Chapter 10: Involvement
Lord Elrond pulled the curtains of the moving wagon tightly shut, "please, feel at ease with me Thranduil, I know what the orcs do for torture, there's no need to keep up pretences. You need your rest."
"Then leave me," the Sindar said ill-naturedly.
"I'm afraid I can't, we cannot hide from what happened. To assure a proper, reinvigorating rest, we need to talk and make sure I bestow the appropriate spells."
"You already have your assumptions, just act on them, you will probably be correct," Thranduil remained indrawn.
"I'm quite sure that whatever poison was in your system, it was only to temporarily incapacitate you, not to cause lasting effects," Elrond started with the easier side of things. "It is what they've done to you while you were incapacitated that is the problem," he guessed.
"You shall not mention that to me or anyone, not one word, do you understand! Most of all not to Tauriel or Legolas!" Thranduil's eyes sent daggers in the half elf's direction.
"I will not talk to them about it, of course, though Tauriel I am sure has a pretty good idea what has happened to you."
Thranduil growled at that, disregarding all manners, "how dare you! Silence! You can't heal me, not really and you know that as well as I do."
The master of Rivendale wasn't often fazed, but on this occasion he seemed to have to put a second mask up in defence. "I am well aware that poisoning and torment inflicted by the orcs isn't always possible to overcome."
The blond closed his eyes in shame, shocked by his own actions, "forgive me, so untactful for me, I didn't mean to bear on your wife."
Elrond knelt by him in response, leaning to the side of the wagon, not in a hurry to get anywhere, "you have my support in anything you may decide to do," he assured, not wanting to discuss the fate of Celebrian, who he had to promise the same once.
"In that case, can I have some seclusion please," Thranduil said softly, making a conscious effort to overcome his frustrated, out of control behaviour.
"No, can't do," the other elf adopted a pacifying tone despite disagreeing, "I would wish you nothing else than being granted the wish to be left alone if that is what you want, but I am certain there's internal damage to be dealt with. I beg you, Thranduil. You will thank me later, if in thought only. I will need to look at you, to see what ingredients we need to send for, for your medicine, and perhaps for a more effective lotion for your back end than I have at my disposal at present."
Thranduil looked at him as if the other would have wanted to assault him anew. "Rather me than Tauriel, right? Cause somebody will have to," Lord Elrond negotiated.
"Stop!" The former king waved a dismissive hand vehemently, not wanting to contemplate any of this anymore, "just knock me out," he muttered, "can't you knock me out first so I can skip on the process of humiliation till later."
The brown haired elf contemplated for a moment, "yes, I possibly can, after the first phase of the examination." Sympathetic, he would have wanted nothing less than embrace his friend for his sufferings, but he knew touch would be unwanted at this point.
"And sending for the ingredients? Wouldn't that make people guess what we need it for?"
"Don't worry about that mellon, I will send for different ingredients separately if necessary. Be assured, that whatever the case, the matter will remain in safe hands at my discretion. Would you mind if I removed your blanket now?"
Thranduil didn't answer, but that part proved relatively easy, bar for the rigidity the former king held himself with. "And the mantle?" As it seemed that the blond had wrapped himself tightly into some dark and soiled garment as well, one that most likely the orcs had given him themselves to conceal damages done. Under that, he was still dressed in his toga, though that was grimy and dark now as well. Elrond however did not have to move it to see the bloodstained lower parts. Thranduil had been doing a good job of hiding them, and Elrond would help him to continuing to do so by cleaning him up and some healing.
"Hold the blanket up, I will do it myself," Thrandruil's ground out snappily and his hand reached towards the wet cloth Elrond approached his lower regions with.
"Are you sure?" Elrond mentally winced at what the other was meaning to accomplish, but made no more moves to deter the other elf from his intentions, not when hearing the heavy, uneven breathing on the other side of the blanket, nor the shaky whimper that Thranduil could not hold back at one point.
"Ready..." Thranduil's voice was choked with the effort. Elrond found the other's face grey when he turned back, it seemed that it was only sheer will that kept him from passing out when changing into the fresh clothes provided after cleaning himself.
