Nose cold, I woke slowly, aching. Oh well another day on the road and my
hunger was so strong my stomach hurt and I felt ill. I almost didn't want
to open my eyes.
Then I smelled a campfire and I rubbed my face and then smelled the scent of that salve that...
"Elrond! You are here!" I sat up quickly which made my head pound. "I thought I had dreamed it all."
"Good morning Marie, how are you feeling?" The elf lord looked up from across the fire from stirring some eggs in the pan before him. And there were herbs in it and it smelled so good, my mouth watered.
"I feel terrible, but I am so hungry and I am glad you are here!"
"To alleviate your hunger or your distress?" He was smiling at me, the camp smoke softening his features.
I wrapped the blankets about me and stared at the eggs. "Ahh, both I guess! I am SO glad I didn't imagine you!"
And then I noticed a steaming mug of tea next to me. I picked it up and held it staring into the depths of it. I could smell peppermint and other herbs and a faint whiff of honey. Oh the elf lord was....BACK!
I drank the vile stuff and savored every miserable swallow. It almost, but not quite, brought tears to my eyes!
I practically vacuumed up the small serving of eggs he gave me, but he must have known, because it quite filled me up.
"What are our plans for today?"
Lord Elrond glanced up at the sky and smiled slightly. "We shall stay here for the day as it is going to snow. Tomorrow, I will catch up with Loran."
"Can't we try to get him today?" I swallowed a dry cough and quickly drank some more tea (just regular tea, at least it tasted that way to me). "I can ride pillion and we could go find him."
"Your arm is not strong enough for that right now Marie and I will need my hands free to manage Loran."
"Well, you will need them free tomorrow and I will still be able to ride pillion. Rhean will let me won't he?"
"Rest today Marie. I shall see about tomorrow."
I didn't want to argue with him, and shivering a little, I drank some more of the tea and slowly lowered myself into my nest of blankets. I have to admit my arm was not working as well as I wished, my grip was not too strong. But, well, one arm was strong enough. I yawned which turned into a cough.
But I was relatively warm and fed and my pains were vague. Pillowing my head on my good arm, I considered going back to sleep. Then I had a thought. (I have them occasionally! Stop snickering!) "Wait how is Hennar? Who is taking care of her?"
"Hennar is recuperating nicely Marie. Isingal is keeping an eye on her health. When I left, she was learning embroidery from Alathiliel. And coming along quite well she says."
Nodding I was glad to hear it. At least Hennar had something to occupy herself with.
And another lost chick had found a safe haven in Rivendell.
I winced at my own analogy. I lifted my arm. and me winged and curling up in the shadow of Elrond too.
Sighing, I glanced at the elf lord, who was cleaning his bow string.
I turned my head and wrapped myself in the blankets and tears came again.
What a blight I must be on his life! (Stop nodding your heads please!) Showing up unannounced and certainly unwanted.
He had to leave Rivendell and come looking for me and even though he appeared unperturbed by doing so, it just added insult to injury in my mind.
Here I was trying to run away from him and here he was back to tending to another of my messes.
And as I said earlier-----seriously, how very, very glad I was to see him! He made me feel safe and wanted----------So then, why was I running away? What DID I want from him?
I must be a psycho or something (All right out there! You'll be waking the neighbors shortly!!) I could not get a handle on this war inside me: to go or to stay?
I buried my face in the soft wool blanket and inhaled the faint scent of lavender or lilac (I could never distinguish between the two)---my tears made the fragrance even stronger.
Most of the day I spent napping or sitting by the fire. I was getting a cold---no wait, I HAD a cold (not the bronchitis I had before) and that just made me quiet.
Lord Elrond left me to my own devices most of the day as he went hunting.
Bringing back two rabbits, he pulled out some vegetables and gave me a short knife to chop them up into manageable pieces. It was slow work with a lot of false starts, but it gave me something to do while he skinned and cleaned the rabbits, throwing them into the stew pot with herbs when finished.
When the stew was simmering, he came over to me and sat next to me on the log. He set my arm in his lap and carefully undid the bandages.
Making a face at the array of stitches, I slumped. Look at all that work! There must have been over 40 in three different places in my forearm.
He gently prodded the slightly red flesh and then carefully put more salve on the wounds.
"It looks worse than it is Marie. Most of this is not very deep. Just here." He pushed on a spot near my wrist. I could feel that.
Nodding, I swallowed nervously as he put a new dressing on. He also looked at my wrists, which were not looking too bad.
