Chapter two: Of toddlers and tragedy
Elrond was half asleep, the armchair he had brought into his office like a very tempting trap and now it had caught its pray, namely him. This day had been very boring to say the least, not a single patient and his wife was off to visit her mother in Tirion so there were nobody there to keep an eye on him. Napping was a good way of spending the day and lately the summer heat had caused most of the inhabitants of the blessed realm to stay indoors and stay cool. And the result of that was fewer things to do for the healers, which of course was good but also bad, since they got bored. Elrond had treated some elflings for severe mosquito bites and now he was wondering if he ought to replenish his supply of certain herbs. It could be a good idea. He was almost asleep when there was a knock on the door and he jerked and tried to look awake and alert as he shouted a loud enter to whoever it was outside of the door. He hadn't been drooling? No, great.
An ellon wearing a messenger uniform entered the office and bowed his head politely. "My lord Elrond, I am to deliver this message to you, from Formenos"
Elrond frowned, Formenos? Did he know anybody there? He didn't know of any of his regular patients who lived in that city and he took the note and smiled to the messenger, what could this be? He saw that the envelope had the eight rayed star of Fëanor on the outside and that made him tense up, was someone in that family sick? He unfolded the note and saw a short letter written in a very elegant feminine style and he swallowed. It was the lady Maedhros who required his immediate assistance regarding a very delicate problem which she couldn't describe there and then. Elrond got nervous, he remembered how she had struggled after her time in Angband, her injuries and fading health, and how she had finally died. Had her problems returned? She had a new body now but if the fëa has been injured the hröa can be affected and show physical manifestations of the trauma. He stared at the messenger. "You may ride ahead and tell the lady that I will come. I need to get packed and tell my assistants to take care of my hospital until I return, but tell her I will be there as soon as I can"
The messenger nodded and took off and Elrond took a deep breath. He ran off and found the assistants dozing in the sun and told them to keep the business running until his return, then he ran home and packed a few things he needed personally and then his best medical supplies and some surgical equipment as well. He then located his stable worker and told the ellon to hitch his fastest horse to the light carriage and then he bathed and had a swift meal. Formenos was a long trip to take on such short notice but he was worried. What was wrong with the lady? And why couldn't she explain her problem in the letter? It would take him a few days to get to Formenos so it couldn't be acute, if it were she would have sought the help of local healers for sure, or even the maiar of Lorien.
He got his stuff into the carriage and took the reins, the horse was a tall black gelding, the son of his favorite steed and it was very fast but a bit skittish. He let the horse have free reins as they raced through the gates and into the street and there were nobody out there to get in the way so he let the horse set the pace. He had an uneasy sensation within his guts and didn't like it at all. He drove until it got dark, then he found an inn and spent the night there before he continued the journey the next morning. He just couldn't shake the feeling of unease, there had been something about that letter, something written between the lines so to speak, and he was very curious as to what it had been.
He used five days to Formenos and by the time he got there his horse was very tired and so was he. They had travelled very fast and Elrond promised the gelding that he would be allowed to rest before they returned home. He found an inn and bathed and made himself presentable before he took his box of equipment and walked to the royal palace. Some guards stood outside and he knew that there still were those who resented the family of Finwë's firstborn son and wanted to harm them. He told them who he was and why he was there and a servant bid him wait for a few moments. He admired the nice architecture of the buildings when the servant returned and told him to follow. He felt tense, he would find out why he was summoned soon. They walked through a veritable labyrinth of halls and corridors and in the end they reached a small enclosed garden at the back of the palace, it was very nice and cool and Elrond almost collided with the servant when he suddenly stopped without a warning. "My lord, she is waiting for you by the fountain, just go straight ahead"
Elrond nodded and walked forth, a little uncertain. He could see that someone indeed was sitting by the fountain in a hammock and he frowned. Was there two people there? He took a few steps more and then he saw that it indeed was Maedhros and beside her he saw an elfling of perhaps one or two years of age. He blinked, he hadn't heard of her being married or having given birth? Then it struck him, the elfling sitting there was darker than her, and his eyes were pitch black and Elrond recognized them. For a moment he was back in the first age, watching how that feared warrior dragged her off as a hostage and he remembered the fear and the rage in those cold eyes. He almost let out a yelp, had Rûsa been reborn?! Oh no wonder then that she wanted to keep it a secret. He was after all a bastard, baseborn and conceived in Angband. The scandal would be monumental if certain people did find out that the daughter of Fëanor had been forced to become a breeding slave for Morgoth. The elfling whispered something and she smiled, then she turned her head and saw Elrond and she smiled even wider and got up. He grasped her hand and kissed it politely. It felt odd standing there face to face with her again, she was just as tall as before and towered above even him, and now he did see why everybody had claimed that she had been the most beautiful of ellith before the darkening and the wars.
