The Herbalist

She is the weakest human

-Kaelith-

She was but a slip of a woman, this creature fate had claimed as mine. The moment I laid eyes upon her, my steps faltered, my breath caught, and a strange stirring began in the depths of my soul—alien, yet achingly familiar. My destined. A word I had pondered for centuries, never truly believing I would utter it, and now here she stood before me.

She was smaller than I imagined, barely reaching my chest, and there was an endearing disarray about her that gave me pause. Her dark hair was swept into an unruly knot atop her head, strands tumbling free as though they rebelled against her control. Her clothing was plain, and the soil smudged upon her knees, the stray leaves caught in her hair, bespoke a life of labor beneath the open skies. This was no city-dweller, no delicate maiden unused to the wild places. In that, at least, I found comfort.

But it was her eyes that undid me—those green, bewitching depths, as vibrant as a forest at dawn and as endless as the heavens. I, who have walked this earth for over three centuries, who have stood before gods and monsters alike, was unmoored by the simple gaze of this fragile being.

Yet she was not as I expected. Not the grand sorceress, brimming with untold power, that Elowen’s visions had painted. Nor the impressive and annoyingly sassy witch who mated the Alpha wolf. Nay, she was… mortal. Fragile. Her frame was slight, her presence uncertain, and as I watched her, doubts began to take root in my heart. Could she truly be the one prophesied to stand beside me? To fight against an ancient evil that has plagued our world for millennia?

Still, the pull toward her was undeniable, almost as though the threads of the very earth sought to bind us together. I felt it before she even spoke, that magnetic connection that all but commanded me to draw near. My feet carried me to her unbidden, as though the decision were never mine to make. And when I reached her, when I dared to lift my hand and let it rest lightly upon her arm, the world itself shifted.

It was as if a storm erupted within me. Her presence stirred something deep and primal, something I had long forgotten or, perhaps, never known. My blood began to thrum with a power that was foreign and wild. My chest burned, my vision sharpened, and the world around us seemed to hum with an ancient resonance. The wind picked up all of the sudden, reflecting both our inner turmoil.

She, however, recoiled at my touch, not in disgust but as if the very act pained her. I felt her flinch beneath my fingers, and my heart twisted in an unfamiliar pang of guilt. Yet I could not pull away. Even as she crumbled, her knees giving way, her trembling form falling into my arms, I held fast. How could I not?

Her sobs tore through me, each one a blade that sliced at my resolve. This woman—my destined—was breaking before me, shattering like glass. Her fragility was an affront to my instincts, to the fire of protectiveness that now consumed me. How could the goddess see fit to pair her with me, to task her with such a burden when she seemed ready to collapse under the weight of it? I recalled Elowen’s random vision and mentions of the elusive prophecy about arcane coven. I struggled to believe that this fragile woman I carried in my arm could be part of this prophecy.

I felt torn asunder, trapped between elation and doubt. For centuries, I have waited for her, have endured the loneliness of a life without my other half. And now that she is here, that her very existence ignites a fire I have never known, I cannot quell the uncertainty that rises to meet it. She is beautiful beyond compare, and yet I see weakness in her—a frailty that terrifies me. How am I to walk into battle with this woman at my side? How am I to entrust her with my heart and the fate of all that I hold dear, when she can scarce stand before me without crumbling?

The thought shamed me, but it would not be silenced. I am no stranger to war, to death, and the endless trials of this world. But how can I ask her to endure the same? She is a delicate thing, a flame that could be snuffed out with the faintest gust of wind.

And yet…

As I held her trembling form, as her tears dampened my tunic, something within me whispered of her strength. Not the strength of body or blade, but of spirit—a potential not yet realized. Perhaps it was my heart speaking, desperate to see her as more than the fragile creature before me. Or perhaps it was the magic stirring in her veins, as wild and untamed as the forest itself, calling out to me in a language I could not yet understand.

I tightened my grip on her, cradling her as though she were made of spun glass. “Peace, my lady,” I murmured, my voice low, steady, though I felt anything but calm. “You are safe with me.”

Even as I said the words, doubt lingered in my mind. How long could I keep her safe? How long before the weight of the prophecy crushed her entirely? And how could I reconcile the joy of finding my destined with the fear that she would never survive what lay ahead? I found myself torn between the desire to connect with her and create a bond that I have forever longed for, and the primal need to protect and spare her of the many dangers ahead. Shall I be selfish now, but suffer later if anything would happen to her, or shall I never let us form any connection and spare her, for her safety, of dangers ahead I knew she wouldn’t survive? My inner battle was raging in full force while my destined was in tears of pain? -Joy?- Overwhelm?- in my arms. Not quite the love at first sight story my father would tell me…

For now, I could only hold her and pray that the goddess had not made a mistake. I would still savor and burn into my memory the day I met my destined, whatever happened. I was enjoying this moment, with the care to engrave every sensation in my memory when Iaraelyn came to ruin our moment.

“What an epic first date! You already made her cry… Kael, you really need to work on your approach with the ladies” She jabbed at me. But I felt my destined tensed at her words.

“You’re not welcome here, leave” I tried to keep my voice even. I refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was getting under my skin.

“Leave? This is my community and you are mere guests, overstaying your welcome. You know, Kael, I think this pairing is Karma. The almighty Elven gold child with the weakest human. You deserve it, considering how much you despise them.” She sneered. I growled. What was this annoying brat doing meddling with my affair? While I was ruminating a retort, the moment passed, my destined slipped off my arms and ran away. I turned to follow her but stopped to warn Iaraelyn: “Don’t meddle with things that are outside of your grasp”, I said in a low tone.

She rolled her eyes and repeated her hurtful words. “Sure, but deep down, you know I’m right, she is the weakest human… whether you like it or not, whether you accept it or not. It is a fact.” She left on her little triumph. As I started to walk in search of my destined, I realized that she might have a point, as those thought were mine just a few moments ago. Was I ashamed of those? Yes, of course. But the truth was there. Would I spare us both a lot of hurt by not accepting her? I didn’t know. I would need to reflect on this. So then, instead of going in pursuit of my destined, I opened a portal back home, in Scandinavia, which I haven’t visited in months or years. I would come back to bring Eryndis later, but I need to go back to my roots to clear my head.