Malorn rode in the lead of the group of healers that were out searching for Elladan and Elrohir. He stayed in constant connection with the trees as they galloped ahead, allowing them to guide him along the fastest route to where the twins were. They also gave him constant updates on the twin's condition that he relayed to Elrond. They were never good. From what the trees said, Elladan was rapidly growing worse and was in excruciating pain. Elrond felt like he would be sick with worry that they wouldn't reach his sons in time and he pushed his horse to go even faster, the rest of the group doing the same. Finally, Malorn pulled his horse to a halt.
"What is it Malorn", Elrond asked. "Are they close to here?"
Malorn reached out and laid his hand on a nearby tree. "They are! They are only about one hundred yards further up the path. But the trees say they have stopped. They no longer ride forward."
Elrond's heart clenched painfully in his chest. No, they could not be too late. He would not, could not lose his sons! Elrond urged his horse forward; the others close behind him as they continued on the path. Soon they heard loud cries of pain from up ahead and Elrond breathed a sigh of relief that his son was alive, at the same moment he cringed at hearing just how pained Elladan was. They crested a small hill and saw the twins at the bottom. Elrohir was on the ground and holding a screaming and writhing Elladan in his arms.
The younger twin looked up at the sound of the approaching horses and his face twisted in anguish when he saw his father.
"Ada, help me please", Elrohir cried, tears streaming form his eyes. "He is dying and I know not how to cure him!"
"I am here, ion nin, I am here", Elrond said soothingly, dismounting and kneeling next to his sons. "Tell me what happened while I look at him."
"W…We were attacked suddenly. There were no more than a dozen orcs. We were wiping them out quickly. But they had an archer hidden in the trees and it sh…shot him twice. I got the arrows out. They were poisoned, b…but I gave him the antidote for the common orc poisons before we left. The others stayed behind because we did not think it was anything more than normal orc poison. B…But he has gotten worse and worse and every movement causes him pain and he finally could not ride anymore and…and…Please help him, ada!"
Elrohir was breathless and sobbing by the time he finished his jumbled explanation and he clung to his twin's clenched hands as though physically trying to hold onto his brother's departing fëa.
Elrond again felt his heart clench as he made sense of Elorhir's rushed words. His son's healing abilities rivaled his own, especially when poison was involved. The twins had been in so many skirmishes with orcs over the years that they had memorized all the common poisons and their best cures. If Elrohir was at a loss, then the only possible explanation was that the poison was new or rarely used. What if he didn't know the cure immediately either? Elladan looked as though he was already within sight of the Halls of Mandos. He would not have enough time to make it back to Imladris and wait for Elrond to find a cure. Pushing down his fears and forcing himself to remain calm, Elrond returned to examining his injured son. Elladan's wounds were cleansed and neatly stitched and bandaged, displaying his brother's careful work on the battlefield. Yet, Elladan burned with fever and was obviously in agonizing pain. He also appeared to be having trouble breathing and his heart beat erratically.
"Did you keep the arrows, ion nin", Elrond asked.
Elrohir wordlessly dug out two arrows from his saddlebags and gave them to his father. Elrond immediately saw the disgusting black poison globbed on the tips and he sniffed it to try and identify the poison. He stopped cold, however, when he smelled nothing. Orc poison always carried a foul odor with it, the tones of the smell differentiating between the many poisons. Swallowing his growing fear, Elrond rubbed his fingers against the arrows and coated his fingers in the black poison, careful not cut himself on the sharp head. The poison was sticky like glue to the touch and carried none of the oiliness of typical orc toxins. Elrond knew of several poisons that had such characteristics, but they were rarely used by the orcs of the surrounding mountains. He had no way of telling which exact poison it was without running tests with supplies he only had in the healing wards.
"Ada", Elrohir questioned, fear lacing his voice at his father's hesitation.
"This is a rare poison and I do not know exactly which it is, ion nin", Elrond admitted, tears welling in his eyes. "His only hope will be to return to Imladris so I can consult my books and run some tests."
"He cannot make it that far", Elrohir cried, trembling violently. "He is dying, Ada!"
"My lord, may I look at it", Malorn asked, reaching for the arrow.
Elrond numbly handed the weapon over to Malorn and watched carefully as the young elf touched his tongue to the arrow and tasted the poison, spitting almost as soon as the substance entered his mouth. Malorn went to a nearby oak tree and murmured a request for some of its leaves. The tree immediately complied and rained down handfuls of its green foliage. Malorn took several and crushed them in his hands, quickly dipping the arrow tip in the fluid that seeped from the broken leaves. He let it set for a moment and then tasted the tip once more, spitting again but then smiling.
"I know the poison, my lord", he announced triumphantly. "And I also know the cure. It is a mixture of athelas, ghost weed, poppy petals, and birch leaves."
"I have all of them in my pack", Elrond said, taking the bag from the healer that rushed it to him. "Can you make it in time, Malorn?"
"Yes. In the meantime, give him some of the pine extract. It will ease his pain and will not react with the poison."
Elrond shoved the ingredients into Malorn's hands and then pulled out a vial of pine bark extract, pouring the medicine into his son's mouth and helping him swallow. The other healers quickly built a fire and fetched water from a nearby stream while Malorn prepared the ingredients. As soon as the water was boiling, he dropped specific quantities of each item into the pot in a precise order. Soon the water turned a cloudy red color and Malorn poured it into a cup, handing it to Elrond.
"Have him drink all of it", Malorn instructed.
Elrond nodded and pressed the cup to his son's lips, pouring little bits of the concoction down Elladan's throat. After many long moments, the last drop went down and Elrond handed the cup back to Malorn.