She smiled and gestured for him to sit down and the elfling sort of hid behind her, the eyes were apprehensive and nervous and he did recognize the odd V shaped scar on his cheek. "You called for me my lady?"
Maedhros nodded. " I did, you know what I went through before my death, and you do also know of my son. He is reborn as you can see, but he isn't growing as he should."
Elrond took a swift peek at the child, she was right, he was rather puny looking and even the dark skin was pale. " I see, is he returned as himself or as a new person?"
Sometimes elves who were to be reborn preferred to have all their memories erased to start with a new life. She smiled, a very melancholic smile. "He remembers, he is an adult, but in a toddlers body as of yet."
Elrond saw that the elfling was shivering and he sort of realized that this could get interesting indeed. Rûsa had been the wargrider, one of Morgoths most feared war lords and he had of course gotten injured many times over his lifetime, and the healers of Angband were not known for having been gentle nor skilled. Elrond tried to be professional but it was unnerving to see those black eyes stare at him, had he really changed enough to deserve a second chance? " I can see why you are concerned my lady, and I assure you, I will do my outmost to determine if this is some effect of his previous life or some current problem."
She smiled and caressed the elflings dark red locks and the healer clearly saw the motherly love behind that gesture. If someone dared to mess with her offspring Elrond was pretty sure she would come out as a true lioness with claws and fangs. " I am glad my lord, he is eating and has quite an appetite but he isn't putting on weight and he is rather lethargic at times"
Elrond smiled and tried to see this elfling as any other child and not a former enemy. Rûsa looked terrified and Elrond's compassion won over his resentment. He gave the toddler his most gentle smile and turned to the mother. " I will have to examine him, is there a room here where we can do that?"
Maedhros got to her feet gracefully and smiled. "Just follow me"
Rûsa seemed to be ready to bolt, he was shivering visibly and Maedhros grasped him and lifted him up, he was indeed very small and looked even smaller in the arms of his exceedingly tall mother. Maedhros walked in front of him into a small apartment where she entered a very open and airy room with a few benches and a basin with water placed on a table. She tilted her head. "Is this acceptable?"
He nodded and put his box down, opened it and then the elfling sort of let out a wail and started squirming like a worm on a hook. He was obviously terrified and Maedhros sighed. "Darling, please calm down, or else Elrond won't be able to check you over"
Rûsa was wide eyed and panic was visible on his tiny face. " I don't want to, let go of me!"
Elrond tried to remain calm. "Don't worry Rûsa, I won't hurt you, I promise"
The elfling just squirmed even worse and Elrond tried to lift him out of his mother's arms and onto a bench but was rewarded with a rather impressive head butt. If Rûsa had been an adult it would have knocked Elrond out but now it only hurt a bit, and the elfling started squealing and fighting like mad. Maedhros looked as if she was in despair and held onto the screaming elfling with firm hands and Rûsa revealed that he had a vocabulary of cuss words so impressive it would have made even a dwarf blush, he even cussed in black speech and Elrond was starting to sweat.
Getting the tunic off the elfling proved to be a huge challenge for Rûsa tried to bite and kick and not even Maedhros managed to calm him down. Listening to his heart was tough to say the least since he had a heartrate that would have impressed a hummingbird and he was sweating so he was slick all over. Feeling his joints was a little easier since he was moving a lot and Maedhros had sat down and was pinning him to her own upper body in spite of him kicking and spitting.
Elrond did see that the elfling was rather healthy in every way but he was as she said very puny and underweight too. You could see every rib and every bone and Elrond was a bit intrigued by it. "Is he doing his business as he should?"