"I'll take the bandages off in a day or so. Your wrists are coming along fine."
Finishing, he put away his medical supplies.
I stared at my new bandages, and then stood abruptly. I needed some fresh air. (Of course neatly forgetting I was out and about in air that couldn't get any fresher).
"I-I'll be right back."
Looking at me calmly, he nodded and I untangled myself from the blankets and adjusting his cloak, I strode off, a little wobbly, but I was able to go quite a distance before I felt the need of a good boulder seat.
The promised snow began to fall softly.
I lifted my face and let the cold feathers drift down and leave their icy dribbles on my skin.
Silence was comfortable. I pulled Elrond's spare cloak around me tighter.
Smiling, I looked at my scuffed boots slowly collecting snowflakes.
Enough introspection!
Enough whining!
Let's keep the agenda straight here: Nabbing that cretin Loran. Hennar needed avenging and since Lord Elrond was here, Loran was going to be tracked down and made to face the results of his actions.
I was not sure what I was going to be doing in all this except staying out of the way.
I stood and shook off the snow from the cape, which of course was a bit long for me, so I had to carefully hold it up. It made my trip back to camp that much slower. But I felt rested, though a little cold. Especially the mauled arm.
I was just making my way around a group of boulders, attempting not to slide on the icy rock, when I heard the click of hooves on stone.
Was Elrond searching for me, had I been gone that long?
Making a small jump to the ground, I stopped with a gasp as I looked up: Loran sat his horse before me at the other end of the clearing.
I saw no sign of Carenloth.
He looked more scraggly and disreputable than when he and I had met previously. Obviously wandering the East Road did not agree with him.
"Well, if it isn't Marie of Rivendell. Well, you got free. How resourceful of you."
Squinting at me, he moved his horse closer and the squint turned into a frown.
Terrified, I backed up into the boulders and yelled, "No thanks to you, you scumbag! I was attacked by wolves! And-and I couldn't get free! Why did you do this?"
He shrugged. "I wanted your horse and supplies as I had not brought enough to get us to Laketown." He pulled out my elven dagger. "This will earn me a pretty penny in Bree." He put it back in his belt and edged his raw-boned steed closer to me.
"Say, where did you get that cloak and those bandages?"
I could go no further and with my arm, there was no way I could climb the rocks behind me. Loran was a sick and twisted individual. Maybe it was living out in the Wild that did it to him. Who knows what kind of life he'd had?
Loran slowly dismounted and slapped his horse away, coming at me.
"Why-why are you here?" I asked breathlessly. "Why aren't you on your way to Laketown? Did you want to gloat over me?"
My Westron was sort of falling apart at this point, but I think he got my drift.
"Bree is closer than Laketown, besides I wanted to find that bitch of a wife. I want to retrieve my part of the bride price I paid for her mewling hide. I was going to return her to her parents because she's of no use to me now."
Trying to hop up on the boulders behind me, my boot slipped on the icy surface, and I fell on my butt, banging my injured arm.
Biting my lip, I said on the verge of tears, "What do you want with me? You have everything I had." Poor Carenloth? Was she dead?
Grabbing me, he said cheerfully as he pulled me up, "Well perhaps some one will pay to have you returned in one piece, as it were."
Not completely sure of his Westron, I realized with a shiver, he had drunk the elven wine I had filched from the kitchens.
Oh wonderful. A drunk, belligerent Loran.
Yanking me away from the rocks by my injured arm insured I did nothing dramatic or stupid.
Oh now what?
Just as he pulled me harder, I tripped on the edge of the cloak and fell.
Thwip! I heard the sound of an arrow and a deep groan from Loran who instantly dropped me.
I cowered down, but suddenly looked up when I felt someone near me. I had heard no tell-tale crunching of snow. I looked up to see Lord Elrond holding his bow at his side, a quiver over his shoulder. Ignoring the moaning Loran for the moment, he carefully helped me up.
"Are you all right?"
I didn't know if I was or not, but I nodded and then looked at the fallen form of Loran, blood from the arrow in his shoulder staining the new snow red. I turned away with a shudder. "Thank you..I had no idea he'd be back here or I would have stayed in the camp."
An eyebrow went up at that and I smiled. "Honest!"
He smiled in return and then, adjusting the bow over one shoulder, he carefully lifted Loran in a fireman's hold.
"That's it! That's how I cared Hennar!"
"Is it now? We have no name for this. What did you call it?"
"A fireman's hold."
"An unusual name Marie for such a simple thing."
