S1E3 The Traveling Healer: For the Foreseeable Future

“Your foot will be fine; you and your family have nothing to worry about.”

Simon turned to the rest of the family and spoke directly to them.

“I need you all to help your father stay off his foot as much as possible for at least another three days. After that, some walking, and ten days from now, your father can start lifting and working around the farm again. You girls like working with the animals?”

They smiled and said nothing, their silence a mix of concern for their father and uncertainty about answering a direct question from a stranger.

“You boys, are you working well together in the fields? Are you helping your younger sisters?”

The small choir of boys answered collectively, “Yes, Mr. Healer.” Simon thought about correcting them, but he would not see them for a long time, if ever again. Correcting them would have been a poor interaction to end on, Mr Healer he would be to this family. He turned to the father and said, “Everything will be fine, I promise. You have a lovely, healthy family. Peace be with you.”

“Thank you, Simon. Where do your travels take you now?”

“We go to London with the Army,” Simon answered. “Not entirely of our free will,” he added.

They shared an understanding yet subtle look of life under a Lord. When you were told to do something, you had little choice.

Simon made a few more stops in the time he had. Rowan and his son were packing up the wagon for the road. Rowan found the York healers immediately after the battle. Simon’s patients were making the kind of recovery he wanted to see. No one had died overnight, and none of the bandages had bled through. 

Simon was almost as lucky with the villagers, but there is always one that doesn’t want to listen. The man had hurt his hand and didn’t want to see Simon, to begin with, but his wife had gone to Simon to ask for a house call. The injury wasn’t life-threatening, but his quality of life would be reduced if he didn’t make changes.

The man yelled at Simon and told him he would live as God had intended. Simon tried saying that God rested once, and so should he, but his time in villages across the country told him this farmer was no different and would work himself out of Simon’s care and into someone else’s.

Simon knew he wouldn’t change any minds in the short time he had left in town. He talked to the wife on his way out of their home. If she could get help from the other villagers and get to the husband’s chores before he could hurt himself further, his later years would be more comfortable. They parted company with a thank you and safe travels. The husband gave a pained grunt of gratitude. 

Deep down, the husband was thankful, but all he knew was that hard work and taking time away from the fields for a busted hand were not godly choices. Simon hoped that his wife could talk some sense before he reinjured himself. Maybe the village would pull together after going through a battle together. Simon didn’t know if he would return to St. Albans, but he sincerely hoped the husband would let himself heal.

Simon’s tasks in town, at least those he had time for, were complete. His built-in distraction from his real problems was done, and he needed to think about what to do when they were in London. This was not the kind of life he wanted for Carac. Those who controlled healers had specific ideas on what they should do and how to do it. It was too easy to get pulled into the routine of bogus healing. Simon was here to heal people for real, not bleed them and rely on superstitions. Carac had a long life ahead of him that he could use to learn more about the human body. The practices of the day would only hold him back.

Simon returned to the town center to find Rowan and Carac tying down the last of the wagon supplies. To accompany the completely packed wagon, they had a full report on who they were traveling with, when they were leaving, how long they’d be on the road, and who they would be talking to when they got to the city.

“At least we don’t have to worry about bandits on the way,” Carac said, trying to lighten the mood. His father’s face had turned off all its muscles. To an outsider, it would look slightly older and relaxed. To Carac, it looked numb and unalert, weighted down by inevitability. 

“Gentlemen, we need to talk while we go to the city. We have two days to come up with a strategy for what we want to be. Our lives are on the cliff edge of change,” Simon announced.

“Are we in danger?” Carac asked. He looked at Rowan to see any sort of reaction. None might have relieved Carac, but Rowan had been very quiet when packing the wagon. A task they were both familiar with, but the lack of Rowan’s song to the travelers he always sang quietly to himself was worrisome. 

“No, but I sense a great conflict is coming, and we are being dragged into it. Our eyes must stay open, and we must protect ourselves and our future at all times,” Simon warned.

Rowan made eye contact with Carac and said, “Very well, let’s make our way to the column. Have you got my back, Carac?”

“Of course,” Carac answered, taken a little off guard. 

“Fantastic, and I have yours. Off we go. Simon, we will be fine,” Rowan stated with confidence.

