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“O druid, you had something to ask of us?” Obelix inquired as he and Asterix entered the outdoor school area. The kids were fighting (what a good example the adults have given them), but they stopped the instant Getafix clapped his hands together.
“Oh, yes”, Getafix started; “I’m afraid I don’t have time to teach the children today, something came up and I need Obelix’s assistance.”
Getafix walked through the class to Obelix and Asterix (and Dogmatix), and he gestured towards Asterix as he continued; “I was wondering if Asterix could watch the children today. Maybe a field trip to the woods, perhaps?”
Asterix flashed a charming smile and gave an excited gesture with his arm.
“Of course, Getafix!” he complied, and the children started yelling and cheering. The excited screams grated on their ears, but they all just smiled it off. It was good that the children were excited about things.
“Can Dogmatix come too?” asked young Pectine, who came next to the two warriors and yanked on their hands (or rather, Asterix’s hand and Obelix’s finger; his hands were too big for Pectine to hold properly.)
Obelix chuckled; “Of course, if he wants to!” to which Dogmatix gave a couple of cheerful ‘bok bok’s. As Obelix left with Getafix, Asterix, Dogmatix and the kids prepared for a trip to the woods.
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Asterix and the kids started to the woods, Dogmatix at the front. Asterix decided on a road furthest to any of the four (at least the last time he checked) Roman camps, just to be safe.
Asterix, Dogmatix and the kids were having a good time, getting to know plants, and birds, and whatnot that were on the trail, and thus far they hadn’t seen any Romans. Good , Asterix thought, he didn’t want to put the kids in harm’s way. He could take on multiple Romans, but the Romans could play dirty and pressure him with the lives of the children.
The kids were going in every direction and shooting questions after another. Asterix did a good job keeping up with their pace, and making sure no one went too far ahead; since he was in charge of these kids and responsible for everything that could happen, he did his best to keep them in his sight, while still out of trouble. Asterix answered one of the kids; "Yes, that is safe to eat", and to another kid, who was already about to put something in their mouth, he hollered; "Whereas that is not! Don't put it in your mouth."
After some hours, Asterix decided they’d be heading home now.
"Okay, kids, gather around", Asterix had to shepherd them a little, Dogmatix helped him get everyone's attention. The kids gathered around him.
"We ought to return home now, but before we do, we could catch a few boars, don't you think? We are nearing dinner time!" Asterix offered, and the kids agreed with cheers. They were all getting hungry, and Asterix happened to know a few great recipes on how to prepare boar. At least Obelix liked them, and if he managed to cook boar to his person's liking, then everyone would like it.
Asterix instructed the kids to stay quiet and move silently, while Dogmatix sniffed out a trail. Soon enough he found one, and the group followed the small dog.
Asterix heard the boar now, and he gestured for the kids to stay a little further as he peeked over the bushes. He saw a couple of boars, and he was sure he'd manage to catch them both if he-
By Teutates , the flask of Magic Potion slipped from his hands, and rolled down the little slope towards the boars. The wings on Asterix's helmet stood up as he held his breath. Asterix cursed the freaking bottle, what does it take for it to not fall, or get broken, or stolen, or lost - the bottle would startle the boars for sure, and they'd lose their dinner.
And the flask did startle, but only the other one. The other boar, the bigger and meaner looking one, did not panic even the slightest. Instead, it looked straight at Asterix's way, knowing of his presence. And, without a second thought, the boar trampled and beat the flask until there was basically just torn leather left.
All of the Magic Potion spilled on the ground, and it all drained in the soil underneath the boar. As it happened, flowers and greenery grew at a fast pace under the boar, making it even angrier and unpredictable. As it trampled and destroyed the flowers and greenery, Asterix pulled back.
He backed away from the bushes and rushed to the kids' side. They felt Asterix's distress, but before they reached to ask Asterix told them with strict tone; "We have to hurry away-"
Dogmatix's low growl interrupted him, and Asterix turned around to see the boar approach them from through the bushes.
It had been a good while since a wild boar approached, rather than ran away from Asterix. And by approach, it means, about to attack. And Asterix knew very well how dangerous boars could be; he had experience, and even the thought of it made him shudder.
“Kids-” Asterix sharply whispered and whisked his hand their way; “-stay calm, and climb a tree. Quickly.”
