Chapter 11—The Eye of the Storm
The twins kept plodding along through the mud. Sam was exhausted, and Frodo had fallen into a deep and oblivious sleep. Sam despaired that his master would never wake, and to what? A world overtaken by darkness at worst, or—at best—continuing the Quest to Mount Doom. It seemed to Sam that there wasn't much of a world to live for anymore, yet Frodo held on. Even the optimistic twins very much doubted that Frodo would recover. Their father was very skilled, but even his skill had limits. If both Estel and Gandalf had been unable to find a solution, they very much doubted their father would be able to help. Their eyes perked suddenly as they heard the sound of hooves, unmistakably ridden by someone of elf kind.
"Sister!" They greeted, forcing a smile to their faces. Clearly Arwen had left in a rush. Her thick brown hair was a tangled mess, leaving her looking rather unkempt for an elf. She'd clearly taken no time to tie it back, or to change into appropriate attire for a hasty ride. Her delicate gown had been shredded by branches and brambles along the path. She hadn't even taken the extra seconds to fasten a cloak around her neck.
"Ada sent me ahead with supplies," she explained, tossing a spare pack to Elladan. Inside he found clean bandages, herbal concoctions and poultices, and a hefty supply of fresh lembas bread. He continued riffling through it to find tiny elvish needles and suturing thread. Estel had been thorough in describing their needs.
"Ada is on his way. We can wait for him here, and I will see if anything can be done to stabilize Frodo." Her mind journeyed unbidden to that night not so long ago when her father had removed the Nazgul shard from the halfling's shoulder. The bloody scene would remain fresh in her mind as long as she drew breath. Arwen was not prepared for the sight of Frodo's injury, the gaping hole in his chest much worse than she had anticipated, despite Estel's warning. It was clear the wound was causing an infection and would have to be cleaned. She was grateful, for once, that the hobbit had slipped so far away. At least her ministrations would not cause him further pain, pain he would not be able to withstand.
She glanced over at a disheveled and exhausted Sam. It was clear he'd reached his breaking point. Sam slept undisturbed by the rustling as the twins built a shelter around him and his master. Working quickly, Arwen produced some dry tender from her pack and started a small fire. She didn't flinch at the heat as she held the needles in the fire until they blazed a molten red and let go only seconds before her fingers would have burned. She had aided her father in patching up wounded warriors since she was young. His knowledge was far vaster than her own, but even he had admitted that her hands were far more skilled and suited to the task of suturing than his.
As the twins watched, she slowly unpacked Frodo's wound, frowning as his bleeding increased swiftly. Even a temporary repair of his wound would be a challenge, but both Estel and her father had admonished her not to wait. Frodo's body needed to begin healing. Uncorking a vial of strong ale, she poured it into the wound, wrinkling her nose at the burning fumes emitted from the vile drink. The hobbit's wound fizzed and gurgled as it mixed with his blood and turned a bright pink color before soaking the ground underneath his body as it exited though the wound in his back.
Gently, Arwen removed Frodo's cloak, revealing the One Ring. It glinted in the firelight, calling to her. She paused, staring at it curiously. Images sprang to mind. No longer was she the daughter of Lord Elrond, she was a queen in her own right. Estel sat at her side. The masses revered her. Wrenching her eyes away, she shook the images from her mind and used the edge of Frodo's cloak to push the ring aside. Breathing heavily from the encounter, Arwen took a clean bandage and began to soak up Frodo's blood as she began to stitch the tear in the hobbit's throat.
Frodo's blood swirled around her fingers, obscuring her sight. She called Elladan to her side and instructed him to soak up the blood intermittently as she worked. With a great deal of effort, she managed to completely reseal the hobbit's throat before turning her attention to his damaged lung. She probed gently with her fingers and was surprised to find that the hobbit's lung was not as badly damaged as Estel believed. A sheen of sweat covered her brow as she maneuvered her needle through the tiny opening and began to stitch the rip in Frodo's lung. Since the hobbit's ribs were still displaced, she did not attempt any permanent sutures to the rest of the wound. Instead, she gently repacked it from both the front and back and used a few strategic stitches on both ends of the wound to close the gaping opening, leaving just enough room for the wound to drain.
She smiled with relief as Frodo began to breathe more easily, signaling that air was no longer escaping his lung. Nevertheless, the road to recovery would, at best, be long and painful, which saddened her greatly. Estel had spared no details in talking about the ordeal, but it was not his spoken words that had made her understand what Frodo had already endured. The pain in his eyes had told her what his words could not. The strong ranger was actually shaken by all he had been required to do to keep Frodo alive. Arwen ached for him, but at least his mortal mind could forget. The images in his mind would fade, even if only temporarily.
Elrond arrived to find his young patient sleeping soundly. Frodo certainly wasn't out of danger, but if he had strength to fight off the infection that was only beginning to awaken, he just might survive. "You've done well, Arwen," he whispered to his daughter, "Now we have more time. I only hope no further misfortune overtakes the rest of the fellowship. Illness and injury are not our only enemies, though I must say I did not foresee such a grave turn of events so soon into their journey."
To be continued...
Pip4-Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad to see one of the original readers is still interested in finding out what happens to Frodo!