THE HEART OF A HEALER
By Tangelian Proudfoot



***

Authors Note:

I don't own any of the characters or places, they are all property of the Tolkien Estate, except for Tari, her horse Trifas and some minor characters over at the Prancing Pony, who were not mentioned in The Lord of the Rings. I dont make any money or profit whatsoever from my writing, I write simply because of my love of storytelling and the Lord of the Rings.


*Lots* of thanks and hugs to all of my proof readers!



***



3. Of Rainstorms and Blankets

Tari awoke with a start, gasping. For a moment, she didnt even know where she was. Then the memories came flooding over her, leaving a dull ache in her chest.

There was no doubt about what had woken her up. Heavy drops of rain were now splashing against her face, and the wind appeared to have changed direction, leaving the travelers fully exposed to the weather. They must leave at once, or they would be caught in the midst of the storm.

It was still very dark; only a few glimpses of the first morning light could be seen through the heavy clouds. The fire had died, and the company was still asleep, even the wizard, it appeared. She would have to rouse them at once. "Gandalf!" she cried in his direction, trying to make her voice heard over the wind. "There is a storm coming!"

The wizard heard her at once and hurried to gather his belongings, while Tari moved to wake the hobbits. She decided to wake Sam up first and gently rocked him until he finally stirred. Then she moved on to Frodo, who sat up with a start before she had hardly touched him, giving her a bewildered and almost annoyed look. "It's alright," Tari said, looking at them both, while moving on to Merry and Pippin. "There's a storm coming and we had better get going."

It didn't take long for the hobbits to gather the blankets and their bedrolls and stuff them into their packs. Sam could no longer hide the fact that he was indeed coming down with a cold---a bout of coughing had struck him as he rose. Frodo had looked concerned, but Sam had assured him that he felt just fine.

"So where are we supposed to go now?" Pippin wondered, while they hurried to get the horses.

"I know of a small cave a few miles away," Tari replied, looking at Gandalf. "We won't be able to light a fire there, but it is big enough to house all of us until the storm has passed."

"That sounds like a good idea," Gandalf agreed. "It is a good thing we've been blessed with the presence of some elvish blood," he chuckled. "Who knows how long it would have taken otherwise for us sleepyheads to wake up?"

"As long as we can get some *more* sleep," Pippin said, mounting his horse, "I won't complain, wherever you're takin' us".

"There will be plenty of space for you to stretch out, Master Peregrin," Tari smiled.

It felt like an eternity had passed before they finally reached the cave that Tari had discovered during one of her previous expeditions in the area, when she had been forced to seek shelter from another storm. It could even provide some shelter for the horses, since it was located in a small valley.

Everyone, save Pippin in his armor, was soaking wet, and Tari politely turned away as the hobbits changed into something drier. The hobbits and Gandalf did likewise as she changed into another dress. But despite the change of clothes, everything felt damp and cold, and they all longed for a fire.

Following a light meal, mostly consisting of dry fruit and meat with a drink of water, they unpacked their bedrolls and blankets again. The cave was indeed more than big enough for them all to stretch out; in fact, it could have housed a company twice their size without trouble, and since the hobbits preferred to sleep close to each other to keep warm, there were several feet between them and Tari, who had chosen a corner of the cave for herself. Sam had now suffered multiple bouts of coughing, to his friends concern, but he still claimed to be all right, and he had eaten with good appetite from the food that was offered. Frodo had eaten as little as the day before, and now it also seemed as he was aware that Tari was watching him. He had given her several suspicious glances that indicated he wanted to be left alone. He had lain down beside Sam, as far from Tari as he could get, and he was hidden from her view by the others and the darkness of the back of the cave. Gandalf had settled down in the other corner.

Tari felt far from well rested, and when she lay down, it didnt take her long to fall asleep again.

***

She was slowly awakened by a repetitive sound. It only took her a few seconds to realize what it was. Chattering teeth.

She sat up slowly, turning her head in the direction of the sound. Close to the opening, a small figure sat huddled in a blanket, looking at the roaring storm. There was no doubt of whom it was.

Slowly, carefully, so as not to wake the others, who all appeared to be asleep, Tari started moving toward him, knowing that this might be the only chance she would ever get to talk with him...

"Frodo?" she asked in a soft voice.

Frodo winced, turning around quickly, and for a moment he looked downright frightened, as if he was trapped and couldnt run away. Realizing that he couldn't escape her, he relaxed a bit, trying to control his shivering, and met her eyes with a slightly questioning and skeptical look.

"Frodo, are you all right?" Tari asked again, moving a little closer.

Frodo nodded slightly. "I'm alright, thank you... I just couldn't sleep... the ground was a bit too rough over there..."

She noticed he had brought his bedroll as well.

"You look cold, she said. "Didn't you have another blanket?"

"Well..." Frodo said, avoiding her eyes. "You know, Sam... he hasn't been too well this morning, and I think he needs it more than I do... and since I moved away..."

"That's very kind of you," Tari said, "but you are shivering... I've got a spare one in my pack, and its as dry as it can get..."

"No..." Frodo said, backing away a little. "It's all right... you dont have to..."

But Tari was already reaching for her pack. Unfolding a blanket, she moved toward him again, slowly, on her knees, offering to put the blanket around his shoulders. Frodo didnt turn away, but he was looking down, saying nothing. When Tari touched his shoulder while wrapping the dry blanket around him, she noticed that his own blanket was almost soaked in moisture.

"Look, Frodo," Tari said softly. "This one is drier. I think you better put it under the other..."

"It's not necessary, really..." Frodo objected, now unable to keep his teeth from chattering when Tari carefully lifted the damp blanket from his shoulders. He tried to hide his right hand behind his left.

"Don't worry," Tari said, carefully wrapping the blankets around him again. "I know about your hand... I've seen it... and it doesn't matter..."

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Frodo responded in a quiet voice, looking down. "I know it looks terribly appalling but-"

"No, Frodo," Tari said, gently reaching in under the blanket, touching his hand. His fingers were cold as ice, and he winced a little at her touch, but didnt withdraw his hand, allowing her fingers to close around his for a moment. "Not appalling at all."

For a brief second he looked up, meeting her eyes, and his eyes were so full of sorrow that Tari had to restrain herself from crying.

"Thank you," he whispered, before slowly withdrawing his hand and lowering his eyes again.

"Nothing to thank me for... you were cold and..."

They were both silent for a moment, and the only sound that could be heard was the roaring of the wind outside.

"Well..." Frodo finally said, breaking the silence. "I'm feeling a little warmer now... in fact... I think I better try to sleep for a bit..."

"Good," Tari said, lifting her hand and lightly patting his shoulder before she slowly started to back away. *How* she wanted to just hug him, to comfort him... but she was well aware that any attempts to do so would frighten him more than do good right now. It looked as if her brief touch had helped a little though, and perhaps he would be able to sleep...

"Thank you..." Frodo whispered once again before lying down.

"Sleep well," Tari whispered back. She slowly turned around, looking at the other sleeping hobbits. Though she could hardly see them through the darkness, she knew that the ground in that corner was just as even as in the rest of the cave, perhaps even smoother...

She returned to her bedroll, but remained sitting for a moment, quietly studying the curled up figure by the opening, watching his breaths become longer and deeper as he sank into a deep, peaceful sleep.


To be continued....