Healing Hope

Chapter Forty Two

Challenges

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller

Since returning from Imladris, Falathar had completely reconfigured palace security, working his guards nonstop until the new system worked flawlessly.  At the first sign of anything out of the ordinary, the new procedures automatically kicked in. 

The moment Legolas had stepped into the hallway summoning a healer, a network alarm was raised.  The beauty of the design was in its unobtrusiveness.  To the elves going about their normal activities, the guards were not particularly evident, yet even now Elven guards were moving quickly and efficiently into place.  One guard from outside the king’s chambers had gone to summon the healer, while the other moved inside the rooms to guard the king himself until dismissed by Falathar.  Immediately two more sets of guards took up position outside the chambers of Thranduil and Legolas.

Less than a minute later, Falathar arrived on scene, nodding his approval at the four guards in the hallway and asking for a report from the duty commander.   Upon hearing that it was Legolas who called for the healer, Falathar headed for the prince’s chamber, arriving at the same time as Thedin.

O-o-O-o-O

Inside the thermal baths, Thranduil and Nárë were unaware of the circumstances until a voice interrupted them.

“Your leave to enter, Sire?”

“Come,” Thranduil automatically answered, surprised and not at all happy to be interrupted.  There had better be a major catastrophe behind this intrusion!

The guard entered the room and pulled up short at the look in his king’s face.  “S, Sire, my orders are to remain with you until relieved by Commander Falathar.”

Thranduil calmly kept spooning the warm water over Nárë’s chest, but the look he gave the guard caused the unfortunate elf to swallow.  The guard quickly gave the bathing chamber a look to assure himself of its security.  “I will wait in the outer chamber, Sire.”  With that he dipped his head and exited the room gratefully.

Nárë moved to stand up and stepped away from Thranduil, once more completely in control of himself.  “We had best see what is going on before the young one declares war upon some hapless traveler.”  Despite the circumstances he could not help but chuckle.  “Falathar is certainly alike to his sire.”

“Yes,” sighed the king, “Silad suffered from an overabundance of zeal as well.”

“In Falathar’s defense,” chided Nárë, good naturedly,” he protects his king.”

“Nárë, we are inside the fortress and the doors are sealed,” groaned Thranduil.  “What possible danger could there be to me or anyone else for that matter?”

“Perhaps that is what we should find out,” advised the ever wise Noldo while wading to the side of the pool.

O-o-O-o-O

Falathar stood off to the side as Thedin quickly assessed Estel. 

“How long has he been gasping for breath like this?” asked the healer.

“He just began when I called you,” replied Legolas.  “Feel his skin, Master Thedin; it is hot to the touch.” 

“So I see,” nodded the Healer.  “Stand back, my prince; you are in the way.”

Legolas opened his mouth to protest when Falathar stepped up and pulled him back by the elbow.  “Come on, Legolas; let him work.”

“I have been with Estel every moment since he arrived,” fired the prince.  “No one here knows him better than I do.”

Thedin ignored the outburst.   The healer was quite used to dealing with anxious relatives, and he had observed some human parents whose small children were ill while he was training in Lake-Town.  They were a most illogical - not to mention hysterical - lot, though his prince was proving to be almost as irritating.

“What are you doing?” questioned Legolas, interrupting the healer’s thoughts.  “Where are you going?”

“The child’s internal temperature must be lowered rapidly or he may suffer harm,” replied Thedin as he cradled Estel in his arms and started for the door.  

“Harm...what harm?”

“Legolas, please,” said Falathar.  “Let him do his job.”  He’d never seen his friend this frantic.  If Estel were not involved, it would be rather humorous.  The pair fell into step behind the healer as he proceeded down the hallway at a rapid pace.

Entering the healing rooms, Thedin veered immediately to his left.   The main healing chamber of the palace had been constructed with access to fresh filtered water from the river as well as the warmed thermal springs.  The cool water ran on the left of the main chamber while the heated access was on the right.  A series of smaller hollows accessed the different pools allowing healers the opportunity to treat a variety of injuries simultaneously.

Thedin entered one of the cooling compartments and knelt beside the pooled water.  Carefully he lowered Estel, clothes and all, until only his head was above the icy flow.

“His cast!”  Legolas exclaimed.  “Lord Elrond cautioned me to keep it dry!”

“Lord Elrond is not here,” replied Thedin through clenched teeth.  “I warn you, Prince Legolas; continue to interfere and I will have you removed.”

‘Uh oh,’ thought Falathar, dropping his head, ‘now he has done it!’

Legolas was livid. “You would not dare.”

