~ Legolas sees spiders but his father is there to comfort him. Wynne feels helpless. ~

30. Tripping on Poppy

The healer covered Legolas up to his neck with a thick bear pelt. Then he dimmed one of the oil lanterns that had illuminated the room, and turned the other two off. "He needs to rest, but I'll come back and check on him regularly." He beckoned for Thranduil to come. "I want the peace treaty written and signed as soon as possible."

"I cannot leave my son." Thranduil laid a protective hand on Legolas' shoulder.

"I will stay with him," said Galion. "If he gets worse I shall fetch you immediately."

"Well. Perhaps then I might... If you promise to summon me directly. But it shall have to be a very brief withdrawal." He said the last part sternly, resuming his cold stare at the old orc.

When the orc took no notice he reluctantly followed him out.

As soon as the door closed behind them Wynne jumped to her feet and took the free place by Legolas' head. She wished she could stroke his hair like his father had done but she had no right to touch him. "How do you feel?" she asked instead.

"Great!" He smiled dreamily at her. "Pain all gone. Did you know your head shines?"

"Really?" Wynne touched her hair, which felt tangled but normal.

"Nay it does not," Galion assured her. "I think the poppy medicine is affecting him."

Legolas had resumed examining his hand. "I have never noticed before how interesting these lines are. See the magnisc... magnifschiz... the pretty pattern they form."

Wynne obediently looked, choking down her sobs. His strange behavior scared her.

"You should try to rest now," said Galion. "Shall I play something?"

"Please do," answered Wynne in his stead.

Galion took the other bed, leaning back against the white wall. He played a soothing lullaby on his flute, so sad it almost felt like a funeral hymn.

Wynne discreetly wiped away a few tears, hoping Legolas wouldn't see and be concerned.

He didn't; his fascination with his hand was still all-consuming.

Galion made a pause. "It has been a long night; you should try to sleep also. We cannot do more for him now anyway." He drew up his knees, making space for her at the foot of the bed.

"I don't know..." She looked again at Legolas' pale face and odd eyes with irises shrunk back into thin rings.

"We can take turns watching over him. I begin, and then you step in. Thranduil will come back soon too, and Nodi and Bron are probably still waiting outside. We can help him better if we are rested."

"Alright then. But promise to wake me if anything changes." She curled into a ball by his feet.

He resumed the melody and she drowsed off almost immediately, exhausted as she was.

It did not take long, however, until she woke up to the sound of Legolas crying. Wild-eyed and groggy from lack of sleep she immediately shuffled to his side, closely followed by Galion.

He was still staring at his hand but now he looked absolutely terrified by it and tears welled from his eyes. "Take it off. Please take it off!"

"What's wrong?" She tried to take his hand but he was waving it frantically.

"The spider. The spider is back. Please take it off. Please!"

"Get Thranduil and the healer," said Galion tensely. "I will stay with him."

Wynne was on her feet and running before he had finished speaking. Outside, Nodir and Bronedir sat on the floor, leaning against each other's backs and resting in that sort of half-sleep elves practiced.

She was just going to rouse them and ask where the healer had gone when she heard Thranduil's angry voice from the hall where they had first come in.

"I never said anything about talking to dwarves! I mentioned Elessar and Éomer, and that was it. I shall certainly not–" He broke off abruptly when Wynne dashed into the room, jumping to his feet in such a hurry the pile of parchment he had bent over was swept away. "What happened? Is he worse?"

"He says he sees a spider. He's so scared and I don't know what to do!"

"Oh dear, I must have been a little bit too heavy on the seed of the poppy then," said the healer calmly. "It's always hard to tell with a new patient. No worries. It will subside. I'll talk to him, you just wait here."

Thranduil didn't even reply, he was already on his way to the healer's room in tall strides with Wynne scurrying not far behind.

In the sickroom, Galion was holding down a struggling Legolas. "I had to constrain him or he would hurt himself," he said apologetically, panting with the effort.

