Aleria sank back into an old wooden chair with a weary sigh, muscles screaming in protest. The battered piece of furniture groaned beneath her weight but held firm.
Across the small waiting room, Haddy had all but collapsed onto one of the long benches lining the wall. The woman sprawled there in an undignified heap, a damp rag draped haphazardly over her flushed face.
The clamour and bustle of the crowded clinic had finally died down to a blessed silence, punctuated only by their laboured breathing. Bernard and his soldiers had trudged out not long ago, the mayor sparing a gruff nod of approval for Aleria before departing. His men had dragged the last of the injured from the premises, hauling the clinic's heavy oak doors shut behind them with a dull thud of finality.
Aleria's gaze drifted over the ransacked space - chairs askew, and detritus littering the floor. It looked as though a battle had been waged here, rather than a simple day's work of healing. She let her eyes drift shut with a soft snort of rueful amusement. In a way, she supposed it had been something of a warzone. Just of a different sort than she was accustomed to.
A muffled groan drew her attention back to Haddy's prone form. The younger woman shifted listlessly, the damp cloth slipping from her face to dangle loosely in her limp grasp.
"Sweet mercies, but I've not felt so wrung out since..." Haddy's complaint trailed off into an indistinct mumble as she pried her eyes open to squint blearily across the room at Aleria. "Well, I can't rightly recall the last time, truth be told."
Aleria felt the ghost of a smile tug at the corner of her mouth as she regarded the younger woman's dishevelled state. Haddy had certainly acquitted herself well over the course of their baptism by fire. She'd proven an invaluable assistant, her energy and enthusiasm more than making up for her lack of formal experience.
Aleria made a mental note that they had survived the day's onslaught, but come the morrow, they would likely have to contend with all those Bernard's men had turned away, instructing them to return later. A fresh wave to face, undoubtedly just as relentless as today's deluge.
"Today was a trial to be sure." Haddy's muffled groan of acknowledgment reached Aleria's ears, the younger woman's voice thick with exhaustion. She pushed herself up onto an elbow, peering blearily at Aleria through tangled locks of sweat-dampened hair. "But at least we've a respite now, small as it may be. These last six months... these folk have suffered sore without a healer's care."
Her gaze grew distant for a moment, brow furrowing. "You did not see the worst of it. Turned away at the door more times than I care to admit, while babes sickened and the injured worsened for lack o' treatment."
Aleria held Haddy's troubled stare, her own expression sombre. She could well imagine the scenes the younger woman spoke of. Had witnessed such suffering and despair herself, all too many times during the war. Innocent lives caught in the choppy wake of the conflict, their fates overshadowed by the turn of battle.
"We'll put that to rights soon enough," Aleria said. A promise, though whether more to Haddy or herself, she could not rightly say.
Haddy nodded, the ghost of a tired smile playing at her lips as she met Aleria's gaze. "Aye, let's hope your words ring true."
She pushed herself into a seated position, back resting against the wall as she gathered her dishevelled skirts about her knees. "It's more than just ailments and injuries these folk have suffered, you ken?"
Aleria arched an inquisitive brow, but remained silent, sensing Haddy had more to say. The younger woman's expression grew pensive as she continued.
"Last Gate, it's become a haven of sorts in these past few years. For the dispossessed and displaced - they've made homes here, such as they are." Haddy's gaze drifted to the clinic's shuttered windows, her voice taking on a distant quality. "Fled here from all corners when the fighting neared, or after..."
Aleria felt a pang of empathy, a familiar ache echoing up from the deepest recesses of her soul. She knew that particular sting of loss all too well - had carried it like a millstone about her neck.
"To lose a home once is harsh enough," Haddy murmured, refocusing on Aleria with a weary smile. "These folks have weathered enough hardship to break most. They deserve a bit o' good fortune, I'd wager."
Aleria held the younger woman's gaze for a long moment, feeling the weight of the unspoken understanding that passed between them. She gave a slow nod of acknowledgment.
"Aye, that they do." Her words were soft but carried a steely undercurrent of resolve.
Haddy's smile brightened a fraction at that simple affirmation. "You're a good woman, m'lady. I can see that plain as day."
Aleria felt the corners of her mouth quirk upwards in a fleeting half-smile, though she couldn't quite mask the hint of melancholy that flickered across her features. She shook her head in a gentle rebuke.
"You've scarce known me a day. That's hardly enough time to make such judgments."
But Haddy remained undeterred, a stubborn set to her jaw as she met Aleria's gaze levelly.
"Aye, but I've seen enough this day to put the lie to that claim." She lifted her chin in a small nod, as if satisfied with her logic. "Why, just look at all you've done for these folk - mending hurts that had gone too long ill-tended."
Aleria opened her mouth to protest, but Haddy barreled on before she could get a word in edgewise.
"That fool dwarf, Ceidin - like as not he'd have gone lame for life, had you not set his leg to rights. And young Tam?" She shook her head, eyes gone wide with remembered disbelief. "I'd not thought to see the lad draw easy breath after the sick had took him."
