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With a nod of the head, Hilda thanked Guthbrand for the new bowl of water. Luthor's comment that it hurt was probably an understatement.
"One thing is certain," she responded. 'As long as a wound still hurts, the nerves are not damaged so bad that they can’t be fixed. And that increases the chance of healing.'
She washed her hands while she thought about the questions of the man from Gondor. It did her good that he found a distraction from the anything but pleasant treatment in this way. The questions distracted her too, but it didn't bother her.

'That thought is correct', she responded with a nod of her head. 'It is not an adventurous people, those hobbits, or halflings if you like. If I'm right, they come from the northwest of Middle Earth, west of the point where the east-west road and the north-south road intersect. I don't believe that any hobbits ever traveled so far south before the War of the Ring as those four known in Gondor did. They are a simple people, who are very attached to their own environment, to a simple life. If that is your perspective, then that glorification may seem exaggerated. But I suspect that is precisely why they have risen in esteem after their role in the war. Powerful warlords are used to waging war. Or at least they are trained to do so. Merchants are used to traveling far, or at least willing to do so for their work. But these four... They gave up everything they had to save a world they didn't know. That selflessness, that willingness to do that, I think that's what makes them think and talk about in this way. If a great leader like Isildur couldn’t carry the one ring, and a hobbit can... then that deserves at least respect. But have you never seen a hobbit before, you say? I always thought that all of Gondor had turned out at the time to celebrate the victory at the Field of Cormallen. Weren't those four there too?'

After cleaning the wound, Hilda applied a bandage again.
'And as for Eamila: if I'm honest, I don't know her story. She is friends with Eldrith, and for that reason came here as far as I know. To help out doing what she is good at, working in the garden and cooking, and serving. I suspect that life in Rohan will feel more like home to her than that in Rivendel, or perhaps a big city like Minas Tirith. But why she chose to seek adventure and go on a trip... and how on Arda a hobbit and a mortal woman got to know each other, I don't know. Perhaps you can ask her yourself when she returns from whatever she and that Elf are off to.' She grinned. ‘It sure must have been a sight to see those two together on a horse.’

It was time fort he finishing touch. With a satisfied nod of her head Hilda looked at the arms of Luthor and cleaned her own hands for the last time.
'That's it, for now. Unless you have injuries somewhere else that I don’t know of yet? Is there anything else I can do for you?"

@Rillewen @Eldrith

"Healer?" Her eyes sharpened. They had just sent one of their healers off to Gondor. There was Hilda of course, which is great, but they had lost too many healers in the war. You could ride, you cared for your your horse, and you admitted to being partially-trained which meant you had.. self awareness so to speak. And weren't thinking you knew everything better than the healers that were here, many of them elderly though, and sometimes younger people tended to treat them like halfwits. They had forgotten more than many of the young ones would ever learn. Wow.. she really was in a bad mood, she realized, pulling herself back from that unkind train of thoughts.

"We definitely have work for a healer, even a partially trained one." She added deliberately. "In fact.. let me pay for the meal tonight, and we can talk about it.."


Guthbrand nodded his head and offered "you're welcome" to Hilda, without hesitation. He did not comment on the questions but he started all of them away. They were indeed normal questions. Anything to distract from the pain and of course seeing a hobbit ride off like that, especially here in Rohan, it was unexpected. With a faint smile he did however add one thing, something that Eldrith would not have given him any thanks for. "There are rumors about their friendship. Eldrith's and the hobbits. Rumors that they were part of an army at one time or another, but neither of them talks about it much. Few people considering asking a hobbit about war, and the pubmistress puts an end to any such questions effectively."
Eldrith might not thank him for it, but there was a quiet warning in those casually spoken sentences as well, not to get up to any trouble. He still wasn't certain if you were indeed chasing after Xyler's friend. And Eldrith had an unfair dislike of Gondorians, which even she admitted. But you were a stranger in town, and a murder had been committed. He wanted to make sure it was the last one.

@Eldrith


It was a relief to hear that they did have work for her, and Amy smiled a little to hear that. But when the lady said she would pay for her meal tonight, Amy's eyes widened a little. "Oh.. I wasn't asking for that," She hastened to assure her. "You don't have to do that, I can pay for my food, really."

She hesitated a moment while undecided whether to keep arguing against letting the lady pay for her meal. "Let me go and take care of my horse, and then we can certainly talk more." She smiled, excusing herself, and went back outside. After getting Wildfire settled into a stall for the night, with hay and grain and plenty of water, she put away her tack and then returned inside to wash up. Her horse was rather dusty and she, of course, had gotten a lot of his dust on her hands while grooming him.

