When the Snow Falls Red
Chapter 2: Vile Drink No More
Disclaimer blah blah blah.
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The next morning, Legolas awoke to noises around the Hall of Healing. He opened his eyes, a strange trait for an elf to hold, yet since he was born, he slept with his eyes closed. He found "relindë walking around the room, pulling various herbs down from a shelf and placing them in a small bowl. She added a little water, and continued to mix the crushed herbs.
Legolas tried to sit up, but the pain flashed through him once again. He cried out, and "relindë turned. "You're awake!" She said. Legolas nodded, putting his head back down on the pillow. "Good. Here." She said, handing him a cup of steaming liquid. Legolas wrinkled his nose at it. "Legolas." She said with force. She always used this tone on him whenever she wanted him to do something. "It's the same as what you took as an elfling." She said. Legolas took the cup, and with much difficulty, forced the bitter liquid down his throat. He laid his head back down.
"You know, "relindë, you might have figured out a way to make that vile stuff taste better." Legolas commented before lying with his face buried in the pillow.
"relindë raised an eyebrow at his comment, then crossed over to him, rapping him on the head with the blunt edge of a knife. "Ow.." Legolas murmured into the pillow. "relindë grinned.
"Medicine wasn't meant to taste good." She said before continuing with what she was doing. Legolas rolled his eyes, though it went unnoticed since his face was still buried in the pillow.
A few minutes later, there was a knocking on the door. "relindë moved to it and opened it, but first unlocking it. Legolas sniggered. She had locked it to keep out his father. Sure enough, his form appeared in the doorway. "May I come see my son?" He asked. "relindë put her hands on her hips.
"That depends! Can you keep your voice down?" She asked. Thranduil nodded in a childlike manner, and, satisfied, "relindë moved aside to let the king in. Thranduil grabbed a chair and placed it beside Legolas's bed.
"How are you feeling this morning, ion-nín?" He asked. Legolas tried to shrug again, but it hurt. He moved his face from the pillow to look at his father.
"Alright I suppose." He answered. Thranduil smiled.
"I have missed you greatly, Tithen Lass." Thranduil said. "But I wonder, why did it take so long to perform the task of destroying the ring?" Thranduil asked.
A loud 'ahem' came from across the room, and Thranduil turned. "relindë was staring at him, her green eyes boring through his. "Sorry." He mumbled. Legolas grinned.
"I'll tell you some time, Ada." He said. Thranduil smiled. Legolas now concluded that he was no longer angry with him for accidentally allowing the creature Gollum to escape.
The door to the Hall of Healing opened once again, and the slender form of Náessë entered the room. "Good morning Legolas. Good morning Ada." She said. She was carrying a tray. "I brought you breakfast." She said to Legolas, moving to the bed and setting the tray down beside the bed.
"Thank you Náessë." Legolas said. She smiled. Thranduil rose.
"I regret that I have some things to do, so I will leave you now, Legolas. I'll come back later to see how you are." He said. Legolas nodded, and watched his father leave the room.
"Thank Valar." "relindë murmured after the door was closed. Both Legolas and Náessë gave the Healer questioning looks. She laughed. "I love Thranduil with all my heart, but the elf is stubborn and can disrupt the healing process." She said. Náessë and Legolas laughed, and Náessë turned back to her brother. She held up a bowl of fruit.
"I brought you your favorite." She said, picking out a strawberry from the bowl. Legolas thanked her and took it from her, and ate it. The taste of the strawberry brought a smile to his face. Náessë smiled.
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Aranel shifted through some papers. There was a knock at the door, and it opened, revealing Thranduil. "'Morning, ion-nin." He said, sitting opposite from his son.
"Good morning, Adar. I was just looking over the report of the food we have in the storehouses. If all goes well, then we will survive the winter just fine. I was thinking of riding out to the other settlements today and finding out how they are faring for the winter." Aranel said, not looking up from his papers. Thranduil raised an eyebrow.
"I hate to say it, ion-nin, but you sound like me." Thranduil said. This caused Aranel to look up from his papers.
"That is bad?" He asked. Thranduil nodded.
"That means you are overworked. When you became Crowned Prince, I didn't mean for you to take over all my duties just yet." Thranduil said. Aranel gave his father an indeed-well-I-tried-to-make-you-have-fun-but-you-declined-and-besides-you-weren't-doing-your-work-anyway look. Thranduil sighed and leaned back in the chair. "I know, I have been neglecting my duties. But I was worried about Legolas." He said in his defense.
"But now Legolas is home." Aranel said. Thranduil nodded. "I never thought I'd have to tell my Adar that he needs to resume his duties." Aranel said with a laugh. Thranduil shook his head and rose.
"If you want to go to the settlements later, talk to me and I will come along." He said, hoping this would get him back in the mood to do his duties, however, who really felt like sitting in a room all day looking at papers and maps?
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It was a few hours later that Thranduil and Aranel, along with a small group of guards, left the palace on horseback to ride to the nearby settlements. They had dressed in thick cloaks, as the weather was turning colder. The gray clouds of winter covered the sky, and the wind was chilling.
