Lilleduil gave Norngaladh another good scratch, then sat back down at the campfire.
.
“How are his wounds truly, Lilleduil?” the Captain asked her.
“If he hasn't torn everything open walking around, he should be all right. They weren't that deep.”
“Stubborn...nothing changes,” mused Khalis.
There was silence for a moment, then Lilleduil said carefully, “I suppose I shall tell Eirallyn that she should go ahead to Annuminas. She will want to anyway.”
“She will have ample opportunity to recover lost records there,” Khalis said. “Sadly the place is overrun and the Rangers are still struggling to contain the threat.”
“I gather that her father has forbidden her to return to Esteldin until she is named a Warden there. But she will enjoy the ruins and records. She has a thirst for knowledge that is insatiable.”
Khalis, listening, merely nodded. Certainly there was no indication from him that Eirallyn should stay in Imladris, which only solidified Lilleduil’s determination to send the girl on her way.
Lilleduil reached up to scratch Norngaladh under the chin.
“That is good to hear. Many times I have found in my life that lore is more use than the sword. Even this one.” Khalis looked down at the unsheathed sword across his lap, which reflected no light from the campfire.
“It is a very nice sword, Captain.”
“It serves me well, Lilleduil. I have had it an age now.” Which confirmed Lilleduil’s suspicions that Khalis was considerably older than herself. She patted the sheathed blade at her side.
“I am not so attached to mine.”
Khalis looked out the archway which Elisbeth had walked off through a moment before, then turned his attention back to Lilleduil.
“When will he be fit to travel do you think? Or do we send for a healer from Imladris?”
Lilleduil sighed. “I'd give him a day, at least. Elisbeth may be able to put him to rights better than I. I am not a healer, I'm a field medic.” She looked up at Norngaladh. “Or perhaps an animal doctor?” The bog guardian, who was standing behind her, closed his branchy legs close about her, kneeling to lip at her hair. Lilleduil chuckled.
“Sometimes I think your animals are much more complicated than they seem,” Khalis said bemusedly.
“Have a conversation about ethics with an Eagle sometimes. They can be very complicated.”
"‘Norngaladh’ as you call him, proved very able at the encampment.” She and the bog-guardian had been tasked with sentry removal, so that they could enter the camp. Norngaladh had quite enjoyed it. Lilleduil smiled.
“Thank you! He is one of my oldest friends.” She grinned. “I’ve known him since he was a little splinter.”
“Your skills are unique among us,” the Captain said.
“That is good to know. I had hoped to bring something to the Warband besides strife.”
Khalis laughed gently. “You bring no strife. But I believe Elisbeth found you speak your mind openly at times. Not a bad trait for she is always saying how she wishes people would be themselves around her and not treat her with any special rights.”
“I used to avoid speech entirely, except with animals,” Lilleduil said, patting Norngaladh‘s claw. “It is possible I have veered too far in the other direction.” She considered this possibility for a long moment. Or not. I do not have a problem with Men, either. I have worked with many.’
“Nor I as long as they understand their own strengths and weaknesses,” Khalis declared.
“Thendryt does not do either of those.“
“I do not know how things used to be with Thendryt before...whatever happened,” Lilleduil said hesitantly. “But he is not with us. And that is not how I thought things would be when I became Leutha Maethor.”
Khalis looked thoughtful. “I feel he feels that when he died,.....almost died...that he now has something to prove.”
“You should have heard the lecture I got on how I needn't pretend that the death of one Man meant anything to me.”
“Rank matters not we are all equal in our company,” the Captain said firmly. It was strange, because he obviously believed that despite how strongly he’d just been arguing about Men and their physical inferiority.
Lilleduil’s voice softened. “I do not believe that to be the case. Not at present.”
Somewhat startled, Khalis said, “Please explain then…” and gestured encouragingly.
After a moment, Lilleduil did so. “I do not know if you are aware, but when I first met Thendryt, it was outside Delossad. And practically the second thing he did was to tell me that wearing the cloak of the Warband only meant that he wouldn't kill me. He became more civil, eventually. But he also said that I would have to prove myself to HIM. And you will note that when we were on the first part of this mission, in Gwingris, he called me over to lecture me as if I were Neth Megil, with those that were cloakless.”
“I knew he spoke to you but even my elfin ears did not hear the words he spoke,” Khalis admitted, looking concerned. “So you are saying he spoke out of turn?”
“Just including me in a lecture he was giving the Neth Megil was out of turn,” Lilleduil said with remembered heat. “Which was why I left his little lecture and returned to you.”
