Brinyarin steps off the porch.
Brinyarin steps into the yard, from the house.

Aralan falls to the ground as Brinyarin arrives.
Aralan mumbles something too faint to hear.

Brinyarin goes quickly to the man, kneeling at his side ... She mutters, "What? ..." Brinyarin looks about, searching for someone to assist her. Brinyarin says, "Aralan ... Can you hear me?"

Aralan mumbles......"Troll..."

Brinyarin's hand moves over Aralan's face, and she calls to an elf who has just stepped out onto the porch to help her.

Aralan breathes painfully and blood froths at his lips. He obviously has several broken ribs.

Brinyarin says, "Please, I request your help! We must move this man to the infirmary!"

Aralan opens his eyes and tries to smile as he sees Brinyarin's face.

Brinyarin waits as the elf comes over to assist her. "We are going to move you to a bed in the infirmary, right away! "

Aralan whispers to Brinyarin, "I'm afraid.....it hurts..."

Brinyarin asks softly. "Can you stand?"

Aralan tries to rise, but falls back breathing painfully and coughing.

Brinyarin whispers to Aralan, "We must move you ... So that I can give you something to dull the pain ..." Brinyarin says, "Calondriel will help ... but we must move you ... at once"

Two more elves come out onto the porch and run to help move the injured Dunedain. Brinyarin takes one shoulder, and lifting as gently as possible, she and Calondriel lift Aralan.

Aralan comes onto the porch from the yard.  The porch runs the whole breadth of the house and is a good 20 feet wide. The roof is supported by large white columns that may be marble, and the floor of the porch seems to be large slabs of marble also. The walls of the house itself seem to be more ordinary granite. Guardrails about three feet high run between the columns, except where a broad stair leads down to the front yard. There are a few chairs and benches scattered about, though they have no cushions. The light from the hearth in the Hall of Fire plays on the windows from within, and is even reflected through the open front door. The great double doors remain open in all but the worst weather. Many echos of conversations and even songs in the fair voices of Elves come through them.

Brinyarin says, "To the infirmary ... Quickly!"  Brinyarin walks through the large door and enters the house.  Aralan walks through the large door and enter the house.

The Entry Hall is quite broad, and broadens out further to the east into a great open space. A stairway going up can be seen in that direction. The great doors lie propped against the inner walls here, and there are many carvings and decorations on both these and the walls themselves. Lanterns glowing with a steady light hang near the ceiling, but they don't seem to produce any smoke. There are many other things hanging on the walls, including tapestries depicting ancient heros and ancient but functional weapons. Two large doorways lead into great halls here. One to the north and one to the south.

Brinyarin says, "To the infirmary ... Quickly!"

This hall runs the width of the house, north to south, and is about 30 feet wide. The ceiling is some fifteen feet overhead. A grand staircase runs up to a landing on the east side of the hall, then divides into two lesser stairs running up north and south to the second floor. A large and elaborate oil painting of a city on a hill in the midst of a green plain ringed with mountains covers most of the north wall. A picture window occupies most of the south wall, showing part of the gardens and the opposite side of the valley some distance away over the wall. Open doorways leading further into the house are under the stairs to the northeast and southeast.

Brinyarin comes down the hall from the west.
Aralan walks down the hall toward the southern end.

This hallway runs almost the entire length of the building. There are many doors on the outside wall, and a few at the western end of the inside wall. These are rooms of habitants of the house. The hallway turns to the north at the eastern most end. A lush silver-grey carpet runs down the center of the hall and cushions footsteps.

Brinyarin steps into the Main Offices of the Healer's Guild.
Aralan steps into the Main Offices of the Healer's Guild.

This room is dominated by a large oak desk, facing the main door. Behind it is a large, comfortable looking chair. Leaning against one wall is a large cabinet containing many labeled jars. There are also a few scrolls, and even a book or two. On the southern wall, there is a window which allows the fresh sunlight in to fill up the room, as well as the sweet scent of the herb garden. The western wall bears a beatiful tapestry of two trees. There are also two comfortable looking sofas, one on each side of the room. The office is permanently kept lit by the brass oil lamp, which burns brightly atop the desk.

Harchdolas turns to Aralan and nods a greeting. Brinyarin quietly slips into the infirmary.  Aralan quietly slips into the infirmary.