When she had finished washing her hands, Amy returned to the table and looked for Eldrith to continue their conversation.

---

@Eldrith @Eamila Bolger
Well, whatever she was saying about nerves and such, it sounded hopeful. But he was still pretty concerned by how much it hurt whenever he tried to use the arm that stupid dog had bitten. He was careful not to speak about that, though, and focused on the answers that both Hilda gave him to his questions.

Mentally, he made note of every bit of information about hobbits that was dropped by the healer. He nodded absently to the bit she mentioned about them not traveling much, and how that was why those four were so great. Blah blah. He didn't really want to hear about how great they were. She didn't seem to know how the hobbit came to be friends with the innkeeper woman, nor where the hobbit woman and the elf were going, now. So that wasn't very useful.

But he did turn his attention to Guthbrand when he began telling him about Eldrith's relationship with the hobbits, and something about an army. He nodded, though he wasn't sure whether the guy was trying to hint at anything. But, whatever. He returned his attention to Hilda to answer what she had asked how it was that he hadn't seen hobbits before. She apparently thought all of Gondor was there for the celebration at the field of Cormallen. "Not all of Gondor," He corrected, with a small shake of his head. "The women, children, and elderly had been evacuated into the safer southern and western provinces, in March." He explained. "A ranger or a soldier was assigned to accompany each wagon group to guard the civilians in case of attack from the enemy, and to guide them so they wouldn't get lost." All of which was quite true. "Those civilians, and the guards with them, were not present for the celebration. We didn't return until well after the king's coronation, which happened in May. The rest of the civilians began returning to the city in the summer months that followed. So, by the time I returned to the city, all of the excitement was over, and the special visitors had already left to return to their home."

He checked how well he could use his arm, once the bandaging was done. "No other injuries, no." He answered. "Other than a bit of soreness from a lengthy journey." He added. He wasn't going to get into the specifics of that, and hoped that the healer wouldn't ask for more. "So, how often must I have the bandages changed?" He asked, frowning slightly. What he really wanted to know, was how long he would be stuck here, unable to travel onward without risking his own health.

Hilda only half heard what Guthbrand said about the origin of the friendship between Eamila and Eldrith. She kept focussing on her job. As a healer she often heard things that were unknown to others. The deepest of secrets were spilled out when people were in pain or the opposite: on moments of utter relief or when what she gave them for the pain finally kicked in.
She didn't really care about Eamila's history, nor Eldrith's. She loved the hobbits knowledge of plants and herbs, and they both shared the love for music. She loved the pubmistresses hospitality and sharp eye. As for the rest? Well... didn't they all have their secrets?

She did listen when Luthor spoke about the time just after the war. 'I had not realized that', she simply commented. 'But yes, of course it takes quite some time for refugees to return.' She wondered what he meant by saying 'We didn't return' at first, and then speaking of 'by the time I returned' as if he had been returning twice, but decided not to ask anymore questions.
'I think it would be wise to wait at least two days before changing those bandages', she answered his question. 'That way the poultice can do its job. In the mean time, I suggest you rest. What happens after those two days, will depend on how quick you are recovering. We'll know once we take of the bandages, in two days.'

With those words she excused herself. If she was no longer needed here, she would see if Eldrith and Getale were still somewhere around for a good cup of tea. She also wondered if there was any news about the murder of last night. She shivered, like she often did after working focussed for some time. Yes, tea would be good.
@Rillewen @Eldrith

"Consider it me entertaining a stranger and hoping to earn goodwill. If you like it here, the chance is larger that we add a healer. And that benefits everyone. There are a few senior healers, but we lost.. many."
She did not have to explain how or where they lost many. All lands had lost people during the wars, and healers frequently went to the battlefields to help. The fact that you wanted to take care of your own horse gave a good impression, especially here. You were Gondorian and it made her more.. hesitant, but.. she would accept it. And you were young, and open. By the time you came back, there was a meal being put ready, several dishes, still covered.

She noticed Hilda the moment she left the sick room. She knew what happened in her inn. Which doors opened and which closed. She looked up and smiled. Lifted a hand to beckon her closer, perhaps to get more.. about what happened in the sick room but also because.. this was a good chance meeting that she could arrange.
"Hilda! Please come meet a new guest, who is a healer. Not a fully trained one she claims, but still..."





Guthbrand gave a nod at Luthor's words. "We tried to get the women and children to safety as well." They had had some success. But especially the villages and the outlands..some had been hit hard and before they had been able to organize. Before they lost villages, not just land but lives. He looked after Hilda as she had left. "I would follow her advice. It's a bad idea to risk wound fever. I will leave you to rest." He looked at you, a careful smile and moved towards the door.*