A/N: Those of you who are reading 'Heart' on FFN will notice a missing chapter. This is because Chapter Six dealt with a largely sexual topic which couldn't be edited into something consumable for the under-18 crowd and still get the gist of the chapter across. If you're interested in reading it, it's on my website, which is linked on my author page. Happy reading! ~Ereinion

Chapter Seven:

The next morning, Meg, dressed in the light shirt and dark grey skirt that had been given to her by Havan, entered the master suite. Her bright brown eyes were wide with curiosity as she approached the bed, looking at the occupants curiously before giving Ereinion a gentle shove.

Ereinion didn't wake up immediately. It took him a couple moments to realize there was more than one other person in the room, and he turned his head to see his ward at the side of the bed. "Good morning, Meg..." He pretended as if being caught naked in bed with another naked man with only a sheet and thin blanket covering them both was nothing out of the ordinary. Indeed, for him, it wasn't out of the ordinary. But usually, it was his attendant who caught him and not 10-year-old human females.

Meg beamed and reached over, touching Elrond's ear and dark hair curiously.

Elrond moaned quietly. "My lord, it is early still..." He rolled over lightly, the sheet shifting to barely cover his nudity.

Ereinion chuckled. "Elrond, wake up and meet Meg."

Meg smiled as the elven lord moaned again. She reached over and gently press her lips against his. Instantly, the grey eyes shot open, focusing swiftly as Elrond pulled back, appalled. "What ... what is this?" His voice rose angrily. Meg backed up, her eyes wide in fright.

Ereinion sat up immediately and held Elrond. "Calm down, love! She meant no harm!" He turned to Meg. "It's ok, Meg, you just startled him."

Meg stayed put, but smiled slowly as the elven king spoke to her.

Elrond slowly got control of himself, pulling the blankets over his body as he regarded first the girl and then his love. "That was no peck, Ereinion," he hissed, embarrassment rather than rage driving his anger.


"Elrond, she's not been here a day and already you're yelling at her," he said, his tone slightly admonishing but carrying no real weight. "I rescued her from Havan not twelve hours ago; who knows what she'd been through before then." He gave Elrond a look acknowledging his concern about the kiss and silently telling him they'd deal with it later, then he turned and motioned to Meg. "Come on up, Meg," he said, gesturing to a place on the bed. "Meet Elrond."

Meg approached them again, cautiously at first then with more confidence once she saw that the other elf wasn't angry anymore, and took both elves' hands and smiled. Ereinion didn't hesitate to hug the cute human girl.

Elrond allowed his mind to fully awaken, and forced himself to smile. "Hello, Meg. I did not mean to startle you."

Meg returned Ereinion's hug and peered at them both, her fingers going to Ereinion's pointed ears. She paused, then made a writing motion.

Ereinion pointed to the curtain. "Behind there, on the desk, there's a notepad and pencil."

Meg ran off and returned with the notepad. *Sorry,* she wrote. *Havan said he starts with a kiss to ease new ones. Arrah heard it too.*

Ereinion nodded, seeing now how Meg misunderstood the statement. "Havan made a business out of people's desires. You'll learn how things are in the outside world soon enough."

Elrond pulled a robe over himself with no small amount of trouble, trying to keep from baring anymore of his body. He then moved over there and peered at the tablet curiously, his body visibly more relaxed.

Meg shook her head. *One kiss for Elrond and he make elf happy. Elf is your friend, I want him happy.*

Ereinion smiled. "Well, I think between you and me, Elrond's happy now."

Elrond took a deep breath, unwilling to express his growing concern over this new information about his merchant friend in front of a child. In fact, when Meg looked at the elven lord, he managed a brief smile over his cool features. "This other human, my lord, where is he?"

Ereinion asked Meg, "Have you seen Arrah today? Is he still asleep?"

Meg shrugged and reached up, playing with Elrond's long dark hair.

The grey eyes regarded her a moment before he addressed his lover again. "We do not know what background he may have come from," he said softly, "and there are things here that are dear to me and that I have no reason to hide from sight."