"Legolas." Thranduil kneeled by the head of the bed and cupped his son's face between his hands. "What ails you?"

"Ada! The spider has come back," he sobbed. "Help me!"

"There is no spider. You are imagining it."

"Nay, it is right there! Do not lie to me. You must not lie to your only son."

The healer entered the room, carrying a bottle and a glass cup. "Make him drink some more water and wash the medicine out of his system." He gave Thranduil's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry, it's not dangerous, just frightening. It will pass. Just don't argue with what he thinks he sees, for it's very real to him."

Thranduil held the cup to Legolas' lips, trying to coax him to drink. "This will make you feel better."

"Will the spider go if I drink?"

"Aye, aye it will. I shall kill it. Just like I did that time when you were an elfling, if you remember?"

"Of course I do." Legolas emptied the cup and sank back on the pillow. "I wish you had killed it better so it would not come back."

"I shall slay it again and again, as many times as it takes."

"Thank you, Ada. I love you."

"And I love you. More than anything." Thranduil kissed his son's forehead. A glitter in the corner of his eye revealed a tear he couldn't hold back.

Legolas was finally starting to relax, if from the water or his father's presence Wynne didn't know. Within moments, he closed his eyes and his breath slowed.

"The treaty can wait," said the old orc, again touching Thranduil's shoulder. "Lie down on that other bed and sleep here with your son. I can see you are exhausted." He looked at Wynne and Galion. "I know you must be very tired too. Come, I shall take you to a spare room."

Wynne had much rather stayed, but with Thranduil present she felt like the third wheel. And she really was tired, drained of all energy after everything that had happened.

Outside Nodir and Bronedir waited.

"You do not have to guard here anymore," said Galion. "I am certain we have nothing to fear in this place."

"It pleases me a great deal to hear you say that." The orc beamed at him, a genuine smile that brightened his wrinkled, gray face. "I'm Goltur, by the way, but everyone here calls me Dad."

"I am Galion, and this here is Nodir and his brother Bronedir. And the lady is Wynne Örn." They all bowed eloquently and Wynne made her best curtsy.

"How do you do. How do you do." He bowed to each of them in return. "When you have rested I would like to get to know you better. And we still have that medicinal herb talk to look forward to, Galion."

"Indeed."

"I thought you were Nugu's father," said Wynne when they walked down the corridor.

"Well, in a way I guess I am. I helped raise most of the young uruk-hai, together with Nanna. But as for being his sire, no, Saruman didn't deem me superior enough for that. Thankfully," he added. He frowned almost as deep as Nugu when the evil wizard's name was mentioned. "That breeding program of his was a revolting business and I'd rather not talk about it. Oh, here we are now, this is where you sleep, and if you need the privy it's at the end of the corridor." He pointed it out.

The room looked like some sort of storage with grain sacks in one corner and shelves full of baskets, earthenware jugs and crocks. It had a dusty, floury smell, a bit like the inside of a mill.

Someone must have made it ready for them, for there was a stack of blankets and several mattresses by the door, similar to the ones in the healer's quarters.

Wynne gratefully threw herself down onto the first mattress, not even bothering to take off her boots. Almost as soon as she closed her eyes she fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

A/N:

I researched this and the previous chapter quite a bit, even reading medical reports about impaled people and how they are treated (today). The pictures on those reports I'd rather forget, ugh... o_O

I also read that the Vikings used the "smelly potion" trick, but with onion soup. Not sure whether it's true but it was too good not to use in the story haha.

And then of course I had to read up on opiates and their effects and what hallucinations can be like. I have never used any drug whatsoever and after this I don't feel any more inclined...

As usual, your comments and votes are very much appreciated! Thank you for being so supportive!

Image credits:

Uplodaded by Alípio de souza to the Public domain, source: https://www.wallpaperflare.com/optical-illusion-pattern-irritation-effect-hallucination-wallpaper-wnvgd