Return to Glory

Extinguishing Fires

As Alex had predicted, the whole ordeal of getting all the inhabitants of the village to safety turned out to be an event that ended well into the hours of the afternoon. She glanced up at the darkened sky; the sun was nowhere to be seen and the cool air of the spring night was suffocated by the heat of the now extinguished fires. It had taken a great effort to end what had felt like incessant flames, but, all together, the large group of people who had had enough energy to participate, had managed.

Without even noticing, Alex had accidentally taken the lead in organizing resources and had ended up being the one who coordinated who did what. Aidan, despite his true royal status, had been a silent server, calmly accepting all orders and fulfilling them without a single complaint.

Everyone had ended up having to gather in the very few stone edifications of the town; a couple of small inns, the church, and some of the larger homes, which belonged to the nobles who surprisingly accepted to receive peasants in their homes. Despite the hardship of the situation, the brunette had to admit that it gave her an odd sensation of comfort inside to see how everyone had gathered in community. Alex and Aidan hadn't had the chance to sit down and talk to the villagers about exactly what had happened, but it was obvious from the start that this had been an external attack. Every inhabitant of the town had been affected negatively.

The brunette was afraid to ask, but was sure that there had been various casualties. Even acting as quickly as they all had, there were an alarming amount of villagers that were badly wounded and we're going to need further help once more healers were available. She would have lended a hand there, but she knew well that her little knowledge was more oriented towards stabs and bruises. Burns were a whole different world for her.

On the other hand, Aidan had already ordered a few kids to retrieve certain plants from wherever they could, so that these could be used to treat the people's wounds. There was no doubt to the brunette that he had the soul of a healer. Which also explained his entire calm demeanor. It was a perfect complement and, in reality, a necessity, for that profession.

She watched him as he paced elegantly from one place to the other, commanding when she wasn't, and it was evident that, without even knowing who he truly was, the people admired him deeply. Every single person that interacted with him did so with reverence, even as they just believed he was the hermit healer from the forest.

They decided to stay the night, as it would be extremely unwise to venture into the woods now, when all the creatures were lurking right near the entrance, waiting for easy prey. Despite wanting to be together, they determined it would be more helpful to everyone if each of them spent the night taking care of a group. Aidan dutifully tended to wounds, while Alex continued to organize the little resources they had to satisfy the needs of the entire town. The nobles, who had most of their houses' belongings intact, complied with providing food and what necessities the others may have, surprising the brunette even more. She had half expected them to go full on selfish and refuse to do anything. But the sense of community of these people was greater, and it had come in handy.

If all went well, they'd be able to discuss what happened on the following morning. For now, Alex found herself directing individuals who had never met her before, but were fully trusting her orders. And, to be honest, it felt good.