Recently, I was formatting chapter 23 “The Infirmary” of my Boudica and The Butcher draft.
This chapter has similarities to the first chapter as Asclepia returns. She is now supervising care in The Butcher’s infirmary instead of being a rebel medic as she had been at the start of the story. However, this time Boudica is not an unconscious patient.
The contrasts and similarities between Boudica and Asclepia are the focus of their dialogue. Unlike Olga, Boudica’s mentor and the representation of who Boudica might become in the future, Asclepia is like a mirror image of Boudica, similar but not the same.
Boudica is jealous of Asclepia because The Butcher had previously praised Asclepia’s intelligence. Her cattiness is displayed by Boudica’s thoughts disparaging Asclepia’s malnourished appearance from her time in the rebel army despite the former rebel soldier Boudica having a similar malnourished appearance.
However, Boudica and Asclepia share an honest conversation about their experiences since being captured. From this, Boudica gains new insights on how to pursue her mission to save The Butcher from the consequences of the war upon his soul.
Like Olga, Asclepia is shown as skilled and competent in her own field. She acts as a catalyst in the maturation of the younger Boudica who walks the path of the heroine’s journey in this story.
Jaycee Woods 
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