"Push!" Chloe held her patient's ankles and helped her bear down. She had been monitoring this labour for the last few days and it was finally coming to an end. The mother was exhausted which made the pushing more difficult, but it wouldn't be long now, just a few more.

     Chloe's assistant, Elise, hung some clean towels to warm by the fire in wait for the baby. Elise was a midwife in training who Chloe had taken in just this past year. She had proved herself time and again when it came to monitoring patients; Elise seemed to have a knack for picking up potential problems and finding the right remedies. 

     "One more! Push!" With another long grunt, one more babe was brought into Bolster City. Chloe placed the little girl on her mother's chest and she was soon nursing strong. Elise placed the warm towels over the newborn and gave the mother some blankets while they both got to work cleaning the birthing room.

     A few moments later, Elise stepped out of the room and came back with a small satchel she usually carried around with her while attending to patients. Chloe watched as she rummaged through it and finally pulled out what she was looking for; was it Moon Daisy? It must have been, it was a common remedy for after birth. Knowing Elise, she had probably already made the capsules from the plant's roots days ago and stuffed them with its petals. 

     "Here, Miss Mae, you take these each morning until you're feeling strong enough to walk around holding your little one."   

     This new mother had a long labour which could lead to a painful recovery. Elise also gave her a small amount salve made from Wolf's Bane. She must have noticed the small lump on the new born's head which most likely developed from being partially in the birth canal for so many days. The salve would lessen the swelling of both their injuries and would make the healing process a bit quicker. 

         Chloe watched as Elise explained and delved out her concoctions. She was impressed at how professional, yet personal Elise was with each patient. It was almost as if she could sense what they needed with a look. She even gave the mother some chamomile tea which was not something given regularly. What was that for? Cramps? Depression? Chloe wasn't sure, though she felt a stab of jealousy that knowing what remedies to give did not come so natural to her. Perhaps she should have been trying to learn more from Elise rather than the other way around.

         "Don't look so glum Chloe, you were great, as always!"  Elise praised her boss as they left the mother and her new child alone for the first time.

         "Glum? No! I was just wondering what the chamomile was for?"

         "Ah, she was always praying under her breath. A woman praying so much has got to be a worrier, just thought it would help ease her mind, especially now when she needs it the most." She smiled and gave Chloe a little wink.

         "You do know people Elise, very well. It has been a pleasure having you work for me." And in that instant, she knew she could sign off on her. Elise was ready to have her own patients and run her own ward. What a gift she would be to any care-house that snatched her up. 

     She had a selfish thought then. Perhaps before Elise found work somewhere else, she would have time to visit home again. She wanted to see how her brother Caldwell, his wife Kaja and her nephew Avos faired at her old farm. She missed them terribly. She couldn't believe it had been almost seven years since she'd seen them. 

     While she lived on the farm, she was proud to be one of the most well known midwives in the South. Word had carried here of her talents. After her husband died in the war, she accepted the offer to move and work here in the care-house. 

     Back then, it was a new concept; a place where women could go to birth their children, but also where the sick were brought in to be cared for -  all under the same roof! She felt as though she was a part of something grand and worthwhile.

     Though she also remembered how sad her family was, particularly Avos, the day she left. She always had the ability to make him laugh and took great care to deliver him happiness, so it broke her heart to see his tears. She told him then that his smile made the world a livable place. She felt giddy thinking about returning there to see it once again.

    She was confident Elise could take over her patients now, at least until she returned, so a trip to her old home was a possibility. 

         "Another day, another cabbage." Elise joked. 

     That girl has no idea what's in store for her does she? Chloe would tell her tomorrow. Let her enjoy the rest of her day. Though she may appreciate graduating, it does come with its own set of anxieties and responsibilities. No need to throw it at her after such a long haul. Perhaps her trip could wait a week or two as well. 

     "Come by the office tomorrow, Elise, before you head down to the ward. I have something I want to go over with you."

     "Sure thing boss lady! Sweet dreams tonight, I know I could use some." She smiled and made her way back to her quarters.

___

     Elise made her way back to her room. The student quarters were located in a building across from the care-house. The street between the two had become a common resting place for people seeking refuge or care in hard times. Even travelers without family in town, or enough money to buy a night at an inn, would lay their blankets here for rest. Elise always took some time after her long day to make sure they were comfortable. If someone needed something special concocted, she would go up to her room and brew it and then bring it back down to them.

     Today she saw a young boy alone. He was reading as he sat up against the wall of her building. Curious, a lad reading at such a young age.  He must have learned to some place, by someone. Where were they now? She looked around for any other new faces but no one stood out to her.

     She looked back and the boy was staring up at her with half a grin. He had shut and placed his book down beside him on the ground. Meddling of a Pauper, the title read. Curious indeed.       

     "Hello... boy?" Elise was no longer sure. She realized now that he was not as young as she first thought. His eyes held some age to them, but his petite figure confused her. He wore breeches and high boots and his emerald hooded cloak covered most of his hair. A few loose blonde strands peeked out enough to know he wore it long. Longer than her red locks. 

     He looked away. For a moment it seemed as though he was going to ignore her, but then he held up a bandaged hand and said "tell me, witch, do you have what I need?"        

     Elise jolted and a tingle worked its way up her spine. What had he just called her? Her temper flared and she rushed him. She grabbed him and jerked him up by the arm. "Let's go." She pulled him behind he and he staggered into the doorway beside her and up into her quarters. He did not fight her. Though she could tell he was in pain, she noticed him smirking, smirking! The nerve of this man-boy. She led him inside her room and motioned for him to sit-down. As he did she spun around on him and interrogated.

     "Who are you? Why did you seek me out?"

     "Should you not know, seer?" He mocked.  

     "OK, this is getting annoying. How do you know me? Tell me now or I will scream for the Watch."

     His answer was to pull back his hood, revealing his long blonde braid and sharp pointy ears.

     An elf! Well, that was unexpected. 

     "I felt you, daughter of the moon," he explained. "I sought you out simply for help with this most tedious wound I've developed on my palm, oh and here on my side, and perhaps too on my back." He squirmed as if having an itch in a place he couldn't scratch, then glanced at his hand looking truly aggravated.

     "But you're an elf!" Elise exclaimed, as if this trumped any help she could offer.   

     "My powers won't heal it. My magic salves dry at its touch, and my knowledge in brewing is limited." He shrugged. Elise walked over and grabbed the elf's hand. Any anger or fear she had been feeling seemed to be suddenly replaced by awe and now, curiosity. She began unraveling his bandage.          

     "What happened?"         

     "It may be better you not know, exactly. But it is from a blade."

     "A foe?" She asked. The elf nodded as she continued to examine the now uncovered wound. "Poison maybe?"  

     "Or just a dream," was all he said. Is he lucid?

     His palm was swollen and red. She lifted his shirt and saw three or four other lacerations along his side and back.  Elise had seen plenty of infected cuts and his bore all the signs. Even the yellow tinge around the edge of the scab was present. Though what confused her were the tiny blue capillary marks starting to jet out from it as well. A poison all right, perhaps an otherworldly one.

     She traced her finger along the deepest of them and images suddenly began appearing in her mind. A ghost. No, a man. A man with a blade. White eyes. Empty eyes. Breath as black as night.  Black mist. All encompassing. She jerked her hand back and the images stopped.  The elf seemed unaware of what transpired.    

         "I think I might be able to help you with this," she sheepishly confessed as she turned and started looking for her Old Man's Beard. Then she thought to herself, should I be helping with this?