A Journey of Discovery

Elrohir waved the piece of wood threateningly in front of him.  “Stay back,” he warned.  “Keep away.”

The boy facing him grinned menacingly, and called again.  “Oi!  Will!  Come and see this!”  Turning back to Elrohir he scowled.  “Why are you still here?  And where’s the other one?” he demanded. 

Elrohir felt sick with relief.   If they were asking where Elladan was, they could not have caught him.  He was safe.  And perhaps by now he would have reached the inn, or even be on his way back with Elrond.  How long had he been gone?  Elrohir realised that he had completely lost track of time and his surroundings while he was healing the dog, and had not even been aware of the boys’ approach.  “He’s gone to get my father.  And the guards.  And the innkeeper,” he told the boy, rapidly embroidering on the reinforcements he hoped were on their way.  “And I let the dog go – so you can’t hurt him again.”

By now the ringleader – Will – had joined them.  “The dog?  He won’t get far – I reckon I broke his leg!”  He grinned triumphantly.

Elrohir shuddered at the glee in Will’s voice.  “Well, I won’t let you harm him again,” he repeated firmly.  He brandished the wood again.  “Now go away, or let me go.”

“You won’t let us harm him?”  Will mocked.  “Oh, for … Bob, just grab him, will you?”  he ordered. 

Elrohir twisted around, watching warily as Bob circled behind him, then spun back as he heard Will – whom he judged the greater threat – move closer.  The swift movement left him suddenly dizzy, and he stumbled slightly, still a little off balance. “Bob!  Now!”  Will yelled.

Before Elrohir could turn again, or strike out in defence, his arms had been seized from behind, forcing him to drop the plank of wood; and twisted behind his back.   “Got him!”  Bob shouted exultantly.  Sudden fierce barking broke out, and Draug appeared from nowhere, snarling and snapping at the boys.  Elrohir struggled and kicked back sharply, the heel of his boot hitting Bob’s shin, who gave a yell of pain.   “You little swine!  You’re troll meat now!”  He tightened his grip, and gave Elrohir’s arms a vicious, painful twist.

Draug crouched close to the ground, and began a low, savage growling, his eyes fixed on all three.  As Will approached slowly, Elrohir struggled desperately to free himself.  He could see a real malice in the young thug’s expression, and wondered for a sudden, terrified second if Will was armed with more than just spite – and just what he might do if he was.  Elrohir  kicked backwards again, harder this time, but was unable to defend himself further as Will stopped in front of him, drew back his fist, and punched him in the face. 

Elrohir swallowed a cry of pain and blinked hard, determined not to give the boys the satisfaction of knowing they had hurt him.  He had never in his life been hit like that; never struck before apart from occasional accidental blows during weapons training.  He twisted and kicked again, even harder,  and at last Bob released his grip, clutching at his leg.  “He kicked me!  The little swine kicked me!”  he cried indignantly.  Draug, still growling, shot forward and bit him hard, then turned on Will as well, his teeth sinking into his calf tightly, snarling viciously the whole time.

Elrohir, now freed, bent quickly and snatched up the piece of wood, swinging it hard at Will, then back at Bob.  To his great satisfaction, it struck both thugs squarely on the side of the head.  Will gave a cry of pain and shook Draug off, aiming a kick at him.  Draug darted out of the way, and snapped at Will’s ankle.  “Bloody dog!  He’s gone mad – he’s going to kill us!”  Will shouted.   Draug growled and launched himself at the boys again, and the two youths turned and ran; Draug close behind them, barking furiously.

Shaking with fatigue and reaction, Elrohir slowly lowered the wood, swaying slightly.  He could not quite believe that the boys had gone; that he and Draug had been victorious.  He turned swiftly at another sound behind him, raising the plank again defensively.  With a sigh of relief, he let it fell with a crash as he saw his father, Elladan, and Eilenach racing towards him.   As Eilenach sped past in pursuit of the youths who had disappeared into a corner of the yard,  Elrohir swayed again, and slowly crumpled to the ground.

