Chapter 15
Sickness
Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas and a very cranky Aragorn, sat around the camp fire. While the three elves did not need the warmth of the fire, they sat around the crackling flames under the false pretense that they did, giving the young human a chance to absorb some of the heat. It was quickly becoming clear to all of them that the man was coming down with a cold which was completely understandable, considering he had slept under rain soaked bedding all night long.
As they sat around the fire, discussing the strange events, Elladan placed the back of his hand against his youngest brother's forehead, but before the man had the chance to frown and push his older brother's hand away, the elder twin felt the beginning of an unnatural heat.
"That is it. Estel - you are going home right now. You are ill and staying out here is only going to make you worse."
"Just leave me be, Elladan. I am fine!" Unfortunately, the young Ranger's croaking voice did not do much to convince the others that his health was anywhere near fine.
"Well you can be as stubborn as you want, little brother but you will honor my wishes and at least drink a tea that will reduce your fever."
When he tried to argue with his eldest brother and the only sound to come out of his mouth was a squeak, and then when he caught Legolas looking at him with a raised eyebrow, he finally relented, nodding his head.
"Ok - so I am not exactly fine. But the cold is in my head, not in my chest so if I keep as warm and dry as as possible, I will probably not get any worse. Besides, if I have to go home, one of you will have to go with me to make sure I do not pass out and fall off my horse and that means that this merry little group of idiots will be down two swords. What we are doing is more important than the inconvenience of a scratchy throat and a couple of sneezes!"
The others could find no argument to Estel's logic and finally gave in. While the twins went to their horses to retrieve the healing supplies, Legolas scooted closer to the still shivering human. The blonde elf, completely ignoring his friend's glare, gently brushed a strand of sweat-soaked hair away from the human's eyes.
"Do I have your word, Estel, that you will at least tell me, your nearest and dearest friend, if you feel yourself worsen?"
Aragorn continued to glare at his friend but Legolas saw the softness behind the glance.
"Prissy elf!"
"Stubborn human."
Their playful banter was interrupted by the raised voices of the twins as a heated argument arose over Elrohir's haphazard method of packing his herbs. Sighing, Legolas squeezed Aragorn's shoulder then rose and walked over to the two to see if he could mediate.
Aragorn groaned out loud and laid his aching head on his knees as the twin's voices continued to argue. When a third voice entered the argument, not only did the argument continue to escalate, but Aragorn could now tell that the twins had turned on Legolas.
Groaning again, he knew for a certainty that his next action was not going to be interpreted as a friendly one by the army of dwarves who were busy using their hammers on the inside of his skull.
"Hey you three. Knock it off! I am busy trying to die over here!"
Though the three continued to glare at one another, they quit their arguing and returned to the fire and though he was still tense from the confrontation, Legolas reached over and adjusted the blanket covering his friend's shivering shoulders. Aragorn reached out with a hand and batted his friend's hand away then the twins as well as Aragorn watched as the Mirkwood Prince got up and walked away from all of them.
Elrohir was shaking his head as he handed the tea to his younger brother.
"What? What did I do?"
"I do not think you did anything, Estel, for I believe this place is affecting the moods of us all." The youngest twin laid a reassuring hand on his youngest brother's shoulder then went back to breaking camp.
The four of them remained quiet as they broke camp and continued their journey, all seeming unwilling to break the strained silence. They were about a mile from where they had camped when Elladan reined in his horse and turned in the saddle, looking at the others, noting the strange looks on their faces that mirrored not only his own but what he was feeling.
"Do any of you feel different all of a sudden?"
They all looked at each other, realizing that their ugly moods had left them as quickly as they had come.
Elrohir grasped his twin's arm, his own eyes misting as he apologized.
"Elladan ..."
"You do not have to say anything, brother."
"But ..."
"I will forgive you if you will forgive me."
Though on horseback, the two brothers still managed to give each other a hug.
There was a loud sniff and the three elves turned to look at the young Ranger.
