Repercussions 9

Repercussions

Part 9

Posted: November 16, 2007
Title: Repercussions
Author: Amber

*****

Master healer Rhawnesta‘s arrival was a quiet affair. Celeborn and Erestor greeting him and his party, turning the apprentices over to Lindir to be properly settled. This caused a small problem, as they had not been notified that the apprentices were married and would be traveling with their families. Once everything was sorted out, Celeborn led Rhawnesta to his quarters.

“I expected to meet Master Elrond when I arrived. What are you not telling me Celeborn?” Rhawnesta asked as he looked around his rooms.

“You have had a long journey my friend, perhaps it would be better to address this tomorrow. We need only for you to sign the apprentice agreement tonight,” Erestor said trying to stall the coming conversation. “You will find that Elrond has already signed the agreement.”

“Amdir told me there were extenuation circumstances but would not elaborate more. I know you Celeborn; this is not how you normally handle things. I want to know what is going on and will sign nothing until you tell me,” he told them. He did not like the half truths he sensed he was being told or the evasiveness being displayed. He would not sign until he knew the truth.

Celeborn sighed and signaled Erestor to calm down when he saw that he was agitated.

“Rhawnesta, I need you to trust me in this. I will say nothing until I have your signature for much is involved. There is too much at stake here including several lives,” he appealed to his friend.

“I sense political trouble. Please tell me Gil-galad is not involved,” he said as he wondered what he had walked into.

“I wish I could tell you that but I cannot. What I ask you to do is not treasonous, we are just trying to circumvent some people to protect others,” Celeborn told his friend.

“The others being Elrond and who?” the healer asked.

“My daughter. She had fallen under a dark influence and we are trying to save her if we can,” Celeborn said in a defeated tone.

The master healer looked hard at Celeborn before he began pacing around the room thinking. Finally he reached a decision.

“Before I sign you must know about one of my apprentices. Berenif, my senior student, didn’t exactly come here willingly. He was given a choice by Amdir of coming with me and staying here, or being left in the deep woods at the mercy of the Avari. He was caught spying for Gil-galad,” he ended.

“Oh, that is just great. What are going to do now?” Erestor asked Celeborn.

“Rhawnesta, did Amdir tell you what method of communication he used?”

Celeborn asked.

“He did for some reason. He told me that they caught him passing messages to one in the traveling companies who has since been sent back to Lindon,” Rhawnesta said as he caught on to Celeborn’s train of thought. “Once it is known that he has been discovered, they will be hesitant to use him again.”

“So this might still work,” Erestor said. “All we have to do is warn Elrond about him.”

“Rhawnesta, what I am about to tell you is known by very few,” Celeborn began as he told the healer Elrond’s history in Lindon and the situation here.

“You wish not to keep these lands?” his friend asked.

“No, they are not mine and I would have a woodland realm if I am ever given the chance. Elrond made this valley what it is and the people answer to him despite Gil-galad’s decree. I am only a figure head for now,” came the reply.

“If he runs the valley he will not have time to train. I will not take on an apprentice who will never became a healer,” he told them.

“If you agree to our plan, I will take over the actual running of the valley while Elrond studies. I will seek his input but will try not to interfere with his training. I think you should also know that he is considered the head healer here despite his lack of training. He is very advanced and you will find that you cannot follow the regular training schedule with him,” Celeborn said.

“Not following the regular schedule will cause problems with my other trainees but nothing I can’t deal with. I will have to evaluate him first anyway. Have you given any thought to what happens after he completes his training?” Rhawnesta inquired.

“It depends on how long his training will take. You should know that he still retains his place as the King’s herald and that there might be duties there that will slow down his training. He will have to keep up his warrior status also requiring regular training with them, as he is still General of the Army here,” Rhawnesta was told.

“You don’t plan on making my job any easier do you, Celeborn?” the healer laughed as he shook his head and signaled Erestor to give him the papers to sign.

“You know,” Erestor began, “you could pick up other students here. We have several who were in different stages of apprenticeships when they had to flee Ost el Osted. Then there is Glorfindel.”

“Surely you do not mean Glorfindel of Gondolin. Why would he be going through my training?” the healer asked puzzled.

