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Castorice was having a rather peaceful morning, and it seemed like it would stay that way.
Amphoreus, by this time of the year, was growing silent. The climate grew colder as the Month of Mourning approached, which also meant that these would be Castorice’s last few days of peace before she would be bombarded with invitations and requests. She didn’t hate them now, nor had she ever been willing to turn one down. Actually, she understood her role now more than ever before.
Although, Castorice would be lying if she said there were days when she wishes it didn’t have to be the case. As a child, she despised the role. She would run away and hide if both were a possibility. Unfortunately, it was always inevitable; the instinctual aversion became a reluctant acceptance. Akin to the plants that bore fruit or the water that trickled down the river, her curse was a force of nature. A necessity in the world. A purpose to bring death wherever she walked.
Castorice blinked. The gentle cold breeze blew from an open window, pushing her hair ever so slightly to let her refocus on the task at hand. Shaking her head to push those thoughts to the side, she continued preparing breakfast. Though calling it “preparing breakfast” would be modest. What laid in front of her was a variety of fruits of which she planned to put in a fruit bowl.
For the meantime, Castorice had decided to stay in her cabin that overlooked the city of Okehma. It stood on the cliff of a mountain that housed a dense forest. Lady Aglea had graciously provided it for her during her first week in Okehma, when she had likely realized that being around so many people was uncomfortable to Castorice. She had long since taken up to living in the city as it became her permanent residence, but the cabin was always a nice change of pace.
Castorice felt her eyebrows scrunch as she re-counted the number of sliced fruits she had already prepared. She sighed, she had enough fruit ready for an extra serving. Oh well. Maybe she could prepare a bowl of sliced fruit as a gift for one of the vendors in the market.
The day before her was mostly planned out by now. Castorice had woken up just before noon, with enough time to prepare a small breakfast. After eating, she’d leave her little cabin and head to Okehma to pick up some necessities and a few things for her own personal enjoyment. Then she’d settle down for the rest of the day, because who knows when she’ll start suffocating in requests.
She was just about to finish up when a loud cry echoed from outside her cabin. Flinching, she remained very still for a few moments, only carefully putting the bowl down on the table before her. Maybe it was nothing? The stillness would quickly be broken; when the cry repeated, Castorice rushed out the door without a second thought. Exiting the house, she looked around and saw nothing except for the beaten path and the forest where it went through.
The cry sounded again, though now that Castorice was outside it sounded more like a deer’s bleat than anything else. It was coming from the forest. She hurried, looking around the other side of the house. There! She saw it!
A doe was laying down just on the edge of the forest’s clearing. Even further away, its discomfort was evident to Castorice. It was shaking, clearly in a lot of pain and had been for a while. Instinctually, her body quickly moved towards the deer. Though after breaking into a sprint, a pang of familiarity stopped her in her tracks.
“End its suffering.”
Memories of an old, tired, stag resurfaced in her memory. A cold shudder ran up her spine. “No, not today,” Castorice whispered to herself. She couldn’t help it on her own, that was without question. Her icy hands would never allow something to be helped by her. Though, she had an idea. Re-entering her home, she lets the door slam behind her as she picks up her teleslate. Thankfully, she knew that the person she wanted to contact was staying in the city below.
Castorice: Hyacine, I need your help.
Thankfully, it only took a few moments for Hyacine to reply.
Hyacine: Help? What do you need? Did you get hurt?
Castorice: No, I’m fine! There’s an injured deer by my cabin.
Castorice: I know you’re in Okehma, but if you’re not busy, could you please stop by and take a look at it?
Hyacine: Of course, Cassie! Don’t worry, you’re not bothering me.
Hyacine: Could you watch over it for a bit? I’m on my way.
Castorice: Thanks.
Castorice sighed in relief and placed the teleslate back down on the countertop. She had long learned that her own icy hands would never save a single living thing. It was a lesson experienced through centuries worth of pain and despair afterall. But she would never let that lesson stop her from getting the deer the help it deserved.
A laugh lacking humor escaped her. Of course it had to be a deer. Her first kill. The fates of Amphoreus were surely a cruel one. No matter what she did afterwards, no matter who she helped, she would never save a life with her own two hands. Castorice would always be the Daughter of the River Souls, an Executioner.
But a thought occurred to her. One small glimmer of hope with a hint of curiosity. She let the idea float in her head before deciding to go along with it. It was just a question. Hopefully, Hyacine would be fine with it.