“Well you have certainly highlighted how he has changed. He was not like that before.
He laughed more, smiled more.“ Khalis looked pensive. “I sometimes wonder if he did in fact die up there on the mountain. I do not know. But I know the man that came back is not the man who left.”
“Tur Elisbeth holds him in high regard,” Lilleduil muttered.
“She does indeed. Higher than she does me.” The Captain was oddly matter-of-fact about this extraordinary statement.
“She was not happy when I spoke to her of how he threatened me. And I was disrespectful. But...there can't be rules for Thendryt and rules for everyone else.”
“I agree, Lilleduil.”
“And that is the way I feel things are. I fear for the state of Thendryt’s mind. I honestly do not know if he is fit for the field, at present. And it has nothing to do with the fact that he is Second-born. If he were an Elf, I would speak the same.”
“I again agree. This is why I chose him to burn the tents over Caleniel. But Elisbeth will not abandon him, I know her.”
“If he had simply let me treat his injuries at the beginning, I would not have thought any the less of him at all. And whether Elisbeth believes it or not, I have not spoken ill to him.”
“No, I think you both had a misunderstanding,” Khalis said, his tone mild. “She spoke to me about the time you raised your concerns with her about Thendryt.”
“Quite honestly, it soured my joy about joining the Warband.” Lilleduil smiled ruefully.
“Perhaps I was too idealistic.” She patted Norngaladh’s claw again.
“We must do the best we can in this troubled age, that is all. It is a very testing time which will put strain on many of us-unless we are prepared.”
“That is true,” Lilleduil acknowledged.
Khalis laughed gently. “I am glad now I spent my whole life with sword in hand and my bum in the saddle, even if it means I cannot dance, make music or do many other more cultural things. But my playing is slowly getting better when I have time.”
For some reason, this admission seemed to cheer Lilleduil, or perhaps it was just the change of subject. Lilleduil smirked a bit. “We'll forgive your shortcomings, Captain.”
“Khalis...not Captain,” Khalis said pointedly, and not for the first time.
“If you'd just let me, I could sort that dancing thing out pretty quickly, I'm sure.” Lilleduil loved to dance and was actually pretty good at it.
Khalis gave his blade one last inspection before he returned the sword to its sheath. “I will worry about it when I get married perhaps one day.”
Lilleduil actually laughed. “Is there a lady then?”
“I am sure there is Lilleduil, but fate has not revealed her name to me yet.”
“Ah.”
“Dancing….,“ the Captain mused. “It cannot be much different to dancing rings around the Urch surely!”
“I would think not, and your feet are clever enough then.” Lilleduil laughed a little. “Well, fate has not revealed the name of my gentleman either. And I'm not sure he'd fit on the bed in any event, what with all my friends.” Khalis looked a bit nonplussed at that remark.
A gentle fall of rain started. Lilleduil looked out at it in concern.
“I hope Elisbeth brings Thendryt back in soon. He'll have wound fever for sure.”
“Yes the weather is often damp in this area is it not? But can the damp weather sour his mood any more I wonder?” the Captain wondered, looking out the archway.
“I can go above, to the other campfire. That's bound to sweeten his mood.”
Khalis laughed and gave Lilleduil one of his customary cheeky grins. “I have never heard you speak as yourself, Lilleduil. It is refreshing-you are always so formal.”
“I guess I'm just too tired to...keep up pretense?”
Picking up his cup once more, Khalis sipped while giving Lilleduil an assessing look.
“Do your unusual skills drain you more than say…swinging a blade?”
Lilleduil furrowed her brow and considered a politic answer. Which probably wasn’t No, what drains me is trying to keep a stone-headed Man from killing himself and watching the rest of you quarrel!
“That's difficult to say,” she temporized at last. “My sword talents aren't all that much.”
Khalis smiled at her. She couldn’t tell if he had picked up on the unsaid or not.
Elisbeth and Thendryt returned just then, Thendryt giving Norngaladh an inscrutable look. Elisbeth saw Khalis and Lilleduil sitting by the fire and smiled.
“Time to dry off a little,” the Tur said.
Lilleduil looked up, noticing for the first time that the roofless structures of Mirobel apparently weren’t roofless after all. The bits of shattered filigree that remained apparently supported a glass or crystal that kept the weather off. And you could see the stars at night… It suddenly made sense.
“I take back my rude comments about the roof.,“ she declared, for she’d complained about the apparent illogic of the buildings more than once. Khalis looked at the pair and gestured to the fire. Elisbeth seated herself.