I followed the elf lord, grabbing the dangling reins of Loran's tired horse as we passed, shaking my head, watching the blood drip on the snow as we trudged back to camp. Okay, while I trudged back to camp. He left no footsteps, even burdened as he was.
When we reached camp, I tied up Loran's horse and pulled my rucksack off the saddle.
Ah, the copy of Beren and Luthien was intact, thank God! And I was indeed right, all the elven wine was gone.
Holding my arm carefully, I went over to where Elrond was calmly pulling his arrow out of Loran's right shoulder.
Even drunk as a skunk, he hollered and yelled as if he was being skinned alive. I am sure a lot of what he said was very colorful curses. Even the elf lord raised his eyebrows at a few!
My Westron of course, was not up to speed. Probably just as well.
I helped where I could, bringing the elf lord supplies and keeping the water warm.
Finally Lord Elrond had had enough and sent the drunk human to sleep.
I sat back on my heels, shaking my head at the sprawled man, his mouth hanging slackly open, his shoulder neatly bandaged.
"What a creep. You are being too nice to him."
"I must admit his shouting was getting to be a bit much. A "creep?" Do you not mean a creeper?"
Laughing I said, "No, just a creep, a monster, scum, a weasel, a----"
"Ah, I see."
"All I see is an ol' softy of an elf lord who cannot bear to see anyone in pain."
A corner of his mouth quirked up as he cleaned up his supplies. "As I said, he was getting rather tiresome with his yelling."
"Sure, sure. I understand."
As he put away his supplies, I pulled my/his cloak off and threw it over Loran. Arranging his limbs more comfortably, I turned and sat around the fire, hunched forward, protecting my arm, which was really, really throbbing at the moment. Creep!
"So when is supper? I could eat a whole roast boar!"
"A little more simmering should just about do it."
"It smells really good."
Elrond looked at me from across the fire, his eyes deep and dark. He tipped his head slightly and then stood up and came over to me.
"Yes? Did you want your cloak back? I just threw it on Mr. Happypants there."
Elrond laughed out loud ""Happypants?" Oh Marie, Old Dwarvish is so colorful!"
I laughed too. I don't know what made me say that. Rubbing my arm, my eyes dropped to the cheery flames.
I have to admit, it was nice indeed to be camping again with the elf lord. And no mountain avalanches to get caught in, not here in the foothills anyway. The snow was still falling slowly, the flakes hissing in the fire, though the big pine we were under kept most of the snow off.
I looked up when I felt the weight of wool on my shoulders.
"Won't you get cold?"
He shook his head. "The fire will be enough for me."
I clasped it tighter, shivering suddenly. My adrenaline was running out once more.
He sat next to me again and gently untangled my arm out from under the cloak.
"Come, let me see. You face is almost as white as the snow."
I bit my lip. "But you just changed it."
Shaking his head, he unwrapped the bandage, which was stained and I winced when I saw that the wound near my wrist was bleeding. It looked as if some of the stitches had popped.
Tired suddenly, I automatically tried to jerk it away but he held it steady.
"Marie, only two stitches have come undone. I will be finished before you know it."
He carefully put my arm in my lap and I stared at it, my hunger suddenly fading away.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
I sulked. It was going to hurt and I just didn't want to give him grief like old howler Loran.
He put his satchel down by his boots and took out what he needed. I tried not to watch.
Taking a folded cloth, he poured something from a large vial onto it. It was clear and had a very pungent unidentifiable odor.
He placed the soaked cloth firmly on the area where the stitches had broken and I hissed at the coldness. And before I knew it, my wrist had gone numb.
I looked up at him puzzled. "Just like that?"
"Just like that." He took out a small spindle of thread, cut off a length and threaded a needle.
Terrified, I watched in fascination.
And he was right! I did not hurt. Felt really weird, but it did not hurt. And he was done in a few minutes. He put his supplies away (He is so meticulous of course) and then lay his hand on the wound, sending deep healing warmth into it.
I sighed, becoming suddenly unknotted and was very relaxed by the time he had re-bandaged it.
Once he had finished, he went over to the stew pot. "Are you a still hungry?"
"Yes," I said, surprising myself, "I am."
"Good, because we have plenty. Even enough for Loran there if he should waken."
"But will he?" I pulled back in slight alarm.
"No. He will sleep until morning."
"Good, because well, he gives me the creeps."
"He is a creep that gives you the creeps? I am afraid you have confused me utterly Marie."
Shaking my head, I bit my lip, but couldn't stop myself and laughed at loud.