Castorice patiently waited several paces away from where the deer laid. It had settled in between some bushes, but it had remained in her line of sight. She could still hear its cries(and oh how those cries brought back so many painful memories) and see it in the distance. She had ensured that the deer didn’t see her, both in fear of scaring it to run away, and a fear of letting it rush towards her in desperation.
The sound of footsteps caught her attention, followed by a series of “doots” that could only have come from one certain pegasus. She turned to greet the familiar sight of Hyacine and Little Ica as they walked down the path. Both Hyacine and Ica had seemed to opt into warmer clothing, a small reminder to Castorice that she had long gotten used to the cold that came with the coming seasons.The latter waved a greeting. “Cassie! How’ve you been?”
Castorice gave a small smile as the two approached her. “I’m uh– doing well, but the deer is over there,” she said, pointing towards the deer at the edge of the clearing.
Hyacine frowned, but nodded. Her voice took a much more serious tone. “I see.” A seriousness which was quickly broken by a clap, “Okay! You can go back to what you were doing, Cassie. Little Ica and I will help them out.”
Castorice nodded, bowing her head politely. “Thank you, Hyacine. I—” She paused, the words she had rehearsed in her mind fell short. Was this right to ask of her? Who was this actually benefitting? This was a selfish idea, she should just—
Looking up, she saw Hyacine’s reassuring smile. There wasn’t any worry or somber. Just pure patience and a light that wore down Castorice’s own hesitation. “Actually, I was wondering if I could join you and watch? After I eat breakfast, at least.”
The request seemed to catch Hyacine off-guard, her eyebrows shooting up for a split second. She quickly recovered, “Sure! If you’ve finished before I’m done healing the little one, then I won’t mind.”
Hyacine and Ica started making their way, waving her off as they headed towards the injured deer. Castorice herself was about to return to her abode to eat breakfast when Hyacine froze on the spot. An action that caused the hairs on Castorice’s arms to stand. A slightly dangerous aura seemed to emanate from Hyacine that even Ica quickly moved a few paces ahead of her.
Hyacine turned around quickly enough that Castorice was almost worried she’d made herself dizzy. Though, looking at her friend’s face, something made her want to instinctually step back in fear. “Castorice.” Hyacine said, omitting the use of a nickname which caused an involuntary shiver down Castorice’s back. “It’s nearly the afternoon. What’re you doing eating breakfast at this hour?”
Castorice jumped. Any logical reason retreated from her mind as Hyacine’s pure and caring intent swiftly turned into something more dangerous. Even though her intentions remained pure and certainly caring for her friend’s own well-being, she wouldn’t take any chances(lest she join Phainon on Hyacine’s “Special Hitlist”). She quickly excused herself to return to her cabin. Hopefully, a fruit bowl would appease her in the meantime?
With a tray carrying her extra fruit bowl and a glass of water in hand, Castorice gently closed the door behind her. Steadily, she made her way towards the edge of the clearing, making sure that neither glass nor bowl spilled. She was nervous. A small voice in the back of her mind whispered that she had no right to be by Hyacine’s side as she treated her patients, whispering that a maiden of war who only brought death had no right to even think about helping life continue onwards.
This was not the first time she heard this voice, having heard it many times when she visited the Twilight Courtyard in the Grove of Epiphany. Hyacine had picked up on that earlier. And this wasn’t the loudest it had been since leaving Aidonia. The voice was right about one thing: her role was to grant death. But Castorice would not let that mean she couldn’t be by her friends’ side as life prospered around them.
Castorice was slowly approaching the edge of the clearing, nearing the rows of trees marking the entrance to the forest. The wind seemed to pick up in speed, blowing through the trees with a soft hum. Castorice brought the tray closer to her and braced as the wind seemed to pick up even faster.
“Doot!”
The sound of little Ica surprised her. Looking up, she saw the pegasus making its way eagerly towards her with a huff in its step(wing? flap?). It took her a few seconds to put together that this wind was a side effect of Hyacine’s healing magic. “Did Hyacine send you?”
“Doot-doot.”
“Oh, I see.” Castorice had no idea what Ica was saying, but she had a very good guess. “Could you help me carry this tray?”
Ica gave a single “Doot,” not giving any indication that they’d be carrying out the request. Castorice frowned in confusion. Ica could definitely understand her, they just didn’t seem to be in the mood. “Oh I see what’s happening here...”
