Hello everyone!
Welcome back!
I am pretty bored right now, so I decided to update. Nice of me, huh!
This is the next-to-last chapter for A Shadow and a Thought. I still don't know about a sequel or anything, but I do have ideas for other, non related stories.
Anyway, this chapter is mainly tons of healing and talking, so enjoy!
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Eowyn quickly stood up and hurried to the bed, Merry and Pippin close behind her. She watched with bated breath as Gandalf fingers emitted the light, illuminating the whole room. Suddenly Aragorn's hands twitched. Eowyn could scarcely contain herself as Legolas leapt for Aragorn's pulse.
Legolas let his hand fall, trembling from the sudden burst of emotion in his heart. He looked at all of them gathered around the bed, and uttered two words.
"He lives."
The rest of the room stood in suppressed shock for a moment, then all burst into happiness. Eowyn swept Pippin into a hug. Gimli clapped Legolas on the back, grinning broadly. Gandalf remained where he was, not without a soft smile spreading across his face. Suddenly Aragorn's chest gave a great heave, and in his unconscious state he began coughing harshly.
They were drawn from their celebrations back to Aragorn. Gandalf slowly pulled his hands away from Aragorn's. To the relief of all, he continued coughing. Eowyn snapped back into action.
"Merry and Pippin, could you please boil the water and get me some cold compresses? And Gimli, go find the Warden and ask him for the pain-reducing herbs and also the tea for congestion. He is alive, but still injured and in danger." With that, she checked her patient's temperature. It was not as dangerously high as before, but a fever still burned. She carefully propped Aragorn up a little bit, and tipped a little water into his mouth. He swallowed reflexively and the coughing subsided, but he began to shiver again.
Legolas quickly put a blanket over him, one that wasn't so heavy that it would aggravate his wounds but would warm him at least a little. Eowyn carefully assessed his injuries.
"My lord, we must remove the dagger now. It is probably still poisonous and it is affecting his breathing. Will you-"
Legolas nodded without letting her finished. He grasped Aragorn's shoulders and held them down firmly. Eowyn grasped the hilt, and with a deep breath, yanked it out. Aragorn cried out and thrashed on the bed as blood began to seep from the cut. Eowyn quickly recovered and pressed a wet cloth to it, stopping the bleeding. Aragorn's struggles quieted, but his breathing became more ragged and strained. Eowyn quickly retrieved the aseanan from the table and spread it over the wound.
Legolas released him slowly. His eyes traveled around the room, where Merry and Pippin were stoking the fire and Gandalf had slumped into a chair. His eyes came to a stop when he saw what he needed: a needle and thread. He swiftly retrieved them and handed them to Eowyn.
"They need to be stitched to prevent infection." He stated quietly. Eowyn nodded. She hated stitching wounds, but he really needed them. Eowyn carefully threaded the needle and pulled back the blanket. The cuts hadn't started bleeding again, but they still looked bad. She paused, unsure of where to start.
Eowyn finally decided on the cut on his right arm. Aragorn would need his sword arm as soon as possible, and she wanted it to be working. She nodded again to Legolas, who held Aragorn's arm. Eowyn quickly inserted the needle. Aragorn moaned but did not struggle. Heartened by his reaction, Eowyn finished the wound rapidly. Once she tied it off, she already noticed that the cut was no longer a burning red color, but was returning to normal. That could only mean one thing: the poison was wearing off.
Eowyn moved onto the leg wounds, which Aragorn barely responded to, and the other arm and chest, which only generated a moan. Soon all that were left was the dagger wound and the cut across his face. She decided to wait for the pain-reducing herbs before attempting his face, which was bound to be the most painful.
Twelve stitches later, she looked impatiently at the door. Where was Gimli? It shouldn't take that long to simply ask the Warden for a few herbs. But as if an answer to her question, Gimli rushed into the room, panting, with a battered pack on his back. He caught the amused glances of both Eowyn and Legolas and slung the pack onto a table.