“El!”  Elladan cried in panic as his brother collapsed.  Elrond stopped and dropped to his knees beside Elrohir and pulled him into his arms, Elladan kneeling next to him.

Elrond studied his son intently, cupping his face and feeling gently for his pulse – it was rapid; racing from exertion.   It seemed that Elrohir had fainted, but why?   He brushed his fingers lightly over a reddened, slightly swollen area on Elrohir’s cheekbone, and clenched his fist, shaking with fury.

“Father?  Is he all right?”  a worried voice demanded.

Elrond looked up at Elladan, watching anxiously, and smiled reassuringly.  “Yes.  He fainted, that is all.  He will be fine.”

“I hope so.  If they hurt him …”  Elladan stopped and took a deep breath.  “Why did he faint?  What did they do to him?  I knew I shouldn’t have left him alone!  I know he was afraid that those horrible boys would come back!”

From the far side of the yard there was a crash, another volley of barking, and a further yell of pain.  After a sudden clatter, running footsteps disappeared into the night.  The dog returned first, bounding to Elrohir’s side, his tongue hanging out and his tail waving madly.  He sniffed Elrohir, then licked at his face.  Elrohir stirred, raising one hand to brush at the wetness. “Get off, El,”  he mumbled.  Elrond smiled suddenly at such a very normal reaction.  Elrohir would indeed be fine.

As the dog licked him again, Elrohir’s eyes opened, and he sat up suddenly, staring at his father and brother in surprise.  One hand went out to fondle the dog’s ear.  “Good boy, Draug.  Good boy!  Thank you.”

“Elrohir.  Are you all right?”  Elrond asked quietly, still holding his son tightly. 

Elrohir nodded.  “Yes.  I’m fine – what happened?”  He sounded a little puzzled.

Elrond relaxed his tight grip slightly.  “You just fainted.  Are you sure you are all right?  Did they hurt you?”

Elrohir shook his head briefly.  “No.  I’m fine – really!”  He looked up at Elrond.  “I fainted?  I fainted?”  He sounded mortified.  He pushed Elrond’s arms away, and stood, then turned to Elladan, still hovering anxiously.  “El, if you ever mention that, I’ll never speak to you again!”  he threatened.

Elladan shook his head.  “I won’t,” he promised.  “I’m just glad they didn’t hurt you.”  He hesitated.  “Are you really all right, El?”

Eilenach returned at that moment.  “They climbed over the fence, and ran off into the town,” he reported.  “I watched to be sure they had gone, but let them go – there seemed little I could do if I caught them.  I am sure the innkeeper will know who they are, anyway.  He seems vague, but there is little that escapes him.  Elrohir, are you well?”

As Elrohir nodded again, Elrond studied his face once more, tilting his chin up slightly.  He touched the cheekbone gently, feeling the growing bruise.  “Did one of them hit you?”  he asked in cold fury.  “Let me see.”

Elrohir nodded.  “Yes, but only once.  And I couldn’t hit him back, because the other one was holding my arms,” he added regretfully.  “But I got him later!  Both of them.   I hit them with the plank.”

At Elrond’s side, Elladan was simmering with rage at what the youths had done to his twin.  “He hit you while he was holding you?” he asked incoherently.  “One of them was holding you back, and the other one hit you?  The cowards! The swine!  If I see them again, I’ll – I’ll …”  he trailed off, still seething. 

Eilenach too looked as if he was regretting his decision not to pursue the two youths, and was sorry he had not dragged them both back to the timber yard for a little salutary justice.  “Forgive me, my Lord – I should not have allowed them to go free.  If I had realised what they had done to Elrohir, I would have brought the bullying scum to you!”

“No,”  Elrond reassured him.  “You did the right thing, Eilenach – we have no jurisdiction here.  Any punishment meted out to these young thugs will have to be done by the townspeople themselves.”

