Lynn was a born healer.
From an early age she had known her purpose in life. She could clearly remember patching up the scrapes and bruises of other hatchlings. She had scarcely left the nest before she began tending to wounded animals. Birds had their wings set with utmost care. A squirrel pup was nursed back to health after a severe rainstorm.
It wasn't long before the little fae discovered her aptitude for water magic. Wounds she washed never grew infected. If she soothed a fevered forehead with a damp cloth, the sick would quickly recover.
Her clan's elders took note, and attempted to procure the proper training. Lynn was an eager student - but no teacher could train her in traditional water magic. She could not control the rain, nor scry in a basin. River and droplet alike refused to move at her behest.
The gift was there...but latent, the magicians told her parents. Anything she touched with water was infuse with her power. However, she herself could not manipulate the element.
Lynn was undeterred. The call to healing was strong in the tender-hearted fae.
She threw herself into the study of herbology, travelling across Sornieth to find the best teachers. She collected herbs and flowers, stems and roots, bark and leaves from every land. She memorized list after list, learning what ailments could be treated by what plants.
It was during this time, in her journey through the Southern Icefield, that she met a young floracat. Though unable to speak the same language, the two nonetheless understood one another perfectly. A strong empathic connection was formed - the basis of a lifelong friendship. Fernfrost showed Lynn where rare and powerful healing ingredients grew. When she left the Southern Icefield, Fernfrost remained at her side.
As Lynn had suspected, her passive talent for water magic paired perfectly with her knowledge of herbalism. Poultices and compressed prepared by the fae were imbued with her power, heightening the efficiency of the herbs within. To Lynn's surprise, she found that teas she brewed were potent elixirs capable of curing many ailments. (Dragons also swore that her soups were a balm for the soul.)
The young fae took to carrying pouches and bushels of plants on her person at all times. She hung dried herbs from her wings, and kept seeds to plant along her journeys. Leaves plucked from plants she had watered were not so strong as a tea fresh-brewed by her hand - but they were still made more effective.
And as she traveled, Lynn lived her purpose as a healer. Anyone she met in her travels who was in need - whether dragon, animal, or beastclan - was treated by her. A gentle soul, she could not bear to see anyone in pain. With a cool, soothing touch, and a warm mug of tea, she mended old wounds. Fresh injuries were washed and wrapped in a poultice, and healed by the next day. She refused all payment with a serene smile, and was on her way again as soon as her patient was well.
Lynn constantly experimented with new combinations for herbal remedies. Her notes were kept in a thick tome filled with her slanted writing and detailed sketches. She was never seen without it.
Word of the little fae began to spread. Other dragons would scoff to hear the tale.
"A fae? Pfah! They're too little!"
"What good could such a tiny creature do?"
"I'm sure she's gifted enough for her own people...but what if she had to treat Imperials, or even Guardians? Their wounds would be bigger than her!"
But family and friends of those Lynn had treated would not stand to see her name besmirched. An Imperial who had been stricken in the Scarred Wasteland told of how she had cured him of the plague. A Gaoler who had suffered a terrible wound at the hands of an ace recounted her story. Lynn's nimble fingers had stitched her back together, darting so quickly that it was soon done. The cauldron carried by the fae proved to be the perfect size for a cup of tea for the larger dragon.
"She's little," they would agree.
"But that doesn't stop her. And her heart is so BIG!"
"A tender healer."
"An angel on the battlefield."
"Her touch was so soothing..."
"The tea took away all my pain..."
"They said I was done for, but she SAVED me..."
"Her soup was SO DELICIOUS!!!"
In hospitals and on battlefields, in rural villages and poor dens, across all the realms of Sornieth, Lynn seeks those in need of healing. With soft voice and gentle touch she works her magic. Her floracat purrs as the tea steeps, its pungent aroma lifting the heart. Tenderly she cares for the ill and the injured. She asks nothing in return, and won't stay for long - but if you need her, she will come.
And as the fae flutters over to you, herbs rustling, tea cups clacking, you'll marvel at her diminutive size...but it will be her sweet smile and healing gift that you'll remember.
