[Chie]: 227.Short stories.Sarketh's follower

The sun was rising. Red and golden sun-rays painted the sky to its shining glory. The songs the birds were singing, came out as an odd mix from a big forest nearby. Little red fox went to sleep after a hard night spent in hunting. But Larena was still sleeping. Though not for long.
 
She woke up early, because her mother was shaking her up.
“ Hurry now, dear. You have to feed the hens. After that, come in. Your father wants to talk to you.”
Larena was amazed. She went outside, started to feed the hens and thought all the time what was happening. Her father was not close to her at all. When she had began to do the household-jobs and learning all the things she would need later in her life as a wife, her father had become more distant.
Larena rushed inside and knocked the door of her fathers work room and her heart was jumping.
Why her father wanted to speak with her?
“ Come in.” 
Larena stepped in.
“Yes, my father?”
“ I have found a husband for you… Or he found you. He’s a great and noble man.. And rich. You know that our family has no money… He pays a good prize of you.”
Larena was upset. A husband… Husband who she had not even met before… Who paid a good prize of her.. Then she suddenly felt fury inside her. Her father was selling her to a man.. Like She would be some kind of animal… Larena though still remained silent.
“ He saw you, when you were at the great market last autumn. He is very mighty man, Larena. It would be a perfect match. Even that he wants you as his second wife.”
Larena could hardly hold a scream. This couldn’t be happening… A second wife… Usually only rich and powerful men had two wives. The first one was for raising a good heir… The second one was just for fun and showing off. Larena was near of fainting.
“ He has sent some of his loyal servants to fetch you to him… He lives far away from here, in the north. They are supposed to come here tomorrow.”
Larena was still quiet. She thought that she could never speak again.
“ All right then.. You may go.”
Larena left the room and she felt like there would be no joy left in the world. She hoped that she would be dead.

Larena couldn’t sleep. She just laid there still, watching the moonlight which lit out the whole room. She was nothing more than a way of getting money.. The one half of her was now dead to the whole world the other half was terrified, upset and furious.
She waited the morning to come with horror.

The first rays of golden sunlight found their way trough thick dark curtain and Larena rose up and dressed. She felt empty. Like there would be no emotions inside her.. Just blank space.
She did all her duties like she usually did, it was automatic. When the luxurious carriage came to the yard and a young driver stopped the four white horses it was like Larena would have watched her own funeral coming. Five middle-aged men came out from the carriage and walked to a door.
Larena’s father opened the door.
Larena could hear their distant voices when her mother came into her room.
“You must go now, my daughter. You must dress yourself as well as you can. They’re waiting for you.” then Her mother hugged her tight and Larena could saw a tear in her eye.
She went to her cupboard, took out her best dress. She put it on and stood there and watched herself from a mirror.
‘I am quite pretty…’ She thought and brushed her hair. ‘Still it didn’t help me in my life, it only made it even worse.’ She thought bitterly and left the room and never again returned there in her life.
The men stopped their talking as Larena stepped in. They only watched her, totally amazed.
The oldest of them was the first one who spoke after Larena had enter the room.
“ You sure have a lovely daughter, my friend.”
“ Oh yes. I love her so much.”
Larena looked very humble though inside her anger rose again. How he dared?
How her father dared? He never had said to Larena that he would love her… And by giving her away to unknown husband he proved that his words were false.
“Well, we better leave right now. We have a long journey ahead. Have you got everything you want with you, milady?”
“ Yes sir.” Larena said and curtsied.

Her mother had packed many dresses and other things to a large trunk. Larena stepped in to the carriage and saw from a little window on the carriage door that her sisters and mother stood still there, on the yard and her mother was crying. Larena wanted to cry, but she couldn’t, no matter how much her eyes ached. There was no tears left. As the carriage set forth Larena realised at the first time that she was really alone.

The youngest of the five men tried to talk to her, but when he found out that Larena didn’t want to talk, he started to look out from the little window and remained silent. The mood in the carriage was uneasy. Larena couldn’t help herself, she had not slept properly last night, and the stable walk of the horses, which pulled the carriage, made her very sleepy. It didn’t take long until she gave up and the shiny wings of sleep carried her away.

She woke up quickly. Something was wrong. Far away she could hear one of the men shouting.
The carriage had stopped and she could hear sounds and voices of fight outside. She started to act completely instinctively. She opened the door of the carriage and just ran straight into the woods There was no one after her, but still she ran. It felt like the time would’ve stopped but it didn’t. The sunset coloured the woods to gold and reddish colours but still Larena kept running. She ran until a thick root of huge pine hit her foot as she ran right to it. Larena raised her hands to protect her face as she fell down and everything blackened.

When she opened her eyes she felt pain in her leg. She didn’t know where she was. But there was the smell leather… And she was laying on a pelt of a reindeer.
“ How are you girl? Does your ankle still hurt?” a calm strong voice interrupted Larenas thoughts.
She sat up and saw an old man with short beard and silver hair. His eyes were bright blue. His pale face was full of tattoos.
Larena was a little frightened, but she didn’t show it. She slowly realised that she was in some kind of tent.
“ I’m fine… Though the ankle is still aching. Where am I?” Larena answered politely.
“ You’re on the village of the people of the north. As we are called by the southern people. I’m Sarketh… The healer.”
Larena rose up to a half-sitting position and grimaced as her ankle remained of its aching.
“ Here my child”, old healer said giving her a wooden cup full of something steaming mixture.
“ Drink it all.”
Larena took the hot cup and carefully drank it all. Glowing warm feeling filled her and she relaxed.
“ Good “, the old man said. “ Now tell me all.”

