Dusk was falling. Lilleduil, refreshed by her swim, found herself in good enough humor to attempt to deal with the Man again. She found him out by the gate of Maur Tulhau, sitting with his back against a rock and looking, if not exactly weary, disgruntled at the whole world. Which seemed to be his default expression most of the time, when she thought upon it.
Giving him a look of carefully metered inquiry, she said, “Thendryt, I know you're not here to freshen up, but you ought to, and let me re-dress those wounds.”
Predictably, Thendryt protested. “It hasn't been that long since the bandages were changed.”
“It was this morning. And you've been marching all day in them. Besides, I’ve already seen everything.”
For a moment Lilleduil thought he might push the matter further, and she girded herself mentally for a battle. Then with a sigh, he gave in and got to his feet.
“Come on,” she beckoned and started into the hobbit village. He followed along agreeably enough. “This is a pretty place, don’t you think?” she said after a moment, looking about at the charming rustic setting with appreciation.
Thendryt seemed totally disinterested in conversational openings. “Pretty enough, I suppose,” he said a bit shortly. “Haven't thought about it really.”
Giving up on polite conversation, Lilleduil led him through the town and down to the beautiful little pool, which was fed by the two waterfalls Elisbeth felt sure were a part of the river. The Tur thought that it might very well continue underground for a while at this spot-which made it rather useless as a route for transporting goods. Still, even proving a negative was useful at this point-they still had no clear idea about the trade route.
Whatever its shortcomings as a trade route, however, the water was pure, which was what was needed. Lilleduil set down her packs and began to pull out her medical supplies-herbs, bandages, her wound washes and salves and a couple of small metal pots.
“Go ahead and wash up, if you like,” she told the Man. “This will take a little time to get ready.”
Thendryt started removing his armor, very carefully loosening the straps on his left shoulder. Something about the way he did it drew her eye and she watched him for a moment. He felt her gaze upon him, stopped and looked up at her.
She smiled a little, then turned to go fill the pots at the pool, sat them down on the shingle, lifted her staff and fired them till they boiled.
Turning to find that there had been no further progress made on armor removal. Lilleduil looked up at Thendryt. “Go ahead. I'm not watching you.” She took up her dagger and used the pommel to carefully mash herbs into the water in one of the bowls. The salve would probably have sufficed, and been less trouble besides, but the stab wounds seemed to be responding well to the drawing poultices, she had the herbs available and she didn’t want any backsliding at this point.
Watching her, Thendryt said, “That's not a problem.”
“I swam earlier. It was very refreshing.” After a moment’s mashing, Lilleduil looked up and asked, “Then what is the problem?”
“Lost in thought, I suppose,” Thendryt said as he began to wash his face and hair.
And they are probably grim, glowery, unpleasant thoughts as well. “Let me know when you're ready,” she said aloud.
For some reason, the Man seemed to find that simple request amusing, almost as if he’d picked up her thought. A rare smile came over his face. A few more splashes and he said, “Let's get this over with.” He came over to Lilleduil and sat down.
Cutting the old bandages carefully away, Lilleduil examined the wounds, with eyes and gently prodding fingers and even a sniff or two. Thendryt watched her work, bemused.
“Yes, these are doing well,” she said at last. “No sign of infection-even the lower one. And you've not pulled a single stitch. Well done.”
“So…”
“So...I'm bandaging them back up and you should still be careful.”
Thendryt chuckled a little. “You seem to get nervous around Elisbeth,” he said in an obvious effort to divert the conversation away from the subject of his health-or perhaps he just wanted to annoy her, for he was watching her face intently for a reaction to his words.
Which she was determined not to give him. As she began to wash the wounds with the soap and boiled water she admitted matter-of-factly, “I always have been. Though not so much nervous now as wary. We talk at each other.”
“I suppose she's a bit intimidating, at first.”
“That’s as may be. But right now I'm too tired of the lot of you to be intimidated.” Sponging the soap away, she began to wash the wounds a second time, with the wound washing solution. “I didn't used to spend this much time around people.”
“Can't blame you, this is the extent of my social encounters,” the Man said.
“I like Caleniel. She likes my friends and my friends like her. She‘s…restful.”
Thendryt smiled slightly. “Caleniel is easy to get along with.”
Having completed the cleansing, Lilleduil tested the poultices for heat; then, finding them satisfactory, smeared some bandage pads with the mashed herbs. “But I've spent a lot of time alone.”
