Spellbound

Chapter Five

           

In the morning, Sakura saw Syaoran and those who would be accompanying him off along with the rest of the wives. Most women were teary eyed, knowing that their partner or husband might not come back. Syaoran looked to Sakura and they made eye contact for a brief moment, and then he turned and headed off with the soldiers following behind.

She turned and pushed her way through the crowd, hearing whispers behind her back about how she hardly cared that he might not return. She ignored them and picked up her notes from the tent before heading to the medical tent to start her days' work.

Eriol quizzed her on her notes as soon as she walked in. She answered without really needing to think, and he praised her when she got everything correct.
"You're a fast learner. I think we can start you on more practical things soon." He said with a smile. "Tomorrow I'd like for you to come and help Meiling and I gather some plants from the forest and in the city."
Sakura smiled. "Really?" she asked.
"Yes. It will be a good experience for you." Eriol added.
Sakura felt excited. No more boring notes and drawings for a little while!
"Keep up the good work," he then said, and she moved to complete her days work with a little extra bounce in her step.

...

Dressed in her burgundy and creme dress, Sakura wrapped the fur around her shoulders and pinned the ends together before leaving the tent to meet with Eriol and Meiling. It was early, and the sun had yet to rise. Meiling had packed food into bags for them to eat later along with several jars and tools for collecting medicinal plants.
"Shall we head out?" Eriol asked.
Meiling nodded.
"Will we be out all day?" Sakura asked.
"Yes-is that a problem?" Eriol asked.
Sakura shook her head, "Not at all. I was just curious."
"Let's go, then." He smiled and headed off towards the forest.

They walked for what felt like a long time. Sakura kept a look out for plants that looked familiar to her and recited their properties in her head as they walked. They came to a stop and Meiling handed her a list. Sakura unfolded the piece of parchment and looked at what was written on it, finding a small list of plants.
"Right, we'll split up from here. We'll meet back here when we've all got everything." Eriol said.
Meiling headed off on her own and Sakura read over her list again. Then, she too headed off to find her plants.

They met back up when the sun was well in the sky. Eriol and Meiling looked at Sakura quizzically as she stumbled back into the clearing with twigs in her hair and a few leaves sticking out with them. She had mud on her dress and a couple of bruises dotted her skin.
She flicked a giant, black spider off her arm and held out her basket.
"I'm sorry I took so long," she apologised.
"What did you do? Fall into a ditch?" Meiling asked with concern.
"Oh-no, not at all. I know that ivory roots are most effective when the plant itself is grown in a dark, moist space. I stumbled upon a hollowed-out tree and found some in there." She explained.
"Well, that explains the cobwebs." Eriol murmured. "What about the twigs?"
"Some of the things I was looking for were under bushes." She replied.

Meiling took her basket and looked through it, finding she had collected everything she was asked to and there didn't seem to be any mistakes between plants.
She handed the basket to Eriol to double check and then started picking the twigs and leaves out of her hair.
"Thank you, Meiling." She said.
Meiling jumped as another spider dropped from her hair and Sakura flicked that away too.
"You did a really good job. I'm impressed." Eriol said. "Let's eat something before heading to the city."
Meiling opened the bag and pulled out fruit, cheese and bread for them to eat. They sat down and for the first time since arriving in her new home, she didn't think about whether the food would be contaminated.

The city was a busy place with people crowding the market and stall owners shouting bargains. With the list of what she needed in her hands, Sakura manoeuvred her way through the crowd looking for the stalls that sold medicinal needs. She didn't know her way through the city streets and so it would take longer for her to get her items.
She spotted a stand run by an elderly woman and hurried over to check the goods she was selling. Sakura spotted several of the herbs she needed, and she asked the woman for her needs, paid and then hurried off to find the rest of what she needed.