Title: An Unusual Remedy
Author: Tuxedo Elf
Rating: G
Summary: Written for the `50 Passages' challenge. Prompt 13: The
dark water boiled, and there was a hideous stench. I claimed Rúmil, of course!

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"How could this have happened?" To Rúmil, it was beyond
comprehension. Haldir was the oldest, the leader. To see him lying
there, pale and still, with the ugly gash in his side, shocked Rúmil
to his core.

"One mistimed move can have far-reaching effects," Elrond said
gravely. "You are lucky... not a century ago we did not know the
cure for this particular poison."

"Yet now you do?" Rúmil's voice was desperately hopeful.

"Aye," Elrond replied, "we do. My sons should be back shortly with
what we need."

Rúmil waited anxiously by Haldir's side, holding his hand gently.
The bleeding at least had stopped – it had terrified Rúmil to see
the life-blood flowing from his brother like a river.

What a fateful trip it had been… it seemed that their passage to
Imladris had been blocked every step of the way. Rúmil was very glad
that Orophin was still too young to come along.

They had almost been within the Imladris borders when the orcs
attacked. Though they had killed many, they had been badly
outnumbered and Haldir had taken a blow to his side.

The poison had kicked in instantly and Haldir had nearly fallen off
his horse. Luckily Rúmil had caught him and brought him to the
safety of Imladris, but by then he was very ill.

Elrond had taken one look at him and sent his sons out to retrieve
what he needed. That had been some thirty minutes ago and Rúmil
hoped that they would not be much longer.

No sooner had he thought it, than he heard the sound of footsteps
running along the hall. A moment later Elladan and Elrohir rushed
in, Elrohir holding a jar of nasty-looking liquid in his hands.

"Here, Adar," Elrohir said, handing his father the jar.

Elrond took it quickly and put it in a pot over the fire. Before too
long the dark water boiled and there was a hideous stench.

"Ai, what is that?!" Rúmil cried, putting his hand over his mouth
and nose. "It is foul!"

"It is water from a swamp just outside Imladris," Elrond responded,
seemingly untroubled by the smell. "We discovered its healing
properties quite by accident, when a wounded Elf fell into it."

Rúmil wrinkled his nose and took a step back, though he still held
his brother's hand. "It smells evil."

"Be that as it may, it does much good," Elrohir replied with a
smile. "Just watch."

Removing the vile liquid from the fire, Elrond let it cool for a
moment, before moving over to Haldir. Carefully he removed the
bandages that covered the wound and poured the water over it.

The shriek that came from Haldir's mouth almost burst Rúmil's
eardrums and he jumped back reflexively, letting Haldir's hand fall
from his. Yet as the steam and smell began to clear, Rúmil saw that
the wound was now clean, the dark green-brown colour of the poison
completely washed away.

"That is incredible!" he gasped, as Elrond swiftly stitched the gash
up.

"Aye, we were just as shocked the first time we witnessed it!"
Elrond agreed. "But he will be all right now."

Suddenly, Haldir sat up, looking at them with glazed eyes and
clearly not conscious.

"What's that smell?" he demanded blearily. "Who let a mortal into
the Wood?" Almost before the words left his mouth his eyes closed,
he fell back down onto the bed and began snoring loudly.

Seeing the shocked looks on the faces of Elrond and his sons, Rúmil
began to laugh, the tension gone.

"Actually, my Lord, he seems to be back to normal already!"

THE END