"Oh never mind! Bring on the stew!"
He complied.
Then I smelled a campfire and I rubbed my face and then smelled the scent of that salve that...
"Elrond! You are here!" I sat up quickly which made my head pound. "I thought I had dreamed it all."
"Good morning Marie, how are you feeling?" The elf lord looked up from across the fire from stirring some eggs in the pan before him. And there were herbs in it and it smelled so good, my mouth watered.
"I feel terrible, but I am so hungry and I am glad you are here!"
"To alleviate your hunger or your distress?" He was smiling at me, the camp smoke softening his features.
I wrapped the blankets about me and stared at the eggs. "Ahh, both I guess! I am SO glad I didn't imagine you!"
And then I noticed a steaming mug of tea next to me. I picked it up and held it staring into the depths of it. I could smell peppermint and other herbs and a faint whiff of honey. Oh the elf lord was....BACK!
I drank the vile stuff and savored every miserable swallow. It almost, but not quite, brought tears to my eyes!
I practically vacuumed up the small serving of eggs he gave me, but he must have known, because it quite filled me up.
"What are our plans for today?"
Lord Elrond glanced up at the sky and smiled slightly. "We shall stay here for the day as it is going to snow. Tomorrow, I will catch up with Loran."
"Can't we try to get him today?" I swallowed a dry cough and quickly drank some more tea (just regular tea, at least it tasted that way to me). "I can ride pillion and we could go find him."
"Your arm is not strong enough for that right now Marie and I will need my hands free to manage Loran."
"Well, you will need them free tomorrow and I will still be able to ride pillion. Rhean will let me won't he?"
"Rest today Marie. I shall see about tomorrow."
I didn't want to argue with him, and shivering a little, I drank some more of the tea and slowly lowered myself into my nest of blankets. I have to admit my arm was not working as well as I wished, my grip was not too strong. But, well, one arm was strong enough. I yawned which turned into a cough.
But I was relatively warm and fed and my pains were vague. Pillowing my head on my good arm, I considered going back to sleep. Then I had a thought. (I have them occasionally! Stop snickering!) "Wait how is Hennar? Who is taking care of her?"
"Hennar is recuperating nicely Marie. Isingal is keeping an eye on her health. When I left, she was learning embroidery from Alathiliel. And coming along quite well she says."
Nodding I was glad to hear it. At least Hennar had something to occupy herself with.
And another lost chick had found a safe haven in Rivendell.
I winced at my own analogy. I lifted my arm. and me winged and curling up in the shadow of Elrond too.
Sighing, I glanced at the elf lord, who was cleaning his bow string.
I turned my head and wrapped myself in the blankets and tears came again.
What a blight I must be on his life! (Stop nodding your heads please!) Showing up unannounced and certainly unwanted.
He had to leave Rivendell and come looking for me and even though he appeared unperturbed by doing so, it just added insult to injury in my mind.
Here I was trying to run away from him and here he was back to tending to another of my messes.
And as I said earlier-----seriously, how very, very glad I was to see him! He made me feel safe and wanted----------So then, why was I running away? What DID I want from him?
I must be a psycho or something (All right out there! You'll be waking the neighbors shortly!!) I could not get a handle on this war inside me: to go or to stay?
I buried my face in the soft wool blanket and inhaled the faint scent of lavender or lilac (I could never distinguish between the two)---my tears made the fragrance even stronger.
Most of the day I spent napping or sitting by the fire. I was getting a cold---no wait, I HAD a cold (not the bronchitis I had before) and that just made me quiet.
Lord Elrond left me to my own devices most of the day as he went hunting.
Bringing back two rabbits, he pulled out some vegetables and gave me a short knife to chop them up into manageable pieces. It was slow work with a lot of false starts, but it gave me something to do while he skinned and cleaned the rabbits, throwing them into the stew pot with herbs when finished.
When the stew was simmering, he came over to me and sat next to me on the log. He set my arm in his lap and carefully undid the bandages.
Making a face at the array of stitches, I slumped. Look at all that work! There must have been over 40 in three different places in my forearm.
He gently prodded the slightly red flesh and then carefully put more salve on the wounds.
"It looks worse than it is Marie. Most of this is not very deep. Just here." He pushed on a spot near my wrist. I could feel that.
Nodding, I swallowed nervously as he put a new dressing on. He also looked at my wrists, which were not looking too bad.
"I'll take the bandages off in a day or so. Your wrists are coming along fine."
Finishing, he put away his medical supplies.