“Come get warm, Thendryt,” Lilleduil urged. “Have some hot tea.”
Thendryt raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by her words. Elisbeth took up a mug from by the fire, filled it and sipped the tea.
“Thank you, Lilleduil, for having this prepared.”
Lilleduil got up, refilled her mug and sat back down. “You are welcome.” She looked inquiringly at Thendryt.
“I’ve had enough tea. You take it,” the Man said, sitting down at last.
“What next Elisbeth?” Khalis asked, without taking his eyes from the fire.
“What next Khalis?...as in where do we go from here?”
“Yes pretty much. Where and more importantly when?”
Norngaladh stretched his long, spindly legs out before him. One claw nudged Thendryt, who gave the bog-guardian a glare. Then he did it a second time, to Lilleduil’s alarm. He smells the blood, and he senses that Thendryt is the source of my upset. It didn’t take much to make a bog-guardian aggressive. It was time to send Norngaladh away, before he added to the Man’s injuries with a stake up the arse.
“Come, Norn! Outside with you!” Lilleduil rose and swiftly chivvied the bog-guardian out the door. “There! See? It’s raining! You’ll like that.” Norngaladh gave a chittering grumble, but ambled off agreeably enough.
Elisbeth was still considering her answer, looking into the mug of tea and swirling it about a little, when Lilleduil returned and seated herself.
“The blow you dealt at the camp has bought us a little time…” she said at last, “but we should not tarry too long before striking further. We need to know more about what the orc said about support from the Dunlendings.”
Khalis got to his feet and settled his sword back into its place upon his belt before sitting back down.
“Three more camps…” Lilleduil muttered.
Elisbeth nodded at her.
“They will be expecting us. Or someone…”
“Good,” Thendryt declared.
Lilleduil shook her head in disbelief at the Man’s contentiousness, then wriggled her shoulders to work the kinks out of them. Her weariness was more emotional than physical, but the two fed off of each other.
“Caleniel found some documentation on the withdrawal to Echad Mirobel,“ Khalis said.
“But she is helping the sentries here bolster their defenses since the coming of the ships from the south.”
“Then they won't move,” Thendryt remarked.
Khalis gave him a considering look. “The question must be asked-does Thendryt require a healer?”
Elisbeth shook her head. “No the wounds will heal after the attention Lilleduil gave him.”
“Mid region wounds are aggressive and often become infected,” the Captain noted. “Indeed many men die from such wounds.”
“There are no signs of infection yet so it is optimistic,” Elisbeth said.
“I'm fine,” Thendryt predictably declared.
Feeling a bit miffed at Khalis’ lack of faith in her leech-craft, Lilleduil wrinkled her nose. “He was not gut-riven, and I poulticed him with herbs to prevent infection and encourage proper healing.”
Thendryt looked at her, eyebrow raised at the unexpected help.
“But he should stop with all the jumping up and down.” And people need to stop keeping him out in the rain...
“Do we go with optimistic or return to Imladris for safety?” Khalis mused.
Thendryt put in, “You see? She says I'm fine. I say I'm fine.”
'That is not what I said!” Lilleduil snapped. “What I said was that you are a lousy patient who does not follow directions.”
“We go with optimistic and we also go with a few days rest until Caleniel returns,” Elisbeth said.
“I'm probably fine…” Thendryt muttered. Khalis gave him a stern look.
“I do not deal with probably, Thendryt.”
Elisbeth looked between the three of them, narrowing her eyes.
“In a few days, I may amend my diagnosis,“ Lilleduil said. “Provided Thendryt cooperates and takes his recovery slowly and does not strain anything.”
In a tone that brooked no disagreement, Elisbeth declared, “In a few days time we all leave together, along with Caleniel.”
“Very well, hiril,” Lilleduil said. Thendryt sighed quietly.
“That does not sound like a Maethor ready to war, Lilleduil.” The Captain’s expression was stern. “Hence perhaps Thendryt should return to Imladris.”
“I trust Elisbeth's judgment in matters of healing before my own.”
“No, Thendryt will accompany us further,” Elisbeth stated.
“Are you going to try and force me yourself, Khalis?” Thendryt growled, smiling wolfishly.
“I would not demean myself,” came the Captain’s lofty response.
Looking at them both meaningfully, Elisbeth raised her voice. “Enough, the two of you!“
Lilleduil gave Elisbeth a grateful look. “Thank you!” she muttered; then seeing Thendryt shivering by the fire, rose and went into the tent to get a blanket, which she placed over Thendryt’s shoulders before sitting down once more. Thendryt did not acknowledge her, but he tugged the blanket closer about himself and his shivering subsided.