Ereinion nodded and turned back to Meg. "Can you do a favor for me? Go to Arrah's room and see if he's still there. His room is the fifth door on the left, after you leave this room. If he's not there, come back and tell me."

Meg nodded and turned to run off but Elrond stopped her gently. "If he is, please tell him to come with you to meet me." She nodded readily and departed as quickly as she'd come.

Elrond sighed heavily as he ventured into his large closest to dress. He felt like a fool, and that shamed him greatly. Ereinion also wasted no time in getting dressed, and was thankful that Elrond and he were about the same size. "If we're going to continue this arrangement," he suggested, "it might behoove us to put some of my clothes in your closet also."

Elrond allowed his mind to slowly take in the advice, the grey eyes turning to his lover, the rest of him still half-dressed. It was such a simple idea, one that had merit, but something about it nearly brought a tear to his eye. "If you wish it," he replied quietly.

Ereinion smiled and gently kissed his lover. "I wish it," he affirmed. The intimacy of such a simple thing was not lost on him. It meant a shift toward a safely domestic, day-to-day, (Valar forbid!) normal life -- at least until reality came to drag him away again.

The pleasure that the answer shown in the grey eyes before he hid them behind his lids and returned to dressing after their light kiss. "You've a good heart to take these humans in."

"I'd have no heart if I didn't. I did give Arrah the option of leaving this morning, after I geared him up. A little food, a few supplies, a map, and the like. I'll pay you back for it if he takes me up on the offer."

The elven lord tied his hair together in two strands, on either side, and pushed them forward with a ready frown. "For our sake, I will pretend you did not just make such an offer to me -- that I would require you to pay such a trivial thing! It is insulting!" His voice was anything but angry, but his annoyance was clear.

"You know well that insult was not my intent, and I know you wouldn't require such a thing if I was the person in need of provisions -- but it's not me who needs them, it's Arrah. Providing the arrogant little thing hasn't already skipped town. But if that is your thought on the matter, I will say no more."

Elrond turned from him. "Say what you wish. I have never requested any less of you, though you clearly demand more from me…" His voice trailed off as he noticed the shadows on the other side of the curtain.

Arrah stepped in, his eyes dark with displeasure and his brow slightly damp. "I require no provisions. I managed to walk this far on my own, and I can continue doing the same. If you will kindly point me in the direction of the nearest human settlement, I will find a way to gather supplies," he voiced quietly.

Meg walked over to Ereinion, hovering between him and Elrond, looking between the three of them. Elrond frowned lightly as Meg returned to toying with his hair and fine robes.

"There's not a human settlement around here for at least nine day's walk, and there's been talk of orcs between here and there," Ereinion informed the youth. He did feel bad about what he'd said, and he had to assume Arrah had heard his comment.

Arrah looked lost and speechless, his green eyes reflecting fatigue. Then, his posture stiffened as he drew strength from anger. "Very well, I have done without for longer. In which direction is this settlement?"

Ereinion found he couldn't remain annoyed with Arrah for any extended period of time. "It's due west. It's called Amon Sul. And you're clearly too tired to travel, so sit down and take your rest."

Arrah shook his head slowly. "No, it only prolongs what I must do eventually. Not all of us have so many years to waste." He looked to Meg and then the elves before departing.

Elrond sighed heavily and picked the child beside him up, in an effort to keep her from pulling so hard trying to get to more of his hair. "He has a great deal of anger, my love, which he uses to mask other emotions." He paused. "He will not survive such a trip on foot."

Ereinion nodded. "I swear, it is not any difference between he and I that grates on my nerves. It's that we're innately the same." He sighed. "I'll either return, or see him to Amon Sul on horseback." With that, he followed the young lad.

Elrond watched him depart and then frowned, wondering what he would do with the human child even for a short period of time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Arrah ventured down the halls quickly, ignoring those who gave him strange glances. He traveled for about five minutes, after which time it was abundantly clear that he was lost. Cursing softly, he paused and placed his forehead against the wall, tears leaking from the sides of his closed eyes. "Orcs, days..." he whispered quietly to himself. "I'll never make it. But I must try."

That was how Ereinion found him, and he carefully approached and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you come back and we'll talk about getting you to Amon Sul?"