Maedhros frowned. "Business?"
Elrond felt an urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, does he poop normally? No diarrhea or constipation?"
Rûsa did understand and started adding certain shitty descriptions to his swearing. Maedhros was almost in tears, he was strong in spite of his size and he hadn't stopped squirming. "Calm down, Elrond is just trying to help you!"
Rûsa growled. " I don't want any fucking help, let go of me!"
Elrond managed to get a good feel of his belly, it seemed to be normal too and he tried to understand what this could be. The body a reborn elf got was always perfect, but the fëa could corrupt it so this had to be something which affected his soul and through that his body. "You say he has a good appetite?"
Maedhros nodded and avoided being head butted by her own son, he was desperately trying break free and Elrond knew that if he did they wouldn't be able to catch him again. "Yes, he will eat anything edible, I have to keep an eye on him all the time so he doesn't eat things which are inedible. A week after I got him home he did drink an entire bottle of ink and the next day he was seen in the stable, munching away at the horse's oats."
She sighed and tried to avoid that Rûsa grasped onto Elrond's braid and tugged at it. "When he came to me the entire family had to co-operate to manage the first weeks, he was almost impossible to control, and feared that everyone was out to get him, he didn't trust anyone at all and tried to hide all the time. It was very tiring to say the least"
Elrond did notice that the elfling did have strong muscles in spite of his skinny appearance and he started to suspect that this indeed was linked to his previous life. " Does he eat fruit and vegetables?"
He knew that such things were rare in Angband and only a few had access to such luxury. He strongly doubted that Rûsa had been among those so favored. Maedhros managed to smile and avoided being bitten again. It was very obvious that the toddler thought that every healer was like the ones he had been used to, brutal and often sadistic. " Oh he eats a lot of that, he loves fruit, and berries too. He even eats mushrooms without complaining."
Elrond sighed, he knew what had to be done but it wouldn't be easy at all. He sat down and stared at Maedhros. "It is his soul memory, it remembers his old body and is trying to recreate it, subconsciously. It is rather clear when I look at him, he wants something familiar and so the hroa tries to adapt, to become identical to his old one."
Maedhros sighed and stroked his hair. " Oh Rûsa, why can't you forget the past?"
Elrond frowned. "It is very hard when you have lived a life like his. But there is a cure, it will just require some effort from us all"
Maedhros stared at him. "What sort of cure?"
Elrond tried to find a more comfortable position " I am talking about hypnosis, I will make him forget about his old body until he is capable of coping with his memories in a more conscious and mature manner"
Maedhros looked a bit nervous. "It is harmless?"
He nodded. "Yes, completely. And I have done it before as a matter of fact. But we have to make him cooperate"
Rûsa let out a wail and started kicking again and Elrond sighed and realized that yes, in many ways he was a typical toddler in spite of having an adult fëa. Maedhros sighed. " Easier said than done, he is convinced that all healers are trying to murder him or something like that"
Elrond got up and opened the box, he pulled out a small bottle and stared at it with narrow eyes. It was a sedative and it would make the person who drank it very relaxed and at ease, and not really asleep but close to it. The perfect state for hypnosis to work. Maedhros shook her head. " You won't make him swallow medicine, no way. Believe me, we have tried. Celegorm went an entire day with his shirt covered with goo when we tried giving Rûsa a laxative."
Elrond had uncorked the bottle very discretely. "Really? Well, I do have some tricks up my sleeve, oh look at the corner over there, is that a spider?"
Rûsa immediately reacted, he was terrified of spiders and stared towards the corner ready to bolt for real and Elrond quickly grasped his nose between two fingers, tilted his head up and poured the medicine down his throat and before he could spit it out he gave the elfling a swift punch to the chin. Rûsa swallowed by reflex and released a swarm of swear words so horrible Elrond was sure Morgoth himself would have been shocked if he had heard them. The medicine was very strong and even as he was struggling and shouting obscenities he started to blink and wobble and slowly he sank down onto his mother's lap, like a ragdoll.
