Chapter 2: Medical lessons

Sounds of chatter and bussing servants ruled the halls. Torches flickered on the stone walls, making the shadows of the workers dance. Shir hated buissy mornings, too noisy and the only peace she could find on buissy days like this is within the mages tower. The largest and oldest part of the castle stood strong but a whole lot of stairs to reach the top. Wind blew down the tower from the open windows scattered around. Most days, Shir believed that this is why she has strong legs, the large number of stairs that she would climb any time she wanted to say hello to the court mage. Of course, Shir just wished for a quieter and more isolated hiding spot as the castle roaed with the fast pase that her parents were putting the servants through. But she also wished for something to calm her nerves or at least make her more relaxed for this dinner.

Toney had been the newest member of the court, having growing up along side Shir, they both held a more sibling like bond. Shir being by his side when his mentor had passed in his old age, supporting her friend when he had taken a seat in the royal court for the first time. That felt like forever ago, even if it has only been a year, even so, it was one work out just to reach him when he's this buissy, especially in such a tight dress. With a huff, she knocked, the old latch squeaking when she used it. "Just a minute!" Toney called, the sound of ruffling paper and a few glass clanking told Shir that he was still working on a few experiments.

Soon the old and creaky doors opened, "how can I help yo- oh! Shir, what do I owe the pressure?" He grinned and moved to let her in. By the way he was rushing, Shir concluded that he was either late to something or late to start something.

"Just anxious I guess" Shir answered honestly, shutting the door behind her. Flopping down on his desk chair with an uncomfortable pout, earning a playful chuckle from him.

"Not surprising, you don't like dresses and you certainly don't take me for a romantic" Toney half joked, searched through some locked cupboards. He would unlock and scan the bottles before locking them again then trying a new cupboard, eventually finding one he's satisfied with. "This about about the possible engagement, yes?" He asked, mixing the new bottle with his mixture he had already brewed.

"Take a guess" Shir rolled her eyes, not meaning to make her tone so sassy but she wasn't happy in the slightest. Too many expects her to just accept and deal with whatever is thrown at her but she's usually able to teach em the wrong in their doing. But how can she disagree with not only her father but the King!?

"No need to huff" Toney had a humour to his tone, pouting the now finished position into a fresh bottle. "Guess it sucks but hey, remember you ain't stuck with him, he's stuck with you" Toney grinned, trying to joke his way through this one.

As good as a friend Toney is to Shir, he wasn't the best at comforting people. Which is a pretty bad flaw for a court mage, the one who's supposed to inform and confirm most information and solve any issue. Not having the best skill in comforting people when explaining some magical issues, does make him come off as cold hearted sometimes but Shir just thinks they don't have humour. "Yeah, yeah" Shir yawned then itched at her neck, her dress was not the most comfortable thing in the world.

"Want a relief for your nerves?" Toney then asked, more formally as he put his new potion in a locked cupboard, labelled "experiments".

Shir only nodded in response, looking over the ingredients he used in that new potion and raising an eyebrow as none of them looked familiar. As Toney pulled put the simple ingredients to make the more familiar potion she was used to; Shir looked through the open book, the book of which was in a language she did not recognise and the ingredients shown through drawings looked exotic. "Interesting right?" Toney asked his tone laced with an excitment to tell her as he grindded up a quick paste. "Found this book by the volcano, some old ruin of what looked to be a guard tower. It held many books but this one is the only salvageable one so I thought I could try it out. Though I don't know the language but I do recognise the ingredients" Toney explained, Shir chuckling when she saw that sparkle in his eyes.

"We won't be seeing you for a good month, then?" The Princess joked, looking over the book that looked worn but still readable so long you knew the language.

"Nope!" Toney smirked but then focused back on the requested potion, a quick dose that helped with nerves or nervous situations. Once he got the potion to a boil he added in some lavender herbs then let it simmer for a while. "I'm heading back to the volcano for more expeditions. If you're interested to join?" Toney offered before quickly adding, "it'll be after the Montes visit so don't worry about being stuck in all of that buissness".

Shir nodded, excitment bubbled within her. The volcano had been in a constant state of eruption, at least it had been for over a century and a half. It was when her father was born when the volcano finally calmed, the molten larvar having been cooled and the valley's forest grew richer in vegetation. Now that there's confirmed to be ruins by the volcano, who knows what they could find! Old artifacts? Even enchanted gears? "OK maybe I'm dreaming a little too much, enchantress are very rare to be born let along be able to use their talents" Shir thought to herself, thanking Toney for the potion he handed to her.

"Best to take that at the dinner, either drink it before you sit down or mix it in your drink" Toney advised, flipping through the book as he scanned over the very detailed drawings and images of what looked to be rare ingredients. "Now that's interesting" Toney muttered, landing on a page that showed the image of only three ingredients, two of which Shir knew far too well. The beautiful and deep purple flower with small berries known as "nightshade" and small white flowers that looked to be an orkid known as "the lily of the valley". Two very poisons plants listed in the same potion along with a flower that have deep red, almost black, petals and a very unique shape to each petal. Shir didn't recognise this one but in her guess it two must be poisonous.

Before either one could express their thoughts, a louder knock came from the door, in a panic Toney slammed the book shut and called out again. "Just a minute!" He then took a breath and sat the book back onto his desk, that was already overflowing with loose notes and written requests. Shir nodded, understanding his panic, being seen reading instructions with two poisonous ingredients, he could easily have his head on a spike for treason. The old wooden doors creaked and Commander Kyree entered, ignoring Toney and scanned the room before quickly looking at Shir.

