Ravenna thanked the merchant in the Canden village center, and gathered her purchases. She was grateful that she had Peter Jones' coin purse, and that she was able to afford to bring food and tea back home. She wondered how Michael was doing, and hoped that if he had woken during her absence, that he had seen her note and waited for her to return. The young woman left the village center, and started down the path toward her home, singing as she walked.
It had been a difficult day, and it had taken a lot of her strength to go back out into the village, letting some of the villagers know she had returned. Everyone she had encountered had asked where she had been, and it was clear to Ravenna that her disappearance had had a large impact on Canden. She was grateful that none of the villagers had pried after she had politely dodged their questions regarding her disappearance.
Ravenna saw her home over the horizon, relief washing over her. She was ready to be back in the privacy of her own home, the serenity of the quiet. She also knew that she would need to return to her forest to stock up on her plant remedies, thinking that Michael would need something to numb the pain of his injuries. –Perhaps after I prepare a meal and check on Michael, I should go gathering.–
Ravenna stepped into her home, breathing out a sigh of relief as she closed the door. She set down her purchases, and softly made her way to the infirmary room to check on the angel in her care. Michael still lay on the bed, but her heart lifted as she noticed that her letter to him had moved from beside him to his hand. –He was awake! He's going to be okay!– She moved toward the bed, and gently placed her hand on Michael's forearm, hoping with all she had that he would open his eyes. No motion came from the injured Seraphim, and Ravenna's shoulders dropped, disheartened.
Bringing a pot of water to a boil, Ravenna began to prepare a soup. She placed the chicken bones in the water, beginning a bone broth. She sliced the vegetables, placing them in a bowl for once the broth was ready. She thought Michael would have a difficult time with food; she was unsure of how long he had been unconscious and when he had eaten last. –Something light, something to help him get his strength back.– Ravenna cooked the chicken meat, and shredded it, making sure it would be easy to eat. Placing the cooked chicken in a bowl, Ravenna sighed. She had a few hours until the broth would be ready, and she was stressed about the lack of response from the Seraphim in her infirmary.
Entering the infirmary room, Ravenna pulled a chair toward Michael's bedside. She took his limp hand in hers, and stroked her thumb along his. His eyelashes fluttered against his bruised skin, but no other reaction followed. Ravenna pushed his golden hair away from his forehead, and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. She rose from her seat, and pulled the parchment from her first note from Michael's other hand. Smoothing the parchment, she flipped it over and wrote a second note to the man in her care. She explained she was going out to the forest, and would be back soon.
Ravenna gently closed the door to the infirmary, and went to her room to get her gathering dress and apron out of habit. As she stood in front of her very bare wardrobe, she was reminded yet again that her old things had burned with her home, and she had only the clothing from Nerium. Another pang of loss struck the young healer, and she shoved the thought aside. She would simply have to use what she had, and sew together a new gathering outfit when she had the time. Picking up the basket she had purchased in the village center, Ravenna left her home and the angel behind, heading toward the forest that she loved so much.
The pathway to the forest was well-worn from the generations of Hawthornes that had travelled it, and its familiarity brought peace to Ravenna. She hoped her raven friends were doing well, and wondered if they had missed her in her absence. The young woman continued along the path, entering the forest sanctuary that she had loved so much.
Ravenna began her well-rehearsed routine. She gathered willow bark, knowing it had pain-relieving properties. She was elated to find garlic, as it could be made into a paste to rub on his certainly-painful muscles. Ginger quickly joined the other plants in her basket; ginger tea would be able to help his soreness. Ravenna sang as she worked; the routine giving her a sense of normalcy after being in the UnderKingdom for weeks. Her basket quickly overflowed, and she wished again that her gathering apron had not burned; its voluptuous pockets were well-missed.
A raven's call cut through Ravenna's singing. Hearing it, she turned, a wide smile across her face. A pair of ravens settled onto a nearby bush, clicking at the woman in their forest. Ravenna approached the birds, and the larger one settled onto her shoulder. The bird brushed its wing against her cheek, and unable to stop it, tears flowed from her golden eyes. She was in her sanctuary, and did not need to keep her feelings repressed from anyone or anything. Her raven friends had always listened to her, even if they were unable to help her, they were still a comfort. She knew that the ravens did not judge her feelings, and did not judge her words.
Wiping her tears from her freckled cheeks, Ravenna sniffled. "I'm sorry. I'm just so…overwhelmed. I've been gone from my home for so long, and I never got to say goodbye to Grandmother. And Samuel…oh…he died trying to save her. Neither of them deserved it, and it was all because of me! How can I ever make things right? Samuel's father is with Lucifer now, and I can never tell Samuel how sorry I am! And Grandmother…I can't even apologize to her, she's gone!"
The smaller raven clicked sympathetically, and Ravenna hung her head. "Thank you. It's just so difficult, returning home and trying to go back to my normal life! I have seen and heard so many things that make it impossible to pretend that nothing has happened. The deaths, the UnderKingdom, the Lost, the demons, and just Michael himself…and now he's back with me, but he's just so hurt…I don't know if I can help him! I've never doubted my abilities before, but he's just so broken!" Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke her anxieties to the ravens.
"I keep hoping Lucifer will come by and help, he knows more about what Michael went through. But I have no way to call for his aid; I checked Michael's pockets, the firestone he gave us is gone. I just wish he will be around soon…" Ravenna gave a half-hearted laugh to herself; she had never once thought she would be hoping for Lucifer to appear.
"And then there's so much about the Ruler…Grandmother and I always prayed for help, and then I find that our prayers have been ignored. And I was always taught that the Ruler was a kind and caring Ruler, but He hurt the man I care for so badly! It's hard to think that everything I was taught is wrong. That the Ruler exists, but He doesn't care about us at all…"
The larger raven brushed its wing against her cheek again, as if it was attempting to dry her tears. Ravenna sighed, and both ravens left the clearing with a call.