"How long before it works", Elrohir asked, noting the lines of pain and flush of fever still present on his twin's face.
"A while", Malorn said. "He probably should not travel much more tonight. The pain will last several more hours."
"Can he make it further into the forest", Elrond asked. "Vilya's power will be stronger to protect us there."
"I am sure he can go that far and long as he is not jostled too much. Every sharp movement will be painful."
Elrond nodded and gently lifted his son onto his horse, mounting up behind him. The rest of the healers followed suit and they took off at an easy pace, following the river further back into the forest. Soon they came upon a suitable campsite and Elladan was laid on a pile of blankets near the warmth of the fire. The cure was beginning to work on him already for Elrohir began to notice the lines of pain easing on his brother's face and his fever was dropping.
"Is he doing better?"
Elrohir jumped at the voice. He had been so focused on his brother, that he hadn't even heard Malorn approaching. He looked up as Malorn sat beside him and felt Elladan's forehead, pleased that the fever was greatly lowered. Elrohir realized with a jolt that he had not even acknowledged Malorn's help. He had been too wrapped up in worry over his brother. Without another word, Elrohir swept Malorn into his arms and held him tight.
"Thank you, Malorn. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you", Elrohir repeated, tears streaming down his face. "If not for you, Elladan would be dead and my heart along with him. I do not know how I can ever repay you for saving him."
Another set of arms joined the embrace and Malorn felt Elrond's warm fëa press against his.
"I too am so thankful to you, Malorn", the elf lord murmured, his own voice thick with emotion. "You have now saved me and both my sons from death. I know not what we would do without you, Malorn. You are a very, very special elf."
Malorn blushed deeply at the praise. "I am only so thankful I knew what to do to help, hir nin."
"How did you know what the poison was", Elrond asked.
"It was the taste", Malorn said. "The poison was made mostly of Inferno Nettles, a plant common on Mirkwood. There was a huge patch of it growing not far from where Ada and I lived. It has no scent and yields a very sticky resin. It has a very strong taste that grows even more intense when mixed with the sap of oak leaves. It makes the victim's every nerve explode with pain so intense that it will quickly overwhelm their body and kill them."
Elrond looked grimly down at his son. "I have often wondered how long it would be before the toxins used by the orcs of Mirkwood made it here. I shall have to request Thranduil to send me a list of the poisons that are common there so we can have cures on hand here. Your knowledge saved my son's life today, Malorn. There is no way I could have discovered which poison it was before Elladan died. Thank you, Penneth. Thank you for giving my son back to me."
Elrohir nodded and hugged Malorn tightly again, his tears of relief dripping onto the young prince's shoulder. "Thank you, Malorn."
Malorn felt like his heart would burst within him at the love his new family showed to him. He had never in his life felt so incredibly happy and he never wanted his time in Imladris to end. For the first time in his life, he felt truly and completely loved. And, just as Elrond had told him, that love was beginning to fill his heart and push away the ever-present cloud of confusion, anger, and frustration that hung in his mind. "Elrohir, I would not have done anything else. I am so thankful my knowledge was able to help Elladan. I am so thankful no one had to lose their lives."
Suddenly a soft groan grabbed the attention of the three elves and they all looked down as Elladan's eyelids began to flutter.
"Muindor", Elrohir exclaimed softly, grabbing Elladan's hand. "Brother, I am here. It is alright. Come back to me now, Elladan."
Elladan groaned again and his eyes slowly opened. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a soft croak as his dry throat protested the use.
"Here, my son", Elrond said, pressing a waterskin to Elladan's lips.
The elder twin drank thirstily, the fever and blood loss having left him very dehydrated. Finally, he was satisfied and Elrond pulled the skin away.
"Wh…What happened", Elladan asked, his voice still very weak.
"We were attacked by orcs and they shot you", Elrohir reminded him. "Do you not remember?"
The words jogged Elladan's memory and he nodded as the recent events came rushing back.
"I remember getting shot", he murmured slowly. "And I remember you taking out the arrows and giving me the antidote and then us leaving to go back home so Ada could tend to me. Then I remember the pain getting worse and worse as we rode on until that was all I could sense. Then…Then I am not sure. All I remember after that was something hot going down my throat and then the pain began to ease. Then I woke up here." He suddenly looked around the glade, realizing he was not at home. "Where is here?"
"About five miles from home", Elrond said. "The trees alerted Malorn to your plight and he led us here with their help."
"Oh", Elladan said simply, his eyelids drooping again as the exhaustion returned.
"Sleep, big brother", Elrohir murmured, smoothing Elladan's hair gently. "We are spending the night here and will go back home in the morning."
Elladan hummed and allowed his eyes to slip shut as sleep claimed him again. Elrohir retrieved his bedroll and curled up next to Elladan. He laced his fingers with his brother's and drifted off as well, his hours of panic having taken its toll on him.
"My lord, I will take a watch so Elrohir can stay with Elladan", Malorn volunteered as Elrond adjusted the blankets around his sons.
"Elrohir will appreciate that I know", Elrond said gratefully. He had planned on taking two watches if need be so his sons could stay together. "Thank you, Malorn. Thank you for everything."
"It is what families do is it not", Malorn asked, snuggling against Elrond side.
Elrond smiled softly down at Malorn. "Yes, Penneth", Elrond said, resting his cheek on Malorn's hair. "It is exactly what families do."
Elvish Terms:
Ada – Dad
Hir Nin – My lord
Muindor – Brother (by blood)
Penneth – Young One
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