Magic and Herbs

I spent a lot of time with Merlin, watching him work with people, concocting potions to help illnesses or scraps. He appears to be not only a knowledgable person of magic, but also a healer. He taught me a few things here and there as he would grind herbs with a mortar.

After our lunch with Uther, Merlin took me back to the room, planning on teaching me some magic. He sat me down in front of the fireplace and turned to grab some wood.

"You have to be very careful when you use magic, sister, for it always comes with a price." Merlin sat next to me, setting some logs in the fireplace. "Always remember, the weightier the spell is, the bigger the price. For instance, the price for fire is wood." Merlin closed his eyes and stretched his arm over the wood. "Our people practiced magic based on wishes, so our strength comes from wishing." Merlin then moved his hand back as flames jumped up from the logs, leaping in the cool air. "Simple as that." He said, turning to look at me. "Ready to give it a shot?"

I nodded, and Merlin placed his hand over the fire, and instantly the tongues vanished. I stretched my hand over the fire and closed my eyes. I hardly even imagined what a fire would be like before I felt the warmth under my palm. I opened my eyes and pulled my hand back. "I hardly did anything!" I exclaimed.

Merlin smiled, "That is because your name is Fia, fire is your specialty. You'll be able to control fire and heat as easily as breathing before you know it." Merlin stood up and brushed the dirt from his hands on his tan tunic.

Edgar came over, getting tired of being stuck in the back room. "Are we playing with fire?" He asked.

I smiled. "Yes, what else would we do? Say, Edgar, did you have a specialty back at home? Like, i'm supposed to be good with fire, were you good at something?"

Edgar chuckled to himself. "Believe it or not I was very good with our animals. At our first planet I was quite the farmer. I suppose it would only be fitting to be a rabbit now."

"Did we have animals like the ones here?" I asked.

"No, not exactly like these, but they served the same purposes." Edgar explained.

I looked back at Merlin. "What is your specialty, brother?"

Merlin's eyebrows furrowed. "I do not know. I have been searching my whole life for something to call my own, but I have yet to find it."

Edgar hopped over to Merlin and stared up at him. "I have watched you many years, I find that to be quite the opposite. You have never found something to be bad at. You, Merlin, are the most powerful person of magic yet."

"Oh, you're just saying that." Merlin said, shaking his head, but you could tell he was hiding a smile behind his disbelief. "Now, sister, let me show you how to make a blood-clotting solution from herbs. Using herbs is one way to save a life without the price of magic, and should always be used first." He motioned at me. "Follow me to the table." I followed Merlin and sat across from him. He grabbed an herb known as agrimony, a beautiful yellow flowered plant, and ground it up. Once ground up he added a little water to it to make it more of a pasty consistency. "Once you have it like this, you simply rub it over the wood and it should stop the bleeding." He explained. "This is something that will most likely come in handy, so do not forget it."