Day 29: Mordor

Challenge: "Darkness is only driven out with light, not more darkness."

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Write a story or poem or create artwork where your character battles and overcomes their darkest hour.

Darkest Night

“Thorongil! Thorongil!” for the first time Kadar called the man by his name that he learned from Nadhir. The syllables felt strange to his tongue, and he wondered shortly what the name means in the language of the North. Could it be something about hope or valour? He will need both to survive this night…

“Thorongil! Do you hear me?”

Kadar sighed. He did not, it seemed. It was some delirious dream that made him toss and moan, without realizing his surroundings. Did he make a mistake? Should he give him the blow of mercy when he could, without prolonging the suffering? Now it was too late. Kadar already decided he will live, and so it will be. So it had to be. “You will live, do you understand?” he whispered. “I will not allow Rasha’s murderer to claim another life…”

Thorongil’s eyes opened suddenly, but he didn’t see Kadar. He cried out something in a language Kadar didn’t understand, and his body arched in pain that made his nightmares real.

“Easy… You are safe here…” Kadar murmured soothingly, realizing that in his state, the man will perceive more the tone than the words.  He put his hand on the Thorongil’s brow, and bit his lip. The man was burning with fever.

“Easy, Thorongil. It’s over. There’s no fire anymore….” Kadar talked soothingly, but in the same time he knew that the fire still burns and torments him – from inside. He soaked a cloth in cool water, and gently washed the man’s face. “You must drink…” he muttered, and let a few drops fall into his mouth. But Thorongil averted his face, maybe thinking that Kadar belongs to his tormentors in the fevered dreams.

Kadar sighed in frustration. “I’m not your enemy…” he said, but knew in the same time that Thorongil has every reason to think that. But he was not, and neither was Nazim in this moment, although he was to blame for this. The fever was Thorongil’s enemy now, the enemy that he had to fight – or die. His breathing was getting laborious.

Kadar shook his head. The cloth was not cool anymore. This will not do… He took the sheet from the bed, and soaked it in the water. With pity he regarded the body covered in burns and bruises. The healer bandaged the deeper wounds earlier, but some of the bandages were already soaked with blood. The one on his arm was from his own blade, Kadar thought.

“Don’t be afraid. It will sting now…” he whispered, as he covered Thorongil with the soaked sheets. When the wet cloth touched the burns and bruises, the man tossed his head and moaned in pain. For a short moment, his eyes opened again.

“Thorongil! Do you hear me?” Kadar tried again, and this time, Thorongil’s eyes tried to focus on his face. “Do not fear, you are safe here. But you need to drink. Here…” He reached for a cup and brought it to Thorongil’s lips, supporting his head while he did so. “Slowly...”

Thorongil managed to drink a few sips before his eyes closed again, and he drifted back into the fevered dreams.

For hours Kadar watched over him, and soaked the sheets in cool water when they got warm. Just before dawn, the fever finally began to sink.

The sun rose over the city in its bright glory, the long shadows pointing to the west. The shadow of the tower was long, but only that remained from the rule of the Corsairs over the city – a shadow. Kadar watched it from the window, when he heard a weak moan. Quickly he turned, and saw that Thorongil’s eyes are open, looking at him. The man blinked, but the light from the window was too bright to see more than a silhouette. Kadar stepped closer.

Thorongil blinked again. “I… I know you…” he whispered, his voice still hoarse.

“I think so,” Kadar smiled slightly. “Do not speak yet, your throat must hurt terribly. Here…”  He took the cup, and brought it to Thorongil’s lips again. With slow sips Thorongil drained the whole cup, and first then he looked at Kadar. “Why?” he asked weakly.   

Kadar shrugged. “I’m not your enemy. It was Nazim who wanted your death, and now he is dead himself. It was him who killed Rasha. I couldn’t allow him to kill you too.”

That was too much information at once. Thorongil was quiet for a moment, trying to gather the muddled memories. “Thank you…” he whispered finally, and then his eyes closed again. But instead of the fevered dreams, he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Kadar watched him for a while, and then smiled slightly. “And maybe also because I’m beginning to like you for some reason…” he muttered to himself, and sat down in the chair to watch over Thorongil’s sleep.