"Ada, do you think this winter will be harsh like last years?" Aranel asked. Thranduil shrugged his shoulders.
"Honestly, ion-nin, I don't know. It might, it might now. But if each settlement has enough in storage, then no one will run out of food, like last year." Thranduil said, shuddering at the memory of the horrible winter they had the year before. The supplied had run out faster than they expected they would, and the winter lasted longer than usual. Mirkwood was in chaos. Thranduil was much too stubborn to ask for help, so the elves suffered. However, the snow had melted, and because of the abundance of water left from the melting snow, they had a better crop then they had ever before. So in ways, it helped, but Thranduil hoped he would never have to relive that horrible winter.
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"Here." Náessë said, holding the cup to Legolas. He stared at it.
"Is that the same nasty herb mix I received this morning?" He asked, his face clearly showing his disgust.
"Why, indeed it is!" "relindë said from across the room. Legolas groaned. Náessë looked at her little brother questioningly.
"What's wrong with it?" She asked.
"Try it for yourself." Legolas said, knowing full well that his sister had the luck of never having to taste it. As for Aranel and himself, it was almost a regular thing as they were growing up.
Náessë brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. She nearly spat the liquid back into the cup. ""relindë!" She cried, whirling around to face the healer. "relindë looked at Náessë with innocence in her eyes. "This is vile!" Náessë cried. Legolas laughed into his pillow. It wasn't often that his sister raised her voice, but when she did, it was usually very humorous. She turned to Legolas. "I'll bring this back to you in a few minutes." She said, and hurried out of the room.
Legolas watched her leave. "I bet Náessë will make it taste better." He commented. "relindë raised an eyebrow to him.
"She's only babying her little brother." She said with a sneer. Legolas rolled his eyes in an unprincely way, and "relindë laughed.
""relindë!" A voice cried. She turned towards the doors as they opened, and two guards came in, carrying another. It was Finwë. "Something's wrong with him! He was fine, but then he just sort of passed out!" The guard said. "relindë turned serious, and had the guards put the captain on the table. There was a gash on the side of his head.
"Where did that come from?" "relindë asked the guard.
"He fell when he passed out and hit it head on a table." The guard explained. She nodded and looked at it.
"Lólindir!" She called. A young elf entered the room. His dark hair went to just above his shoulders, and he had light hazel eyes. He was dressed in the garb of a novice healer. His face was sad. Legolas recognized him, as he had seen the elf in the Halls of Healing many times. He was several years younger than Legolas. Lólindir joined "relindë at her side. "Get me some water and some clothes to clean out this wound. Bring the herbs, and some fresh bandages." She instructed him. Lólindir nodded quietly and moved away from the bed to get what he was instructed to get.
Legolas watched all this, and remembered what had happened to Lólindir the year before he left Mirkwood for Rivendell. His father had been out with the patrols, and spiders attacked them. His father fought bravely, but in the end, his father was killed. That's when Lolinder stopped talking. He had been silent since the day his father was killed. 'Poor elf.' Legolas thought to himself.
"relindë reached up to Finwë 's eyes and checked for dilation. There was none. "Good. He didn't have a concussion." She said. Lólindir came back at her side and handed her the wooden bowl and the cloths. "relindë dipped the cloth into the bowl and started to clean out the wound on Finwë 's head.
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A few moments later, Náessë arrived back in the room, carrying the cup. She looked to the commotion on the other side of the room, then looked back at Legolas. "What's going on?" She asked.
"Finwë passed out and got a cut on his head." Legolas explained. Náessë looked back at the group around the bed, and tilted her head to the side.
"That's odd." She commented, then sat down beside her brother on the bed. She handed him the cup. "This should taste better now." She said. Legolas took it from her hands and sipped it. The taste of strawberries filled his mouth in an instant.
"You're brilliant." Legolas commented, then finished off the entire cup. Náessë laughed.
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A half hour later, Finwë 's head was cleaned up and wrapped, and the guards were dismissed. The Halls of Healing were silent again. When "relindë was sure that Finwë was merely sleeping, she moved to Legolas and started to unwrap the bandages on his shoulder. "It's healing just fine. I expect you should be able to get up tomorrow. Just stay like that." "relindë said. Legolas nodded.
"Náessë figured out a way to make your vile drinks taste better." Legolas teased. "relindë looked from Legolas to Náessë. Náessë blushed.
"How?" "relindë asked.
"Well, I just took a strawberry and squeezed the juice out, then squished the fruit until it was pulpy, then added it to your drink. I mixed it, then got out the left over fruit." Náessë explained. "relindë put a finger to her chin to think about this for a moment.
"Interesting. Well, Náessë, when will you start your healer training?" "relindë asked.
"When you can teach me. I think, though, that I want to just learn different healing ways, and not become a true healer, because I want to spend time with my family." She said. "relindë nodded. She knew how much the princess loved her two brothers.
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Yay. This chapter is over. Uh.. ok...
Reviewer Response:
Meisalliam: Wow. I am really honored that you are reading my story. Honestly! Thanks so much. And thanks for letting me borrow your ideas! Hehe. Strawberries are great!
Later all-
Blue September Rain