I stared at my new bandages, and then stood abruptly. I needed some fresh air. (Of course neatly forgetting I was out and about in air that couldn't get any fresher).
"I-I'll be right back."
Looking at me calmly, he nodded and I untangled myself from the blankets and adjusting his cloak, I strode off, a little wobbly, but I was able to go quite a distance before I felt the need of a good boulder seat.
The promised snow began to fall softly.
I lifted my face and let the cold feathers drift down and leave their icy dribbles on my skin.
Silence was comfortable. I pulled Elrond's spare cloak around me tighter.
Smiling, I looked at my scuffed boots slowly collecting snowflakes.
Enough introspection!
Enough whining!
Let's keep the agenda straight here: Nabbing that cretin Loran. Hennar needed avenging and since Lord Elrond was here, Loran was going to be tracked down and made to face the results of his actions.
I was not sure what I was going to be doing in all this except staying out of the way.
I stood and shook off the snow from the cape, which of course was a bit long for me, so I had to carefully hold it up. It made my trip back to camp that much slower. But I felt rested, though a little cold. Especially the mauled arm.
I was just making my way around a group of boulders, attempting not to slide on the icy rock, when I heard the click of hooves on stone.
Was Elrond searching for me, had I been gone that long?
Making a small jump to the ground, I stopped with a gasp as I looked up: Loran sat his horse before me at the other end of the clearing.
I saw no sign of Carenloth.
He looked more scraggly and disreputable than when he and I had met previously. Obviously wandering the East Road did not agree with him.
"Well, if it isn't Marie of Rivendell. Well, you got free. How resourceful of you."
Squinting at me, he moved his horse closer and the squint turned into a frown.
Terrified, I backed up into the boulders and yelled, "No thanks to you, you scumbag! I was attacked by wolves! And-and I couldn't get free! Why did you do this?"
He shrugged. "I wanted your horse and supplies as I had not brought enough to get us to Laketown." He pulled out my elven dagger. "This will earn me a pretty penny in Bree." He put it back in his belt and edged his raw-boned steed closer to me.
"Say, where did you get that cloak and those bandages?"
I could go no further and with my arm, there was no way I could climb the rocks behind me. Loran was a sick and twisted individual. Maybe it was living out in the Wild that did it to him. Who knows what kind of life he'd had?
Loran slowly dismounted and slapped his horse away, coming at me.
"Why-why are you here?" I asked breathlessly. "Why aren't you on your way to Laketown? Did you want to gloat over me?"
My Westron was sort of falling apart at this point, but I think he got my drift.
"Bree is closer than Laketown, besides I wanted to find that bitch of a wife. I want to retrieve my part of the bride price I paid for her mewling hide. I was going to return her to her parents because she's of no use to me now."
Trying to hop up on the boulders behind me, my boot slipped on the icy surface, and I fell on my butt, banging my injured arm.
Biting my lip, I said on the verge of tears, "What do you want with me? You have everything I had." Poor Carenloth? Was she dead?
Grabbing me, he said cheerfully as he pulled me up, "Well perhaps some one will pay to have you returned in one piece, as it were."
Not completely sure of his Westron, I realized with a shiver, he had drunk the elven wine I had filched from the kitchens.
Oh wonderful. A drunk, belligerent Loran.
Yanking me away from the rocks by my injured arm insured I did nothing dramatic or stupid.
Oh now what?
Just as he pulled me harder, I tripped on the edge of the cloak and fell.
Thwip! I heard the sound of an arrow and a deep groan from Loran who instantly dropped me.
I cowered down, but suddenly looked up when I felt someone near me. I had heard no tell-tale crunching of snow. I looked up to see Lord Elrond holding his bow at his side, a quiver over his shoulder. Ignoring the moaning Loran for the moment, he carefully helped me up.
"Are you all right?"
I didn't know if I was or not, but I nodded and then looked at the fallen form of Loran, blood from the arrow in his shoulder staining the new snow red. I turned away with a shudder. "Thank you..I had no idea he'd be back here or I would have stayed in the camp."
An eyebrow went up at that and I smiled. "Honest!"
He smiled in return and then, adjusting the bow over one shoulder, he carefully lifted Loran in a fireman's hold.
"That's it! That's how I cared Hennar!"
"Is it now? We have no name for this. What did you call it?"
"A fireman's hold."
"An unusual name Marie for such a simple thing."
