How To Help, Part IV
Master Durwey walked him out of the hospital and through the castle. Apart from the occasional guiding word, she said nothing for most of the walk. Based on the surroundings he could feel, Oshal guessed they were walking to the forest.
Oshal didn’t know what Master Durwey knew. She hadn’t asked him any questions yet, but he knew they were coming. He’d broken the rules, and he was going to be in trouble. That’s what happened when people broke the rules.
They walked through a door and into the forest. Oshal carefully tapped his way around roots and sticks. They stopped after about 20 paces. Oshal listened to the chirping birds and squirrels racing through the trees. The wind rustled the leaves over his head.
“Our Lord High Artisan told me what he thinks happened,” Master Durwey said. “He said you were worried for your sister, and so you wove happiness into her.”
“That’s right.”
“I thought you knew better than that.”
Oshal didn’t know what to say. He would’ve thought so, too. His mother had stressed many times not to do exactly what he’d done. He’d thought of her at the time, hadn’t he? What had he been thinking? He’d known it was wrong, and he’d done it anyway. Roshil had been so happy when he’d done it, and nothing else had gotten through to her.
“Court rules dictate that I’m to take away your free reign privileges until such time as I can trust you again.”
“Oh.”
“I can sense the conflict you have with yourself.” Master Durwey allowed a little concern to filter through her carefully concealed emotions. “What’s on your mind, Apprentice Oshal?”
“I think Our Lord High Artisan is mad at me.”
Master Durwey dismissed his concerns.
“He always seems like he’s mad at someone. Perhaps he’s not happy with you, but he understands, I’m sure. Before long, he’ll have moved on. That’s the thing about being an adult. You begin to learn what really matters. Lord Grund knows I’ll take care of it. He’s said his piece, and now he’s left it to me.”
Oshal nodded, still feeling small.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“Of course not. My opinions of your sister aside, I know you care deeply for her. I can sense it in you. I can also sense your guilt, as I’m sure Lord Grund could. But you must understand how dangerous it is to manipulate others’ emotions, even if you have the best of intentions.”
“Roshil was so upset. I was just trying to help.”
For a moment, Master Durwey didn’t speak. Oshal didn’t sense the usual discomfort with the topic of his sister. Instead, the usual silence he felt from Master Durwey had somehow gone more silent.
“My first apprentice thought he could help people. He thought it’d be better for the court if everyone were always happy. By the time I learned that he’d changed his ideas into reality, it was too late. He was completely convinced that he was doing the right thing.”
“What happened to him?”
“That’s not the point. The point is that he did a lot of damage before we stopped him. Many people needed a lot of time to recover. Some never did. He’d infected so many people. What happened to your sister happened to nearly a hundred people in the court, and more throughout the kingdom. Our gift is dangerous, and we mustn’t abuse it, no matter what our intentions may be.”
Oshal nodded. He was beginning to understand that now. He’d lived with his gift his entire life, but never had he realized how massive it was.
“It needn’t weigh on you. You’ve got a kind heart, Oshal. I know you want to do the right thing. It’s merely my job to ensure you don’t go about it the wrong way.”
Oshal smiled. Master Durwey had been so hesitant around him at first (not unlike everyone else he’d met in the past few years), but she was alright.
“Will Roshil be okay?”
“I’m sure she’ll be back to making the court uncomfortable in no time.”
“She doesn’t mean to!”
“I’m sorry. Of course, she doesn’t. I mean there won’t be any lasting side effects. We caught it before it got out of hand. Lord Grund will see to it that she recovers and doesn’t end up in a euphoria den.”
“What’s a euphoria den?”
Master Durwey hesitated, giving Oshal the impression that she hadn’t intended to mention it to him.
“The court was built in the forest many years ago. We couldn’t expand, so the builders had to plan for a larger population. Thus, we have several buildings that aren’t being used for anything. Some weavers use these buildings to hide in, weaving happiness into other people for money. It’s illegal, but the court doesn’t want to be everywhere, less we make people nervous and paranoid. These places are called euphoria dens. It becomes a problem when people experience symptoms as Apprentice Roshil did, and a dire problem when they get addicted to it.”
Oshal nodded again, understanding why Nourd liked the forest so much. Everything was complicated in the court. He had to walk carefully, always worrying about his gift. Not checking up on people, not eavesdropping on their emotions, not forcing emotion into people. Out in the forest, everything was calm, peaceful, and simple. Birds flew by, squirrels and chipmunks played, and the trees swayed in the breeze.
“I like it here,” he said.
“I’m glad. I thought this would be a better place to talk. I don’t think punishing you is necessary.”
“I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble. I can’t go anywhere on my own anyway.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Can I still visit Nourd?”
“I’m sure we can arrange something. I was impressed by how well Apprentice Nourd handled being around Apprentice Roshil.”
Oshal smiled, full of pride for his friend, and hope that Nourd and Roshil could get along one day. Not only that, but maybe Roshil would be happy one day too. He wondered how she was doing. He hoped she was okay.
“May we please stay here a little longer?”
“We can stay as long as you like.”