Thanks to William Wordsworth for letting me use part of his poem 'Ode on Intimations of Immortality'
Mercy - mercy is a quick death, or another term used for euthenasia and is often begged for by someone who has been fatally wounded and is in unimaginable pain.
And for those people who have laughed at the little squirrel I call Chubby, do a little reading on something that is called "Pet Therapy."
Chapter 36
Bad Dreams
In the two weeks since the Rivendell rescue party had brought the two elves home, there had not been a single dull moment. The blizzard, which had mysteriously refused to cross the Bruinen into elven territory, had mysteriously disappeared when Legolas and Anayah had been rescued. One minute it was there, the next, it was gone. Perhaps Lord Elrond had been correct when he had voiced his opinion that it was not a natural storm.
Two days after the blizzard mysteriously disappeared, Gandalf, Gwaihir and three other great eagles had appeared in the air over Rivendell. Gandalf and Gwaihir said they had found 50 black mares running around in the middle of nowhere and who were about to become dinner for a pack of wargs. Feeling sorry for the pitiful animals, Gwaihir had called three of his vassals to him and had managed to get the animals to Rivendell. With a twinkle in his great eye, Gwaihir said that if nobody wished to claim the horses that he and his three friends would gladly take them back to the eyrie where the horses would be put to good use. Everyone had laughed at the Wind Lord's sense of humor.
Since it was so late in the season, Eomer and his contingent of Rohirrim would be spending the winter months in the sheltered valley which was home to Imladris.
Fearing Sauron's wrath over losing the horses, the keepers of the people of Westfold, had deserted their posts, leaving the people to their own designs. Halbarad and the Rangers had found them slowly making their way back to Rohan. The Rangers had provided food and protection for the survivors whom they then escorted safely back to their homes. Lord Erkenbrand had sent a message to Rivendell, thanking everyone for their assistance and asked Aragorn to tell his Rangers that they had, indeed, done well. The Lord, with the blessings of his king, had pledged the support of Westfold, should Imladris ever find itself in need and as Eomer had later told Lord Elrond, the word of Lord Erkenbrand could be trusted.
King Thranduil had to return to Mirkwood before the winter snows closed the high passes. When the Mirkwood King had learned that Anayah had indeed, broken her knee and Lord Elrond would have to surgically repair it, he had commissioned the wood smiths of Imladris to make a special gift for her and shortly before he left for his woodland kingdom, had presented her with an intricately carved wooden cane. The head of the cane bore the likeness of Elias and the rest of the cane was carved with horses running through woodland scenes. The cane was so highly polished that one could almost think the carvings of horses, trees and other bits and pieces of nature were inside the wood rather than on its surface.
Thranduil had also discussed a possible future "supervised" visit either in Mirkwood or Imladris, between Elias and a couple Mirkwood "Ladies." Both the King and Anayah had laughed at the thought of the proud stallion with two girlfriends.
* * * * * *
Lord Elrond had been fascinated by the technique that Anayah had used on the Legolas's abscessed abdominal wound and during the time the young she-elf had been confined to bed, the two had spent quite some time discussing field surgery. When asked why such a field of healing interested her, she became silent and contemplative for a time before she looked back at her Ada and answered. Her eyes were filled with tears and sad memories when she spoke.
"I have seen too many good friends, good elves as well as good people, die of wounds suffered in battle because their healers just didn't have the knowledge to save them." She brushed at a tear that was rolling down her cheek. Elrond put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Their pain would make them scream, Ada. They would scream as they looked at their friends, or their healers, their eyes begging for help when they knew there was none to be had. Sometimes they would be given 'Mercy', but mostly they would just die, from unnecessary infections and blood loss. I would often think about what could have been done to ease their suffering, what could have been done to save their lives. I think that if I had not been bred to be a warrior that I would have liked to have been a healer."
