| Berta Symes | ||||||||||
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Mistress Symes lived in 1265 in Northern England, she was the wise woman in a small village. She took in a young woman,Katherine, as an apprentice to her, and learn the ways of the healer. The two woman became fast friend, developing an almost mother daughter bond. Berta realized that Katherine was even more gifted in the ways of healing than even she, herself, was, "I think I've learned more from you than you from me...I'm just an old woman who knows a few remedies."
Katherine and Berta, 1270
Eventually, she told Katherine that she should be the village's healer, but Katherine told her that she had more love and care for people, "You healed me in more ways than you could ever imagine," and that made her the true healer.
Ultimately, the increases in taxes touched the village, Bartholomew, an Immortal, arrived as the de facto tax collector, demanding a staggering tithe from the villagers in order to finance a crusade. Berta said he was rumored to be an agent of the Pope. Katherine, however, questioned his motives, thinking he was lining his pockets. She had Katherine read the edict posted for all who could not read: Half of the coming harvest would be tithed.
When Katherine later confronted Bartholomew, he avoided her challenge by having her shot in the back by his guard. Upon her revival in a mass grave, Katherine returned to the village to find it burning. She called hysterically for Berta. She found her mentor's pendant, a sign of her position, in the mud by the well and took it as her inheritance from a well loved mentor.