The Truest Friends
Chapter 2
Eomer awoke with a start. He realized he had only been dreaming, reliving his torture at the hands of the Orcs, and heaved a small sigh of relief. The sound brought the woman to his side. He wasn't sure why, but his thinking seemed fuzzier and he felt much warmer. Her cool hands on his forehead and cheeks felt very nice, and he was sorry when she removed them. He saw the worried expression on her face, and knew it was connected with his condition, but his train of thought was not tracking properly and he found himself asking, "Will you not tell me your name so I may know who cares for me?"
After a moment, she told him, "My name is Kareswen." She drew a deep breath and moved away, to sit staring into the fire. He watched her sleepily while his mind drifted from random thought to random thought.
"What troubles you, Kareswen?" he finally called to her. Apparently his mind had wandered full circle and was back to his injuries. He was fairly certain his recovery was not to her satisfaction.
She came over and knelt beside him, resting a hand on his forehead. "You are dying, Eomer. The arrow you took in your shoulder was poisoned. I do not know if I can save you."
He was a bit startled at her honesty, but grateful. He'd rather know the truth; and, yet, he realized he really was not ready to die. He had been prepared for it to happen for so long, but when the war ended, that expectation seemed to have fled. He had never envisioned his life being in danger as King of Rohan. He wondered if Eowyn knew he was missing and probably dead, or going to die. He hated the thought of giving her more grief in her life. And he wondered what would become of Rohan. Would Eowyn become Queen? If she did, what of Faramir? Would he give up his titles and positions to come to Rohan with her? He could not imagine the two of them apart. He felt certain whatever decision was made, they would make it together. Faramir was a good man. He was glad Eowyn would have him there to comfort her when news of his death came.
Kareswen watched the expressions flitting over Eomer's face, but said nothing more. He must deal with death in his own way.
Suddenly a low growl alerted her. Now she could hear it, too - movement near the mouth of the cave. Had she not been distracted by their conversation she would not have been caught off her guard. Quickly she placed a hand over Eomer's mouth and leaned close to his ear, "Someone is near. Can you manage a blade?"
He nodded, though he wasn't at all certain he would be much use in a fight. She helped him to his feet, and leaning heavily on her as a crutch, he limped over behind an outcropping of rock. He transferred his weight to lean on the wall while she retrieved a blade for him. Oddly, the feel of it in his hand gave him a surge of strength and he felt steadier. In the meantime, she had moved to the opposite side of the cave with her bow and had an arrow at the ready.
It was clear that someone was slowly coming toward them in the darkness. Eomer could not be sure of the distance, but apparently she could, for when they got so far, she called out, "Who are you? Drop your weapons and step slowly into the light - or you are dead where you stand."
Eomer's mouth quirked in a grin; had he not known who was issuing the command, he'd have been intimidated. He wondered how their visitors would react, and tightened his grip on the sword's hilt.
A man stepped into the light, his hands raised after he tossed down his sword where she could see him do so. "We mean you no harm. We are only searching for a friend of ours who is missing. We found some tracks leading here and were hoping it might lead us to him."
Eomer recognized Aragorn in the dimness of the firelight, but his head was beginning to fog again from the effort of standing.
"You must be very good trackers if you followed my trail. Who is it you seek? And how may I know that you are 'friends' as you claim?" Kareswen asked, not lowering her arrow.
Hoarsely Eomer called out, as he felt his consciousness slipping from him, "They are friends." His knees turned to jelly and he folded to the ground.
Aragorn instinctively took a step toward him, but an arrow sang past his head and he stopped in his place. When he turned where the arrow had come from he saw another had already been notched and set at the ready. "I did not say you could move," she warned as she edged slowly in Eomer's direction.
"Please, he needs our help and I have healing skills. We are his friends - he told you so," Aragorn urged.
"He also passed out from weakness and fever. He is delusional." She continued making her way until she reached Eomer's side and knelt carefully beside him.
"Oh, come on. It's just one little lass; we can take her!" a voice said from the darkness as a dwarf stepped into the light, his axe raised. Dog moved forward growling, and the dwarf turned toward him.
"Drop your axe or I will kill you. If you harm the dog, I will make certain it is a slow and painful death." Even Gimli could not mistake the promise behind her words and he reluctantly tossed his axe to the side. Her arrow swung toward the darkness, "And the third one. Come out where I can see you, unarmed."
Aragorn wondered how she had known there was someone else there. Legolas was usually so silent in his movements that he startled even Aragorn when he wasn't paying attention. Legolas, too, stepped forward, his bow lowered. "Drop the bow and quiver, and your blades as well." Clearly she didn't miss much. Legolas did as instructed.
