of delight. Kori ripped back the paper and squealed as she uncovered an ornate silver necklace with links that resembled tiny leaves. The silver chain was hung with garnets. Erika's was hung with amethysts. The girls clamoured their thanks, Kori's penetrating voice easily drowning out Erika's soft one and they both hugged him and stretched up to kiss his whiskery cheeks.

"The practical purpose – it has to do with werewolves?" asked Kori, fastening her necklace around her neck.

"That it is. And you will both be part of the royal party to Silberwald. Erika as the future Queen and Kori in the royal guard. We cannot do without your superior senses, Kori. None of the men can sense a werewolf from a distance."

Kori clapped her hands together in approval and then curtseyed to her sister. "I'm ready to defend you to the last, your Majesty."

"Good to see you're benefiting from the Protocol class, Kori," said Erika smiling broadly.

"A young lady of Kori's talents needs more than Protocol class," said Rudolph. "I'd say fencing is a must. Your duty to the Dark Forest mandates it, dear niece. You must be able to kill a werewolf outright when the time comes."

Kori swallowed. "If – If that is my duty, then so be it."

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00O00

Novice Fencing class took place in the courtyard. Dressed in leather armour specifically tailored to her frame, with her hair bound in a ponytail, Kori stood ready. She held a wooden staff padded with soft leather, of the kind the novices practiced with. Her classmates were young boys, all aspiring guardsmen. A round faced boy pointed at her, his blue eyes wide. "Is she a Sommernacht?" he whispered to another boy.

Kori thought it best that they knew how well she could hear, but that she also put them at their ease at the same time. She beamed at him. "Yes, but you may call me Kori."

"You're a Princess now."

Kori felt a glow of pride, but decided in that moment that her role as guard should be separate from her role as noble. "We can be equals in our class."

At that moment, Linksor the instructor ordered them to stand to attention and practice the basic moves with the staves.

He then tested the reaction speed of each novice by tapping at them with a padded staff to see if they would react fast enough to deflect it. No one could until he reached Kori who reacted instantaneously and deflected his staff. "Very fast reflexes, Lady. But how about this?" With a clever manoeuvre he slipped round Kori's defences and knocked the staff out of her hand.

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Kori smiled at him. "I have a lot to learn, Sir."

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00O00

Old soldiers and guardsmen from more advanced training classes had assembled around the fence that marked out the practice area to watch with a critical eye. One of them greeted Kori when the novices filed out. He was a tall boy, perhaps two years older than Kori, with auburn hair, green eyes and a heavily freckled face.

"Nice work, Lady Korina."

Kori beamed. "Thank you. But fencing is new to me. I don't believe I've had the pleasure…?" She held out her hand and he shook it.

"Ralph." Kori thought that it sounded like a Golden Isles name. He regarded her thoughtfully. "We're both in the very next Royal Escort though. They think you're up to the mark already."

"I think that's because of my sight and hearing. So, what class are you in?"

"I'm a guardsman now and I practice swordplay with the rest of them. But I'm still improving. Yesterday I got a cut on the shoulder because I was careless. He flexed his arm experimentally and frowned briefly in pain. "Hurts more than I thought it would."

Kori's professional interest was aroused at once. "Have you bound it? Put salve on it?"

He shook his head. "It didn't bleed that much."

"Please let me see the wound. I'm training to be a healer."

Most of the onlookers had dispersed and the rest seemed to be paying the two of them no attention at all. Ralph smiled laconically as if amused, but he unlaced his leather vest and unbuttoned the cotton shirt beneath to reveal his freckled body. There was indeed a wound on his shoulder and although it was not deep, Kori knew it would be serious if it got infected.

She beckoned to him. "You can't leave that as it is, Ralph. Come up to my room and I'll apply some salve."

He did not move. "Come up to your room, Lady? I don't think so."

Of course! Men who were not relatives weren't supposed to come into the Ladies wing. And the guardsmen lived in the barracks. Brunhilde would have loved to ridicule Kori over this gaffe. She put her hand to her forehead. "Ach! Alright, meet me in the stables in twenty minutes and I'll bring my bag."

Kori scurried up to her quarters, careful while she was there because she did not want to run into Brunhilde and then ran back down to the stables. Ralph was there and to Kori's surprise, so was Prince Gerd. She bowed hastily. "Your highness. Um… this is a pleasant surprise, I … uh…"

"I need a chaperone," said Ralph airily.

