A Healer´s Son
"What do I do?" Estel could hear the panic in his voice. "What do I do? What…"
"Fear does not help you, my son." For the second time that night Lord Elrond´s voice echoed through his memories. "Remember your training. Rely on your knowledge. Listen to your instinct. First see, then find the remedy."
"First see", the boy repeated to himself. "First see…" He knew that this alone would be a challenge. His stomach had already turned at the first small glimpse of torn flesh and white bone. However, the warmth beneath his fingers reminded him that there was another, more pressing problem to be solved first.
A dull snap from beyond the trees made him raise his head, his eyes frantically searching the darkness beyond the fires for any signs of the wolves. He found none, yet his heart would not ease its frantic pounding. What would he do if the pack truly returned soon? He looked back down at Legolas and suddenly he knew the answer. He would do nothing about the wolves. He would hope that the defences they had put up would hold. He would try to treat the elf´s injuries to his best abilities. He was, after all, a healer´s son.
Once again it was resolve that helped Estel to focus. He tried to push down harder to stop the bleeding, the way he had been taught, but was immediately stopped short by the shout of pain from his friend and the hard feeling of metal beneath his hands. He groaned inwardly. How was he supposed to quench the flow of blood with the trap still embedded in Legolas´ leg? He briefly considered prying the accursed device off, but then quickly decided against trying. If possible, the elf would have long since freed himself.
What else could he do?
He looked around himself and saw his bow, useless without the arrows. The string would serve him well enough, though. The boy kept one of his hands lightly pressing his cloak to the wound and reached out with the other. It took some effort, but he finally managed to hook one finger around the curved wood and pull it towards him. Now how to loosen the string? This was a task he would need both of his hands to accomplish.
He hesitated for only a moment, then he quickly replaced his hand on the wound with one knee. Legolas groaned in pain and Estel felt fear and regret rise in him once more, but he fought them down. He sat back, taking some his weight off his knee, and continued. All he could do was try to be quick. He took the bow in both hands and attempted to bend it enough to slip off the string, but the sturdy weapon would not budge. The boy cursed to himself. He knew, of course, how to properly unstring a bow but this was done in a standing position. He would have to find another way.
The elf beneath him began to move, subconsciously trying to rid himself of the pressure that caused so much pain. Estel lost his balance and dropped the bow, falling forwards and barely catching himself on his hands. He was breathing hard and sweat began to collect on his brow and neck.
Something red caught his eye. In front of him lay the blood-covered knife.
The boy grabbed both the knife and the bow and pushed himself upright again, valiantly trying to ignore that this time his movement caused a hoarse cry of agony from his friend. His heart racing, Estel used the knife to cut the string. The wood snapped back and caught him in the cheek, but he did not register the pain. He turned, his knee still lightly on the wound, and began to wrap the bowstring around the elf´s thigh. He had to push his hand forcefully beneath his friend´s leg but there was no reaction to the jostling this time. Working frantically now, the boy pulled the string taught and applied a knot his father had taught him. It was secure, but could easily be released to allow the blood to flow again from time to time.
The boy´s head felt light when he allowed himself to sit down heavily beside Legolas´now still form. His vision was spinning. He drew deep, calming breaths until the world around him finally stilled and then bent forward to seek a pulse on the elf´s neck. He found one, fast and thready.
"What next?" he muttered to himself. He knew of course, but needed to persuade himself to work up the courage. He knew that he had to see.
With a gulp and a sigh, Estel carefully peeled his blood-soaked coat off the wound, gently dabbing some blood away with its edges. Only a trickle of fresh liquid oozed forward now, signaling that the boy had successfully stopped the bleeding. He tried to draw some comfort from the fact, because little else seemed hopeful.
The teeth of the trap had deeply bitten into the elf´s felsh. It was obvious that Legolas had not kept perfectly still after receiving the injury, for his leg had been torn completely open in several places. The strength of the tarp´s jaw had been enough to even shatter the bone, leaving white fragments to jut out of the wound. Bits of his leather leggings had been uplled into the flesh, too deeply to try and retrieve them now.