"This is just a general-purpose healing ointment, mainly athelas extract, kept fresh longer in this form," the brown haired elf explained the jar he produced from the bottom of the wagon, "I will apply it now."
"I can do that myself," Thranduil volunteered again, frustrated he had only been provided with a tunic and undergarments, but not leggings.
"I was hoping I could make my assessment at the same time as applying it. It would be easier that way."
Thranduil threw his head back, suddenly very nauseous. Elrond planned not only look but touch as well. Nodding minutely, the blond clenched his teeth, concentrating on swallowing down the gathering saliva. Maybe if he will keep focussing on the upper part of his body he could ignore his lower parts' existence. The consious effort made his head fuzzy and the nausea rose, and yet some area of his brain was still acutely aware of Elrond's light hands, barely coming in contact, yet disturbing all the same. The ointment surprised him with its warmth and pleasant feel however, lessening the sting in his anus and he was starting to mind less and less as he was covered in it. His muscles relaxed somewhat, and he realised how frantically he had been clenching his butthole. The ointment had a pleasant fragrance as well, one that further relaxed him.
"You are ripped badly on the inside," Elrond let him know and Thranduil realised only now that the other was pulling fingers out after his examination. The ointment must have had such anaesthetic functions that he didn't even notice the intrusion.
"I am fearing how far the damage goes," the Rivendell elf admitted. His hand hovered higher, but didn't touch him before asking, "can I palpate your stomach?"
"It hurts a lot, mellon nin," Thranduil tensed once more, not wanting further pain inflicted on him, "you promised me sleep."
"Just a few questions more, my friend. Tell me what the pain feels like, is it searing, crampy, like a pressure, does it give you any respite in between?"
"All of the above, at times," the patient said dismissively. Increasingly, all he wanted was being left alone.
"Can I place my hand here?" Elrond's hand came up to hover over Thranduil's upper abdomen.
"Mm," the other elf wasn't quite sure. The other widower took his indecisiveness as affirmative. Though his touch remained featherlight, Thranduil's abdominals tensed and a shiver went through him, exacerbating his nausea he could only fight with squeezing his eyes shut, attempting only shallow breaths through his nose and it was then that Elrond truly realised the extent of the internal injuries. With the best care and Thranduil's extraordinary resilience, it was possible to come back from for an elf, but for the widower of Celebrian, it was understandable if it may be too much to ask. Sure, Thranduil had proved in the past that he was able to overcome horrific injuries, loss and cope with lasting disabilities without giving away their existence, a feat that most would have chosen to avoid by sailing to Valinor instead, but wasn't he on his way there already anyway? "Thranduil," he waited till he could see the other loosening up a little, able to listen, "I could mix some herbs to help your innards heal and your strength return, but there's another option. I could mix you some to help you pass over," he put a hand on the other's knuckles with the utmost compassion. Carrying on just so he could sail once he was on his feet made no sense, it was only more torture. Celebrian had tried her best and yet she still had to give into leaving the following year after her ordeal. "Legolas thought you already gone, he would understand."
Thranduil's eyes snapped open, he shook his head vehemently and made a move to curl up around himself in an attempt to protect his stomach while he grabbed for the other elf, fingers locking around the buttons on the half-elf's chest, "no, you don't understand," he whispered, the volume of his speech affected by the effort he was making, "I'm staying."
Elrond eased him back down, taken aback. It was unfeasible what the Sindar was able to endure. "Never mind, don't overexert yourself. Forgive me for mentioning, I am very sorry for suggesting. Rest assured, I will not do anything you don't want me to do."
"Just help with the pain," the blond begged.
"Of course," the other ellon placed a hand on Thranduil's forehead, "I will make sure you will feel a little better when you wake." Skilled healer as he was, his magic to put the other to sleep worked quick.
"Tauriel.." Thranduil muttered with his last shred of consciousness, but there was a firmness of purpose to his voice that sounded like hanging onto that word.
Tbc