I ended up allowing Hasufel to be attached to a cart that carried a couple of old women and an injured woman who has suffered a difficult birth that resulted in a stillbirth. Apparently, the woman had been laboring for three days when she finally had the child. She had lost so much blood that she was still on the edge of death. Her husband was terrified and begging anyone that he could to help him carry her, since she was still unconscious and couldn't walk. Legolas and I managed to find an old cart and hooking it up to Hasufel, and helped load the unconscious woman into it.
We left Hasufel's saddle on, just to be prepared for when the Wargs attacked. Gandalf had left with Shadowfax as soon as Theoden started leading the people out of the city. He had pulled me aside briefly and instructed me not to alert Theoden or the others to the facts that Wargs would attack, because Aragorn needed to fall from the cliff in order to take a different route to Helms Deep to see the Uruk Hai army approaching form Isengard. Part of Aragorn's own journey to realize that he was the leader that the men of Middle Earth needed included the inner strength he would find falling off the cliff.
Then why on earth did he bring me to this damn world? I wondered to myself.
Then I recalled what he told me so long ago, when I first me him. I was brought here for the possibility of saving thousands; he had told me. As I looked around at the horde of desperate people that were leaving Edoras behind, I realized that maybe my purpose would be in helping them survive the upcoming war. Protecting the weak, and those to old and young to fight. Maybe I could bring modern ways of thinking into this time in a way that could positively influence the lives of all of these people. When we got to Helms Deep, I could set up a temporary hospital of sorts. Maybe in the caves, where the Uruk's wouldn't infiltrate. I could set up cots and beds to treat the injured survivors of the battle.
"You seem lost in thought." Legolas said to me. He was walking beside me as we exited the city, leading Hasufel with a rope as he pulled the cart full of the injured and old.
"I am. I was thinking about what will happen once we arrive at Helms Deep. There are still a lot of injured people, and Helms Deep doesn't have the capacity for the thousands of people that are arriving there. Perhaps I could speak to Theoden about setting up temporary massing housing, I mean people would be crowded several to a room, but it would be better than sleeping in the street. And there is the issue of diseases running rampant when people are living in close quarters in unhygienic conditions." I explained.
He nodded in understanding. "It won't be easy to accomplish such a task. Rohan's resources are already stretched very thin."
"I agree, I would have to talk to the King once we arrive at Helms Deep. As a siege Keep, it should be well stocked with supplies. I can't fight well enough to make a difference in any upcoming battles that we will face in this war. Yet, I think that I can coordinate resources to help those that cannot fight, and the ones that are injured from fighting. And even prepare things for a post-war rebuilding effort. I studied the effects of wars when I was in school growing up and then at a higher level as an adult. Using that realm of knowledge, I believe that even though I cannot fight, I can make the effects of this war less devastating on everyone!" I continued.
"It is a good idea, Mirkwood has a house of healing where our people go to recover from injury, or the rare times that one of our people falls to an illness." He replied.
I fell behind to check on the unconscious woman in the cart, she was still very pale, but one of the old women said she had not started bleeding again. Having studied Anthropology in graduate school, I had a pretty good knowledge of human anatomy, and some knowledge basic medical needs because I had to take a couple classes with the med school.
The woman, her name was Teranda, had a very weak pulse, but it was consistent at least. Her color was no better. I decided to try and find Eowyn, who was renowned in Middle Earth for her skills with herbs and healing.
I located her not far away, helping the two children that had been rescued earlier in the day.
"Can you come check on a woman in this cart? She had a difficult birth and lost her child., and a lot of blood. Her pulse is weak, but consistent. I'm worried that she might suffer from some kind of internal infection because her body doesn't have the strength to fight any infection that occurred during her labor." I asked.
Eowyn nodded and followed me to Hasufel's cart. She jumped up and began to examine Teranda. A worried look came over face.
"She has a significant fever, which suggests that she is suffering from an infection. She needs a mixture of Goldeseal, Garlic, Thyme, and Lavender. It needs to be mixed into a drinkable mixture that can coaxed down her throat." She rummaged through her pack and pulled out a few bundles of dried plants.
