“Um, Your Highness?” asked Rebecca.

Quinn and the others had not said anything for nearly a minute, as though her name was not processing in their minds. Rebecca was looking at each in turn, scrutinizing them. When it was clear to her that none of them were in an obvious state of physical ailment, her face flushed red with embarrassment and turned her gaze to the ground.

“What does the spelling of your name have to do with why you have never given it?” Wyen finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Mom was enamored with making names unique while still being normal sounding. Instead of Rebecca, she made it Rebecka. I never liked the spelling she gave me, but it’s still my name,” Rebecca murmured, “I never really thought to change it after coming here until now, since I didn’t write it all the time.”

“So you are a hero then?” Quinn asked.

Rebecca gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth as her gaze shot back up. Lowering her hand as she thought, eventually Rebecca nodded.

“I did some research in the capital. If I understand your meaning when you say ‘hero,’ then I suppose the answer is yes.”

“That’s wonderful! Please, allow us to…,” Quinn began, only to be interrupted.

“But I am not some great warrior, politician, or inventor. So truly to call me a hero is too much. I am nothing more than a doctor,” Rebecca stated.

“Whatever skills you possess are surely more than enough. Would you consider joining in developing this country by utilizing the knowledge and skills you do?” Quinn asked.

Rebecca went silent as she thought.

“What are you hoping to accomplish? From what I understand, Sengar is quite prosperous already and there have been numerous improvements to all the people’s lives in the last few years,” she asked.

Wyen and Quinn shared a glance, silently deciding that laying out their plans for the future of the kingdom to Rebecca was a safe decision. Together, the pair explained several of their upcoming plans for the future of Sengar.

Firstly, they recognized the value of extending the lifespans of the citizenry. Sure, it included taxes, but the value of a larger and longer-lived populace meant more trade both internally and internationally as goods and resources would flow in larger quantities. They were not familiar with the specifics of how to go about achieving the goal, but had identified that public sanitation and the role of physicians and healers could certainly assist.

Secondly, they recognized the need to grow the country’s size. Since a larger populace would inevitably need more space to live and gather resources from, specifically food, it was inevitable that the peninsula and islands that Sengar controlled would not be enough. While neither desired war, or more specifically an offensive war, it was the easiest way to accomplish that task of growing the nation. Quinn expressed the desire to work instead towards vassalizing their neighbors without violent conflict.

The final piece they revealed to Rebecca was the understanding that to power both of the other plans, they needed to develop a nation of innovation and education that extended beyond the nobility. While most people in the country could do extremely simple math as well as read and write at a level, in a way Rebecca could understand, equivalent to a six or seven year old, the wealthy and nobility were educated beyond that.

“I see,” Rebecca replied, “I could possibly help in that first goal you mentioned, and maybe the last.”

“So you’ll come and assist us?” Quinn asked, eagerly leaning in.

“No.”

“W-what? Why?” he stammered.

“I suppose I should say not yet as opposed to no.”

“How can we assist you so that your ‘not yet’ can become a ‘yes?’” Wyen asked.

Rebecca thought for a moment.

“I believe I said something along the line of ‘my patients come first before all.’ There are a number of things I still don’t know about my patients, or potential patients. I need to go to them and learn things there. While your physicians are, compared to a trained doctor, quite amateurish, there are things that even I can learn from them.”

“You intend to continue travelling then?” Wyen concluded.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Then please allow us to accompany you!” Quinn cried out in a panic, sensing that Rebecca was slipping away again.

She looked to him with a neutral, yet disturbed expression visible on her face.

“I think it might be better to travel alone than with the country’s prince. I’d draw too much attention that way.”

“Rebecca,” Adelade interrupted, “You are going to draw a lot of attention regardless of who is with you at this point. Rumors of a hero within the kingdom have already reached the major noble houses and most of the minor ones as well by this point. Unless they are loyal to the Crown, they are going to do whatever it takes to get you into their graces or keep you there by force if need be. Remember what happened in the Graywolf territory?”

“Was that the area with the mining town?”

“Yes,” Adelade affirmed, “It would likely be worse than that.”

As Rebecca sat in thought, Quinn was likewise contemplating the fair point that Adelade mentioned. Clearly, Rebecca was not a combat oriented hero and thus could easily find herself in dangerous situations. Additionally, being a hero meant that she was not innately familiar with the various things that would be common knowledge among lifelong inhabitants of this world. On top of that, she was clearly unfamiliar with the politics that were playing out around Sengar and would continue to play out simply by her existence and presence. To him, it was a natural conclusion that she would have them accompany her.