The surrounding areas on the elf´s leg were affected as well and hot to the touch. Estel suspected that the wound was heavily inflamed, and he had not forgotten Legolas´ warning about poison.
"By the Valar", the boy whispered. "What is the remedy for all that?"
Suddenly, his stomach violently contracted and he turned away just in time in order not to be sick all over his friend. When the spasms finally eased, Estel heard a growl.
Very, very slowly he raised himself onto his knees and peered into the darkness. At first he saw nothing, but then a shadow streaked over the glade, followed by a second, and a third. Eyes glowed in the darkness. The wolves had returned.
For long moments the boy was frozen in fear. The animals snarled at each other over the carcasses that lay hidden in shadows and Estel heard them rip flesh apart. "Our defences hold", he murmured to himself. "They hold. They will hold."
Next to him, Legolas began to stir and groan in pain, prompting the boy into action. He knew that he did not stand a chance to heal the injury, but he had to somehow keep the elf still. There was no doubting that Legolas´ had terribly aggravated his injury when he had pulled Estel back from the glade and he was certain that the prince would not become lucid any time soon. There would be no calming him with words and reasoning.
With trembling fingers the boy opened his travelling pack. At his father´s insistence, neither him nor his brothers ever so much as left the house without a carefully selected array of healing supplies. Estel had often scoffed at such over-protectiveness, claiming that a short ride would certainly not end in surgery. Today he was thankful for his father´s foresight.
Quickly, the human pulled out the pouch that contained dried herbs. He knew how to create a powerful sleeping draught and selected the components without hesitation. A small tripod was also part of the supplies. Estel expertly set it up and hung a tiny pot to it, heating water above the fire.
Now it was time to crush the herbs in the mortar, and the boy faltered. How strong should the potion be? It was a delictae choice, he knew. If he made the mixture too weak it would not work. Legolas would continue to feel his pain and he would very likely draw the attention of the wolves to them. But if he made the drink too strong, it could worsen his friend´s condition, pulling him under so deeply that it would be difficult to rise to consciousness again.
Some of the wolves had begun to circle them. Estel could see them clearly just behind the fires, prowling, their noses sniffing the scent of fresh blood. The boy suspected that they were the lowest ranks of the pack, for he could still hear the others eating their share of the horse and the deer.
"They are afraid of the fire", he tried to encourage himself. "They are wild animals, not killers." And they are obviously hungry, his mind supplied, but he did not say so out loud. Instead, he pondered his potion again, but the movements of the wolves were always at the back of his mind.
Finally, with the water already boiling, his elected the herbs and ground them.. Hesitation would not get the task done.
It took not long for the draught to cool. Estel used the time and tried to rouse the elf at least a little. He did not trust himself to feed him the potion while unconscious, too afraid to choke him.
To the boy´s surprise, he managed to wake Legolas a little too well. After long moments of gentle prodding, the elf suddenly bolted upright, his eyes wide open. He looked at the human in obvious confusion, then glanced around him in an attempt to understand what was happening. He caught sight of the wolves and vainly tried to rise.
Estel grabbed his arm, trying to keep him down. "No, stay still. You will only make it worse."
Legolas turned burning eyes on him. "My injury will count nothing when the wolves rip us to pieces. We shall deal with it later." He saw his knife on the ground and failed in his first attempt to pick it up. Shaking his head as if to clear cobwebs from his mind, he reached for it again and succeeded.
Estel´s mind raced. He feared that any attempt of the elf to fight might kill him, even without any involvement of the wolves, which grew more restless now that there was such a a lot of movement in the small camp.
Thinking fast, Estel grabbed the elf´s arm again and forced him to lock eyes. "I knew you would be weakened by the injury", he said breathlessly. "I made a potion to strengthen you. Drink quickly before the wolves attack."