Elrond let out a sigh of relief. "Great, lay him on the table here, this should work rather fast"
He waited until Rûsa lay comfortably, then he touched the toddler's forehead and using his healing powers he contacted the elfling's fëa. It was a very dark and twisted place, filled with fear and regrets and he slowly managed to sort of pack those negative feelings away and hide them in the deepest vaults of the young elf's mind. Then he brought forth the positive memories he had achieved since his rebirth and strengthened them and he also removed all memories of Rûsa's old body. Now he just remembered having one, not how it had looked. Elrond was sweating and it did take its toll on him for Rûsa's fëa was surprisingly strong and not eager to change at all but slowly he overcame the resistance and managed to bring light into the tormented mind once more. When he was done his robes were soaking and he was shivering and Rûsa had fallen asleep. Elrond straightened his back and smiled. " It is done, I think he will start growing normally now, but if he doesn't then don't hesitate to call on me again"
Maedhros ran her fingers through the dense dark locks and she was smiling. " I am very grateful my lord, if you have fixed this it is a miracle"
Elrond felt himself blush ever so slightly. " It is only my duty my lady"
Maedhros went over and hugged him swiftly. " There is none other than you I would trust with this Elrond, rest assured that this will be remembered"
Elrond tried to act professionally but it was hard when she was so obviously happy and he bowed politely. "I am very glad you called for me, and again, do not hesitate to contact me if any other problems should occur."
She smiled and picked up the sleeping toddler. " I won't, believe me. Thank you again, if you like you could stay here for a few days?"
Elrond smiled. "Thank you but I have to return to my hospital and see if it is still there, my assistants are capable of causing mayhem when I am not around"
Maedhros hugged him again with one arm and Elrond saw that the toddler was sleeping soundly now, he would be alright for sure. It would be interesting to keep an eye on that one, and see what impact it would have when he was revealed to the other elves of the realm. He was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly heard a bumping sound and heard someone cuss, rather loudly. He took a peek behind the corner and saw that it was Celebrimbor and he had tripped while walking down the stairs, he was probably recently reborn too and very clumsy because of that. Maedhros smiled widely. " He does that a lot, his legs doesn't feel like his own, Rûsa always freaks out when it happens though, he thinks Celebrimbor is hurt somehow"
Elrond had to grin too, Celebrimbor did look a bit silly as he stood there rubbing his ankle but he didn't seem to need a healer. Maedhros shook Elrond's hand and he kissed her hand again to be polite and felt that this had been a very interesting day indeed. He bowed again and returned to the inn and there he had a long bath and a massage before he slept for an entire day. The healing had really drained him a lot.
The next morning a servant arrived carrying a basket filled with fruits, very fine wine, some exquisite chocolate and at the bottom there was a box with an absolutely stunning necklace. Elrond knew that it would look spectacular on Celebrian and he was in a good mood as he prepared to return home. When he got to his carriage he was shocked to find that it had been stocked with boxes filled with rare and valuable herbs which were hard to come by and he felt a surge of gratitude. It would all be very needed indeed. He knew that he had gotten a friend when he made the horse trot along the road leading toward the gate, and he just hoped that he would be able to take a part in the life of this mysterious young elf, Rûsa did intrigue him immensely.
The sunlight shone from a sky without a single cloud and there were countless elves spending the day on the lovely beaches. Most sat in the shade of huge umbrellas or some trees but there were elflings running around playing in the shallow water. The sound of the laughter and the splashing made the adults look up and smile, remembering the feeling of being so careless and free. Some elflings were playing by a tidal pool surrounded by cliffs smoothed by the sea, the water there was rather warm and they were splashing around and playing tags in the shallows. Some adults sat on the cliffs, cleaning out some seashells for their dinner, and these were telerin elves so they were familiar with the sea. It was a part of them and everybody learned how to swim and dive before they learned to walk. The adults were pulling some nets in to the shore when they heard a piercing scream and they dropped the net immediately. The agony of the scream told them that this was serious and not just some childish prank. They ran to the pool and were stunned by the sight of two elflings laying on the sand, writhing in agony. What had happened?
