[RP] Wildflower (Bridget's Cottage in the Woods)

[Royce]

Royce sat upon the boulder watching her watch him. She seemed apprehensive about something. Royce, however, was unsure if it was something that was bothering her or something that she was having trouble telling him. "Go ahead, my love you can show me anything." Royce gave her a reassuring smile.

Many moments passed and Royce watched with amazement as Bridget created a ball of fire and let it just sit there above her hand. Royce's eyes grew wide as she brought the flame close to him. He knew that he had no fear from Bridget however. He still was shocked at this display of her gift.

Royce listened to her tell her tale a little bit more in depth and realized that the man she was sold to, among various other people had been burned badly, if not to death by her. Royce continued to watch as she waved the flame out with her right hand.

Royce waited for a few moments then pulled Bridget into his arms in a warm embrace. "Wow, that was amazing Bridget. I understand now why you kept yourself isolated from everyone." Royce leans in and softly kisses her on the lips. "I'm so glad you decided to share this gift with me and don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Royce just continued to hold her close to him to show her that she means a lot to him and that she is safe in his arms.

[Bridget]

Bridget felt a great weight lift off her shoulders as she showed him her gift... and it was a gift. She had always considered it a curse, but she knew now that it was not. She melted into his arms there on the rock in the stream, finally feeling that she no longer had to hide. If he could accept her, and accept what she had done, there was nothing more she needed.

She sat with Royce for a while before finally pulling away and looking up at him. “Thank you for letting me share this with you today. It’s such a relief to get it out there.” She slid off the rock into the water again. The cool water felt refreshing against her skin. She bent down and splashed some water on her face and then turned back to Royce. “We should probably get to town and get the paperwork drawn up for this land.”

She slipped her sandals back on and then smiled at Royce. “I should warn you though… I love this property - this part of the stream - so much that you’ll be seeing a lot of me around here.” She broke out laughing and winked at him before turning and starting to make her way through the trees to the main path.

[Royce]

Royce sat there with Bridget in his arms for a short while until the silence was broken by Bridget thanking him for allowing her to share her gift. He thought that her power was amazing. Royce was also saddened by the fact that she discovered her gift under such terrible circumstances but, glad that she was able to get away.

Royce hoped off of the rock and walked through the cool water to join Bridget on the opposite bank in putting on his footwear. He followed her to the main path and walked along with her. "So you like this property I'm going to build on?" he said finally. Royce knew it would be great to see even more of her than he already did. "I have great plans for this property, I even have a name picked out for the house like you see on some of those rich peoples huge manors. I plan on calling my home Rosewood after the talisman that the Monks found with me."

[Bridget]

“Rosewood? I like that. It sounds quite classy indeed!” Bridget chuckled as she took Royce’s arm and they began the long walk to Widu. “I’d be most interested in seeing this talisman some time. It’s nice that you have something from your past to hold on to.” While Bridget had no feelings of sentimentality when it came to her parents, she wished she possessed some item to remember her grandmother by.

Before long they were entering the gates of Widu. Bridget walked with Royce to the Inn and lingered at the door with him, not quite ready to part company just yet. “I think by the end of the day today, I can have the deed to the land in your hands and you’ll have a place to call ‘home’ once again. No more living out of your cart and eating tavern food!" She was overjoyed for him, to know that he would be starting this great journey, and to know that she might get to play a part in it. She smiled, "But in order to make this all happen quickly for you, I must get moving.”

She stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed Royce on the jaw, her lips ever-so-slightly touching the corner of his. She felt her cheeks burn and she hoped no one noticed the sudden flush in her skin. She wasn't used to being so bold, and most definitely not affectionate, in public. She whispered in his ear before pulling away, “I will come find you when the paperwork is ready.”

She turned on her heel and headed off toward town hall, briefly glancing over her shoulder to smile at him as he watched her go.

[Royce]

Royce made a point in his head to be sure to show Bridget the Talisman. "To be honest, I only think it is from my parents as the Monks told me they found it with me, I don't really know where it came from." Royce lowered his eyes a bit "Its sad growing up alone isn't it?" He knew that Bridget could relate all too well with this sentiment as she was outcast from her family and town at a young age

The pair soon crested the gates of Widu and were standing beside the inn. Royce liked the idea of never having to eat tavern food on a regular basis again "I'll wait inside here for your return" Royce closed his eyes as Bridget kissed him on the cheek lightly brushing against his lips. Bridget turned on her heel and went to get the paperwork ready for the parcel of land. Royce watched her go but, hated to see her leave. Once she was gone from view he went inside the inn.