Elrond sat back in his chair that he had set beside his foster-daughter's bed. It was a peaceful night outside, and inside as well. A cheerful fire crackled in the fireplace and the breeze coming in the opened window was fresh and smelled of a land beginning to go to sleep for another season. The Rivendell Lord thought about what he had just heard. Though he knew of Anayah's history, it was the first time that he had ever heard her give voice to the discontent she felt about her preordained role.
"Daughter, who says that you cannot be both?"
Anayah looked at her foster-Father in surprise.
"Anayah, there are some elves and people also, who cannot compromise the art of healing with the martial arts, who feel that they would rather heal wounds than cause them. You, young lady, are talented in both arts and should continue both if that is what your heart tells you to do. Ask Legolas if he cares that you are as good with a needle as you are with a sword! Ask your brother the same question! I am sure that when it came down to the moment both were very glad that you had the knowledge and talents that you do."
She couldn't quite suppress the yawn though she tried so hard it made her eyes water. Elrond laughed at her effort. He called Elurin to him and asked him to make a sleeping tea for his patient and to put a touch of honey in it to sweeten the taste. Nodding his head, the butler left to comply with his Lord's wishes. Elrond lowered his voice then winked as he leaned a little closer to his foster-daughter to speak.
"Don't tell your brothers that I sweeten your teas. I will never hear the end of it!"
* * * * * *
Her eyes snapped open and though she made no move, she listened quietly to the night sounds. Something had alerted her elvish senses. Looking down at her side, she saw that Chubby was awake also, and looking intently at her door. Then she heard the sound again. It was a low moan followed by the sound of someone softly crying.
Grabbing her robe, she quickly put it on and tied the sash. Chubby raised to his hind feet, then answering his unspoken plea, she picked him up and put him on her shoulder. Picking up her cane where it lay propped against a nearby chair, she hobbled out her door and down the hall to her brother's room.
Aragorn lay in the grip of a nightmare full of pain and creatures that bit at him and the cruel laughter of orc tormentors. She sat on the edge of his bed and looked down on her brother for a moment and for just a moment was irrationally furious at a race of creatures that could cause such a tender spirit to be so tormented.
She took one of his hands then gently stroked his brow with her free hand until he quieted. His eyes finally opened as his nightmare was forced to release its hold on him. The two looked at each other for a few moments then Aragorn spoke softly.
"I don't think I've ever thanked you."
"Thanked me for what big brother?"
"For coming for me. During my darkest hour when I thought I would lose my mind, you were there. You came for me."
"Would you expect me to have done any differently?"
Aragorn did not answer, only smiled.
"These nightmares will pass, Aragorn. There will come a night when you will once more dream of peaceful things. But if there are nights, and there very well may be, when your dreams are dark and troubled, I will be here for you. Now close your eyes, big brother, and sleep; you need your rest."
She lightly brushed her hand down across his eyes which obediently closed. He was smiling and much more relaxed than he had been when she had first entered his room. Anayah continued to hold his hand. Then in a quiet voice, so soft that only the man on the bed could hear her, she began to speak:
"The clouds that gather round the setting sun
Do take a sober colouring from an eye
That hath kept watch o'er man's mortality;
Another race hath been, and other palms are won.
Thanks to the human heart by which you live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To you the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears."
She sat back in her chair for a while and watched her brother as he slept. He had been soothed by her soft voice and now slept an untroubled sleep. When Anayah was satisfied that he would be troubled by nightmares no more that night, she took her cane and pushed herself to her feet, grimacing in discomfort as she did so.
"Chubby," she spoke to her tiny friend, "stay with him tonight."
The squirrel then curled up in front of Aragorn's chest and with a small sigh sank into a sleep as deep and untroubled as that of the human above him.
Turning toward the door, she stopped. She felt her heart skip a beat and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a cry. The twins, Legolas and Lord Elrond were standing in the doorway watching her intently. They smiled at the wide-eyed look she gave them.
"Do NOT sneak up on me like that!" She hissed quietly as she shook her cane at the four elves in mock-anger. "Do you really want to give me a heart attack?"
Elladan laughed quietly as he scooped her up in his arms.
"I don't know what you think Ada, but perhaps hot chocolates all around might be just the thing to put us all back to sleep! What do you say?"
