The gentle rocking of the palace's carriage was unlike the countless rickety modes of transport that Aldrec had long gotten used to. Unlike wagons there was a roof that shielded him from the elements and trapped a warmth Aldrec was unfamiliar with during travel. The three day journey to the palace was hellish compared to this and he found it difficult to keep his eyes open. A gentle sleep took a hold of him and reminded him of the first night he gained his powers almost ten years ago. The warmth of the carriage fell away towards the chilling memories of winter. Aldrec had grown up alongside four other siblings in the throes of poverty. His parents, once hopeful of their new life in Lesteria since it was open to refugees, had long given up on the glamor stories promised. They had brought their newborn at the time, Aldrec, with them as he was one of the main reasons they wanted to have a safer place to live. Their previous country had been torn with war for years. Lesteria was peaceful and miles away from any of the conflict. People flooded there for a fresh start, but reality was far from fantasy. Instead of a comfortable home and steady opportunities of jobs, Aldrec's parents were barely employed and living in a rundown shack. His father was never home to search for odd jobs in between the fluctuating hours of his current ones. Aldrec's mother was settled at home to watch over her children as much as she could while folding boxes for the nearby clothing store for extra money. The older two of the children, Aldrec and his brother, Restern, would help her the best they could after she taught both how to correctly fold them. Even the most minuscule mistake would cost her salary to be significantly reduced. The production of these boxes slowed considerably in Aldrec's household one evening when winter snatched away one of the children.
It started when Restern's hands started shaking from the frostbite that slowly grew on his fingers and rose up his arms. Restern, the first child born in the new glorious country of Lesteria should have been used to the considerable cold it was known for, but he was still a child after all. Not to mention they had no protection from the raging snowstorms that would hit at random intervals. The holes in the walls were glorified windows and the house, if one could even call it that, ached with every harsh wind storm. Huddling together under half frozen blankets was only somewhat effective when their father was home to add to the pile. So when Restern's body began to give out, it was only a matter of time until he succumbed further to the cold. A fever took hold of his energy and he was left on his bed as his organs slowed. Aldrec took turns with his younger sisters to take care of Restern as he stopped waking up less and less. Despite all the hardships and their lack of funds, Aldrec's parents never gave up hope. The illness had appeared and worsened so suddenly that saving up for medicine was impossible. Instead the two parents approached the matter differently as they could hardly manage to watch their child waste away. The mother took to prayer at all hours. It was a miracle itself that her hands were not frozen together in the prayer position that she held them in for hours. She was so devoted that they even stuck that way in her sleep. Aldrec's father had long abandoned his belief in a higher being, or at least that a higher being cared at all about people like him, and decided humans were what he could rely on. Humans being careless and trusting enough to leave the door of their medical practices unlocked for example. So one evening, when his wife was praying in her sleep and his son was on the brink of death, Aldrec's father snuck into a pharmacy to steal the medicine required. He was stumbling through shelves as carefully as possible in the darkness and looking for the correct medicine with a candle up against the bottles to read the small markings present on the lids when he was caught. Imprisoned empty handed and now blacklisted from most jobs in the town due to his widely spread thievery, the father's hope slowly dwindled just like his belief in God.
That morning, Restern lost all sensation in his body and only a faint light could shine into his brain to signal to himself that he was still alive. While his father was sitting in a holding cell, Restern passed peacefully as that light and the cries of his family faded into the background. Aldrec held his hand all the while, unable to grasp what had transpired. It had been the first major loss in the household and yet the siblings found it hard to mourn when they got more to eat at dinnertime. Not only that, they were able to share Restern's blanket among themselves in the darkness. A sickly feeling of happiness ate at the family who were old enough to understand what had truly happened to Restern. One less mouth to feed eased the burden on their wallets, but weighed heavily on their minds as the guilt of finding a semblance of benefit in their child's death made his parents contemplate if they were still human. Aldrec's younger sisters missed him, but did not understand that they would never see him again. This fact was shielded from them further as they were kept away from the burial. Aldrec, on the other hand, knew death meant that someone was gone forever and he found himself refusing the extra portion and blanket out of principle. The anger and sadness welling in his chest burned enough to keep him warm in theory. However there was no one to blame or redirect the pain of loss onto. Perhaps it was because these feelings had pooled inside him without an outlet that Aldrec soon succumbed to similar illness. It was more likely though that his refusal of the extra blanket and food caused him to be susceptible to the elements.
