Eleven: The Studies of Death and Life

Evangeline was groggy when the lights shone through her satin white curtains. The birds echoed from the outside, and there was a hint of a headache running through Evangeline's head. She groaned and flipped onto her stomach, planting her head into her pillow. Yet, it didn't ease the pressure that welled up in her head.

The normal six, rumbling 'congs' of the church's clock had yet to go off, so the time was not yet right for Evangeline to rise. However, she was certain she would be able to fall back to sleep under the circumstances of the migraine that drilled a hole into her skull.

"Gods, I hate everything," Evangeline mumbled into her pillow. She pushed herself upwards with her hands and threw her legs across the edge of the bed. Her injured ankle resisted slightly a tang of pain, but Evangeline no longer winced as badly.

She allowed herself to put her casted ankle on the floor and then put her weight on her left ankle, trying to prevent as much agnish on that right ankle as possible. To Evangeline's surprise, it didn't hurt quite as badly. Don't get her wrong, it still hurt — a lot. But it wasn't an agonizing grip that swarmed all along her leg.

Limping her way to her closet, Evangeline opened the door and pushed a button on the wall, igniting some flares to light up the walls.

Magic was quite an odd thing. When used on living creatures, it can be dangerous if used too often, but in times where it is used on animate objects, it was a daily occurrence. It wasn't too difficult to opperate magic on machines, in homes, or on objects, but to use magic on a human, it then became dangerous. Not to mention, only few people had the ability to use magic when it came to creating the objects that operated magic. It was a very precise job, like that of a blacksmith or perhaps a hunter. Magic users had their niches.

Evangeline put the thought away for another time and started to sway through the hangers of clothing. To the surprise of anyone that dared to find their way into her closet, it wasn't as bland and ordinary as it may have been perceived. Evangeline only wore simple colors when it came to her sparring ware and regular clothes. A typical satin tunic would do as well as black, white, or tan leggings. Sometimes kakis if she felt like it. She also felt it was only needed to wear her armor when sparring.

What was unique in her closet, however, were the areas where the weapons were. Evangeline didn't have a huge array of weapons, but the ones she did have were very personal to her. There were three swords, each casted in their own scabbard on a small table on the back wall. The middle one on the table was her most used one, high-treated carbon steel with a hint of elderberry for an one-up against a few magical beasts, it was a force to be reckoned with. It was Evangeline's first sword she was given when she was brought into the kingdom gates, and she used it whenever she sparred or was on day to day tasks with Anastasia.

The closest sword was a gift from the king when he promoted Evangeline to Anastasia's personal knight. The blade was made of necos acidos, a type of metal seen sparsly on the continent of Aagora, typically within the highest peek of mountains. The handle was a hyper-condensed blood-iron. It was crafted by a highly, well-reknown blacksmith, Dedrick LeBlanc, that crafts a majority of time in Zayari, a neighborhing kingdom to the east of Collosicus.

The last blade, to the very back of the table, closest to the wall, was something Evangeline had yet to touch. The material had yet to be discovered, and the blade, itself, was tattered with indentaitons. The sccbard, itself, was covered in cuts and was stained in blood. It was the blade Evangeline was found with when she almost died.

Evangeline never dared to make contact with the blade, even the handle. The only times she ever touched the blade was at the start of her stay in Collosicus. It was an attempt to bring back whatever memories Evangeline may have had; the king and scholars thought that maybe if Evangeline used the blade or as simply as touched it, that it might trigger a response either in her brain or in the outer world. But there was nothing.

Since then, Evangeline hasn't touched the blade; she has only ever dared to look, admire, and fear the things that it has seen in its either short or long life. Everyday, when she went into her closet, the blade mocked her. She didn't think it was on purpose, but there was something about it that sent her heart into an erratic set of beats. She couldn't put her finger on why the anxiety, when looking at the sword, caused her such anguish, but it did.

Evangeline knew that day was the start of her lessons with Valantis and Anastasia. Well, she wasn't sure whether it would be lessons so much as independent studying. Truthfully, Evangeline had zero idea what to anticipate over the next few weeks. She was sure it would be painfully dull, but, nevertheless, she held a bit of hope that maybe it wouldn't be as treacherous as Anastasia made it out to be.