Elisbeth was speaking. “We will assess our next movements once we have opened the orders Calenial found....but essentially we need to break their supply route permanently.”
She looked over at Khalis. “Khalis, do you think there is anything further to be gained from attacking any more of the camps along this side of the shore?”
“No, Elisbeth, I do not. They will be rattled now and hence more prepared.”
Elisbeth finished her tea and placed the mug back beside the fire, nodding.
“That is what I feel too...best follow a different trail and see what other disruption we can wreak.”
“If you plan to ride south though and fight then Thendryt should head back to Imladris with Eirallyn,” Khalis said. “If you plan to purely gain knowledge then that may give Thendryt time to recover.”
Thendryt growled, “My wounds are not fatal.” He gestured to Lilleduil. “She’ll testify to that at least.”
“Not fatal doesn’t mean not debilitating, Thendryt,” Lilleduil growled back at him.
“'I am just at likely to get infected going back to Imladris as I am roaming these lands.”
“At the moment we do not know what our end mission will be, so until that comes to light Thendryt will stay with us,” Elisbeth’s tone brooked no further argument.
“Stubborn…” Khalis muttered.
Lilleduil couldn’t help herself. “Why hello, Mr. Pot!” she chirped.
“I could think of a few other words as well but they would just annoy Elisbeth,” Khalis said. Elisbeth threw a quick glance at him.
“Khalis…” Thendryt growled warningly.
“I have nothing to prove, Lilleduil-unlike Thendryt here.”
The Tur looked around at her wayward Maethor in disapproval. “No one has anything to prove as far as I am concerned - we are all in the Warband and have all passed the Oath. Time and time again we have shown our worth.”
“It's not that I would defy your orders,” Thendryt said to Khalis. “'However, I will have to battle with these wounds, whether you like it or not”
Lilleduil sighed. “No, you don’t.”
“You do not have to, Thendryt, that is the point,” Khalis agreed.
“I thought you knew me by now.” Thendryt actually chuckled.
“You mean the part where you don't defy orders, but follow them when you feel like it?“ growled Lilleduil. “Yes, I got that.”
Khalis was more pensive than angered. “I thought I did, at least the Thendryt who went into the mountains that day.” He looked at Elisbeth. “I propose we return to Imladris and then send a suitable well rested and intact banner further south as soon as we can. Or perhaps send word to Imladris and get relieved in place here at Echad Mirobel.”
Lilleduil nodded. “He still doesn't need to ride for a couple of days at least.”
“I must agree with Lilleduil, Elisbeth. In my opinion, Thendryt is not ready to go on southward.”
Elisbeth looked at the fire thoughtfully. “And so all of what I have said is wasted breath?”
“Elis, it's fine,” Thendryt said, as gentle as Lilleduil had ever heard him. That bond apparently runs both ways. How extraordinary!
“I am being rational, Elisbeth. Thendryt in his present state is a weak link in the shield line.”
Disputing Elisbeth seemed to move Thendryt more than any other course of action had. “If the Captain feels he cannot use me, I'll return to Rivendell with... What was her name?”
“Eirallyn,” Lilleduil said, glaring at him. You know, the girl you lot almost got killed?
“We remain together - we either travel back together or move forward together,”
Elisbeth declared, in a tone that said there would be no further discussion. “We will await Caleniel's return, assess the Orders she has found and then make a decision from there.”
“Very well, Elisbeth,” Khalis conceded. He moved to the archway and looked out into the rain. “I will see if Caleniel is to be seen.”
Elisbeth nodded to Khalis and smiled.
“I will rest for a while as we wait.” She departed to go to the upper campsite, leaving Lilleduil and Thendryt staring at each other across the campfire.
“Do you think you could eat something?” she asked him, rising to her feet and putting her hat and cloak on.
“Shouldn't be a problem.”
“I'll go see what they've got up above.” She was almost through the doorway when Thendryt spoke behind her.
“Lill…”
She turned back. “Yes?”
The Man gave her a totally unreadable look. “Thank you.”
Surprised, Lilleduil simply stared at him for a moment. Was it thanks for fishing him out of the river? For tending his wounds? Her words in defense of Mankind? All of the above? Something else entirely? Did it really even matter? For civility to flourish, it must be encouraged with more civility.
So she smiled at Thendryt before stepping out into the rain.
“You are very welcome.”
