Morning light cascaded over Cordelia's face. She groaned and rolled over in bed, rubbing her eyes. She stretched and felt the ache that settled in her muscles had subsided greatly. Her head had finally stopped throbbing, and she felt refreshed. Quiet clinking and the sound of running water was hears from the far end of her room. She blinked her eyes open and saw Gabrielle standing in the kitchen, prepping breakfast.
Gabrielle had refused to leave her side ever since she returned from the wetlands, and despite feeling slightly better after a few days, Gabrielle had forced her to stay in bed for longer. Even though she tried to get up multiple times, Cordelia's muscles were exhausted, and she had difficulty even standing. Her head had pounded viciously for a few days. Gabrielle was insistent that she rest until she felt completely back to normal. She even brought up a cot from storage and slept beside her next to the bed to make sure she didn't leave the room.
Gabrielle not only took care of her but also ran the apothecary at the same time. She ran up and down the stairs for a straight week, moving between checking on her and tending to the shop. The smells of breakfast soon filled the air, and Cordelia stood up, wrapping a thin robe around her.
Gabrielle noticed movement behind her and was quick to turn around.
"Madame! Are you sure you should be standing up?! You should get back in bed… let me…." Words tumbled from her panicked lips.
"Gabrielle…" Cordelia spoke softly, stopping Gabrielle in her tracks. The redhead looked at her with worry and fidgeted with anxiety.
Cordelia walked over to her and pulled her into a tender hug. Her apprentice relaxed at her touch and hugged her back, though Cordelia could tell she was trying to be gentle.
"Thank you, Gabrielle, for taking such good care of me." She pulled away from her, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I am fine now. I promise. Will you let me get out of bed now?"
The redhead looked at her with big green eyes. They searched her face, gauging if she was truly ok. "Your head doesn't hurt anymore? Your legs feel fine?"
"I am completely healed. Thanks to you." Cordelia patted her on the shoulders and sat down at the table, "Join me for breakfast?"
With that, Cordelia flicked her wrist, and in a few seconds, plates piled with steaming eggs, toasted bread, sausage, and fresh fruit placed themselves delicately on the table. Two steaming cups of tea clicked next to them. Cordelia smiled up at Gabrielle, hoping the display convinced her apprentice she was back to full health.
"Gladly, Madame." A deep sigh left Gabrielle's lips. She closed her eyes and smiled before sitting down. Relief washed over her freckled face.
…
The two of them finished breakfast, and Gabrielle rushed downstairs to open the apothecary, leaving Cordelia to get dressed by herself. Beni slinked inside from the balcony and laid down in a sunny spot on her bed. He yawned and stretched.
'Glad you're feeling better. Took you long enough.' There was sarcasm laced in his thoughts.
Cordelia stretched and sat down at her desk, brushing out the knots in her hair before braiding it over her shoulder. She pinned the loose pieces back with two simple golden pins on either side of her head.
"Sorry, Beni…" Cordelia felt awful about leaving all her responsibilities to Gabrielle and worrying everyone.
'That man stopped by a few times….'
"What?" Cordelia turned to look at him. "Lyonis stopped by? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
'Yes, a couple of times. Gabrielle was a good girl and chased him away so you could rest. He was annoyingly insistent. I don't like him.'
Cordelia laughed. She could imagine the feisty redhead chastizing Lyonis. "He did save my life, Beni. If he wasn't there, who knows what would've happened?"
'Something's off about him… I don't like him. I don't want you seeing him anymore. I know that's the first thing you thought of this morning. Going to see him….'
"Beni…. It would be rude to ignore him after that…." Cordelia dressed in a simple dark green dress with black lace around the neck and sleeves. She found herself wanting to see Lyonis as soon as possible. "I have to at least thank him…."
'No, you don't.'
She pulled on some ankle-high black leather boots when she sat down next to Beni on the bed. She scratched between his ears. "I kind of like him, Beni… I don't know why but it's the first time I've felt so drawn to someone. It's a new feeling and I'd like to explore it a bit." He sulked as she said this, and she giggled, "I'll be careful. I promise."