Elrond had barely managed to get back home when one of his assistants came running, the ellon was short of breath and sweaty and his eyes were huge. "My lord, thank Eru you are here, we have a serious case on the way to the hospital"
Elrond had arrived from Formenos just two hours earlier and would have preferred to rest for a few hours but the tone of the assistants voice told him that rest wasn't an option. "What sort of case?"
The ellon gasped for air. "Two elflings my lord, they were bathing and something happened to them, both are in absolute agony"
Elrond frowned. "Right, any clues to what they have done? Have they come in contact with something poisonous perhaps?"
The assistant shrugged. " I don't know, a hawk arrived with the message. They'll get here soon"
Elrond sighed and ran to his room, got changed and ran back, the assistant was holding a horse hitched up to a wagon and they got in. it only took a few minutes to get to the hospital this way and Elrond started to prepare. He knew that there were many dangers in the sea, and some were worse than others. The teleri elves adored their little ones like all elves but they didn't overprotect them the way many of the more city dwelling vanyar or noldorin elves did and the result was that the teleri youngsters were rather mature for their age and perfectly able to take care of themselves at a very young age. Elrond had always admired that attitude, a lot. He prepared one of the examination rooms and crossed his fingers, this could be very serious but he hoped that it was something easily solved.
Before long a wagon with two steaming horses stopped in front of the hospital, the animals had almost run themselves to death and one of them collapsed and lay there in a heap, just gasping for air. Some adult elves jumped from the wagon and two carried an elfling each. The young ones appeared to be the equivalent of a human six year old and both were boys and tanned from the sun. The thick silvery hair so typical of the teleri elves had been cut short in the summer heat and the boys did seem to be in perfect health. But now both were more or less unconscious and they had spasms and were groaning with pain. Elrond felt cold, this was something very bad indeed.
Two of the adults were very pale and shaking and he understood that this was the father's of these two elflings. Both looked like fishermen and were decorated with seashells and strange tattoos made to appease Ulmo and both were close to tears. They laid the two elflings down onto a bench each and Elrond swallowed hard. "Listen, does any of you know if they touched something out of the ordinary?"
One of the two fathers' heaved for air. "They would never touch anything they didn't know my lord, all of our children learn that early."
Elrond stared at the two small ones, it was clearly some sort of poisoning but what caused it? "Where did this happen?"
The two adults stared at each other and the others who had followed them looked uncertain. "They were playing in a tidal pool? "
Elrond clenched his teeth together. "Much can hide in those pools, did it happen suddenly?"
The first father nodded. "They were playing peacefully and then we heard my Alagasson scream and before we got to him Fain too screamed, he was trying to help Alagasson."
Elrond frowned, whatever it was it had affected both elflings, what could this be? He touched Alagasson gently and felt that the child was clammy and cold and in obvious agony. "Did they touch some part of their bodies?"
The second father looked a bit uncertain. " Fain said something about a sting, before he passed out?"
Elrond took a deep breath, a sting? Right, it had to be on their lower bodies then, since they had been wading through the pool. He nodded to the two fathers. "Remove their loincloths and sandals, the rest of you may leave"
The first father bit his lower lip. "They are kin, my brother in law and a cousin of mine"
Elrond just gave them his strictest glare. "That is irrelevant now, only the closest of kin may be present"
He grasped Alagasson and started examining his feet very carefully. They were covered with sand and rather wrinkly and he shouted an order to his assistant and got a bucket of water brought over. He washed the feet quickly and now he took a very careful peek at every square inch of skin, he even checked between the toes and lo and behold, between the little toe and the next one Alagasson had a small wound, barely the size of a nail and it hadn't even been bleeding. He felt frantic, went over to Fain and checked his feet too and yes, he had a wound just like that right in the middle of his sole. The teleri elves usually wore sandals in the water to protect their feet from sharp rocks and shells but they walked barefoot on land and the soles of their feet were like leather and very tough so it had to be something sharp to cleanly penetrate their thick hide. The first father looked at the healer with a pleading expression. "What is wrong with them? Please say you have an answer"
Elrond felt sick to the core, he did have an answer but it was a very bad one, one everybody feared. He took a deep breath. "I know what caused this, and it doesn't look good at all. Both stepped on a rockfish."