This room contains many bunks, placed around in an orderly fashion. Each bunk has thick blankets and pillows upon it. Some of the bunks are occupied, mainly with victoms of accidents, although most of them are empty. The southern wall is composed mostly of windows, which are blanketed by heavy curtains that let through some light. On another wall is a large cabinet, containing many jars, flasks, and other containers, as well as bandages, splints, and other first-aid equipment. Beside the cabinet, a small hearth burns intensely. There is always a young healer or apprentice here, passing from bunk to bunk and verifying that everything is in its place.

Brinyarin and the other elves carry Aralan to a bed, where they lay him down. Brinyarin immediately goes to the cabinet, and retrieves a bottle of a clear liquid.

Brinyarin calls out to the other elves, who stand about not knowing what to do. "Clean water! And bandages!"

The elves go out of the room, soon returning with what she requested. In the meantime, Brinyarin has been mixing the contents of several bottles into a small cup. Brinyarin goes to Aralan's side with the cup, and bends over him. She asks quietly, "Aralan? Can you drink some of this? It will help your pain ... and cause sleep ..."

Aralan says, "You must get word....(cough)...to Aragorn.....that I am here. Is he...here?"

Brinyarin nods. "I believe he is ... I shall send for him." She nods to one of the healing apprentices and he goes out of the room, in search of Aragorn."

Aralan pushes the cup away feebly. "There is no time...(cough)...for sleep.

Brinyarin says, in an authoritative tone. "You MUST drink it."

Aralan says, "My lady....the last of my strength....it took all I had to get here."

Brinyarin says, "It will not only reduce pain, it will encourage healing, and cleanse your blood."

Aralan coughs several times. You say, "There are things...I must say...before it is...too late."

Brinyarin says, "I know, and it is evident ... You must give your body some rest before we can even begin to mend your wounds. I will attend to them while you sleep"

Aralan says, "I dare not sleep....will you listen first?"  Aralan looks into your eyes beseechingly and tries to smile.

Brinyarin motions for a young healer to come over. "Begin to dress his wounds, the ones that only require stitching or less." She adds to another, "Please, act as scribe and write down everything he says."

Aralan says, "There is no mending me...I know that."

Brinyarin nods. "Aye, I shall. Yet drink just a little, it's effects are slow."

Aralan coughs.  Aralan tries to take a drink and manages to swallow a small amount.  The first healer begins to clean the larger wounds, stitching them carefully. The second sits by the bedside and begins to write. Aralan says, "There is a child....Galenyn...a Dunadan child.  She is in the care of a Dunedain family...But I have promised to watch over her."

Brinyarin nods ...

Aralan says, "She is a very special child...the daughter I could never have..."

Brinyarin adjusts the pillow beneath your head slightly, straightening your neck.

Aralan says, "And she is the same to an elf at Amon Thranduil..."

Elladan comes in from the Main Offices.  Elladan knocks quietly at the door frame. Brinyarin is sitting at the bedside of Aralan, with one healer attending to his wounds, and another writing something on the other side of the bed.  He is badly injured. Brinyarin does not seem to hear the knock, as she is attentively trying to make out the rattling words of her patient.

Aralan says, "Melyanna of Eryn Galen knows the child and loves her as her own. I promised her I would...watch over the child.  She must be told of my fate."

Elladan steps forward to listen, hearing the name. Elladan glances at Aralan.

Aralan says, "And someone must be found to watch over her for me.  A Dunadan."

Brinyarin speaks softly. "Where is the child now, and what are the names of those who watch over her?"

Aralan says, "Ask for Naurgil... He is an old man... He and his wife care for her."  Aralan coughs several times bringing up blood.

Brinyarin nods ... "And where can I find them?  Are they here in the valley?"

Elladan listens for a moment and then whispers softly, "I will take on this task, my friend. It is Elladan."

Aralan says, "In...the camp."

Brinyarin nods. "It shall be done, you have my word ..." Brinyarin's eyes are sad, full of concern. She holds the cup to Aralan's lips again, beseeching him to drink a bit more of the liquid it contains.

Aralan says, "I know it is strange...for an elf to be so attached to a human child, but when her parents were killed in the raid on the village....Melyanna cared for her as her own....she loves the child."