"Its just my cold!" The tears in his own eyes belied his spoken words.
Legolas put a hand on his friend's arm and Aragorn could see the unspoken words and he reached out his own hand and returned the gesture. Between two beings who were as close as these two were, one look could oftentimes speak more eloquently than if their thoughts were verbally expressed.
As the morning hours passed the four riders noted that there was indeed a definite increase in the number of Orcs and wargs in the area than there would have been normally. However, knowing that they had a more pressing agenda, the friends concealed themselves until the marauding groups passed them by before continuing their journey towards Naur.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
He was watching both groups closely, trying to determine what their purposes were, what, exactly, they were searching for and which group was getting too close to his newest creation. He had sent many of his disciples out from his mighty fortress to find his creation and bring it home to its "father." and he would let no being, elf or man, stand in his way, even if it meant he had to kill them. For now, though, he was content just to keep watching.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
It was close to the noon hour when the four friends finally reached the little town of Naur and as they rode down the main street towards what was obviously the stable, they couldn't help but notice how friendly the people were.
"Nice little town," Legolas remarked to no one in particular.
People were walking about, men, women, couples, all seeming to be going about their daily businesses. One couple was just leaving the general store, parcels in hand, when the group rode by.
"Good morning strangers. Welcome to Naur!"
They smiled at the couple before they rode on. Finally, after reaching their destination, they pulled their weary horses to a halt and dismounted. Legolas watched Aragorn carefully, noting when the young human stumbled as he dismounted and although he did not go to Aragorn's aid, he kept himself within arm's reach, just in case.
After leaving their animal friends in the capable care of the stable keeper, the group walked to the Inn where they rented two rooms. With a sigh, Aragorn flopped himself down on what was to become his bed and closed his eyes, relishing the feel of the soft mattress beneath his aching back. He would have fallen asleep had he not felt a cool hand being placed on his forehead. Gently pushing his friend's hands away, he opened his eyes, his tired gaze meeting the sapphire blue ones that were looking at him with no small measure of concern.
"I'll be ok, Legolas. I just need to lay here for a moment and rest."
"Just promise me one thing, Estel."
"And what is that?"
"Be honest with me as well as yourself. If you feel you are reaching the end of your strength and need to rest - please say something?"
Aragorn smiled tiredly and clasped his friend's arm where it now lay, over his heart.
"I promise."
Their conversation was interrupted when the twins came into their room. Elladan noted Aragorn laying on the bed and Legolas standing over him but wisely said nothing. Although he was confident that the Mirkwood Prince would watch over his brother, when he caught the blonde archer's eye, all Legolas did was shake his head.
"So, does anybody have a clue as to what we are supposed to do now that we are here?"
Elrohir, with his usual limitless energy, was speaking almost before he was fully in the room.
Aragorn sat up, briefly holding his hands to his aching head while Legolas sat on the bed beside him.
"I think that the first thing we should do is take a tour of the town. Elrohir and I will take the north half and you two can take the south half. We should keep an eye out for anything odd, people, animal or otherwise that would be a reason for someone to either start a fire or something that would cause a fire to spread quickly - I am talking about careless storage of flammables - things like that."
"That's a good place to start, Elladan." Aragorn's voice was hoarse and his throat hurt but he was not going to let a small inconvenience like that keep him from contributing to the possible saving of lives. "I also think we should keep an eye out for possible routes of evacuation just in case we need them."
"Yes, I agree. Hopefully we can keep this event from happening but I do agree with Aragorn that we need to prepare for the worst. But, if the worst that can happen is something that can be avoided then that is also something we need to consider." Legolas looked at Aragorn who nodded his head in affirmation.
"I think that it would be possible or even understandable for a house or two to burn in a small town like this, but for a whole town to burn to the ground - well, something is just not right about that!"
"Then why don't we get this thing done? If either of you find something, it will not be hard for you to find either Elrohir or myself - just yell and we will hear."
