Sorry that I took so long to get this chapter going. The last two months were absolutely crazy at my house. But I hope to be able to right more now that the holidays are over. Please tell me what you think.
Chapter Six
Healing
Nárie awoke early the next morning. The sun was just rising and birds beginning to sing. Sitting up on her cot, she glanced around. All were asleep and there was no one watching the entrance for the moment. She quietly slipped out of her bed and quickly made it. Grabbing a hair tie, she pulled her hair back. She softly moved out of the tent and outside. Glancing around her, she saw tents in every direction. To her left, the great city of Gondor, rising higher and higher. To her right were three rows of tents and then the open field where to battle had taken place. Starting slowly to test her strength, she set out at a jog. Reaching the end of the tents, she glanced around and moved around and moved toward the spot where she guessed she had joined the battle.
Checking the ground for footing and any sign of her belongings, she picked up her pace. Her eyes darted from left to right. She had gone quite a way until her eyes finally fell upon a small leather pouch. It's contents were gone and a hole torn in it. It lie nest to the body of a dead orc. Turning the creature over with her foot, she saw what was left of her pack. There were a few broken containers lying crushed into the earth. Gently picking it up, she opened it to see not much was left. A few broken pieces of bark sat at the bottom, next to a small box. Reaching inside, she slowly withdrew the box. Letting the bag fall to the ground, she hesitantly lifted the cover of the box. Inside, amongst a small piece of cloth, lay a necklace. It was completely unharmed and untouched. Taking it out, she let the jewel attached hang. The sun caught it and reflected small beams of light. The jewel was of a silver feather in front of a green leaf. On the back a name was carved in elvish: Nárie.
Her eyes misted over and tears slowly welled up. Just then she heard a soft intake of breath and turned around. Legolas stood behind her, smiling almost mischievously. One glance at her face at the tears in her eyes made his smile quickly vanish. A look of concern replaced the one of mischief.
"What's wrong?" he asked taking a step closer.
Wiping her eyes, she quickly dropped the necklace back into the box and closed it.
"Nothing," she replied as she wiped her eyes again, "The sun caught my eye."
Frowning Legolas said, "I see you've found your pack."
"I did," was her only reply.
"You really shouldn't be out here. You're still mending."
"I'm fine!" she snapped a little sharper than she had intended.
"Why don't I accompany you back to the city. They have begun to serve breakfast," Legolas suggested.
"Fine," she replied as she took off at a quick jog.
Legolas caught up with her in half a moment. Wrinkling her brow, she speed up. She did not like to be challenged. Legolas just shook his head and matched her pace. By the time they reached the first tents, they were both a blur. Putting his hands up in defeat, he dropped down to a walk.
'You're a bit stubborn. Anyone ever tell you that?" When Nárie didn't respond, he continued, "You're pretty fast, for a human. Especially after the other night."
"I enjoy the outdoors. I also like to run, but never had the chance to go anywhere until now," she replied shortly.
"What do you mean by that?" Legolas questioned.
"I mean I was never allowed to go far from home until about a week ago."
"May I ask why that is?"
"You may ask, but I shall not answer."
Sensing that it may be a touchy subject, Legolas dropped it and they entered the food tent. Many varieties of foods were beginning served. Selecting a few pieces of fruit along with a breakfast roll, she arranged them on a small napkin. Grabbing a cup, she filled it with cider and went outside to eat. She found a spot in the grass to sit and began to eat. Glancing up, she saw Legolas following Aragorn, the twins, and several other she did not recognize. They were entering the city.
After finishing her breakfast, she disposed of her napkin and returned her cup. Taking in her surroundings, she took a deep breath. Now that she was here, she did not know what to do or where to go next. All her life she had wanted to see the white city, but seeing it in such ruin wasn't exactly what she had hoped for.
Wandering over to the broken gates, she gazed at them. It must have taken great strength to force the open. Unfortunately, she had not seen the force that opened them. They had already been broken when she had arrived.
Moving further into the city, her eyes moved over the rubble. Such destruction and chaos. Shaking her head, she left the walls and walked into the nearest tent. Moans and cries of pain surrounded her. Many women were rushing about doing what they could. Nárie stopped on of the women who seemed to be in charge.
"What can I do to help?" she asked.
"Do you know anything about healing?" the woman asked. Her graying hair was wound tightly in a bun. Her clothes were covered in dirt and dried blood. With Nárie's nod she quickly turned and motioned, "Follow me."
They walked to a cot where a young man lay. His face was deathly white and a bandage was wrapped around his chest. His left arm was discolored and his sleeve had been cut away.
"His arm was severely wounded in the battle. We cleaned it the best we could, but it's still been infected. We're going to have to cut the infected part off. There is no other choice. Can you look after him while I operate?"
"Wait," Nárie said, "You do not have o take his arm. Not yet at least. Do you have any Broad-leaf?"
"Yes, we have a little, but we only use it for cooking. How could that help?"
"It helps to rid infection. Now hurry, it's no guarantee that it will save his arm. It may already be too late."
The woman said a few words to a young girl and then turned back to Nárie, "Is there anything else that you know of that might help?" she asked.
Nárie shook her head, "Just keep the fluids going."
