Winter 14, 485 AV
OOCI have recently been made aware that I get no xp for these flashbacks, only lore... but I'm still going to write them all! ..so give me lots of lores, plz
Five years had passed since he last saw the woman he knew to be his mother. Since then he had learned she was in fact not his mother, but it did not matter to Liam. Laura, the priestess of Rak'Keli, had taken him in as his own and given him a life full of love, comfort, and education. His uncle had not given him permission to continue his studies, intending for the boy to become a knight like his father.
Liam's mother had told him stories of his father, the great knight who sacrificed himself to save Syliras. The truth was no less heroic, though perhaps not in so grand a scale. Liam's father fought and killed six men to save his son, before dieing himself. Liam was taken to the Temple of All Gods where he was raised by the priestess Laura until he was five years old, when his uncle finally found him and demanded Liam come with him. Liam put up a fight, but there was nothing he could do. Liam was a child. It was not his choice.
The past years had not been so bad. He missed his mother dearly, but he gained things he was lacking with the priestess. His uncle had two daughters, who each had children of their own around Liam's age for him to play with. Liam learned to wield a sword, and while he wasn't allowed to study at the temple as a healer, he was allowed to continue his education in other aspects of life. A knight was supposed to be educated. Liam also continued his study of healing in secret, reading what he could on the ways of medicine. This day he was doing just that, as he hid beneath a staircase reading a medical textbook in the dim light.
The Fledgling Doctor: A Manual of First Aid Practices wrote:"Before setting a broken bone, one must determine if the bone is actually broken. Some subtle symptoms could include swelling, bruising, or tenderness at a single point or if the patient describes the feeling of broken bone ends rubbing against each other. Furthermore, it will be difficult or painful to bear weight or move the injured limb. A less subtle hint could be the tip of the bone poking through the skin. This is called a compound fracture."
Liam had seen many broken bones before as a child, but he had never been allowed to work on them. According to his mother, they were much more complicated than a simple cut and had to be set just right in order to avoid further damage. Liam read on,
The Fledgling Doctor: A Manual of First Aid Practices wrote:"The limb must be immobilized. For simple fractures use strips of fabric and tie to a stiff object, such as a tree branch, then secure to the limb above and below the break. For compound fractures there will likely be bleeding, so direct pressure is needed on the source of bleeding. Tie two strips of fabric above and below the protruding bone, then wrap another fabric around the protruding bone. After the break has been immobilized check the patients blood circulation and pulse regularly.."
"Liam! What are you doing under that staircase?" Liam looked up to find his cousin Evilyn standing over him, hands on her hips. "You weren't reading about medicine again, were you? You're supposed to be studying your history right now." Liam sighed, crawling out of his hiding place. "But history is so boring." The little girl waggled her finger in front of him, "You better get back to your studies, or I'm telling grandfather!" Liam grinned and put down the book.
"I have a better idea... TAG!" Liam slapped his cousin on the arm and ran down the hall, "You're it!" The girl screamed with glee and ran after him in pursuit. "You better run, Liam. I'm gonna get you!" Liam had no intention of being caught as he ran out the door of their home and off down the street, his cousin in mad pursuit. His family lived near the Windmount Stables, where Liam and his cousins often came to pet and play with the horses when nobody was looking. It was there that Liam ran as he climbed the fence and ran into a nearby barn, hiding behind a bale of hay. His cousin was not far behind.
"Where are you, Liam? Don't think you can hide from me." Evelyn stalked around the barn, patting one of the horses and peeking behind crates and piles of feed. "I know you're in here, cousin. I'll find you." As she approached his hiding spot Liam darted the other way, running to the back of the barn and out the door. Evelyn was in hot pursuit as he ran around back toward the front of the barn, skidding to a halt and turning for a ladder that was leaning against the side of the building. The ladder was tall enough for him to get to the roof and he scurried up, kicking it down behind him.
