Warmth Provided
Transporting the elf had been much more difficult than Adras had anticipated. The resulting mud from the preceding night’s rainstorm had caused Coal to slip around and stumble about amongst the forest trees. Adras had to stop every couple of yards to help the donkey along and readjust the injured elf who had begun to slide from atop the thick animal’s back.
He would talk to both as they struggled along, the only responses received being annoyed brays and quiet moans. It was soothing for the old man to talk, it made the journey easier and relieved some of the stress that he was feeling. He had become quite adept at carrying on one-sided conversations and felt no shame in them. They were a source of comfort for him and eased the intense loneliness that he felt at times.
The three were a bedraggled sight, all were drenched with rain water and a thick layer of mud covered their clothing. Adras’ gray beard was tangled and mud caked, as was the elf’s hair. Cold had set into the old man’s bones causing a slight shivering in his limbs and tightening in his joints. The knowledge that a warm fire and hot cup of tea awaited him was his only driving force.
When they finally cleared the forest and were greeted by the old cabin, Adras felt as though he would fall to his knees in joy. Traveling through the night, with a raging storm, a stubborn beast and an unconscious elf was not the man’s idea of an enjoyable way to spend an evening and he ached to be in the comfort of his home.
"By the Gods Coal if you ever do that again I will just leave you out there." Feeling slightly rejuvenated at the final arrival to their destination Adras began to pick up the pace, pulling the donkey and elf behind him. "Hurry, Dorias is probably wondering where we have been all night."
He had left in search of his four legged friend without informing his son where he was going. He hadn’t anticipated being gone so long so didn’t feel it necessary to travel all of the way to the town tavern to inform him of his task into the forest.
As he began to tie Coal to the post near the stairs leading to his home the sound of the entryway door opening and heavy footsteps on wood reached his ears. "Where in Middle Earth have you been?"
Dorias’ deep, gruff voice pierced the quiet that Adras had become so accustomed to. The sound causing him to stiffen ever so slightly. "I went in search of Coal. He went out for an adventure again."
Looking up into his son’s eyes, Adras was surprised by the annoyance that he saw so obviously present there. His son had become mean and bitter since the death of his mother two years ago. He had taken to visiting the town tavern on a nightly basis and had returned most nights in a drunken state. Most of the time he would just retire to his room and sleep off the effects of the ale he had consumed, but there were some nights, when he was feeling particularly bitter, that he would come home and wreak havoc on the small cabin. On those nights, Adras would lock himself in his own room and patiently wait for his son to pass out.
"You should have just left the beast out there to rot." The man snarled between cracked lips and yellowed teeth.
"I have had Coal for many years, he has been a good friend and worker, I could not just abandon him." Adras’ voice was soft and pleading and he watched his son closely as he stepped off of the porch and approached the filthy trio. Always there was hope in this heart that his son would return to the gentle, compassionate boy he had raised. But inevitably he would become riddled with disappointment when his hopes were quashed by the man’s cruel words and actions.
"And what other animal did you manage to pick up along the way." Dorias grumbled as he reached down and took a handful of mud caked blonde hair and lifted the elf’s head to look into it’s pale face. "An elf?"
Snapping a hand out and grabbing his son by the wrist, Adras shook Dorias’ hand forcefully, causing him to release the injured being’s head. "I found him in the woods. He is injured and has not woken since I found him. I could not very well leave him out there lest he pass from this world."
The annoyance in Dorias’ face intensified at his father’s actions and Adras stepped around the donkey and placed himself between his son and the injured being. "I will mend him of his wounds and he will be on his way."
"He will bring trouble to this house." Dorias interrupted. "You should just take him back into the forest and leave him."
Adras’ stomach felt sick at the amount of anger and disdain that had engulfed his son. It was not how he had been raised and it was not the son that he had known several years before. "This does not sound like you. This is not how your mother and I raised you."
Dorias’ mouth fell open and his eyes narrowed at his father’s comment. A grunt of irritation escaped the dark, large man’s throat and he spun on his heel, moving away from the disheveled three. Adras watched as his son headed back into the direction of the town and he knew exactly where he was headed. Hopefully he wouldn’t return until the next day, allowing him some time to take care of himself and the elf without interruption. His eyes remained glued to Dorias’ back as he watched him go, never leaving his form until he was out of sight.
Well, I have much work to do and will accomplish nothing standing here brooding
Adras turned back to the elf and placed a gentle, wrinkled hand on the dampened back. "Forgive me Master Elf, but I am old and have lost much strength with the passing of the years. This will not be pleasant for you." He then slid his hands beneath the blonde elf’s armpits and pulled. The unconscious being flopped ungracefully from the donkey’s back and would have been injured further if not for Adras holding his upper body from the ground.
He slowly lay the elf down and rolled him over onto his back. Taking a deep breath, he slid his hands once again beneath the elf’s arms and began to drag the injured being toward the entryway. A small whimper escaped the fair being and Adras stopped and watched closely for any sign of waking. There was a slight wrinkling of the brow and then he settled down once again and Adras was back to work.
Lifting the elf up just a little higher to avoid scraping his back along the steps, Adras grunted with each step. The sound of the old man’s grunting followed by the elf’s feet banging against the steps would have been almost comical if not for the dire situation. With one final grunt the pair reached the top of the steps and the door to the modest cabin. "Almost there." His words came out strained and his breathing was heavy.
Panting and scraping accompanied the remainder of the journey into the cabin and across the room. Adras lay the elf down on the ground next to the spare bed, which sat to one side of the main room of the cabin. Looking at the bed and then down at the elf he could feel his drive leaving him. Just one more move. Okay, it is a big move, but you are almost done.
"Might you be able to help me out with this?" He looked at the elf quizzically, noting the peaceful look there. His brow had smoothed and the grimace of pain he had been wearing for most of the night was gone. He looked more to be sleeping now than to be mortally injured. He was answered by complete silence from the elf and let out another large sigh. "I thought not."
Bending over, once again he looped his hands around the elf’s slender arms and lifted and twisted the elf until his upper body lay upon the bed, he then slid his aged hands down the elf’s body and hoisted his legs up, dropping them unceremoniously onto the thin, blanket covered mattress. The blonde, dirty elf now lay on his stomach upon the bed and Adras plopped himself down in a nearby chair taking a short respite.
Once his breathing had slowed and his body had cooled Adras pushed himself back up from the chair. He stepped back to the elf and gently twisted the elf’s head allowing the fair being to breath easier. He held his hand just in front of the elf’s mouth and waited to feel the warm breath coming from the unconscious being then rising to his full height, albeit not much, the old man stood and stared down at the injured elf.
"Well let us get started. I know not your injuries and I have a feeling that we are both in for a long day."
******
It was a whimper from the other room that roused Adras from his slumber. He hadn’t even realized that he had fallen to sleep. After removing the elf’s soiled clothing and cleaning and tending to his wounds the old man had focused his attention on himself. Warm water and hot tea had never been more welcome and the warmth provided by each had relaxed the already exhausted man and eased him into his dormant state. Adras wasn’t certain how long he had slept, it was daylight when he had laid down but all appeared dark at the moment.
It had taken some time to tend to the elf. After cleaning off as much of the mud as possible, Adras had set about searching for the injuries that had caused the unconscious state. The most obvious injury was a large bump on the elf’s right forehead. There was a small cut in the center of the lump and dark bruising had formed around the injury. The elf cringed when Adras had cleaned that wound and the old man found himself mirroring the expression out of sympathy.
After a bit more cleaning and inspecting, Adras came across the next injury, another head wound. The idea of multiple head wounds frightened the old man and he marveled at the fact that the elf still lived despite this. Most men would have succumbed to such trauma, that the elf still breathed was a wonder to behold. This one was behind the left ear and ran from the base of the skull ending levelly with his tightly closed eyes. The wound was more of a ragged cut than a bump, most likely caused by impact with a rough surface. The blonde hair around the wound was bloodied and matted, making it extremely difficult to clean and Adras had to remove the hair one strand at a time from where it had imbedded itself within the laceration .
Lastly, Adras had come across an arrow wound to the center of the elf’s back. The arrow had been snapped off leaving just the head imbedded in the back and the old man had needed to cut around the entry site to remove the projectile. This procedure was much easier than Adras would have thought. Surprisingly, no infection had set in and the arrowhead slipped quite easily from the elf’s back. Small whimpers and moans had escaped the unconscious elf during his ministrations but not once did he wake.
Adras rose stiffly from his bed and slowly shuffled across the wooden floor to the other room where the elf lay. He normally did not keep bandages around his cabin, having never really needed them, so the elf now lay with his head completely bandaged in strips of an old blanket, gold strands of hair peered out from beneath the blue wrappings. He placed a weathered hand atop the elf’s cheek searching for fever. A small smile spread across his face as he was greeted with cool, albeit somewhat clammy, skin.
A large fire burned within the fireplace to keep the elf warm. Normally Adras would try to go easy on the wood supply since it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to get out into the forest to collect the necessary tinder. But now the added fire was necessary with the elf covered only by a slight blanket. The old man secretly took pleasure in the extra heat. "I like you already Master Elf. If for nothing more than the additional warmth you bring."
Moving to the fireplace which sat perpendicular to the elf’s bed, Adras removed a pot of boiling water he had left over the now smoldering fire, he poured himself another cup of tea and took a seat at the table in the center of the room. Let us see if we can determine what happened to you my friend.
"An arrow wound to the back, obviously not self inflicted." Unless the rumors of an elf’s bowmanship are highly exaggerated. "Obviously you were attacked and it would be my assumption that the more serious head wound was caused by a fall from your horse."
Adras ran this theory through his head over and over again as he watched the sleeping elf. His brow furrowed in confusion then eased again in thought. His hand absently reached up and began stroking his long beard. He continued this way for several long minutes, his aged hand continually smoothing the course hair that fell from his chin. He did this often when he thought and at the moment his mind was working greatly.
"Where then is your horse and who attacked you and where did the other head wound come from?" He rose from his chair and stepped forward coming to stand over the injured being. "So many questions the most important of which being, who are you?".