Despite herself, Aleria couldn't quite suppress the small swell of pride that bloomed in her chest at Haddy's words. She tamped it down quickly, forcing her expression back into neutral lines. Allowing such sentiments to take root was a dangerous road for one like her to tread.
Haddy pushed herself to her feet with a groan. She smoothed her rumpled skirts and tucked a stray lock of hair back into her bun before fixing Aleria with an appraising look.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm famished after the day we've had." She gave a rueful chuckle and shook her head. "Don't suppose there's much left at the market stands by now, but Gareth will have supper waiting at home, I'd wager."
Aleria opened her mouth to politely decline the implied invitation, but Haddy steamrolled right over her before she could get a word out.
"You'll join us, o'course." It was phrased as a statement rather than a request, the younger woman's tone leaving little room for argument. "A proper hot meal is just what we need to put a cap on this long day, don't you think?"
Haddy didn't wait for a response, instead planting her hands on her hips and fixing Aleria with an expectant look. The healer hesitated, torn between a desire to accept the hospitality and the deeply ingrained habit of keeping others at arm's length.
She opened her mouth once more, intending to craft a diplomatic refusal, but Haddy seemed to sense her wavering. With a surprising energy, the portly woman closed the distance between them and grasped Aleria's hands in her own, hauling her bodily to her feet.
"No use arguing m'lady, you'll only waste your breath," Haddy said with an impish grin, giving Aleria's arm a playful tug towards the clinic's entrance. "My mind's made up, so you may's well save your wind for the walk ahead."
Despite herself, Aleria felt the corners of her mouth quirking upwards at Haddy's persistence. There was something almost endearing about the younger woman's stubborn refusal to take no for an answer. A steadfast refusal to allow Aleria to retreat back into the solitary existence she had grown so accustomed to over the years.
"Very well," she acquiesced with a put-upon sigh, though the sparkle in her eyes belied any true exasperation. "If you insist, I suppose I'm hardly in a position to argue."
Haddy beamed at her in triumph, giving Aleria's arm another insistent tug to set them in motion towards the door. The healer allowed herself to be led, shaking her head in reluctant amusement at her companion's antics.
As they crossed the threshold out into the dusky evening, and across the courtyard to Haddy's cottage. Aleria couldn't quite smother the small kernel of warmth that blossomed in her chest. It had been...longer than she cared to reckon since she had last enjoyed such simple companionship that wasn't born of blood.
As they neared the humble dwelling, tantalising scents wafted out to greet them - the unmistakable aroma of fresh-baked goods mingling with the savoury promise of hearty fare. Aleria's stomach gave an involuntary rumble of anticipation, reminding her it had been far too long since she'd last enjoyed a proper meal.
Haddy didn't so much open the door as barge through it, hauling Aleria along in her wake with a merry laugh. The healer blinked, momentarily dazzled by the welcoming glow of the hearth fire after the cool dimness outside.
"Gareth, m'love!" Haddy called in a singsong tone as she shucked off her shawl. "We've a guest for supper - I've gone and invited mistress Aleria to join us."
A stout, round-faced man turned from where he stood at the small kitchen table, a steaming meat pie in his hands. Despite his rumpled appearance and flour-dusted apron, there was an unmistakable air of kindness about him as his gaze fell upon the two women.
"Well now, you'd best make yourself at home then, Mistress Aleria," he said, dipping into a courtly bow that was somewhat spoiled by the knife and pie still clutched in his hands. "Any friend o' my Haddy's is more than welcome beneath our roof."
Before Aleria could protest the unnecessary formality, Gareth was already bustling about, hastily setting the pie aside to clear a third place at the rough-hewn table. He dragged over another stool, dusting it off with a calloused hand before turning back to face her with an expectant look.
"There y'are now, a seat for the lady." His doughy cheeks dimpled with a warm smile as he waved her over. "Come now, I saved somethin' special from the stall to celebrate Haddy gettin' back to work."
"Ah, but o'course!" Haddy piped up from beside her, giving Aleria's arm a conspiratorial nudge with her elbow. "I'd nearly forgot to mention - this great lump here is our local baker. The reason for this..." She patted her rounded midriff with an impish grin. "Well, let's just say I've more meat on my bones these days than when we first met, eh Gareth?"
The baker let out a hearty guffaw at that, his ruddy cheeks dimpling with mirth as he shot his wife an adoring look.
"Aye, that's the truth of it!" He planted his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest with an exaggerated air of masculine pride. "Can't rightly be faulted for wantin' to keep my woman well-fed now, can I?"
Haddy snorted indelicately, rolling her eyes in playful exasperation though the sparkle of genuine affection in her gaze was unmistakable.
"Is that your excuse then, you great oaf?" She reached out to give his ample middle an emphatic poke, eliciting a theatrical wince from the baker. "By my reckoning, it's like as not the other way 'round - simply means there's more of you for me to cuddle up to on a cold night!"
Gareth grinned unrepentantly at that accusation, shrugging his broad shoulders in an amiable sort of way.
"Well now, if that's the case, I shan't complain overmuch," he said with a wink. He turned his attention back to Aleria, gesturing expansively at the small table. "But here I am, prattlin' on while our guest goes hungry! Please, have a seat m'lady."
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