Perceptions

Chapter 4 - Perceptions

Bright, white light flashed in his head and Legolas could hear someone speaking but could not understand what was being said. There was an intense, throbbing pain in his leg that beckoned him to wake and his right arm was numb causing the tips of his fingers to tingle. His head ached as well, the dull pain originated on his right temple than spread from there, running down the side of his face and over his forehead.

As Legolas began to register what he was feeling he struggled to open his eyes and he heard himself let out a soft moan.

His eyelids fluttered open and the elf found himself lying on his back looking up, with blurry eyes, into the branches of a large tree. The edges of a bandage wrapped around his head obstructed part of his vision and he struggled to remember what had happened

"Aragorn?" His throat was dry and his voice was so soft and raspy that he could barely hear himself speak.

The trees looming overhead sang a sad song and Legolas wondered what might have occurred to upset them so. The branches began to spin and tilt uncharacteristically, the motion causing nausea to well up inside of Legolas and he closed his eyes tightly to shut out the movement. When he reopened his eyes, he was greeted with the face of a man.

Legolas tried to focus his vision so that he could make out the man's features, hoping that he would recognize who it was looking down on him. He could make out dark, shoulder length hair and dark clothing and thought that it might be Aragorn tending to him. But why is he dressed in such a manner?

"Aragorn, what has happened?" Once again he forced his dry throat to work for him but could still barely make out his own words.

The man slowly tilted his head and glared into Legolas' eyes. "It is not yet time, elf." He said with a thickly accented voice that definitely did not belong to the King of Gondor.

The man's attention shifted from Legolas' face and the golden elf could hear shuffling and movement around him. He attempted to turn his head to follow the man, trying to discern what he meant by the strange statement but the sudden movement caused the pain in his head to intensify and he closed his eyes tightly once again hoping that the action would alleviate some of his anguish.

Before his questions could be answered or his discomfort alleviated there was a sharp sting in his shoulder and Legolas never reopened his eyes, taken swiftly, once again, into oblivion.

At these words, Medero lifted his head from the maps he was reading to acknowledge the healer. He had been leading this group of ragtag hunters for two months now and he sometimes grew impatient with their need for constant supervision and affirmation.

He referred to them as hunters because catching elves took extreme skill and stealth and these men, whom he had hand picked, were good. They were patient when it came time to stalk their prey and they were efficient when it came time to take what they pursued. They always got the ones they were after, he had never failed in a job and because of this he was well known and very well paid.

"Give him another dose and keep a close eye on him," he responded, "Let me know when he wakes again."

"I have already administered another dose, sir, and he sleeps again. I felt that you ought to be informed of his condition." With these words the healer turned on his heel and began walking back to the unconscious elf.

"Kael." Medero's voice stopped the healer in his tracks. "What of his other wounds?"

Returning back to Medero, Kael folded his arms loosely over his chest. He was a small man, coming just to Medero's shoulders and was quite thin. Not an imposing man at all like Medero was, but he could definitely hold his own if necessary. Medero had seen him defend himself against some of his other men who thought to take advantage of the healer, both lived to regret their actions and no one had bothered the slight man since.

"I have stitched the entry and exit wounds in his leg caused by your man's arrow. I do not think that we will have to worry about infection. The cut to his head was deep and stubborn, but the bleeding has ceased and that wound is bandaged as well."

Medero listened closely to the healers words. Kael was assigned to his crew by the man who had hired him and although there was usually no need for a healer when collecting slaves, elves had a reputation for being proud, difficult creatures. His employer had decided that in order to make the trip back to Harad without incident, that sedating the elves, until they were well within the desert, would be the best method for transporting his merchandise. Medero would need a healer available to ensure the drug was administered accurately.

It was also good to have him after taking this last elf down. It had been quite a shock when the men had returned to camp bearing the injured and dead. His man had made a grave error in shooting the elf's horse, alerting the being to their presence. But he had ended up paying for his mistake with his life when he had taken an arrow through the throat.

"Will he heal?" The question was an important one because if this elf were to pass, Medero and his men would need to make another run into the forest to obtain a replacement.

Medero was anxious to be returning home. He had been hired for four elves and with this most recent acquisition he had met his quota. They were now heading South to meet up with the rest of his group, where the other three elves were being held, then continuing on to Marek from there.

"I believe he will." With this statement Kael turned from his boss and returned to his task of attending to the golden elf.

With his eyes, Medero followed the healer's steps to where his injured cargo lay and wondered if he could get extra pay for this particular elf. The elf had managed to kill three of his men in a matter of seconds, one while trying to maintain his balance due to a nasty leg wound. Surely someone with his skill would fetch a higher price.

As well, pale hair was not seen in Harad and slaves with this physical trait were more desirable due to their scarcity, he and his crew had been extremely fortunate to come across this one.

Standing from the log on which he was resting, he began to make his way toward the unconscious elf, coming to stand over him. The golden elf looked almost dead with his pale skin and lack of motion, a large bruise had spread from the site of his head wound, running down his cheek. His curiosity piqued Medero crouched down for a closer look. Seeing the slow, erratic rise and fall of the elf's chest satisfied him that his captive yet lived and his eyes traveled down to the elf's leg wound.

The elf's leggings had been cut away from the wound and it had been tightly bandaged. The bleeding had ceased but not before leaving a scarlet stain on the white wrapping. It would be extremely painful for the elf, until it could heal properly.

This was another reason that the sedation of the fair being had been necessary. The company had to be moving and the elf wouldn't be able to travel quickly with an injury such as this. If the fair being could sleep through the trip, he would be unaware of any discomfort that either wound might cause. However, once they reached the larger camp the elf would be woken, no one would be foolish enough to attempt an escape with so many men around.

Medero rose back to his feet and continued to look down on the lifeless elf. There was something different about this one, even injured and unconscious he had a different air about him than the other three. Even in his current, fragile state, the golden elf emitted a certain radiant aura that Medero had never witnessed before.

"Strange is it not?" Kael's voice brought Medero from his musings and he turned to the small man with an inquisitive eye. "He almost seems to glow. I noticed this in the other elves as well, but not in the same way." Medero didn't comment he just listened to the healer as he attested to his observations. "Perhaps it is just the paleness of his hair that we are not used to, but he seems different from the other elves to me."

Medero found himself entranced, he had been stunned by the beauty of the she-elves they had captured but he was mesmerized by the essence that this golden elf exuded. He had a good feeling about this one and the extra pay he could receive for him. This elf was lucky and he would personally keep a close watch on him.