There was so much of his things strewn about the small room at the inn. Royce busied himself in stacking things together in small easy to carry piles. He quickly found his Talisman and placed it around his neck. He started carrying things down to where his cart was secured in the stable area and soon had his cart all loaded up and ready to go. Royce returned to the interior of the inn to pay his tab and wait for Bridget to arrive. He ordered up some McTroll Chickhen Nugglets and sat at a table.

[Bridget]

A few hours before nightfall, Bridget returned to the inn with paperwork in hand, as promised. She found Royce leaning back in his chair, seemingly asleep, though possibly just resting, at a table near the fire. She quietly walked up behind him and slid her hands over his shoulders. Her lips brushed against his ear as she whispered, “It is done. All that’s needed is your signature and the land is yours.” Her hands slid over the talisman on his chest as she spoke. She ran her fingers over the smoothly etched wood and leaned forward to examine it more closely. “Oh Royce, this is beautiful. I can see why you keep it close.”

She reluctantly broke away and pulled up a chair close to him. She withdrew a small stack of parchment from her bag and set it on the table in front of Royce. “It’s all very standard. Just read it over and sign at the bottom if everything seems in order to you. Then you’ll need to bring it back to town hall before they close this evening. You can move your stuff there as soon as tonight.”

As he started to look over the papers, she placed her hand under his chin and turned his head to face her. Her chest was aflutter as she only now finally let herself believe that he was here to stay. She stroked his cheek with her fingers, before leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips, “I’m so happy you’re home.” She paused and smiled, “And now I must run. There’s some urgent business I must attend to at the castle this night. Be well.”

She stood and embraced him once more before dashing out the door.

[Royce]

Royce sat near the fire and was wiling away the time until Bridget returned with the paperwork by thinking about his new home he would build on the property. Bridget sidled up behind him and whispered in his ear. Her hot breath on his neck felt incredible. He clutched at the Talisman after she was done and nodded in agreement that it was beautiful.

Bridget sat down beside him at the table and set a stack of papers in front of him. Royce looked through them casually as Bridget told him that they were just the standard form. Royce didn't see anything out of the ordinary and knew that Bridget wouldn't try and trick him anyways. He signed at the bottom where she had indicated. She then turned his head toward her and kissed him lightly on the lips. He closed his eyes to relish the moment not wanting it to end at all.

Bridget told him that she had pressing matters at the castle and rose to leave. Royce rose with her and followed her out the door clutching the papers in his hand. outside he watched Bridget disappear toward the castle and when she was gone he walked over to the town hall and gave the completed paperwork to the secretary who in turn gave him the deed to his piece of land. Royce returned to the inn for one more night.

[Bridget]

Bridget had just said goodnight to Royce and was putting a pot of water over the fire when she heard the howl – animalistic, pained – from outside her door. She raced outside past her gate to the road. She didn’t fear for her own safety – she had been assured that she was protected. By what, she didn’t know, but from that day forward she always felt there was something, just out of view, watching over her.

She found Royce in the middle of the path, his sword on the ground next to him. Even in the twilight, she could see the dark stain across the front of his shirt. She dropped to her knees at his side. She placed her fingers on the side of his neck and leaned in, putting her ear next to his lips. He was still alive. His breath was fast and shallow but his pulse still felt strong. She pulled his shirt off, exposing the long, gaping wound across his chest. Taking his shirt in her hands, she pressed it against his chest to stop the bleeding. She needed to get him home, into the safety of her cottage. His eyes flickered open slightly and she could hear him mumbling something, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying - his voice was garbled and barely a whisper. She spoke slowly and as calmly as she could, “Royce… Royce, I need you to listen to me. Don’t try to talk. I need you to help me. You have to stand. I will help you, but I can’t take my hand off your cut. Okay?” She wasn’t sure he was listening, let alone could understand what she was saying, but she knew she had to try to move him now. With one hand pressed firmly to his chest, she slipped the other behind his shoulders and lifted him into a sitting position. Once seated, she took his left hand and pressed it against the already blood-soaked shirt on his chest. “I need you to hold this here, okay?” Bridget put Royce’s right arm around her shoulder and snaked her arm around his back once again. Pressing her right hand against his wound, she slowly stood, lifting him to his feet along with her. She was pleased that he obviously had been listening. She turned him around and slowly walked him toward the gate to her cottage.