“What is this?” questioned an amused voice from the doorway.  “My Greenleaf sounds almost as regal as his sire!”

Legolas and Falathar turned to see Thranduil and Nárë standing just inside the cubby hole.  Designed for only a patient plus one or two healers, the area was quickly becoming crowded.  Just outside the doorway were three guards.

Thedin sighed in resignation.  “If you all insist upon being in the way, then make yourselves useful.”  He glanced back over his shoulder and judged that the prince was obviously the one most anxious.  “Please bring me a blanket, Prince Legolas.”

Legolas shot from the room and grabbed a blanket from the nearest bed.  Turning back, He met Thedin, trailed by the others, as the healer exited the cooling chamber.  Legolas’ eyes swept over Estel.  He was relieved to see that the child’s breaths were no longer coming in gasps, though he looked dreadfully pale. 

Ignoring the retinue of elves following him, Thedin calmly carried the child to an examination area.  He gently laid the small form on the padded surface and sure handedly began stripping away the soggy clothes.   While he completed this task, another healer stepped up to assist him.  “Dry the child while I cut away this cast,” he instructed, trying to ignore the four elves pressing ever closer to his back.

“I have the blanket,” offered Legolas, while trying to see over the healer’s shoulder. “He should be kept warm.”

“Thank you, my prince; I am aware of the necessity,” replied the long-suffering healer.

At Thedin’s tone, Nárë decided that his intervention was needed.  “Let us step back here,” he said, ushering Thranduil, Falathar, Legolas and the guards back a few steps.

“Falathar,” drawled Thranduil, “why am I surrounded by a covey of guards?”

“I was not aware that three constituted a covey?” sniggered Nárë, drawing an irritated glance from Thranduil.  With an innocent look, the Noldo held up his hand as though in surrender. “I am simply endeavoring to add levity to the situation.”

“I would appreciate it if you would all take your ...levity...and exit my healing rooms!” snapped Thedin.

“I am not leaving Estel!” vowed Legolas.

Thranduil eyed his son and capitulated.  “Legolas will stay with Estel...out of the healer’s way.”  He glanced at Nárë, Falathar and the guards.  “The rest of us will wait in the hallway.”

As the others walked away, Legolas edged closer to Thedin’s back.  “Could he have been poisoned?”

Poison!  That word struck Falathar like a lightening bolt, and the guard stopped in his tracks.  Immediately he pulled one of the king’s guards aside to speak to him.  “From this moment forward, no food or drink gets near the King or Prince Legolas without being tasted.”  He glanced back to be sure that no one else had overheard his instructions...especially his stubborn king.  “Is there anything you do not understand about my instructions?” he questioned, just to be sure.

“No sir,” responded the guard immediately.  “It will be so.”

Falathar nodded to the guard to dismiss him, but did not follow.  He had to question the prince and he had the suspicion that he would not like the answers.  “Legolas, I need to speak with you.”

“Not now,” murmured Legolas. 

“Yes,” insisted Falathar, “now.”

“The child is in no immediate danger that I can see, my prince; you may speak to the guard.”

Legolas sighed, frustrated at the turn of events.  “What is so important, Falathar, that it cannot wait?”

Falathar stood toe to toe with Legolas, refusing to back down.  This involved security - the security of the Prince and the King to be specific, and he was fully within his authority of Chief of Guards to question whomever necessary.  “Do you have a specific reason to suspect that Estel has been poisoned?”

“I would be interested in hearing that answer as well,” observed Thedin as he worked at cutting away the soggy cast.  The assisting healer had wrapped Estel warmly in the blanket with only the arm being attended left out.  The assistant gently supported Estel’s head while he monitored the child’s breathing.  At the word poison, his eyes had gone from Estel to Thedin to Falathar and back to the patient.  “Has the child ingested something you feel could be questionable?” pressed Thedin.

Legolas ran his hand through his hair as he thought back over the day.  “No, I do not think so.”  The prince tried to remember everything Estel had eaten.  “With the exception of the milk he had a while ago, he has eaten the same things that I have.”

“Have the milk brought here,” ordered Thedin.  “It should be checked for foreign substances.”

“What are you not telling me,” insisted Falathar.  His internal alarms were sounding.

Legolas looked down and then met his friend’s eyes.  “I heard what could be construed...what might have been...er...”

“Just say it, Legolas,” urged Falathar exasperatedly. “Has there been a threat made against Estel?”

“Not specifically,” admitted the Prince.

“Then tell me – specifically - what was said,” growled Falathar. 