It had been almost a year since his brother's passing, but it had never once left him. Sleep was difficult and Aldrec was now old enough to go out working to help his father. The doctor who had caught him was generous enough to drop charges after learning the situation, but that was the furthest that kindness would go. Many factors contributed to Aldrec's illness outside of his brother's death as well and soon enough Aldrec was bedridden. Loss had hit his parents hard. The pain of losing a child was so scarring that they could not bring themselves to look at Aldrec as their fear of losing another grew more realized. They had saved up now for medicine after the last situation, but fate was cruel as it often is. Aldrec was too far gone and it did nothing but to prolong his suffering. His parents slowly closed their hearts off to him as if he was already gone. Even Aldrec could tell his parents were waiting for him to die so they could quickly hurdle over the grief like they had done with his brother. His body was too weak and his cells were too tired to keep up their fight. On the tenth day of his fever, he had accepted that death was coming for him. Even after seeing his brother pass, it was not a fully realized concept until that moment.
How did Restern deal with this? Aldrec thought through his delirium, the world was spinning and light seemed to attack him from every angle. It was easier to think when his eyes were closed and in the brief moments the pain subsided. I hope Lenera and Curia will be okay after this…maybe the benefits from my own death can outweigh their sadness. Was Restern thinking this when he died? For us to be happy?
Aldrec finally opened his eyes hesitantly when he felt his mother wrap her arms around him. He could not see her clearly through his hazy vision. He thought once more as he attempted to lift his arms to hug her back, but they only remained unmoving by his side.
I'm alright mom…I'm going to see Restern soon. I'll take care of him again, like always. He won't be lonely now.
Despite his fear of dying before ever truly living the small dreams he had, becoming an adult and seeing the warmth of the place he was born again, Aldrec was somewhat content. The only driving force behind his acceptance was seeing Restern's face again. To play together once more in the Heaven their mother illustrated with flowery words eased the anxiety. He could truly feel it was the end and with his final bit of strength he was able to finally lift his arms enough to hold his mother.
But it was not her.
He had not realized before, but whatever was holding him was far bigger than his mother ever was. It was even bigger than his father. However the size was not what rattled his feverish mind into confusion, but the fact that it had no form. His arms passed right through the thing and awkwardly laid across his own chest. In an attempt to clear his hazy vision, Aldrec blinked rapidly. With every blink the creature in front of him only blurred further. Its body now shining brighter and prompting Aldrec to close his eyes from the burning it caused. It was almost as if he had locked eyes with the sun and dots of light bounced under his closed eyelids. The creature leaned closer and slid its hands out of the hug to move towards his head. A soft press and its fingers rippled through his skull as if it was made of water. No pain occurred from this action. Actually, strangely enough, Aldrec's pain seemed to flow away through the hand as only peace washed over him. His body went limb once more, but his eyes refocused and finally were able to brush past the blinding light. All he could make out of the entity in front of him was what he realized, after a few moments of bewildered staring, was a large cornea embedded in the blinding glow. Aldrec remembered his voice and attempted to speak to no avail. His throat was dry and his vocal cords were tired from groaning in pain for days. The hand removed itself from his skull and the entity's light faded away in that very spot. Aldrec was somehow able to open his eyes again, despite them already being open moments prior.
A dream? Aldrec wondered as he found himself gaining enough strength to sit up, something he had been physically barred from for days. His legs ached with neglected vengeance along with his spine. Something was different, fundamentally different. Not only had the fever subsided miraculously, but he felt an odd warmth in his chest unlike before. It was almost as if the fever gathered itself and hid in his chest in order to escape the entity. He was sore but functional, and most importantly alive. His younger sister, who had been holding his hand gently the entire time while looking out one of their many 'windows' at the birds who had suddenly gathered, sprang up and called for their mother. A miracle she claimed as she allowed herself to hug him. At the sound of birdsong, the family rejoiced the entire night long that another funeral would not be held for a long while.
The months passed and Aldrec's odd encounter was kept to himself. He was old enough to know that fevers sometimes caused hallucinations and brushed it off as that. Otherworldly beings did not exist, or at least that's what his father often told him. His mother tried to convince both of them otherwise but to do so she needed to convince herself again. A sense of joy slightly allowed itself to unfold in the household and they all agreed that since Aldrec was a bit older, that was most likely why he survived. That was the consensus until one afternoon. Aldrec's mother was peeling the potatoes they had begun growing in the back garden after a nearby farmer taught her how to take care of the seedlings. She was relaxing in the kitchen, the warm sunlight heating her frozen hands. The beginning of summer promised comfort not yet experienced by the previous months. As her eyes abandoned the task to watch the small gathering of birds outside one of their windows, each basking in the sun themselves, her hands messed up their usual route along the potato and slashed into one of her fingers. Quite used to this from years of preparing food, it was more of an annoyance than painful. She knew the dangers of infection from experience and searched around for a clean rag to wrap the wound in. A few feet away, the largest amount of distance such a small house allowed, was Aldrec watching the whole occurrence. He was peeling potatoes and was not a stranger to cuts such as hers, but this time something was different. An odd feeling of warmth filled his chest and radiated through his veins towards his hands. They bordered on burning but never hurt him and instead just pooled in his fingertips. A familiar touch, the one from his fever, cupped around his hand and guided him forward with slight urgency.