With a heavier heart than normal, Evangeline took a step deeper into her closet and shifted through a few of the items that hung from the coat rack. She bit her lip as she sorted through the wardrobe, the back of it showcasing more dramatic and bright colors. Then, nearly at the back, did she find something that wasn't over-the-top but was a step out of normal direction. It was a very simple auburn colored stress with a sheer v-line and short, also sheer, sleeves. It was fitted at the waste and came to about the knees with a white hemline that circled around. To go with the dress was a little hair piece, a bow, that seemed fit to be on the back of the hair, perhaps in a ponytail or braid.

Pulling gently at her unkept hair that was down, instead of in twin braid, Evangeline decided to do something out of the ordinary for her style. And, by the gods, she was excited, yet nervous, to see how Anastasia and Valantis would react.

---

"Oh my gods," Anastasia said upon Evangeline making her way into the library. It was like the world had stopped spinning and time came to a stand still. Both Anastasia and Valantis had stopped their apparent conversation when those doors opened, and as Evangeline had stepped inside, their minds had slowly came to a stand still.

"You're in a dress," Anastasia squeaked out, bawling her hands together and jumping around like a wisp flying amongst the night sky. She let out a smile and ran towards Evangeline throwing her arms around her and giving her a hug, "you're in a dress on your own accord. Eva, oh my gods, it's a bright dress. I absolutely love it!"

"Isn't this quite a development," Valantis said, wearing a smile as wide as the Gentitro mountain range. Which, to be fair, isn't very wide as it is steep.

Evangeline, in the process, lit up in a blush. Part of her didn't want to be standing there in the orange dress, but the other part of her liked the attention. She never really gave herself the chance to dress casually, to dress differently than her normal, formal attire. It almost made Evangeline feel… feminine. Don't get her wrong, she felt feminine in her normal attire, but this was different. She had freedom to step out of her comfort range that she absolutely wasn't able to do normally.

"I figure if I am going to be trapped in this library from daylight to nightrise, I should be comfortable."

"To be fair, we are not in here all day. Princess Anastasia has a meeting with her fiancé when the clock tower strikes three ticks."

"Oh my, and what knight will be in her presence," Evangeline questioned, a pang of nervousness striking her chest. She had to acknowledge that she felt useless; she wasn't able to accompany Anastasia when she needed to be there. Evangeline realized that she hadn't a chance to truly meet this Prince Philip, and she wanted to ensure that Philip would be a compatible partner for Anastasia.

What if he wasn't? What if he was the worst possible partner from Anastasia. Someone who was boring, serious, and refuses to give Anastasia freedom to do as she wishes? Not that it wasn't much different from her current situation … but Anastasia was to be Queen! She had long awaited this freedom, and what if she never got it because Philip could possibly be a dimwitted asswhat?

Only in that moment did Evangeline realize she was approaching the situation with the worst possible outcome. Perhaps Philip would be a kindhearted gentleman who would sweep Anastasia off of her feet and gift her diamonds and flowers when she awoke every morning.

"Well, I will be in her attendance. As well as that other lad, Prince Philip's knight. His name was err–" Valantis hesitated a second as Evangeline noticed his mind starting to spin with recognition. Yet, Evangeline already knew the answer.

"Vance. Yes, we have met. A few too many times, I must admit," Evangeline mumbled the last sentence under her breath and shifted her weight, cautiously, on her left leg. She didn't want to hurt her ankle; she was starting to walk without the crutches, despite the pain. Honestly, she was absolutely exhausted by the crutches. Evangeline would rather deal with the pain of her right ankle landing on the floor than having her under arms and ankle feeling like they had been run over by a pack of wild wolves.

"Ah, yes, Vance. Quite a fine gentleman. I'm sure any young, female, knight would be interested in his appearances," Valantis looked at Evangeline with teasing eyes, a sneaky smile making its way onto his face. In a moment, though, Valantis's face turned solemn and he motioned for Evangeline and Anastasia to follow him through the library. "Enough standing around, let's make our way to the study room."

