Full transcript
0:05You came back? I wasn't sure if you
0:08would. You know, weary travelers pass
0:12through here all the time. Most never
0:15find their way back to us. They get
0:18swept up into their lives again. [sighs]
0:22Roads,
0:23duties,
0:25all the noise waiting for them beyond
0:27our borders.
0:29But you didn't. You came back.
0:33Come here. Let me look at you properly.
0:38[sighs] Yes.
0:41Much better than last time.
0:44Your shoulders aren't quite so tense
0:46anymore. And there's a good color in
0:48your face,
0:50but I can still see it.
0:53That little furrow right between your
0:56brows.
0:58You're still carrying things that you
1:01shouldn't be.
1:03Some habits take longer than one visit
1:05to unlearn, I suppose.
1:08Well, lucky for you, you've come back to
1:12the right place.
1:15Do you remember this?
1:18I kept it ready for you the whole time
1:21you were gone. I had a feeling you'd
1:24want it again. But anyway, come in. Come
1:27in out of the wind. You must be tired
1:31from the road.
1:34I've already had your room prepared. The
1:37same one as before. Maybe I should keep
1:40it free for you always.
1:43Now tell me, how has the road treated
1:46you since you left us? No. No. Don't
1:50answer yet. Save your voice.
1:53You'll have plenty of time to tell me
1:55everything while I work. I've been
1:58anticipating your return for a long
2:00time.
2:02I've planned five treatments for you
2:04today. Each one chosen with you in mind.
2:09Oh, I almost forgot. Let's get you out
2:13of those traveling clothes.
2:17There. Thistle silk robes again.
2:21You remember how they feel against the
2:22skin, don't you? [sighs] Soft as a
2:25whisper.
2:28I had them warming by the hearth before
2:30you arrived. I hoped that you would come
2:32today.
2:34Now, weary traveler, let's begin
2:38properly this time. No rushing. We have
2:42all the time we need and plenty of time
2:45for even more treatments tomorrow.
2:50through here. This is the Sunmiss
2:54Chamber.
2:55I don't think you saw it last time, but
2:58it's one of our most effective
3:00treatments.
3:01Some travelers come all the way from the
3:03capital just to experience this healing
3:06mist.
3:08Sit yourself down on the stone bench.
3:11There. Yes. Mind the warmth. It will
3:16feel intense just for a moment before
3:19your body adjusts.
3:22Good.
3:24Now breathe
3:26in through the nose
3:30and out.
3:33The steam you're breathing has
3:35particular properties. We draw it from
3:37the deep veins of the earth and infuse
3:40it with the warming essence of sunlight.
3:44Can you smell it now?
3:46Sweet. A little green but earthy.
3:52Like rain on new leaves
3:55mixed with the musk of an old tone.
3:59Familiar, isn't it? But you can't quite
4:02think from where.
4:05No one can.
4:08I'm going to add a few fresh lotus
4:10petals to the water now.
4:14There. Did you see? Watch how the steam
4:18changes color just faintly.
4:22A soft violet drifting up around you
4:26like a silken smoke.
4:30That's the lotus releasing its natural
4:32oils and nutrients
4:34and sunlight mostly.
4:37Elven flowers are terribly sentimental.
4:40They hold on to everything they're
4:42given.
4:44A bit like you. I think
4:47you held on to that dust and tension
4:50from your road for far too long last
4:53time.
4:56Let your head fall forward for me and
4:59your neck relax completely
5:02vertebra by vertebra.
5:08Good.
5:10There. I can already see the change in
5:12how you're sitting. The steam is opening
5:16everything up now. Your paws, your
5:20breath, all the tight places around your
5:23body that you weren't even aware were
5:25tight.
5:27Just breathe it in.
5:31In
5:35and out.
5:40You're doing so well, my traveler.
5:44I'm going to stay right here for you for
5:47a while.
5:49You don't have to talk. Just breathe and
5:54let me watch this theme do its work.
5:57You can let that tension out now.
6:01All of it
6:04in
6:07and out
6:12there.
6:15Do you feel that lightness
6:17starting in your chest?
6:20That's the first treatment doing its
6:22work.
6:24Feel it spreading over your body to your
6:28limbs.
6:31I'm going to add just a little more
6:33lotus before we finish here. Let it
6:36settle fully into your lungs.
6:45That's your first treatment completed.
6:50Four more to go.
6:52And I promise you,
6:55each one gets better than the last.
6:59Are you ready to follow me further into
7:01the spa?
7:04Excellent.
7:06Come on, my weary traveler.
7:09It's this way.