It stopped pressing him forward once he stood directly in front of his mother who was wrapping her hand. She glanced up at him and regained a bit of her smile at the sight of the miracle child who escaped death. Over the weeks she felt it was safe enough to love him once more. The feeling from the entity slid down Aldrec's arm and pulled his hands towards his mothers. It did not feel forced or powerful, but rather like a small string gently tugging him onward. His hand touched his mothers and the pool of warmth poured out of his onto hers. It felt as if a hole had formed in his palm that allowed a flow of energy to escape from his chest. It caused no discomfort of any kind, so much so that for a moment Aldrec considered that he was dreaming again. His mother's shock was mirrored with his own as a warm light surrounded her cut before smoothing and flattening it back into her skin without sign of a scar. She held up her hand, flipping it multiple times and rubbing her fingers over the previous wound. Amazement did not even begin to cover it. The healing had been a miracle in the truest sense of the world and Aldrec's mother realized now that her son had been blessed. Tales in other countries such as her own often told about children who had escaped death and gained the power to heal others. These blessed children were rare and the lack of real information on them made it difficult to determine if they actually existed. Aldrec's mother gently grabbed his hands. Her belief in their god was now regained completely.
"I truly have a blessed child," She said softly cradling his hands, staring at them with awe. Her son had been touched by God. Her prayers had worked, albeit a little too late.
The church was contacted immediately following the incident. That local church alerted the central church where the country originated. Despite their rarity, blessed children did exist in other countries. No one was certain which god blessed them as none of the children could remember fully what they had seen in their delirious states. Aldrec's family would have not known about the existence of these children since none of them were educated in matters of foreign policy. Even the names of places outside of the ones surrounding Lesteria or the country they escaped from were unknown. None of them had seen a map of the entire world until later in the future when Aldrec sent them one he had bought from an overseas merchant. So the church was incredibly eager to test and welcome Aldrec into the church. Having a blessed child of their own would add a credence to their religion. They kept news of his power a secret until they were able to test it for themselves in person, but rumor spread around the town his family lived in. Aldrec had been helping to heal his neighbors in exchange for money or food. His mother flaunted him to everyone who would stop and look at the shining string of light leaving Aldrec's fingers. It almost looked like he was sewing up the injuries during the process. The pride of these powers was not shared by the wielder as he often found himself awake at night, staring at the glowing string.
"Can you hear me?" He would ask the silence, searching for some kind of response in the string, "Why me? Why'd you save me?"
Nothing changed in the string and no one responded to his increasingly desperate pleas. Why had Restern succumbed to the illness when he became a blessed child? It did not make sense nor did it seem fair. If Restern had survived Aldrec would have been able to make sure he did not get injured ever again. If Aldrec had gotten sick first would things have been different? Would Restern have gotten the power instead? Thoughts like these would gnaw at Aldrec's mind and keep him awake for most of the night. During these late nights, when Aldrec felt it a waste to sleep when he could be analyzing this new gift, writing would occur. He wanted to know if he could keep his family safe no matter the injury. As church officials traveled the long distance to get to his village under the cover of night, Aldrec often wrote about the people he healed and the level of their severity. It seemed no matter how injured they were he could help them without getting tired himself. His power did not disappear or wane at all even if he was healing people all day. He found that scars and missing limbs were impossible to heal though. The local farmer, who had lost a few fingers in an accident, left with the same amount of fingers he came with. When attempting to heal him, Aldrec's power swirled around the nubs and overlooked them. Similar things happened to people who came with the hopes Aldrec could get rid of scars they disliked. Outside of these small limitations, the power he gained seemed to have no clear flaws or drawbacks. He could heal illnesses, excessive bleeding, and even a failing organ. After three weeks, the journal Aldrec had bought was completely filled and the officials had finally arrived at the village.
"Aldrec, honey, wake up." A soft voice coupled with a gentle rocking motion caused Aldrec's eyes to open.