“But what about Draug?”  Elrohir demanded.  “Did he bite them again?”

“The dog?”  Eilenach asked.  He grinned suddenly.  “Yes, he bit one of them – the older one, I think – on the backside.”

Elrohir gave a whoop of delight.  “Good boy, Draug!  Well done!”

Elrond stared down at the dog.  “This is Draug?  This is the dog you rescued?  I thought you said he was so badly injured he could not walk, or be left alone?  He seems lively enough now.”

Elladan, startled, followed his gaze.  “He was hurt,” he insisted blankly.  “He was.  He was limping, and I think – thought – his leg or paw was broken.  I don’t understand!”

Elrohir nodded.  “I know,”  he said.  “It was.  That horrible boy had hit him!”  He looked indignant, but then, to Elrond’s surprise, his expression changed to one of utter awe.  “But I healed him.  I healed him, El!”

“Don’t be daft.  You’re not a healer.  Only Father is,”  Elladan said dismissively.

Elrond raised a hand to hush him.  “Elrohir?”  he asked carefully  “Are you sure?”

Elrohir nodded.  “Yes,” he said simply.  “I did.  I don’t really know how, but I did.  Just look at him!”  He paused, and added a little plaintively,  “Can we go back now?” 

As Elrond glanced at him, he saw how  pale Elrohir looked, with shadows beneath his eyes, and a darkening bruise on his cheek.  He recognised the tell-tale signs of exhaustion, and knew that Elrohir was at the end of his endurance.  There was much that began to make sense.  “Yes, of course,”  he agreed softly.  “We can go now.”

The four – five with Draug – made their way back along the road to the inn.  Draug padded at Elrohir’s side, never moving far from him.  Elrohir himself was quiet now, saying little, and walked between Elrond and Elladan.  As they approached the Prancing Pony, lights shone out into the night like a beacon, drawing  them in to where Celebrían and Ilmarin stood waiting in the shadows of the archway.

In a small side room of the inn, Brindley Butterbur bustled in and out, bearing plates and goblets, a flask of wine and a jug of water, cutlery and candles.  “Well now!”  he exclaimed.  “I never did!  I always knew those two were no good, but never did I think they’d do this!  That Bob’s just plain daft, and will do anything that there Will says.  Now he’s a real nasty piece of work!  His ma’s a wh – ”  he stopped suddenly, looking at the twins, seated by the fire.  “Well now,”  he amended.  “His ma entertains some of the travellers who pass through Bree, you might say – but not in my establishment, though!  And of course no one knows who his Da might be.”

“He doesn’t know his father?”  Elladan asked.  “That’s sad.  Is he dead?”

“Aye, maybe.”  Butterbur hurried off again, returning with yet more dishes, and finally producing a dish of his wife’s stew, and a blackberry tart.  “There now!  There’s more if needs be, and good company over in the bar, if you’ve a wish to join us now or later.  Enjoy your meal!”  He disappeared again, and the door swung closed behind him.

Elrond turned to Eilenach and Ilmarin.  “You have both served well today – far above and beyond any duty I may have placed on you.  You may join us or not, as you choose.”

Eilenach glanced briefly at Ilmarin, then inclined his head.  “Thank you, my Lord.  I will join you, if I may.  This is a tale I would like to hear!”  As Ilmarin nodded his agreement, they all sat the small table.  It was a little cramped, and before long Elladan took his plate to a chair by the fire.  Elrohir joined him, sitting on the floor next to Draug, who was stretched out by the fire, sound asleep.  As they ate, he slowly began his tale.

“I didn’t know I could do that – I was just thinking about what you do, Ada, and wishing I could as well.  Then it just happened!  The first time seemed so easy; but his leg was still broken, so I tried again.”  Elrohir paused, remembering.  “But it was more difficult; there was more to do, so I just tried harder.  But then … I couldn’t seem to stop.  I knew I should, because I could feel that Draug was healed, but I didn’t know how to.  I felt so …”  he groped for a word.  “Strange,”  he concluded.

