Disclaimer: Not mine, no matter how hard I try.
Review Responses:
Karone Evertree: I needed a break too. Too much pain and torture can get weary for even the writer. Hmmm. Blood transfusion, good guess. But I'm not going to tell you if you're right or not yet. You'll just have to keep reading.
Deana: Another vote for blood transfusion. Yes I know Legolas would volunteer, but as I told Karone you just have to keep reading to find out.
Slayer3: I love you dearly, but I am a diabetic, and you just gave what to my alter ego. Sugar high! Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. That's better than the precioussssssssss.
DarkAngelOfDreams: Oh, oh I got a new reviewer. I see you're on chapter 1. I hope by the time you get to this chapter you still love it.
Illness and Fast Horses
"Ada she's getting worse." Estel said turning to his father who was brewing a concoction for fever.
"I know Estel. There is not much we can do until your brothers come back. We must treat her symptoms, and give her whatever strength we can mentally. I just hope it is not too late by then." Elrond said pouring the liquid into a cup and handing it to Estel. The twins had been gone for three days, and during the daytime hours Atavus seemed fine, but at night her temperature would rise until she was incoherent.
Legolas propped Atavus up letting Estel try to get the liquid down her throat. "Atavus you must drink. The fever is too high." Legolas whispered into her ear. Atavus' eyes slid open, and she leaned forward to take the cup in her mouth. Unfortunately she was not coherent enough to control her own swallowing, and she choked on the liquid. "Slow down, mellon-nin." Legolas warned patting her back. She then tried the liquid again, which made it down her parched throat. Afterwards he helped her slip down into the pillow.
"What's happening Legolas? I don't understand." She asked with a look of confusion in her black eyes. She had asked that question ever night since the twins had left. When the fever had her in it's grip, she could not remember what had happened.
Legolas gave her the same answer as he did every night. "You are very sick Atavus. The twins have traveled to Lake Town to get something Elrond needs to help you get better."
"But Legolas, I never get sick, and the twins don't even like me." He knew she sometimes lived in the times before Dol Guldur, while under the fever's spell.
"Yes you do get sick, and the twins love you like a sister, mellon-nin. The fever has made you forget." Legolas tried to calm her.
The confused look in her eyes made him wish he could prove his words to her. But he could not. "Sleep now. You will feel better when the fever leaves." He said placing a kiss on her fevered brow.
Estel was watching from the foot of the bed. "Ada what is to be expected in the next few days?"
Elrond sighed taking a seat next to the bed leaning forward with his forehead in his hands. It was the closest Estel had ever seen his father to being truly stressed. "The fevers will last longer. She will become more confused. She may not recognize us anymore. But we must keep speaking to her. She must hear loving voices. As we speak her body is working to replace the orc blood with Elvin blood, but it is a slow process. Too slow. She needs help from us."
"What do we need to do for her?" Estel asked.
"For now just talk to her. Just hearing your voices can help." Elrond answered looking at his youngest son.
"Can help, but it can't cure her can it?" Estel said understanding his father's words too well.
"No, it can't. For that we must wait." The Elf Lord knew his youngest son had very little patience, and the days to come would be very difficult for him.
"Why would your father want these? You can't use them on elves." The human healer asked Elladan as he handed him a square box, which contained what they had been sent for.
"We have a friend who is not elf, that needs them." Was the only answer he could give the healer.
"Well I wish your friend luck. Make sure you don't touch them. They don't mix well with Elves." The healer called out the door as the twins mounted their horses. They had made the ride in record time cutting the trip down to three days there, and they planned on trying to beat that on the way home.
As they stopped later in the day, to water the horses, Elrohir opened the box Elladan had strapped to his horse. The box was not overly large, but what he saw inside, made his eyebrows rise in surprise. "I hope Ada knows what he is doing with these."
Elladan crossed to where his brother stood, and made a funny face as he peered in the box. He had never heard of what his father had sent them for. "Surely the healers would not be playing a prank on us. But why would Ada want those?"
"I don't know. But I don't want to waste the time it would take to go back and ask." Elrohir answered mounting his horse again.
As the next three days passed two elves and a human watched as the woman they had come to care for so much deteriorated before their eyes. Atavus had but brief moments of lucid thought. Legolas, and Estel took turns talking to her. They talked of anything and everything just wanting to let her know they were there. Elrond even spoke to her often, sometimes reading from her favorite books from his library.
