***

The cold air was stinging my skin. I had been sent out on a job somewhere in the cold, snowy mountains. Thankfully, Zen, Kiki, and Mitsuhide had business near where I was headed so they decided to take me with them and drop me off on the way to their destination. I was riding on Mitsuhide's horse while Kiki and Zen were riding on their own horses. I've never been somewhere this cold before. I didn't really like it since I was so used to it always being sunny and warm.

"It must be cold because we're so close to the mountains," I commented out loud. Even though we were riding through a desert during the day, it was still freezing out here. Don't get me wrong, I like the cold... But not this type of cold. It's the cold that makes your joints hurt when you've been out in it for too long.

"Yes, this place is a far cry from sunny Clarines." Kiki agreed.

"I wish we could take you all the way," I glanced back at Mitsuhide as he spoke, "We do feel guilty about that, but we need to get to Laxdo quickly."

He had been saying that for a while now. No matter how many times I told him that it was fine and he didn't have to worry, he still did. "You don't have to feel guilty. It's perfectly fine. I appreciate the fact that you guys are taking me as far as you can."

Mitsuhide smiled down at me, "I can't believe they sent you all the way to Laxdo. Seems like being a court herbalist is hard work."

I shrugged, "It's not that bad. I enjoy it a lot. It gives me an excuse to spend most of my time outside." I had wanted to be an herbalist for as long as I can remember. My mom was one and to see her work was always so fascinating to me. I loved to just sit there and watch her do everything. She was always helping people and that's what I decided I wanted to do.

"By the way," Kiki's voice was full of amusement, "We told Lord Haruka that you'd been granted a position inside the castle. He said 'congratulations', right?" That almost made me laugh. I loved that they shoved it in his face like that. He tried to keep me from the castle and now I have no choice but to come to the castle because I work there now.

"Yeah, but the sarcasm was palpable," Mitsuhide said.

"I didn't expect anything less." I laughed.

"He's interesting. He can't hide what he's thinking, so it's funny when he tries." Kiki was certainly having a field day when talking about this. I had heard that type of thing from a few people when they talked about Lord Haruka actually. It would just be things I overhear when some people come into the herbalist's office.

"Yeah, that's true," Mitsuhide said.

That's when a question arose within me. Why were the three of them going to Laxdo? They seemed to be in a really big hurry to leave the castle and get there. Something must have gone wrong... But what happened? I decided to ask, "Hey, Zen? Why are you in such a big hurry? Is there something wrong?"

Zen glanced back at me with a small smile, "Well, it is a routine fort inspection. But we're a little worried since we haven't heard from them in a while." That makes a lot of sense. I would be worried too if I haven't heard from someone I know in a while. I almost had a freakout when I didn't get a letter from Shirayuki on Thursday when her letters usually arrive. Turns out the mail was just held up.

We finally made it to where I had to walk the rest of the way. Mitsuhide got off the horse first to help me off. I thanked him after getting off the horse. I walked until I got to the sign that said the name of the town. I turned back to Zen, Mitsuhide, and Kiki, giving them a big smile, "This is goodbye for now."

"Are you sure you'll be all right in this cold?" Zen asked.

I nodded, "A little breeze can't keep me down."

Zen laughed, "I suppose so. See you soon." He started to leave with the other two.

I called out to them quickly, "Wait!" Zen stopped and turned back to me. I gave him a wave, "Take care of yourself!" He smiled and nodded. The three of them headed off to their location. Now it's time for me to walk the rest of the way... Yay.

***

You have no idea how surprised I was when Mitsuhide appeared on my walk. I was so puzzled to see him. I had said goodbye to him what felt like forever ago and he came back? I was confused until he explained to me what happened at the fort. They apparently needed medical attention. A lot of the soldiers were sick and one of them was injured. That's how I ended up at Fort Laxdo. Mitsuhide and I rode here as fast as we could. The cold made it a bit unbearable, but we managed to make it.

I was wrapping the injured soldier's leg. The soldier looked like a teen, but I didn't say anything. Looks can be misleading sometimes. "And you followed the doctor's orders exactly?" It was important to know whether or not they did. If they didn't then it would make sense as to why it got worse. If they did then I would be more than confused.

"Yes, as much as we could," The soldier replied, "But there aren't enough plants this time of year to get everyone the treatment they need." That's true. The cold climates would also make it really hard for most herbs to grow. It can also affect the potency of herbs too.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Zen inquired.

I glanced back at him, "Cold weather affects potency. It weakens most herbs, so you end up having to use more to make them actually work," Zen made a small, 'Huh,' sound. Guess he didn't know that. I moved the soldier's pant leg down a little past his knee when I was done wrapping his leg, "There you go? Do you remember anything else?" I started packing up my stuff.

"I was usually on watch outside, so that's all I really know," He bowed his head to me, "I hate that I can't be more help."

I just smiled and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You've helped as much as you can. Don't feel bad."

The soldier looked up at me with determination shining in his eyes, "I won't rest until these men are well! I'm Shuka. Just let me know what I can do."

"Like I said, you've done so much already. All you need to do right now is to take it easy and rest." Shuka wouldn't be able to help much if he doesn't rest. His leg would just get worse and would cause more problems. Him helping right now wouldn't be the best decision. Although, his wanting to help is very admirable of him.

Shuka sighed, "Sure."

Zen and I left the room so we could talk. I closed the door behind me and when I did, Zen spoke, "I think he's worse than he was when we got here." He probably didn't catch it before because he wasn't around the sick soldiers much. Since he's been inside, he's been around the sick soldiers which is slowly making him sick because of him being exposed to it.