Elrond nodded.  This part of the tale was familiar from some other young healers, new to their powers and uncertain in their control.  “So how did you stop?”  he asked.

Elrohir shrugged.  “I didn’t, not really – it was that boy, Bob.  He came up to me – I think he may have been saying something – and pushed me when I didn’t answer.”  He looked up.  “I hadn’t heard them coming, or seen them, or anything.  They were just there!”  He swallowed.  “It scared me, that I didn’t know.  And then … I tried to fight them; not to let them get me – but I was so tired.  If it hadn’t been for Draug – I don’t think I could have done it.”

“But the worst thing is,”  Elladan added,  “Is that it was our fault.  If we hadn’t run off from Eilenach, if we’d come back when you said – and especially if we’d stayed together, like we promised – it wouldn’t have happened.  And Elrohir wouldn’t have been attacked by those louts.”  He sounded thoroughly miserable.

Elrond regarded his sons for a moment.  “I want you to tell me two things,”  he said at last.  “Why did you leave Eilenach?  And why did you disobey me, and break a promise?”

Elladan bit his lip, and glanced at Elrohir.  “We thought you didn’t trust us,”  he said at last.  “We didn’t want to be followed like that.  It was as if he was spying on us.  It wasn’t you, Eilenach, really it wasn’t!  And we didn’t mean to get you into trouble.”  He sighed.  “But when we heard the dog – we had to do something.   It was getting dark, and we’d just heard the horn, so we knew we should go back.  We knew it meant breaking a promise, and we knew how angry you’d be.  We knew it would mean we’d probably never be allowed to do anything else on our own for the rest of the trip.  But we had to do something,” he repeated.  “I’m sorry.  We let you down.  And El was hurt because of it,” he ended despondently.

Silence hung in the little room, broken only by the crackle of the fire, and Draug’s snoring.  “I am not disappointed,”  Elrond told them at last.  “You knew what you were doing; you considered what the results of your actions would be.  Yet you were prepared to face the consequences because you believed in what you were doing.  I am not disappointed – you did the right thing.”

Elladan looked stunned.  “You’re not cross?”  he asked, seeking confirmation.  “Even though we broke a promise?”

“We are not cross,”  Celebrían confirmed.  “We will talk to you in the morning about promises, and your father will talk to you about healing.  There is much that you both need to learn.  Now, off to bed – today has been a long day.”  Elrond looked at her with gratitude.  She had phrased very succinctly the most pressing matters of concern – but it could all wait until the morning.

Elladan nodded, and yawned.  “All right,”  he agreed without protest.  “We’ll go to bed.  Come on El.”  He looked down at his brother.  Elrohir leaned against the hearth, one hand still resting on Draug.  He was fast asleep.  “El!  Wake up and go to bed!” he cried, prodding Elrohir with his foot.

“Leave him,”  Elrond said, bending and lifting Elrohir in his arms.  “Leave him.  You have just seen a demonstration – and Elrohir has found out the hard way – just how exhausting and draining healing can be.  Let him sleep.”

In the twins’ room, Elrond laid Elrohir on his bed, and loosened the neck of his tunic.  He removed his belt and boots, then drew a cover over his son.  He smiled.   It brought back sweet memories of putting the twins to bed when they had been much younger.  He kissed Elrohir’s brow, and also Elladan’s.

“Goodnight.  You both did well today.  If you had ignored what you heard, if you had abandoned the dog – Draug – to his plight, merely to return in good time and avoid trouble for yourselves – I think you would have felt extremely guilty, and never forgiven yourselves.   I am very proud of you both.  Sleep well – there will be much to do in the morning.”

He closed the door, and returned to the parlour.  There was still much to discuss.