The two fathers went deathly pale and the first one moaned. The other had to sit down and Elrond wished that there was something he could say. " I am sorry, I will do all that is in my power but you know about this fish"
The two nodded silently, everybody who lived by the sea knew of this particular fish. It was very rare and few ever saw one but sometimes they would gather and hide in the sand or the seaweeds and if you accidentally stepped on one the fish would defend itself with a poisonous spike. They said that the pain was beyond description and that people had cut their own limbs off to get rid of it. The second father was in tears. "Will they survive?"
Elrond could only be honest. "I don't know yet, if they had been adults I would have said they both have a fair chance but since they both are small, well, I have no idea"
He turned to his assistants and told them to get hot water and some ointments. There were no antidote against the poison of this fish but there was a possible cure and that was sticking the stung limb in hot water, so hot the victim of the sting almost got severe burns. Elrond knew that the poison in itself was bad but the thing that killed the victims was the pain. It simply overwhelmed the central nervous system and caused the heart to stop. He got busy, grasped a thin knife and opened both wounds, let them bleed out and he saw that some thick sticky fluid followed the blood, it was the remains of the poison. Then he told both fathers to hold the lads while he cauterized the wounds using a red hot metal rod. The stench of burned flesh made both Ellyn retch and Elrond felt so sorry for them. Watching your child suffer is something no parent should have to go through. Both elflings were making hollow groans and Elrond poured some strong pain killers down their throats. He also injected quite a lot and he did notice that Fain's foot was swelling a lot while that of Alagasson didn't.
He swore and turned to the two adult elves, his face was neutral as ever. "We have to put their legs into very hot water, I am sorry but it is the only way"
Alagasson's father gasped. "Oh Eru, is there no other method?"
Elrond shook his head. "No, the poison attacks the nerves, it is a neuro toxin and it is as you know very lethal. If your boys had been human they would have been dead already"
Fain's father closed his eyes. " Mother told me that her aunt did get stung by such a fish just after they arrived here in the blessed realm, she died most horribly"
Elrond poured the warm water into two almost boot shaped buckets they normally used to soak the feet of people with skin problems. It was steaming hot and his assistant stared with huge eyes. "My lord?!"
Elrond nodded. "Yes Faerthor, it is the only cure. The heat will make the poison break down into harmless fluid, I hope."
He pulled Alagasson's leg to the side and put the foot into the water, the elfling let out a piercing wail and Elrond knew that he forever would have horrible memories of this, if he survived in the first place. The cure for this was almost as bad as the problem itself.
He did the same with Fain before he gave the two more painkillers and some medicine to strengthen their hearts and now they could only pray and wait. He didn't like the fact that Alagosson's foot hadn't swollen up, that told him the poison had been injected deeply into the tissue and that it had gotten time to spread through the body. Fain was stung after Alagasson and he sort of guessed that it could be the same fish which had stung both. It could be that it had less poison left after it stung Alagasson and that Fain thus had received a lower dose. Fain's father was holding his son's hand and Elrond saw that he was fairly young, maybe just in his second century of life. He tried to smile at the terrified ellon. "He is a strong one, he will make it. Does his mother know?"
The ellon sort of gasped and wiped tears from his face. " I sent some to fetch her and tell her we were on our way to this place, I think she may come here soon, if she finds a horse that is"
The father of Alagasson was grey in the face and he was shivering. "My wife is visiting her mother down south, oh Eru, what if he dies?"
Elrond realized that this was one elf close to a complete breakdown, he got over and laid a hand on the shivering ellon. "Have faith, that is all we can do now, I didn't get your name?"
The ellon sort of shrugged, " Oh by Ulmo's tears, I am sorry. I am Hwestor and he is Rosdir, we are second cousins by the way"
Elrond could see that they were related, both had a very strong chin and a rather stocky frame for a teleri. He smiled at them. " Great, try to speak to the lads, keep them here"
He knew that it was very easy for an elfling to let go and seek the halls, they were not as bound to their hröa as an adult. He sat down with a hand on each elfling and tried to focus his healing powers to the max, it would drain him but there was no other option the way he saw it. This was a terrible situation.