TBC
Mercy - mercy is a quick death, or another term used for euthenasia and is often begged for by someone who has been fatally wounded and is in unimaginable pain.
And for those people who have laughed at the little squirrel I call Chubby, do a little reading on something that is called "Pet Therapy."
Bad Dreams
In the two weeks since the Rivendell rescue party had brought the two elves home, there had not been a single dull moment. The blizzard, which had mysteriously refused to cross the Bruinen into elven territory, had mysteriously disappeared when Legolas and Anayah had been rescued. One minute it was there, the next, it was gone. Perhaps Lord Elrond had been correct when he had voiced his opinion that it was not a natural storm.
Two days after the blizzard mysteriously disappeared, Gandalf, Gwaihir and three other great eagles had appeared in the air over Rivendell. Gandalf and Gwaihir said they had found 50 black mares running around in the middle of nowhere and who were about to become dinner for a pack of wargs. Feeling sorry for the pitiful animals, Gwaihir had called three of his vassals to him and had managed to get the animals to Rivendell. With a twinkle in his great eye, Gwaihir said that if nobody wished to claim the horses that he and his three friends would gladly take them back to the eyrie where the horses would be put to good use. Everyone had laughed at the Wind Lord's sense of humor.
Since it was so late in the season, Eomer and his contingent of Rohirrim would be spending the winter months in the sheltered valley which was home to Imladris.
Fearing Sauron's wrath over losing the horses, the keepers of the people of Westfold, had deserted their posts, leaving the people to their own designs. Halbarad and the Rangers had found them slowly making their way back to Rohan. The Rangers had provided food and protection for the survivors whom they then escorted safely back to their homes. Lord Erkenbrand had sent a message to Rivendell, thanking everyone for their assistance and asked Aragorn to tell his Rangers that they had, indeed, done well. The Lord, with the blessings of his king, had pledged the support of Westfold, should Imladris ever find itself in need and as Eomer had later told Lord Elrond, the word of Lord Erkenbrand could be trusted.
King Thranduil had to return to Mirkwood before the winter snows closed the high passes. When the Mirkwood King had learned that Anayah had indeed, broken her knee and Lord Elrond would have to surgically repair it, he had commissioned the wood smiths of Imladris to make a special gift for her and shortly before he left for his woodland kingdom, had presented her with an intricately carved wooden cane. The head of the cane bore the likeness of Elias and the rest of the cane was carved with horses running through woodland scenes. The cane was so highly polished that one could almost think the carvings of horses, trees and other bits and pieces of nature were inside the wood rather than on its surface.
Thranduil had also discussed a possible future "supervised" visit either in Mirkwood or Imladris, between Elias and a couple Mirkwood "Ladies." Both the King and Anayah had laughed at the thought of the proud stallion with two girlfriends.
* * * * * *
Lord Elrond had been fascinated by the technique that Anayah had used on the Legolas's abscessed abdominal wound and during the time the young she-elf had been confined to bed, the two had spent quite some time discussing field surgery. When asked why such a field of healing interested her, she became silent and contemplative for a time before she looked back at her Ada and answered. Her eyes were filled with tears and sad memories when she spoke.
"I have seen too many good friends, good elves as well as good people, die of wounds suffered in battle because their healers just didn't have the knowledge to save them." She brushed at a tear that was rolling down her cheek. Elrond put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Their pain would make them scream, Ada. They would scream as they looked at their friends, or their healers, their eyes begging for help when they knew there was none to be had. Sometimes they would be given 'Mercy', but mostly they would just die, from unnecessary infections and blood loss. I would often think about what could have been done to ease their suffering, what could have been done to save their lives. I think that if I had not been bred to be a warrior that I would have liked to have been a healer."
Elrond sat back in his chair that he had set beside his foster-daughter's bed. It was a peaceful night outside, and inside as well. A cheerful fire crackled in the fireplace and the breeze coming in the opened window was fresh and smelled of a land beginning to go to sleep for another season. The Rivendell Lord thought about what he had just heard. Though he knew of Anayah's history, it was the first time that he had ever heard her give voice to the discontent she felt about her preordained role.