As Valantis took his leave and started walking to the study room, Evangeline and Anastasia were quick to follow him. Well, not Evangeline so much as she was still limping and attempting to not hurt her ankle anymore than she had to.

However, it became apparent that Anastasia wanted to stay behind and keep pace with Evangeline, and she ended up slowing down her pace, drastically. Evangeline looked to Anastasia and lifted an eyebrow in confusion,

"Aren't you going to the study room? No need to wait up for me. I'll get there … eventually." Evangeline couldn't help but let a little chuckle at her statement. She sounded so pathetic, so weak. And she hated it with every fiber in her body.

"Well, who said we needed to get there right away? Plus, I hardly have a second to talk with you these days since your injury as well as the — engagement. I can't believe it is happening. And so quickly, might I add!"

"Perhaps it is. I never quite caught onto the tail end of this marriage situation," pondered Evangeline as the two made their way between the book cases. The farther they got into the library, the most isolated it became. Yet, at the same time, it was almost comforting. Like a cozy home where no one were to interrupt the two. "When are you two to be officially married anyway? I know there is an engagement in progress, but Prince Philip hasn't even technically proposed!"

"No he hasn't. I have barely seen him either since the night of the ball, talk about rude. I get that things are starting to get in motion, but I would think that maybe, just maybe, my fiancé would like to see me at least once after out official engagemnt," Anastasia pulled a piece of hair out of her eyes in frustration, messing up her hairsprayed bangs. She then let out a huff as the two came upon an open area with tables set about sparsely. Before approaching Valantis, as he had already laid out the material on a couple tables for the day's lesson, Anastasia put out her final thoughts, "and I don't know what's to even happen after the marriage! Would he want kids? Oh gods, Eva I don't want kids. I don't know if I even want to —"

A pause was held as Anastasia came to a slow halt, attempting to keep out of Valantis's sight. Evangeline was confused, to say the least. Was Anastasia talking about – sex? Surely not. Perhaps she was mentioning something else, but the way Anastasia's eyes glazed over and her irises dampened into an ocean blue rather than sky blue, something was troubling her. And Evangeline simply couldn't decipher what.

By the time Anastasia had opened her mouth, the two's attention were drawn away from someone clearing their throat. Anastasia turned around and Evangeline looked up as the conversation soon fizzled away. Alas, Evangeline was left wondering what Anastasia would have said.

"You two ladies are certainly having a good conversation without me in it. While I would love to hear about the engagement, I am afraid we need to drive into the fascinating world of, " Valantis let out a fake smile while laughing, mocking the two young women, "Ferrin plant based medications and how they have the ability to heal internal injuries.""Oh," Evangeline said, not expecting the topic to be something … interesting. She thought Anastasia was studying history and how many wars Collosicus and Ambrose have had in the last century. The answer to that was a lot.

It was common knowledge that the two kingdoms weren't the best of friends, and with maintaining a lot of different plants that can aid both kingdoms, as well as trade routes that are drastically longer with having to go around the territories, it would make sense to attempt to make peace.

"We are learning about plants? I thought it would be something proper and more … "

"Boring? I don't disagree. While we would typically go over a more historical of things, I think it would be beneficial to learn about the common plants within Ambrose and how you can use these plants to your advantage if you were to be in a pinch."

Evangeline and Anastasia looked at each other, both of them having a look of curiosity. It was something she felt familiar with, and she also felt the idea would be very beneficial.

The two walked over to the largest table that was right near the window that led outside. Evangeline caught a glimpse outside and admired the way the sun was shining with a well renown happiness, not a single negative idea could tossed about in its pleasant rays.

"Here we have a Ferrin berry. They are quite small and have a purple color. However, if you look closely, there is a metallic tint to it. Here," Evangeline and Anastaisa stood up ignoring the chairs to the table. It would likely be a pain in the rear to have to stand up and sit down while moving constantly from table to table.

Valantis gave both of the girls one of the Ferrin berries and Evangeline held the berry upwards, catching it in the glimpse of a sunlight ray. It glowed and within a moment, she could see not only the purple but the metallic coating as well.