He held up the cup imploringly, praying that the elf would fall for the ruse. Under normal circumstances he would have certainly not fooled the prince, but the elf´s senses were obviously impaired. He looked at the cup blankly for a moment, but when Estel urged him to drink he did.
The boy breathed a sigh of relief. "Now just wait a moment for it to work", he said. Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth Legolas toppled over sideways, dropping the knife. Estel was so surprised by the quick reaction that he failed to catch his friend, who sank to the gound in a heap.
There was no time for Estel to even contemplate his success, for at this very moment a wolf leapt over their protective ring of fire. Estel cried and jumped up, his instinct to flee making him run before his mind could object.
Not for long though. Looking over his shoulder, Estel saw the wolf cautiously approach Legolas. The elf lay totally motionless, but the wolf seemed to sense he was still alive and whether from experience with elves or simply instinct, he hesitated to attack.
A sudden fury came over Estel, one like he had never experienced before. He snatched up a branch, dipped it into one of the fires and ran at the wolf, shouting his lungs out. The animal ducked when the fire came swinging at it and jumped back into the shadows, snarling angrily.
"You leave him alone!" the boy screamed. "I just stopped his bleeding. I just managed to put him to sleep. You will not kill him now, you son of a demon!"
The wolf crouched low, his eyes steadily following the burning branch that Estel swung back and forth to protect both himself and the injured elf. Calculating. Cunning. Waiting.
The stare unnerved the boy, and his attention slipped. The grip on the branch loosened, and when he swung it to the side again the momentum ripped it out of his hand, sending it flying.
The wolf jumped once more.
Estel instinctively turned his face away and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact. But it never came.
Instead, he felt an arrow whizz past him and heard the dull thud of a heavy body hitting the ground. Shouts filled the glade and hooves thumped the wet earth.
"Stay back, there are traps, there are traps!" Estel shouted almost hyterically. He heard elven voices yell at the wolves, heard more arrows, but all of a sudden the commotion was over and a pair of strong arms swept him into a tight embrace.
"All is well now", he heard Elrohir´s voice in his ear. "All is well now, do not be afraid."
Estel buried his face in his brothers shoulder and after one or two breaths he started crying so hard that he thought the sobs would rip him apart from the inside. He tried to stop but he could not. He tried to explain that Legolas was hurt and needed help but no comprehensible word came out of his mouth.
Elrohir simply held him and rocked him like a small child. Estel did not mind. He did not care. All he wanted to do was go home and be gone from this place. He closed his eyes and tried to shut out the world with all its troubles.
/
"Better now?" The gentle question drew Estel back into the glade. He was surprised to sit on the gound, leaning against the younger twin´s chest. A blanket was tightly wrapped around him. A few paces away he could see three horses, Alagos among them, stand quiet guard. The other two belonged to his twin brothers.
There was no sign of the wolves.
Elrohir still had his arms around the boy as if attemting to keep him in once piece. "Better now?" he asked again, and Estel managed to nod his head this time."Good!" There was a smile in the elf´s voice. "My arms were beginning to grow tired from all the rocking. You are not as light as you used to be."
To his surprise, Estel felt a small smile of his own form at the jibe, but it quickly disappeared with the memory of what had happened. He turned in his brother´s arms, trying to look over his shoulder. "Where is Legolas? How is he?"
Behind them, Elladan crouched beside the elven prince, quietly examining him. The injured elf had not moved from where he had collpased after drinking the boy´s potion.
The older twin looked up and smiled at the boy, but he could not hide the dark worry in his eyes. "It is good to see you, little brother." He inclined his head in an almost formal acknowledgement. "Your bravery has been exceptional. Never have I seen anyone so young defend the fallen so valiantly."
Estel swallowed. Truth be told, he was not feeling very valiant right now, simply distressed. "Thank you" he said a little awkwardly. "But tell me, how is he?"