'Fine. Do what you want.'
She leaned down and placed a soft kiss in between his ears before standing up and walking out the back door.
…
Downstairs, Gabrielle was busy packaging up goods for a customer. Cordelia walked in and greeted them both.
"Madame VonElise! I'm so happy to see you on your feet." The elder woman at the counter smiled at her. "Gabrielle has been doing an excellent job in your absence. You should be proud of her."
"She is an immeasurable help. I am blessed to have her." Cordelia smiled and stepped behind the counter. She got busy to work grinding herbs, making salves, teas, and herbal pills. Even though Gabrielle had done an excellent job, it was a lot of work, and there were some things that fell behind.
She and Gabrielle worked hard to finish catching up with all the things to do. They had started preparing the charms for the festival, and the entire storage room on the second floor was filled with herbs and flowers hanging from the ceiling. They had begun tying them together and placing them in multiple wicker baskets in the storage room.
"Gabrielle… Did Lyonis stop by at all?" Cordelia had asked while the two of them worked hard tying ribbons around the tiny dried bouquets near the end of the day.
Gabrielle flinched at the question. Her ears grew red, and she laughed nervously, "Ah… yes, Madame. He did. A few times. I sent him away because you were still recovering. I told him I would let him know when you were well. But he still came by every other day. It got kind of annoying. I was going to stop by the inn later and leave a message for him on my way over to Damas's this afternoon."
Cordelia chuckled, "No need to stop by, Gabrielle. I'll go see him myself. Do you know where he's staying?"
"But Madame… Maybe you should wait a few more days…."
"Gabrielle. You were so excited for me to go on a date with him. You practically forced me into it. Why are you so apprehensive about me meeting him now?" Cordelia had thought as soon as she was better, Gabrielle would be shoving her out the door at the man. But it was almost the opposite. "All I want to do is drop off this box of teabags I made to thank him for fetching me out of the swamp. I think I am capable of that."
Gabrielle sighed. She couldn't deny Cordelia. "I'm just worried about you, Madame. I don't want you to overdo it now that you finally feel better."
"I appreciate that, but I think I can handle a walk down the docks. If it makes you feel better, you can join me."
Gabrielle nodded, content with this idea.
…
At the end of the day, Cordelia and Gabrielle walked down the street together. Gabrielle had tried to convince Cordelia that she would drop a message for her at the inn and that she should go to bed early, but Cordelia was feeling restless after staying inside for the last week. She wanted to stretch her legs and feel the fresh air in her lungs.
The two of them walked down the cobblestone street towards the docks. The crisp night air felt refreshing on Cordelia's face. She left her hat at home so she could admire the unobstructed view of the sky, which sparkled with stars.
As they neared the dock, the signs of the festival approaching were hanging from buildings. Flags of all different colors, shapes and sizes hung from windows, doors, and porches, and potted flowers and ferns decorated the sides of the streets. It filled the city with a lively energy that was infectious. The festival was only a few weeks away, and everyone was excited. Except for Gabrielle, who only grew more anxious. The coming of the festival meant the coming of her wedding.
Cordelia looked down at Gabrielle, who was chewing her fingers. "Are plans for the wedding all complete?"
"Oh! Almost Madame. Actually, Mauve decided to take on most of the planning since I was busy with the apothecary. But it's for the best, she's so happy to take on the role, and I hated doing it. She never had a daughter, so she was overjoyed when I asked her to help."
"I will get with Mauve then… If you'd still like me to officiate."
"Madame, will you be ok to do that?"
Cordelia looked down at her apprentice. "Gabrielle, what is it going to take for you to realize I am all better? You are a capable healer now. Have more faith in your knowledge and skills."
Gabrielle nodded but still seemed wary of her as if she didn't quite believe it. They walked a few more blocks, and the span of the docks opened up to them.
They turned to head towards Cafe Lavigne when a voice called out to her.
"CORDELIA!" Cordelia turned around to see Lyonis striding towards her from down the dock.