"Daughter, who says that you cannot be both?"
Anayah looked at her foster-Father in surprise.
"Anayah, there are some elves and people also, who cannot compromise the art of healing with the martial arts, who feel that they would rather heal wounds than cause them. You, young lady, are talented in both arts and should continue both if that is what your heart tells you to do. Ask Legolas if he cares that you are as good with a needle as you are with a sword! Ask your brother the same question! I am sure that when it came down to the moment both were very glad that you had the knowledge and talents that you do."
She couldn't quite suppress the yawn though she tried so hard it made her eyes water. Elrond laughed at her effort. He called Elurin to him and asked him to make a sleeping tea for his patient and to put a touch of honey in it to sweeten the taste. Nodding his head, the butler left to comply with his Lord's wishes. Elrond lowered his voice then winked as he leaned a little closer to his foster-daughter to speak.
"Don't tell your brothers that I sweeten your teas. I will never hear the end of it!"
* * * * * *
Her eyes snapped open and though she made no move, she listened quietly to the night sounds. Something had alerted her elvish senses. Looking down at her side, she saw that Chubby was awake also, and looking intently at her door. Then she heard the sound again. It was a low moan followed by the sound of someone softly crying.
Grabbing her robe, she quickly put it on and tied the sash. Chubby raised to his hind feet, then answering his unspoken plea, she picked him up and put him on her shoulder. Picking up her cane where it lay propped against a nearby chair, she hobbled out her door and down the hall to her brother's room.
Aragorn lay in the grip of a nightmare full of pain and creatures that bit at him and the cruel laughter of orc tormentors. She sat on the edge of his bed and looked down on her brother for a moment and for just a moment was irrationally furious at a race of creatures that could cause such a tender spirit to be so tormented.
She took one of his hands then gently stroked his brow with her free hand until he quieted. His eyes finally opened as his nightmare was forced to release its hold on him. The two looked at each other for a few moments then Aragorn spoke softly.
"I don't think I've ever thanked you."
"Thanked me for what big brother?"
"For coming for me. During my darkest hour when I thought I would lose my mind, you were there. You came for me."
"Would you expect me to have done any differently?"
Aragorn did not answer, only smiled.
"These nightmares will pass, Aragorn. There will come a night when you will once more dream of peaceful things. But if there are nights, and there very well may be, when your dreams are dark and troubled, I will be here for you. Now close your eyes, big brother, and sleep; you need your rest."
She lightly brushed her hand down across his eyes which obediently closed. He was smiling and much more relaxed than he had been when she had first entered his room. Anayah continued to hold his hand. Then in a quiet voice, so soft that only the man on the bed could hear her, she began to speak:
"The clouds that gather round the setting sun
Do take a sober colouring from an eye
That hath kept watch o'er man's mortality;
Another race hath been, and other palms are won.
Thanks to the human heart by which you live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To you the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears."
She sat back in her chair for a while and watched her brother as he slept. He had been soothed by her soft voice and now slept an untroubled sleep. When Anayah was satisfied that he would be troubled by nightmares no more that night, she took her cane and pushed herself to her feet, grimacing in discomfort as she did so.
"Chubby," she spoke to her tiny friend, "stay with him tonight."
The squirrel then curled up in front of Aragorn's chest and with a small sigh sank into a sleep as deep and untroubled as that of the human above him.
Turning toward the door, she stopped. She felt her heart skip a beat and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a cry. The twins, Legolas and Lord Elrond were standing in the doorway watching her intently. They smiled at the wide-eyed look she gave them.
"Do NOT sneak up on me like that!" She hissed quietly as she shook her cane at the four elves in mock-anger. "Do you really want to give me a heart attack?"
Elladan laughed quietly as he scooped her up in his arms.
"I don't know what you think Ada, but perhaps hot chocolates all around might be just the thing to put us all back to sleep! What do you say?"
TBC