Arrah stiffed as he breathed in sharply. "No, I don't want your help. If I do not make it to this place on my own, then I have no chance of making it further anyway."

"You are tired and weak from your ordeal, and you bear a greater burden than you let any of us see. Why won't you let us help?"

Arrah wiped his eyes and turned to face the elven king. "You do not wish to help me. I heard it myself. And I've no desire to take the aid of elves who feel obligated to give it."

Ereinion smiled softly. "It's not that I don't wish to help you, Arrah. It's that I feel you're not willing to receive it. You and I are very alike. You remind me a great deal of how I was in younger days, and how I still can be if given the chance. I want to help you. But I can't help you if I don't know how to help."

Arrah sighed softly, leaning against the wall. "I am tired, and I am ill... But a real man, he can travel on his own..." He looked away and out a nearby window. "You cannot help me, for I must go, but I have no place to go to."

"If you have no place to go, then what's the point in leaving the place you are? You need rest and healing, Arrah. You can get both here, and we offer it freely. Imladris is a haven and a sanctuary for all people, not just elves."

Arrah laughed bitterly. "You do not see cities of elves and men together. There is a reason for it. Besides, I do have one drive; I will exact my revenge on Havan." The green eyes regarded him coldly. "Or is revenge too human for you, elf?"

"I understand revenge all too well," Ereinion told him, though he did not elaborate. "However driven you may be, you are not at your finest right now. You need to rest and recover yourself before you can hope to do anything to Havan."

He seemed hesitant again, the ice melting away from the green globes as he regarded Ereinion. "All right," he whispered.

Ereinion nodded. "Come on." He guided the youth back to the master suite.

Arrah nodded solemnly, his eyes downcast as they ventured back to the room, finding Meg and Elrond seated at the desk, both peering intently at the paper.

Ereinion sat Arrah down in one of the comfortable chairs in Elrond's room, then approached Elrond and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I need your help, my friend."

Elrond nodded and placed the child in the chair. "Draw some more, Meg." He then turned to his lover. "What can I do?"

"Arrah needs your healing skills." He looked back at Meg for a moment, then returned his gaze to Elrond. "You two seem to be communicating well. Should I be worried?" The last bit was a jest on his part -- he knew Elrond didn't do well with children until they reached an age where they could sit quietly for extended periods of time -- but part of him really meant the words.

Elrond smiled and shook his head. "No, but she cannot describe in words what she has seen so I encouraged her to draw." He approached Arrah and knelt near the human, placing his fingers on the dark brow gently. "Do you know what I should look for, my lord?"

Ereinion shook his head in response, then turned to the human teenager. "Elrond's a healer," he explained.

Elrond frowned as Arrah regarded him wearily, but continued, running his hands over the youth's body, pausing when he came to the human's abdomen, for Arrah winced and gasped in pain.

"Relax," the elven lord mumbled quietly, probing the area carefully his brow furrowed in thought until Arrah pulled away, striking Elrond firmly. "Enough," the youth hissed through clinched teeth. Elrond remained calm, ignoring the light sting across his cheek.

"Arrah, Elrond can't help you if you don't let him," Ereinion reminded him gently. "It's obvious you're in pain." Inside, he wanted to comfort Elrond and try to heal the sting of the slap, but he knew that Elrond could take care of himself and that such a show of affection at this point in time wouldn't be good for the situation at large.

Arrah glowered at Elrond with open hostility. The grey eyes continued to gaze at him calmly for a few moments, waiting for the human to relax. "May I continue?" he questioned quietly. Arrah frowned but nodded.

Elrond kneeled again, examining the same area. "Have you been wounded here?"

"That's an understatement," the dark-skinned youth all but spat. "There's a spear-point embedded there, but it does not bother me unless someone comes up and shoves on me like you did."

Elrond raised an eyebrow. "They left it inside you?" He sounded appalled.

"As opposed to bleeding to death in the middle of nowhere? Yes, they did."

Elrond did not care for the youth's haughty and hostile tone, but he considered the information. "Who dealt you this wound?"

"Not who, what: an orc."

"How long ago was this?" Ereinion asked.