Having a plan made everything a little easier and so, when the four left the room, they did so with a purpose.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)
As the four exited the Inn, they were met by a little wizened old man who introduced himself as Haleth, the town's leader.
"Welcome, Welcome my friends." He held out his arms to the four and eventually ended up giving them each a hug. They all silently remarked that if nothing else, the small man had an overabundance of enthusiasm.
"What brings all you to Naur?"
They all glanced at one another, for none of them had ever considered the fact that someone might actually ask them that question.
"We are just passing through on our way to Rivendell." It was to his credit that Aragorn was able to come up with a plausible explanation for their being in Naur. As a Ranger, being quick thinking was almost considered a true survival skill. "We stop here to rest before we continue on our journey."
"Well, I hope you enjoy your stay while you are here. If you need anything, I will be around or you can just ask anybody you meet and I am sure they will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have."
After thanking the small human, the group split with Elladan and Elrohir going north and Legolas and Aragorn going south.
The town was unremarkable in both in its construction and its layout, having only a tavern, a blacksmith/stable, an inn, a general store, a healer's office, a jail and a town square. The houses all seemed to be single-family dwellings and were clustered in no particular pattern around the southern end of town. There was one oddity, however, that the two of them quickly picked up on.
"Estel, have you counted the houses?"
"Yes, why?"
"Did you also notice that about half of the houses are boarded up?"
Aragorn spun and looked behind him. His friend was correct for about half of the homes were boarded up. 'How strange' he thought to himself. He took a last glance at the houses then turned, quizzically looking at the people on the street.
"And there is yet another oddity." Legolas did a quick visual check to make sure no human was about to overhear them. "Of the houses that are boarded up, there are several that remain occupied." Aragorn stopped and stared at Legolas.
"Are you telling me that there are people being held in those houses against their will?"
"Of that I do not know as I do not have enough information to even make a qualified guess. However, I can say, with certainty, that there are people inside those boarded up houses. But, I can tell you this, Estel, - in more than one house, there seems to be enough people inside to make up a family unit. I suggest caution until we can find out what is going on, and by caution, I mean with the town leader as well as the citizens themselves. While the leader might expect a question regarding the boarded up houses, he might not about the people inside them."
"I agree that it would perhaps be a good thing to say as little as possible."
As the two started walking back towards the center of town, they again encountered Haleth, the town's leader.
"Master Haleth, you have a most wonderful town here." When he saw the smile break out on the human's face, Legolas continued. "We would ask one question of you however."
Apparently, Legolas had been correct about the little leader expecting questions about the boarded up houses for even before Legolas had a chance to ask his question, the happy look on the man's face started to disappear.
"My friend, Strider, and I have noticed that there are a number of boarded up houses on the south end of town. Why is this so? Did your beautiful town suffer some catastrophe?"
The little man sighed deeply and turned sorrowful eyes in the direction of the houses.
"Some time ago, a plague wiped out about half of the people in our town. It is not something that those who remain in Naur care to talk about so I would appreciate it if you did not mention this to anyone else.
The elf nodded.
"As you wish, Master Human."
"Other than that, feel free to go anywhere in our little town you wish except for near the houses. We do not think the plague is active any longer but we do not want to take any chances. Now, if the two of you will excuse me, I must get back to my duties so please have a nice afternoon and enjoy your stay in Naur."
Aragorn and Legolas bid the man goodbye and started to wander back towards the center of town. Not too far off, the could see the twins talking to the townspeople and looking into store windows and when they got within a distance where they could be assured that the sharp Elven hearing of the two could pick up their words, Legolas spoke.
"If the two of you get a chance, go to the south end of town and try and get a look at the boarded up houses. Haleth told us the people died in a plague but I have heard voices within. Be as discreet as possible for if some act is being hidden, we would not want to antagonize anyone."
Though neither of the twins looked directly at he and Aragorn, Legolas still saw when the two nodded, signifying that they had both heard and understood.
