Tears for Mercy

by daOtterGuy

Remedy

“What are the symptoms?” Somnus said.

“Shallow skin, pink veins, and muscle deterioration,” Meadowbrook rattled off automatically. “No recorded cases.”

“No, there wouldn’t be for that particular disease, would there?” Somnus asked.

“You know of it?” Meadowbrook asked, hope tinging her voice.

“We are familiar with something similar.”

“That’s fantastic! Would you—”

“Before we discuss, why don’t you stop hiding away? There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Meadowbrook approached, hesitation in her steps. The sickly scent of the flowers became stronger the closer she approached the entity, overwhelming all of her senses.

“So, why is it that you seek us?” Somnus asked.

“My assistant Salve told me of a miracle flower that could cure any disease,” Meadowbrook answered. “I was hoping to find it.”

“Ah, yes, the ‘Swamp Heart’, is it?” Meadowbrook nodded. “We much prefer our true name over that rather bland moniker.”

“What do you mean?”

Somnus gestured wide with a skeletal hoof to encompass the field of flowers. “The Swamp Heart, as you so call it, is us, Somnus. It is simply another name for what we are. Another tale to add to our legend.”

“Tale? Are there other stories about you?”

“There are,” Somnus stated. He stared down at her intensely. She felt that it would be unwise to inquire about those other tales.

“Well, regardless, I’m here for the cure. Would it be possible for me to take some of your flowers to brew an antidote?”

“You may take as many as you wish, though I would be remiss to not tell you that the cure you seek is not one in the traditional sense.”

“How so?”

“The herb is indeed a miracle cure-all, but the cure it gives is to grant eternal rest to the one who consumes it.”

“... No.” Meadowbrook shook her head, disbelief on her face. “It can’t— This flower is—”

“A merciful end,” Somnus interrupted. “Salvation from the unending agony brought about by illness.”

“T-These flowers are poisonous!” Meadowbrook exclaimed.

She stumbled backward onto her rump. Panic overtook her mind. The mist was all around her, emitted by the deadly flowers. She internally reprimanded herself for not taking proper precautions. She did a quick diagnostic of herself, trying to discern how much time she had left.

“Fret not, the effect only occurs when ingested,” Somnus assured. “We understand your distress, but we have a proposition for you.” He leaned his head next to Meadowbrook’s ears. He spoke softly. “Give the flower to your patient.”

“What?!” Meadowbrook shouted.

“They are in agony, are they not? Why not stop the pain for them? Give them the flower, lay them to rest. It is the kind thing to do.”

“No!” Meadowbrook scrambled away from Somnus. “It would kill—”

“Free,” Somnus corrected.

“She’ll die!” Meadowbrook retorted. “I promised that I would heal her, and I will. I cannot do something so heinous.”

“But this would be healing her. And yourself.”

“How would feeding her poison be considered healing?!”

“... Allow me to reframe the situation. What do you remember of your patient?”

“I remember how she was, before the illness.”

“So, your memories of her have been eclipsed by what she is suffering from now?”

“No, I still—!”

“You think of her in the past, as if the present could never become what it once was. When you think of her, you only think of what you need to try next, what remedy you could concoct that might finally break through.” He circled Meadowbrook. “Do you reminisce with her? Try to make new memories in spite of her condition? Is she only alive now because you selfishly can’t let her go?”

“I-I…” She trailed off.

“What about her?” He leaned in close. Sickly sweet breath tickled her ear. “Does she do anything but lie in bed? Does she reminisce, thinking about the past and what may lie ahead? Or does she just lie there, in pain, unable to do anything?”

Her breath became ragged. Horror flooded her brain at the implications.

“Is the disease contagious? Will more be affected by it? Waste away in slow agony? There is no cure for this disease, your perceived hope is gone.”

Tears trickled down her face. She imagined her beloved, suffering alone as she toiled hopelessly at the cauldron for a cure that would never be made.

“What is better for your patient? Unending pain until they finally die horribly or quick, sweet release?”

“...I can’t make that decision.”

“Then don’t,” Somnus whispered sweetly. “There is a way to ingest the flowers that you simply bring the medicine to any who need it. Take the blessings of the flowers and spare them from pain. A few tears are enough to do it. More than possible for a kindhearted individual like you.”

“I’m a healer. I can’t.”

“But who better to make that decision? Listen to your heart. Listen to your mind. You know better than anyone the futility. It's the end. It would be cruel to prolong it. Your patients don’t know better, we do. Give them the rest they deserve.”

“... What do I need to do?”

“Just breathe in the flowers.”

Meadowbrook picked a bundle of the flowers. She held the makeshift bouquet close to her face. She buried her face, taking a deep breath of the sweet scent.

As the scent filled her being, she felt clarity come to her mind.