Gerd laughed. It made his sculpted face even prettier, the way his hazel eyes sparkled. "No, I wondered what you were doing, loitering around the stables."

Kori glanced from one to the other. "It's alright, really your highness. I was just seeing to Ralph's cut. Please unbutton your shirt again Ralph." Ralph unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his muscular, freckled torso which already sported old scars from similar cuts. He smelled faintly of leather and sweat and Kori was suddenly aware of him as an attractive, semi-nude boy standing there. Did he suppose he needed the Prince to chaperone him because she was demon born?

But she had to remember her healer's manner and pull herself together. "It's really nothing to worry about," she said, forcing herself to smile. "I've got to apply anti-septic first, then dress it with salve."

"I could do with some too," said Gerd.

"Indeed, your highness?" Kori was surprised to hear that the Prince had been hurt. “What happened? Nothing serious, I hope.”

Gerd shrugged. "I was practicing swordplay with Ralph in return for teaching him to read."

Ralph shook his head. "You said not to be soft on you… But we should have practiced with wooden swords. I ought to have known better."

"I’ll be the one to worry about that,” retorted Gerd. “You worry about your spelling. Spell Korina's name. Then spell Gruenwald."

As Ralph did so, Kori pulled out the jar of antiseptic and applied some to a clean cloth. "Now the antiseptic will sting, Ralph, but the salve will feel good."

As she touched the antiseptic cloth to his shoulder, she felt his muscles tighten in response, holding their coiled protest while the cleanser worked at the skin. The smell of his sweat was even stronger.

"There now, it's alright," said Kori in her practiced soothing voice. "See! All done." She dipped her finger into the salve and smeared it carefully across the wound. His flesh felt hot. Possibly the beginning of an infection. "You'll need to apply this twice a day for three, maybe four days. I've brought you another jar."

Ralph flexed his arm muscles. "It does feel better. How did it work so fast?"

"The salve has a slight anaesthetic effect, but you're not healed just yet. You really must do as I say for the next three or four days."

Gerd had rolled up his left shirt sleeve. His snow-white arm was sporting a nasty red gash, perhaps a day old, deeper than Ralph's and rimmed with a crusty red inflammation. "That must hurt," Kori tutted. "Why didn't you go to the healer at once? Never mind, since I'm here I'll fix it."

She cleaned his wound and he reacted rather less stoically than Ralph, yelping and jerking his arm away. Kori laid her hands on his shoulders and gave him the smile she used to put the children at ease as she slipped into full healer mode. "Don't fret, my dear, it'll all be better in just a minute. The salve will feel so good." He gazed back at her. She was very aware of his breathing as she administered the antiseptic and then the salve and then bound the wound. His eyes were such a pretty shade of light hazel. "Now my handsome prince, you'll need to apply extra salve more than Ralph and I'll have to replace the bandages for you at intervals. Here is another jar."

"It does feel better, Korina" Gerd exclaimed, rotating his wrist back and forth.

"Please call me 'Kori,' your highness."

"Where did you learn this, Kori?"

"Madeleine the wise-woman took custody of me. She's my real mother, even though a lesser demon gave birth to me. I've been training to be a healer."

"What potions do you know?" interjected Ralph. "One to help a man sleep? To make him strong?"

"Both and more," said Kori. "To cure a headache, to help make babies come, or to prevent them from being conceived…" She stopped abruptly, realising that she was casually discussing conception with two attractive older boys. She inwardly cringed in embarrassment. So much for her studies in noble etiquette! Brunhilde would have loved to hear that gaffe.

"Ah well, I know who to go to about those pesky babies," said Ralph, while Gerd looked embarrassed as Kori felt.

"We must have our little joke, mustn't we?" said Kori, packing her bag. "You should both keep your wounds rested for a few days."

"Oh I will," said Ralph, grinning. "I'll tell the captain, 'no sword practice for me, old fellow. I've got a little gash on my shoulder.' Then he'll pat me on the head and let me sit it out, that's for sure."

Gerd laughed. "No chance here, either. I've got to attend the ball tonight and father expects me to take part in the dance." He looked at Kori with a smile. He did have a sparkling smile… "You're turning thirteen this winter, aren't you Kori? Your sister only started attending balls when she turned fourteen last spring."

Kori thought she had better get away from this talk of balls and babies. "Well do what you can, both of you, to avoid further injury and I'll check up on you later." She slipped out of the stables and hurried back to her room.