Simon wanted to talk on the road. There was a lot to discuss about their arrival in London. There was no way to know who they could trust. York healers may have had similar knowledge to his, but there was no telling what they would report to the commanders. Some of the Knights would make patrol passes along the column, but Simon didn’t want to be caught in a suspicious whisper by his companions. He decided to ride in silence. Rowan drove the wagon while Carac followed close behind. The Sun turned lower in the sky when word came over the column that scouts had found the campground for the night.

Simon rode up to the front of the wagon and said his first words of the day. “When we get there, we need to be the last to set up camp,” Simon said. “We can’t have anyone too close to us when we are around our fire. We can talk then.”

Rowan nodded and relaxed. No sense being worried about the future when the sun was warm and the breeze was light. He had a place to go and a column to follow. Tomorrow’s problems were a campfire discussion.

Rowan stood over their fire, and the most they could hear from a neighboring fire was a loud group laugh. Individual words were reduced to background noise. A few of the healers from the York army stopped by to make sure Simon’s party had eaten and update them when they would be packing up their sites for the morning’s departure. Simon was satisfied with the noise level. Talking about their future was safe, yet he waited for the people's movements to die down before getting into the details of their destination.

He didn’t want Rowan or Carac to have any illusions of their immediate futures. He had worked in a royal castle before. It was his experience there that pushed him to become a traveling healer. “Gentlemen, we will be close to the court. They will not understand our methods or the remedies we prefer. They will want the treatments of the old ways, and that will put us in a tough spot at some point. One of them will die of the old ways, and we will be accused of not doing our jobs. Death would be certain for us at the hands of one of these Knights. Well, certain for me. I think you would be able to make it out of the city, but who knows if they would send anyone after you? You both saw Richard, the man is driven.”

He paused here, leaving some room for either of them to say something. Allowing for the moment to breath without question, he continued, “We need to resign ourselves to treating them with the old methods and we need to figure out a way to practice our methods, any thoughts?”

Rowan and Carac looked at each other. They were quiet at first, both gathering their thoughts. Simon had the advantage of experience and the day’s ride to think about what he was going to say this evening.

Carac spoke first, “Are we allowed to move around the city when we’re there?”

“Maybe, depends how possessive and paranoid the court gets. We should plan on having one of us be available to the court at all times. Before I continue, I should say, Rowan, if you want to leave and get lost in the city, I understand. You can do a lot more good out there on your own,” Simon answered.

“Simon, we’ve been through a lot. You’ve taught me everything I know, and I trust that I will learn even more by spending my days with the two of you. I will stay with you and Carac for as long as I can. How will the court know who I am?” Rowan said.

“They will know our wagon, and Richard will send some of the court to whereever he gives us space. You can’t hide forever.”

“Very well. I am not afraid. My lot is with you and Carac. I will stay with you both as long as you’ll have me. Though, I have an idea. Why don’t we open a shop in the city. We can work in the shop and be available to the court. There are three of us, we can even find other healers!”

“An excellent idea, Rowan. I will spend most of my time with the court. I want you and Carac to have the best chance to practice methods we’re used to.”

Carac spoke up, “Won’t the people of London also expect the old treatments?”

“You’re right, mah boy. We will need to be thoughtful about who and how we treat. We treat everyone who comes to our door, but we need to be careful. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

What Simon thought would be a long conversation turned into storytelling from happy times in villages visited in the last year. 

The birds were up with the rest of Simon’s crew. Optimism replaced the dread he felt most of the previous day. Living under an absolute power and dealing with the life and death of the court was a tricky dance. Children were the future of the court and carried legacies forward. They had a knack for dying when their noble parents didn’t expect them to, and they always wanted answers. Simon didn’t blame them for wanting answers, but they didn’t want the answers Simon had to give. Simon had seen a lot in his years, but he didn’t look his age. He didn’t get the benefit of an old healer who had seen many things and had absolute knowledge even Kings wouldn’t dispute. Not knowing how long they would be guests of the Yorkists was a problem, but they would do the best they could and maybe help some of the people of London along the way. 

Thinking about opening a shop, Simon felt good about the opportunity to find and apprentice new healers. Focus on the good he can do for the people of London and for Carac. Simon's feel for the future was starting to wane. His future was not as clear as it always appeared to him. Giving away as much knowledge as he could to Rowan and Carac, plus any apprentices they could find, would have to be his focus.

The ride into London was uneventful. Carac, who had never been to the city, was amazed at the size of the city. The smaller towns that made up the outskirts and the farms that surrounded the city were all bigger than what he was used to. He was excited to be in a new place for the first time in years. Simon hadn’t thought about this being a benefit for Carac. He’d been dragged around the lightly populated parts of England and Wales most of his life. Life in the city for a little while might do him some good, though there was no way to know how long they would be here.

