Rescue
The screaming startled you awake. It was some distance away, yet loud enough to carry right to your ear. "Halbrand?!" Your love was not beside you and the air left your lungs.
"I'm here." To your immense relief he was not the being causing the suffering this time. You sat up a little too quick, your head spinning, and you could just make out his figure, dressing frantically. It was still night time, yet the moon's light was low in the sky, your love reduced to a silhouette while your eyes adjusted to the lack of luminosity. Standing next to your horse wearing only his trousers, he pulled one of your other dresses from your bag, urging to you to quickly put it on. It was the simplest of the three you had stuffed into your sack during your last moments in Eregion, and the most practical. A dark plum coloured gown, form fitting but not too tight, with golden embroidery, similar to your favourite crimson piece, that ran intricately down both sleeves, ending at the border of the holes that hooked over your thumbs. With the skirt of the dress stopping just above your ankles, it was flexible enough for you in case you needed to run, and running seemed like something you were about to do.
More screams rang through the night as you both gathered your things in a hurry, hoping that you would reach the scene before it was too late. Freeing your horse and climbing on, you were soon away, galloping as fast as you could go. "C'mon, my boy, there are people that need us." Halbrand encouraged your steed, sensing that his energy was almost completely depleted. You couldn't help but smile for a moment, as the realisation hit you: without thought, without question, without hesitation, Halbrand chose to act, chose to save whoever is being attacked. A very promising sign that you held onto as you charged into the fight.
Looking over your love's shoulder, you could see torch light ahead, waving from side to side, the screams growing in volume. Drawing closer after only a minute or so, you witnessed quite the sight. One lone man stood defending a small group of others, comprised of men, women, and children, as three orcs struck repeatedly against him, their torches and weapons clashing with the mans shield. He was not to last much longer.
"Give me your dagger." commanded Halbrand. Unsheathing it from your belt, you quickly passed it to him. He charged your horse through the skirmish, knocking down two orcs and slicing the throat of the third. Bringing the steed back around and to a halt, you both swiftly jumped off. Halbrand made for the orcs, and you made for the people, calling for them to back away. They ran in the direction of a horse and wagon over on the road maybe thirty feet away, their means of travel it seems before the orcs had struck them. "Thank you!" cried out the man with the shield as he took off. You only nodded at him before turning back to witness your king in action.
Halbrand had one foot on an orcs throat, pressing down and twisting into it, stifling the squeals of the vile creature. The other one he had knocked down attempted to rush him, but your love caught his arm before the sword could strike. Pressing down completely on the orcs neck, you heard an unnerving crack as he snuffed the creature out. Then, without any effort it seemed, he stuck the dagger into the other orcs belly, then taking the sword from it, swiftly removed its head. Throwing the lifeless creature down, he moved toward the orc who’s neck he had originally slit. It was still moving, crawling pitifully on the ground, struggling to reach for its sword. Using his newly acquired weapon, Halbrand ended the final orcs life with a single strike to its back, black blood spraying on the grass, shining in the light of the torches that were now upon the ground.
This was when you registered Halbrand was not wearing your favourite blue grey outfit. He was dressed in black trousers and a charcoal coloured tunic, its collar framing the torc perfectly, the fabric now glistening with the blood of the orcs he had slain. He hadn't noticed you staring at him yet, his eyes fixed on the dead creature before him as he pulled out the sword from its back. Your mouth was slightly agape at the sight of him, for you were feeling yourself being overcome by wanton thirst. His eyes darted at you then, looking across at you from underneath his brows. Your pulse began to quicken, for you were excited, but also afraid that the image before you might trigger something you were begging not to come to the surface.
Halbrand slowly walked over to you then, his face softening as he did so. "Are you alright, my love?" he asked with concern, passing you your dagger back. You gulped and nodded, not wanting to confess how close to temptation you had just come. "We should check on the people." you stated, wanting to avoid a conversation, yet also worried about the strangers you had saved. Walking briskly over to the wagon, you inspected each of them, thankfully finding no major injuries. The man with the shield had some cuts and burns to his arms and face for his troubles, and luckily for him you still had plenty of athelas left over from your treatment of Halbrand's wounds. Those had thankfully healed fully after only a few days, yet he would bare the scars of his skewering for the remainder of his life.
"What are you called?" your love asked the man.
"Garion, good sir. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." he responded, and the two men clasped arms in greeting. "And your name?"
Halbrand shot you a quick glance, unsure how to proceed. The last time he had announced himself to a group of strangers, it had backfired most tragically. Moving his eyes back to his new friend, he simply said, "Call me, Hal." and smiled politely at him. It was then you realised you'd been holding your breath this entire exchange. Sighing with a grin, you let 'Hal' introduce you to Garion, also finding an abbreviated version of your name. Deceiving without deceiving.
You ran quickly to your horse, bringing him nearer to the wagon, and fetching the athelas from your bag, you raised your dagger to chop up small portions of it. However it was still stained in orcs blood, which your curiosity forced you to sniff. Scrunching up your nose at the stench of it, you quickly wiped the blade clean on the grass below. The rotten odour lingered in your nostrils for some time. You could hear Halbrand chuckling at you from nearby, unaware that he had been watching you.