She gestured to Aragorn and Legolas, "Move him back over on the blanket." She pointed to the bedding on which Eomer had lain, and they moved to do so. "Be careful. He has a broken left arm, a broken right leg and several broken ribs on both sides. I will be annoyed if you aggravate his injuries."
The warning was clear, but anger flared in Aragorn's eyes nonetheless. As he helped Legolas move Eomer, he snapped, "And just how did he get in such condition, if I may ask?"
He glanced at the woman and saw her shrug, "I do not know. He is as I found him. He received some wounds in battle; the rest seem to have been inflicted on him by his captors."
"And who might they be?" demanded Gimli belligerently.
"I would not know. My guess would be Orcs or Uruk-hai."
Aragorn's surge of temper had cooled somewhat at her words, and he asked more calmly, "And you have been caring for him?"
She nodded, but then her jaw tightened, "Though it does not really matter. He will probably die anyway."
Aragorn was startled at this declaration, but Gimli burst in with an angry retort, "How can you so unfeelingly condemn a man to death? Do you not care at all about his pain and suffering?"
She eyed the dwarf with a closed expression, that hid any emotion she might be feeling. Finally she simply replied, "If I were without feeling in the matter, he would still be lying in the forest and we would not be having this discussion."
Again Aragorn was caught off guard by her words, but inquired, "I have been trained somewhat in the healing of the Elves. Would you allow me to examine him? Perhaps I can prevent his death."
She looked at him, but nodded, "If you wish. But it will do little good - it is unlikely you know of a remedy I do not."
He glanced at her curiously, but only asked, "Do you have any athelas available?" She pointed to some packs along the back wall of the cave.
"It will not help. It has only aided him so much. The poison..."
Aragorn interrupted, "Poison?"
"He received an arrow in his left shoulder. I believe it was poisoned as the wound will not heal, and it seems to be the reason for his increasing fever. The athelas did not work in treating it." She wearily took a seat against the cave wall and rubbed her face with her hands.
Before she could say more, Aragorn had risen and moved to stand over her, "What about corbeloth? Have you tried that?"
She shook her head, "I would have done so, but do not have any on hand. I did not dare leave him alone to go seeking it."
"Then let us try it now. Do you know where it can be found?"
She nodded and looked over at Legolas. "Do you know this plant, Elf?" At Legolas' affirmation, she called out, "Dog, show him the swampy glen near here." The dog rose and moved toward the exit, watching for Legolas to follow. Legolas raised an eyebrow questioningly, but Aragorn gestured for him to go and he moved after the dog out of the cave.
"How long will it take for them to return?" Aragorn asked, refraining from asking the other question uppermost in his mind.
But he didn't have to voice it, for Gimli did, "Are you saying that dog is going to take Legolas to find some plant in the woods? How do you expect a dog to know what he is looking for, or where to find it?"
She answered the both of them together, "Yes, the dog knows where to go to find what the Elf seeks. If the Elf lets the dog set the pace, they should not be gone long. It is but a half mile or so each way."
Aragorn crouched beside Eomer and studied this woman. There was certainly nothing run of the mill about her. It seemed every time she opened her mouth some new astonishing thing was learned, and yet he knew he believed everything she had said. No matter how disconcerting it all was, she was telling them the truth.
There was suddenly a loud snort from the shadows and Aragorn rose with a start. The sound had been that of a horse, which he had not noticed until now. The woman's reaction was to snatch up her bow and arrow again, stepping to a defensable position. She moved so quickly she was at the ready before he had even completely registered the situation. "What's wrong?" he asked, convinced nothing dangerous could have gotten past the Rangers standing watch outside. He assumed she did not think it was Legolas returning.
Just then a voice called out, "Lord Aragorn?" It was one of the Rangers.
He held up a hand to her, to stop any attack, "It is alright. He is with us. He is no threat." She lowered the arrow, but did not return it to its quiver.
"What is it, Mablung?" Aragorn asked.
"Evening is coming. Shall we make camp for the night or will we move on?" Mablung inquired, keeping a careful eye on the woman poised to strike if he proved dangerous.
Aragorn turned to the woman questioningly. He knew she would resist them if they tried to move Eomer without her consent. "You had better make camp. He cannot be moved yet," she told them. Aragorn signaled his agreement to this decision and Mablung exited the cave.
A short time later, Legolas and the dog returned and Aragorn set to work preparing the corbeloth. When the medicine was ready, he called to her, "Will you assist me?"
She rose and went to kneel beside Eomer, gently lifting his left shoulder and uncovering the wound. When Aragorn got a good look at it, he winced, "It does not appear much care was taken in removing the arrow." He couldn't be certain, but he doubted she had been the one to do it.
"I do not think his captors were concerned with being gentle or avoiding more damage to the shoulder," she observed, but made no further comment on the matter. They carefully treated the wound and rebandaged it, having no recourse but to wait and see if the corbeloth would be effective.