7:14Come
7:16sit here in this chair.
7:19Do you recognize it? Yes. It's the
7:23Elderwood one. It remembers you, too, I
7:27think.
7:28Look, it's already shifting to fit your
7:31shape the way it did before.
7:37There we go.
7:39Are you comfortable?
7:42Good.
7:43Now, give me your hand.
7:46Just let it rest in mine.
7:49There's no need to hold it up yourself.
7:52I've got it.
7:55Now, this is a heartroot oil.
7:59It's warmed itself up already just from
8:02being near you. That's how it works. It
8:06senses whoever's closest and prepares
8:09itself for them.
8:12Clever little thing, this oil, [sighs]
8:15almost as clever as the chair.
8:18Everything in here is alive to an
8:21extent.
8:25>> [sighs]
8:26>> I'm going to work along your palm first.
8:30Slow circles
8:33right here in the center.
8:38You carry so much in your hands.
8:42Do you know that?
8:44Rains,
8:46tools, and coin purses clutch too
8:48tightly.
8:50Doors held open for others while your
8:52own arms shake.
8:55Just for now, you don't need your hands
8:58for anything but this.
9:02Just let them go limp completely
9:12between each finger. mouth
9:16slowly.
9:19And along here, the outer edge of your
9:22palm,
9:24there's a spot right here at the base of
9:28your thumb. You'd be surprised how much
9:31is carried on it. every mile, every
9:35decision, every moment that you gripped
9:38something a little too hard because
9:41letting go felt dangerous.
9:44[sighs]
9:48There it is. Feel that release.
9:53Good.
9:55Let it go.
9:57It's safe here.
10:01I'm going to move on to your other hand
10:03now.
10:07Same slow circles,
10:11same care.
10:14You know, I thought about your hands
10:17after you left the first time.
10:21Strange thing to think about, I know,
10:23but I remembered how tense they were
10:26when you first arrived here.
10:29clenched even in sleep if I recall
10:32correctly.
10:34And I wondered if they'd ever unclench
10:36properly on their own,
10:38but they're unclenching now,
10:41right here
10:44under my touch.
10:49I'm going to work up along your wrist.
10:51Now,
10:53just a little further than last time.
10:58There's a tension that sits here too in
11:02the space where your sleeve meets your
11:04skin.
11:06That's where you wear a brace, isn't it?
11:11I can tell.
11:13There is nothing that you need to brace
11:15for here.
11:17Let go [sighs]
11:19completely.
11:29Well done.
11:32You're doing so well.
11:37There. All finished.
11:40How do they feel? A lot lighter, I'd
11:43wager.
11:45Almost like they belong to someone who's
11:47never done a day's work in their life.
11:50Good. That's what I want.
11:54Now, are you ready for the next
11:56treatment?
11:59Good.
12:01We're headed to the Starlet Baths.
12:04You've heard of them, right?
12:07No. No. Well, they're quite different to
12:12the Moonwater basin that you experienced
12:14last time. But they're very famous.
12:18It's surprising that you've not heard of
12:20them before.
12:22Um, it's this way
12:25through the arch. Mind the steps.
12:28They're carved a little uneven on
12:31purpose. Almost like a bit of texture.
12:35Keeps you present.
12:38Ah, here we are. The starlet baths.
12:44The water is gathered on clear nights.
12:47When starlight actually touches the
12:49pool's surface, we can only fill it a
12:52few times a year. So, I set some aside
12:55for your return.
12:58Go on, slip in.
13:04It's been here waiting for you.
13:09There we [sighs] are. How does it feel?
13:15Good.
13:17Lean your head back for me. Let your
13:20ears dip just beneath the surface.
13:25There. Now you can hear it properly.
13:30Listen.
13:34That hum. That's from the starlight
13:38still caught in the water remembering
13:41the sky it fell from.
13:44Isn't that strange to think about
13:47the night sky held in a pool wrapped
13:51around you right now?
13:54This very moment. You're being cradled
13:57by the heavens.
14:00I'm just going to sit at the edge here
14:02and keep you company.
14:06The water works on parts of you that I
14:08can't. doubts, old worries that you've
14:12stopped noticing because you've carried
14:15them so long.
14:18You don't have to name them or even
14:21think about them.
14:23Just let the water take them away
14:27the way it soaked up the starlight
14:30slowly, patiently,
14:34without asking anything of you in
14:36return.
14:39I can feel your aura settling already.
14:43My weary traveler.
14:46It's steadier than it was last time you
14:48were here. Certain.
14:52Can you feel it?
