I had decided to return to the Graymare estate after the caravan had safely found its way to Bree, firstly to inform the staff that a new mistress would be taking over the household, and secondly to attempt to get a decent nights sleep in my own bed after weeks of lying under canvas or out in the open.
My plans were soon in disarray as I found the girl Hereniel looking distressed in the grounds of the house. On questioning her, it turned out that my old friend Matheric Oakheart,the man who had been grievously wounded in rescuing Remis from the Troll cave, had been in the area for reasons unknown, whereupon his condition worsened to such an extent that his travelling companion Kailey (a good friend of mine) had counted on the hospitality of my house and availed him of my bed so that he might recover from his illness.
On hearing this dire news, I immediately ran upstairs to find Matheric lying unconscious yet still able to make unintelligible sounds. Hereniel followed closely and told me of all that she had done, Kailey had enlisted her help in attending to Matheric, and bless her, she had not left his side these past three days!
I bid her rest and pulled a chair beside my old friend to watch over him. He frequently groaned as if in pain and I must confess I was at a loss as to what to do.We had left him in the care of the sons of Elrond at Thorenhad who (we were later told) had bore him to their fathers house in Imladris. I thought then that he would return to us hale for the best healers in the land dwell in that place, and so it proved (or so I believed) that he came back to us on the road from Ost Guruth fully healed.
And now he had relapsed. The wound had healed and yet Matheric was close to death. I resolved to fetch Remis (the man Matheric had rescued) to see if he had seen anything unusual when Matheric had taken the blow which laid him so low.Perhaps some information that would aid those who might be able to heal my friend.
He would no doubt still be in Bree celebrating the safe return of the caravan..and himself. I had promised to bring Cymaru back to her new home and decided that I would do both on this one journey.
Hereniel returned at first light refreshed and prepared to tend to Matheric once more. I saddled up my youngest mare and headed off for Bree.
I arrived at the Prancing Pony Inn in the early evening and as luck would have it, found Cymaru and Remis at the same table along with others who had been in the caravan(and some who had not). I spoke quickly to Cymaru who hurried off to fetch her daughter Eoryn who was packing their belongings. I drew Remis off to one side and begged him to accompany me back to Torcliff as I had something for him to see. Although I had respect for Remis, I doubted that he would have left the drinking table to attend to a wounded colleague and so had decided on a slight untruth at the last minute… it worked and he agreed to come with me on the stipulation that his woman and her friends could come. To this I agreed, thinking it would be a safer jouney in numbers.
Presently Cymaru and Eoryn came back and we all congregated in the courtyard in readiness to depart. It pains me to say that I could not tell Cymaru that her first night in her new home would not be as happy an affair as I had first promised, but I knew she would not have minded, such was her state of mind at that time.
Fortune seemed to be smiling once more as I learned that one or two of Remis’s companions had some skill in the healing arts, though the fact that they could heal where the elves could not withered at my thinking, I could not see any of them being successful. However, it was worth an effort.
We arrived back at the house and ascended to the bedroom where Matheric lay unmoving. The pallour of his skin did not bode well and I moved out of the way of those who knew more about illnesses than i.
After much debate about salves and potions which clouded my thinking, I slipped quietly downstairs and out of the house, telling Cymaru that I was going to seek a healer who I knew lived nearby. This was only partially true because as I remembered..this man had left some time ago and I was really wishing to be away from the permeating smell of death in the room.
The healers house was boarded up, and I spent some time under the stars with my pipe before summoning the energy (or courage) to return to my house.
Before I had reached the first step, the wailing reached me.. One of Remis’s crowd was singing a deathsong..such a dirge as I never hope to hear again!
I sat down heavily. Matheric had died. I had lost a stout friend and brave companion.
