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Corinna
Corinna's thatched roof and white washed cottage sat in a glade of the woods close to the brook. She had planted an herb garden to use for the 'simples' she needed for various illnesses, amongst other roots and vegetables. Corinna was an excellent herb witch and mid-wife, whose remedies worked with magical reliability.
Inside her snug cottage, dried herbs hung from rafters and vied for space with her cooking utensils. The door to her one room home opened on an oak table set with a bowl of sweet herbs and wildflowers in the middle, with two matched chairs (the set a debt paid for healing a flock of sheep). There was a curtained off section, with her bed behind it, covered by a thick embroidered quilt (made for her in gratitude of a simple given for fever), a night stand and chamberpot.
Rough hewn chests lined much of the empty space along the walls and held most of her belongings. One kept her divining sphere safe, wrapped in silk and nestled on a satin pillow.
The cottage was quite cozy with her small forge sitting beside the fire pit. She crafted all types of tokens and talismans there, and infused them with the 'manner of power' her patrons requested. Corinna could give a talisman to spur their crops' growth, or to find hidden wells of water, as well as brew teas and tinctures for aches and pain.
All she asked in return was a favor to be granted either in their lifetime, or in their descendants'. Should the talisman be gifted to the hands of another, the power would shift to its new owner, but so did the obligation.
Break the compact however, and all branches of your lineage would end with you. This wasn't meant to be cruel, so much as to keep the villagers from taking magic's power lightly.
Most of the souls who found their way to her cottage wanted a token for love, or luck; some people longed to be beautiful, so that they may experience the adoration they felt they missed out on and deserved. These people didn't realize that beauty had to come from the heart of them, and no spell of hers could ever mimic that. The same was true for those who tried to force a love to bloom where its heart was not inclined --only dissatisfaction rose from that taking that course.
A few requested wisdom, and to these she also threw in a little taste of fortune. People thought to be wise didn't pay close attention to money (it's all those thoughts and theories to chase in their minds), so she made it a little easier for them to find work in households needing teachers.
Those who asked for a means of vengeance -- she gifted them with understanding, mercy, and compassion, but asked them for nothing in return.
Rarest of all were those who asked for truth. Truth seekers saw everything, all three dimensions to a tale, with rose colored glasses removed. You could not lie to them!! They were highly prized as judges in all communities. One might think they'd patronize or act with righteousness, but they were incapable of self aggrandizement as that simply wouldn't be truthful.
Today's customer wanted Corinna to fashion a thumb ring to be worn for safety. For this she needed three droplets of blood from the customer, to infuse the ring with the patron's 'signature' and tune it for her alone, but the girl was reticent, afraid of the prick of Corinna's needle.
"Now, may I see your left thumb please?" Corinna requested with a gentle smile toward the nervous young woman. The girl's foot tapped constantly beneath the table, and her eyes took on the panicked look of a deer ready to bolt.
"Will it hurt? I know it's going to hurt!?" The girl asked breathlessly.
"Not at all." Corinna reassured her, as the young woman presented the finger requested. Corinna captured the thumb and held tightly.
"Oh! Look at that spider!" Corinna gasped and pointed over the girl's shoulder -- and as the girl's reflexes took over and she turned to look, Corinna pricked her finger, squeezed the required three drops of blood for the spell, all before the young woman could protest.
The poor girl looked flummoxed when she turned back to face Corinna, caught between being grateful and indignant.
"It didn't hurt now child, did it?" Corinna quietly asked the girl.
"No, but you didn't have to trick me." The young woman sulkily replied.
Corinna patted the girl's hand gently, and told the child. "I had to break through the wall of fear you built in your mind. I'm sorry."
Corinna walked to a small chest, opened its small puzzle lock and removed the felt bag with this client's thumb ring in it. She closed the box, and pricked her own finger, and added three droplets of her blood to the girl's, and coated the ring with the mixture.
She uttered a quick incantation, placed the now slippery ring on a pair of tongs and thrust it into the fire. She gave it three turns to 'seal' the spell, removed the ring, and doused it in a cup of water. She removed it when cool and handed it to her client. They both marveled at the different colors imbued throughout.
With a last admonishment to keep the ring in a safe place, like a chain around her pretty neck, and indeed, wear it to ward off highway men, she waved and happily shut her door as the young woman's carriage lumbered from her courtyard.
*******
A few days later, there came a loud thud at her door. She opened it to discover an unconscious, wounded man, and quickly cleared her table to lay him upon it. The stranger was tall and dressed in chain mail, and his shoulder had an errant arrow still embedded there.
She snapped the offensive shaft free, cleaned it with a yarrow tincture to ward off infection, and stitched the wound closed. She applied a salve and tightly wrapped it with strips of clean linen. That should heal easily enough, she thought as she cleaned the rest of his wounds. All there is to do now is wait."
While she waited for her uninvited guest to stir from his stupor, Corinna decided to use her scrying sphere. As she pulled her mind to focus, she held the remains of the arrow in one hand, and a strip of the man's ruined shirt in the other. Corinna's mind opened and the cyrstal clouded, then swirled clear.
