"I told you that you had to listen to me." the healer told his patient as they made their way into the inn. Andwyad was breathing heavily while the healer pressed some cloth over the wound in his side that had begun bleeding again.
"Well ya coulda bloody heal'd me." growled Andwyad, wincing as each step sent waves of pain through out his torso. He hated being incapacitated like this. Not only did it make him feel utterly useless, but he didn't like depending on others, and he abhorred being treated like a child. Right now, he felt as if Loeard was pretending to be his father. It sure as hell sucked.
"We've been through this." Loeard snapped, slipping the man's good arm around his shoulders to help him up the last stair leading to the taverns enterance, "I'm a healer, not a miracle worker, and you'd best learn to accept it. I won't do you any good if I die from overuse of my magic."
"Bloody bastard..." he muttered under his breath, the pain making him more irrate that normal, but he stopped complaining. Andwyad understood that Loeard could only do so much, and he had already made sure that he didn't die flat out...so that was probably a good thing. He had been lucky that it had missed his heart and merely pierced his lung. Although, without a healer that wound would have been fatal...gyah...he hated being a debtor....and the bloody healer certainly had saved him, even if he couldn't do everything. At least not yet.
His side flared with a fiend-like fire as Loeard helped him into a chair at one of the back tables. Closing his eyes he tried to focus on something else, anything at all that might take his mind off of things. At this rate he would never be able to do his job again. What with an arm that hung uselessly in a sling as the same dagger that had almost taken his life, had cut through all of the tendons and muscles in his right arm. If allowed to heal without a healer's aid, he would never be able to wield a sword again. Not to mention that chances of getting its full use back, even with Loeard, were slim to none. He wanted to curse which ever God gave a damn, let them know that his life was ruined, all because they had decided to give him a conscience. If he hadn't tried to save that bloody gal things would have turned out differently. Now he felt like shit and couldn't even do anything to help her! The trail was getting cold even as he sat here, taking deep breaths to keep still as Loeard unwrapped his side to take a look at the stitches that were beginning to tear from their fleshy prison.
"Ow!" it took all of his will power to keep from jumping and tearing open his side again, "Damnit, why d'ya 'ave t'do tha'?" he cried, taking a few deep breaths as he blinked away tears that pricked the edges of his eyes, "Tha' bloody hurt!"
Loeard didn't say anything, just glanced up at Andwyad, his eyes were reprimanding. Looking back at his side, he fingered the wound again, causing his patient to suck in a deep breath and rest his head against the back of the chair. It hurt like shit and made him realize just how stupid he had been to push himself harder than he should.
"Chew this."
Andy blinked, eyeing the leaf the healer held up with apprehension, "It's gonna taste foul isn't it?" he asked, but took the leaf with his good hand and shoved it in his mouth.
UGH
It was all he could do to keep from spitting the damn thing out. It was possibly the worst thing he had ever tasted in his entire life. It tasted like a piece of dung and made his eyes water. Damnit he knew he shouldn't have eaten that thing! It had looked almost as terrible as it tasted and now he was going to have to spend hours just getting the shitty taste out of his mouth!
"Don't swallow it." Loeard advised him without looking up, threading a needle to patch up the stitches that had torn
As if he could swallow! If he even tried he was sure that he'd just throw it up again. Ugh, but it was absolutely terrible. He couldn't focus on anything other than the sheer disgusting flavor that one leaf could secrete into a mans mouth!
"Done." Loeard stood and wiped the blood off of his hands before holding it out, "Spit it out on this." he told him, and Andwyad was quick to oblige. Eventhough the leaf was gone, the taste was still there and he chugged the glass of water that the inn keeper had placed on their table at Loeard's prompting. Without waiting, the healer started wrapping a new bandage around his waist, this time much tighter than before to keep the sutures in place and also hinder Andwyad from moving too far, too quickly.
"Wha' was tha' thing anyways?" he asked, throwing down another glass of water.
"Well....nothing really." replied Loeard with a sly grin, "It doesn't do anything but taste terribly foul, and it made you drink two glasses of water without my having to prompt you. Not to mention, you were so focused on the taste that you didn't flinch or even move when I was cleaning and rebandaging."
"Th' hell?!" Andwyad cried, "Ya gave tha' t'me knowin' tha' it didn' do anythin/!?"
"It served it's purpose." He took his seat opposite of the other man, "And now we will not travel anymore today. I don't want to get in the habit of re-sewing that wound every day simply because you won't stay put."
"Yer 'orrible." he glared.
"Tomorrow I'm going to start treatment on your arm. It's going to take a while, there's quite a bit to mend, but the sooner we get started the sooner you'll be able to wield a sword again, if all goes according to plan."
If all goes according to play...that was the ticket wasn't it? It all depended on luck now...he just hoped that Loeard was good to his word...and his craft.