The Healer And The Boneless

Chapter 13

I wake up early in the morning. On the end of my bed laid a new dress, this one more casual, and clearly used. I put that one on, and laid the dress Lagertha gifted me on the bed. Unsure of where to place to it.

I opened the door and walked down the hallway to see the boys all gathered on the table having breakfast. Today they were quiet. I went to my usual spot which is behind Ivar. "No, you can sit here." Ivar reaches for the chair next to him and pulls it out with his hand. He points to the seat with his fork. "Go on." I do not hesitate and sit. Eria walks in holding a bowl of dry fruit and porridge. Her eyes widen when she sees me sitting down but she quickly diverts her eyes and places the bowl in front of me. "Have you slept well?" Ivar asked. I didn't realize the tension there was on the table.   "well, thank you." Silence fell over us again. The only sound was the boys eating and the scratching against our dinner plates.

"I've slept well too." Hvitserk suddenly said, which earned him a hard nudge from Bjorn. I held back a laughter. Eria served me the dried fruit and bread. Then she stood behind me. When I had finished my breakfast I asked Ivar for permission to go to my training with Seereess. He said I could I almost ran out. I think I can finally use my powers again. I felt a great weight lifted off my shoulders. I was still slightly scared of Ivar because he is unpredictable but I was not afraid for my life and I was no longer craving for death. I was doing better I had received the treatment I never knew I was worthy of.

I followed the trail until it disappeared and became one with the forest. I recognized where I was because of the two trees hugging the home. I can smell burned wood from outside with a mixture of leafs and herbs. She always smelled like she came from another world, I thought.

I opened the door to see her sitting on a chair, "On time," She smiles, I close the door. "I thought you were never coming back." She says walking across the room to open a drawer and taking out a piece of cloth, "Why not?" I asked, sitting down on the stool watching her take a few things out and wondering what they were for.

"You know, because of what happened last time." She says, bringing me a cup, I moved away from it.  "It's just water," She says and I hold it. "Right, I am sorry about that. I want to try again."

"Come then, I do not want to waste anymore time." I followed her outside, we stopped after several minutes of walking. "Put this over your eyes, today we learn to trust ourselves." I placed the cloth over my eyes, Seereess, tied it for me. I took a breath, listened to the sounds surrounding me.

"You are going to hear a lot of things. I want you to focus on someone who you think is in pain or in danger. I want you to follow the noise. Drown everything else out. Focus on the one thing you want to heal until It is the only thing you hear." I nodded.

I closed my mouth and tried to breathe in and out of my nose. "You're not going to get hurt. It's going to feel like you are but you aren't." She began to whisper. I can see shadows through the cloth.

My world flipped in front of me, and I stumbled to find my balance. Piercing screams were heard all around. I see the shadow people move fast beside me. I felt the heat of a home burning in front of me. I can make out women carrying their children while men on horse back, stabbed their way through the crowd. I see something tall in front of me, I reach out my shaking hands to touch the solid wall, and I close my eyes to focus. All the noises collided together, I heard everything all at once, I thought my ears were going to pop. Then, it was like I was under water. I heard a crying girl. She was far from me. I followed the cries.

I closed my eyes and held my hands out in front of me when I saw a man on the horse pointing his sword at me. I closed my eyes and covered myself, preparing to be stabbed, yet all that came was wind. I signed in frustration.