After a while the water had to be changed and both legs were bright red and Fain had gotten some blisters too. It looked extremely painful but Elrond saw that the swelling was coming down and the pulse in the leg was strong. He bit his teeth together and removed the bucket, started smearing a skin healing ointment onto the leg where it was burned. "The poison has dissolved, but his leg isn't safe yet. Sometimes in rare cases such poison can cause severe spasms, so bad bones snap and tendons break, or it can make one completely paralyzed. Nobody reacts in the exactly same manner. "
He told his assistant to massage the leg gently and pour cold ointment onto it constantly. He had a good feeling of hope when he looked at Fain, the lad would most likely make it but that leg would have bad and vulnerable skin for decades to come. Rosdir sat there speaking to his son the entire time and he tried to be brave and optimistic. Hwestor tried to stay strong and Elrond saw that he probably realized that his son was way more affected than Fain. The leg was strangely stiff to the touch and Elrond could feel that the elflings heart was struggling very hard. Damnation, the poison had indeed reached the body.
He ordered for some herbs which strengthened the entire body and he knew that most deaths from the sting of this fish was caused by either the heart or the lungs giving up, or both simultaneously. Some even got paralyzed and it was the sheer shock to the system that was the real nasty part of it. They sat there praying when the door flew open and a very pretty elleth wearing a light blue gown ran in so fast her long dark blonde hair was flying behind her. Rosdir got up and embraced her and Elrond tried to smile. " You must be Fain's mother?"
She nodded, grasping onto the unconscious child. " I am, oh Eru say he will be alright?"
Elrond saw that she was beside herself with worry and he nodded to the assistant and told him to go get some soothing tea. "I think he will make it, he is strong"
She sobbed and Rosdir embraced her gently. Elrond turned his attention to Alagasson, the elfling was not getting any better, in fact his skin had taken a nasty greyish hue and his breathing had become labored. Elrond tried pouring even more energy into the struggling hröa but to no prevail, the damage was too great. The fish had probably been a large one, with a lot of poison and Alagasson got most of it. Hwestor looked at the healer with despair and all Elrond could do was to gently squeeze the ellon's shoulder. "Do not give up, there is yet hope"
Hwestor sobbed and Elrond felt so terribly sorry for him. If the lad died this ellon would be completely crushed, and probably feel guilty for not having looked after the lad and stopped this from happening. But how could you do that without locking the children up indoors the whole time? There were always risks in life and you couldn't avoid them by hiding. Elrond knew that there were some maiar living not far from the city, servants of Yavanna who oversaw the harvesting of the fields and forests and made sure that nobody took more than they needed. They could perhaps help but they were not healers and by the time any of them got to this place it would be too late anyhow.
He grasped Faerthor by the shoulder. "Prepare a room for Fain and his parents, he will be more comfortable in a real bed, let them have some peace and rest. And do get some food too"
Faerthor just nodded and ran off and after a while they carried Fain over into a guest room. He was breathing normally and his color was good. Now he was just sleeping due to the medicine he had gotten, he would be okay and Elrond let out a sigh of relief. But Alagasson was in great peril and he wished that there was more he could do. He felt completely helpless, had he still had the power of his ring he could have tried to slow the damage down but here in the blessed realm the rings had sort of lost their magic and became just ordinary jewelry. He guessed that the valar didn't want any more rings of power laying around.
Fain did wake up after another half hour and he was crying and confused but he calmed down relatively fast and proved to have a stoic nature that Elrond found remarkable. He didn't even wince when the healer examined the skin where the hot water had been in contact with his leg and Elrond praised him a lot, that made the lad beam with pride but he was very concerned about Alagasson and Elrond didn't want to tell him the truth so he just said that his friend was being treated in another room. Fain sort of stared down and his eyes were dark. " You are saying that just to be kind right? He isn't gonna be okay"
Elrond swallowed, these telerin elflings were so mature for their age, they understood much more than a noldor elfling would. " No little one, he is not gonna be okay I am afraid"
Fain swallowed hard. "I am so sorry, I heard him scream and if I had been a little faster…"
Elrond hugged the sobbing child and rocked him gently. "There was nothing you could have done Fain, when you heard him scream it was already too late."
