AVALANCHE

Chapter 6 --- Elvish Medicine

Aragorn looked behind him for a moment and was enormously impressed with what he was seeing. He could not have prescribed any better treatment for Pippin than the gentle handling Boromir was giving him. The young hobbit appeared to have fallen asleep in Boromir's lap, swaddled in so many layers it was difficult to see him. Boromir was talking quietly to Merry.

Relieved that for the moment he could give Frodo all of his attention, Aragorn turned back to the task at hand. He nodded to Gimli, who bent over Frodo and placed his hands on the hobbit's shoulders. Very gently (for a Dwarf), he pressed down and held the hobbit in place. Aragorn slid a smoothed splint of wood about 6" long, padded by soft cloths, under Frodo's left wrist and palm, then he placed a second padded splint on top of the wrist. Hobbit-sized splints; he had hoped they would remain useless baggage.

Frodo, distracted for a moment by Gimli's beard brushing his face, failed to see Aragorn nod once to Legolas. The Elf leaned forward and pressed his left hand over Frodo's mouth just as Aragorn began to quickly wrap strips of cloth over and around the splints, wrist and fingers. Sam felt Frodo's hand press his a bit tighter.

Just as Frodo was starting to think it wasn't going to be too bad, Aragorn started to work the cloths around the broken bone, wrapping well but not too tightly. Frodo flinched, then suddenly arched his head back, Legolas's fingers muffling a scream. Frodo clutched Sam's hand in a death grip as he tried to pull away from the pain, but Gimli held him fast.

"It's almost over, Mr. Frodo," Sam murmured. If only I could take some of the pain on myself, he thought almost angrily. This isn't fair, it just isn't.

It was agony to Aragorn to be causing Frodo pain, but he tried hard to concentrate on immobilizing the wrist without cutting off circulation to hand and fingers. Finally he was finished. "Let him go." Gimli sat back and Legolas removed his hand from Frodo's mouth.

Frodo's head and wrist were both throbbing terribly, making the dizziness worse than before. Everything was starting to blur and spin. Aragorn laid his hand on Frodo's brow and bent close, brushing away a few tears that had leaked from Frodo's eyes.

"It's all over, Frodo. I'm finished." He frowned. "Frodo?" Frodo's eyes had closed and his whole body was trembling. Aragorn pressed a finger to Frodo's throat, dismayed at how fast the hobbit's pulse was racing.

Sam looked up, alarmed by the fact that Frodo's hand had gone limp in his.

"Another blanket, Sam, we have to keep him as warm as possible," Aragorn said, and Sam quickly pressed another layer over Frodo. "Stay with us, Frodo," Aragorn said urgently. "Stay awake, little one." A sudden fear gripped him as Frodo's breathing started to grow shallow and labored. The hobbit seemed deathly pale. "He's going into shock."

Sam heard something he didn't like in Aragorn's tone. "What's that?"

"His blood pressure is dropping," Aragorn said. He raised Frodo's feet and slid another folded blanket under them, his mind racing to think of something else he could do.

Sam wasn't sure what Strider meant, but there was no question in his mind as to what Frodo needed. "You can help, can't you?"

Legolas was startled to find Sam staring straight at him. "What do you mean, Sam?"

"Remember, Strider, when that Elf, Glorfindel found us? All he did was touch Mr. Frodo's wound and he felt much better, a lot warmer and stronger. Mr. Frodo told me about it." He was talking fast. "Can't you do that, Legolas? Can't all the Elves do that?"

"I'm not trained as a healer, Sam, and I'm so young. Mortals aren't... I've never tried..." Legolas looked at Aragorn, puzzled. "What did Glorfindel do?"

"That's all he did, he just touched Frodo where he was wounded. Maybe you can do something, Legolas. Just put your hands on him, see if you can calm and strengthen him. His heart and breathing need extra help right now." Aragorn looked down at Frodo. "I didn't realize... Legolas, we have to hurry."

"I'll try." Legolas moved closer to Frodo and bent over him, putting one hand on Frodo's forehead and sliding the other under the blankets to rest on Frodo's chest. He closed his eyes and for the first time in his long life let himself open fully to the life force of one of the Secondborn. He felt the fragile, mortal life rushing beneath his hands, unlike anything he had experienced before. Unlike Elves, or even trees, with their slow, patient energy, this was frighteningly swift, moving at a speed he could barely comprehend. This was what it was like to be mortal, he realized. But there was weakness here, a faltering pattern. He let his own energy flow outward, cradling gently, as he would if he were letting a tree feel him, get used to his presence and rhythm. There was a blending. He felt Frodo's rhythm respond to his, rest in its calm current, absorb some of his strength.... that's it, little one... that's it...

"Legolas." Aragorn touched his arm gently. The Elf opened his eyes.

Legolas looked down at Frodo. Although pale and unconscious, he was breathing easier and had stopped shaking. "Is he all right?" he whispered, somewhat in awe. He sat up, realizing that several minutes had passed.

Aragorn pressed his fingers to Frodo's throat again. "Better," he murmured. He looked at Legolas. "Well done. He could have.." He stopped talking, remembering that Sam was listening. "He just needs rest now."

"I knew you could do it," Sam said. He was smiling happily at Legolas, his faith in Elves unshaken. "I need to see to Bill, and get supper for everyone. I'll be back, Strider." He got up and walked over to where Bill was contentedly nibbling away on the low bushes growing out of the rock wall behind them.

"Well done indeed, Master Elf." Gimli, still sitting on the other side of Frodo, gave Legolas the first approving look the Elf could remember getting from him. He, too, rose to his feet and left. Gandalf came over and knelt down next to Frodo. "How does he fare, Aragorn?"

Aragorn tied a fresh sling of cloth about Frodo's neck and slid his bound wrist into it, then tucked the blankets back over him. "He can't be moved yet. I didn't realize how weakened he had become by the trauma from his injuries, not to mention the cold. Shock is very serious. If Legolas hadn't..." He sighed and laid a hand on Frodo's chest, reassured by the steady, even breathing.

The wizard looked down at the unconscious hobbit. "How long?"

Aragorn looked up. "I need to see to Pippin, we may have some... complications there. And Frodo must have complete rest. They each have trauma that will need healing. At least several days, I would think."

"Aragorn---"

Aragorn gave the wizard a firm look. "Several days, Gandalf." He looked back at Frodo. "At least."

** TBC **