The kids were great climbers, and there were a lot of trees to choose from, so that was not an issue; the part where the kids had to stay calm, on the other hand, was.
“Dogmatix-” Asterix began, and the dog knew what he asked of him. Dogmatix went to the kids and started rushing them. As Dogmatix was ordering the kids to climb, Asterix had to keep the boar’s attention on himself, so it wouldn’t attack the kids.
Asterix did what he thought worked best for distraction; he kept noise, and whisked at the boar, and kicked dirt it’s way, and for a moment that worked. As the boar kept coming at him, Asterix swiftly moved out of its way. His small figure and agile body came in handy for close-call dodging.
The kids climbed the trees, but one of them slipped, and they dropped to the ground. Dogmatix rushed to their side, and Asterix knew he had to do something. When next the boar charged his way, Asterix jumped upwards and as he was landing, he gave the boar a push to its back, making it stumble and fall, this way buying himself even a little time.
Asterix was fast in his movements, so he reached the tree before the boar managed to get up. Asterix grabbed Dogmatix, passed him to the kid and he gave a push to the kid so they could reach the closest branch to them. Now all of the kids, and Dogmatix, were out of the boar’s reach.
The boar came charging towards Asterix, who managed to avoid, possibly even a deadly, hit from the boar, but he still didn’t survive unscathed. The impact threw Asterix on the ground on his knees, and he hurt his wrist as the weight of his body got pressed on it as he landed on the ground. The Gaul warrior grabbed his sword and pulled it out of its sheath. He turned towards the boar, which came at him faster than he thought, and the impact made Asterix lose the grip on his sword. The sword flew a distance away, too far for Asterix to reach from where he was now.
Asterix didn’t have time to get up when the boar attacked him. The reality of the situation hit him that moment; should he lose his concentration and start panicking, he could die. Failing or running were not options; he had to survive, and get the kids to safety.
This was not how he expected their trip to the woods to go. It wasn’t meant to go this way. Asterix would’ve rather taken the Romans than this boar; at least with the Romans he could’ve negotiated.
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“ Wait -! Wait wait, stop stop stop -” Asterix howled in pain, and the kids trying to carry him stopped hesitatingly. Asterix dropped himself off of the children’s shoulders and on his elbows on the ground. He tried to do some breathing exercises to clear his mind and ignore the pain, but it was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.
The boar had given Asterix quite a beating; his left arm was wounded and bleeding, head was spinning and he was hurting all over. But worst of all, his right leg was probably broken, and a mess to look at. He couldn’t stand on his own, and the kids couldn’t possibly help him move without hurting him with every possible movement.
Asterix had managed to push the pain to the back of his head to scare the beast away after a moment that felt like forever, but must've not been much longer than a few minutes. Even if he managed to scare it off, they couldn’t be sure if it would return.
“Master Asterix, please -! We have to keep going!” Pectine, who was leading the group at the moment, turned towards the group, hurrying them. She was clearly in a shock- all of them were, but them Gauls were raised for these kinds of situations; especially knowing their history with the Romans.
“The boar could be back any moment-!” she tried, clenching hard on the hilt of Asterix’s sword that she had taken charge of.
“Or we could run into Romans!” one of the other kids pointed out.
Asterix shook his head to try and clear his mind. He was dizzy and his sight was foggy and his ears hummed.
“You kids should- go to the village-” Asterix winced; “I’m slowing you down- Go get help- Dogmatix knows the way-”
Dogmatix protested by barking at Asterix, and the kids seemed hesitant about what Asterix asked of them.
“W-we can’t just leave you here-” said one of the kids.
“What if the boar returns?” another one pointed out.
“Or what if-” started one of the girls, and one of the boys interrupted by shouting; “Romans!”
“Yeah, what if the Romans-?” the girls started again, but the same boy interrupted her again.
“Exactly! It IS the Romans!” he said and pointed towards the direction they came from, and they all heard a patrol not too far away from them. Asterix couldn’t believe himself right now; how could he let them get so close? How did he not hear them before? Asterix couldn’t understand that his pain wasn’t allowing his senses to be so sharp right now, and he was blaming himself for something that was impossible for him to achieve in such a situation.
He had to think of something, fast.