Elladan steps quietly over and kneels down next to the cot, looking at Aralan for a moment. Then, he looks up at Brinyarin, "I will go, if you wish Brinyarin...I know Aralan..."

Aralan says, "She must be told."

Aralan glances up at Elladan. "You must tell Aragorn of my fate...my Lord, please."

Brinyarin nods. "It will be done." She turns to Elladan again. "I am afraid there is no need for you to leave right now, mellon. Please, help me comfort your friend"

Aralan says, "I was looking for troll sign...in the trollshaws...just to make sure they had all fled."

Elladan lays a hand on Aralan's and listens, "Go on, Mellon..."

Aralan says, "...fell in the river...had to drop my armor to swim...lost my weapons..." Aralan coughs several more times.

Brinyarin smooths Aralan's forehead with a cool cloth soaked in water.

Aralan says, "As I was drying out before a small fire I was attacked..."

The elven apprentice continues administering aid to Aralan's wounds.

Aralan says, "A troll...huge..ugly..."

Brinyarin whispers, "How many ..."

Aralan says, "It caught me unawares...I tried to get away...but it hit me with its hammer in the arm...broke it.  I fell..."

Brinyarin glances down at the bone protruding from Aralan's broken arm, which the apprentice has begun to work on.

"As I got up....As I got up...." Aralan coughs.  "It caught me with a blow to the ribs... I fell into the water and was swept away...I do not know how I got here."

Brinyarin says, "You have been several days ... judging by your injuries."

Aralan says, "I remember only moving my feet for a long time."

Brinyarin speaks in a whisper to the apprentice. "Arfandas for the bone ... On the second shelf."

Aralan closes his eyes and stuggles for breath.

The apprentice rises and retrieves a jar of poultice from the cabinet, and returns, applying it to the wound around the broken bone.

Elladan nods and physically winces when Aralan coughs. His face shows his sadness, he leans forward and kisses Aralan on the forehead, muttering something...then wiping back a tear. He looks to Brinyarin for help...

Aralan's eyes flutter open. "I fear your work is wasted, my lady."

Brinyarin says, "No work is wasted. I will do what I can to aid you, mellon."" Brinyarin's eyes go to Elladan, and they reveal extreme sadness, but determination. Brinyarin holds the cup to Aralan's lips, not offering him a choice any longer whether to drink a sip of the liquid.

Aralan says, "The pain has gone, my lady....."  Aralan sips at the liquid and coughs bringing up more bright red blood.

Elladan looks back at his friend, "Mellon..."

Aralan says, "Darkness gathers, I am afraid....."

Brinyarin closes her eyes, bending her neck over Aralan's battered form. Brinyarin begins so sing, softly, a song that comforts, and soothes.

Aralan closes his eyes and whispers a name....."Bronwe..." [Bronwe is Aralan's long dead wife.]

Brinyarin takes the cup away, setting it on the bedside table. She touches the apprentice's shoulder, and motions for him to move away. He takes his tools and goes out of the infirmary.

Aralan whispers, "I come... to you...my love."

Elladan closes his eyes, "May you find her on your path home, Aralan...."

Aralan struggles for another breath.

Brinyarin smoothes Aralan's forehead gently again, whispering. "Go softly, mellon."

Aralan draws a last breath...and as he exhales his body goes limp.

Brinyarin is holding his hand, gently but firmly, with her other hand. A Tear escapes her eye, and follows a wet trail down her cheek, falling on Aralan's hand.

Aralan is still...as only the dead can be.

Brinyarin allows her eyes to flutter closed, and she remains bent over Aralans body for several minutes. Tears continue to flow down her cheeks.  The room is silent.

Elladan looks at the body, as tears begin to fall down his cheeks. He looks at the ground, then at the hand in his. He places the hand he held onto Aralan's chest and stands up, he walks over to Brinyarin's side and wraps his arms around her...letting his quiet tears falls with hers.

Brinyarin does not release Aralan's hand, and does not move from her vigilant position over Aralan's body. Her body begins to shake. Brinyarin whispers, barely audibly, "Bronwe ... I knew her as well. I called her friend. May he be with her now ... " Her voice trails off into soft sobs.

Elladan holds Brinyarin tighter and says quietly, "Brinyarin..." Brinyarin leans back a bit, and opens her eyes slowly, wiping at her tears with her hand.

[The End of Aralan]

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