What's broken inside. He nearly laughed, because what wasn't broken inside of him right now? But he restrained himself and let her work, noting that it felt similar to the magical healing he'd had before. Similar, but with a difference too. It felt... gentler somehow. Like she was pouring something else into him beyond just the calming part. He could recognize it was something, but couldn't put the word "comfort" on it. Still, it worked. The pressure lessened quickly before evaporating completely.
"Mm," he hummed. "Aye." It had worked well. Quickly and efficiently. Her father was right when he spoke of her talent. Of course, Joric had caught it right as it started this time. In the future the episodes might be more intense.
"Can you feel what's wrong with me?" he added a moment later. "Or can you only feel that you're doing the repairing?" It was bad enough that he had to feel it, so he hoped she couldn't feel the fire building within him too.
She exhaled another sigh of relief when he affirmed what she'd hoped. "Good," she said on a released breath, sitting back again. When he asked his questions, however, she frowned in thought, considering.
"Not...exactly, but then I wasn't really looking, either. It's possible, I suppose, given a bit of time and examination." Her lips quirked, and she shook her head lightly. "My mother could, I have no doubt. Her magic is so much more powerful than mine."
Elle paused for a moment, thinking it over. "We will work on it," she promised. "As we travel. Familiarity will help, too. Which is why families usually have one healer somewhere in their lineage. And now that I know you are sensitive to this particular magic, I can brew a few tonics along the same lines that will hopefully have the same effect."
He was counting on her mother's magic being as powerful as possible, though even he had to admit to a bit of trepidation at the prospect of her working to remove this magic. There was always the possibility she could make things worse and increase the rage, or in trying to remove it she could leave him a drooling mess. But this was no way for a man to live and he'd have to take the risk.
"Right. I have a few in my bag, but you'd probably know the best ingredients. I just use what an alchemist recommended. It's losing its effectiveness the more I take it too." Which meant the magical healing would become even more important the further along they went in their journey.
The driver hit another off key note and Joric glared at him a moment before turning back. Thank the gods she was here, or else people would come upon an abandoned cart in the middle of the road with a bloody stain where the driver had once been.
"What kind of familiarity? Just being in each other's presence?" He was hoping she didn't mean sharing their life stories or anything.
"More or less, yes. Just sharing life experience, as one might with a sibling, that sort of thing. We become accustomed to the other's presence, therefore it doesn't come as a shock when magic is performed between us. Magic can..." she groped for a way to explain it. "...it can affect us in other ways than just the physical. Particularly when one is muddling about inside of another, so to speak."
The wagon hit a small rock, bounced, and Elle yelped, rubbing her elbow where it'd banged against a crate. "Would that we'd had another, less painful way out of the camp!" she hissed, but kept it to a minimum; she knew her father had done what he could to get her out without a squabble.
"...just so you're aware," she finally admitted, a miniscule thread of sheepishness coloring her tone, "my mother didn't exactly approve of this jaunt. Forbade it flat, in point of fact." She laughed humorlessly. "But," Elle said then, her tone becoming firm once more, "I have to do what I believe is necessary, my mother's blessing or not." Then her expression fell a bit, became melancholy. "...I just wish it weren't so."
He'd never thought too much about magic before he'd become an experiment and he certainly didn't care for it after the fact, but it was what was going to give him his life back, so he figured he may as well start paying attention to the nuances of it all, even though he couldn't perform magic himself. With any luck, the longer they were together the more easily the healing would be for her.
When the wagon bounced it caused the crate in his side to dig in painfully, but he merely let out a grunt and tried to adjust himself once more.
"I'd worked that out for myself, based on what you and your father said." He may have been a barbarian soldier from the North, but that didn't mean he didn't observe things carefully and come to logical conclusions. He wasn't book smart, but he was plenty wise.
"Well, if we get what we're looking for, I'd hope all will be forgiven. What is it, anyway?"
"It will be," Ellessa breathed, all her hopes riding on this years-long search. "Oh, it definitely will be." Then she dug for one of her satchels, bringing out a small leather-bound tome and opening it to a crudely drawn sketch; her hand with art had never been a strong one.