I followed the elf lord, grabbing the dangling reins of Loran's tired horse as we passed, shaking my head, watching the blood drip on the snow as we trudged back to camp. Okay, while I trudged back to camp. He left no footsteps, even burdened as he was.
When we reached camp, I tied up Loran's horse and pulled my rucksack off the saddle.
Ah, the copy of Beren and Luthien was intact, thank God! And I was indeed right, all the elven wine was gone.
Holding my arm carefully, I went over to where Elrond was calmly pulling his arrow out of Loran's right shoulder.
Even drunk as a skunk, he hollered and yelled as if he was being skinned alive. I am sure a lot of what he said was very colorful curses. Even the elf lord raised his eyebrows at a few!
My Westron of course, was not up to speed. Probably just as well.
I helped where I could, bringing the elf lord supplies and keeping the water warm.
Finally Lord Elrond had had enough and sent the drunk human to sleep.
I sat back on my heels, shaking my head at the sprawled man, his mouth hanging slackly open, his shoulder neatly bandaged.
"What a creep. You are being too nice to him."
"I must admit his shouting was getting to be a bit much. A "creep?" Do you not mean a creeper?"
Laughing I said, "No, just a creep, a monster, scum, a weasel, a----"
"Ah, I see."
"All I see is an ol' softy of an elf lord who cannot bear to see anyone in pain."
A corner of his mouth quirked up as he cleaned up his supplies. "As I said, he was getting rather tiresome with his yelling."
"Sure, sure. I understand."
As he put away his supplies, I pulled my/his cloak off and threw it over Loran. Arranging his limbs more comfortably, I turned and sat around the fire, hunched forward, protecting my arm, which was really, really throbbing at the moment. Creep!
"So when is supper? I could eat a whole roast boar!"
"A little more simmering should just about do it."
"It smells really good."
Elrond looked at me from across the fire, his eyes deep and dark. He tipped his head slightly and then stood up and came over to me.
"Yes? Did you want your cloak back? I just threw it on Mr. Happypants there."
Elrond laughed out loud ""Happypants?" Oh Marie, Old Dwarvish is so colorful!"
I laughed too. I don't know what made me say that. Rubbing my arm, my eyes dropped to the cheery flames.
I have to admit, it was nice indeed to be camping again with the elf lord. And no mountain avalanches to get caught in, not here in the foothills anyway. The snow was still falling slowly, the flakes hissing in the fire, though the big pine we were under kept most of the snow off.
I looked up when I felt the weight of wool on my shoulders.
"Won't you get cold?"
He shook his head. "The fire will be enough for me."
I clasped it tighter, shivering suddenly. My adrenaline was running out once more.
He sat next to me again and gently untangled my arm out from under the cloak.
"Come, let me see. You face is almost as white as the snow."
I bit my lip. "But you just changed it."
Shaking his head, he unwrapped the bandage, which was stained and I winced when I saw that the wound near my wrist was bleeding. It looked as if some of the stitches had popped.
Tired suddenly, I automatically tried to jerk it away but he held it steady.
"Marie, only two stitches have come undone. I will be finished before you know it."
He carefully put my arm in my lap and I stared at it, my hunger suddenly fading away.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
I sulked. It was going to hurt and I just didn't want to give him grief like old howler Loran.
He put his satchel down by his boots and took out what he needed. I tried not to watch.
Taking a folded cloth, he poured something from a large vial onto it. It was clear and had a very pungent unidentifiable odor.
He placed the soaked cloth firmly on the area where the stitches had broken and I hissed at the coldness. And before I knew it, my wrist had gone numb.
I looked up at him puzzled. "Just like that?"
"Just like that." He took out a small spindle of thread, cut off a length and threaded a needle.
Terrified, I watched in fascination.
And he was right! I did not hurt. Felt really weird, but it did not hurt. And he was done in a few minutes. He put his supplies away (He is so meticulous of course) and then lay his hand on the wound, sending deep healing warmth into it.
I sighed, becoming suddenly unknotted and was very relaxed by the time he had re-bandaged it.
Once he had finished, he went over to the stew pot. "Are you a still hungry?"
"Yes," I said, surprising myself, "I am."
"Good, because we have plenty. Even enough for Loran there if he should waken."
"But will he?" I pulled back in slight alarm.
"No. He will sleep until morning."
"Good, because well, he gives me the creeps."
"He is a creep that gives you the creeps? I am afraid you have confused me utterly Marie."
Shaking my head, I bit my lip, but couldn't stop myself and laughed at loud.
"Oh never mind! Bring on the stew!"
He complied.