Corinna asked it her questions: What happened?
Her guest sported trappings of the courier to the King. He carried a declaration of war and was handful of days or so ahead of the invaders. He stopped only to assist some people waylaid by ruffians. He helped a young woman mount a horse (the same young woman Corinna made a talisman for), and sent her to safety just as the arrow struck him. The last image of him, was of him falling from his horse, to land at her door.
Her next question of what could be done to prevent the war, was answered by a vision of her at her forge hard at work. A clear image of copper, concealment sigils, and her feverish creation of them, was shown to her, and she knew what she must do.
She released the objects in her hands, and sat back. Where would she find the copper? A search through her chests and purse for copper pennies and farthings, along with a few hair ornaments did make a tidy pile she could start with.
Copper was malleable and wouldn't require as much manipulation to form. The metal was also a spell enhancer, and if they could spread and bury enough of the sigils around the countryside, the farms and townspeople could be hidden. There might be some copper left over to make individual concealment rings for king and his family.
With everything gathered together, she began the great project. She tended to her patient whose name she learned was Luca, as she took her infrequent breaks. Corinna and Luca drew up a plan to distribute the talismans throughout the kingdom.
It took Corinna three days to finish her task. Each day she bled herself a little more to soak the talismans in and make the spells stronger. On the last day she collapsed, and Luca carried her into bed with a pitcher of water and some waybread on her nightstand.
He'd grown very attached to Corinna the past few days, and if the circumstances weren't dire he would stay.
Morning came on the fourth day, Luca and Corinna shared a tender embrace, and Luca slipped out the door, As he readied his horse, he buried a copper sigil in her courtyard to keep her safe.
The war came, and Luca faithfully ferried messages back and forth for King, soldier, and the enemy's replies. He had given Corinna's talismans to the Monarch, who distributed them around the countryside. Hopefully, farms and grain stores wouldn't be laid waste,and the people would not starve come Winter.
When the war ended, and the kingdom took stock of their losses, they found them to be nominal compared to other kingdoms. They knew they had Corinna to thank for this.
In gratitude the King wrote her a note:
Mistress Corinna,
I owe you my kingdom. If not for you, there would be grief, and immeasurable sorrow. Nothing could repay the debt I owe you, but if you wouldn't mind, may I give the rest of this man's Lucas Marino, contract to you-- if you would accept this man from me. He should be at your side in time for Spring planting. I would be delighted to hold your wedding at the castle should you so decide. Goodbye for now,
Your Humble and Grateful Sovereign,
Edward Castillo
Luca indeed returned the next Spring to Corinna, whose heart smiled wide to see the truth of him.
All about Yarrow
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium
Inside her snug cottage, dried herbs hung from rafters and vied for space with her cooking utensils. The door to her one room home opened on an oak table set with a bowl of sweet herbs and wildflowers in the middle, with two matched chairs (the set a debt paid for healing a flock of sheep). There was a curtained off section, with her bed behind it, covered by a thick embroidered quilt (made for her in gratitude of a simple given for fever), a night stand and chamberpot.
Rough hewn chests lined much of the empty space along the walls and held most of her belongings. One kept her divining sphere safe, wrapped in silk and nestled on a satin pillow.
The cottage was quite cozy with her small forge sitting beside the fire pit. She crafted all types of tokens and talismans there, and infused them with the 'manner of power' her patrons requested. Corinna could give a talisman to spur their crops' growth, or to find hidden wells of water, as well as brew teas and tinctures for aches and pain.
All she asked in return was a favor to be granted either in their lifetime, or in their descendants'. Should the talisman be gifted to the hands of another, the power would shift to its new owner, but so did the obligation.
Break the compact however, and all branches of your lineage would end with you. This wasn't meant to be cruel, so much as to keep the villagers from taking magic's power lightly.
Most of the souls who found their way to her cottage wanted a token for love, or luck; some people longed to be beautiful, so that they may experience the adoration they felt they missed out on and deserved. These people didn't realize that beauty had to come from the heart of them, and no spell of hers could ever mimic that. The same was true for those who tried to force a love to bloom where its heart was not inclined --only dissatisfaction rose from that taking that course.
A few requested wisdom, and to these she also threw in a little taste of fortune. People thought to be wise didn't pay close attention to money (it's all those thoughts and theories to chase in their minds), so she made it a little easier for them to find work in households needing teachers.
Those who asked for a means of vengeance -- she gifted them with understanding, mercy, and compassion, but asked them for nothing in return.
Rarest of all were those who asked for truth. Truth seekers saw everything, all three dimensions to a tale, with rose colored glasses removed. You could not lie to them!! They were highly prized as judges in all communities. One might think they'd patronize or act with righteousness, but they were incapable of self aggrandizement as that simply wouldn't be truthful.
Today's customer wanted Corinna to fashion a thumb ring to be worn for safety. For this she needed three droplets of blood from the customer, to infuse the ring with the patron's 'signature' and tune it for her alone, but the girl was reticent, afraid of the prick of Corinna's needle.
