2 – The Broken Bond
885 Words
The wind whispered softly through the quiet village of Riverfall.
Small wooden houses sat along a narrow dirt road, surrounded by tall trees and fields of wild herbs. Unlike the grand capital of the Lycan kingdom, Riverfall was peaceful. No towering castles. No armored guards.
Just simple people living simple lives.
And among them lived Elara.
Inside a small cottage at the edge of the village, Elara knelt beside a wooden table covered with bundles of herbs. The faint smell of lavender, sage, and crushed mint filled the room as she carefully mixed the leaves together with a stone mortar.
A lantern flickered beside her, casting a warm golden glow over her face.
Her long dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her silver-gray eyes focused intently on the herbs in front of her.
“Too much wolfsbane will make it bitter,” she murmured to herself.
Her fingers worked skillfully as she added a final ingredient—a rare healing leaf she had gathered from the forest earlier that morning.
Behind her, an older woman groaned softly from the bed in the corner of the room.
Elara quickly stood and walked over.
“Here,” she said gently, helping the woman sit up. “Drink this slowly.”
The woman swallowed the herbal mixture and sighed with relief.
“Moon Goddess bless you, child,” she said. “My joints haven’t felt this good in months.”
Elara smiled softly.
“I’m glad it helped.”
The woman studied her curiously.
“You know,” she said, “I’ve lived in this village for forty years. I’ve seen many healers come and go.”
She paused.
“But none like you.”
Elara laughed quietly.
“I just mix herbs.”
“No,” the woman said firmly. “It’s more than that.”
Elara didn’t answer.
Because she had heard those words before.
Many people in Riverfall said the same thing.
Sometimes her remedies worked faster than they should.
Sometimes wounds healed overnight after she treated them.
Sometimes she felt strange warmth in her hands when helping someone who was injured.
But Elara never spoke about it.
Because even she didn’t understand it.
And things people don’t understand often make them afraid.
The old woman finished her drink and slowly stood up.
“Thank you, dear.”
“You should rest today,” Elara advised.
“I will.”
After the woman left, Elara cleaned the wooden cups and returned the herbs to their shelves.
Her small cottage was filled with plants hanging from the ceiling—dried lavender, sage bundles, and small jars of crushed powders.
Healing had always come naturally to her.
Even as a child.
But there was something else about her that had always been… strange.
Elara walked toward the window and looked outside.
The forest stretched endlessly beyond the village.
A quiet, beautiful place.
Yet whenever she looked at the trees, she felt something deep inside her chest.
A pull.
A feeling that something out there was calling to her.
Waiting.
She placed a hand over her heart.
The strange feeling had been growing stronger lately.
Especially at night.
Especially under the moon.
Sometimes she even dreamed about it.
Dreams where she ran through the forest with powerful legs.
Dreams where she could hear every leaf moving, every heartbeat around her.
Dreams where she wasn’t human at all.
Elara shook her head slightly.
“Just dreams,” she whispered.
But deep inside, she wasn’t so sure.
A loud knock suddenly hit the door.
Startled, Elara walked over and opened it.
Outside stood Tomas, the village messenger.
He looked slightly out of breath.
“Elara!” he said. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“What’s wrong?”
He held up a rolled parchment sealed with a royal symbol.
“The capital sent this.”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.
“The capital?”
“Yes,” he said. “A royal decree.”
Elara carefully opened the parchment.
Her eyes scanned the words.
Her heart skipped.
“The king is summoning healers,” she read quietly.
Tomas nodded.
“Apparently many soldiers were injured in recent battles. They need the best healers from across the kingdom.”
Elara’s stomach tightened.
The capital.
She had never been there.
She had never even left Riverfall.
“I’m not a royal healer,” she said nervously.
“But you’re the best healer we have,” Tomas replied. “The whole village knows it.”
She looked down at the parchment again.
Something about it made her uneasy.
Yet strangely…
Excited.
As if the path of her life had suddenly shifted.
“What if they don’t need me?” she asked quietly.
Tomas shrugged.
“Then you come back home.”
Elara looked toward the forest again.
The strange pull in her chest returned.
Stronger this time.
Almost like fate was whispering to her.
Go.
She took a slow breath.
“When do they expect healers to arrive?”
“In three days.”
Elara nodded slowly.
“I suppose… I should start packing.”
Tomas grinned.
“The capital will be lucky to have you.”
But as Elara closed the door, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling growing inside her.
Something was about to change.
Something big.
- Writer