"We're looking for the Relic of Drakonas. It's...some sort of ancient artifact made by the great sorcerers of Old, and it gave them the power to control dragons." Everyone knew of dragons. Great, fearsome beasts which dominated the mountains and high places where humans were foolish to venture, massive predators which raided the lowlands only rarely now, taking sheep, cattle, and delivering destruction on a terrible scale.
"I know that they've become scarce, what with civilization growing and their being hunted almost to extinction, but they still do exist, and if someone was able to gain control of such a creature, imagine what just one dragon could do to an invading army?" She clutched the book in both hands, scarcely daring to believe it, herself. "That, Ser Joric, is what you and I are seeking."
Of all the things he might have guessed it could be, dragons wouldn't have even made it onto the list. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he looked from the drawing to her, then back at the drawing once more as if unable to comprehend what was clearly being said. Dragons? That was what was going to win them the war? It seemed utterly foolish and he wondered if the princess was maybe a bit touched in the head. But no. Her father was a good man and he had helped set this whole thing up. Unless he had an incredibly soft spot for his daughter and her foolish notions, then Hathevar must have believed in this venture.
"It's just Joric." Which really wasn't what he should have been focusing on at the moment, but it was the first thing he was able to say. He was still trying to process the fact that she wanted them to find a relic which would let them tame a dragon. Where would they even find the dragon? What if the relic didn't work and it just gobbled up the heir to the throne before he could blink? This was far more than he'd bargained for.
"I, uhh... does the relic find dragons too? Or do we have to stumble upon one?" He could hardly believe he was even entertaining this, but what else could he do?
Ellessa nodded. "Joric, then. And you may call me Ellessa, or just Elle. Either will suffice." The princess tucked the book back into her satchel, then tried to adjust the cabbages a bit more comfortably. "There are tales," she told him, serious. "Old legends that I've spent years collecting and translating, of warriors riding dragons into battle, before even the dream of the Empire and all of its darkness. But somehow, all of that fell into lore, and the practice was abandoned, the dragons then hunted nearly to extinction."
She touched her satchel, the one crammed with all of her tomes. "I have several volumes on dragons themselves, their physiology, habits, biology, characteristics, basically everything I could find I notated and studied. If we do find the Relic, we should have a good chance of finding a dragon to tame with it, and then the hardest part of our task will be over."
The wagon creaked on, and Elle paused for a few minutes, then added, "By the way, thank you, for agreeing to assist me in this. I know...I know it seems a fool's errand, but I have to at least try."
As the silence fell between them, Joric stared off at nothing and wondered if they would actually achieve their goal. This was clearly a last desperate attempt to do something to win the war. If they returned empty handed, then the Empire would have already won. Not a pleasant thought, even as Joric thought of his own future. He couldn't return to the mountains; not after the way he had left. Those who left the army without permission were branded as cowards; a fact that he had wrestled with a great deal and only got past by joining another army to fight for them instead. Cowards didn't get an afterlife, but he wanted to ensure he'd get there and be accepted back among the Northmen. In this life, however, the Empire was not a place he wanted to live.
Her voice interrupted his thoughts and he shrugged. It would be a lie to say he was selflessly doing this for the good of Tacea, but he also recognized that this was the country's last chance.
"I have no wish to live under the Empire either. And this gives me a chance to be... better again too." If it was still possible. There was no knowing what the magic had damaged beyond repair.
"Speaking of the Empire, we should take care as we travel to avoid any of its spies or supporters. We should have a cover story for who we are and why we're traveling."
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"Mm," he hummed. "Aye." It had worked well. Quickly and efficiently. Her father was right when he spoke of her talent. Of course, Joric had caught it right as it started this time. In the future the episodes might be more intense.
"Can you feel what's wrong with me?" he added a moment later. "Or can you only feel that you're doing the repairing?" It was bad enough that he had to feel it, so he hoped she couldn't feel the fire building within him too.
no subject
"Not...exactly, but then I wasn't really looking, either. It's possible, I suppose, given a bit of time and examination." Her lips quirked, and she shook her head lightly. "My mother could, I have no doubt. Her magic is so much more powerful than mine."