While the ride itself was uneventful, Simon could feel the sickness as they got closer to the city. He couldn’t tell if it was the rot that brought on the Battle near St. Albans or if it was the sickness in the citizens of London. The day was bright and beautiful, but the cloud hanging over this city and its inhabitants was real and overwhelmed Simon’s senses. He thought about asking Carac what he felt but wanted him to learn these feelings over time. There would be a day in the future for them to have conversations, but today was not that day. Let the boy experience; do not be the burden on a young mind when it doesn’t need to be burdened.

The next four days were a flurry of activity. Carac and Rowen spent their first full day in the city looking for a building to start their healer shop. The Yorkists gave them space in the royal stables to keep transportation close to the court. Simon spent the first two days getting familiar with the court and making himself seen by the Yorkists while Carac and Rowan got the shop location picked. On the second, third, and fourth days, Carac and Rowan unpacked the wagon and made themselves visible in front of the shop. They wanted people in the neighborhood to know they were there, what they did, and what they would do for a while. 

Simon spent his third talking to Richard’s personal healer. Simon answered questions about where he had traveled on both sides of the British Ocean. None of the questions felt like a trap, but the questions felt like they were looking for a certain profile of an individual. It was clear that Richard knew to look he just didn’t know how to look.

Simon’s last day was spent in the courtyard setting up the space provided to have an Apothecary close to the Tower. “Simon,” Rowan called across the courtyard, “we’ve got the shop set up. We wanted you to be there when we opened.”

Simon felt a calm flow through his body. He closed his eyes and felt he would do some good while in the city. Taking care of the court was disinteresting. He would do it, but he didn’t know if they could make a difference for the people in the city. The speed and self-direction Carac and Rowan demonstrated sold him on the idea that their presence in the city would be positive. The pain and sickness in this city were loud, and he could not discern where to start. He was convinced he wouldn’t have to figure that out. “Just start,” he said to himself. The rest would take care of itself. 

“Let us away then,” Simon said to Rowan.

“Are you done here?”

“No one seems to know or care we are here in the courtyard. I’m sure they will be fine for half a day. Let’s leave a message with the tower guards. We’ll tell them we are going out for supplies and will be back.”

Simon left his message, fighting back a smirk. He added some flair to the misdirection: “We might be gone a while. We don’t know where the good medicine shops are in this city,” he said to the Tower guard.

“Aye, I’ll pass the message along,” the guard replied. Simon and Rowan weren’t sure to whom he would pass the message, but they were out of the Tower gates and on their way to their new shop.

Simon opened the door to the shop. “This is perfect, gentlemen.”

“Hi, Father,” Carac said, entering the shop from the supply room. “We’ve found a few places in town to get supplies. We even have a helper from one of the shops willing to make supply runs into the forest.”

“And that won’t take away from the supplies they need?” Simon asked.

“He doesn’t work for that shop every day. We’ve secured his services one day a week.”

Rowan said, “And since we will be going with him on the first few trips, we learn how to get to the good spots.”

The urge to stay here in this shop was strong. Simon felt at home inside these walls. The courtyard was a healing space where they would sleep most of the time, but it wasn’t home. His life had been spent traveling to where he was needed. He never thought about the kind of need he was traveling to. He was forced to go to this city, and while some people needed his skills in the court, they didn’t want him there. Well, someone wanted him there, albeit for reasons that undermined his safety and that of his companions. Whatever forces brought him to London, he was going to make the best of it, and he could think of no better way to start than inside the walls where he stood.

“Hello?” said a tired voice

“Yes, hello, madam, how can we help you?” Simon said.

“I heard a healer was opening a shop. Have I found the right place?”

“Yes, welcome. Please come in.”

Simon was too excited to see their first patient standing in the shop for him to get a sense of what was wrong with her.

“Children, sit in the corner. Mummy will be right back”

“Don’t be scared, children. Uncle Rowan will tell you a story.”

“Thank you,” she said

Carac jumped in. “Please follow me. Can I get your name?”

“Agnes”

“Pleasure to meet you”

Carac, Agnes, and Simon went to one of the rooms where patients could see a healer. Their first patient, one of the people, Simon was renewed for whatever life had for him.

CHR;)