Quickly, Legolas told Falathar and Thedin about the comment he’d heard while on the flet.  “So you see, it was not exactly a threat.”

“To be on the safe side, the milk will be checked, my prince,” assured Thedin, pulling the rest of the cast free.  Gently he began sponging away the remnants from Estel’s enflamed arm.  “However,” he said slowly, “I believe I may see the culprit here.”

Legolas and Falathar edged closer to the table, attempting to see what the healer had found.  Estel groaned in his delirium as the healer prodded a particularly nasty looking site located just above the child’s wrist.  “See here,” Thedin pointed, “it appears that a bore mite has made its way underneath the cast and set up its nest.”

“A bore mite!” said Legolas disgustedly.  Non-threatening to elves, the bore mite was a repulsive and minute insect that normally owed its existence to the numerous spiders of Mirkwood.  Genderless scavengers, the bore mites made their homes on the back of the larger of the spiders, earning their name by boring into hides of the spiders and laying eggs there to incubate.  Elven skin, fortunately, had proven unsavory to the insects, but apparently one of the species found the tender skin of the child more to its liking. “It must have dropped onto him as we made our way through Mirkwood.”

Falathar shuddered, equally revolted by the creature, and immediately had the desire to wash his hair and bathe.  “Elbereth save us; I will never understand why Eru created those creatures!”

Legolas sighed. “At least we know that he was not poisoned.”

“Do we?” questioned Thedin, pausing in his examination to look back at the Prince and Falathar.  “Until the milk has been examined, we cannot rule out the possibility.”

“But you said it was a bore mite,” sputtered Falathar, his bubble of relief quickly broken.

“I said that a bore mite had taken up residence in the child’s arm,” he stressed. “I cannot postulate that as the sole cause of his febrile seizure until I have completed my examination of Estel and the milk in question.”  The healer carefully laid the arm along side Estel’s body.  Uncovering small sections of the child at a time, in order to retain as much warmth as possible and resist chill, he began searching Estel’s skin for additional injuries or insect bites.  “Mortal children are extremely susceptible to a variety of entities that are of no consequence to elves,” he lectured, as though to a room of apprentice healers.  “Food that was eaten on the journey here might have become tainted by your knives or an unseen contaminate upon the hands.”

“It is a wonder that any of them survive,” murmured Falathar, shocked at what he was hearing.  “We fought wargs along the way and camped in an abandoned cabin.”  He thought back to the filthy mattress the king had ordered removed from the cabin.

Legolas was looking at Falathar with wide eyes, before looking back to Thedin, his beautiful face stricken.  “Could we have exposed Estel to dangers there and not even realized it?”

Estel moaned, and Thedin paused in his examination, carefully tucking Estel’s free hand back inside the warm blanket.  “Come with me,” he ordered, taking the pair by the elbows and leading them away from the table.  The assistant immediately moved into Thedin’s place securing the child upon the table.

When he’d led Legolas and Falathar a short distance from the table, Thedin stopped and turned to the two young elves.  “Prince Legolas, you are very close to this child, and he is obviously quite attached to you.”  The calm voice of the Healer was soothing to the pair.  “Your anxiety is relaying itself to the child.”

Legolas’ looked quickly to where Estel lay on the examining table. 

“Believe me when I tell you that you can do him the most good by being calm and supportive.”

“But he is not even conscious!” exclaimed Falathar.

Thedin fixed Falathar with a look that had skewered many a young healer. “I do not instruct you on the protection of the King; kindly do not attempt to tell me about the healing arts.”  He finished with another long look at Falathar, until the guard actually began to squirm.  “Much goes into healing that we as healers cannot explain, including the ability of a patient to sense negative feelings.”

“We understand,” said Legolas quickly.  “I apologize, Master Healer, if I adversely affected Estel.”

“Your affection for the child does you credit, my prince,” responded Thedin sincerely.  While initially extremely resistant to the king’s order for him to journey to Lake-Town in order to learn from the healers there, the elf had earned a begrudging respect for the mortal physicians who faced not only the challenges of battle wounds and accidents but also a myriad of diseases and illnesses.  So much was his admiration that he had assembled a large quantity of herbal cures not previously known to the mortals and had them delivered along with explicit instructions upon his arrival back in Mirkwood.  “Curious...the challenges faced by edain in their short lives are such that should crush their spirits, but rather than be crushed, they thrive and find contentment and even happiness.”

Legolas found himself smiling at the healer’s new found appreciation of men.

“Lord Thedin,” called the helper.  “The child’s skin is becoming heated again.”

TBC