The Last Healer

Chapter 2 Ariella

Chapter 2 Ariella

            They led me into the middle of the room before the one on my right finally let go of my arm. The three of them bowed to me and walked back to the door.

            "You are to stay here until the Queen says otherwise." The one who held my arm said at the door. "Linda will be here shortly."

            'Who is Linda?' I thought to myself as the men bowed again.

            "The Queen will see to you soon." The man said and they left. I tensed when I heard the click of a lock. I rushed to the door and tried to open it in vain. I gave up after a moment and sighed. There was nothing that I could do anymore. It was far too late to change anything now.

            I turned back to the room and looked around. The walls were a light green and the carpet was a shade darker. The curtains matched the carpet and the couches matched the walls. There were pots of flowers by each of the four windows with purple flowers popping out of them. I walked towards the nearest one and knelt next to it.

            The flowers were a beautiful shade of violet with five petals and dark purple vein like things crisscrossing on the petals. I traced the veins with my fingers, a small smile playing on my lips. I've never seen flowers this beautiful and bursting with life. It was obvious that someone took excellent care of growing them. I stayed there for a few more moments before standing up and turning towards the window.

            There were people running around outside. Women and children were running into the palace while men and other women were just running, swords in their hands.

            'They're preparing for the battle.' I whimpered slightly as I remembered the Hunters. I jumped when I heard bells ring. The tone of the bell was low and melancholy. I shivered slightly as they rung, there were ten of them in all and the last one echoed through the room.

            I jumped again when I heard the click of a lock and I turned around in time to see a woman walk in. She was an elderly woman with grey hair and wrinkly skin. She looked over at me and then walked over to the table on the other side of the room. She placed a bag on the table and then turned to me.

            "Come over here, child." She told me. Her voice was soft and gentle, but her eyes told me that it was an order. I inched closer to her and she nodded. "Good, now strip." She ordered and turned to her bag.

            I stared at her in surprise and made no move to do as she said. Why would she want me to strip? What's the point?

            "I said strip." She sighed when she turned back to me. "Come now, I'm not going to hurt you."

            I stared at her for another minute and did as she said. My dress slipped down my body and tumbled to the ground beneath me. The woman nodded and held out her hand for me. I reached up and grabbed it and she led me away from my dress into an opening of the room. She kept her hand on my shoulders as she walked around me and looked me over. She clicked her tongue and shook her head. She knelt in front of me when she stopped and tapped my legs. I gasped in pain and she shook her head.

            "These are open." She said and stood up. "Go sit on the chair." She ordered and motioned to the chair near my dress. She followed me to the table and stepped to her bag. I sat on the chair and studied her. She didn't look at me as she fished in her bag.

            A few minutes later she knelt in front of me with some kind of fabric and a bottle of some liquid. She took a piece of fabric and poured some of the liquid on it.