"Thank you, Thea. Truly, you don't know how much I appreciate this." Celia spoke sincerely as she looked at the vials in her hands, one clear and one dark. Almost like two sides of the same coin. "If your potion works, I'll-"
She abruptly shut her mouth, realising that she might not be able to outwardly change a great deal for the old woman, even after she became the mother of a prince.
Still, Celia vowed to herself, I'll do whatever I can to make her limited existence more comfortable. Finer food, warmer clothes…
Thea smiled at what she didn't say. "It's alright, my dear. I hope you achieve what your heart desires. Though I must caution you, if the problem lies with your husband and not with you, my remedies may not fix much of anything. I don't have a potion for men in this situation."
"Why's that?" Celia was genuinely curious. She doubted it was a lack of ability on Thea's part. If a witch was skilled enough to devise a potion for one sex, then why not for the other as well?
"I only ever took care of women. I used to be a midwife once." Thea's expression became wistful, as if recalling a happier past. "Besides, I would've never had any men willing to test a potion for its effectiveness, even if I'd made one. No man would ever, ever admit that he could be at fault. When there is barrenness between a couple, the blame is always placed on the woman's shoulders. Always."
"Yes, I know all about that." Celia murmured. "But even if none of this works, I still appreciate your willingness to help me. Are you sure that I can't pay you in some way?"
"Ah, I can see you're a kind hearted soul. I do these things for the joy of aiding others, not for the thanks I hope to receive."
What a strange thing to say, Celia thought. Why would a witch be so willing to help and then refuse payment? This woman is nothing like what I expected her to be like.
She slipped the vials into her cloak pocket and pulled the hood low over her eyes again. As she moved towards the low chamber door again and touched the handle, Celia abruptly stopped and looked behind her.
She couldn't just leave without asking.
"Thea, please be honest with me. Are you truly a witch or not?"
Thea gave her a long, piercing stare. Then she giggled. "I don't know, am I? What do your instincts tell you? Do I seem the type of woman who summons dark spirits and drinks the blood of small children?"
"Ugh! I mean, no." Celia scowled in disgust.
"Do I strike you as especially wicked?"
"No and that's precisely my point! You're nothing like I expected you to be!" Celia crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm confused because you've treated me very kindly and you seem so…so harmless!"
"My father was a well respected physician and my brothers all trained to follow in his footsteps. I was always interested in medicine too, even as a child. Of course, being able to study like my brothers did, was never an option." Thea shrugged. "I became a midwife instead. Over the years, I gathered knowledge about some ailments that men tend to be unfamiliar with, or have never been interested in studying. I probably know about as much about medicine as the men in there." Thea waved her hand towards the door and the chamber beyond. "They're called healers, but as a woman, having such knowledge has earned me the title of witch."
"But why?" Celia was sure there had to be more to Thea's story than what she'd said. "Healers are, well, if not respected, then they're at least tolerated. But witches are creatures to fear…and burn at a pyre."
"And why do you think that is? That a man is considered wise but a woman with the very same knowledge is considered evil and unnatural? Who does that thinking benefit? Certainly not the innocent women burnt at the stake!"
"Innocent?" Celia's gasped. There had been very few instances of witch burning in Islia that she knew about. Even there though, she'd heard enough whispers and court gossip about dark magic, which was allegedly a common skill amongst women from the continent's pagan northern kingdoms.
Havietten, however, seemed to take a far more aggressive stance towards witches. News about burnings in nearby villages and towns wasn't uncommon.
Celia had never once stopped to ask herself if those women had been truly guilty.
"Look around you, girl. Who do you see holding all the power? It's always men." The old woman's voice cracked with anger and all traces of amusement were gone from her face. "And do they seem interested in sharing it with us? Of course not. They know women are easier to control when we're kept as ignorant and as simple as children. That's why to them, a woman with knowledge is the most dangerous of beings."
Celia immediately thought of her mother, who'd always lamented her own lack of education. It had made Princess Violet determined to do things very differently with her own daughters, arranging exceptional tutors for them.
But Celia's careful education wasn't helping her cause right now either, was it?
Because her finely honed mind couldn't fix barrenness.
And because Celia could be the most talented woman on the continent, but her most important duty was still to be the mother of a king. Nothing else really mattered.
"If you really want to thank me, dear, remember this." The crone's eyes gleamed with a fierce light. "Never stop learning, though do it quietly, secretly. No man can take your knowledge, but he can take your life and snuff you out like a taper. Help other women who don't aren't as fortunate as you, but always behind closed doors."
Celia nodded as she pulled the little door open and slipped out of the room. She needed to hurry back towards her extravagant but loveless apartments.