Impurities

Chapter Nine: Unnecessary

Home was far away for the man that laid helplessly on the ground---the closest human village was nowhere near Mirkwood. "Is it as bad as it feels?" he asked Annawrete of the large gash in his side that was deeper than the other wounds that covered his body. Behind Annawrete's look of concern, there was also confusion as she stared at him. The man saw her perplexity in understanding him and he closed his eyes with a defeating sigh, "You only understand Elvish...". World known was the believe that Mirkwood Elves were more dangerous and less wise, so he figured now that he would surely die. "Ahead ran the other elves, why did the elf that can't speak Mannish find me...", he groaned to the heavens before opening his eyes to look up at Annawrete again. And at that moment Annawrete pushed her hair behind one of her ears as she prepared to examine his wounds, it was made known that she was no elf but a human just like him. There was immediate shock in the young man's expression and it frightened Annawrete into standing back up before she could even lay a finger on him.

"Are these not wounds made by sword?" Thranduil questioned the healer. Many cuts on the man still needed cleaning and medication, but the major wound in his side had been taken care of and he was going to live. "Paths point to it that they are of sword, but he claims that he was attacked by a beast", the nurse answered. To have advantage over the stranger, Thranduil had stated that everyone keep to Elvish unless they needed to address the man. "Tread the forests for the beast. Though I do not believe it exists, it would be foolish not to conduct a thorough search", Thranduil instructed to the guards that had helped bring the man from the woods and those curious to that arrived after. Through obedience they fled the room until all who remained apart from the man, the Elvin king, and the nurse were Legolas and Tauriel. 

Shadow stretched into the room signifying that it was reaching about noon. To continue spinning stories was unnecessary, but the young man told lies out of old habit. "The parts of your story are not adding up. Where did you say you are from?" Thranduil sensed falsehood in him. "Edge of Phildel. Small town, very small town east of Rohan", he answered. Of all regions he could have lied about, he picked one that Legolas knew well of. "Night or two I have spent in Rohan, no place called Phildel exists", the elf prince exposed. "Until you tell us the truth of who you are, why you were in our forests, and how you truly received your wounds, I can not risk allowing you to go freely!" Thranduil thundered. The man looked from each of the elves, before setting his eyes on Annawrete who had just appeared peeking at the doorway, "I have yet to recover, I can not set off so soon anyway". Stars sparked in his eyes as he looked at her. "Are there more humans in our forests?", Thranduil asked when he found that his eyes had come to rest on Annawrete. "All of your wounds are of sword. Someone was trying to get rid of you", The Elvin king made the connection, "Do not give me reason to finish the work they had started". 

Alight were the expressions now in the room, it had not occurred to them that there could be more people in their forests. "Mist no longer hovers like yesterday when it would have been easy to hide. If there are more men they will be found", Tauriel spoke up. "And imprisoned for trespassing", Thranduil extended on her words. "Shadow hides spiders and orcs in the forests nearby, but you are concerned about finding men?" the young man sprang to sit up irritably. "Cloud upon cloud of selfish ambitions fill the minds of men, your people can be just as dangerous to me as the orcs and spiders", Thranduil proved a point. "And yet you have allowed a women to live among you", the young man countered before soon laying back down feeling the pain of exhorting himself. Shade was thrown over the king by the statement and for a moment Thranduil did not know what to say. "All those living in Mirkwood are natural born citizens of this kingdom", Thranduil justified the reason Annawrete had been permitted among them. "Shall I inject him with a sleeping potion?" the nurse asked in Elvish sensing the king's frustration. "Fade him from consciousness", Thranduil gave the command just as Annawrete stepped into the room ready to object. All witnessed the young man be put out by a drug doused medical blade struck violently into his arm. "Shall we treat him so cruelly, father?" Legolas disapprovingly asked in Mannish so that Annawrete could not understand. " 'Fade him from consciousness' ? What reason was there for that?", his expression matched the confusion of Annawrete's as she stood idle in the center of the room.

Author's note: If you have not realized or noticed yet, the bolded first word of every sentence reveal a familiar tune :)