Some of his golden threads were coiled around his fingers like rings. He had fallen asleep while testing how long he could have them outside his body, which now seemed like an indefinite amount of time. His mother was used to the sight despite being proud every time she saw the manifestation of her god flow out of his hands, but the men standing a few feet away were not. They were each dressed in elegantly embroidered church robes. Images of the sun's rays and fireflies were littered along the edges of the outermost robes and contrasted with the dark fabric. These details, ones he had seen on his mother's formal attire for church before she sold them a few years back, instantly told him who they were. The usually stoic men of the church, some of whom only 'believed' in their god for the benefits of a clergyman or because their families had nowhere to put them in high society, were shocked. Something described only in myths was right in front of them, casually instilling a lasting faith in them by merely breathing.
"Mom…why are there clergymen here?" Aldrec asked softly, not trying to be rude. His mom gently rubbed over the golden threads on his hand. She couldn't actually feel them, like how one can't feel the leaves of a tree in a painting, but she could feel their warmth.
"They heard about your gift and came to see if it was true," She explained gently, "Can you show them how you treat someone?"
Aldrec felt a bit uncomfortable in front of the gaping men who seemed too preoccupied mentally begging for forgiveness for any sinful past action to actually talk or approach him, but he wasn't just going to deny his beloved mother a request. So he went outside with the men and healed a neighbor's ill sheep in front of them. The sheep was laid on the ground with labored breathing when they had all arrived. Aldrec had promised to heal the sheep in the morning the day prior and so he got to work. Within minutes, after Aldrec gently petted the sheep and let his threads do the magic, the animal was standing as the picture of health. If they weren't convinced before, they were prostating themselves in front of Aldrec now. They could hardly wait and pulled Aldrec's mother aside for a conversion while Aldrec fed the sheep.
"Ma'am I'm sure you can see that your son has a gift," One began, the clear leader of the group. His clothes were even fancier than the other three and his round face hinted at a life of delicious meals.
Another one of them, the shortest one with a sparse amount of hair, picked up where the leader left off, "It would be a shame to have such a promising pillar of the church waste away–" The others shot him a look, "or rather, misuse his talents in a place like this you see…"
The tallest one and most decently looking took a hold of her hands, "My colleague means that the church is nestled in a large city with thousands of people looking for guidance. He could save countless lives while inspiring people to believe in their faith once more. Even you'd be allowed to come visit him at the grand church people only dream of seeing."
Aldrec's mother, a bit charmed by all the praise and promise, found herself getting swept up, "You want to take my son with you?"
"He'd have a glamorous life ma'am, never would need to worry about food or shelter. Even your other children and yourself would be given a large token of our appreciation." The leader spoke up again. His smile was large enough to hide the greed festering behind his eyes. He'd love to throw some money at the problem and have it solved, but people were usually quite attached to their family members.
"Let me talk with my family…I just ask that couldn't we come with him to live in the capital? Maybe not in the church but…" Aldrec's mother began, not wanting to leave her son all alone in another city.
"You could but it would be difficult I'm sure! We'd want to take him quickly, offers like this don't happen everyday you know? We need to get back to the church as soon as possible and your family would need to pack up and uproot everything all over again. Not to mention the long trip will be strenuous, without your son healing you along the way it all of you may not make it,"
The leader spat out quickly. His research into Aldrec's family history was quite useful as he attempted to dissuade her. The clergymen were in no real hurry and they'd wait as long as they needed if they could have a gifted child in their grasp, but he did not like the prospect of the entire family coming along. Money wasn't the problem, after getting Aldrec they'd have enough to support his family for generations, but instead the possibility of them limiting what Aldrec could do. The church would rather send the family a mountain of gold then have them bar Aldrec from showcasing his gift to the world.
"...I'll talk with my family and let you know," Aldrec's mother said, thoroughly dissuaded from attempting to tag along. She knew the pain of losing a member of her family and the travel would be difficult anytime soon with her daughters still young. She slipped her hands out of the decently looking priest's hands and nodded to the leader before going to take Aldrec home. He had not heard the conversation and was busy telling the neighbor their sheep was alright. The neighbor gave him some bread as a thank you, causing Aldrec to smile. He loved the feeling that helping others gave him.
"Come on, let's go," His mother said, taking his free hand and pulling him away from the neighbor's house as the clergymen watched and discussed among themselves. Just as she reached her house, a hand rested on her shoulder and prompted her to look around. Behind her was the fourth priest, who had been silent for the entire conversation prior. His touch on her shoulder was gentle and his eyes were kind.
"Ma'am, I know it's a tough decision and we won't force you to have him come with us…but I assure you if you do we will give him opportunities that he could only dream of here," He paused before adding something, sensing her hesitation, "and I promise that I'll take care of him as if he's my own son if you do."