By the time they got up the steps and into the front door, Royce’s breathing had gotten very shallow and the blood was now running down his stomach and the front of his pants. She moved him towards her bed, stripping off the blankets with one hand and pushing him down on his back with the other. Tearing strips off her sheets, she hurried to the kitchen and dipped some rags in water that was now boiling over the fire. She rushed back to Royce, peeled off the blood-soaked shirt and tossed it to the floor. The bleeding seemed to have slowed so she wiped at the wound with the damp rag. The cut was jagged, pierced deeply over his lung, but shallow across his chest. The wound looked fairly clean, but Bridget was concerned about his lung. Working as quickly as she could, she grabbed a small jar of homemade salve, a piece of leather, and her dagger. She rubbed the salve across the wound. She imagined how badly it stung, but it was the best thing she had to prevent infection. Then, using her dagger, she sliced the leather to size and placed it over the wound. It would need to be sealed as tightly as possible to prevent air from getting in. Bridget pressed hard against the piece of leather and wrapped long strips of bed sheet around his torso. It took several minutes and a lot of material to fully wrap the wound – she’d had to roll Royce onto his side and back onto his back many times. Bridget was thoroughly wiped out by the time the wound was dressed.

With the remaining wet rags, she carefully and slowly washed the blood off his body and her own hands. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness during the whole ordeal. It was going to be a long night, sitting here, watching for fever.

Bridget went to the kitchen and prepared a couple of concoctions – one to lower fever and another to induce sleep. She figured she might need both should the night be rough. She returned to Royce and knelt down on the floor next to the bed. She checked his forehead for fever and then stroked his hair. Only then did the magnitude of what had transpired finally hit her. She broke down in tears. Her body wracked with sobs as she looked down at her own clothes, soaked through with the blood of this man she’d come to care about.

* godmodded with permission from tpb Royce

[Bridget]

Bridget stayed by Royce’s side through the night. She would wipe his brow with a cool cloth, or just sit quietly and hold his hand. Occasionally he’d squeeze her hand or mumble incoherently in his dazed state. She's was buoyed by the fact that though he did not wake, his condition didn’t seem to worsen.

Some time in the middle of the night, Bridget stood and reluctantly let go of his hand. She went to the kitchen and gathered a white candle and a bottle of mint oil. She returned to Royce’s side and anointed the candle with a few drops of oil. She placed it next to the bed, lit the wick and placed her hands over Royce’s wound. Gathering energy, she repeated a simple incantation 3 times, letting her energy flow from her fingers over his body. She wasn’t sure what good this simple healing spell would do. In fact, it had been years since she’d used such magic, but the words came back to her quickly, flowed off her tongue as if she spoke them everyday.

“Estas kun amo en la koro,
Ke mi alvokas ĉiun forton Mi venis por scii,
Akvo, fajro, tero kaj aero,
La Diino,
La potencoj ene mi,
Kaj la potencoj ene Royce
Helpu lin batali lia obstaklo,
Faru lin sana kiel li iam estis,
Tiu estas mia volo,
Tiel estu.”

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead and then sank back down to the floor next to the bed and waited.

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Incantation roughly translated to:
"It is with love in my heart,
That I call on every force I have come to know,
Water, fire, earth and air,
The Goddess,
The powers within me,
And the powers within Royce
Help him fight his obstacle,
Make him healthy as he once was,
This is my will,
So be it.

[Royce]

Passing in and out of consciousness Royce heard hurried footfalls approaching him. He heard a soft soothing voice giving him basic instruction to sit up, hold this, stand slowly, and the like. Royce followed all of these commands almost immediately as if his will was not his own. His eyes opened wide enough that he was able to make out the interior of Bridget's cottage. A sense of peace enveloped him and he closed them again. Bridget helped him to her boudoir and laid him down upon the bed. His breathing became laboured as he found it difficult to draw a simple breath. Royce soon was no longer aware of himself.

*in Royce's head*

Royce drew sword but his assailant was much faster. Royce dodged blow after blow but soon felt the pain of defeat as a piercing pain penetrated his chest. He felt his life force giving up but, held on strong. The conflict ran on for some time. He kept hearing a voice. "Hold on Royce, you can do it. Don't let go, it's not your time yet." It was a woman's voice but he couldn't place it. He felt himself being moved about and as hard as he tried his eyes did not open or couldn't open. Royce felt a tightness around his chest, almost constricting. Royce didn't feel fear though he somehow knew that this was just the healing process.

It seemed like an eternity but was probably only an hour or two. A warm sensation poured over him and he swore that he heard a strange language being spoken to him. Then the first voice he heard earlier returned. "You're going to be alright Royce. Let go of the darkness and open your eyes once more."

Royce slowly opened his eyes and looked about at his surroundings as he eyes adjusted to the candle lit room and regained their focus. "where am I?" was all he said in a soft raspy voice.