"Welcome back, Mr Amares," Ayden greeted the healer, who entered the infirmary with a bright smile.
"Thank you, Ayden. Finally, a place where I could get a nice rest. Aahhh...," Rafe jumped onto the empty treatment bed, pulling the pillow and hugging it tight before sniffing it.
The lingering scent of medicines in the infirmary soothed him as he closed his eyes and exhaled. It was an atmosphere that he was familiar with.
Ayden opened his mouth and was about to nag at Rafe to retire to his tent when he saw the darkened shades below the healer's eyes. Cancelling his thoughts, he pressed his lips together and kept them shut.
The assistant healer continued marking the ledger and updating the inventory of medicine used yesterday. He might need to replenish a new batch of stocks as some were almost empty from the shelves.
"Ayden... I cannot sleep. Can you give me the dwale?" Rafe voiced out with his eyes still closed, hands hugging the pillow. The healer had always had a sleeping disorder due to the accumulated stress from his work.
"It's too much to ask for anaesthetics only because you want to sleep well. May I remind you that it's against the healer's practice," reproached the assistant healer.
"Fine! Then, can you come up with some stories that can put me in the mood? I've barely slept well since I travelled," Rafe complained.
The healer yawned a few times. His shoulders drooped, and his face looked haggard, but he could not sleep even with his eyes closed. Ayden's dragging stories about his medicines and potions that bored almost everyone had always been helpful.
As the assistant healer finished counting the inventory, he put the ledger into the desk drawer and pulled out the chair. Facing the healer, he sat down and rubbed his chin with a brooding look.
"Actually, I've been waiting to tell you something interesting."
He initiated his talk with exciting eyes. He had been holding back the story and could not wait to share it with the healer.
"Is it about brewing a new kind of medicine again? Fine, that will do."
Rafe squirmed, corrected his posture and lay straight. He put the pillow behind his head and his hands on his chest, getting ready. They looked like a patient having a session with his therapist.
"No! Not that! Something about the lady, the commander's wife."
"What about her? Oh... by the way. I saw her just now. She looked perfectly healthy. Thanks a lot for taking care of her in my absence. You did well," praised Rafe, lazily raising a 'thumb up' due to his tiredness.
"You went to the commander's tent?" Ayden curved his eyebrows.
"Nope. I just watched a great romantic performance. She came running and crying to the commander when we arrived."
The healer let out a small laugh, reminiscing the unexpected act of the newlywed.
"Ah... I wouldn't be surprised. You've no idea how depressed she was when the commander left. Luckily, I could turn her perception around and manage to get things under control."
"What did you do?" asked Rafe curiously.
"Oh, nothing much... I made her doubt that the commander would keep her by his side if she didn't recover." Ayden smiled smugly at his success.
"You told her that?" Rafe opened his eyes and turned to his assistant in disbelief.
"Of course not! I just twisted and turned the words," clarified the assistant healer. The healer did not blink.
"She didn't eat and sleep well and refused to take her medicine. So, I've got to do something," the assistant healer added.
Rafe chuckled upon hearing Ayden's explanation and returned, lying straight. His assistant was quick to learn and apply his method. After years of apprenticeship, Ayden was nearly as good as him.
"You know, I don't think she's an ordinary person," the assistant healer went on.
He clasped his hands and put them on his lap, looking straight at the healer reclining on the bed.
"Why so?" asked Rafe nonchalantly.
"She asked me to become her teacher. So, I lent her some books on remedies that we have, but she said she had already read them," Ayden told him with sparkling eyes.
"So, she's literate. What's so great about it? The books are quite common, though not many people are interested in reading them," countered Rafe.
Ayden raised his index finger and shook it.
"That is not the interesting part. She has good memories and could describe most of it in detail," he proudly said.
"She's an Ardelian. They are well exposed to knowledge of medicine and treatment. It's not that surprising." The healer was still taking the assistant's words lightly.
