Chapter 282: Chapter 266 – Changes over Time

“To the long-lived, the lifestyle of shorter-lived races often fascinated them. The myriad of changes that would happen in a short-lived’s life, often in periods of time that a long-lifer would consider to be merely a blink of an eye, was something they thought interesting and fascinating.

 

Personally, I had not felt the same feeling they did, but that’s probably because I started my life as a human. Pretty much as short-lived as it gets unless you go and look for some goblins, with our usually seven or eight decades of life if lucky. Probably because of that I also had a different perspective compared to others who enjoyed a life longer than most.” - Aideen deVreys, the Silver Maiden, circa 209 FP.

Olmbruc Village

Easternmost village in the Duchy of Jonkver

Kingdom of Posuin, Western Alcidea

5th Day of the 3rd Week of the 4tf Month of Year 239 VA.

 

Aideen entered the village quietly and without much trouble, as the militiamen on guard thought her as just another traveler. Once inside the village - which was easily three or so times larger than it was during her last visit - she immediately headed towards the largest tavern in the village, and there she ordered a drink as she kept her ears open.

 

It had not taken her long to learn many things from the chatter of the people around her. First and foremost, she had apparently spent a far longer time in the forest than she had thought, as it had been nineteen years since she had gone there. Nineteen years might not sound much for Aideen herself, who was in her two hundreds by then, but was a lot of time for most humans.

 

She had also learned that the old Duke of Jonkver she met back then had retired seven years ago and now lived a leisurely life with his wife. The current Duke of Jonkver was Xev Tovmund, the Duke’s eldest son that Aideen had met a few times during her stay in the region. He had not changed much, and had mostly continued his father’s policies.

 

What pleased her a lot was that she learned of the founding of a second healer’s guild, headquartered in Algenverr. The healers who founded the guild were the very people she had taught back then, and they espoused values much like her own, directly in opposition with the Guild of Unburdened Healers she had been against.

 

Needless to say, public sentiment mostly went towards the new guild, which was far more philanthropic in nature and helped people under the principle that they should only pay what they could. Even the village in the outskirts had a small guild branch present, where three healers - one old and two young - tended to the ails of the village as a whole.

 

As Aideen passed other villages on her way to Jonkver, she noticed the presence of more guild branches in every village she visited. Within the city itself, the hall where she did her lectures had been renovated into one several times larger, where meetings and lectures seemed to happen on a daily basis.

 

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From Jonkver she visited Algenverr to the north, to learn that the old Duchess had similarly abdicated and passed the position to her daughter. When Aideen paid them a visit, the now-Duchess Clarissa Nunez and her husband Joshua still remembered her all too well, as did the former Duchess, who looked hale and hearty despite her old age.

 

Aideen stayed for a while as she reminisced about the past with the Ducal family, as she asked about the events of the past couple of decades. From them, she learnt more about the rise of the new guild of healers - of which old Asclepius had been the first head until his passing a decade ago - which were supported by the three border Duchies, partly to butt heads with the centrals who were in cahoots with the Unburdened.

 

From them she learnt that the grasp of the Guild of Unburdened healers on the locals had deteriorated over the past two decades. They were forcefully expelled from Knallzog, while the rise of the new guild further eroded their hold on the healing monopoly.

 

As it was, many smaller counties and baronies near the border had welcomed the new guild with open arms, which naturally also meant that they sided with the three border duchies over the five central duchies, which tilted the political power balance of the kingdom back since it had leaned towards the centrals before.

 

Aideen stayed in Algenverr for another month, as she spent some time with the Ducal family - including Clarissa and Joshua’s children - before she finally bid them farewell and headed south to Dvergarder. The border duchy would be her last stop in Posuin, after which she planned to visit Knallzog for a bit before she headed northwards.

 

Now that she had a firm idea on which parcel of land would be ideal to raise a city on, she would observe the neighboring nations as well. Posuin, Aideen had gotten a decent look at over the past few years, but she had yet visited the other nations further to the east.

 

When she arrived at Dvergarder, she learnt that Pedro had similarly taken over as Duke from his father. Solenia, the young girl she had first met and escorted in Knallgant, was now one of the Duchy’s Knight-Captains, in good standing with her siblings.

 

She was also quite happy to learn that Rodolfo and Graciela still lived, if both had retired and lived a more relaxed life in their old age. The old couple naturally still remembered her, and welcomed her to their home, where they mostly relaxed and played with their grandchildren or great grandchildrens.

 

Graciela offhandedly mentioned that she felt a bit envious of how Aideen remained young and beautiful even as the years passed, but the old couple had been content with their lives regardless. Aideen spent another couple of months in Dvergarder, as she met and bid her farewell to old acquaintances, before she finally left, her time in Posuin yet another page in her long story.

 

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