Castorice made sure she had eye contact with the pegasus before speaking. The pegasus kept her gaze, unblinkingly. “I’ll give you an extra piece of fruit when we get back.”
“Doot!” Ica happily spun around, allowing Castorice to put the tray on its back. The little rascal knew how to get what it wanted, and not even the Titans would stop it. While a humorous idea, Ica had learned some magic from being with Hyacine for so long that it didn’t seem like a stretch.
Castorice could never grasp healing magic or even healing blessings in general. While she was knowledgeable enough about medicines and surgeries, blessings were something else entirely. Her upbringing in Aidonia may have played a part in that, but that didn’t stop the curiosity that only grew as she got to know Hyacine and Little Ica.
She stopped a few armlengths away from the edge of the clearing, hearing quiet muttering and seeing the faint blue glow that told her that Hyacine was still in the middle of reciting a prayer. If she peeked to the side a bit, she could make out Hyacine, her eyes closed and eyebrows scrunched up in concentration, with the deer restfully laying on the ground. Ica quietly floated up to Hyacine’s side patiently waiting for her to finish the recitation.
Once the blue glow disappeared, Castorice took the opportunity to move closer in order to get a better view of them. Hyacine seemed to be having a short conversation with Ica when she noticed her awkwardly standing there. “How long have you been waiting there?” Hyacine sheepishly asked.
“Don’t fret,” she said. “I just got here a few moments ago. I did feel the wind pick up a bit, was that a side effect of the healing prayer?”
The smile Castorice received seemed more embarrassed than anything else, but she’d keep that to herself. “No, that was from Ica lending me their power, and I may have accidentally misspoke some of the words with the prayer to calm the doe down. Ideally, there wouldn’t be any energy wasted like that, but that’s gonna be resolved with a little practice. Anyways, how was breakfast, Cassie?”
Hyacine’s tone going from genuinely enthusiastic of her art of healing, to downright threatening was a testament to her skill as the chief healer of the Twilight Courtyard. And had Castorice not prepared for this, she would certainly have frozen up at this moment. Fortunately, she had. “My breakfast was good. I even prepared an additional bowl for you. Thank you for sending Ica over, by the way,” she finished, gesturing to the tray of food that somehow remained balanced on Little Ica’s back.
Peeking around, Hyacine seemed pleasantly surprised to see the tray of food on Little Ica’s back. “Aww, Cassie you shouldn’t have! And Ica, don’t think I know what you tried to do.” She said, picking up the tray from Ica’s back and carefully laying it on an extra blanket she had prepared. All the while Castorice glared at the “innocent” pegasus, knowing that she had been played.
Before continuing, Hyacine took a long sip of water from the glass given to her. “I know you said you wanted to watch, but I had to recite some urgent blessings as soon as I saw her.”
Castorice’s heart skipped a beat. “Was it bad?”
“Not bad. Just...” Sighing, Hyacine gestured to the deer’s resting form. From further away, the injury on its leg was obvious. A thin bandage was wrapped around the deer’s leg, possibly a break that Hyacine had healed. She kneeled down, making sure not to get too close, and took a closer look at the deer’s body. Then she noticed it, small scars and dried blood stains littered the deer’s body. She moved further back and realized the extent of it.
“What could have happened?” she asked.
“My best guess, combined with what I could get from Ica communicating with her, is that it ran into a thorn bush from somewhere higher up in the mountain, possibly while running from something. At some point, it fell down and eventually made its way here.”
That confused Castorice. “Why would it come here?”
“Why wouldn’t it?” It was Hyacine’s turn to be confused, which seemed to draw even Little Ica’s confusion. “Aren’t you familiar with this deer?”
She looked at the deer again, but despite her best efforts, she never recalled seeing any sort of deer near her cabin, let alone this one. “No, I can’t say I have.”
Hyacine and Ica slowly looked at each other at the same time. They seemed to exchange a silent conversation through their eyes. Hyacine was the first to look back at Castorice. “Huh,” was quickly followed by, “Doot.”
“Should I know something?” She asked, getting mildly concerned by the looks Hyacine and Ica had in their eyes. It was a mix of confusion, curiosity, and something else entirely.
Hyacine cleared her throat. “According to Ica, by the way she was talking about you, it sounded like she was very familiar with you. She told Ica about how she knows you as someone who originated from the “land of snow,” which could only mean...”