Quinn shut his eyes with a satisfied nod. Yes, surely Rebecca would join them after thinking things through. His thoughts started to wander towards what would come after as they traveled together, going wherever it was she was set on going for now. Camping by a river would be an excellent way to sneak a peek at her, for example. One of his smiles that Wyen had come to associate with his indecent thoughts was creeping onto his face, earning him a sharp wack from his friend.

“He sometimes gets some strange thoughts that can only be dealt with through strong reminders,” Wyen said, explaining to Rebecca without truly revealing anything.

Rebecca seemed like she was about to say something when there was a bellowing scream from over in the distance. Everyone turned towards the field to see most of the farmers fleeing from an unknown terror, though a handful were converging at a distant point.

Without even a moment’s hesitation, Rebecca had leapt up and started running towards the scene. Quinn and the others quickly gave chase.

“Why are you going towards the danger? Are you insane?” shouted Quinn.

“People need help, and I am going to do what I can!”

Together with Rebecca, the group converged on the scene of a sinkhole about five meters deep and twice that in diameter. At the bottom, a young equid boy was frantically dodging the lengthy claws and gnashing teeth of the creature down in the pit with him. There was already another corpse of an equid man who had not been able to dodge the claws and been ripped open from neck to waist. The few farmers who had rushed to the scene were shouting and smacking their tools against the edge of the hole, hoping to distract the creature. This tactic however was not seeming to have any effect.

“Fang! Let’s go!” Quinn shouted.

Though they had not put on armor, Fang, Quinn, and Wyen were carrying their swords. Fang and Quinn leapt down towards the creature with swords drawn, using one hand to slow their descent down the steep slope of the pit.

The creature lashed out at the boy with its claws, catching the boy’s leg and practically amputating it on the spot. Its nose twitched, seeming to sense the approaching dangers that Quinn and Fang posed to it. However, its reaction was too late. Quinn’s sword pierced through its back, pinning it to the bottom of the pit for a moment. A moment later, Fang’s sword skewered the creature’s head, killing it instantly.

“Earthen Stairs!” Rebecca called out, causing one side of the pit to crumble away and leave what was a simple dirt staircase from the top to the bottom.

She rushed down her magically crafted stairs and, after sparing a glance at the unfortunate victim of the creature, turned her attentions to the equid boy.

“I need your belt!” Rebecca called out to Fang, “Now!”

Fang complied, removing his sword’s sheath from the leather belt. She took it and wrapped it around the remaining stump of the boy’s leg, which was bleeding profusely. Tightening it, the bleeding slowed some, but did not stop.

“Entombing Ice.”

Rebecca barely glanced at the severed leg she cast the spell on as she continued to treat the boy.

“What’s your name?” she asked the boy.

“Jekru,” the equid boy replied through gritted teeth.

“Is that your father over there?” she asked, gesturing towards the dead equid man.

Jekru shook his head, indicating that it was indeed his father.

“Help me get him up top. We have to hurry. Bring the frozen leg too,” Rebecca ordered.

There was a much different air about Rebecca than there had been just a few minutes ago. An aura of both concern and confidence oozed from her, as though she was in her element in the present situation.

Quinn, being more free, helped Rebecca carry the boy up the improvised staircase while Fang grabbed the large icicle. Once back on the surface, Rebecca magically summoned her strange carriage from out of nowhere. Flinging open the back door, she guided the boy with Quinn’s assistance onto the firm bed-like table that sat at the back of the magically enlarged space.

“Put the leg there,” she ordered Fang, pointing to a small counterspace nearby, “And hang on, we’re going back to the town right now.”

Adelade, Wyen, Phillippe, and Vivette had all piled into the back space of her carriage, but none stopped her from hopping out and shutting the door. A moment later, the entire carriage started moving, catching everyone off balance for a moment. Despite occasional bumps, the ride was much smoother than it should have been considering the field and road. In mere minutes, the carriage stopped and the door was flung open again. They were indeed back in town already.

Rebecca ducked into a small cubicle and drew a curtain. The sounds of clothing hitting the floorboards could be heard followed by the rustling of different clothes being put on. Adelade and Vivette, who realized what was going on within the cubicle, stood protectively in front of it and glared at the men, with Adelade in particular focusing on Quinn.