"Then, I gave her the book on plague and diseases —"
Surprised by what he heard, Rafe immediately rose from the bed and looked at his assistant with round eyes.
"You did what?! You gave my precious book to her? That's my main reference!" the healer shouted.
Ayden smirked at Rafe's anxious action.
"She said she had already read that too. In fact, she had read up until volume three," the assistant healer quickly added.
The healer's eyes widened.
"Lies! You know how hard it is to get that book! I smuggled it out of the university and managed to get only volume one!" rebuked Rafe.
"I'm not! She explained the content in detail when I tested her. Did you know that volume three was an addendum to volumes one and two?" responded Ayden with a voice full of excitement.
The healer's forehead wrinkled.
The book his assistant mentioned was rare and limited, and it could only be found at the Medical University of Engarth.
At first, Rafe doubted the assistant healer, but watching his eagerness to tell the stories about Anna made him realise he was telling the truth.
Rafe knew that Ayden was meticulous and would always check before confirming any information he received. So, when he said that he had tested her, he knew it was a reliable fact.
"Is she a practising healer or an apprentice?" Rafe asked, raising one eyebrow.
"None. She was familiar with many books because she had been reading since she was young. When I asked about her identity, she only told me she's an orphan," replied Ayden.
"A mere orphan would not have access to various books, let alone the rare one," commented the healer.
"Exactly. She's even knowledgeable in politics and administration too."
"How so?"
"When I told her that the commander had to leave for Dracor due to the emergency case, she understood right away. She knew that the commander went as a political representative to avoid warfare," Ayden responded.
"That's very specific information about the military and administration. How did she know?"
"She said she read about it. This means that she had access to that kind of book too."
"How interesting!" Rafe pondered for a moment before continuing.
"Do you think she's a spy doing espionage on our army?" guessed the healer.
"I doubt that. A spy would have had a strong constitution. But she is as frail as a leaf."
Rafe nodded at Ayden's reply.
"Yeah, you're right."
The healer quickly discarded the thought. He knew it too since he treated her from the beginning.
"There's more..."
"What?"
"She is proficient in the Arbs, Malis and the ancient Ro'an language. As a matter of fact, I'm learning the Ro'an from her right now."
"No way!" Rafe shouted with a bewildered expression.
"Yes way!" the assistant healer interjected.
Ayden smirked again, knowing Rafe would be utterly shocked when he told him this.
"Come to think of it, now it seems you're the one who becomes her student. How ironic!" said the healer.
"Isn't it?" Ayden's laugh was jagged. "She's smart and knows etiquette too, like a noble and a scholar. A scarce combination."
"That's strange because she had run to her husband barefoot while crying. It's not a proper etiquette of a noble lady as I know it," commented Rafe.
"She always remained calm and composed when I went to see her. I guess she might have missed the commander so much and was desperate to see him."
"They barely knew each other and just recently got married before the commander left. It's weird to have a strong feeling so fast," said Rafe, wonderingly.
"I noticed the way our commander treated the lady. He seemed to care about her so much. They are like a loving couple, don't you think?" Ayden flung back a question, propping his chin.
The healer almost laughed at his assistant's words. He recalled how Kyren had refused to marry Anna on the night the lady was drugged.
Rafe's mind skated to the judgement of Anna's characteristics.
Based on Ayden's description, only a few people had educational backgrounds similar to hers. They were usually royalties with access to such specific knowledge, skills, and resources as they had been trained since childhood.
"Could it be she's royalty?" he murmured.
However, during all the time he had studied in Ardel, he had never heard of a princess there, and the country had only a crown prince.
Ayden, who heard him, laced his tone with doubt.
"I'm not sure about that. She doesn't appear to be one of them based on her behaviour. I really like her."
Rafe's face was enthusiastic as he thought about what Ayden had told him about Anna. The commander seemed to have obtained an extraordinary wife, which drew his attention.