5 Chapter 5- Imperfect relationship

The following morning found Nerissa and Lados making early preparations. As soon as the sun launched its first rays across the wet autumn sky, they prepared the villagers' cart. Lados made sure to load it with salted food and logs for the winter, while Nerissa prepared a small wooden chest full of recipes for concoctions, a number of glass vials of all sizes, batches of dried herbs and wrapped pastes for various ailments. She also approached the now untied young man, surlily handing him a scroll.

"What's it?" he asked simply.

"It's a chart on how to make rabbit traps with dried sticks. I also include information about rabbit behavior during heavy snowfall. It will keep you and your mother's bellies full for the winter."

The young man opened the scroll, staring blankly at it.

"Do you even know how to read?" she asked, slightly appalled by the man.

"Do you?" he replied. It seemed a bit too much for the young villager that the woman ahead of him could read -any woman for that matter.

Nerissa rolled her eyes. "It is sketched." She showed him the fine sketches at the bottom of the scroll. The man gasped in amazement.

"How come ya know 'bout rabbits?" the simple man asked.

It's not that she had heard similar demeaning questions for the first time in her life, still she couldn't help the rising flame of anger inside her chest. The Wise Woman reminded herself his outdated perceptions were not his fault.

"I don't know much."

The man nodded, his jaw slightly dropped. It seemed more satisfying and closer to his understanding that the stern, black haired woman in front of him was unfamiliar with the outdoors.

"Don't try to take anything by force from people again." she completed her advice, an edge on her voice. "You'll end up rotting in prison."

Lados patted the horse and the animal begun to strut. The cart with the three tobacco villagers was on its way to the mountains of Perrevi. He spared some seconds following them with his eyes, allowing his gaze to wander along the cobblestone road, as their silhouettes grew smaller.

"I can't believe nobody's doing something about their situation." he said to himself. Listening to the rustling of papers behind him, he continued. "You have to climb that Hill?" he asked Nerissa. His wife didn't respond.

"You weren't supposed to visit them today." he insisted when he saw his woman wearing her otherwise loose hair in a long braid, her leather backpack filled with scrolls.

"You said it, nobody's doing something about their situation."

"Will my Wise Woman burden herself with their salvation then?" he asked, a small amount of irony soaking his words.

Nerissa dismissed it. "I am obliged to report it. Then, they will decide what to do."

The Wise Woman saddled her auburn stallion carefully. She made sure not to hurt, press, or scratch his soft mane doing so. The animal stood still as she strapped the saddle around his belly. The reward for his obedience was soft and playful, her tender stroke underneath his chin. He, then, was more than eager to transport his owner anywhere she'd command.

Nerissa, from the corner of her eye, caught Lados watching her, both suspicion and awe faintly battling in his eyes. He, once, asked her if she had learned to communicate with animals while studying, or if it was a natural thing. She responded plainly. She simply knew how to properly caress a horse. Her auburn stallion was fast to move, as soon as she climbed him. The beautiful creature started moving, guessing where his master wished to be taken. Nerissa waved at her beloved, telling him she'd be back by afternoon, then galloped west, her braid flapping.

Lados hated how his wife would just leave for the Hill as occasion arose. Should the plains crops fail -which, miraculously haven't been stricken by disaster once the past eight years- Nerissa would ride uphill. If a number of citizens would fall ill or started dieing, Nerissa would climb the Hill, returning with a potential cure. If it failed, she would climb back up, only to re-emerge with a new mix and another attempt. He could understand, as a Wise Woman, she had to work hard, like all Wise Men and Women of her kin. The provinces they have been assigned, the health of humans, animals and the earth within each province were the Wise People's responsibility. He could also understand that she had to visit their Elders Academy on the Plains' Hill to seek counsel often, even spend a couple days with them on a weekly basis, searching for answers to her innumerable questions.

The Mayor's towering cook indeed accepted the unusual nature his wife bore. He has even come to terms with her somewhat frequent night expeditions, as he called them. He followed her once, the one night he managed to break free from his sleeping spell. The idea of Nerissa's supposed love affair, importunately perched in his head back then, led him away from the city's urban limits, fast on her tracks. The further he followed her, the more confused and frightened he felt. Haunting shrieks echoing under a starless sky, made the possibility of a love affair much more pleasant and manageable. Oh, how he regretted assuming his wife was cheating, especially after losing his sense of direction in the deep dark plains. Chills ran up his spine, his legs frozen, unwilling to move, he kept jerking his head left and right, as the shrieks seemed to draw closer. He felt helpless, almost unable to maintain his wits or control over his body. The closer the pervasive shrieks came, the more petrified his body would become. Lados even got the impression he caught a glimpse of undefined shapes and shadows assuming form around him. His brains could bear it no more. He lost consciousness a moment before Nerissa's cold, commanding voice slashed the waves of shrieks in the darkness, driving the shadows away, permanently silencing them. To this day, his hair stands on end imagining the way the flowering countryside transforms at night.