“He has recently revealed to me that he was sent back to Arda Marred for the express purpose of defending someone, Elrond. As such, he will remain by Elrond’s side and it would be better if he were given limited training also. It will limit the number of questions his presence raises,” Erestor said.

“You are correct there, he has probably already received some training as he headed Gondolin’s armies, though that was years ago. A refresher course is not uncommon among higher ranking officers,” Rhawnesta agreed as he passed the papers back to Erestor. “Has Elrond had any training in herbs? I usually require my apprentices to complete minor apprentices with both the herbologist and the cooks.”

“I have heard of that before and I can tell you that he has extensive knowledge of herbs but again no training. Why with the cooks?” Celeborn asked.

“I have found that nutrition plays a part in healing also. Besides, I could not tell you the number of times I have watched my apprentices ruin perfectly good equipment because they could not heat a simple pot of water,” they were told.

Erestor laughed then reminded the healer that this apprenticeship would not be all that much of a headache.

“I would love to be there when your other students learn that the texts on herbs and such was actually written by their new student,” he told him.

“So, when do I meet my special apprentice?” Rhawnesta asked them.

“The choice is yours,” he was told. “He is presently tending the few wounded we have in our healing halls,” Celeborn told him. At the raised eyebrows, he explained further. “Some of our guard were hurt in a skirmish with orcs this afternoon. Several received deep cuts, and some burns. None of our other healers knows enough to treat the advanced injuries so Elrond does it.”

“Why did no one say you had injured that needed treatment? I should have been doing that instead of having this argument,” the master healer exclaimed in shock. “Lead me to these healing halls at once.”

“There is no need to worry; Elrond can more than handle them. We needed to talk first. If you wish to do some evaluating of you new student now, we will proceed,” Celeborn told him as he dismissed Erestor, telling him to ensure that everything was settled for the night.

Coming into the healing halls several minutes later, they watched as one of the warriors with burns was readied for Elrond while he finished stitching another’s leg. As he rose, they watched as he swayed a little. They saw as Glorfindel reached out and steadied Elrond; a gentle golden glow surrounded the area where he held him.

“He strengthens him,” was the only comment Rhawnesta made as they neared the table with the burned warrior to watch what Elrond would do. After watching Elrond evaluate the warrior, he became puzzled when he watched Elrond place his hand on top of the middle of the burn. Slowly, a white light appeared under Elrond’s hand as he closed his eyes and concentrated. As all watched, the burned area healed. When the entire area was healed, Elrond removed his hand and signaled to the other healers to continue with treating the soldier. Elrond collapsed then but was caught by Glorfindel before he hit the floor and placed onto another bed.

“I was not told that he was already a true fallanor only that he had the potential,” Rhawnesta remarked as he turned to Celeborn.

“I did not know,” came the reply. “This is the first time I have seen him do that.”

“Fallanors of this caliber are rare. It will make his training harder as I must adjust the normal schedule to allow for this. It will also make my other apprentices jealous,” came the tired remark. He walked over to access Elrond’s condition. Signally that he would be fine with rest, he took a good look at him. He smiled as he considered. “He looks like his grandmother Luthien, with a little bit of Eärendil on the side. Let him rest, I will talk with him in the morning.”

“I was going to anyway,” came Glorfindel’s reply.

“You and I will have to come to an agreement concerning him I see,” he said to Glorfindel.

“I am here to protect him and ensure his survival. As long as you do not endanger him there will be no problems,” he was told.

“You will join his instruction. I have never met a fallanor of his caliber before but others I have met have had guardians who strengthened them. You will need training in when to do this and when to make him stop. It is not always as easy to tell as you think,” Rhawnesta told him. “Are you already connected to him?”

“Yes, I am,” was the only reply Glorfindel gave.

“Bring him to me tomorrow after he has rested fully and eaten. Make sure that he has at least several hours of free time for this. I must evaluate his abilities further if I am to train him and declare him a master healer,” Rhawnesta said as he turned to leave. He nodded to Celeborn and retired to his quarters to bath and rethink his training schedule before he started his duties.

*****

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