I crossed my arms, giving Zen a pointed look, "You have to go get some fresh air, Zen. I'm worried about you." Who knows how long he's been exposed to the virus? I couldn't have Zen getting sick because then that would be on me for not telling him to leave. A sick Zen wouldn't be much fun either.

"I'll be all right." He reassured me.

"Did you not hear anything I just said?" I gave him a look. I hate when he does this. He's always so stubborn when it comes to this type of stuff. He never listens until it's too late. I wish Zen would just do as I say this once.

Zen looked away, "I don't like to be outside in the cold!"

I jumped in front of him so he would have to look at me. I poked his chest with my pointer finger, "Don't you go making excuses." It was a sucky excuse. I know that he could do a lot better than that.

"I can't leave you alone after bringing you into this mess!" Zen exclaimed. And there he goes again... Worrying about me. Sometimes I think that I burden him with him having to worry about me now.

"I would let you stay if you could help me, okay? I do want you here with me. But I don't want you to get sick! You should just go. I promise that I will do everything that I can to help these men." I stated. I was going to make sure that they got better. Even if my life depended on it. I'm an herbalist, they're supposed to help people. I can't just let my patients go untreated and get way worse than they are now.

"I won't get sick," Zen insisted, "It's fine. I'll stay.

"Zen," I looked over Zen's shoulder to see Mitsuhide standing a little behind him. He was the one who called out to him. He had his back to a pillar in the hallway, but we were still able to see him. Kiki and Obi stood a little further away. "You told Kiki you'd be out by sunset. As a prince, it's your duty to stay healthy."

It was silent for a moment. No one even moved. I watched in surprise as Zen turned to me and bowed, "I was being selfish. Forgive me. Let me know if anything changes." Then he walked out of the hallway. Zen doesn't listen to Mitsuhide a lot of the time, but I'm glad that he did this time. It would suck for him to get sick.

***

There was a main room in the fort where all the soldiers were. There was a fireplace near the front with some benches near it. I laid a cold cloth on a soldier's forehead so it would bring down his fever. I looked down at my clipboard that had all my observations on it and stood up. I was trying to think of what this sickness might be, but nothing was coming to mind. It was strange. I threw a piece of firewood into the fireplace and sat down on a nearby bench. I let out a breath. I could relax for a little bit before I get back to work.

"Hello, Emiko!" I heard a bright voice greet me. I looked to see Shuka walking over to me, scratching the back of his head. "I was just coming over to check on you."

"Are you sure that you're well-rested?" I asked.

"As much as I could under the circumstances." He responded.

I smiled and nodded, "That's good. I haven't been able to determine the source yet," I started looking through my notes again. There has to be something that I'm missing. I just know it. But what could it even be? "It seems like the symptoms are changing. It isn't progressing the way that something like this should be. It's weird."

"What would cause that to happen?" Shuka asked the question that I've been wondering.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," I let out a sigh, "In the meantime, I've finally found the medicine that the physician was using. I'm going to try mixing a few other ingredients with it." I went to stand up, but I immediately got lightheaded. I couldn't stop myself from falling to my knees. I winced as my knees made contact with the stone ground.

Shuka let out a yelp. He climbed over the bench and ran to my side, "Hey, Emiko! Are you all right?"

"What?" I held my hand in front of me to see it going in and out of focus, "Why is it coming on so quickly? Maybe it varies per person?" It doesn't make sense that I would get sick before Shuka. I haven't been here as long as Shuka has... So why am I getting sick before he does? More and more questions keep coming to mind. Shuka responded by saying that he wouldn't know. I gasped in realization, "Wait. Shuka, you said you spent a lot of time on watch, right?"

"Um. Yes." He replied.

I'm so dumb. How did I not notice? I thought that since he wasn't around the soldiers, he wasn't getting sick, but that's not it. Maybe... "That would have to mean that the source is in here somewhere," Shuka started being around the soldiers more since we got here and he still hadn't caught it. So that means that someone must catch the sickness through the main source and not from someone else. "It seems like the closer they are to the fire, the worse their symptoms are."

The firewood in the fireplace breaks and cracks. I gaped at it in shock. That has to be it, the firewood. The firewood is causing the sickness. I slowly stood up and grabbed a bag that was nearby. I'm not going to like this, but I have to do it. I reach into the fireplace and grab the firewood, placing it into the bag. My hands stung from the fire, but I kept getting the firewood out until it was all out. Thankfully, my hands weren't too badly burned. Just some minors ones.

I quickly took it outside, panting when I got out the door. Zen and Mitshuide looked at me with worry and confusion. "Emiko? What's wrong?" Zen met me in the middle.

I dragged the bag over to them, "Don't worry," I dropped the bag and the firewood came spilling out, "I've just been a little too close to the fire. This is the source. It's coming from the wood. It started releasing harmful particles when it was burning. Those particles are toxic to breathe. They cause the same symptoms, too."

"Where did the logs come from?" Zen asked.

"A band of travelers. That's what Shuka said," I stated. Shuka came to stand beside me. "They left them here without wanting to be paid because they were too heavy to carry."

Shuka bowed, "Your Highness, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry," Mitsuhide told him, "Are you feeling better, at least?"

"Uh. Yes! The medicine Emiko gave me did wonders!" Shuka said.

"I'm glad," I smiled, "I'm just relieved that it ended up working." I could feel my hands shaking from where the fire burned them. They were going to hurt for a little while.

I heard a gasp come from Zen then an exhale. I watched as he headed straight for me. He stopped about an inch away, "You win," He placed his hand on the door behind me, "I guess it's official. You're amazing."

"Um..." I didn't know what to say.

"Would you mind staying here for a few more days?" Zen asked me, "I'd like for you to nurse the soldiers back to health."

"I wouldn't mind," I replied. Looks like the next few days are going to be a bit busier than usual. I was ready for the challenge though.