14:55Like the water's found the exact shape
14:57of your worry and is simply
15:01dissolving its edges.
15:05You've been taking better care of
15:06yourself, haven't you? Since you left
15:10us.
15:12Good. I'm glad. I hoped you would.
15:17And I'm very proud of you.
15:21Would you like to stay a little longer?
15:23Just float.
15:26Let your arms drift and let your legs go
15:30loose. The water will support you.
15:34You don't need to hold your own weight
15:36in here.
15:38I could stay like this for hours,
15:41honestly,
15:43just watching the light move over the
15:47water,
15:49watching you finally still.
15:53It's so lovely having someone to take
15:55care of properly.
15:58Anyway,
16:01there you've been cleansed by the
16:04starllet paths.
16:07Up you come gently. Now
16:11there you go.
16:18This next one is a little different. Sit
16:21here on the stool for me. Yes. right in
16:25the middle of the room where the light
16:28falls best.
16:30I want to give you something.
16:34It's something of a tradition here, but
16:37only for our most coveted visitors.
16:41A woven crown.
16:44This is made from thin strands of
16:47immortal willow carved and knotted
16:50together.
16:52I picked them myself this morning in
16:54anticipation of your arrival.
16:57The final step is
17:00to weave them through your hair [sighs]
17:03as I crown you.
17:07Just hold still.
17:11How does it feel?
17:14Not too tight. I hope
17:19it's just right.
17:22Good,
17:24good, good, good.
17:29There.
17:30I'm tucking this one
17:33just above your ear
17:36and this one here at your temple.
17:41Each branch carries a small blessing
17:44woven in when it's picked.
17:47rest, clarity,
17:51safety.
17:53This one here is for patience,
17:56for all the waiting you've done on your
17:58travels.
18:00And this one is a little vanity, I
18:05confess,
18:07simply because I think it will suit you.
18:11There's one more
18:14just here at the crown of your head.
18:18This one's for coming back.
18:21We don't have a branch specifically for
18:23that. So, I just chose the softest one
18:30there. [sighs]
18:33Oh, you look wonderful.
18:36I wish you could see yourself.
18:39I wish I had a mirror that could show
18:42you the way that I see you. [sighs]
18:46Close your eyes for me a moment.
18:51Feel the weight of it.
18:55So light.
18:57Almost nothing.
19:00Not like the weight you're used to
19:01carrying.
19:03This is the only kind of weight I ever
19:07want to give you.
19:10I have one more treatment left for you
19:12to try.
19:14One more and then
19:17sleep.
19:19I think you're ready for it, aren't you?
19:23I can see the way your eyes are
19:25softening already.
19:27Come, let's finish this properly.
19:31I've saved the best for last.
19:35Come over to the bed.
19:39Here we are.
19:43Your bed
19:45waiting for you just as it was.
19:50Exactly where you left it.
19:54Lie down for me now.
19:58There.
19:59Let me pull this over you
20:02and adjust the pillow
20:06just so
20:08a little higher. I think that's how you
20:11slept comfortably last time if I
20:13remember right.
20:16Comfortable.
20:19Good.
20:20Now [sighs]
20:22for the last treatment. This one's my
20:25favorite
20:26if I'm honest. and I don't get to do it
20:30often enough.
20:32This is a dreamw weaving ointment.
20:36I just place a little right at your
20:40temples
20:43there
20:44and here at the center of your forehead.
20:50It doesn't give you dreams exactly.
20:53It just makes room for the good ones.
20:57clears out whatever's been crowding them
20:59lately.
21:01Old worries and old versions of yourself
21:05that you don't need to follow into sleep
21:08tonight.
21:13Can you feel it beginning to work
21:15already?
21:17There. [sighs]
21:18There. Come on.
21:21Rest, traveler.
21:24Dream of all the good things.
21:27Golden bread still warm from clay ovens.
21:33Roasted bore glazed dark with honey wine
21:38perfumed with cloves and drunken pears.
21:41[sighs]
21:43You don't have to stay awake for the
21:45rest of this.
21:47Just let yourself drift away.
21:51I'll be right here the whole time.
21:55You did so well today.
21:59Better than you think.
22:02Always. Better than you think.
22:06And you came back here.
22:08That matters to me more than you know.
22:12Rests now.
22:14Let the forest hold you.
22:18Let my magic wrap around you.
22:21If only for tonight.
22:25Sleep, traveler.
22:28I'll be here when you wake.
22:30I promise.
22:34Rest.
22:42And if you've made it all the way to the
22:44end without falling asleep,
22:49I'm very impressed.
22:52And thank you for listening.