Threstlebridge
"Hold him still!" Kellidir demanded forcefully as she stared at the wound on the soldier.
It was fiflty slash no more than half an inch into the thigh muscle where the tip of an orc's blade had sliced through the leather. It had been a short attack, no more than a hand full of bored orcs itching for an easy fight with the bridge guards. They'd done their damage and then run off, and now here she sat with the local physician across the room and two men in front of her holding her patient down.
She moved the pan of boiled water closer to herself and threaded the needle before lowering it into the boiling water to clean it. "I'm going to have to clean it first..." she gave the man a sympathetic look "... I'm afraid it's going to hurt."
The man didn't answer and carried on writhing in pain as two more men tried to hold him still.
"I can't work with him like that..." she mumbled as she stared at the patient. She wasn't entirely sure she could do it even if he was still, but she was intent on making Master Lirandel proud of her.
"I can handle that lass" one of the men holding the patient down swung a fist at the patients jaw, and then there was no movement.
"Thank you..." she muttered and picked up a cloth and dipped it into a seperate bowl of water and started to clean the man's wound. Her face paled and she had to stop herself from gipping as she wiped dirt and congealed blood from the damaged flesh. She dipped the cloth back into the bowl, cleaning it and staining the water with clouds of brown and red that began to mingle.
Mr Littlefield, the small town's only physician stepped up to her, looking over her shoulder like she was nothing more than a child. "Clean it some more" he instructed, he was thankful for the fact he had been sent help, but not so thankful that the girl seemed so inexperienced.
She looked up at the old man and nodded and set about cleaning the wound some more until all of the congealed blood and dirt was gone, leaving just the open raw wound. She set the cloth down in the bowl and looked over her shoulder at the physician. "Thats enough isn't it?"
Mr Littlefield nodded "Now stitch it up."
Kellidir shook her head and picked up the mortar and pestle, showing she had already crushed the some Athelas leaves with water to make a thin green paste. "I have to use this first"
"What do you think you're doing with that?" Mr Littlefield frowned at her. "Stitch it closed already."
Kellidir shook her head again and started spreading it in the wound. "It speeds up the healing."
The physician grabbed Kellidir's arm and yanked it, forcing her to drop the pestle and mortar. "And just where did you learn that nonsense?" he released her arm and stared down at her "Now move out of the way and learn from a real physician!"
Kellidir sighed and moved away reluctantly and sat down watching the physician as he set about cleaning out the wound again before stitching it up. She was certain the elf knowledge was right, she'd had it used on her shoulder blade in Celondim when Master Lirandel's mother had arranged for her wound to be tended to. But who was she to argue with the physician? he had a life time of experience ... and she was just learning...