The following day, an ashamed and intrigued husband asked his mysterious wife if she were a sorceress, but she burst out laughing.

"You can call me an Alchemist, you can call me a Herbalist, but a Sorceress?" Nerissa continued to chuckle. She then showed him the roots she had gathered the previous night. "I just went out to gather selene-root." Lados still remembers the soft kiss Nerissa planted on his lips. "The countryside is dangerous at night."

He could tell from experience.

Lados didn't inquire more of his Herbalist wife, or Wise Woman, as her profession was. He also wouldn't forget that not only wasn't she afraid of the dark, but she was able to silence dark horrors too. No known Alchemists within the city silenced unspoken horrors, not to his knowledge. He preferred to remain contend with the thought that, despite being strange, she loved him. He returned the feelings on two conditions. Nerissa shouldn't cheat, nor should she abandon him to chase years of adventures. He suspected there was a lot more to her than meets the eye.

Lados made a sour face reminiscing about past events, his fear of being abandoned. In contrast to his tall, sturdy build, that little, beating heart of his was fragile, insecure, always searched for warmth, coziness, and safety. The so longed safety, he found in cooking. Diced materials presented a sense of harmony. Mixing spices, their odor filling the room, made coziness a possible feat. People's happy faces when taking their first bite, their pleased expressions, full of admiration and wonder filled his heart with happiness. He loved his cooking, his cheese and wine pairing that Nerissa had fallen in love with, he wished to keep on practicing it.

Lados decided it was time for work. He gathered his tools, shoved his spice mixes in his satchel. He had them stored in a number of vials, "borrowed" from Nerissa's stock. Spice mixes looked attractive when in intricate bottles. He, then, poured coin in his pouch, placing it at the bottom of the worn, leathery satchel, just in case. He locked their house first, then threw three de-feathered pheasants on his left shoulder and made his way to the Mayor's House.

~~~~~~~

A pleasant surprise was waiting back home. From afar, one could see the windows wide open, welcoming the chilly, early afternoon breeze in. The household's clay pots, full of flowers, spice plants and herbs rest on the curb, breathing the fresh air through their leaves, absorbing the last sun rays, in preparation for their vital night's work. The playful aroma of vanilla extract engulfed the house, Nerissa's signature essential oil. Its tickling, yet rejuvenating odor expanded all the way to the edge of their rose garden, where it cheerfully mixed with that of the cultivated roses, imbuing the whole neighborhood with optimism.

Lados found a large platter on the table, a huge treat, enough to feed three people. All of their favorites were placed in numerical harmony and symmetry. Cubes of white cheese, strips of semi-hard pepper-cheese, rectangular cuts of mature cow's and goat's cheese. The cheese-fest was accompanied by dried salami and pickled vegetables on the left, unmistakably Lados' side, while dried fruit, marmalade and toasted bread lay on right side of the platter. Two empty wooden cups were also placed in front of two chairs, conveying the message that everything was set up, and the wine was waiting patiently in its bottle. It was either the wine, or Nerissa herself, that wanted to pique her husband's appetite, without spoiling the drink. She was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't unsettle Lados. Most probably, she would be in the backyard, tending to matters of her own. He made sure to wash and change to his comfortable, house clothes. In the meantime, a smiling Nerissa emerged from the backyard. She kissed her husband happily.

"I didn't want to stay close to the cheese." she explained

"I know." he replied, wrapping his arms around her tenderly. He also knew she had texts to study. "How did it go?" he asked without going into detail.

Nerissa motioned towards their platter. "Shall we discuss it over dinner?" a tempting smirk on her sweet face.

Lados wholeheartedly accepted the invitation.

The fine wine and their cheese selection accompanied their conversations. They talked a lot. They both enjoyed long discussions. Late at night, Nerissa felt drowsy. They both headed to bed, enjoying each other's love and affection.