Legolas and Aragorn continued to walk down the street of Naur, greeting the people and looking in shop and business windows. Everything seemed to be going along just fine until Aragorn sneezed and although it was not a particularly loud or violent sneeze, one might have thought they had just turned into Orcs from the reaction the sneeze got as every person in their vicinity stopped and turned to stare. Gone were the friendly smiles as every single man and woman now did their best to leave the vicinity of the elf and ranger.
"What?" The sick ranger looked into the concerned eyes of his friend. "It was just a sneeze."
"Look at the townspeople, Estel."
Aragorn turned to look and saw how they all had turned away and were hurrying in the opposite direction.
"Maybe the plague that killed their citizens started with a sneeze and that is what causes them to react this way."
When the Elf saw the glassy look in his friend's eyes, he lightly brushed the Ranger's cheek with the back of his hand.
"Aragorn, you are burning with fever. Why did you not say something sooner? You broke your promise to me, stubborn human."
When the only response he got out of the man was a groan, Legolas took his arm and turned back in the direction of the Inn. When he saw the twins off in the distance, looking at both Aragorn and him with concern, he signaled for them to follow. The four friends began to walk quickly in the direction of the Inn.
"I guess I do not feel well."
Legolas could feel the human becoming more and more unsteady on his feet and had to work hard to keep the man walking under his own power. Though he could have easily picked his friend up and carried him to their room, he did not, for to do so might have antagonized the already frightened townspeople more than they already were.
By the time Legolas had gotten Aragorn to their room, the twins had caught up with the two. When they stepped into the room, Aragorn finally collapsed and it was Elladan who caught his brother before he hit the floor and carried him to the bed.
Between the three elves, it took them little time to remove the sick man's boots and tunic and cover him with a warm blanket.
"I should have taken him home." Elladan felt guilty for he was the oldest of the three elves and their health and safety was his responsibility. Legolas put a hand on the eldest twin's shoulder.
"I do not think he would have let you take him home, Elladan. He knows what is at stake here the same as you, Elrohir or myself. Besides, by tonight he will be awake and complaining about being restricted to bed - I can almost guarantee it."
Elrohir laid a comforting hand on his twin's shoulder as the troubled elf looked up at both his twin and the Mirkwood Prince. He sighed, for he knew in his heart that they were right.
"The good of the many ... I am going to have to have a serious talk with my little brother if he survives this!"
The next few hours were spent taking care of Aragorn. Shortly after they had returned to their rooms, the human had begun to shiver and nothing the three of them did, and no tea, potion or compress they could create could stay either the fever that was raging through the young man's body or the congestion that was beginning to fill his lungs.
Aragorn was never left alone and even when one of them had to leave for any reason, one of the remaining elves was always by the bed, talking to the young human, letting him know, by touch as well as by voice, that he was not alone.
TBC
COMING NEXT: Little Girl Lost: A sick Aragorn receives aid from the the most unlikely of sources - a young child. Who is she, and more importantly, what is she, and what does she have to do with the town of Naur?
THECheeseTurkey:: What Anayah saw, and fought, was a ghost. I can't say too much or I would give away too much of what is happening. What is going on will be explained in a future chapter. Most ghosts cannot harm a person and usually wander around, lost and confused but this ghost is a little bit different than the normal ghost. The normal laws that govern reality are being destroyed every time the demon has been around so now a harmless ghost is no longer harmless and has the power to hurt people. Anayah knew the demon had been in the town of Nen at some point and the ghost was a result of his visit. She also knew that she had to stop the ghost from hurting the tavern keeper if she could. You are right that if they talk about the demon it would be drawn to them. Its kind of like the demon wants to hear what people are saying about him, only when he comes to listen, he brings his evil with him which causes more confusion and destruction - and so on. Anayah can sense the evil - you are right about that also. But also remember that she is wearing an amulet that will tell her if the evil she is sensing is the demon or is some evil that the demon has created.
DesolateAznVamp: Thanks for the review. From now until the end of the story which isn't for some time yet, things should be pretty much going on non-stop. Hope you enjoy this chapter!