Rebecca emerged a minute later wearing a deep blue pair of pants and shirt made of a loose looking material. The shirt was tucked into the pants, which she was finishing tying with a cloth string embedded into the pants waist.

“You two,” Rebecca stated firmly, pointing to Vivette and Phillippe, “Find Jekru’s mother and any siblings he has immediately and bring them here.”

Phillippe and Vivette looked to Quinn.

“Do it,” he nodded.

The pair disembarked and rushed off.

“I need only one extra set of hands right now. This is going to be risky and I’ve never done this before.”

“What are you going to do?” Adelade asked.

“I’m going to try and not only save his life, but reattach Jekru’s leg as well.”

The statement was so absurd that none of those listening could believe it. For them, the wound he had received was surely fatal in time. Wyen was actually confused about how it was that Jekru was not dead already given the severity.

“Really?” a weak voice broke the silence.

“Yes. I’m going to do everything I can,” Rebecca replied as she walked over to the boy and grasped his hand reassuringly.

“I’ll help you. Magic will surely help, right?” Adelade asked.

“I do intend to utilize it.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Then you’re getting a crash course in nursing. The rest of you, out.”

The three remaining men exited the carriage, finding themselves in the center of town. A small crowd had gathered around the carriage and was asking questions. Wyen and Fang did their best to answer the people’s questions and protect the prince. Quinn, on the other hand, leaned against the carriage and contemplated the ramifications of not only everything he had seen and heard in the last hour, but the effects that Rebecca’s success would have. It was truly beyond anything he could conceive. The true effect and power of a hero.

Phillippe and Vivette returned shortly, leading a terrified looking equid woman and girl to the carriage. They allowed the woman to enter, and heard a wail of despair shortly after. Just a few moments later, Rebecca stepped out of the carriage with the woman. She went to the girl and crouched down in front of her.

“Are you Laffi?” Rebecca asked gently.

The girl looked at her mother for reassurance, then nodded in affirmation.

“Your brother is very hurt right now, but you can help him feel better. Would you like to do that?”

Tears started welling up in Laffi’s eyes, but she again nodded. Rebecca held out a hand to Laffi and together they went into the carriage again with the woman. The woman and Laffi would not emerge for another hour.

“The doctor said to tell you that they are going to start now,” the equid woman said to Quinn with a deep bow, “And nobody should enter until they say otherwise.”

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As soon as the door shut behind Wyen, who was last out, Rebecca turned to Adelade.

“Now please understand something, everything I’m about to tell you has a reason, but I don’t have time to explain it to you. Please just follow what instructions I give you.”

Adelade looked confused, but nodded.

“Go in there and bathe,” Rebecca said, pointing to the cubicle where she had changed, “The knob will give you water to whatever temperature is comfortable. Make sure to scrub your arms in particular very well. There will be a set of scrubs like these on the shelf, you can use those afterwards. They may be a little tight, so sorry about that.”

Adelade detected just a little bit of envy in the last bit, but complied with the surprising and somewhat insulting first orders. She stepped in and shut the curtain as Rebecca had. There was a small, grate covered hole in the floor and roof of this small space and, like Rebecca had said, a knob on one wall. Removing her clothes, Adelade placed them outside the curtain before turning the knob. Shockingly cold water began to fall like rain through the grate on the roof, causing her to squeal in surprise. Turning the knob further, the water changed temperature to take on a pleasant warmth. Utilizing the pleasant smelling bar of soap nearby, Adelade complied and scrubbed thoroughly.

Once done, Adelade dried herself with a towel that felt impossibly soft before squeezing into the strange clothing that Rebecca had called ‘scrubs.’ The shirt did indeed constrict around her chest a bit, as it was clearly fitted for Rebecca. While light and smooth, the fabric felt almost rigid, as though she was wearing sheets of paper.

“I guess I should have mentioned, speed will also be important,” Rebecca commented.

She was standing by Jekru, channeling some mysterious spell around him. While it was impossible to identify a spell once cast unless the effects could be identified or keywords heard, Adelade could tell there was a lot of magic involved in this spell. She went to Rebecca’s side.

“What should I do now?” she asked.

There was a knock on the carriage door.

“I need you to take over keeping this spell going. Right now, it’s what is giving us more time to save him.”

