Krista opened her eyes slowly. That was an improvement from the day before, as both eyes opened easily. The cottage was the same as it had been the night before except it was better illuminated now by the strong late morning light that streamed into it from the open doorway. There were jars and pots littered and stacked precariously all over the long tables that dominated the one room cottage. From the ceiling hung bunches of dried wildflowers, branches with leaves, and bundles of what looked like herbs.
The aroma of the cottage was almost overwhelming in its panoply of smells, but it was also somewhat invigorating. She pushed the warm blanket back and got slowly to her knees and then to her feet. Everything hurt but it was all moving that was the good thing. She bit her lip against the pain it caused her when she moved and hobbled resolutely towards the open door of the cottage.
The sounds of woodland and meadow songbirds greeted her as she leaned against the doorpost resting for a moment. The sun was warm against her face.
The old lady was busy working over an old black kettle that was boiling happily over a little fire in the clearing in the forest that the cottage sat in. As Krista drew closer to the fire and her kindly new master she could see that the old lady was busy in the process of making soap.
"Quickly dear could you fetch those chopped up asthan blossoms on the platter over by that tree?" The old woman asked, somehow knowing she was there without ever looking up.
Krista moved gingerly towards the platter and returned as quickly as she could with it and handed it to the old woman.
"Thank you dear." Sansa said, as she stirred the asthan blossoms into the thickening mixture in the pot.
There followed a period of time in Krista's life unlike any she had ever experienced before. Her relationship with Sansa Denas was more that of a granddaughter to a doting grandmother than that of a slave and her master.
Sansa taught the girl all she knew of the art of being a natural healer and herbalist.
Krista grew and flourished under the benevolent and kindly Sansa and Sansa had the daughter she had never had, but always wanted.