Chapter 1: Prologue

A young girl struggles to find her place in a village that she has no ties to, not any longer. Whilst learning to harness her healing powers her teacher strikes a chord of truth in her mind, and this new track of thinking may lead her down a darker path.

“Imagine you have to break someone’s arm.” Intoned the elder man looking down at the small girl positioned by the mock patient, she looked up clearly startled.

 

“What?” she asked looking at him warily, what kind of advice was that for a healer? She thought angrily, she was here to learn to help people not hurt them more.

 

“Think on it childe.” He instructed and turned to the other ‘prentices. She glared at the mock patient doll, it was supposedly hurt in multiple places, and hers was marked for both legs and one arm. The other’s varied, even though the elder could’ve been addressing them too. She frowned, looking over at the elder again but he seemed determined to make her realize the underlying thought behind his words. She frowned, pale skin furrowing with deep set lines that were out of place on her young face. Another ‘prentice glanced over at her, noting the red light that indicated she hadn’t ‘fixed’ her patient even a little yet, he was far older than she, in fact all the ‘prentices were.

 

“Have you figured it out?” he asked and she looked up sharply, green-yellow eyes narrowing. Despite her young age she wouldn’t be fooled into cheating, and said as much. The surprise displayed openly on the boy’s face served to lighten her mood if only a little. She turned back to the problem, why would she have to break someone’s arm? She leaned over the ‘patient’ and moved her hand over his injured arm, all their mock patients could be made to mirror real injuries, her gold magic spread over the arm and clearly displayed the injury. A fracture, not a clean on either, in this state she wouldn’t be able to re-set the bone and the arm would heal sloppily, the bone would weaken. However a strategically placed break and the bone would heal stronger than ever. Was that the answer? How did you tell someone that you had to break their arm to fix it though? She wondered absently, in that area the mock patients were lacking. You need not explain what was going to happen to them, they didn’t care.

 

“Well Asha?” The elder had snuck up behind her, causing her to jump slightly.

 

“In the situation that there is a weak fracture that could be detrimental then it would be more effectual to break the limb and set it correctly ensuring a clean heal.” She said softly ignoring the bewildered looks of the other apprentices; she couldn’t help her vivacious vocabulary, even if it spoke of wisdom past her years. The elder smiled but shook his ancient head, gray-brown beard swaying with the motion.

 

“I told you to imagine breaking someone’s arm, it is true that the state you presented it would be better but I want you to understand the motion.” He chided softly. Understand? She thought, more than a little confused. How would she feel if she had to break someone’s arm? Is that what he wanted? It would certainly be strange to break someone’s arm to heal them. To harm someone in the way of doing good? She looked up into those gray eyes, settled in ages of wrinkles.

 

“To harm someone to heal them. What an odd concept.” She murmured aloud, thinking of all those who could claim to be doing good while doing evil. There lay the point of the lesson.

 

“You want us to realize the power we hold; with the knowledge of how to save someone is accompanied by all the ways in which to kill them. It becomes a fine line where we cross to heal the patient, or commit the sin of freeing them from their earthly pain.” She said her soft childish voice strong and cold. The elder nodded, with a small look of pride, this little girl of barely ten was going to be his best healer in the years to come, he could feel it. He was completely unaware of the chain reaction his lesson would have upon her thoughts.

Author's Note

The first chapter/Prologue is for the beginnings contest, I used the quote from Hugh Laurie; 'Imagine that you have to break someone's arm.'