"Ah, thought you'd be here, Princess" he chuckled to himself, walking over to greet her.

"Need something?" Toney asked more so as a joke, pretending to be annoyed by being ignored like that.

"No, no, please, continue your research" Commander Kyree spoke in a gentler tone, not getting the joke and Shir assumed he thought he generally offended the court mage. "I'm just here to see you, Princess Shir" he stated, sitting down on one of the spare chairs.

"Let me guess" Shir rolled her eyes and put her potion into the pocket of the dress, now impressed it had one, even if it was small. "My father wanted you to try and talk to me about the importance of the alliance" she waved her hand dismissively, clearly not amused. The Commander sat silent for a moment, hesitating before speaking.

"W-well... yes" Kyree chuckled nervously, looking away for a moment. "Sorry, it's just- well wouldn't it be beneficial? I mean less fighting, more trade, huh?" Shir tried to keep a straight face but enviably cracked a giggle from his attempt.

"Kyree, you're a great teacher to me and all but please don't consider negotiation as a skill of yours" Shir giggled as she talked, now picking up a random ingredient and looking it over curiously. Commander Kyree nodded, looking away with a sigh.

"Yeah, the King just asked for me to try" he nodded and looked at the ingredient she held. It looked to be some kind of root but it was blood red and leaked a juice of some kind.

"Put that back!" Toney suddenly snapped, causing the Commander to widen his eyes when the mage slapped the Princesses hand. Shir let out a hiss like sound as her hand suddenly stung, not just by the slap but by tiny little thorns.

Toney sighed and looked through his cupboards before unlocking one and pulling out an ointment. It was more like an oil but the seconed he used it on the tiny thorns that were stuck in Shir's hand the stinging pain subsided. "That's a newer ingredient I found growing by the volcano, goodness knows how plants can even survive that close to the larvar" Toney explained, more focused on getting her hand healed and to prevent a rash that was already beginning to form. "I also learned the hard way that you can't touch it with bare hands" he added, now opening another tub and used a more familiar ointment. Shir felt relief when they worked almost instantly, her heart thumping a little louder when she paniced thay she might have to go to the court dinner with a horrible rash on her hand.

"So what is it?" Commander Kyree, spoke up from behind them, not wanting to get in the way but his eyes were focused on the ointment and watched as it worked quickly.

"The root or the ointment?" Toney asked with a slight chuckle in his tone, putting the two tins back in their place and locking them away again. Kyree paused and his expression looked in thought, amusing Shir as her mentor took a moment to decide.

"The ointment? I mean, with something that good at healing the smaller things, it'll be great for the guards to have one of their own" Kyree spoke his thoughts, it was a generous idea but a lot of work for the mage to make up on his own.

"It would be great to have that on hunting trips" Shir nodded in agreement, "be perfect, especially if it helps with dammed bug bites".

"You can all have one, so long you make it on your own" Toney sighed and held one hand up in a more tired dismissive way, "assuming you know how to make it". The Princess and the Commander looked at each other, both clearly not have a clue on this matter, after all they both trianed in a space where they had almost, unlimited remedies. They never made a potion before, let alone a simple ointment.

"It would be, ur- it was be oh so great of you to help guide us?" Shir grinned, usually she'd try on her own but with a limited time and in a lab that held countless of ingredients, she had no clue on where to start. Kyree raised an eyebrow and sat back, leaning on his arm rest and opted to observe. Toney sighed slightly, Shir knew her friend enough that he was playfully sighing but the Commander sat up a little straighter, taking the mages sigh seriously and not wanting to upset him further.

"You start by grinding these poppies together" Toney started, having a small bag that held some flowers and flower buds. "Take any lesson on medicine and you'll know that there's are opium" he added, Shir nodded and took a few of the poppy buds, grinding them together and trying to make it into a finer past.

"Now, to make it more than a normal ointment, add the juice of a desert flower, the flower has its own magical properties and can make good healing ointments or potions" Toney schooled, placing a small glass bottle with a pale pink juice inside. With a nod Shir added a few drops.

"How much?" Shir asked, still grinding the past as she added the juice to the ointment. Toney gestured with his fingers to the bottle.

"About half, any more after that then you're just making it stronger" he explained and with another nod, Shir added half the bottle, mixing it in until it looked like the ointment that Toney had used on her. Now noticing the slight pink tint to it, more noticeable in the light. "And there you have it, a swift little ointment, now please, find your own ingredients" Toney grinned and spoke in a passive aggressive way, Shir smirked in response.

"Oh but that's harder? I thought you liked going out to look for new things" Shir teased, Toney only shook his head with a sigh and moved back to his notes.

"Yeah, new things" Toney empathise the "new" part, "not boiling myself and slithering around the desert in search of a fairly rare flower". Shir was about to make a teasing remark in reply but was interrupted by the sound of a horn. Signalling the arrival of the Montes King and Queen.

Shir peeked through the gap of the tower, seeing the grand cart ride in and park itself infront of the large stairs that lead to the main gates of the castle. "I have to go- thank you Toney!" Shir called in a rush, heading through the doors and placing her new tin of ointment into her pockets. Commander Kyree just behind her. She rushed down the stairs and thanks to her unnecessarily narrow heels, she ended up tripping on multiple occasions but she couldn't be late.