Arrah sighed, pushing his shirt down. "I do not know. It was when Havan 'saved' me."

Elrond eyed the youth thoughtfully. "Orc spears are known for their poisons, Arrah."

"I know, we got an antidote and someone to seal the wound with no scar. They couldn't get the spearhead out, said it was too close to my organ or something."

'Well, it can't just stay in there,' Ereinion thought to himself, but knew better than to voice what Elrond already knew.

Arrah seemed to instinctively see where the conversation was going. "No," he voiced firmly, standing. "I am not letting you cut me open."

Elrond folded his arms smoothly. "There can be any number of reasons that you are sick and evidently unable to sleep. The antidote may not have worked fully, the item may have wood that is rotting inside, or perhaps it has moved. I don't know why Havan did not bring you here immediately."

Arrah laughed coldly. "What makes you think he even cared? I wasn't dying, so we kept moving on until we came across whatever master he deems fit to decide that I needed more healing. You really are naive, aren't you? Give him another year or so and I am certain he would have got what he wanted."

"Arrah," Ereinion said in a warning tone. There were boundaries to what Arrah could say, and that was one of them. His tone softened as he returned to the subject at hand. "Elrond's right. You do need surgery. With an elf performing it, you've got a much better chance of survival than you would with human healers. If you want to get back at Havan, you've got to be in top shape, and he's going to know right where to hit you if we leave the spearhead in there. The surgery is to your advantage, both in your quest and for your long-term health in general." It was devious, sneaky, and underhanded, he knew, to use Arrah's quest for revenge to get what Ereinion wanted. And he admitted it to himself. But right now, he was less concerned with whether or not Arrah liked him and more concerned with getting that spearhead out of Arrah's gut.

Elrond frowned. "I do not believe for one moment that Havan believed this would be a problem, otherwise he would have come to me. Havan is not healer-trained; he had no way of knowing this was the source of your problem if some foolish healer told him it would not be."

Arrah glowered. "I will--"

The Lord of Rivendell interrupted. "It will be removed Arrah, or you will suffer until it eventually kills you. And I will sanction no revenge upon Havan. If it wasn't for him, we would not be having this conversation."

This was one of those occasions where Ereinion wished Elrond's voice had an on/off switch. It was also one of those occasions where he realized he really was a domineering bastard to want to control every word his lover said in situations like this.

"Let's not argue about this," Ereinion said with a sigh. "Arrah, this needs to be done. It needed to be done when it happened. It doesn't matter whose fault it is that it didn't get done then. This has to be done, or you will die, and it will be a slow and agonizing death."

"You would defend him, after his deeds, after his plotting after you, selling people like cattle?!" Arrah sounded disbelieving. "What sort of elves are you?! I thought you were supposed to be on side of light! I thought..." He trailed off, mind whirling

Elrond regarded him calmly. "I do not condone all his actions, Arrah. But I do realize that he does not follow the shadow, and though his methods and choices are selfish, they are not entirely evil. As for elves, this is my opinion. I am certain Ereinion has his own." He took a calming breath. "In any event, he is right. Perhaps a few years down the road, maybe longer, maybe less, you will succumb this. Allow us to help you."

Arrah turned away from them. "But you don't even know if its the problem for sure..."

"Arrah, you have a fucking hunk of metal and wood degrading inside your body, and you have the balls tell one of the finest healers either of our people have ever seen that he can't know for sure if it's the problem?!" Ereinion's outburst was a surprise to himself, and Meg looked up, her eyes wide, as if she had not been paying attention up until that point. Elrond was not entirely surprised at his lover's reaction, though the king's choice of words caused him pause.

Arrah trembled briefly, hiding his face as the tears filled his eyes and spilled over. "I am scared..." he whispered softly.

Ereinion moved to the frightened youth and put a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. If this situation's frustrating for me, I can't begin to imagine what it's like for you." He paused, then continued. "You'll be unconscious throughout the entire procedure. You won't be able to feel anything. If you like, I'll be in the surgical suite with you, holding your hand. It's normal to be scared or nervous, Arrah. It's not something you ever get over. I've been through surgeries before, in the middle of a war, and I was scared as all hell. At least you'll have the benefit of being asleep through all of it."