Legolas was sitting on the bed beside her holding her hand. Her eyes had opened a moment before and she was watching him. "How are you today, mellon-nin?"
She did not answer him immediately. She looked around at her surroundings, and then at the three people in the room. "Where am I? Who are you?" She asked confusion showing again in her eyes.
Legolas flinched at her words. "Lord Elrond?" He said in a strained voice.
"It is all right Legolas. I warned you of this. The fever is playing tricks in her mind. Just reassure her." Elrond said laying a strong hand on the younger elf's shoulder.
He nodded then turned to Atavus. "Atavus you know where you are. You are in Rivendell. And you know me. I am your friend Legolas. And Estel is here also, as is Lord Elrond."
"I have always dreamed of seeing Rivendell, but this can not be real." She said looking out the balcony door at the beautiful gardens she could see in the distance.
"Yes it is. You are sick. The fever plays tricks on you. Makes you forget what you should hold dearest in your heart. Do not let it control you." Legolas said stroking her cheek, wanting her to remember him so badly.
"How did I come to be here? The last I remember I was getting ready to leave Ithilien with Galen's people. Wait. I remember you. You were with Galen when he came to tell me they were leaving." She remembered the golden haired elf she had held her bow on.
"Oh Atavus that was over two and a half years ago. So much has happened since then." Legolas smiled as if he was trying to explain something very complicated to a child.
"Two and a half years! But how can that be?" She said fear rising in her voice.
"Do not fear, Atavus. You are among those who love you most in this world. We will not let anything harm you." Estel said sitting on the other side of the bed. He had overheard the conversation they were having and wanted to help Legolas assure her.
"Love? What do you mean? No one has ever loved me." She said indignantly.
"You are so wrong, mellon-nin. In the past two and half years you have gained a family that loves you dearly. You have saved both of our lives. You have bravely faced many adversaries, and found a place in the hearts of the Elves of Imladris." Estel said willing her to believe him.
She didn't know if she should believe him or not. But one thing stuck in her mind. He had called her mellon-nin. She knew that the word meant my friend in Elvish, but she knew not how she knew it. She didn't speak Elvish. Unless someone had taught her. Her head was beginning to spin. "I think I need to sleep." She said closing her eyes to them. It did not take her long to fall asleep.
"Ada how long will her memory loss last?" Estel asked holding her hand and stroking it absentmindedly.
"That is hard to determine, Estel. She may remember everything the next time she wakes. Or she may be back in Mordor in her mind the next time. No one can tell." Elrond answered.
It was after noon on the sixth day when Lord Elrond next checked her arm. The wound didn't seem any worse than that morning. He began to think that maybe her body had produced enough of the elvish blood to start the healing process again. That was a good sign. It would make what he intended to do to help her easier. He knew that if he left her be for long enough her body would catch up and heal the wound on its own, but the longer her fevers persisted the more chance there would be that she would not be the same mentally when she was healed. He intended to speed the process in another way. He knew if the balance within her blood were restored she would be healed within a days time.
He heard the commotion coming from down the hall, and stepped to the doorway. To his surprise his twin sons were coming towards him carrying a box. "Ada, I hope this is what you wanted." Elrohir said handing the box to his father.
"How did you make that journey so quick?" Elrond asked still amazed that they were already back.
"You'd be surprised what a horse can do when you give it enough Miruvor." Elladan answered. Elrond had never thought of giving a horse the strength giving cordial of the Elves.
"Come in here. Rest while I inspect what you have brought." Elrond said smiling for the first time in days.
"The human healer warned that they were not to be touched by elves, Ada." Elladan warned.
"Yes I know. Estel will have to use them." Elrond stated as he walked back into Atavus' room.
Author's Note: Anyone want to venture a guess at what's in the box? I would like to see if anyone can read my mind. Well friends there are only two more chapters left. Then it's on to the third story in this series, titled Healer of Rohan. I hope you all continue on to read that one as well. Honestly that is the one I had in mind when I started all this, but these other two just begged to be told, and since I like to go in chronological order as I write, you see what happened. And for those of you who really love Atavus the plot bunnies have been kind and slipped a fourth story into my mind also. It is yet untitled, but I'm still developing it in the old noggin.
