Brewing the Rose Essence
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Madame Mirie's Flower Shop,
The Town of Crimsonton,
Kingdom of Velicia,
Darkling hours of Nightfall,
The Eighth Day of the Month of November,
Thirty Third Year of the Reign of King Jesse Crestings
After Amelia Luna-dynn had encountered Baron Heartrim at the Flower shop, she had mixed feelings. When the man had stepped inside, bearing an uncanny semblance with Alessia, she had felt nearly excited, for it seemed like he was a loving father, buying them flowers before heading home.
But after his mention of Madame Mirie being slack with his orders, she wondered who the flowers truly were for. It left a sickening feeling in her chest when she thought of the things the dark skinned florist had told her earlier.
Amelia hoped Alessia's family was alright.
Just then, there was a knock on the door and she looked over to see Jasper pushing his way inside.
"Ah, you're finally here", the damsel said, before hurrying over to help him with carry the food up the stairs.
Once the two were at Madame Mirie's bed room, Amelia poured the scalding hot soup into a bowl, seasoned it with peppers and coriander leaves before serving it to the woman. The young damsel used a spoon to gently ladle the drink into the lady's mouth, for she was far too tired to help herself.
After a while of chattering away and eating the supper Jasper had bought, Madame Mirie seemed to have recovered fairly well. But she still needed rest.
Amelia reckoned that it was late into the night. And so, she turned to her younger brother and said, "It is far past bed time. You should return home and head to sleep. Otherwise, you'd be tired tomorrow. I will stay here and tend to the lady and return in a short while."
"I can't leave you to walk alone through the city in the dead of the night", the young lad said.
"You will absolutely not stay here, Jasper. I will be safe. I may even stay with her for the night and return by dawn. You cannot afford to miss the night's rest", she said, injecting a specifically stern tone in her voice.
Reluctantly, Jasper nodded.
"You will be visiting the black smith tomorrow, remember?" she said and the young lad nodded again, before rising to his feet.
"Alright, but be safe. Stay here for the night, don't be about in the streets", he said, before taking some bread and leaving.
Amelia accompanied her brother to the door and saw him off into the night of the streets, before returning to the bed chamber, where Madame Mirie seemed to be resting.
"Why don't you try to get some sleep?" the damsel of curly brown hair said, gently drawing the sheets over the woman's body.
"No, no, dear; I have work to do", the Madame said, seeming disturbed.
"Don't worry, I already finished it!" Amelia said, trying to calm her nerves.
"What did you finish?" the lady asked, confused.
"Baron Heartrim. He asked for some scented white roses and I have him some", she said. "You should resort to resting peacefully."
"No, no", the woman of vermillion coils shook her head. "I have never cared for that man's low level requests. They were always frustrating", she waved it away. "I mean that Sir Grendin had come by to request for some Rose Essence for your Boutique. It is expected for tomorrow, by dawn!"
Amelia had flashes of all the terrible things that had happened that day, due to Sir Grendin's visit to the Florist's shop. Wrenching her thoughts out of the misery, she nodded to the Madame. "I see", she said.
"I have set the most part of the work to finishing. But there is still some more left to do", said woman, as she tried to rise from the bed.
"No, no, don't cumber yourself. I will do the work. You can instruct me", Amelia said, rising to her feet and looking about.
A slight smile bloomed upon the dark skinned woman's face and she nodded, countenance calming down as she reclined. As she began instructing the dame of all that she was needed to do, Amelia scuttled about, fulfilling her directions.
As they waited for the brew to cool, Amelia sat beside the woman to test how much she had recovered. "Why do you not consider Baron Heartrim's request worth doing? Does he not perhaps pay sufficiently?" the damsel of auburn hair asked.
Madame Mirie huffed in response, before saying, "It is not his wife that he buys them for."
A weight of sadness settled in Amelia's chest as she thought of the sweet young Alessia whose family was facing a tempest. She felt the great urge to meet the young damsel and sweep her in an embrace and console her, and hoped greatly that the girl did not know. But it was more probable that she did, if the man was as bold as to buy flowers at the Florist's.
Soon, the brew was ready, poured into a cauldron and Amelia was heating it in the Kitchen's furnace until its colour was right. The room was filled with the sweet aroma of wild roses.
Once it was fulfilled, the damsel went over to the bed room, where Madame Mirie was lying and said, "The Essence is ready. It smells quite fair."
"That is good to hear, my dear. Thank you so very much, it was one of the most important orders", the woman said, seeming like her moods were put to ease.
"Wonderful", Amelia clapped her hands. A part of her mind was worried for Jasper, since he was all alone at the village. She needed to return as soon as she could.
And so she asked Madame Mirie, "Would you like me to take the Rose Essence home so I can take it with me to the Boutique tomorrow? Then you would not have to bother yourself with having to deliver it to Lady Hildeth's and you can rest well in the morning."
"No, dearest. The solution needs to rest untouched and unmoved for a night's time. Let it stay here. Further, taking it all the way to Drift-combe and bringing it back by the morning to Crimsonton for your work day would be terrible work. I would never cumber you so", the woman said, with a weak smile over her face.
"It is no troubles really; but I reckon it would disrupt the process. I will go to the Boutique and have someone deliver it there from here", Amelia smiled. "Rest well for the night, Madame. I hope your speedy recovery", she said, as she rose to her feet and took the novel she had left at the desk.
"Are you leaving so late, my dear? Why don't you stay the night here?" the woman who had taken the fever asked.
"Jasper will be alone, so I have to go and make sure he is safe and asleep", Amelia said. "But I will be sure to visit you", the damsel assured as she bid the woman good bye.
Then, closing the shop behind her, she strode into the dark of the night. Little did she know that there was danger awaiting her behind the wayside, in the shape of the shadow of Sir Grendin.
~