Arrah turned then, putting his arms around the elven king as he pressed his face into the warm cloth. "People do not survive such procedures... They are horrid, left open on the table…"

Elrond neared his lover, his grey eyes expressing concern that he did not voice. "Elven medicine is different," he assured quietly.

Ereinion held the youth gently in his arms, following his instinct to comfort the scared young man. "I know you're scared, and I know you're not familiar with Eldarin medicine, but I assure you everything will be alright. You're in a safe place with proper facilities and the best healer anyone could ask for. You're going to be just fine."

Arrah nodded after a moment, unable to say more.

Elrond frowned glancing at his lover as he considered the upcoming task. He had not done such a thing before. The wounds he'd worked on were always open, the offending item often exposed. This would be new, yet there was magic to be used, and his confidence in that stilled his tongue from preventing further promises.

Ereinion found himself rocking Arrah gently from side to side, soothing the young man. He knew that this was going to be different than any battlefield surgery, and while he trusted in Elrond's ability, he was worried. He didn't want to lose Arrah, he realized suddenly. He'd become just as attached to the youth as he'd become attached to Meg. The realization amazed him to no end. He would have to think more on this later, when everything wasn't hectic and whirling around him.

Elrond spoke quietly after allowing them silence and looking over Meg's rather disturbing drawings. "You two both need something to eat, and I want you to rest, Arrah. In the meantime, I will do some research on similar procedures."

Ereinion nodded. "Come on, I'll take you to the kitchen," he told Arrah. "Meg, why don't you come along also?" Meg nodded, and the two humans followed the king to the manor's large kitchen, leaving Elrond to venture to his library with a heavy sigh. The morning had not started well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Ereinion prepared a breakfast of fruits, bread, and tea for the two humans, but ate little himself. He was too agitated to eat very much. Arrah picked at his breakfast a bit, his green eyes distant and lost to thought. Meg ate cheerfully, her notepad at her side. She wrote down a few letters. *Don't elves have moms and dads?*

"Yes, we do," Ereinion answered absently. "But both Elrond's parents and my own are no longer here in Endor."


Meg stood walked over to the elven king, touching his hair, ears and face lightly. 'Pretty', she mouthed in silence. She took the tablet and penned more. *Havan says elves live long, look nice, and are hard to get. What does he mean by get?*

Arrah narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Knock it off, Meg. I know you can talk." Meg shook her head quickly in denial.

Ereinion leveled another disapproving look at Arrah, but said nothing to him. "He means that elves don't normally associate with other races, and thus are difficult to form any real attachment with. We often keep to our own kind, those who think and believe in the same way we do. He also means that it's very challenging to find one willing to be enslaved or prostituted, like you and Arrah were, or like some of the young men and women in the camp were."

Arrah stiffened. "I was not a prostitute."

Meg frowned. *Pross it utt?*

"It means someone who sells his or her body. To an elf, and indeed to many people, your body is priceless and shouldn't be sold to people for anything. It's too special and sacred. The way Havan explained his business to me -- and I can't say I believe him -- was that every slave he rescued was given a choice. Pay him back in for a month or two by selling themselves for the night to whoever wanted them, or be a slave indefinitely. It's not a concept any child should have to be exposed to so young."

Arrah sat forward. "It's not really a choice is it?" His green eyes narrowed. "But I made mine and repeat that I did not sell anything." He was offended by the very thought.

Meg looked between the two and nodded, though she clearly seemed puzzled by the idea. "I did not say you did, Arrah," Ereinion said softly. "The fact that I found you and Meg in the slave wagon attests to that." Arrah folded his arms and looked away solemnly.

Meg sighed. *He's always mad. I don't know why. Havan kept him tied.* She then looked up as she saw a couple elves walk by the open doorway. She lost interest in the them quickly and returned to her meal, stacking the fruit in little towers.

Ereinion patted Meg's head lovingly. "Arrah is a very strong and proud individual. Havan tied him up because he tried to fight his way out of the camp and escape. When you get older, you'll understand more of all of this." Meg looked up at the elf and nodded with a smile.

