The days passed, and the season turned to Winter. It was time first for the woolen overrobes, then for the woolen tunics and trews underneath them, and woolen boots with wood pattens over the linen footwraps. She watched one of the professed monks heating stones with Mana, and saw how it was done. She put a heated stone at her feet at night, and often used the same technique on her seat in the classroom. There was a fireplace in the room, but the monastery was made of stone, and it cooled and warmed equally slowly. She got wool and needles from the chamberlain, and knit herself some warm woolen half-gloves that she could write in, and taught the other Novices how to do it too, the boys included.
That was one thing that was different here:nobody divided jobs by whether they were man jobs or woman jobs. Work was just work, and the person who did it was the best at it. Frail Brother Johannes was best suited to his work doing drawings and illustrations, with a servant at his call to help him when he needed it. Stout and tall Sister Charna was suited to running the Healing courtyard, whether she needed to carry a sick man or restrain one delirious with fever or emotion.
She knew that she would get stronger and grow up more. It was slower for her, because she was part-Elven. It was only this last year that her breasts had begun to grow at all, and she needed no binding wraps to support them yet. She'd also grown a full inch, which explained why she had been hungry all the time. Fortunately, the Temple was used to growing adolescents, and made sure they all knew to eat as much as they needed, and there was bread and sometimes cheese provided between meals. No one was fat, but no one was starving, either. All of the Novices of her year were growing, and were frequently off to the Chamberlain for new pants and tunics.
She was taller than all but one of the boys, but no one really cared. They all knew why they were there. The Lord and Lady needed people to help their people. Some were people made to listen and give wise answers, and they were going into the Priesthood, as were those who heard the voices of the Gods and were fashioned for prayer and the service of the Gods. Some were called as Healers to care for everyone's bodies, and some were called to Justice, to do justice and hear claims and register trades and taxes paid and make the city and the Duchy above it work smoothly. Some of them, even at fourteen and fifteen, already heard truth and could tell it from lies...in time, they might sit in judgement with the authority of Duke or King. All of them appreciated that they were siblings in this, and no one needed to push others aside to get to their goal.
"Better than a sister," said one of the other girls. "I don't remember a time my sister wasn't being more or less mean to me in case I might get some of my mother's attention. Here, there's none of that."
"We all help each other and get better together," said Anarin, who was on the path of Justice. He was terribly clumsy, and it had taken him leaning against someone to mimic their movements for him to learn the very basics of the Open Hand form. He had to take more trips when he was on kitchen duty to avoid spilling. But he also had a wonderful memory, and it only took him one time reading it aloud to lock it in his mind. Sometimes she heard him as she passed by the study rooms.
"Be it known by all that we, King Mark, first of this name, decrees that within all Duchies of his kingdom, and all protected lands, that these thing be marked as crimes against man. First that murder, defined as the purposeful death of another person..."
Undoubtedly he would be a Lawspeaker of great distinction, once he grew into his feet and learned how to move so that he didn't fall over himself.
It was harder for her to memorize things than it was for Anarin. It helped if she could think of it and see it too. Herbs were nice, because you could see them and smell them and they were like people, each with their likes and dislikes, temperaments and skills. Some liked each other, and some didn't, and some needed a third party along to make them civil and work with each other. She learned how a small healing gift would make the herbs work better, combine two herbs that didn't like to work together, and could help someone be calm and still enough to have the work done.
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"Infants especially," said Marva, the assistant Healer who was mentoring her. "They don't understand that something will ease the pain, all they know is that they hurt. So it is important to use the gift to calm them enough to take the potion."
"Grown people sometimes, too,"
"Oh, yes. Sometimes pain can take a person right out of their head, and in that case it is up to us to make sure they don't hurt themselves or others."
"Why don't we just lay our hands on and heal them?" said Alandra.
"Well, there's several reasons, child," said Marva. "First, not everyone's got a great big healing gift that will reattach someone's hand. Some of us have just small gifts, but it's enough to make the herbs work better and quiet people enough to get the medicine in them. Then too, if you've taken your energy and cured someone all the way of Hammer Lung, what happens when someone comes in who's had a bull kick them?"
"Ohhhh..." Alandra said in comprehension. "Big healing has to be saved for big problems."
"And since Hammer Lung CAN be healed slow with herbs...remember what?"
"In a base of white wine with honey to sweeten, redroot and Lady's Tears, with a little henfoot if they are coughing blood badly."
"Quite right!" praised Marva. "You've a good memory. So if it can be healed slow with herbs, it is better because it saves the Healer's strength for things that only the strong Healers can do."
"I understand now," Alandra said, nodding with wide eyes. "It's just like everything else; we have to let that which is small do small things, and that which is great do the great things, and that is the balance."
"That is indeed the Balance," said Marva. "Have you finished the leechbook?"
"Yes, ma'am," Alandra said.
"Then we will move you on to the bones."
Bones were harder. Bodies are complicated, and learning them was hard. Alandra realized she looked like the others now....hands tucked into sleeves for warmth, and repeating things she was memorizing to herself as she walked from place to place within the cloister. They all retained enough awareness to not collide with the cloister's supports or each other, but otherwise they were intent on their own business. Alandra knew where everything was in the cloister, and loved it. She didn't know what her favorite place was! Was it in the refectory where in the evening they ate and laughed together? Was it the room off the library where they studied and learned about the world and maths and writing? Was it the great working room of the herbarium, where they made ointments and elixirs and soaks and infusions for people's ills? Was it the great soaring chapel where three times a day she sang the Sun up, high, and down with the rest of the Called? She loved it all.
Except maybe when it was her turn among the women's side to clean the necessarium. But it had to be cleaned, and when everyone took a turn it wasn't so bad when it got to hers. It helped that she saw professed Sisters, one even with the zilet of office over her black robe, wearing apron and work sleeves and scrubbing the underside of the seats. Besides, work never fled just because you whined at it.
None of the Novices were whiners. Even Anerin, who was having to work twice as hard as anyone else at learning to just move his body, didn't complain about it. Mara sometimes reversed letters when she wrote, and so she had to be very careful. But she didn't complain. They took extra trips when they were paired with Aneirin to get things for the refectory, and always were willing to help Mara when she said, "Sister, is it badstraw or bedstraw?" as she learned the herbs. Alandra was still never sure of her calculations, and felt better if Tomar checked them over before Master Zinos did. They were family and helped each other, and cared about each other. She knew that even though they would part and go to various other places as they grew up, they would always love each other as brother and sister.
