"Elessar," Merry muttered weakly.
The king knelt to the ground and gently took the hobbit in his arms, cautious on where he touched him. "Men, light a fire and bring me several needles and yarn or string if there is any."
"Elessar, how did you find me?" Merry asked.
"Explanations can be saved for later dearest hobbit," Elessar said. "Time must be spent healing your wounds."
Merry shook his head. "No, please, just let me die. I can't stand living this anymore. Lay me back on the ground and allow me to bleed to death. I don't care anymore." Tremors enveloped his body as he sobbed. "I just want the pain to end."
"No, Merry," Elessar sternly replied. "I will not allow you to die in such a manner. The ordeal you went through was no doubt horrendous and it is obviously clouding your judgment. You have your son to think of. I thought you wanted to see him one last time?"
"What's the point?" Merry wailed. "He's like me now, defiled, dead inside and just waiting for the body to perish. But worse yet, it is my fault for the atrocity committed on him. I thought he would be safe in The Shire but I was wrong. It was my fault. I ruined him."
"Do not say such wicked things about yourself!" Elessar snapped. "I do not understand the situation in which you speak of your son but I suppose I shall learn more about it later."
"Nephril," Merry groaned.
"There is nothing to fear Merry," Elessar said. "That man won't be bothering anyone ever again."
A blanket was laid out on the ground and Elessar lowered Merry to it. Soft hands ran across his body, removing the tattered cloak and shirt. The instant cool air hit his bare flesh Merry began to thrash around. He could hear Elessar trying to soothe him with comforting words but he couldn't remain still. Several other hands griped his body and turned him over until his belly was pressing flat against the surface. Merry found himself flaying more madly as he felt fingers grazing across his wounds, exploring the depth of the cuts.
"Please, I beg of you Merry, hold still," Elessar commanded. "I am only trying to help you. I must examine your wounds before I can stitch them up."
"I all ready told you that I do not want your aid!" Merry screamed. "Let me pass away in peace!"
Elessar contemplated the situation and came up with only one solution. He pulled a small vial from his belt and handed it to one of the guards. "Take this and soak the liquid on one of the rags." Once the rag had been saturated the guard gave it back to the king. "This is a herb solution that will make you fall asleep and also help with pain."
"No!" Merry yelled. "Keep it away from me!"
"I'm sorry, Merry, but you leave me with no other choice," Elessar sighed, pressing the cloth against Merry's mouth and nose.
The hobbit jerked at the contact and tried to turn his head away but the grip of the man was too much for him. Merry cried into the rag as he inhaled the rising fumes. Within seconds he was sound asleep.
After several hours Merry regained consciousness. There was no more pain in his lower back but there was excruciating soreness around his bottom and pelvic region. A sharp pressure shot through him when he attempted to sit up. Muttering in frustration, he collapsed on the blanket face first. He gazed up at the night sky to find it covered in clouds, not a single star shining. The hobbit sighed when the king's hand touched his back and began massaging the sore muscles.
"I'm glad to see you are awake," Elessar said. "The surgery didn't take as long as I expected."
Merry frowned. "So what is wrong with me."
The fingers momentarily ceased but started over. "The wounds on your back were deep. I believe one of your organs may have been punctured but which one it could be I wasn't able to tell."
"Ho-how do you know for sure?" Merry asked.
"You were coughing up blood early," Elessar answered. "That is one of telltale signs."
"If one of my organs has indeed been cut into then why am I still alive?" Merry growled.
"It may not be as major as I thought," Elessar said. "But one thing is for sure, it will eventually kill you."
"Not soon enough," Merry grumbled. The hobbit decided to change the subject when noting a glassy tint in the king's eyes. "You still did not tell me how you came across me."
"When I saw that you were missing from the tower I assembled the guards and rode into the woods," Elessar said. "We had been searching for you for two days and had come across nothing. On the third day in mid afternoon we came across a woman on horseback. She told of us a small cave that she had gone by while riding. Apparently, she could see men in there carrying a small person, perhaps a hobbit. I went to check the cave out and when I returned to question her further she took off into the woods. I had several guards give chase but they were never able to catch her. Before she disappeared she threw away a small pouch."
Merry's eyes widened. "May I see that pouch?"
"Of course," Elessar replied.
The hobbit gazed over the brown pouch and opened up the string to view the contents. Sure enough, it was full of coins and now also contained a folded piece of paper. He took it out and read over it.
