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It was raining. The gentle drops wet Saeryn's upturned face. She opened her eyes, blinking at the light and the faces. There were no clouds. What she had temporarily taken for wind was the breathing of a small man. A damp cloth washed her cheeks. A small hand ran its fingers through her hair gently.
"Saeryn, lass, speak to us." Saeryn looked up, wondering. This woman... she had seen her before... and not only at this time... but who was she? "Shake off this enchantment and help us understand how hurt you are. Will there be any end of your injuries? We do not wish to see you lurch from worse to worse to ever more serious."
Saeryn looked from face to face. She spoke hesitantly, but not from pain. She tried to remember why she lay here with such a skull-splitting headache. "I... was dizzy. The world... it seemed to spin away. I thought it was night... I could see and then it turned... the colors went away."
Eodwine spoke up. "She fainted, I shouldn't wonder. Perhaps she moved too fast. Or perhaps that knock on her head gave her a bit of a problem again. She was under when I found her, after all."
Saeryn looked at the man. Who was he? He looked so familiar... like a childhood friend long unseen. Bethberry spoke again. "Saeryn, look at me, dear. Saeryn, can you tell me where it hurts?"
Saeryn shifted, struggling against the veil that clouded her thoughts. It hurt all over! What was this woman asking for? She had fallen... yes! That was it... she could remember the feeling... the incredible rush of air as the ground flew toward her. She could remember her hand... her hand had hurt... it had been caught in something when she fell. She looked down. Her left hand was swollen, slightly bruised. She tried to bend her fingers... it hurt. The room waited in silence. Saeryn silently inspected every limb. She could feel everything. She bent her toes. Her legs were fine. She bent her thoughts on her torso. Her ribs ached. Her chest felt tight, as though she had been kicked. Her shoulder hurt. Yes, she had fallen all right. She could feel air stinging a large scrape on her shoulder... her shirt must have ripped. Her head... that was where it hurt most. A dull ache punctuated every thought. She could feel a throb in her temple each time her heart beat.
"It... I think... I fell... somewhere." A sigh of relief came from Bethberry. "My hand... it hurts. And my chest. And my head... it hurts."
Bethberry looked around, weighing her choices. The girl had been found by her horse. It sounded as though she had suffered a good tossing. She needed to check for more wounds. "Lads, out with you."
"What!?" cried Falco. Saeryn grimaced at the noice. Bethberry spoke patiently.
"The girl hurts. I need to check her for broken bones and that is particularly difficult to do with her laying before us in breeches, boots, shirt, tunic and belt. Out with you, so we can get her more comfortable now that she is awake."
Hurrumphing all the way, Eodwine and Falco left the room to wait outside the door. Carefully, Bethberry removed Saeryn dirt-stained tunic. She instructed Mereflod to pull off her boots. Unlacing Saeryn's torn white shirt, Bethberry marveled at the spreading purple bruise on her left side. Delicately feeling for breaks, Bethberry inspected each rib. Two left Saeryn wincing. "Not broken, lucky for you, m'dear. Bruised though. Small wonder they hurt." She spoke as she would to a younger girl. "And your shoulder... You've torn that up nicely. Come now, we'll need to get that cleaned out or risk infection."
Mereflod watched in awe as Bethberry calmly cleaned and bandaged Saeryn's wounds, talking her through each new prod. Saeryn stared stoically at the ceiling through it all, occasionally speaking. Suddenly she turned her head to face the Innkeeper.
"Bethberry... your name is Bethberry. But... why am I here?"
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