The Dryad 40 Medicine

"My primary product is for healing injuries. I can promise that you will have a hard time finding a better medicine out there," I said with a smile. "I also have one that will help loosen up your stiff joints and gives you more energy." As I said this, a light appeared in the face of many of the older men in the room. "Unfortunately the effects only last a few days to a week, and then you will need to take another dose." My admittance of the flaw in that medicine did not dampen their excitement.

"I have never seen a medicine that treats joint stiffness before. How effective is it, really?" The old man said cautiously.

The smile did not leave my face while I said, "How about I give you a sample in exchange for a few rounds of drinks and afterwards you can decide how effective it is yourself."

"Sounds like an acceptable deal to me," he said returning a smile. I think he liked that I was not trying to sell him with words.

I stood up and grabbed an empty cup. "I will be right back with a dose." Once I was outside I quickly grabbed some water from the well to fill up the cup. I then stuck two fingers in the water and began to change the water into the promised medicine. The cup held a lot more than was needed but I would not be able to fit my fingers in far enough if I used any less water. Well, I guess I could give another couple samples.

I walked back into the tavern and said, "Here you are. I ended up with a few servings. How about three of you take the medicine? The others can serve as witnesses to how effective it is." There was a slight moment of hesitation trying to figure out if they wanted to take the chance or not, but as soon as one other person volunteered, a majority of the older men in the room also volunteered. This quickly was followed by a few moments of heckling.

"James, you know my arthritis is worse than yours. You should let me try it, we will be able to see better if it works."

"Your arthritis is no worse than anyone else's, you just love to complain about it to try getting out of doing your work."

A third man b.u.t.ted into the conversation, "Neither of you two should be the ones to take it, you are both hot-heads who always are telling tall tales. Like that time a fish pulled you into the river, James. We all know what you actually fell asleep and the fish pulled the rod out of your hands. I should be the one to do it since I don't tell lies like you two."

"It is true that you don't tell lies since all you do is talk about your new grandson. We need someone whose head is not entirely filled with only fluff and babies."

The arguments started getting more heated and I could not follow what was being said any more. I was about to intervene and only offer it to the first man who wanted the trial, when they suddenly reached a conclusion on their own. A third man stepped forward to take a draft with the other two that volunteered before this whole mess started.

Despite all the yelling and heckling that just occurred it did not seem like there were any hard feeling between them. I guess this must be a form of past time between them. It often happens when you have been around people for so long. I could not help recalling the last time I was with Faun and Mist. I felt this way when they were giving me a hard time about my hair last spring. I missed feeling Faun's spirit. Even though I did not see her that often, I could always tell she was there and that things were alright.

She did have a habit of suppressing her spirit some to make it so that the elves would not feel her moving around. She would usually not stay hidden from me for too long, though. A few months to a year at most. The thought that I might not see her again hurt. How I missed that time that we were together.

"Laurel, are you alright?" Leafia asked me. It seems I had zoned out again and I must have had a dark aura since many of the people in the room looked a little concerned.

"Sorry, all that heckling reminded me of my time with Faun. I really miss those times in our woods," I said, but Leafia's cough in the middle shook me out of my apparently still lingering stupor. "Oh, Faun is the name of the Elven Patriarch's daughter. I have lived with her for many years in the elven forest." How can I fix this inability to focus I have? Usually it is not a big deal. My companions just deal with it. But this time it nearly caused a problem.

Now is not the time to try fixing this problem. I will just end up sidetracked again. I need to focus. That was easier said than done. This room had an earthy smell to it that kept reminding me of the scent of fall at my pond. Faun would often come around this time of year before Mist and I rested for the winter. The sound of the ale being poured into the cups also reminded me of one of the small brooks after a rain. I ended up pinching my thigh to keep my attention focused.

Putting a smile on my face I pa.s.sed the medicine to them. As they took the cups (apparently they divided it when I was not paying attention), I said, "It will take about a half hour for the medicine to start taking effect. At that point we will see how you are feeling and talk about the purchase further." Now for the next half hour, I needed to gather as much information from these men as I could.