Dearest Merry,
I certainly hope you get a chance to read over this and if you don't oh well I suppose. It seemed I had a sudden change of heart when leaving you behind in the cave. You were such a nice creature and the thought of those men harming you was too much for me to bear. So, I hunted down the king and his men and led them to the cave. I only hope they were able to reach you in time before any major damage had been done to you. I'm not about to apologize though, even if you were tormented by those men, I have no reason to. It wasn't my fault if anything happened to you. But I do hope you're alive and well. Oh, I've also decided that I don't need the money Nephril gave me. It's far too tainted for me to keep. Perhaps you could find a better use for it. Maybe give it to your son for a present. Good luck to you on your journey Merry. I can guarantee that our paths will not cross again.
Bremusa
Merry folded the paper back up and returned it to the pouch. "A gift from someone I knew for a bit."
"Oh," Elessar nodded.
Merry ran the pouch through his fingers. "Nephril told me that he had ventured into The Shire. He even told me that he managed to find my son and....raped him. You have seen images through the Palantir. Why did you not bother telling me of these events?"
"Merry, I do not seek the Palantir's images every single day of the week at every passing hour," Elessar growled. "There are times where months have gone by and I do not look. If indeed such a tragedy has befallen your family then they do not show it. The last I saw of them was four days ago. Your son, Pippin, was out gathering vegetables with his surrogate parents. They appeared happy enough. Did you ever consider that those men were lying, only wishing to hurt you further?"
"I considered it," Merry said, "but Nephril knew the color of Pippin's eyes. How could he have known that without every coming into contact with the boy?"
"I wish I knew," Elessar murmured. "We will find out if the men spoke truthfully."
Merry glanced at him with watery eyes. "You mean?"
"Yes, I will help you reach The Shire," Elessar said. "I realize that it is dangerous, especially with the condition of your wound, but do I have any other choice? You will not last in this world much longer; I accept that, so I will make sure you reach home to find your son."
"Thank you Elessar for your eternal kindness," Merry said. "And please forgive me for the outbursts."
"There is no reason to apologize Merry," Elessar spoke. "You have been through an unimaginable hell."
"I think I would like to take a bath if possible?" Merry inquired.
Elessar shook his head. "I would recommend that you take it at a later time. I cleaned and applied herbs to your opening. I fear that it was torn badly from Nephril's ministrations and even the gentlest of touches could cause further bleeding. Also, it appears as if certain areas of your pelvis have been broken. If you get up it would cause you a great deal of pain."
"I will risk it," Merry stuttered. "But, please, help me get on my feet. I have such a hard time standing."
"As you wish Merry," Elessar mumbled.
The king took the hobbits arm and eased him off the ground. Merry teetered and nearly fell over but was able to take hold of Elessar's arm. He was led to a nearby stream where a set of fresh clothes was waiting for him.
"I brought them from your knapsack," Elessar said. "There is soap around if you want it. If you need assistance, at any time, feel free to call out. I won't be far away."
"Thank you, thank you," Merry sniffled. "I need to be alone for a bit, if you understand me."
"I do," Elessar whispered. "I'll be around and remember, take care of how you scrub yourself and keep your back from being submerged. The stitching is still healing over the flesh. Also, I cannot allow you stay in long. You still have pneumonia."
Once the king had left Merry stripped from his ragged clothing and tossed the dirty linen aside. He stepped into the water not caring that the cold temperature stabbed at his flesh. He continued in until the water reached around his waist and immediately began to rub the bar of soap all over his body but he only seemed to concentrate on one area. The tender, ripped flesh was scrubbed until he could feel fresh blood gushing and mingling into the stream water. Even with the pain, he still scrubbed away with ferocity. No matter how hard he scrubbed with the soap the dirt still lingered on his battered body.
For what seemed hours to him, he scrubbed away, still focusing on the one area. He barely noticed when a form came up from behind, lifted him out of the water, and wrapped him in a warm blanket. His body became limp and he allowed Elessar to carry him out, his legs becoming drenched in the water. Once on land Merry buried his face into the king's shoulder and wept bitterly. Elessar sat on the ground, hugged the hobbit close to him, and placed tiny kisses on his forehead. He tenderly cradled Merry and rocked him until the hobbit fell into peaceful sleep.
More to follow.