The seasons trickled by and as the little orphan grew

　　the hero slowly learned about the world that she once knew

　　a place he`d never heard of struck by famine, plague, and drought

　　barren fields where rarely did a single seedling sprout

　　Sorry as he was to hear of such afflicted lands

　　he still had no desire to alter fate with his own hands

　　but as he watched the girl lament her family and home

　　he waved his hesitation, and the two began to roam

　　He told the girl he`d only stay until the sick were healed

　　and maybe do a little bit of labour in a field

　　even though his powers were returning day by day

　　he feared that overusing them would make them go away

　　Still, he`d learned to better utilise his healing spell

　　no longer did its casting make the healer feel unwell

　　and so they walked for several weeks until they had arrived

　　to see if anybody in the village had survived

　　When the two approached the town they saw some people there

　　digging in a field despite the dust that filled the air

　　the young girl recognized a man and introduced her friend

　　assuring them that with his help their problems all would end

　　Soon a hundred villagers, all hungry, tired, and weakThis content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

　　had gathered in the village square to hear the young girl speak

　　but when she spoke of magic they could only role their eyes

　　everybody knew that magic was a bunch of lies

　　The hermit was relieved although the girl was feeling grim

　　if they didn`t know of magic, then they wouldn`t know of him

　　so as the crowd began to walk away in disbelief

　　the grey old man leaned over to pick up a yellowed leaf

　　Some children stopped to stare and wondered what the man would do

　　the hermit smiled and held the dying plant for all to view

　　then with all the power he could use reliably

　　the dying leaf transformed into a small but healthy tree

　　He placed the tree upon the ground where quickly it took root

　　it`s branches filling hurriedly with healthy leaves and fruit

　　the children didn`t hesitate to pick them off the tree

　　the hermit was relieved to see the elders laugh with glee

　　"Healer will you stay with us and bless our village please

　　we`ll give anything to end our hunger and disease"

　　it made him quite uncomfortable, receiving such a quest

　　but reassured himself that it would still be for the best

　　And so the healer saw to every woman, man, and child

　　healing every ailment whether serious or mild

　　once the town was healthy then he joined them in the fields

　　helping to restore the soil ensuring future yields

　　The shovel in his hand felt so much lighter than a sword

　　for all the battles he had lost his strength was his reward

　　the powers which he`d lost were coming back to him again

　　he swung his shovel gladly with the strength of fifty men

　　As the season changed the village overflowed with song

　　as if the people there had been in good health all along

　　they offered to the healer every luxury they could

　　but he preferred a cabin made of straw and stone and wood

　　The girl who brought the hermit to the village also grew

　　the healer`s young apprentice wielded awesome powers too

　　the years went by and while the healer`s hair was turning white

　　the girl he saved became a fine young lady fair and bright

　　She married and she made a family her very own

　　the village soon expanded as the children there had grown

　　the hermit found himself the elder of a happy town

　　surrounded by his new friends he could slowly settle down

　　~