His mother sobbed and Elrond got up and made a grimace. "Does any of you know where Hwestor's wife is? I want to send a messenger to her"
Rosdir nodded. "She is in the fishing village south of the great river, by the grey cliffs."
Elrond nodded and left the room, he wrote a swift letter explaining the situation and then he got hold of a messenger and told the ellon to ride hard. He could only hope that Alagasson's mother would make it in time but the sad fact was that the lad probably only had a few hours left, at the most. Elrond cursed the fact that nobody had been able to make antivenom against the poison of this fish, but they didn't know how to. By nightfall he let Fain and his parents go to his home where Celebrian would take good care of them, she had a soft spot for injured little ones and would certainly spoil Fain royally. Elrond wanted the family out of the hospital for he needed to concentrate all his skills on Alagasson. He worked continuously with making potions to make the elfling cope with the poisoning but nothing he did seemed to have an effect.
Hwestor was weeping openly and Elrond didn't know what to say, he had no words to comfort a grieving father and even if he too had lost a child when Arwen chose to become a mortal it was nothing like this. At least Alagasson was so sedated by now he didn't feel much pain and Elrond knew that such a young elf probably would be re-embodied rather fast but the trauma would still stick with the family and the fëa. He allowed Hwestor to lay in the bed, holding the dying child close and just before sunrise Alagasson took his final breath. Hwestor broke down into hysterical sobbing and Elrond suddenly had a new patient to take care off. The loss of his son clearly broke down the ellon's strength and yet his reactions were mild compared with those of parents of the other clans. He had once been there when a vanyarin elleth died after being run over by a cart pulled by some runaway horses and he had feared that the parents would fade and die. They just gave up and sat there in complete apathy and he had been a bit shocked by their reaction.
Hwestor laid there holding his son until the body got cold, then Elrond sort of eased some sleeping medicine into him and put him to bed while the body was washed and prepared for burial. Normally a dead elf would be cremated rather fast after he or she died but Elrond wanted to wait for the mother to arrive.
She got there just before sunset and she immediately broke down and had to be taken care off too and she didn't listen to Elrond who reassured her that Namò probably would return their son to them as soon as he had been healed of the shock of dying thus. She was wailing and screaming and now Hwestor had to concentrate on her instead of his own grief and he did manage to calm her down, at least to a degree. The next morning they burned Alagasson's body and Fain and his family was there too, Elrond saw that Fain was remarkably calm and the young one smiled when Elrond went over to ask how he felt. He was still too weak to walk but he was being carried by his father and he put his chin up and tried to look brave. "When I grow up I want to become a healer like you my lord, and find a way to help people who get stung"
Elrond petted the thick silvery hair and grinned. "I am sure you will be the best healer ever my friend, and for the future, beware of nasty fish"
Fain just nodded and Elrond saw that Alagasson's parents were standing there in a tight embrace. They would make it, they had deep feelings for each other and that made them strong. The pain would follow them for the rest of time but it would fade gradually, and when he was returned to them it would be a new start.
Elrond hated the idea of having lost a patient, it always made him depressed and sad and it was even worse when it was such a young patient but he knew that not even he could conquer death each time. Sometimes the doomsman came to collect and all Elrond could do was to make sure that the dying didn't suffer too much before the end. Alagasson hadn't felt much pain in the end, that was his solace, the one glimpse of something good in this misery, and the knowledge that he had done all that he could.
A couple of days later the two families returned to the coast and Celebrian was beside herself with worry and sent a lot of gifts with them. She had completely melted and had fed Fain enough sweets to hold him on a sugar high for weeks. Elrond couldn't help but wonder about the way fate sometimes works, he had visited a princess with a son who had been an enemy, and seen how she would do everything to protect him and he had witnessed how a simple innocent game of playing tags in the water had resulted in death, a very undeserved one too. Elrond knew that those who had passed through the halls were cleansed of all past sins, and that they were not to be blamed for their previous actions, the ways of the valar were above his understanding and as he went home to rest and write the events down in his journal he sort of felt that the reborn warg rider and the surviving elfling both would have an important role to play in the future. He didn't have his mother in laws ability to see the future but his guts told him that Fain one day would live up to his promise. Perhaps this one day would result in something good after all.