Castorice’s heart felt like it sank into her stomach. “It knows me from Aidonia.” She took an unsteady breath.
Get it over with. End its suffering.
The old stag. A procession of robes. Gray skies. No, no, no. The deer sought her out to be granted a peaceful death. Of course, it would. At the end of the day, no matter how many years had passed, no matter what she tried to change, she’d always be the “Daughter of the River of Souls.” Nothing more than a Maiden of War.
The Reaper has blessed your hands. Only you can grant them—
“Cassie? Castorice?”
Hyacine had been calling her. She looked to see her friend’s face dripping in concern for her. “I– I’m fine! Sorry.” Castorice winced as that came out a little louder than she intended. “I’m alright, Hyacine. Just some bad memories”
A strange expression grew on Hyacine’s face before it was quickly squandered. “It didn’t look for you because it wanted to die.”
What?
The shock was apparently clear on Castorice’s face as Hyacine took the opportunity to continue. “I couldn’t find out how exactly it knows you, but it really doesn’t want to die.” Hyacine locked eyes with Castorice, seemingly wanting her to listen to this part specifically. “Cassie, it has children to take care of. It sought you out because it trusts you. It trusted that you’d know how to get it help.”
It... trusted her? A living thing trusted her enough to make sure it would stay alive for its children? “I don’t know what to say.”
Hyacine gave her a small smile, taking her confusion as a sign to finish healing the deer. Still stunned, Castorice silently watched as Hyacine and Ica worked as a team to finish wrapping the deer’s bandage. Watching the two work as a team as they showed their lifelong experience was a helpful distraction to the revelation she just had. The entire process was mesmerizing in a way that Castorice couldn’t quite put into words.
“You can start waking her up now, Ica.”
“Doot.”
What followed was a series of “doots” that slowly stirred the deer in its sleep. At the same time, Hyacine seemed to finish bandaging the deer’s leg, and was now quietly muttering a silent prayer as her hands glowed a familiar blue once again.
Nearing the end of Hyacine’s prayer, Ica let out one, louder, “Doot-Doot!” That seemed to be enough to wake the deer up. Slowly, it opened its eyes. Looking at Ica, it gave the little pegasus a few quiet bleats. The two animals seemed to start a heated debate, consisting of several bleats and doots. Castorice let a laugh escape her.
The deer’s sounds halted, as it turned its attention to Hyacine, its stare making her take an involuntary step back. Its gaze was both curious and disturbing; the amber eyes of the deer seemed to look deeply into her soul. Several unasked questions ran through her mind. How did this deer know her? Why would it go to her of all people when it surely knew of her background?
The tense feeling dissipated as Hyacine’s prayer concluded, and the deer returned its gaze to Hyacine and Ica. Castorice stewed in contemplative silence as she watched Hyacine give the deer a few instructions, ending with her asking the deer to try standing up.
Castorice stepped a few more paces farther back, while Hyacine and Ica remained close to catch the deer if it fell. Slowly, the deer used its hind legs to push itself off the ground. Then, very carefully, it raised each of its front legs, placing the bandaged leg down last. Hyacine cheered as the deer tested its formerly injured leg. Castorice couldn’t hide the exhale of relief that escaped her. The deer was alright. It would be fine.
The deer stood still for a moment before walking towards Hyacine and Ica. It put its head under Hyacine’s arm, seemingly giving her permission to pet the deer on the head. Hyacine obliged and chuckled as the deer seemed to lean into the head pats. Suddenly, it moved out from Hyacine’s hand and started a sprint towards Castorice, who had been watching the scene unfold.
Frantically, Castorice realized what must have been happening, stepping back a few more paces. “I’m sorry. I can’t...”
The deer stopped just a few meters short of Castorice, its eyes once again seemingly staring into her own. Without hesitation, and with a little bit of curiosity, she held the deer’s amber gaze. It was trying to communicate with her, but Castorice didn’t know what it wanted to say. Then the deer lowered its head and bent its injured leg in a bow. It was bowing... to her? It got up after a few tense moments and looked at Castorice one last time before leaping into the forest, its pain long forgotten.
Castorice watched the deer leave, still stunned by its action. It thanked her. A deer bowed through pain, and thanked her for saving its life. Don’t get her wrong, she’d been thanked for saving lives multiple times before. She saved the lives of many people during her time wandering Amphoreus. She had been thanked for stopping several Black Tide creatures before they could come to Okhema, potentially saving countless lives. But this? She didn’t know why, but it felt different.
