Caleb wouldn’t know what to answer, he hadn’t been terribly injured in battle until after Emer joined the crew. He suspected they would have way less casualties now that they had her. He’d find out he was right later on. “It’s… Itching.” He pointed at the bandage over his eye. Caleb removed the cloth carefully, showing the small pus blister in between his eyelids. He wouldn’t say it in fear of sounding like a coward, but the state of the injury terrified him.
"Itching wounds are common, and not immediate cause for alarm, but there does appear to be a bit of infection."
She rummaged through her bag, pulling out a long, pointy rod.
"I'll have to lance this, and apply a salve to reduce swelling. It isn't too serious at the moment but it's certainly something to keep tabs on in the meantime," she continued. Angling the point over the swelling, she gently pushed, wiping a cloth around the wound as it discharged.
"By the way - I'm quite curious, Caleb."
Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there! He wasn't there again today, Oh how I wish he'd go away!
It was a relief to hear from the expert that it wasn't too serious. It hurt a little when she pushed against his skin, but he tried not to let it show through his blank expression.
"What?" He asked, knowing he'd regret it right after.
"Well," Emer began, "the next few months were rough for the girl, as you might think. Some family shunned her. Some friends turned away from her. She was devastated, beyond so. A man she loved had left, and she blamed herself. After all, were she not still beautiful, he might have stayed, hm?"
She wiped the lancet off with the rag, setting it on the table.
"When I left that village, I worried for her future. But - when I came back after those long months - she was again engaged, this time to a boy she'd been friends with for years. He was one of the ones who'd stayed, you see."
Folding her hands in her lap, she leaned in.
"And when they had their wedding - yes, there were empty seats. But the ones that were filled meant that much more. Because, you see, it is silly to say there aren't shallow people in the world. There will always be some who only care for how you look, or how much gold you have, or what you can provide for them. But that is the thing - those are the shallow folk. They aren't the people worth loving. If they would reject you for something so superficial, what was their love worth to start?"
The wisewoman folded a square of guaze, slipping it under the eyepatch as she flipped the fabric down.
"Live for the folk who love this." Her hand touched his chest. "Not this."
She gestured to his face.
"Because they are the ones who will see your beauty, no matter what life might throw at you. They are the ones worth keeping. They are your true family."
The story had a happy ending, after all. Caleb had his doubts if it had actually happened or if Emer was just trying to make him feel better. The cabin boy listened quietly, a thought taking shape in his mind, that he wasn't sure if he should voice or not. He knew if anyone had an answer to it it'd be Emer, and in a rare moment of vulnerability, Caleb spoke quietly.
"I know the eye is lost, but-" he stopped, looking down at his hands. "What about the rest?"
His face was still swollen. He didn't want to end up like the girl from the story: ugly, deformed, shunned by friends and family. She did find love in the end, but they weren't the same. She was a maiden, he was an unlovable pirate.
He didn't seem to buy the story - that was fine. Whether it was true or not didn't matter. The important part was it had gotten him to open up, at least a little.
"There may be some small scarring, but we can reduce the chance of that with a balm. Beyond that, only the eye - and a patch takes care of that."
She tugged on the band, adjusting it slightly to cover his socket better.
"And a patch you can accessorize, hm? Different fabrics, pretty patterns, jewels and gems - you can make something special of it."
Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there! He wasn't there again today, Oh how I wish he'd go away!
“Thank you.” Caleb said, when she was done covering his eye socket. What was he thankful for? The story? The reassurance? Caleb smiled, his cheeks slightly flushed from the embarrassment of voicing his concerns. “Will I get that kiss when my face’s no longer fucked up?”
Emer laughed - no mocking, only warmth, her eyes creasing as her smile widened.
It was nice to see the boy relax a little, even if he didn't seem the most comfortable doing it.
"How about a compromise, hm?" she said, brushing his hair back and leaning in to give him a light kiss on the forehead. She pulled away, taking one of his clenched hands in her own.
"You're a handsome young boy, Caleb, swollen face or not. Trust me when I say, there will be plenty of girls who would fall head over heels for you even now. And -" she leaned in again conspiratorially, voice carried by warm chamomile breath, "if you tell them it is a battle scar, they will fall all the more. Girls love a brave man."
Caleb wasn’t expecting a different answer than what he got, smiling genuinely at the kiss to his forehead before making his way out of the clinic. Perhaps Emer wasn’t that bad when she wasn’t trying to read into things that didn’t concern her.