"Elrond and I are going to be spending most of this morning with Arrah," Ereinion told Meg, "and I don't think you'll want to be there also. I'll see if I can find someone to watch you while we're gone, unless you really want to be there with us."

Meg shook her head. *I want to draw and paint. Elrond said there was dye to paint with.*

Ereinion nodded. "Then I'll get some out for you later, and you can do that while we're helping Arrah."

Meg nodded happily and ate a bit more before wandering around and looking at the furniture, over and under each piece. Ereinion kept an eye on Meg, but let her explore. He looked at her writing tablet and decided they were going to have to work on spelling a little. She had no idea where she was from, but she wrote in three different languages, mostly Common but some Quenya ... and some Black Speech.

Arrah stood. "I am going to rest a little. Please, let me know when its time." He then ventured out the door quietly, leaving the elf and child alone.

Ereinion nodded and leaned back in his chair, sighing sadly. He was worried; he couldn't help it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


After a couple hours, Elrond ventured forth from his studies and located the king and Meg. His features were calm, almost impassive. "It is ready," he voiced lowly, glancing at the young girl, who always managed to occupy herself with something.

Ereinion nodded and stood. "Come on, Meg. Let's get you settled, then I'll go get Arrah."

Elrond stood by his lover's side. "Some of the younger elves have offered to watch over Meg for you. They await her in the sitting hall and will take her to a light gathering of singing and music, if that would please you."

"She said she wants to draw some more, but the company might be good for her also." He looked down to Meg. "Some of the other elves want to meet you, Meg. Would you like to do that?" She shrugged and then nodded.

Ereinion nodded. "Okay. Why don't you go with Elrond. He'll take you to see them, and you can stay with them, and I'll have Elrond let them know to let you paint. I need to see Arrah. He's scared about what's going to happen."

Meg nodded, and Elrond took the child's hand. "Very well, I will wait for you both," he said.

Ereinion went down the hallway to Arrah's room, hoping and praying the youth had not decided to reattempt his journey to Amon Sul. He was relieved to find Arrah laying on the bed, his hands fold behind his head. "Is it time already? I thought you elves liked to sit around and watch time go by."

Ereinion found himself smiling softly at the youth's comment. "Yes, Elrond has finished his preliminary study. It is time."

Arrah sat up for a moment and then stood. "Then there is no use putting it off. I suppose you should know that I am fifteen, in case you have to mark my grave."

"I'll remember that, but I do not see much of a possibility of having to bury you so soon. Elrond's a master healer. There are few among the elves who are better than he. You have a better chance than you know."

The dark-skinned youth paused at the king's side. "If I were in your place, I would not admit to the risks either."

"There are always risks," he admitted quietly, beginning the slow walk to the hospital wing. "But this risk, I think, is far less dangerous than needing the same procedure done in the middle of an active battlefield where if you're too far gone, the medics won't bother to try to help you. You're in a safe, warm, clean place where your healer is solely focused on healing you and not also concerned with dodging arrows and javelins. That, in itself, greatly increases your chances."

Arrah sighed. He wanted to change the topic and not think about the procedure all the way there. "If you are king, then why does this other one not call you so?"

"We were friends first, and then more. He still calls me 'my lord', which I must admit grates on my nerves at times, but it is just his way. I suppose I should warn you: I'm not really supposed to be here. So if you wake up and hear a lot of loud yelling in a strange language, it probably means my bodyguards have caught up to me."

Arrah laughed lowly. "All right. I will keep that in mind. Elves are supposed to have more peace and less chaos, you know. Well, what do you want to be called then? And how should I address you too?"

"'My lord' will work if we're in a large group of important looking elves. 'King Gil-galad' is probably your best bet if we're in the presence of my personal guards -- they like to growl at people for not being overly respectful. 'Ereinion' is a wonderful name and I wish people would use it more often, and I hope that, if you decide you like me, you'll just call me 'Erei'."

Arrah gave a mischievous smirk. "Well your certainly not my lord or king. And I can barely say Ereinion. So Erei it is." He paused just outside the surgical suite, looking at the king. "What do you want this Elrond to call you then?"

