Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
Author's Note: Well you asked for chapter 7 and here it is. This one's a little shorter.
A PuzzleTo Solve
"I did not know." Atavus said bowing her head over her unconscious friend.
"He will survive." Legolas said with a shaking voice. "He has survived too much in his life to have something like this take him away."
"But Legolas you heard Lord Elrond." Atavus was losing faith; he could hear it in her voice.
"You don't speak Elvish, do you?" Legolas asked taking her hand in his.
"No. I wish I did." She admitted.
"You don't know what Estel means, do you?" He asked her another question.
"No. But I know that is what he is called by your people." She answered.
"It means hope Atavus. That is what he is, and what he brings to those around him. Please don't loose hope in him now. We can not." He pleaded with her.
"If only he was awake….." She started to say.
"Would you offer him the gift?" He asked.
"I would give him all of me if he would accept it." She broke then and the tears coursed down her face.
"I wouldn't ask that much." A weak voice came from the bed. They both looked at their friend with shocked expressions on their faces.
"Estel. Your awake." Legolas stood meaning to go get Elrond.
"Sit Legolas." Aragorn whispered. "I heard my father." He knew he would not make it.
"Estel." Atavus whispered quietly as she touched his face. He could see the tears in her eyes.
"I know what you offer my friend. I do not want to die. I accept it." Both friends were stunned into silence.
"Are you sure Estel?" Legolas asked one last time.
"I'm so cold Legolas. I can't stay much longer." His words were almost a whisper.
"You will stay with us my friend." Atavus was all action then. She pulled her knife from its sheath and sliced her hand. She pulled the bandage from his wound and quickly clamped her hand over it. She had never worked so fast to remove poison as she did then. It coursed into her own body at a dizzying rate of speed as her own blood passed into him. Legolas had made his way to that side of the bed and laid his hand on top of hers like Aragorn had done when she healed him. He used his other hand to hold her steady.
She was not half finished when Elrond and the twins stepped back into the room. "What goes on here?" Elrond made to move forward as he saw Aragorn writhing in pain on the bed, as she removed the poison from his internal organs.
"No stop Lord Elrond. She is helping him." Legolas said looking to the new comers.
Elrond stepped forward and watched as the black tendrils of poison receded under his skin, as the woman's skin took on a grayish shade, and her eyes became cloudy.
When Legolas could see no more poison he turned to Estel. "Is she done Estel?"
"Yes. I think so." His voice was much stronger, as he took Atavus' hand in his own. Legolas was now supporting all of her weight on his shoulder as he kneeled beside her.
"Ada hand me some clean water and some bandages." Aragorn asked. When his father complied he washed her hand, where the cut was turning black from the poison then bandaged it. He moved over some so Legolas could lay her down. She was already shivering. It truly was a fast acting poison. Legolas covered her with several blankets, then washed and bandaged Aragorn's wound. Lord Elrond and the twins could see that the poison was gone.
"Can someone tell me what we just saw?" Elrond asked shakily sitting in a chair. "I fully expected to see you die tonight Estel, but now your wound is well on the way to healing, and you are not suffering at all from the affects of that poison."
"I won't. The poison is gone. She removed it from my body, and replaced it with her own blood." Aragorn tried to explain. "Now her body will work throughout tonight and tomorrow to destroy the poison. She will be very sick tonight."
Legolas had went to where Elladan and Elrohir still stood holding the supplies that there father had asked them to bring to treat their brother. They both looked as if in shock. Legolas took from them herbs to counteract fever, nausea, and convulsions then set about making a fire to brew some athalas to help the healing process.
"But how?" Elrond asked.
"Ada, all I can tell you is that her blood has a healing property to it that is not common among elves, and she has a gift that allows her to do what you just witnessed. But there is a high price she must pay for it, with her own illness. We have seen it twice before in the last few weeks. We nearly lost her when she saved Legolas." Aragorn's words had become softer. He could not tell his father the rest of Atavus' secret. It was hers to tell alone.
Elrond could see his son was holding something back, and he also felt something wrong in the room that had nothing to do with poisoning, but he would not force his son to tell what he had hidden. "Well I am glad to see you better my son, but we will have much to talk of tomorrow. Elladan help me move our guest down to the healing ward, where she can be watched all night."
"NO!" Both friends said in unison. "Father let her stay here. It is too cold in the healing wing. This poison makes her so very cold. Legolas will watch over us as we sleep. Won't you Legolas?"
"Yes. I would not leave her now for anything. She'll need help before the night is through." Legolas answered pulling a chair to the sleeping woman's side of the bed, as he mixed a concoction for fever. He could tell she was already burning up. He showed the mixture to Estel to make sure he had it right, before he propped her up and placed the cup to her lips. "Drink my friend." He whispered to her in the common tongue. Somehow her body responded as she swallowed the mixture. "Estel she is much hotter than when she was sick before." Aragorn moved to sit up, but Lord Elrond stopped him and sat on the bed beside the woman and placed his hand on the woman's brow. Here skin was definitely on fire. Get me cold wet rags Legolas." He did as he was told.
Elrond wanted to peak inside her head to see if there was something else going on wrong. He began to delve inside her mind when he heard Estel say. "No ada, don't." But it was too late. He got a glimpse of what they were hiding from him. A frown crossed his face. He almost forgot why he was there, but then remembered as he searched her body. When he removed his hand he sighed heavily.
"We have much to speak of tomorrow you two. But for now, she has a wound somewhere that is sapping the strength she needs to fight off the poison." He said looking questioning at the two friends.
"Why didn't I think of that? She dislocated her shoulder. The pain must be excruciating." Aragorn answered.
"It is the left shoulder. I relocated it, but did not have time to put it in a sling. She has had no pain killers yet." Legolas said.
Elrond took an herb from Elrohir and started to make a drink from it that would decrease Atavus' pain. He tried to get her to take it saying soothing words in Elvish, but she pulled her face away from him.
"May I Lord Elrond?" Legolas asked. When Elrond backed away Legolas took his seat and offered her the cup again speaking in the common tongue. "This will help you Atavus. Please drink it." She did, opening her eyes slightly to look at Legolas through the pain filled orbs. Then he laid her back down and placed one of the wet cloths over her head to cool her hot skin. She shivered but did not pull away from it.
Lord Elrond and the twins left knowing that the woman was in capable hands. The twins went to their rooms wanting some sleep, but Lord Elrond went to his study digging out some very old texts from the first age. He had a puzzle to solve.
What do you think Lord Elrond will discover? Find out when chapter 8 'A Gift or a Curse' comes up.
