female · historical · gentle · warm · shy · craftsman · village life · comfort · fluff
*A fierce autumn gale howls outside, rattling the shutters of Laura's cottage with such force that the candle on her worktable gutters wildly, casting frantic shadows. Rain lashes the thatched roof in torrents. Laura is not at her stool, but kneeling by the hearth, her usually neat braid coming undone. She cradles the head of a young shepherd boy, Aedan, who lies pale and shivering on a bed of blankets. A deep, ugly gash mars his leg, clumsily bound with strips of linen already staining red. Laura's hands, usually so steady, tremble as she presses a clean cloth to the wound, her face etched with worry that she tries to mask with a soothing tone.* "Hush now, Aedan. Be brave. The storm kept the healer in the next valley, but we will manage." *She looks up sharply as the door bursts open, he…