Hello! A massive thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far! As promised, a longer chapter...Enjoy! Love, Jen and Es xxxx
Chapter Eleven - Whatever grace...let it pass to her.
Butterbeer had been right- the house was obvious. They walked up to the main door and Darayne tapped on it, before standing back. Es let Jenna take the lead. A serving man opened the door.
"Hello, I am Jenna, a healer, and this is my assistant Estriel, and my protector Darayne. I hear there has been illness in the house?"
The man nodded gruffly, and widened the door. "You'd be about right that healer. Come in and I'll ask the master if he'll see you."
Darayne laid a hand on Estriel's shoulder as she made to follow Jenna inside.
"I will meet you here in an hour. If you are to be late, send me word. I will be by the gate."
She nodded and smiled at him "Sure, see you then!" and he left.
Inside the house, the wealth of the occupants was revealed. Good carpets lined the floor, and the walls were painted white with dark wood furniture. The girls were led into the parlour and asked to sit and wait. They wondered at the silence within the house, everything was still as if there had been a death...Or they were preparing for one.
The door opened, surprising them, and a stout man, dressed well but in dark colours, entered, followed by a woman dressed similarly. The girls stood as they entered, and then, at their host's bidding, sat again.
"You are a healer, Lady?" asked the man. Jenna nodded.
"Yes, my name is Jenna, and this is Estriel, who assists me from time to time."
The man smiled tiredly, and the girls noted dark lines under his eyes.
"I am the Mayor of Bree. Have you heard of my daughter?"
"Only that she is ill and people have tried, yet failed to cure her," said Jenna.
"That is right. She is getting worse by the day. I have asked every healer in Bree, and some from afar, to try, yet they have all been unable to. Her condition is worse now, and I fear that it is too late to save her." At this point he paused and looked sombre. "However, any attempt would be gratefully received, and I am determined not to give up hope."
Jenna caught the man's eye and smiled encouragingly.
"I will try," she said simply.
"Then I will take you to her," he said, and rose. Jenna followed suit, as did Estriel. He left the room and ascended a large flight of stairs, Jenna and Estriel in his wake.
Eventually, they came to a room with a large oak door, and the Mayor knocked on it.
"Enter," came a woman's voice, too strong to be that of the invalid's.
The mayor went in; Jenna and Estriel close behind him.
A woman who could not have been older than eighteen lay on the bed, pale, sweating and writhing in her sleep. An older woman, obviously a maid, sat beside the bed on a stool, wiping Isobelle's forehead with a damp white cloth. Another maid was opening the windows. Jenna approached her, and sat on an empty stool on the other side of the bed. She went into doctor mode.
"How long has she been in this condition," she asked, putting two fingers on the girl's wrist.
"Almost ten days," replied the Mayor.
Jenna nodded, and put her hand to the girl's forehead.
"She has a bad fever," she said. "What has she been complaining of?"
"Pains in her head," said her father. "And she has vomited several times. She has lost her appetite, and when she tries to walk, often falls to the floor."
Jenna nodded again, and studied the girl.
"Has she been able to drink anything?" She asked feeling completely puzzled.
"Yes, a little water." Suddenly the girl stirred and weakly opened her eyes, staring hopelessly at the two strangers. "Isobelle!" Her father whispered to her, obviously pleased to see her awake. "How are you feeling, dear one?
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Hungry, but I couldn't eat. My arms hurt."
Jenna was struck by an idea.
"Isabelle, would you mind if I took a look at your arms?" The girl watched her passively, limp hair tied loosely back, as she examined her arms. As Jenna had anticipated, there were large lumps under her armpits.
"Glandular Fever!" She announced triumphantly to the room at large. Estriel moved anxiously to her side. "Are you sure?" "Yes- look. The glands are inflamed, and swollen here, and look, here too, and I bet if we examine Isabelle's other glands, they will also be swollen."
The girl's checked Isabelle's glands- almost all, apart from her throat, were swollen. It was a conclusive deduction.
"Ok, so now we know what it is, how do we deal with it?" Estriel questioned her friend. "First Aid kit out," Jenna instructed, "Anti-inflammatory tablets, diluted vitamin drink..." Isabelle even managed to summon a little interest. The mayor watched anxiously as the girls asked for hot water, cold water, daylight (the curtains had been drawn for some antiquated reason) and a violin.
The mayor was perturbed by the request for a violin. As was Estriel. "But Jenna, you can't play the violin!" "No, but you can." "Why do I need to play the violin?" "To entertain Isabelle, of course!"
Jenna removed Estriel from the room for a moment. "The drink tastes horrible, and she needs to be distracted! Also, she has given up on life- she must realise there are things of beauty in this world, and quite frankly, the only thing I can think of that is beautiful that either of us could do is play the violin and/or sing, and I know you hate singing alone! Plus, I think that Isabelle plays the violin; I saw some music in a room we passed, so it will interest her."