"Of course," the woman replied.
Several minutes later, the young girl who had left earlier, returned. She was a bit short of breath, her hands held a jar in which contained many green leaves.
"I had to go all the way to the third level, but I found some," she said, handing the jar to Nárie.
"Thank you," Nárie said as she turned toward the young man.
"What else can I do to help?" the girl asked as she glanced at the man on the cot. He was also looking at her in a peculiar way.
Nárie raised an eyebrow and said, "Just talk to him. When I apply the moist leaves, it's going to sting, a lot."
The girl nodded and knelt by the bed and whispered softly to him. The older woman had poured warm water into a small bowl. Nárie quickly washed her hands in the basin and picked up one of the leaves. She dipped it into the bowl of water and laid it gently on the wound on the man's arm. He gritted his teeth and let out a low growl of pain. His good hand clutched the yellowed sheet. The girl took his hand in hers. He turned his head toward her. A pained look over took him as Nárie laid another leaf on his wound.
After laying three more leaves on the wound, Nárie was finished. The man had turned even whiter from the pain, but was still conscious. His forehead had begun to sweat from the leaves working their healing powers on him.
"Apply new leaves every two hours for a full day. If that doesn't work, I don't believe anything will. Once the day is up, do not wash the wound for another day. The medicine in the leaves will still be present. After about a week, his arm should be almost healed and he can start using it again. But be careful!" Nárie said as she set the jar down. The young girl was still holding the man's hand and didn't appear to be going anywhere, "What's next?" Nárie asked cheerfully.
The rest of the day went by very quickly. Once she finally left the tent, it was dark. Stretching, she heard a voice behind her.
"What were you up to in there?" came a deep musical voice.
Turning, Nárie saw Legolas standing behind her, grinning. "I was helping out a little," she replied as she glared at him, "I haven't seen you all day, what were you up to?"
"Oh, I was just lying around eating all day," he answered.
"I'll bet," she murmured.
"I heard that," he answered, "You forget that I am an elf."
"Not at all," she smirked. Just then, the old woman came out of the tent and wiped her brow.
"Nárie, there you are. I just wanted to thank you for all your help today. I don't know what we would have done without you," she said.
"So you really were doing something of value," Legolas commented.
Nárie was thinking of a comeback, but the old woman spoke up before she had the chance. "She saved many lives today, master elf. She also taught me quite a lot about healing."
"Did she, now?" Legolas said as he raised an eyebrow.
"I told you," Nárie retorted as she stormed off.
"Wait," Legolas called after her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." Nárie continued on her way to the food tent. She was just about to enter when Legolas caught her arm. "Will you wait just a second?"
Nárie turned to face him, her watery eyes glaring at him, "What do you want?" she snapped.
"Legolas was taken aback, "I have hurt you. Please tell me what I can do to make it up."
"There is nothing you can do," she sobbed, "You can take back all those years that I suffered. You can't bring back the dead. There's nothing you can do. Nothing…" her voice trailed off.
Legolas dropped his hand. He was deeply concerned. There must be something he was missing. Something that he had missed or she had not told him. Stepping closer, he searched for something to say to console her.
"Just leave me alone," Nárie said as tears fell down her face, "I just need to be alone."
She turned from him and took off in the maze of tents. Reaching the end, she fell to her knees and cried. She cried for a long time, letting out all the pain that had been trapped inside. Some time later, when all the tears were gone, she heard voices behind her. They came from one of the end tents. A candle was lit inside and she could see the figures of several men standing inside, talking amongst themselves. They voices were becoming slightly raised so Nárie crept closer to hear what they were saying. She soon recognized the voice of Legolas and Aragorn. She figured the twin elves were there and they others who had gone into the city earlier that day.
"We do not stand a chance," came one voice, "Sauron has too many behind the gates of Mordor. We would be slaughtered."
"Nay," came the voice of one of the twin elves, "We have more than you think, but we must give Frodo a chance. He'll never make it with those creatures still inside. We must draw them out."
Nárie frowned. She didn't know what they were talking about. Why would anyone want to go to Mordor and take on thousands of orcs, goblins, and trolls? And who was Frodo? Why did giving him a chance mean so much?
"Aragorn is right," came Legolas' voice, "We have no other choice. If Frodo is discovered, Sauron will get the ring and all will be lost."
Nárie gasped. So that's what they were talking about. The ring of power had been found and they were making an attempt to destroy it.
"We must be ready to leave in one day," Aragorn said, "We can take all day tomorrow to ready the weapons. Gather all those who can fight. Move the rest into the city were they can be better protected. We leave at dawn."
The men nodded and began to leave the tent. Nárie hurried away so not to be caught. She moved to the tent where she new weapons were kept. Glancing inside, she saw that no one was inside, so she slipped in. Keeping her ears alert for anyone approaching, she gathered several small daggers. Sorting through the many swords lying on the table, she selected on that was a bit lighter than the rest. Voices were approaching, so she moved out of the tent to hid the weapons she had collected. She was going with them to help. She was going to fight.
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Broad-leaf is said to help with infection. I don't really know how strong it is or if that's how it will help, but it sounds good, doesn't it? It was also the only plant that I could find that helped.