Disclaimer- none of this is mine, it's tolkiens..
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Chapter two- Scouts
Tamuril gently knocked on her daughters door. "Tari, it's time to get up." She called lightly. She leaned her ear next to the door listening for the rustle of blankets or her daughters irritated groan. But all was silent in the room. Her voice betrayed her impatience as she called again. "Come along now Tari, out of bed, it's getting late." But there was still no sound. Tamuril opened the door a crack and peered in, it was as she had guessed. She let the door swing open. The scene infuriated her. Tari's bed was empty, her blankets strewn over the bed, not even made. Her eyes rested on the spot where her daughter's riding boots should have been. Tamuril turned on her heel, clenching her teeth in fear she would scream. Balling her hands into fists she set off to find her husband.
Ten minutes later Tamuril strode up the stairs to the houses of healing. She came to the top and let herself in. Her eyes scanned the rows of mostly empty beds, resting on one her husband was leaning over. She went silently to a nearby chair and sat. She knew better than to interrupt her husband while he was with a patient. He loved his work and that was apparent.
His brow furrowed as he bent closer to the man lying in the cot before him. He nodded as his patient whispered something through his dry lips. He straightened out again and turned to a healer at his side, murmuring something to him. As he turned he caught Tamuril's eye in a silent understanding. He finished with his patient, and went to where his wife had been sitting patiently. Tamuril rose to meet him. "What is it?" he asked when he stood before her.
"Oh Orodreth," she began, addressing her husband "Tari's run off, again. That's every day this week." A faraway look in her eye as she gazed at the floor, finally coming to her senses. "What we're doing is not working Orodreth, it's only gotten worse." Orodreth nodded gravely, breathing deeply, fueling his thought. After a time he spoke.
"I will come home early today, we can talk then. But there is still a lot of work that must be done here." He said holding his wife's shoulders, and peering down at her face. Tamuril glanced behind him briefly, as if looking for proof, then nodded.
"Alright," she said simply, she hated waiting, especially on such a burning matter. He squeezed her shoulders and smiled.
"Good, then I will see you soon." And she watched him turn and go back to his work before she herself left.
As Orodreth walked away he shook his head sadly. Nothing they said to their daughter kept her from gallivanting off to the woods. He was out of ideas. Just as he was about to turn into a room noise erupted outside, bringing Orodreth out of his thoughts. There were hoof beats and shouting. Orodreth turned abruptly around, running towards the door. Tamuril had already gone, and at first worry filled him that his wife had been hurt. Many a time there had been patients who had been trampled by carts or horses on the streets. He pushed the door open. At the bottom of the steps four horses stood, three of them bore men, bloodied and doubled over. Another man lay on the ground. The horses were drenched in sweat, their hair matted. One obviously healthy man was leaning over the one on the ground.
"Please help them," he said quietly, his voice was hoarse from all the shouting he had done earlier. The man brushed a lock of hair away from the face of the man laying before him, revealing it to have a large gash In it.
"Bring the stretchers!" Orodreth called behind him, and he began to shout orders to the healers who had gathered at the doorway. Carefully each man was brought in and laid on a cot. One had been stabbed, another was shot numerous times. These were not the wounds Orodreth was used to caring for. They were wounds from battle, there had been a skirmish. As he knelt over one of the men who had been shot in the back twice he asked gravely. "What happened to them?" The man who had escaped almost unscathed, sat at the foot of the bed and shook his head sadly.
"We are scouts, we were doing our duty." He said in a low voice. He paused for a moment then began their tale. "They came at us from unawares, atop a hill. They had the advantage of height. And there was nothing we could do. At first the orcs were few, only seven. We were able to defeat them with only a few scratches. But more came from over the hill that we had not seen. One of our men fell before we knew we had to flee." The man went silent and Orodreth kept working, not wanting to push the matter.
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next one coming soon..
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Chapter two- Scouts
Tamuril gently knocked on her daughters door. "Tari, it's time to get up." She called lightly. She leaned her ear next to the door listening for the rustle of blankets or her daughters irritated groan. But all was silent in the room. Her voice betrayed her impatience as she called again. "Come along now Tari, out of bed, it's getting late." But there was still no sound. Tamuril opened the door a crack and peered in, it was as she had guessed. She let the door swing open. The scene infuriated her. Tari's bed was empty, her blankets strewn over the bed, not even made. Her eyes rested on the spot where her daughter's riding boots should have been. Tamuril turned on her heel, clenching her teeth in fear she would scream. Balling her hands into fists she set off to find her husband.
Ten minutes later Tamuril strode up the stairs to the houses of healing. She came to the top and let herself in. Her eyes scanned the rows of mostly empty beds, resting on one her husband was leaning over. She went silently to a nearby chair and sat. She knew better than to interrupt her husband while he was with a patient. He loved his work and that was apparent.
His brow furrowed as he bent closer to the man lying in the cot before him. He nodded as his patient whispered something through his dry lips. He straightened out again and turned to a healer at his side, murmuring something to him. As he turned he caught Tamuril's eye in a silent understanding. He finished with his patient, and went to where his wife had been sitting patiently. Tamuril rose to meet him. "What is it?" he asked when he stood before her.
"Oh Orodreth," she began, addressing her husband "Tari's run off, again. That's every day this week." A faraway look in her eye as she gazed at the floor, finally coming to her senses. "What we're doing is not working Orodreth, it's only gotten worse." Orodreth nodded gravely, breathing deeply, fueling his thought. After a time he spoke.
"I will come home early today, we can talk then. But there is still a lot of work that must be done here." He said holding his wife's shoulders, and peering down at her face. Tamuril glanced behind him briefly, as if looking for proof, then nodded.
"Alright," she said simply, she hated waiting, especially on such a burning matter. He squeezed her shoulders and smiled.
"Good, then I will see you soon." And she watched him turn and go back to his work before she herself left.
As Orodreth walked away he shook his head sadly. Nothing they said to their daughter kept her from gallivanting off to the woods. He was out of ideas. Just as he was about to turn into a room noise erupted outside, bringing Orodreth out of his thoughts. There were hoof beats and shouting. Orodreth turned abruptly around, running towards the door. Tamuril had already gone, and at first worry filled him that his wife had been hurt. Many a time there had been patients who had been trampled by carts or horses on the streets. He pushed the door open. At the bottom of the steps four horses stood, three of them bore men, bloodied and doubled over. Another man lay on the ground. The horses were drenched in sweat, their hair matted. One obviously healthy man was leaning over the one on the ground.
"Please help them," he said quietly, his voice was hoarse from all the shouting he had done earlier. The man brushed a lock of hair away from the face of the man laying before him, revealing it to have a large gash In it.
"Bring the stretchers!" Orodreth called behind him, and he began to shout orders to the healers who had gathered at the doorway. Carefully each man was brought in and laid on a cot. One had been stabbed, another was shot numerous times. These were not the wounds Orodreth was used to caring for. They were wounds from battle, there had been a skirmish. As he knelt over one of the men who had been shot in the back twice he asked gravely. "What happened to them?" The man who had escaped almost unscathed, sat at the foot of the bed and shook his head sadly.
"We are scouts, we were doing our duty." He said in a low voice. He paused for a moment then began their tale. "They came at us from unawares, atop a hill. They had the advantage of height. And there was nothing we could do. At first the orcs were few, only seven. We were able to defeat them with only a few scratches. But more came from over the hill that we had not seen. One of our men fell before we knew we had to flee." The man went silent and Orodreth kept working, not wanting to push the matter.
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next one coming soon..