Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 14 – Revelations

Aragorn closed his eyes and choked back the lump in his throat. He could feel Zescaat’s warm breath against his neck and he shivered repulsively. The ranger tried to control his breathing and shut out his fear for he was not about to give Zescaat the satisfaction of seeing him fall apart. Legolas shuddered slightly against the pain but stood tall with pride. If he were to die, he would die with dignity.

Just when Zescaat’s dagger was about to fall, a shout rang out from beyond the crowd.

"STOP!!" Dergth and Deyron called out loudly as they hurried towards the Square. They pushed their way through the crowd, still dragging the screaming woman behind them.

"They are not the murderers..." Deyron panted heavily as he and Dergth pushed Herbenna towards Tirnim. "She is."

Dergth threw the bundle down at Herbenna’s feet and the items scattered on the platform. "The evidence. She was trying to bury them in the abandoned well when we caught her."

"They are innocent, Tirnim," Deyron said firmly. "Let them go."

Zescaat looked over to his older brother for instructions and upon his agreement released his grip on Aragorn’s hair. The ranger fell in a crumpled heap as the force holding him upright was removed. Tirnim shoved Legolas carelessly towards Aragorn and the elf crashed down beside his friend with a whimper.

"Get them out of my sight! And I want them out of the village by midday!" Tirnim told Deyron and Dergth flatly.

"But they won’t survive!" Deyron protested angrily.

"With my father gone, I am the new Chief!" Tirnim stressed as he bound Herbenna’s hands behind her back. "They have brought chaos to our village and I don’t care if they die. Follow my orders or you will be punished!"

Sighing in defeat, Deyron nodded and with the help of other sympathising villagers, they moved Aragorn and Legolas back into the healing hut. They only had a few hours before midday and must work fast in order to save the human’s life. Stripping off the ranger’s torn and bloodied tunic, Deyron pressed a thick bandage on Aragorn’s side in attempt to staunch the heavy bleeding. A few feet away, Dergth worked on Legolas, wiping the blood from his face and pressing a bandage on his neck wound. The elf pushed Dergth’s hand aside as he started to dress the wound and tried to push himself up but the man placed a hand on the prince’s shoulder and held him down.

"Lie still," he commanded in a soft tone, "or you will aggravate your injuries."

"Help Strider," Legolas muttered with what remaining strength he still possessed. "Athelas..." the prince choked out between gasps, "...will stop the bleeding."

"Athelas? The leaves Strider used on you when you first arrived?" Dergth questioned the semi-coherent elf.

"In the pack," he managed before a fit of coughing took over.

The advisor looked over to Deyron and the healer nodded. He had seen how the ranger prepared it that day and had confidence that he would be able to reproduce the mixture.

"I’ll be fine," Legolas said as the coughing ceased. "Go... help him." The elven prince looked pleadingly at Dergth and the man’s expression softened.

"Provided that you lie still and rest."

Legolas agreed with a small nod but turned his head to the side and watched anxiously as Dergth moved over to aid Deyron.

Rummaging through Aragorn’s pack, Deyron found the herbs. Crushing a few leaves into a bowl of boiling water, he inhaled deeply as the pungent aroma filled the room. The smell of the healing herb seemed to have some calming effect as he witnessed his two patients relaxed visibly. Quickly grinding the remaining leaves into a thick paste, he divided it into two portions. He pressed one portion of the mixture into Aragorn’s side as Dergth spread the other half on the ranger’s arm, both praying that the bleeding would slow enough for them to stitch up the wounds.

Pressing down hard on the ranger’s wounds with both hands, the two men was unable to stop Legolas when he pushed himself up and crawled over to his friend’s side slowly.

"I told you not to move!" Dergth admonished the elf with a frown but Legolas dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

The elf settled down beside his friend and whispered to him in a language that the two men had never heard before. Aragorn moaned softly but did not regain consciousness. Legolas sighed and placed his slender hand on the human’s face. "I’m sorry, Strider. We wouldn’t be here if it’s not for me." The woodland being paused, his chest tightened painfully as the guilt welled up inside him. Drawing a shuddering breath, he held it for a long moment before letting it out with a small sob.

"Don’t worry Legolas, we will do all we can to help Strider." Deyron comforted the distressed elf. Lifting the bandage a little, the healer was relieved that blood had stopped gushing out from the wound and the bleeding had slowed enough for him to continue his next treatment. "We can begin stitching now." The healer, with the help of Dergth, sewed up the wounds and bandaged them neatly before turning their attention to the elf.

The wound on Legolas’ neck had stopped bleeding and started to heal. The two men stared at him in awe for they had never seen anyone who could heal so fast. Legolas saw the shock on their faces and quickly explained to them the natural healing abilities of elves to put their minds at ease. "Minor wounds heal fast but major ones would take some time to mend," he clarified and paused for a short while to catch his breath. "We would need plenty of rest for the healing process to commence."

"Unfortunately that is something that you don’t have now," Deyron said sadly. It pained him to know that his two new friends would be thrown out of the village soon, to be left to their own demise out in the wild. "I’m so sorry things had turned out this way, Legolas."

"It’s not your fault. You have helped us more than we can ask for," the prince said while clutching his broken arm against his chest tightly. The pulsing pain in his arm and chest was making him quite uncomfortable and he groaned involuntarily.

Dergth placed his hand on the elf’s uninjured arm and gave him a gentle squeeze. The elf smiled weakly expressing his appreciation.

"Let me take a look at your wounds," Deyron offered but Legolas declined politely.

"There is nothing you can do for me. I am bleeding internally," the prince said with a false calm. "The only person that could heal this kind of injuries is Strider’s father."

"But will you be able to make it back in time?" Dergth asked sceptically.

"Yes," the prince lied. The truth was he and Aragorn would most probably die before they reach Rivendell.

"Strider’s father... he must be a skilled healer," Deyron added oblivious of Legolas’s lies. "I wish I could meet him." The healer lifted his gaze and looked beyond Legolas through the open door. "But then I will never be allowed back into my home again. "Sighing deeply, he turned back to Legolas. "Rest now and put your elven healing into work. I will replenish your supplies and pack you some food for your journey." Helping Legolas ease down beside Aragorn, Deyron made sure the elf was comfortable before he and Dergth began restocking the ranger’s pack.

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To Be Continued...