“How come?” Thendryt seemed genuinely curious.
Lilleduil shrugged. “I always was attracted to wild things. My father died when I was still relatively young. Mother went West a year later. I was a ward in Lord Elrond's house. I was schooled, but when I was not at my lessons I was in the woods.” She took up one of the pads. “Lift your arms a bit, will you?” When Thendryt obliged, she put the pad on the lowest wound and began bandaging it.
“I don't really understand the Elven aging process,“ the Man admitted as he watched her. “You live too damn long for that.”
Pausing in her ministrations, Lilleduil looked up at him. “We are grown at about...75 of your years? I was 40 when my father died. Between child and adolescent?” Was she the first person he’d actually asked about this?
Thendryt nodded. “I see.”
Lilleduil tied off the bandage and prepared another dressing for the shoulder wound. Before she applied it, she gave the man an inquiring look.
“Is this one causing you trouble? Should I put some padding on it? It looked like you have an armor strap chafing it?”
Thendryt glowered silently at her for a moment, obviously unwilling to admit any shortcomings. She sighed pointedly and glared back.
“Fine. Do it,” he said at last.
“Thank you.” Thank you so much for giving me the kind consideration of letting me do my damned job! Which incidentally keeps you from falling on your face in front of the Captain again, was what she wanted to say, but there was no reason to damage their tentative accord.
After applying the dressing, Lilleduil considered for a moment, then cut bandage enough to make a very thick pad, which she fastened over it. “I’m going to do that for the arm wound as well, just to keep it safe. Your lower wound seems less disturbed, for some reason.”
“I lowered the belt…” the Man admitted.
“Good idea.” Tying off the shoulder wound, Lilleduil rocked back on her heels for a moment and looked up at him. “Do you suppose Khalis is speaking to me?” She might as well ask Thendryt-if nothing else, he seemed to have considerable history with Khalis, even if it was somewhat stormy. “I have thus far managed to anger both of my immediate superiors, in a very short period of time.” She tied the shoulder bandage off and began preparing a pad for the last wound.
Thendryt chuckled. “The Captain... Don't worry, the Captain is much more angry with me. You should be out of the line of fire. And if not I'm sure I'll do something soon that will anger him yet again.”
“Oh really? After I told him he was basically a bigot?”
“Imagine if I was to tell him that.”
Lilleduil gave him a direct look. “You have more right to.”
“I can't do that until these wounds are healed, or I might actually die!” Thendryt laughed. The prospect of being slain in battle by his own captain was apparently the height of humor for him.
Lilleduil shook her head in disbelief. “You do realize that I rode to Imladris and back just to get away from the two of you and your incessant bickering?” But her tone was amused, not chiding.
Thendryt actually smiled again. She had gotten more of those in the last half hour than she had since meeting him.
Lilleduil poulticed the arm wound, then created another of the thick pads.
“You seem to be quite bothered by me at times as well,” the Man noted. “It's nothing personal, it's just...I have a few issues.” He chuckled, his good mood continuing, seemingly rather pleased by the idea that she found him troubling.
“Well, let's see. Practically the first thing out of your mouth to me was a threat,” she said, intent upon her bandaging. “That tends to color a person's perceptions.”
“Aye. Had we met in Imladris, that would not have been the case.”
Yes, I understand that Delossad is your particular little stomping ground, or lair… Elisbeth did not appreciate my description of you as an aggressive male animal defending his territory!
Aloud, Lilleduil said, “'Unfortunate then, that we did not.“ She finished wrapping the arm. “I'll have you know you were single-handedly responsible for a great deal of disillusionment on my part as regards the Warband.” A shrug. “And Elisbeth finished what you started.” Which matters nothing in the end, for I have made my oath and I will hold to it! The pad was tied off and she sat back again.
“Elisbeth is one of the few, if not the only one, who might actually understand me,” Thendryt declared.
Well she doesn’t understand me in the least. The Captain does, but I’ve probably burnt that bridge. “There. Move your arm. Is that binding? Do you think it will stay in place?”
The Man tested his range of motion thoroughly, then nodded approvingly. “It will, even under armor.”
“Good. You're all finished.”
Thendryt began getting dressed, while Lilleduil picked up the bowl of leftover herbs and dumped it beneath a nearby bush.