Larena was walking in a forest nearby, collecting herbs. Her ankle had healed weeks ago and though she had been on that little northern village just little over a month, it was already the best home she ever had. The villagers were friendly towards her, and treated her like she would have lived in the village her whole life. Sarketh, the old healer, was friendly and good to her. He let her to sleep in his tent. And even before they both realised how it had happened, Sarketh and Larena woke up to see the truth: They were not like a father and a daughter. They were like the master and beginner. And so, Larena learnt. She found all the plants and herbs, mixtures and potions, fascinating. Because of that she learnt even faster. And that raised her worth in the eyes of the villagers.

It took only months. After that, often when Sarketh was healing someone, Larena stood there quietly, beside him. And Sarketh asked young girls advice. Larena told what she thought was right to do. If she was right, Sarketh nodded, and did like she had advised. If she was wrong, Sarketh shook his head and showed Larena what was right to do.

It was one cold morning in November. The ground looked lonely and sad without a veiling snow. Long firs and pines dithered in the cold wind. Larena woke up when Sarketh was shaking her.
“ Wake up, my child ”, he said with a tender tone in his voice.
“ What is it?” Larena asked, she was already fully awake.
“ The villagers need you.” And Sarketh walked away without any other explanations.
Larena stepped out from the tent. A young man named Renath, one of the villagers, was lying on the cold ground on a pelt of a brown bear. His eyes were closed and he was sweating heavily. His left leg was covered with blood. Everyone could see that he had huge pains just by looking at his face.
Larena became very pale.
“ And what you want me to do, master Sarketh?” She asked. Her voice was shaking.
Sarkeths answer was simple: “ Heal him.”
Larena stared Sarketh with fear. After a while she turned to look at Raneth. Then, fear and suspense escaped from her eyes. She raised her head. Villagers, who were gathered around Raneth, could sense the firmness and self-confidence which suddenly filled the soul of Larena.
“ Carry him in”, Larena said, with a calm voice and went back to tent. She took out little bowl. In that bowl she picked different herbs from many cups. Then she started to boil the water. When the water was just about to start bubbling, she added green powder and the water turned bright red. Then she took the water and shared it to cup and to that bowl where were all the herbs. The water cup she added few roots and even more powder. With that cup she turned to Raneth.
“ Drink this. It’s a little bit hot, and not so tasty, but it cuts out the pain.”
Raneth took a cup and drank it all.
Larena turned back to the bowl and started to mix up the potion with a wooden spoon. After five minutes of mixing, the mixture had turned to balm.
Larena washed the blood off from the leg. The wound was cut-like, wide and deep.
“ No bones broken.” Larena comforted Raneth.
Then she clamped the edges of the wound together, and started to sew up. After that she carefully rubbed the balsam on the wound and wrapped the leg with a clean cloth.
“ There.” Larena said. “ Now you only need to rest.”

After few weeks Raneth could already walk. Of course he limped, but still, he walked. Raneths family thanked Larena with a fur-bordered cloak. The villagers now honoured Larena nearly as much as they honoured old Sarketh. They now turned to her also when they needed advice or healing. All the doubts towards her had vanished.

And then came the celebrations of the mid-winter. When all was covered by snow so that there was even hard to walk outside. Days were long and dark, sun only shined few hours before sunset. Northern lights coloured the night sky with green and red, full moon made the snow shine like silver and billion stars smiled from cold dark sky.
The villagers made up a huge bonfire. That warmed the clearing and made the snow defrost around it. Long table was full of food and drinks. Everyone was happy. People danced and ate and laughed and celebrated. And in that feast Larena formally became a healer and the chief of the village together with Sarketh tattooed her face.

Week later Sarketh wanted to take a little walk with Larena. After fifteen minutes of silence, the old man started to talk.
“ My child. First I started to teach you because I felt so sorry for you. But When I saw how fast you learnt I changed my mind.”
“ Master Sarketh, What do you mean?”
“ I decided to teach you because then village would have a new healer. To take care of the villagers after I am gone.”
“ What do you mean, master? Gone where?”
Sarketh stopped walking and gave a long and stable gaze.
“ No one lives forever.” He said with a quiet voice after a long while.
“ Do you mean…”
“ My time is near to end, dear Larena. And I want you to be prepared. I want you to take care of the villagers.”
One lonely tear rolled over Larenas cheek.
“ I will be prepared. I will be strong” she promised.

When spring came and drove away the snow Sarketh got weaker. When first flowers carefully raised their heads and sun finally came out, Sarketh laid in his tent. Larena went away from his side only when the villagers needed her help. The whole village was worried. All hoped that Sarketh could survive from that powerful disease. But Larena knew. There was no illness. Sarketh was just old. Too old to carry on living. One light morning came. Birds filled the sky, singing happily for a new day. Wind hummed tenderly in trees. Pretty flowers made a colourful cover for the ground. And Sarketh didn’t wake up from his sleep.

Larena stood like a statue on high cliff and watched how the sunshine mirrored from the restless sea. Wind played with her long red hair. She watched as the villagers carefully put the body of Sarketh on a little raft over a huge pile of dry wood.
One lonely tear rolled on her cheek as she thought about the man who had been closer to her than her own father.
The chief of the village set fire to that raft. Then seven brave, strong men pushed the heavy raft in to the arms of the sea.
Larena watched the burning raft. She didn’t cry though her eyes were full off sorrow. She didn’t sit down though her feet were tired of standing. She didn’t leave though her heart was braking.
She stood there, watching her master burning, and when the last wisp of smoke had vanished, she turned her back to the sea walked back to the village and never returned to that cliff.