"I couldn't find the Warden. Perhaps he went to bed, but he is not here. And all of the nurses were too busy to even look at me. I can't tell herbs apart for the life of me, so I went to Aragorn's room and got his pack. He has a good supply of medicines, or at least that's what Sam told me."
Legolas nodded in approval and tipped the contents of the pack onto the table. A number of things clattered out, including a long pipe, several packages of dried fruit and meat, and a small sack that clinked as it hit the wooden surface. Legolas picked it up and dropped the contents on the bed. Several small, labeled packages and jars tumbled out. Eowyn picked one up, but could not read the label, as it was written in elvish script. Legolas noticed and took the bottle.
"It says: Cure for poison oak. Spread on infected area. Reapply daily." He frowned and picked up another. "Headaches-" another "Energy-"a small brown packet "Ah! Here! Pain reliever: Brew two leaves as a tea. Must be ingested." He tossed the packet to Pippin, who hastily opened the packet to make the tea. Pippin caught a whiff of it as he steeped the leaves in water. He made a face.
"Ugh, this smells terrible. Are you sure he'll drink this?" Legolas smiled.
"Hopefully. But if he's unconscious, he'll probably drink it easier." He took the cup from Pippin. The tea was warm, but not so hot that it would burn. Legolas moved to Aragorn's side, but after a quick thought he passed it to Eowyn instead.
"You give it to him." He suggested. Eowyn glared at him. She was sure that she had been selected only so Aragorn would not waken only to see Legolas force-feeding him tea. She held the cup to his lips, and to her great surprise, Aragorn swallowed it without protest. The healer half of him seemed to be presiding over his decisions. Eowyn rethreaded the needle. She glanced distastefully at the long cut that ran across his face. It was still red and rather warm, but she knew it had to be stitched to prevent infection.
Twenty-seven stitches and three rolls of bandages later, Eowyn collapsed back onto a chair. Aragorn was now covered in bandages from his knees up, and was sleeping peacefully. They had discovered three broken ribs and wrapped them, along with his many cuts. His fever had subsided and he was breathing easier, too. The room was quiet.
Gandalf had fallen asleep in his chair. Merry and Pippin had drifted into armchairs by the fire and were snoring contentedly. Gimli had curled up by the fire, almost like a cat, Legolas remarked with a wicked gleam in his eye. Now they were the only ones awake. Suddenly Legolas swayed where he stood by the bed. He quickly grabbed the post and righted himself, but not fast enough for Eowyn.
"Your head! I completely forgot! Here, let me see it." She bustled over to him with a cloth. But when she tried to clean the blood off of the shallow cut, Legolas started and moved away.
"Fine, it's fine. It's just a scrape." Legolas murmured, brushing away her hand. Eowyn crossed her arms and glared at him.
"It is not 'just a scrape'. It is a cut, probably from a dirty blade, that will get infected unless you let me tend to it." Again she tried to get to the cut, but again she was thwarted. She grew frustrated.
"If it's just a scrape, why can't I see it?"
"Because Aragorn needs your help more than me."
"Aragorn is alright for now, he just needs rest and his wounds will heal. Now let me-" This time she actually touched it, but Legolas winced sharply and pulled away. She sighed.
"At least let me give you something for the pain." Legolas paused, and then nodded. He sat down in Eowyn's chair and pulled it close to the bed so he would have a clear view of Aragorn's face. Eowyn took advantage of his distraction and quickly added a leaf of a sleeping draught she had found in Aragorn's pack earlier. He had a very large supply, and she was beginning to see the reason. She carefully put the cup in Legolas's hands. He gulped it down without a second glance.
A sudden change came over him. He leaned back in his chair and blinked. Catching sight of Eowyn, he instantly realized he had been drugged.
"You play an unfair game." He muttered drowsily. He was asleep within five minutes. Eowyn grinned evilly and checked his cut. It really wasn't much to worry about, but she cleaned and bandaged it all the same.
Her work done, Eowyn found a blanket and sat down in the room's one remaining chair. As she closed her eyes, a sudden happiness glowed in her.
Hope had been restored.
To be concluded…
Please review! I'll update in a few days, maybe Friday…
QueenofFlarmphgal