“Oh no! It really is the Romans!” one of the kids sharply whispered.
“What do we do!?” another one panicked.
“You run!” Asterix ordered; “Go to the village- it is not far- warn them-!”
Asterix gave a sharp ‘now’ , and the kids, led by whimpering Dogmatix, started running- except for Pectine, who came right next to the older Gaul.
“Buh- but what about you?!” Pectine squeaked, her eyes getting teary.
“I’ll be fine-” Asterix started, trying to sound and appear unconcerned of the situation, but a sudden pain shook his whole being when he tried to move. He sucked on his teeth to try and keep his voice down.
“No! No!” Pectine protested and held the sword against her chest.
“I won’t leave you!” she demanded, a fire burning in her eyes. She was determined, and there was nothing that could extinguish that flame in her soul.
Asterix looked at the weeping child, unable to tell her off. It was that flame in her eyes that made Asterix believe that, maybe they could survive after all . The warrior took a few deep breaths, pushed the pain to the back of his head again, and he offered his hand to the girl.
“Help me up-” Asterix gasped, and Pectine did her best. They moved from their spot further into the woods, hoping that the Romans did not see or hear them.
They made it some distance away before Asterix’s body gave up on him and he crashed to the ground, unable to get up anymore. Pectine helped him behind some shrubbery and leaned him against a thick tree. Pectine was clenching on the sword with all her strength, and she was keeping a close eye at the patrol that was closing in to the spot on the road where they had stopped to take a breather.
Pectine’s heart was beating like never before, and she was trembling. Asterix did his best to keep quiet. He saw how Pectine was panicking, and to try and make her feel encouraged, he offered her his hand to hold. Pectine was confused at first, but when she took his hand, she noticed how Asterix wasn’t shaking at all. Well, he was shaking of pain, of course, but not of fear. Asterix was good at hiding his fear; in his soul, he was so very afraid, but he couldn’t let it show to petite Pectine.
Their eyes met, and Pectine felt a feeling of comfort and safety fill her soul, easing her trembling. She knew that as long as she had Asterix by her side, she’d be okay - and vice versa.
“Hey, isn’t that blood?” one of the Romans was heard asking.
“It is still quite fresh, too.”
“Think it’s a Gaul?” someone asked, and another soldier punched him.
“Shush your stupid mouth! You’re hexing us! It is more likely to be a wild animal than a Gaul- those savages probably don’t even bleed like we do.”
Pectine pushed closer to Asterix and held the sword up. She’d have the sword ready to strike, should there need be. Asterix was trying to peek from behind the shrubbery, but couldn’t see clearly anymore.
“Do ya think we could eat this wild animal?” one of the Romans pondered.
“We don’t have time for that!” one of them growled.
“But-! It’s been a while since we last had some good meat to eat!”
“Eugh, fine!” the one in charge spat; “But I won’t be the one to tell the commander why we were late to report back once you can’t find this wounded animal!”
Three soldiers of the six headed patrol started making their way towards Asterix and Pectine’s hiding place, but since they had problems with tracking down trails, they took their time.
“ Come on, come on -” Pectine whispered under her breath, where was their backup? The other’s must’ve got to the village by now- or maybe they lost their way? No, that was not possible, they had Dogmatix! They made it to the village and the backup was on its way- unless they were caught by another patrol before they reached the village! Could that be possible?
“Please, stay awake-” Pectine whispered and shook Asterix gently by his shoulder; “Stay with me-”
Asterix was in so much pain that he was swaying on the edge of keeping awake, and falling unconscious. He could barely see anything; his view was blurry and dark, and his ears were humming so loud he couldn't make out any specific sounds. He could feel his heartbeat in every wound and ache in his body.
Passing of time was lost to him, and so was everything happening around him. All the noise was just mush to him, and he couldn’t keep his eyes from closing.
Then, Asterix felt an ease in the surrounding atmosphere. He couldn’t quite comprehend what had happened, but he felt relieved. Next he felt familiar arms pull him up and hold him against their chest. A safe, homely scent overthrew the smell of blood and dirt. Then, and only then, Asterix felt safe enough to let himself let go. Whatever the situation, when he was in Obelix's arms, he knew he was safe. He let himself stop fighting, and he fell unconscious.