"Now, may I see your left thumb please?" Corinna requested with a gentle smile toward the nervous young woman. The girl's foot tapped constantly beneath the table, and her eyes took on the panicked look of a deer ready to bolt.
"Will it hurt? I know it's going to hurt!?" The girl asked breathlessly.
"Not at all." Corinna reassured her, as the young woman presented the finger requested. Corinna captured the thumb and held tightly.
"Oh! Look at that spider!" Corinna gasped and pointed over the girl's shoulder -- and as the girl's reflexes took over and she turned to look, Corinna pricked her finger, squeezed the required three drops of blood for the spell, all before the young woman could protest.
The poor girl looked flummoxed when she turned back to face Corinna, caught between being grateful and indignant.
"It didn't hurt now child, did it?" Corinna quietly asked the girl.
"No, but you didn't have to trick me." The young woman sulkily replied.
Corinna patted the girl's hand gently, and told the child. "I had to break through the wall of fear you built in your mind. I'm sorry."
Corinna walked to a small chest, opened its small puzzle lock and removed the felt bag with this client's thumb ring in it. She closed the box, and pricked her own finger, and added three droplets of her blood to the girl's, and coated the ring with the mixture.
She uttered a quick incantation, placed the now slippery ring on a pair of tongs and thrust it into the fire. She gave it three turns to 'seal' the spell, removed the ring, and doused it in a cup of water. She removed it when cool and handed it to her client. They both marveled at the different colors imbued throughout.
With a last admonishment to keep the ring in a safe place, like a chain around her pretty neck, and indeed, wear it to ward off highway men, she waved and happily shut her door as the young woman's carriage lumbered from her courtyard.
*******
A few days later, there came a loud thud at her door. She opened it to discover an unconscious, wounded man, and quickly cleared her table to lay him upon it. The stranger was tall and dressed in chain mail, and his shoulder had an errant arrow still embedded there.
She snapped the offensive shaft free, cleaned it with a yarrow tincture to ward off infection, and stitched the wound closed. She applied a salve and tightly wrapped it with strips of clean linen. That should heal easily enough, she thought as she cleaned the rest of his wounds. All there is to do now is wait."
While she waited for her uninvited guest to stir from his stupor, Corinna decided to use her scrying sphere. As she pulled her mind to focus, she held the remains of the arrow in one hand, and a strip of the man's ruined shirt in the other. Corinna's mind opened and the cyrstal clouded, then swirled clear.
Corinna asked it her questions: What happened?
Her guest sported trappings of the courier to the King. He carried a declaration of war and was handful of days or so ahead of the invaders. He stopped only to assist some people waylaid by ruffians. He helped a young woman mount a horse (the same young woman Corinna made a talisman for), and sent her to safety just as the arrow struck him. The last image of him, was of him falling from his horse, to land at her door.
Her next question of what could be done to prevent the war, was answered by a vision of her at her forge hard at work. A clear image of copper, concealment sigils, and her feverish creation of them, was shown to her, and she knew what she must do.
She released the objects in her hands, and sat back. Where would she find the copper? A search through her chests and purse for copper pennies and farthings, along with a few hair ornaments did make a tidy pile she could start with.
Copper was malleable and wouldn't require as much manipulation to form. The metal was also a spell enhancer, and if they could spread and bury enough of the sigils around the countryside, the farms and townspeople could be hidden. There might be some copper left over to make individual concealment rings for king and his family.
With everything gathered together, she began the great project. She tended to her patient whose name she learned was Luca, as she took her infrequent breaks. Corinna and Luca drew up a plan to distribute the talismans throughout the kingdom.
It took Corinna three days to finish her task. Each day she bled herself a little more to soak the talismans in and make the spells stronger. On the last day she collapsed, and Luca carried her into bed with a pitcher of water and some waybread on her nightstand.
He'd grown very attached to Corinna the past few days, and if the circumstances weren't dire he would stay.
Morning came on the fourth day, Luca and Corinna shared a tender embrace, and Luca slipped out the door, As he readied his horse, he buried a copper sigil in her courtyard to keep her safe.
The war came, and Luca faithfully ferried messages back and forth for King, soldier, and the enemy's replies. He had given Corinna's talismans to the Monarch, who distributed them around the countryside. Hopefully, farms and grain stores wouldn't be laid waste,and the people would not starve come Winter.
When the war ended, and the kingdom took stock of their losses, they found them to be nominal compared to other kingdoms. They knew they had Corinna to thank for this.
In gratitude the King wrote her a note:
Mistress Corinna,
I owe you my kingdom. If not for you, there would be grief, and immeasurable sorrow. Nothing could repay the debt I owe you, but if you wouldn't mind, may I give the rest of this man's Lucas Marino, contract to you-- if you would accept this man from me. He should be at your side in time for Spring planting. I would be delighted to hold your wedding at the castle should you so decide. Goodbye for now,
Your Humble and Grateful Sovereign,
Edward Castillo
Luca indeed returned the next Spring to Corinna, whose heart smiled wide to see the truth of him.
All about Yarrow
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium