Brothers In Arms: A Middle Earth Story

Chapter 9: The Cottage

"I am sorry, truly I am," I replied, but my tone didn't reflect the words of empathy. Instead, I felt a conspicuous absence of sorrow at her words. Perhaps I had witnessed so much death that I was now numb to it, unfeeling as frostbitten skin. She seemed to notice but smiled kindly in response. 

"You must have been through Udun to get here," she said softly. I turned away, the images of all we had endured burned in my memory. The memory of the forest aflame all around us. The hellish image of the Haradrim slaver's glare through the fire. The bodies stacked high outside Cair Sirion's sickly white walls, and the stench that accompanied the rank air around them. Thorondir's blood-stained smile as he turned to face the enemy one last time. 

"We have," was all I managed to say, my voice hoarse with unspoken feeling. A cry from Ohtar drew me back to the moment at hand, and I rushed to his side. 

"The blade shattered upon entering his body," Aerel said, holding a bloody spike of metal in front of her. "There are far too many fragments for me to find them all..." 

Ohtar let out a pained laugh. "Keep em in. It'll build character."

Aerel smiled at him reassuringly before she pulled me aside, her voice lowering to a whisper. "There is little more I can do. The blade was poisoned." 

Morgoth. I squeezed the bridge of my nose between my fingers, letting out a tired sigh. "How much time does he have?"

The healer bit her lower lip apprehensively. "Several hours at most. The Haradrim use viper venom on their javelins; It's a quick-acting poison that has already begun to paralyze him." 

I cursed once more under my breath. "We'll need to fashion a gurney, then. I-" 

She cut me off, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Turin... It's already too late. I'm a healer. To think of mercy is my duty, but Ohtar is beyond our help now. It is your task as commander of this mission to look to the others, to care for them. And now we have a mother and her infant with us." 

I nodded slowly, the numbness of loss the only thing keeping me from arguing. "You're right, of course. Is there any way you can make him more comfortable, at least?" 

"Yes," she said. "I'll do what I can."

=========================

Soon Ohtar was propped on a cushioned chair, his legs stretched out on another chair opposite him. Despite his pain, he gave each of us a smile, stretching his arms out and yawning.

"I could just about take a nap here," he said, leaning back in the seat. He attempted to stretch his legs but his eyes widened in surprise. "I... A can't feel 'em. My legs."

Aerel went to his side. "Just try to rest. You need it."

"But my legs! I can't feel my bloody legs!" He exclaimed, the panic rising in his voice as he struggled to move.

Aerel glanced at me, and I gave her a slight nod. "You've been poisoned," she explained in as gentle a tone as she could. "The paralysis will spread over time."

The look of fear on the outlaw's face turned to one of sudden sadness. "Oh... I see." Was all he managed to say.

"We'll stay with you for as long as you wish us to," she continued, taking his burly hand in her own. 

He sat there for a moment in silence, coming to grips with the reality of the situation. We all stood quietly by, waiting for him to speak once more. When he did, his tone was confident once more. 

"No... You all need to go. That thing is close behind us, and you'll need all the time you can get." His eyes landed on me. "Make the right call, captain."