Elladan sighed. "Not well, I am afraid, though certainly not as dead as he would have been without your honorable deed. If you can can spare our middle brother, I would be much obliged. I am afraid I require some assistance."
The boy nodded mutely and Elrohir got up with a last reassuring pat to his shoulder. Elladan pointed to the trap that still held Legolas captured. "We need to free him of this devilry. I had hoped we could transport him to father and remove it together, but I see no way to do so without further aggravating his hurts."
Elrohir nodded and gently examined the device. He shook his head in dismay. "Ai, brother, this will be a difficult endeavour indeed. The trap´s jaw must be very strong to have bitten through his bone like that."
The older twin nodded garvely. "You speak my thoughts miundor /brother/. It will need the both of us to pry the trap open." They looked at each other for a long moment, then their combined gaze went to Estel. The boy could sense their hesitation to involve him and for a short moment he yearned to simply turn his head away and wait for them to solve the problem as they always did.
Not this time, however. He gulped but held fast, jutting forward his chin. "What would you have me do?"
The twins bowed their heads in silent appreciation. "We shall need you to pull his leg free", Elrohir explained and went on with a sigh:"Estel, this may be more difficult than it sounds. The pain will be intense. It is very possible that he will fight us, but it needs to be done."
The boy nodded his understanding. "It may help then that I have given him a sleeping potion right before the wolf attacked", he said hopefully. "Maybe that will keep the pain bearable."
Elladan´s head snapped up, his expression suddenly so alarmed that Estel recoiled from him. "Which potion, Estel? What did you give him? Speak quickly, this is important."
The young human shuddered, sudden fear taking hold of him. "Did I make it too strong? I did not mean to. I thought I had gotten it right..." His breath caught as fresh panic seized him. To think that he had felt almost hopeful a few moments ago – it seemed that no good emotion was ever going to stay with him again.
Elrohir was at his side again swiftly. He took his face between his hands and looked at him intently. "Listen, Estel, you did not do anything wrong. Listen!" The boy quietened fearfully, his breath still coming in gasps. "Did you use father´s sleeping draught? The one containing Rhîw-Salab?" The elf´s eyes bore into him with intensity. "Tell us, brother, we need to know."
"Yes", Estel breathed, "yes, I did. Father always said it was the safest one..."
He dimly heard both of his brothers curse. Elladan was hastily rushing towards his horse while Elrohir poured water into the small pot the boy had used to prepare his potion, rinsing it throuroughly.
"What is it?" the young human called out in dismay. "Tell me what is wrong!"
The younger twin did not look up from his task when he answered. "After you had left the other day a group of humans came, bringing two children who had also been wounded in traps such as this one. Father began treating them, giving them a mild form of the potion you made for Legolas." He took a deep breath. "One child died, Estel. He was dead within an hour. Father was still fighting for the other´s life when we left. From what we could gather so far, the poison in the traps is worsened when combined with Rhîw-Salab."
Finally he raised his eyes to look at his brother. "It is not your fault, Estel. You did everything you could. And do not forget that our friend is no mortal child but a very resilient elven prince. We will save him yet. I promise we will attempt anything to do so."
Estel sat back heavily, his thoughts in turmoil as he mutely observed his brothers´ frantic preparations.
He did not question that Legolas was strong, but how much of his strength had been used up in his fight for survival? How much of it was left?
To be continued...
Review responses:
A big THANK YOU to all readers and especially the reviewers. It´s alway fun to read your thoughts!
Horsegirl01: How did you guess things would get worse? This plotbunny is truly evil, I´m afraid... As for Legolas calling Estel young, I also consider Legolas young for an elf but from his perspectice Estel must have been born merely "yesterday" *g*
Pip the Dark Lord of All: Glad you like it so much! There are few things waiting to happen yet...
SnoCat: Here is the help you were waiting for – the twins to the rescue! Unfortunately that does not put things right immediately (but hey, this isn´t a H/C story for nothing...) The reasons for the traps will be revealed at some point, I promise.