ɪʀᴏɴᴡᴏᴏᴅ ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ ᴇsʜᴀɪ (
ironwood) wrote in
tushanshu_logs2012-08-05 07:44 am
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Entry tags:
there and back again, a hobbit's tale | closed
Characters: The Ironwood Emperor and Frodo Baggins.
Location: The Palace of Landed Sky.
Situation: Frodo's been injured by a Morgul blade, it's time for an Emperortervention.
Warnings/Rating: None yet. Will add if that changes.
Evandau had first been the one to bring her news of the little creature, the 'hobbit' come lately to her city. Apparently, this Frodo Baggins had sustained some sort of injury that bore looking after.
Eshai was no healer, but that didn't mean she couldn't heal. She simply misliked doing so. It did not suit her nature, which was tied more to the crossed swords that hung over her white marble throne. Still, she would attend to this 'Frodo' and see where it took her. She's learned never to eschew new possibilities.
Rather than meet him in her throneroom, she opted to use one of the little closed gardens of the palace. They were gilt cages – almost literally – an enclosed trellis with creeping ivy that blocked out all but the most stubborn of sunbeams. The result was a small, intimate space that smelled of fragrant spices and flowers, and at its centre there was a small, shallow pool cut directly into the turtle's shell. Eshai was standing beside it, the picture of serenity, and she would continue to do so until her guards brought Frodo to her directly.
The pageantry of leadership. It was all a matter of presentation.
Location: The Palace of Landed Sky.
Situation: Frodo's been injured by a Morgul blade, it's time for an Emperortervention.
Warnings/Rating: None yet. Will add if that changes.
Evandau had first been the one to bring her news of the little creature, the 'hobbit' come lately to her city. Apparently, this Frodo Baggins had sustained some sort of injury that bore looking after.
Eshai was no healer, but that didn't mean she couldn't heal. She simply misliked doing so. It did not suit her nature, which was tied more to the crossed swords that hung over her white marble throne. Still, she would attend to this 'Frodo' and see where it took her. She's learned never to eschew new possibilities.
Rather than meet him in her throneroom, she opted to use one of the little closed gardens of the palace. They were gilt cages – almost literally – an enclosed trellis with creeping ivy that blocked out all but the most stubborn of sunbeams. The result was a small, intimate space that smelled of fragrant spices and flowers, and at its centre there was a small, shallow pool cut directly into the turtle's shell. Eshai was standing beside it, the picture of serenity, and she would continue to do so until her guards brought Frodo to her directly.
The pageantry of leadership. It was all a matter of presentation.
no subject
He said nothing of the matter to Sam. He didn't want to worry him; not when he had enough to worry about as it was.
Sam was out when the White Guard came for Frodo. They were dreadfully cryptic. They were also equally insistent that he come with. For a frantic moment, he wondered if they had come for the Ring, but dismissed it soon after. They didn't make any sign that they knew about It. Whoever the Emperor was sounded like he was interested in him instead. This fact comforted him little, yet some side of Frodo was curious enough to go without too much fuss. Who could have rule over these strange people?
The going was slow, almost as painfully so the way to Rivendell. Frodo focused on taking one step, then another. After what felt like too long as it was, they finally stopped. The hobbit lifted his head to look around. He found, to his surprise, that he had not been led to a massive throne room, but a garden of sorts, small and fragrant. What was even more surprising was the Emperor was a woman. The woman could be no other. She was tall like the Big Folk, beautiful but in a way he had not seen from either Men or Elves. There was something severe about it, like steel or winter frost.
There was no doubt in his mind that she was royalty. Frodo bowed as best as he could. "You asked for me, my Lady?"
no subject
"Yes. Tell me about your wound."
No introductions. She knew his name, and if he wasn't informed as to hers she had no care to rectify the situation. This was not a true audience, and if she wanted to eschew tradition she would do so in her own space.
no subject
He had never set eyes on her before, but somehow - the guards around the city, maybe- she had gotten wind of it. It occurred to Frodo for one moment to avoid the truth, for the wound itself and how it came about was too closely tied to the Ring. One question had a way of leading to another, and another. Taking one look into her eyes, the possibility dwindled. He would have as much success doing so as he would Gandalf. In fact, it might make things more complicated. He would remain as cautious as he could, but
So Frodo did the next best thing, which was to stick to the bare facts. "It wasn't a normal blade. The wound bled little but a chill steadily spreads from it. "
no subject
"Show me."
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Some things stood out like crystal despite the years. You learned to stay out of her way. Frodo rather thought the Emperor had the same purse of the lips, but something softened her face soon after.
He silently obliged her, unbuttoning his shirt at the neck, and once he had room, peeled it back to reveal the wound.
no subject
She doubted she could fix it completely. It felt... there was some sort of magic hanging about it, and her grasp of the subject had never been infallible.
"How long ago did it happen?"
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A flash of pain streaked down his arm and through his chest when she poked round the wound. The hobbit's face looked strained. "It may have been two weeks or so, but it has been hard to keep track of time."
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"Sit in it. Take your clothing off if you would be more comfortable, though it isn't necessary. It's called a Sessanset Vaieh. Living water. It will ease your discomfort, and pull the poison from the wound. It won't be pretty, but it will work."
In the meantime, she had some business to attend to in another part of the Palace. "I must be elsewhere for a time. If you try to explore this place beyond the means given to you, my guards are instructed to bring you to me. I will not be as pleasant, then."
no subject
The alternative was much worse.
"Thank you, my lady," Frodo said, eyes still on the pool. He had to wonder what she meant, for he didn't find her particularly pleasant at the moment, but some things were best not tested. "Before you leave; What do you mean by 'living water'?"
no subject
"Water is a form of energy. It sustains the lives of other things. Plants, trees, people. It nurtures and is kind, but it can also bring destruction and foster cruelty. Certain pools, like this one, are many hundreds of years old. Water that changes constantly does not have time to grow or learn. The older a body of water is, the more it has seen. This little pool has seen much. It is not alive as you and I are, but it does live, and is bestowed with certain properties besides. Does that sate your curiosity?"
no subject
"It only makes me even more curious," Frodo had to admit. "But I would hold you for hours on end asking everything there was to know about the pool and its history, if given the opportunity. Thank you."
no subject
no subject
"I should like that. I will have to take you up on the offer as soon as I can."
no subject
Still. She wasn't gone for long. An hour, perhaps, had passed by the time she returned. In that time she'd changed into simpler clothing, stark black. She had several books in her arms, and she set them down on a small raised table.
"How do you feel?"
no subject
He glanced down at the damp wound. His flesh remained pale, though it looked more like the pale of a hobbit who spent more time in a study, rather than that of something dying. Color was slowly returning to him.
"Better, thank you," Frodo said after a moment, doing up another button. "I think I can feel my fingers at times again."
no subject
"There should be continued improvement over the next day. I would prefer that you remain in the palace for observation, though I leave the choice to you."
no subject
She still wanted to check his progress, but Frodo knew he ought to get back soon. He would rather rest in the comfort of the suite set aside from him. This glade was peaceful enough, but it didn't feel entirely comfortable to the hobbit. His clothes settled, Frodo rose.
"Thank you for the hospitality, but I would like to get back. I wouldn't want for Sam to worry." Frodo said, somewhat guiltily. The last time he had spoken with Sam, it hadn't gone well. He should see now about what he could do to repair the damage he had done.