Free Balancer's Soul by Jr H. Lee Morgan

medicinal herbs from
his grandfather’s survival lessons. Many times he had to treat his
own wounds from careless mistakes. In about five minutes he found
the exact plant he was looking for and would serve the desired
purpose.
    The shrub like herb barely reached up to his
hips. It is a long stemmed plant that has tear shaped leaves and
they have a glossy green color. Connor snapped off a few healthy
leaves and stuffed them into his pocket, careful not to break them
just yet. “Let’s see if Sarah knows what this is.” He said to wryly
to himself and snickered. “She probably will, being three hundred
years old and all. I’ll still see if she knows.”
    He picked up the container of water and
headed back to where he left Sarah.
     
    ***
     
    While Sarah continued sitting in the damp
grass she examined her hands. “Well the cuts really aren’t too bad…
At least the bleeding stopped. I just hope it doesn’t get
infected.” Her nose wrinkled.
    It took nearly an hour before Connor finally
returned carrying a small piece of wood filled with water. “I’m
back, Princess. How are you feeling?” His voice of heartfelt
concern and relief was evident and made her suddenly feel
better.
    With a shy smile Sarah replied “It’s not
every day that you are protected and saved from a hungry and wild
animal. I should thank the big cat.”
    Connor’s laughter sent her heart beating
wildly yet again. “It’s not every day I get to rescue any beautiful
maidens.”
    Sarah face flared with heat and she knew
immediately that he made her blush yet again. Trying to change the
subject she asked “What did you do with the uh…cat?”
    “Gave him a proper burial, as best as I could
manage under the circumstances.” Connor said remorsefully while his
unique hazel eyes spoke of compassion. It was a rare glimpse of a
person’s true character and one she looked for constantly.
    “Interesting, he doesn’t
want or like to kill, but he will not hesitate when there is need.
That’s how every man should be.” “Good.” Sarah said,
breaking the silence that lingered between them. She then noticed
that he held a cup of water in his hand. “Connor, I am a little
thirsty. May I have some of that water?”
    “I’m sorry Princess, but this water is for me
to clean your wounds, not to be drunk.” He said while walking
towards her. He stopped in front of her and shoved his hands into
his black jeans pocket. He pulled out some green leaves which Sarah
recognized instantly.
    “Sage!” She announced, sounding
astonished. Connor smiled a smile like she passed his test. To
further prove her knowledge she explained. “This will help keep my
hands from getting infected. Good job, Connor. I didn’t think of
using that. I didn’t even know if any grew around this area.” He
still smiled calmly when he slowly sat down right in front of
her. “I can’t believe how talented Connor
is at finding a medicinal herb so quickly… let alone how attracted
to him I am… no stop that, he’s just a child… well not exactly.
He’s already proven himself a capable man already. Few grown men
could do what he did.”
    Breaking her chain of thought he grabbed her
hands gently and turned Sarah’s palms up. Sharp eyes scanned the
scrapes with obvious training in medicine. “This will not be
pleasant Sarah, but I have to clean and open up these wounds
again.” He said remorsefully and his tense expression matched. But
what she noticed the most were just how large his hands were. They
were the hands of a person used to physical labor.
    Pouring a little of the cool water over
Sarah’s palms felt very pleasant until she felt his calloused
thumbs. Sarah could tell he was going as quickly as possible so as
to not prolong her pain while not being overly forceful either. She
kept her eyes shut tight to keep from wincing and locked her jaw.
She made a slight, pained whimper which made him work more quickly.
After a minute, the torture ended and he finished