Elle paused for a moment, thinking it over. "We will work on it," she promised. "As we travel. Familiarity will help, too. Which is why families usually have one healer somewhere in their lineage. And now that I know you are sensitive to this particular magic, I can brew a few tonics along the same lines that will hopefully have the same effect."
no subject
"Right. I have a few in my bag, but you'd probably know the best ingredients. I just use what an alchemist recommended. It's losing its effectiveness the more I take it too." Which meant the magical healing would become even more important the further along they went in their journey.
The driver hit another off key note and Joric glared at him a moment before turning back. Thank the gods she was here, or else people would come upon an abandoned cart in the middle of the road with a bloody stain where the driver had once been.
"What kind of familiarity? Just being in each other's presence?" He was hoping she didn't mean sharing their life stories or anything.
no subject
The wagon hit a small rock, bounced, and Elle yelped, rubbing her elbow where it'd banged against a crate. "Would that we'd had another, less painful way out of the camp!" she hissed, but kept it to a minimum; she knew her father had done what he could to get her out without a squabble.
"...just so you're aware," she finally admitted, a miniscule thread of sheepishness coloring her tone, "my mother didn't exactly approve of this jaunt. Forbade it flat, in point of fact." She laughed humorlessly. "But," Elle said then, her tone becoming firm once more, "I have to do what I believe is necessary, my mother's blessing or not." Then her expression fell a bit, became melancholy. "...I just wish it weren't so."
no subject
When the wagon bounced it caused the crate in his side to dig in painfully, but he merely let out a grunt and tried to adjust himself once more.
"I'd worked that out for myself, based on what you and your father said." He may have been a barbarian soldier from the North, but that didn't mean he didn't observe things carefully and come to logical conclusions. He wasn't book smart, but he was plenty wise.
"Well, if we get what we're looking for, I'd hope all will be forgiven. What is it, anyway?"
no subject
"We're looking for the Relic of Drakonas. It's...some sort of ancient artifact made by the great sorcerers of Old, and it gave them the power to control dragons." Everyone knew of dragons. Great, fearsome beasts which dominated the mountains and high places where humans were foolish to venture, massive predators which raided the lowlands only rarely now, taking sheep, cattle, and delivering destruction on a terrible scale.
"I know that they've become scarce, what with civilization growing and their being hunted almost to extinction, but they still do exist, and if someone was able to gain control of such a creature, imagine what just one dragon could do to an invading army?" She clutched the book in both hands, scarcely daring to believe it, herself. "That, Ser Joric, is what you and I are seeking."
no subject
"It's just Joric." Which really wasn't what he should have been focusing on at the moment, but it was the first thing he was able to say. He was still trying to process the fact that she wanted them to find a relic which would let them tame a dragon. Where would they even find the dragon? What if the relic didn't work and it just gobbled up the heir to the throne before he could blink? This was far more than he'd bargained for.
"I, uhh... does the relic find dragons too? Or do we have to stumble upon one?" He could hardly believe he was even entertaining this, but what else could he do?
no subject
She touched her satchel, the one crammed with all of her tomes. "I have several volumes on dragons themselves, their physiology, habits, biology, characteristics, basically everything I could find I notated and studied. If we do find the Relic, we should have a good chance of finding a dragon to tame with it, and then the hardest part of our task will be over."
The wagon creaked on, and Elle paused for a few minutes, then added, "By the way, thank you, for agreeing to assist me in this. I know...I know it seems a fool's errand, but I have to at least try."
no subject
Her voice interrupted his thoughts and he shrugged. It would be a lie to say he was selflessly doing this for the good of Tacea, but he also recognized that this was the country's last chance.
"I have no wish to live under the Empire either. And this gives me a chance to be... better again too." If it was still possible. There was no knowing what the magic had damaged beyond repair.
"Speaking of the Empire, we should take care as we travel to avoid any of its spies or supporters. We should have a cover story for who we are and why we're traveling."