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Asterix was sitting on a bench behind his house, hidden from sight of the whole village. His pride was damaged, and frankly that hurt him more than the physical pain. Next to him was his crutch leaning against the bench; Fulliautomatix made it for him.
His eyes wandered around his backyard, where Obelix had built some structures and activities to help with the rehabilitation of his leg and body. Asterix was grateful for him, of course he was, but right now he couldn’t put it to words or even think about it that way.
Asterix heard steps closing to his direction, and he knew those steps belonged to their druid.
“Oh, moping, are we?” Getafix hummed as he came from around the corner. Asterix tilted his head the opposite way; he wasn’t in the mood for company right now, but couldn’t tell Getafix that. The druid had saved his life - again, and it would be extremely rude to turn down his company.
Getafix sat down on the bench next to Asterix, and they sat there silently for a moment.
Soon enough, Asterix gave in to the unnerving silence. He sighed deep and let his shoulders drop.
“What use am I with a broken leg and prescribed bed rest for weeks?” Asterix lamented.
“I should be ready to go any moment- I should be out there helping Obelix hunt, and fight the Romans when they decide to visit.”
“Oh, Asterix. No one expects miracles from you-” Getafix started, combing his long beard with his fingers, and to that Asterix scoffed; “Too late for that; I’ve already enabled that assumption.”
“I am, literally, of no use right now”, Asterix repeated, gesturing with his hands as he did; “I could as well stop existing-”
Asterix felt a knock on the back of his head as Getafix flicked a finger to scold him. Asterix tensed his shoulders and placed his hands on his legs; Getafix often used this trick to scold or draw his students’ attention during class, and Asterix had had his share of those throughout his life.
“I didn’t mean it like that-” Asterix was quick to correct himself.
“Either way”, Getafix huffed.
“You are stuck thinking about this exact moment-”, Getafix knocked Asterix’s temple with his finger a couple of times; “-when you should be thinking about what was, and what will be”, Getafix pressured the meaning behind his words, even if the point was lost with Asterix. Asterix frowned at the knocking and he slightly pulled his head away, but turned to look at the druid after he had spoken.
Getafix proceeded to continue; “You are only focusing on your presumed failure, when-”
“But druid, I did fail!” Asterix raised his voice and whisked with his arms; “I have never let a boar get the best of me like that- had I been able to prevent it from breaking my flask, and-, I- I was- a-and the Romans and-”
Asterix choked on his words when Getafix lowered a gentle hand on his wrist to console him.
“Your pride suffered a blow, but only because you let it”, Getafix pointed out. The expression on Asterix’s face gave out his confusion, so Getafix added; “No one thinks less of you because of what happened- no one else, except for you. We are all so grateful you survived.”
“It could’ve played out much, much worse, my friend”, Getafix implied with a sad frown, and Asterix felt like something heavy was pressing on his chest. He didn’t want to make others worry for him- he never wished to make Obelix worry, of all people. His pride was the dominating feeling at the moment, and that prevented him from seeing the big picture. He looked down at his feet, defeated.
Getafix saw how Asterix was, so he continued helping him go through the mixed feelings.
“Asterix, look at them”, Getafix hummed and gestured with his hand. Asterix turned to look that way, and from where they were sitting they could see children playing some distance away. The children liked the game, ‘Gauls and Romans’, where they usually took turns about who played Romans and who Gauls (more precisely, who played Asterix and Obelix), but today the game was a little different. They were recreating what happened in the woods. Though the kids made it look more heroic than Asterix remembered it. Dogmatix was there playing with them.
“Asterix… You saved those kids ”, Getafix reminded him. Shaking Asterix gently by his shoulder he added: “And I can’t stress it enough how important that is.” This made Asterix remember the talk Getafix gave him at the beach, before they set out on their journey to look for a successor who Getafix would have passed the secrets of the Magic Potion to.
“They adore you”, Getafix said; “They don’t think less of you, nor are they filled with fear. Quite the contrary; I believe that in addition to saving their lives, you gave them some important qualities.”
Asterix turned to look at Getafix; “What are those?” Getafix smiled a warm one. He answered: “Courage. Hope. Strength. Will to look after each other, after the weak, and see to their safety, to name a few.”
Asterix was about to speak, but he was interrupted.