"Are you a healer, my lady?" asked Garion as he rolled up his sleeves for you to apply the herb. You simply smiled at him and said, pride in your voice, "My mother was." Halbrand caught your eye as you spoke, the look of love on his face unmistakable. Garion winced slightly as you rubbed in the athelas, but he was grateful for it all the same. "Never thought I'd fight an orc, let alone live to tell the tale of it. Why do you think they attacked us?"
"Evil doesn't discriminate. They were either scouts sent by their leader, or they were simply looking for fresh meat." Halbrand speculated.
"Probably both." you chimed in, and your love nodded gravely.
"I have no doubt Adar survived the eruption of the mountain. It seems only natural that he would wish to expand his borders, spreading the shadow... why were you on this path, Garion? It does not seem wise."
The man thought carefully for a moment, a forlorn expression on his face. "We lived in a small village... thought we were far enough from the mountain but... then the darkness spread... we are the ones who decided to leave, and I care not to think on what might have happened to those stubborn souls that stayed behind..." The poor man's voice began to break, and a woman wandered over to him from the side of the wagon, placing her hand on Garion's shoulder in comfort. "We... we thought it best to make south, to Pelargir, and pray it would be far enough from..." His voice trailed off, not wishing to finish his thought.
"We are headed there also." you announced, hoping to reassure him in case any more orcs were to come upon the path.
"Please join us, it's the least we can do to thank you both." offered Garion.
Halbrand seemed hesitant. You could sense his apprehension around being so close to these people, and likely for a few more days. A flicker of fear shone in his eyes for a moment, his eyes darting to the innocent faces of the few children amongst the party. Was the risk perhaps too great?
"You didn't have to intervene, and frankly, I wouldn't have blamed you if you hadn't," Garion continued, ignoring your love's unresponsiveness. "We have food and drink that we'd be happy to share. Please, I insist." The people had gathered around, nodding enthusiastically at Garion's words, one of the young boys even smiling eagerly.
You took hold of Halbrand's hand, giving it a caring squeeze hoping to quell his worry. "Our boy does need the rest, my love." you said, motioning to your horse. You paused a moment, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "It'll be alright. I've got you." Using his words against him once more, you felt Halbrand squeeze your hand, rubbing his thumb gently over your skin, letting you know he would be okay.
"Garion, it would be our honour." spoke Halbrand finally, smiling at his new friend, who practically cheered upon his invitation being accepted. The man was friendly to a fault, there was no hubris or pride in him as his rugged exterior would suggest, only a warm and kind heart lay within, which was clear in his eyes as he smiled. As you were applying the athelas to his forehead, he introduced you and 'Hal' to his wife, Olwenna, the woman stood at his side. She had beautifully long auburn hair that fell down to her navel, and gorgeous green eyes. Garion was a lucky man.
The sun had begun to rise, bathing your surroundings in soft orange light. "We should get moving," suggested Halbrand, "If there are indeed more orcs, they will not strike whilst there's sun on our backs."
Garion nodded, "Aye. Padrig, make sure the horse is ready to continue on. I'll need to you to hold the reigns for a bit so I can rest."
The young boy Garion spoke to could not have been older than fifteen years. His dark eyes seemed a bit lost, but he obeyed the order regardless. "My nephew. He chose to come with us. Left behind my sister... and his sister." Garion explained, his heart heavy.
"I am sorry." The apology was all you could manage, feeling the weight of your father's mistakes on your spirit. These people were suffering because of him, because of Waldreg, because of the darkness inside you and your love. You suddenly felt unworthy of these people's hospitality. While the last strangers you had come into contact with had acted with animosity, that at least was more aligned with what you deserved.
You quickly readied yourself for travel, avoiding Halbrand's gaze, trying to hide the tears that were starting to form. Wishing to spare him of your ills for once, and to be alone with your thoughts for the first time in many days, you mounted your horse. You saw your love approach but could not look at him. "Don't you want to ride in the wagon? Get some rest perhaps?" he asked, looking up at you. You continued to stare straight ahead. Halbrand then let your name enter the air, and this caused you to close your eyes a moment, before finally returning his gaze, answering him. "You go ahead. I... I'm just gonna keep our boy company, walk behind you all."
"My love," he began, placing his hand on your thigh, your tears spilling over softly at his touch. "You did not cause their suffering." He saw straight through you, right to the aching of your heart.
"Halbrand... please." And you couldn't believe you were about to say this. "Just leave me be."
He held your gaze intently for a moment longer, saddened he could not help you, then he removed his hand from you, walking back towards the wagon, which was slowly starting to pull away. You watched every step Halbrand took, watched him climb aboard his new transport, watched him look back at you, with nothing but love and concern on his handsome face. Thankfully he was soon distracted by the children seated opposite him, who after a few moments were ogling him with fascination, hanging on his every word. At one point they laughed, and Halbrand's face lit up in such a way, you couldn't help but smile through your pain. Not only had he saved the lives of these children, but now he was bringing them joy. A small start upon the long road of redemption you were both headed down.