Turning to survey his surroundings, Liam realized he had just trapped himself up there and would have to jump if Evelyn pursued. And pursue she did as he heard the ladder clank against the wall, Evelyn climbing up after him. He ran to the far side of the roof then waited for her head to appear. "You'll never catch me!" Liam jumped from the roof, landing hard but rolling to absorb the impact of his fall. He heard Eveyln shout something he couldn't understand then took off toward the other side of the stables. He heard a thud as Evelyn jumped down after him before he ducked behind a large crate and waited. His pursuit never came, and after a moment he could hear what sounded like sobbing.
Peeking out from behind his crate Liam's eyes widened suddenly as he saw Evelyn on the ground holding her leg and crying. Quickly he ran to her side, "What happened!" Between sobs of pain Evelyn responded, "My leg. It hurts.. I don't think I can.. get up." Liam knelt beside her quickly examining the leg and his eyes widened even more, if that were possible. "Oh my... we need to get you to the temple. I think your leg is broken!" Liam tried to help his cousin to her feet, but after one step he heard the faintest sound of a snap as she stumbled and fell back to the ground. "Uh oh.."
Liam knelt again, looking the leg over more closely. "Does it hurt when I touch here," he asked as he gently prodded the swollen part of her leg. The wince of pain she gave him was all he needed as he continued to look it over. The leg was definitely broken. He might have thought it strange that this happened conveniently right after he had just finished studying how to remedy such a situation, but his mind was focused on the task at hand. "Okay, okay.. I need. I need..." Liam looked around frantically for a moment before spotting a broom just inside the door to the barn. Running over he grabbed the broom and broke it in half over his knee, bringing it back to his injured cousin. "Alright, just be still. This is going to hurt.. I think. A lot." Liam paused for a moment, looking Evelyn in the eyes. She nodded to him, summoning up as much courage as she could as Liam began to reposition the leg. He pulled off his shirt then braced the broomstick against her leg and pushed. Evelyn screamed as he wrapped the shirt around her leg, fastening the stick to the limb. "Its gonna be okay, its gonna be okay," he said over and over as he worked, doing little to calm himself or the injured girl.
Evelyn's screams drew the attention of a number of stable hands who came rushing up just as Liam finished wrapping the broken leg. "What happened," one of them demanded as he came upon the scene. Startled Liam spun around and found three men staring down at the children. "Its her leg! We were playing and she fell and she broke her leg. I did the best I could but we need to get her to the temple! My mom, I mean.. Laura can fix her. She's a healer. We have to hurry!" The three men, egged on by an increasingly panicked Liam lifted the girl as carefully as they could and rushed her to the temple. Liam ran ahead shouting out Laura. "Mom, mom! Mom! Come quick!"
Laura appeared the moment she heard Liam's shouts, running to him. "Liam!? What are you doing here, son?" "Mom, its Evelyn! She fell from the roof and broke her leg. I did the best I could but I need you to fix her. Please?" Liam embraced her son, overwhelmed with joy and concern, then looked up as the three men entered with the injured girl. "Set her down on that bench and let me have a look at her," she ordered as she hurried to Evelyn's side, quickly inspecting the wound. To her surprise the leg had already been set and wrapped. "Liam... you did this?" Liam walked up behind his mother looking down at the ground. "Did I mess it up?" The woman turned to her son, kneeling and looking him in the eyes. "No, Liam. You did wonderful. I should be able to fix her up good as new." The priestess stood and turned back to Evelyn, invoking the mark that adorned her cheek. Soon Evelyn's pain faded and within moments the injury had been healed. Laura patted the girl on the head, "It may be a little sore for a while, but you should be fine."
Evelyn stood cautiously, testing her leg, and let out a giggle of delight as she found she could walk just fine. The leg was a bit sore, but otherwise alright. "Oh, thank you miss Laura! Everything Liam said about you was true!" The priestess smiled and knelt between Liam and his cousin. "Your welcome, dear. But you must promise me something. Liam could get into a lot of trouble for coming to see me. You wont tell your grandfather about this, will you?" The girl shook her head, and the priestess nodded, trusting her to keep her promise. After several hugs and heartfelt goodbyes Liam and Evelyn left, promising to return to see Laura soon. As the children headed back home Laura stood at the door to the temple watching them walk down the street, hoping the child kept her promise. |
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by Liam on February 13th, 2011, 12:24 am 