"What's your name, sir?" She asked, holding the confused Aldrec's hand tighter.
"It's Cedric." He removed his hand from her shoulder and looked down at Aldrec.
"I'll think about it, Cedric." She replied before finally pulling her son inside.
Aldrec was beyond confused, bombarding his mother with questions that she refused to fully answer. She instead sat at the newly built table, a thank you for healing the carpenter's daughter, and waited for her husband to come home. She'd lost a child once and if she let her gifted child go, pain would once again be in their future. However she knew that at a certain point her son had outgrown their family now and that they were holding him back from what he could be. Aldrec never stopped asking his mother, clinging to her side, if he had done something wrong. He needed to know what he did to make her want to send him away, especially after he had finally gained the power to keep everyone safe. No one would die meaningless deaths anymore. His father would not have to work and they could finally live somewhere nice. Aldrec's dreams and hopes of their family being happy for once as he desperately convinced his mother to not send him away slipped away the moment she opened her mouth.
"You don't need to protect us anymore, Aldrec. There are so many people out there who need you and you can help them. You can stop others from dying, people who might become doctors or soldiers. You might even heal royalty one day, we can't keep you here when you're meant for something greater," She gently pulled him into a hug, having made up her mind before her husband even came home, "My blessed child…you should live the life you deserve, the one you were given this power for".
Two days later Aldrec's minuscule belongings were packed up and shoved into a carriage. The villagers were disappointed he was leaving, but they kept it to themselves. His sisters and parents hugged him tightly before he stepped into the carriage. Out of everyone there, he was the most upset and sad, not wanting to leave his family. The distance between them would be three weeks by carriage, if any of them got sick it would take him ages to help them.
"Can't you come with me?" He asked softly, holding onto his mother and father. They shook their heads gently. In a few years Aldrec would come of age nonetheless, it was pointless to keep sticking to him and distracting him from what was important.
"We'll write, we love you honey," His mother said. His father could hardly form words past his manly tears, nodding after a large sniffle. None of his sons would be the soldier he wanted them to be, but that was fine, perhaps his daughters could learn.
A final farewell and the clergymen's shoving finally got Aldrec into the carriage. He was sitting near one of the windows, watching his family and his old life fade into the distance. As his eyes closed for a few moments, only to get reopened by a bump of the carriage, the threads inside him gently glowed. He felt an odd sense of peace in that moment despite all his reservations, as if something was assuring him this was the right path.
"Lord Aldrec," a gentle nudging woke up the passed out priest.
He opened his eyes confused, looking up at the palace's coachmen and quickly remembering everything prior. He scrambled to fix his hair and posture, a bit embarrassed at how he fell asleep against the smooth carriage's window. He could still see the slight drool line he left along the glass and he leaned against it in order to sneakily wipe it away with his sleeve.
"Yes? Is something wrong? We haven't arrived yet, have we?" Aldrec asked as properly as he could. He was the country's beacon, or at least he had been told that many times by the clergymen, and so he needed to be a good example in order to keep the faith of people alive.
"A letter from the castle…" One of the coachmen said, handing an envelope over. Behind the two of them was an exhausted looking man next to a nearly dead horse.
He must've been the messenger. It's only been a day since I was there, what could be so urgent?
Aldrec took the letter, opening it after a brief struggle with the fancy seal that he was getting used to seeing at this point. As he read the contents his face slowly paled.
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To the Blessed Healer of the Grand Church Aldrec,
Sincerest apologies for sending this letter after your earlier departure, but after your healing session I felt incredibly better. The rest of the day it felt as if my illness had never come about and I had great hopes the feeling would last. However I regret to inform both you and my personal physician that it only appeared to last for a brief period. I feel utterly dreadful again. Please forgive the informality of this letter, but I beg of you to return to the palace once more.
I will be awaiting your safe journey back,
Rolonga
___________________________________________________________________________
"T-This can't be…" Aldrec muttered in disbelief as he put the letter down in his lap gently. No one had ever requested his help healing the same illness twice so soon. He should have completely gotten rid of whatever it was, especially if the prince stated he felt better for a time. What illness could come back so quickly at the same level of intensity? His powers didn't work like that and he had twenty years of experience to back up these beliefs. However the only way to find out was to return to the palace.
"Sir…?" The coachmen were worried, leaning closer to the pale Aldrec in fear that something awful had happened at the palace. Not to mention it was their responsibility to make sure that he was safe and sound while in their carriage.
"Haa…turn around, we need to head back to the palace," Aldrec replied reluctantly. When will I ever get to sleep in my own bed?!