“I can tell you one thing,” Thendryt offered, when he’d managed to shrug painfully back into his shirt.
“What is that?” Rinsing the bowl out, Lilleduil went to gather the old bandages.
“I've trusted two people in the past. One is Elisbeth.” Thendryt fell quiet suddenly. When she looked in his direction, the Man seemed lost in thought.
“And the other?”
Thendryt looked at her, his expression suddenly a bit threatening. Lilleduil simply stared back at him.
“The other tried to have me assassinated in the Misty Mountains. And he was also the reason I was captured and brought to Angmar.”
She blinked, surprised, not only at the declaration but that it had been offered at all. It was a thank-you of sorts, she supposed, the admission, the bit of personal information. A weird sort of peace offering, perhaps? The best possible response took a moment‘s consideration. At last, she cocked her head and asked mildly, “Is he still alive? We can fix that.” Because personable or not, this Man was now her oath-brother.
It was apparently the right thing to say.
“I wish he was,” Thendryt said flatly.
“Didn’t you get to kill him?”
“I was followed by Faorie. I heard she killed him.”
“Ah. That doesn't surprise me. Faorie is fierce.”
“I did get my hands on the one who was responsible for the...art.” He looked out over the water as Lilleduil dropped the soiled bandages onto the ground near the bush and summoned fire, burning them to ash.
“That's something, then. Probably not enough, but something.” Silver light spangled the water of a sudden, as the moon peeked over the edge of the little canyon. Delighted, Lilleduil lifted her head. “Oh! Look at the moon! The waterfalls are mithril!”
Thendryt looked at the shining falls, but he did not seem to possess the elven appreciation of natural beauty. After a moment, he said softly, “It wasn't enough.” And he smiled again at Lilleduil. She nodded in response.
“Even animals know the desire for vengeance, did you know?”
“I did not. Though maybe I should. We seem to have a lot in common.”
Puzzled, Lilleduil asked, “You and me? You and animals? All three of us?'
“Me and the animals. I don't think you and I have much in common.” it was obviously not meant as an insult, merely a simple statement of fact.
Lilleduil grinned. “Perhaps not. But some of my best friends are animals. I travel on a regular basis with a surly bear, as well as a very large cat who likes to eat Angmarrim.”
Thendryt raised an eyebrow. “I like the cat already.”
“The one you threatened to skin if he came on your territory? I really need to introduce you. He might hunt with you if he likes you.”
“Oh, that cat was it?”
“Yes. He came back with me from Angmar. Saved my life, more or less.”
Intrigued, Thendryt asked, “It's actually from Angmar?”
“I've seen some that look a lot like him in Gondor. But yes, I met him in Angmar. He said there weren't many like him up there. I've been meaning to take him with me south and see if those cats will accept him, since most of his kin in Angmar are dead. He seemed to think he might have been the last one up there. I don't know if he'd go that far south, though.” Lilleduil grinned wolfishly. “He was very pleased to find that the Angmarrim sneak into the Trollshaws now and again.”
“I seem to have more in common with this cat than with anyone else in Imladris.”
Lilleduil laughed merrily. “You certainly do!” Where disposition is concerned, certainly! Then she stretched and grimaced. “Ah well, at the risk of destroying Khalis' idea of our superiority, I am tired. I haven't rested in over two days.”
“Well, at least tell the cat what I look like. So he doesn't mistake me for an Angmarim.”
“We'll go out to where he lairs and I'll formally introduce you.”
Amused at the idea of formal introductions to wildlife, Thendryt chuckled. “Sure, I'll come with you.”
“He'll leave you alone, after that. We'll do it when we get back.” Lilleduil thought for a moment. “'He won't bother elves, he knows not to do that, but humans need to be introduced. I'll have to take Killandra out too, so she won‘t shoot him by accident and he won‘t hurt her.”
“And I'll make sure to think twice if I encounter a hostile cat.” The Man looked at her pointedly. “Well, you better get some rest. Two days is a long time.”
Dismissal, perhaps, but from one anti-social person to another, so it didn‘t sting particularly. “Actually longer than that, I think. In any event, yes, I'll wish you a good evening. You get some sleep too-you need it to heal.” Lilleduil bowed politely to her fellow Maethor. “Good night, Thendryt.”
Thendryt nodded, but said nothing else. He sat down on the shingle and she left him with the moonlight and the falling water.