"Ferrin berries are nearly identical to Fatalis berries, and if you consume a single Fatalis berry, you die a slow, agonizing death. Well, not necessiarly slow, but it would take twelve hours for someone to die, give or take varrying on body weight, height size, and species. After consuming, the person would start to feel lightheaded and develop a sore throat. Then would come chills and hot flashes. The person would start to sweat uncontrollably, to the point where they would start to become dehydrated. They would still feel hot and cold, so there would be no middle ground."

"Gods this sounds absolutely horrific," Evangeline sounded out as she put the berry in her hand onto the table, her appetite starting to fade away as she started to paint a scenario in her head of someone ingesting the treacherous berry.

"Oh, it gets better. Three hours in the person would start to gain debilitating pains in their stomach and their muscles would be contracting uncontrollably, leading to horrid cramps in their limbs. Most people, at this point, would start begging for death. The brain would start swelling, and the pressure in the person's head would start to grow, leading to life threatening seizures."

Valantis froze for a second, Evangeline watched his eyes move from Anastasia to herself than back to the table where he looked at a bowl filled with Ferrin berries in it. There was a masher next to it as well as a plate.

"This goes on for hours, and then the most horrifying part is that the blood vessels rupture. There is internal bleeding, but then it turns external. The person starts to bleed from every open hole in their body; it is uncontrollable. They die from either blood loss or the swelling in their brain. If someone were to encounter this berry and ingest it, knowing that death was inment, it would be best to ingest more than one to make the death quicker. Overall, the story of this is to look closely at what you are eating in the wild."

"I don't plan on eating any berries in the wild anyway, Valantis." Evangeline mocked, rolling her eyes in the process. She was joking, of course she was. Evangeline knew that there would likely be a time where she would need to act upon survival instincts, and if she knew what plants were safe to ingest and what weren't, it could potentially save her life … or end it.

Valantis let out a stiff laugh before reaching for the masher, picking it up delicately.

"I am going to prepare a small mixture right here. You will only need Ferrin berries. However, there is another way to tell the difference between Ferrin and Fatalis, and this is if you are able to mash them up to see the colors."

Evangeline and Anastasia watching intently as Valantis started to mash the berries that were in the stone bowl. Valantis was sure to get all the berries, and Evangeline couldn't help but flinch a little bit. She wasn't sure why; it was like having chills down her body. Something about the Ferrin berries was throwing her off.

"If you look here," Valantis put the masher down and motioned towards the bowl of Ferrin berries or what was left of them. The inside, much to Evangeline's surprise, was a vibrant purple. Not to mention, it seemed to have a hint of sparkles in there, as if it were glowing with radiance of some sort. It intrigued Evangeline greatly. "Not only is the mash purple, but the secret is that Ferrin berries have been tainted with magic. Now we aren't sure why, as it appears they have been tainted rather recently. I would say within the past two years is when people started to notice the properties of Ferrin berries. Not only is it edible, but it now posses the ability to heal internal and external injuries slowly."

"Internal injuries…" Evangeline sounded out as her eyes widened with recognition as she looked towards the bowl of mush. She reached her hand out towards the bowl but stopped before she had the chance to touch it. Evangeline then looked towards Valantis, her green eyes sparkled with energy, "do you think it can possibly heal my ankle quicker?"

"I suppose that is a possibility." Valantis pondered to Evangeline. Evangeline and Anastasia then looked at each other before turning their attention back to Valantis.

It was as if there was a possible solution that would have longed Evangeline to the point where she would have been unable to do the job she was meant to do. Was this a possible solution?

"However," Valantis said, hesitance brimming in his voice. "I don't know if it will be successful. When I mean internal injuries, I suggest bleeding and organ damage. I am unsure if that includes bones. But nevertheless, there is no harm in trying. We have some Ferrin berries stocked from the recent emergence of the Ambrose royalty within Collosicus. Perhaps I can make contact and get my hands on a few dosages of Ferrin berries."

"I would rather take a chance than be stuck in this damned boot for however long."

Evangeline let out a small breath, partly full of excitement and the other part full of uncertainty. Surely this was an opportunity that she would approach in caution, but, on the other hand, if this were to speed up the process of her ankle healing, then this was a chance she had to take.