"You'll have to do it because I have the children to get back to." She said and hopped off the cart and disappeared back into the crowd.
I hopped up into the cart next to Teranda. I pulled out my small silver bowl from Galadriel, I didn't have anything else on hand to mix it with. I splashed some water from a canteen into the bowl and added a small amount of each of the herbs that Eowyn had given me. I wish I had asked about the dosage, so I just added an equal amount of each. I cut them up into the smallest bits I could, and just mixed them with the dagger. I opened her mouth and poured the mixture in, lifting it slightly to coax her into swallowing it. It seemed to go down okay, but I would keep a close eye on her for a while.
I got back down off the cart, planning to check on her every hour or so. I returned to my place next to Legolas and Hasufel, and told him what I had done. He suggested that using the silver cup from Galadriel may have been useful in strengthening the healing potion since it was made by the elves and had magical properties. I prayed that he was right and that it helped her.
The sun began to set as the people of Edoras finally left the city far behind. As the shadows grew long people began to slow down, Theoden called for the great parade of people to stop for the night. He posted sentries all over, and Legolas took one of the first watches. He promised to join me later in the night, and bade me a good evening. I settled down near a fire where Eowyn was setting up a bedroll. A quick check of Teranda had revealed a stronger pulse and color returning to her face. Thankfully her husband found us and carried her off to another campsite for the night. She seemed like she was rousing from her unconscious state when he took her, so I believed she would be awake and alert by tomorrow morning. I would be sure to give her another dose of herbs in the morning.
Aragorn and Gimli made his way a short while later, and the dwarf quickly collapsed and starting snoring. Aragorn looked exhausted as well.
"You look like shit." I said.
"I'm worried about Gandalf, he left in such as rush in search of Eomer and Rohan's Rohirrim. Theoden is walking into a trap. There is no way out of the ravine that Helms Deep was built in, we could get trapped there. I cannot talk any sense into Theoden. He thinks that what he is doing will save his people, but I worry that he is losing sight of potential threats." He ran a hand through his hair.
"There are a lot of things that are coming that are out of our control." I said trying to comfort him.
The night grew dark, with the only signs of life coming from the hundreds of fires around us. A couple women put a large pot of boiling water onto our fire, and began adding the scant ingredients that had been brought with us to try and make a watery stew. I was glad I had some elvish traveler's bread that could last mew for a few weeks. The thought of it made me feel selfish, so I took some out and passed it around to the people by our fire, explaining that one bite was enough to fill the stomach of a grown man. Most were skeptical, but still did as I instructed.
Aragorn helped himself to it as well, and I brough us both bowls of the simple stew. Most of the ingredients looked like they had been scrounged from the surrounding landscape. The taste was horrid, but it was warm and I ate it all. Aragorn looked ready to retch from the taste, but ate it as well. Eowyn came over to fetch our bowls for others to use, and beamed when Aragorn told her the stew was good.
I settled down onto my thin bedroll, using my satchel as a pillow and cloak as a blanket. I was freezing despite the nearby fire, and knew that I was in for a long night. I knew that I was still better off than most everyone else who didn't even have a cloak. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, with Aragorn and Gimli snoring softly nearby. They seemed to have no problem with the cold, but I just couldn't seem to shake my anxiety about being in the open. Several hours must have passed before I heard some rustling nearby, and instinctively reached for my sword.
"It is just me Maragaret" Legolas whispered loud enough to announce his presence.
"I have been relived from sentry duty for the night by one of the Rohan soldiers." He explained.
He stood awkwardly in front of my bedroll for a minute, and it took me a minute to realize that he was waiting for me to move over and make room for him. I lifted my cloak and he undid his own to give us another layer of protection from the cold air. He settled down on the small area of my bedroll that I didn't occupy and removed his bow and weapons before laying down entirely. He awkwardly looked at me and reached one arm around my body. Awkward silence ensued as we tried to find a comfortable position. It finally came to an end with my basically sleeping on top of him, leeching the warmth out his body like a parasite.