Ereinion sighed softly. "What I want and what he's willing or able to give me are two different things, and will probably always be. I suppose I want him to address me with something more familiar and intimate than 'my lord', even though I know his reasons and his feelings behind the title. We barely get to see one another anymore as it is. He's always here; I'm always in Lindon unless I decide to take a spontaneous vacation and then neglect to inform anyone. And you can guess how often that happens."

Arrah put his hand on the door. "There are two kinds of people in this world: those who complain about it and those who do something about it." He then entered the room where Elrond waited.

Elrond, dressed in plain white and wearing Vilya, had his tools ready near the bed, a small cloth covering the metal objects. "My lord, Arrah," he murmured as he poured a cup of herbal tea for his patient.

Ereinion didn't reply to Arrah's words, but he did take them to heart, and he decided he was going to ask Arrah more about his family later. "Do you know if they have crossed the ford yet, Elrond?" he asked softly as he urged Arrah forward. He was certain that, even in spite of all that had happened, he didn't have to remind Elrond of who 'they' were.

Elrond eased the youth down on the bed. "Hold my hand tightly," he instructed to Arrah. The grey eyes lifted to his lover, and he shook his head. "Not yet."

Ereinion nodded. "Hopefully they won't make their appearance until after this is done with, because I'm not going to expend any energy before then reminding them that I'm their boss." He took a place near the head of the bed and held Arrah's other hand.

Elrond said nothing, hiding the sorrow that came with knowing his lover would soon leave him again. Instead, the grey eyes turned hard and focused only on the task at hand, for he could afford no mistakes.

Arrah's eyes closed and slowly his body relaxed. When the fingers no longer gripped his hand, Elrond placed the arm carefully on the bed. He then grabbed the cloth, water and scalpel. His free hand probed the area, finding the offending object. With a deep focusing breath, he began his incision.

Ereinion was no healer himself, but one didn't get to be over 3500 and not get a layman's education. And Ereinion had seen too much blood from wars and their aftermath to be squeamish about things like battlefield surgeries, emergency amputations, and other patently gory medical practices. Comparatively speaking, this was nothing new and certainly nothing sickening or traumatizing. So it came as a complete surprise to find he had a moderate case of butterflies in his tummy. Rather than admit to them, he focused all his attention on the unconscious human whose hand he still held.

Elrond continued with his long cut, making a perfectly straight line and opening the wound. His brow furrowed and remained thus as he worked the sharp blade into the exposed flesh, cutting and moving things carefully, occasionally using the cloth and water to improve visibility. He continued slowly and carefully, a light sweat gracing his brow from the effort. The elven lord murmured softly, invoking a bit of healing as he continued, searching and finding the remains of the black spearhead. He gripped the object with his bare fingers and pulled it loose, flinching lightly at the damage he had done to pry it loose. "His recovery will be long," he whispered while using his magic to close the inner incisions. He dressed the outer wound and bandaged it.

"But he will recover," Ereinion reminded them both softly. He was relieved and grateful, both for Elrond's expertise and for the Valar's grace.

Elrond sighed as he wiped his hands clean. "We will see. It went well. I can see why a human healer would be reluctant to move the object." He picked up the spear head, its jagged tiny edges barely visible under the blood and black dye of the poison that once was. "They would have torn him up taking it out," he remarked quietly.

Ereinion nodded, knowing his lover's words were true. "Perhaps it is Arrah's good fortune that no human healer attempted it."

"Perhaps," Elrond agreed as he tucked the white sheets around the young body. "I will have someone watch him to make sure the poison does not reactivate itself." He placed the offending object in a clean towel and wrapped it for later study.

"Excuse me, my lord; I should dress in more appropriate attire." He bowed briefly.

"One of these days, Elrond," Ereinion said with a gentle smile as his friend departed, "you're going to call me by my given name, and you're going to feel completely comfortable doing so or else I will surely go mad."

Elrond paused in the doorway, looking ahead. "You are the lord of our lands, of my body and my heart. I would have it no other way." He then continued down to his private chambers to clean and change.

Ereinion sighed and smiled, and returned his attention to his sleeping charge.