“ O Druid! Druid Getafix !” Pectine was calling from around the corner. Getafix answered her, I am here, Pectine , and soon the girl came from around the corner. She was holding some sort of a new invention in her arms; all the loose parts were making it hard for her to keep it all in her grasp.
When Pectine saw Asterix, her face lit up. She hadn’t seen Asterix since the day at the woods, and it had been so long since then.
“Master Asterix!” she called, her eyes getting a little teary. She came over to the warrior and, not able to stand still, she was stepping on her spot, excited and happy. She decided to put down everything she was holding, and hug Asterix. Asterix winced, and Pectine pulled away with a ‘ sorry, sorry, sorry ’!
“Are you okay? I haven’t seen you in a long while!” she started; “I’ve been inventing this thing that could help you!” she added and crouched down to try and assemble the thing she had with her. She happened to look up at Asterix, and the warrior’s somewhat puzzled expression made her stop what she was doing.
Asterix knew that the kids adored him - so did the whole village, even if they didn’t say it that often, but he knew . Still, sometimes, it is nice to be reminded of that. Even someone like him could use kind words and recognition and love every now and then. He got plenty of those from his person, but it was important to get them from others too every once in a while. Touched by Pectine’s goodwill, Asterix was at a loss for words for a moment.
“A-are you okay? You are okay, aren’t you?” Pectine asked, genuinely worried for him. Asterix smiled and took Pectine’s hand gently in both of his.
“Yes”, the Gaul answered; “I’m okay. And knowing you kids are safe, that is all that matters.”
Pectine smiled back widely, but the smile faded a little when she looked down at their hands and noticed how scabby and bruised Asterix’s knuckles still were. Getafix decided to get her mind off of it, and offered; “Pectine, my dear- I think I have some ointment to help with Asterix’s hands. Could you go get that from my house?”
Pectine excitedly took up the task. As she went, Getafix had to shout after her the instructions of where she could find it.
“I do have that ointment in my house too”, Asterix pointed out, and to that Getafix replied; “Yes, but I think Pectine needed something to distract her. Also, I think she likes to be of help to you.”
Getafix took something from his belt. He offered it to Asterix.
“Here, I brewed something that should help with the healing of your body”, he said. Asterix removed the cap and sniffed, the smell making his nose wrinkle. It didn't have as sweet a scent as Magic Potion, but Getafix could give Asterix anything and Asterix wouldn’t hesitate to drink it. He trusted the druid that much.
“Hah, I guess it’s different from fixing up battle wounds to being invincible, huh?” Asterix chuckled silently after he drank the small bottle empty. The druid offered to take it back so he could fill it up again.
“Always remember, that even with the Magic Potion, we are not invincible. We can’t start relying blindly on that”, Getafix pointed out. Asterix knew that too, but it was good to be reminded of it.
“That is why it is crucial you carry that sword with you, wherever you go.”
Asterix let his sight wander in his backyard and he relaxed his body with a deep sigh. His eyelids felt heavy, and he let his eyes close for a moment. Asterix brushed his hair back and said: “I am sorry, Getafix.”
“I know”, Getafix said; “And it is okay.”
Asterix didn’t need to specify what he was apologizing for, because they both knew Getafix had a hunch about that. From now on, Asterix would try to not let his pride sabotage him, and that he’d try his best to keep his head and concentrate on the things that actually mattered. He’d be back in those woods, hunting for boar and beating Romans, in no time. This was one of the hardest things for him; to rest and gather his strength, but he was Asterix. He’d get his strength back, and he’d rise to be even better after this.
“Why do you think we fail and fall, Asterix?” asked Getafix and stood up from the bench. Asterix remained silent as Getafix walked over to one of the things Obelix had build (with the help of their blacksmith), and resting a hand on it he answered; “So that we can learn to pick ourselves up. Failure is part of the process of becoming greater.”
“So. Are you going to continue moping, or prove to me that we don’t need to replace you with Geriatrix?” Getafix asked, and couldn’t help a little laugh.
Asterix snorted at the druid; he’d be hearing from his tantrums for years to come. Asterix grabbed the crutch he had set down next to him, and with the help of it he stood up.
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Art by me, also available in my instagram, @its.a.ray, and artfol, @kingrayii