“Spell transference? That’s advanced knowledge. Fortunately I have it.”

Adelade envisioned controlling a marionette puppet. By turning Rebecca’s spell into the imaginary puppet, she could continue to feed and manipulate it through the strings that she controlled.

“It is quite a draining spell, but is the most important thing for him right now.”

“Transference,” Adelade activated the spell without hesitation.

The Transference spell itself was simple, drawing nearly no arcanum once understood despite its complexity. However, the outflow of arcanum that Rebecca’s spell was drawing through the imaginary strings was incredible. Adelade was left stunned by the immense capacity that Rebecca must have.

“Wow,” Adelade gasped, “That is a lot. I’m not sure how long I can keep this going.”

Rebecca rushed to the door and brought in an equid woman, who let out a wail as she saw the state Jekru was in. Adelade did not hear the specifics of what Rebecca discussed with her, as she was focusing on keeping the spell going that was supposedly keeping the boy alive.

A short break was all Adelade got as Rebecca took the spell back for a period. During the break, she noticed that Jekru was obscured from direct sight by a previously hidden, folding wall. Adelade was continuously impressed by the magical carriage.

What did concern her though was the strange sight before her when she stepped out of the now isolated room. Both the equid woman from before and a young equid girl were sitting quietly, albeit nervously, with red colored strings connected to their arms. A closer look at the other end of these strings revealed small, see-through bags. This is what caused her to realize that the red color was blood, with the ‘strings’ being see-through as well.

Adelade rushed back to Rebecca’s side.

“They are bleeding out there!”

“Yes. We need it for blood transfusion. I’m not sure it will work, since I’ve never done it with beastfolk blood and haven’t been able to test the compatibility, but I’m hoping that using his family will reduce that risk. Speaking of, I need to stop them now or we’ll have three patients. Take the spell back.”

Adelade took Jekru’s life back into her hands, but was left questioning internally whether they might be mistaken about Rebecca being a benevolent hero like they had thought. After all, she could cut open people, sew them back together, and now claimed to be extracting blood to put into another person.

The exact details of what occurred in the next several hours was greatly lost on Adelade. Rebecca explained what she was doing and why she was doing it when she could, but certain terms that Rebecca used only made Adelade more confused. What she did note however, was that Rebecca did not exclusively use magic. Apparently, as Rebecca spoke, she was attempting to perform healing magic in addition to her doctor methods. Unfortunately, it seemed that many of these spells were failing, so her methods were what was winning out during the procedure. Five hours later, Jekru’s leg was reattached.

“He’s far from safe yet,” Rebecca sighed as she removed the apron-like covering she had put on before starting.

Adelade sat in a simple chair, exhausted. Her training under her father was comparatively light to the strain she had just felt.

“You are an incredible person, Rebecca. Regardless of what happens with that boy, you are without a doubt a hero. While I think you are a good one at that, I do fear that some might see otherwise.”

Rebecca offered a smile in return.

“I suppose some of what I can do might appear contrary to this, but everything I do is in an effort to save people from death.”

Rebecca walked to the carriage door and opened it. The setting sun had dyed the sky a vibrant orange outside, causing Adelade to truly realize just how long they had been working to save Jekru. Only a few people were just outside the door, including Jekru’s mother and sister, Quinn, Wyen, and Viscountess Perumin. Fang and the two Shadows were working with several town guards to keep the area safe and disperse any crowds that formed.

“The first step of his recovery is complete,” Rebecca said, “He will need more time and rest, but everything else is up to him now. I’ll help where I can, but there is little else I can do right now.”

Rebecca brought Jekru’s mother and sister in and guided them to the bedside where he lay resting. A sheet hid the location of the operation, but it was instantly clear to his mother that the leg was indeed reattached. Rebecca stayed with them for a moment and discussed something as Adelade stepped out of the carriage.

The three high ranking persons were astounded by the attire she was wearing, which caused all of them to have different reactions.

“Oh my!”

“I am getting so..”

“Don’t finish that thought you idiot.”

Realizing she was still in the overly tight ‘scrubs,’ Adelade was embarrassed at the reactions. Quinn’s perverted start did not even register.

“What was it like to work with her?” Wyen broke the awkward air, though his face was also slightly flushed with embarrassment.

“All I can say that I truly understood was this: she is worthy of the hero title.”