When they were finished, she moved back over and resumed her seat against the wall. After a few moments, Aragorn followed and sat down beside her.
"My lady..." he began, but she cut him off.
"I am no lady. Do not call me such."
"Then what may I call you?"
After a few moments of no response, he realized she was not going to offer any name so he continued, "I am Aragorn, also known as King Elessar of Gondor, the dwarf is Gimli, son of Gloin, and the Elf is Legolas, of the Woodland Realm." She still said nothing, so he added, "Eomer has been missing for nearly three weeks. How long has he been in your care?"
"I found him four days ago, some distance from here. I do not know how long it had been since he escaped his captors before I found him."
"With your permission, when he is able to travel, we will take him to Edoras. His sister is anxiously awaiting word of him there. She asked us to come looking for him." There was silence and Aragorn asked, "Did you know he was the King of Rohan?
She shook her head, but remained silent.
"If you wish to leave him in our care, you are free to depart, though I am sure his sister would very much like to meet and thank you for assisting him."
"I cannot leave."
"Why not?"
"I am responsible for him."
"What do you mean?"
She sighed, "If I did not want to get involved, I should have left him in the forest. But when I chose to bring him here, he became my responsibility - unto death or recovery. I cannot leave until either has been achieved."
Though Aragorn did not fully understand the reasoning behind this declaration, he merely nodded acceptance of her decision. "Then we welcome you on our journey to Edoras, and we will hope that it ends with recovery rather than death."
When she said nothing, he suggested, "Why don't you get some rest. I will watch him, and you look exhausted."
At first she did not move, but finally she shrugged in acquiescence and placed a blanket to lie down on. She lay facing the cave wall and the dog stretched out protectively next to her.
Aragorn stood and stepped over to rejoin his companions, and they moved a bit away so as not to disturb her with their quiet conversation. After talking, Legolas and Gimli headed for the cave entrance and the Rangers. Gimli retrieved supplies to prepare their dinner while Legolas sent one of the Rangers on ahead to Edoras to advise that Eomer had been found alive, though in bad shape.
Several hours later, Legolas and Gimli were sleeping as Aragorn kept watch over Eomer. The man shifted restlessly, no doubt from the fever burning in him. Almost at the same moment that he moaned and opened his eyes, Kareswen appeared instantly and knelt beside him. "I thought you were asleep," Aragorn commented.
"I was. But Dog alerted me that Eomer was awake."
Aragorn's eyebrows twitched perplexedly upward. How had the dog known even before he had that Eomer had awakened? And how had it known to rouse her? This was the most astonishing dog he had ever encountered. He had a sneaking suspicion that the horse which remained in the back shadows of the cave might prove equally remarkable and unusual.
Eomer's eyes were trying to focus and he muttered, "Kareswen?" as he fumbled for her with his right hand. She caught it in her own hand and squeezed.
"I am here."
"So...hot. Hurts." His words were little more than whispers. Gently she placed her free hand on his forehead and then his cheeks.
"His temperature is rising. The fever may be trying to peak." She glanced at Aragorn then called, "Dog. Water." The dog moved to her supplies and brought a water pouch to her. She pointed to Aragorn's right, "Give me one of those cloths." As he watched, she soaked the cloth and bathed Eomer's brow and face, and the coolness of the liquid seemed to ease his restlessness a bit. He was soon back to a fitful sleep. She continued her ministrations for nearly half an hour before setting aside the empty water container.
She looked up at Aragorn. "You have had a long day. You should get some rest like your companions. I will lay my blanket here beside him. Either I will hear him if he stirs, or Dog will alert me. I assume your men are guarding the cave entrance."
He nodded and she went to fetch her blanket. He hesitated only a moment, but realized it was pointless for both of them to stay up with Eomer through the night. He was sure she would awaken him if she needed his assistance with anything.
xxxxx
By morning, Eomer was improved and his temperature was closer to normal. As much as Aragorn would have liked to leave immediately for Edoras, he knew Eomer would not be up to it for at least a few days.
While they waited, Gimli had located a tree branch and carved it into a crutch to enable Eomer to get up and moving a bit. He couldn't go far before he tired, but each time he tried he made it a little further.
Finally, after three days, Aragorn consulted with Kareswen about moving him. She considered the matter for a moment, but told him, "If he thinks himself up to it, we can begin the journey. But it will be slow going. He will be uncomfortable enough riding at a walk; anything faster would do more harm than good."
Eomer was anxious to get to Edoras and relieve Eowyn's worry. He knew they had sent a messenger, but he also knew his sister well enough to know she would not rest easy until she could see him with her own eyes. They decided to depart early the next day.