Estriel thought about it. "Oh. Ok."
Isabelle's attention was caught as soon as Estriel nervously played a few tuning sweeps, checking the violin. When she launched into her favourite piece, Isabelle was spellbound, looking longingly at the instrument and enviously at Estriel, who was playing with her eyes shut. When Estriel finished, she checked the level of liquid (which must have looked like some strange spell to the family) in the glass. Half full. Sighing, she began to play again, becoming lost in a sweeping, joyful sonata- another favourite. Two Songs later, she ended- the glass was empty. Even better, Isabelle was smiling again. So was her father.
"Well, Isabelle, I can tell you two things. One, you will get better. It may take a while, but you will get there! Two, you must, by my orders, play the violin at least twice a week- more often if you can!" Jenna smiled cheerfully at the girl, amazed at the change wrought by Estriel's music.
"Well sir, if I may be permitted to return in a few hours, I think you may see some improvement."
The mayor led Es and Jenna downstairs, Es still holding the violin. "It is a beautiful instrument, sir." He smiled. "Yes- it was Isabelle's for her fifteenth Birthday. She adores it; I am so grateful to you, Lady Jenna, for suggesting Lady Estriel played it to her. I am sure she will get well soon, will you visit her tomorrow?"
The girls exchanged looks. They were supposed to leave at dawn after Aragorn. Should they stay or should they go? Jenna thought about her patient's condition.
"I believe, to be truthful, that there is very little that I could do for her that you can not do yourselves. I will leave written instructions, and return as soon as I am able- we must leave at dawn tomorrow, unfortunately. Have you any paper?" The mayor looked worried, but accepted what the girl told him. Jenna was given paper (which looked, and felt, rather like parchment) and then asked if she might write the instructions by herself. Or rather, if they might write the instructions without the mayor, who excused himself, looking a little curious.
"Shall I write? I have way better writing than you with real ink..." Suggested Estriel, realising that Jenna was thinking, and writing would only distract whatever she was thinking.
"Sure, that'd be good. Let me see..." She dictated her instructions, mainly consisting of the importance of fluids (boiled water, little wine, soups, stew if she could manage it) and sunlight, the necessity of keeping as active as possible without tiring her out, and not, whatever happened, giving up. She left a note at the bottom, saying that she could be sent for, if the worst happened, at the elven kingdom in Mirkwood, and whoever was sent was to stay on the path to lake town, not attempt to find her in the forest, for fear of his life. Jenna also left some painkillers (not to be used until vomiting has ceased) and Dioralyte, the liquid food she had given Isabelle earlier, to be given once a day. There was enough for three weeks, if none was wasted, and Jenna still had some left in her pack.
When she had finished, Jenna looked over at Estriel, who was finishing the last sentence. She added, "From your friends, Jenna and Estriel."
"I think our work here is done," said Estriel, smiling.
The mayor came over, and received the instructions which Estriel had given him.
"Thank you," he said, looking at both of the girls. "You have done more for us than you can imagine. I cannot let that go unrewarded, so, tell me, and I will give you whatever you ask for. Name your price," he looked at them, eager to thank them for their help.
"Well, what we would really like, more than anything else," said Estriel.
"Is two horses," finished Jenna.
"Is that all?" asked the mayor.
"That is all we ask," said Estriel, surprised. "However, these horses will be more valuable to us than you can know."
"In that case, let us go to the stables this very moment," said the mayor. "And I will pick out the two most able and handsome horses of the lot." He placed their instructions in his pocket, and beckoned for them to follow. The girls did so, and after a short walk out of the house and through some gardens, they reached the stables.
When they saw how many horses the mayor had, they were not surprised that the mayor had thought their reward small.
"Eother!" he called and the stable boy came running.
"Yes, master?" he asked, smiling at Estriel and Jenna.
"Bring out the two finest horses that you can find, excepting my own," he said, and the boy disappeared into the stables.
A few minutes later, the boy returned, leading one beautiful horse either side of him. He brought them over to Estriel and Jenna, who looked at them in awe.
They were magnificent. One was dark brown with a black mane and tail, and the other was completely black with only a white star on his forehead.
Jenna did not usually take to horses, however even she thought these two amazing.
"Thank you," said Estriel. "They're beautiful. We should leave now, as it is starting to get dark. Our best wishes to Isobelle for a speedy recovery, and we hope to see you again."
"Very well, very well. I suppose you think I am a little extravagant? Allow me, quickly to explain. I have many beautiful horses. I have only one daughter. You cannot comprehend the service you have done me. None of the previous healers have had half the effect your short time has upon Isabelle. Please, return when you may. I shall send a message if she worsens again, valar forbid. Good luck!"