And that... that was something she’d need to process
“Are you doing alright there, Cas?”
Castorice turned around with a small smile on her face, seeing Hyacine had sat down on her makeshift picnic blanket and was eating from her fruit bowl. She started making their way to where the two had set themselves up. “I’m alright, I just... I didn’t expect the deer to leave like that.
Sitting down, Hyacine chuckled at her words. “Deer are just like that. They’re very regal and proud of themselves.” Ica quietly dooted something which made Hyacine chuckle a little more. Though, Hyacine seemed to notice Castorice’s expression. “Something on your mind?”
Castorice sat down on the ground she had been standing on, still pondering the deer’s actions and what that meant for her. “Do you still remember when we stated our goals to Professor Anaxa?” When she saw Hyacine nod, she continued. “I said something along the lines of ridding the world of ‘Death’ only for him to admonish it... Although I recall him doing the same to Phainon as well.”
“I scolded him after that class ended, by the way.” Hyacine spoke up. “You two didn’t deserve having your dreams made fun of in class.” That was something Castorice didn’t know, though in hindsight, Professor Anaxa was much nicer to her after that though that may have just been because that day was their final class.
“I see. That puts a lot of things into perspective. Thank you.” Hyacine beamed at her words. Continuing, Castorice spoke. “I think back to that moment at times, and I don’t think I’d take back what I said. I still want to rid the world of Death and that agony it can bring. Professor Anaxa wasn’t wrong to say that it was a naive dream because it is.”
Putting her hand up in the air, she stopped Hyacine from protesting. “It is naive. While it may have been a blunt statement, my dream is by all definitions ‘naive.’” Castorice stopped for a moment, letting her words sink in. “I think back to the old stag that became my first kill, and the sorrow I felt throughout the process of putting it down. My goal ends with the world of Amphoreus no longer experiencing the sorrow of Death, but I’m not so sure as to what that means for me.”
The soft breeze rustled through the leaves as she finished speaking. This was the path she chose, and it would be the path she’d continue to choose no matter what. What did that say about her? What did it mean? She wasn’t sure if an answer existed... and if it did, she couldn’t say if it’d be something she’d listen to.
“Would you like to visit the Twilight Courtyard again?” Hyacine asked, out of the blue. “It’s a bit busy this time of year, but I think you’d enjoy it.
Castorice sat still for a moment, before processing it all at once. “What? I mean, I would love to. But may I ask, why the invite?” She was expecting Hyacine to say something, but certainly wasn’t expecting an invite to the Twilight Courtyard of all things.
“It could be fun, and you’ll need a different perspective on things to answer that question of yours. Where’s better than the atmosphere of the Grove of Epiphany?” Hyacine said as a matter-of-fact. “Plus, I’m sure Anaxa would be delighted to see you’re doing well.”
“Really?” Castorice asked, almost rhetorically. The rest of Hyacine’s reasoning was solid, and was something Castorice would need to think about for a while longer, but Professor Anaxa being “delighted” by any means was a stretch. “Professor Anaxa, of all people?”
Hyacine laughed, setting the fruit bowl down. “Yes, I’m sure he would be. He might have a rough exterior, but he has a heart of gold.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” Castorice said, realizing that she had been grinning slightly. “Give a single example.”
“Dromases.”
“Well, we both know that’s cheating.”
“Then, what about her?”
That caused a proper laugh to leave Castorice. The “Lady” had gone unnamed in fear of her listening in, but she knew exactly who Hyacine had in mind. The laugh had turned into a bit of a laughing fit, as the idea of Professor Anaxa showing his heart of gold to her of all people was quite humorous.
Slowly, the two had calmed down, a comfortable silence filling the air in between them. Castorice closed her eyes and felt the cold breeze that she had long grown accustomed to. Taking a deep breath, she spoke up. “You know, I might just take up your offer.”
She didn’t need to see Hyacine’s expression, but she just knew that the other girl hid a victorious smirk. “I’m glad, then.”
...
“We should head back to the cabin. It’ll be better to discuss this there” Castorice said, realizing that there was a perfectly good table they could’ve been using. “And I promised Little Ica a treat, and I wouldn’t look forward to being in debt to them.”
“Ah, no wonder Ica’s been so behaved.”