[alaklondewen]

“Cuilad! Quick bring me the bag.” Collothion watched as a young girl stood up in the back of her family’s wagon and toppled off. A brief moment later, Collothion was off his horse and at her side. Cuilad untied his father’s tan medicinal bag from his own horse and lugged it to the scene.

Collothion looked the girl over. She couldn’t have been past her sixth or seventh year, and her tears stained her dust covered face. The only damage Collothion could see was a large gash in her left shin from landing on a rather sharp stone.

“You’ve taken quite a tumble, Miss.” He smiled kindly as he wiped a tear from her cheek smearing the dirt. “Cuilad, boil some water and find my alum.” Collothion tore a strip from a rag he carried in his pocket and tied it around the child’s leg to stop the bleeding. In the meantime, Cuilad followed his father’s instructions, first putting water on a small fire, and then digging in the bag for alum. He finally found the root and handed it to his father who immediately crushed a small portion of it before sprinkling it into the water.

The girl’s parents realizing what happened stood over Collothion and Cuilad with worried expressions. The healer reassured them that she was a lucky little girl for coming out of the fall with only a minor injury. As soon as the water boiled, Collothion cleaned the cut with the mixture and bandaged the small shin.

The family thanked him profusely before returning to their wagon and heading on their way. The only thanks Collothion wanted was the sweet smile given by the child…it made his work worth every minute.

Cuilad dutifully picked up after his father and stomped the fire out. After tightly tying the tan bag back to his horse, the men returned to the road. Several hours passed without further excitement when they crossed the last of hills that surrounded their destination. The sky was painted with a dazzling array of reds and pinks as the sun was lowered behind the hills in the west. The water of the lake already reflected the night sky. Collothion caught his breath taking the view in and turned to his son whose eyes were the size of saucers. Cuilad met his father’s gaze and smiled broadly nodding with approval. The joy in his son’s face caused Collothion to laugh aloud.

The father and son both nudged their horses with their right foot and followed the folk in front of them. As soon as they reached the bottom, Cuilad worked to raise their tent within the circle, while Collothion started his rounds before all was dark. Many of people had fallen ill along the way, and some were even lost. He checked tent by tent to see all was well. Jolly voices rose around him wherever he went. Only a few folk needed his assistance, and he did what he could when the need arose. However he was looking forward to checking on a special patient…a small boy who’d had a rough time on the journey.

Collothion could see the boy’s mother outside cooking, and he called to her waving. “Hello, there, Madame Illith.” He bowed his head slightly as she waved and smiled enthusiastically. “I came to see how the boy is.”

“Oh, Collothion. He’s doing wonderfully well. He ate a full meal today.” The news lightened the man’s heart and he asked her if he could look in on him. Nodding, the woman opened the curtain to the tent, and Collothion stepped in.

The light from a candle showed Bregand’s small face. “He’s getting his color back,” Collothion said to Illith who nodded in agreement. “I can already tell this place is special. The air of Arnor will return his health.” The man spoke softly with his eyes intensely searching the boy’s face for any signs of waking, then he turned quickly to the boy’s mother and thanking her he quickly left the tent and made his way back home.

Home, the thought just hit him and he breathed deeply with anticipation of all that was to come in this place. Yes, Home. In just a few minutes, Cuilad was visible. The boy had already kindled a fire and was cooking something in a large pot. Collothion grinned with excitement and put his arm around his son patting him on the shoulder. With a slight squeeze, Collothion told him, “This is our new life, son.” Cuilad warmly returned his father’s hug, and then went back to stirring the hot stew over the fire.