b2mem | I18 and O72: Aftermath (Reply)

B2MeM Challenge: Healer and Captain on 'Aspects of Aragorn'
Format: Ficlet (well 400 words so quadruple drabble I suppose)
Genre: General
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Aragorn, Halbarad + a couple fo OCs
Pairings: None
Summary: The aftermath of a Battle in Eriador
Authors Notes: Ok this didn't take as long to complete as I thought it would - or to be more honest I stopped getting stupid numbers of emails. The 2 OC names are filched from player character names of friends of mine in the Lord of the Rings Online. Not truly correct Northern Dúnedain names but they will work as my mind refused to come up with better ones.

****
After the fierce battle against the orcs who had come down from the Misty Mountains, Aragorn was almost reeling from on his feet. However his skills as a healer were needed now rather than those of a captain. He drew a deep breath and moved to the side of the most seriously injured of the rangers – for now he would have to leave Halbarad to look after the dead. He knelt beside the rough pallet on which lay Thoronthor, pale with the pain of the cut across his belly.

One of the new recruits came hurrying up to him with a rough wooden bowl filled with steaming water.

“Halbarad said you may need this Captain” he said in an almost whisper.

Once again Aragorn blessed the insight of his kinsman who even while he dealt with the grisly task of dealing with dead still had the time to think of his cousin’s need for hot water. From within his pack he withdrew a dried leave of athelas, breathed on it and then crumbled it into the water. He placed the bowl by Thoronthor’s head to let him breath from the steam, as he turned to the cut in his belly.

*****

It was late when Aragorn had finished seeing to all the wounded rangers, but at least they would all survive provided none of the wounds turned septic. If he had been reeling earlier from exhaustion he was truly beyond it now. However he needed to see to his other duties as captain. So with an unseen sigh he made his way to the first campfire where Arathandir, Thoronthor’s closest friend sat. At a quiet word from his captain he looked up almost pleadingly.

“Thoronthor will live I hope, but he will be long in healing. I will need to send him and some of the others back to the Angle to rest. Will you command a small escort to see them there safely. I wish we could all go but we must see that none of these roaming orcs remain.”

“I will Captain and thank you for not giving up on Thoronthor.”

“I would never give up on anyone I could help.”

“Not even when it drives you to exhaustion Aragorn” came the comment out the darkness.

“I am the Captain of the Rangers Halbarad, and I must use my skills as a healer for the benefit of all.”