A Final Gift

With winter having taken hold of the land, Ikigai decided to do a final favor for Ashen. She would brew them some herbal tea that could be kept in jars and used throughout the season. Ashen was never truly cold, gripped in ice and snow like the rest of the land as it was more tropical in clime, but it did indeed get colder. That shift in temperature made many feel a little under the weather and so the tea that she crafted would help them regain and maintain their health.

Having collected many of these items herself, there were very few things that the princess had to collect from the stores. Containers were a necessity and so she had her akita help pull a little cart filled with jars back to her work area. Ikigai had a large cauldron already set up over a merrily burning fire and the water within was heated to a rolling boil. The young woman began placing the herbs within, green tea, dried orange peel, sticks of cinnamon, chamomile and a jar of honey. Iki placed the herbs within a small cloth sack so it would be easier to sift out of the brew once it was fully steeped.

Iki stirred the tea periodically, using the hand crank to lift it up and off of the fire. The snowy princess extinguished the flames so that the tea would stop being heated. Now she needed it to cool so that she could jar it without the danger of being burned. It was an all day process, but it would be worth it. The tea could be stored for quite some time once the jars were properly sealed and if kept in a cool, dry place.

Once the liquid was cool enough to handle, Ikigai sifted out the sack of herbs, though she left the slivers of orange peel and the cinnamon sticks as they would continue to flavor the tea. By the time some of the jars were opened to be used, they could be cut with water to tamp down the strength of flavor, thus making the brew stretch further still. Carefully, Ikigai ladled the tea into the various jars, sealing them with thin, oiled skins and hard lids. She then placed the jars in boiling water to seal them completely. By the time she was finished, Ikigai had at least twenty or so jars of tea ready to be used. She distributed jars to those in the pack that were older and those that had young children. The rest she put into the stores for future use. One last gift to Ashen before she left for Elysium and her new life.

WC-448 (1/2 Word Count Pass)

"Ikigai"