Chapter 21

She was swimming through a sea of voices. They murmured and whispered, swirling in and out of the blackness, enveloping her in currents of comforting sound. Mel settled back into the warmth of those voices, content to let them ebb and flow around her in soothing circles. But slowly a voice started to distinguish itself, pulling out of the sea of voices, making itself heard above the murmur. It was female, warm and dark. At first Mel couldn't make out any words, but she was definitely trying to say something. Mel listened closely.

"Calenhiril…"

She spoke to her the way the trees did, a voice in her head, only more than that, so much more…

"Melody Calenhiril, the time of choices comes quickly."

A face started to fade into focus, emerging from the darkness. Mel could see pale skin and thick, brown curls, but she could see the eyes, not yet. She tried to concentrate. The voice still spoke.

"You will choose, and from that choice will come many choices. This is not your fate, Melody Calenhiril. This is not the reason you were brought into this world. But you have already chosen and that choice has led you down a path more difficult, a road that will lead you far from where you were intended."

Mel could make out features in the face now, a sharp nose, a pair of small, red lips, but the eyes were still hidden, the eyes were important…

"Remember… every action has a consequence…"

The eyes opened and they were green, the brilliant green of leaves in springtime, only they were more than that, deeper, harsher, more powerful, and all she could see were the eyes…

"Choose wisely."

Mel gasped and jerked awake. She was on a soft mattress in a small bare room. Soft blue-white light filtered in through latticed windows. The voices in her head still murmured, a familiar sound that reminded her of Rivendell, only more somber. She tried to catch her breath as she realized where she was, where she must be.

"Welcome to Lothlorien, Calenhiril." A deep, resonating voice echoed softly in her mind.

"Mel?"

She turned her head and saw Sam leaning over her bedside, his brow furrowed in concern. She relaxed, settling back onto the mattress.

"Hi, Sam." She murmured.

His face exploded into a huge grin.

"You are awake! I have to tell the others!" And he ran out of the room.

Slowly, Mel pushed herself upright and took her first good look around her. The only thing in the room was the bed she was lying on and a small night table covered with bottles and cloths. She felt dazed. Why was she in this room? When had they gotten to Lothlorien?

She thought back to her last moments, trying to piece them all together. She remembered Gandalf's fall. She remembered Aragorn, she'd had to go back for Aragorn. She remembered Merry and Pippin. Poor Pippin, she wanted so much to comfort him, it wasn't his fault. She had taken a step toward him, reached out her hand, and then…

Pain. So much pain. Pain that she couldn't think through, couldn't see through, couldn't feel through. Then soft words, elvish words, and sleep, away from the pain. And then the green eyes…

"So, you finally decided to join us again."

Gimli's gruff voice penetrated her thoughts and she sighed, smiling at him despite his grumpy scowl.

"Hello, Gimli. Did you miss me that much?"

All she got in reply was a harrumph.

"If you're not going to say anything nice, dwarf, let the rest of us in!" Legolas exclaimed, shoving past him and striding to her bedside, smoothing back her hair and smiling gently down at her, "How do you feel, mellon-nîn?"

"Better," She said, "Much better."

"Mel, Mel, you're awake!"

Pippin and Merry came charging into the room, nearly knocking Gimli from his feet, and leaped onto the bed on both sides of her, both chattering nonstop about all the things that they had seen, about the elves and the trees and the lights, and the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood.

"I'm telling you, Mel, it was like she looked right through you!" Merry exclaimed.

"Then you must hope that you have nothing to hide."

The smile that had started to form on Mel's lips when she heard Boromir's voice disappeared the moment she met his eyes. He stood in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest, his face nothing but a blank, even stare. Something had happened. She had suspected in Moria, but now she knew. Something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong.

Without another word, Boromir turned and walked out, brushing past Aragorn who watched him go with a wary eye. The Ranger turned back and met Mel's worried eyes.

"I do not know what troubles him, Mel. He carried you beyond the edge of the forest, well into the land of the elves, and would suffer no one else to touch you, not until you were placed in the charge of a healer," He approached the bed and put a hand on her shoulder, "But since we met with the Lady Galadriel, he hasn't even been in to see you. I don't know what she said to him, but he's been troubled by it ever since."

Mel managed a weak smile, "It's alright."

"Nan aear adh in elin!" an unfamiliar voice screeched.

Everyone in the room involuntarily winced, and Merry and Pippin both hopped off the bed like a couple of guilty children. A short, slender elf woman stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, looking thoroughly outraged.

"What in the name of Estë is going on? Out, out all of you!"

The elf (Mel suspected she must be one of the healers) clapped her hands and scurried into the room, making shooing motions as she chased them all out the door, Men, hobbits, and elves alike.

"Go! The lady needs her rest and peace if she is to heal properly. How you all got in here at once, I will never know! Out, you may see her one at a time when I say she is well enough, and not a moment sooner!"

Frodo and Sam managed to herd Merry and Pippin toward the door without much fuss, but Pippin turned his head and threw Mel a wink before Sam managed to drag him out by his elbow. Legolas and Aragorn hurried out after them, both looking appropriately chided and sheepish. But Gimli stood indignantly just inside the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and feet planted.

"I will not be bullied, pushed, or prodded! I am a dwarf, and I will go and stay where I please!"

"I do not care if you are Durin the Deathless returned!" the elf replied, crossing her own arms in a mirror of Gimli's stubborn posture, "If you do not leave this instant, Master Dwarf, I will not hesitate to call the Galadrim to remove you!"

"Don't you threaten me, woman!" Gimli shouted, shaking a finger emphatically, "I do not fear your blasted archers."

"Gimli, what about Lady Galadriel?" Mel asked quietly from her bed, trying to hide a smile, "What would she think if she found you being so hard to get along with?"

Gimli turned his glare on her, but Mel could see that the thought gave him pause.

"What the Lady of the Wood thinks means little to me," He grumbled (not very convincingly), "But I will leave quietly, if you wish it, Mel."

Mel was slightly stunned. That was almost… friendly of him. She managed to pull a coherent thought together quickly, but it took a lot of effort.

"If the healers still say I need my rest, then I probably need my rest," she said.

Gimli nodded once and jerked a thumb out the door.

"Well, we're not too far, so don't be afraid to shout if you feel you're being…" he gave the little elf-healer the side-eye, "…mistreated in any way."

Mel was so surprised that a laugh bubbled up and escaped her. She covered her mouth to contain it.

"Oh Gimli, I'll be fine!" she insisted, "Now go, so this nice lady can do her work."

Gimli grumbled and muttered a bit under his breath as he stomped out of the room, glancing back to give the healer one more suspicious glare.

"Sorry about that," Mel said, as soon as he was gone, "I can't imagine what's gotten in to him."

"Well, they were all very worried about you," the healer said, smoothing out her long tunic primly, "And dwarves are known to be quite protective of the things and people they care about."

"He doesn't even really like me," Mel said, staring out the now empty doorway where Gimli had disappeared.

The elf gave her a strange look, like she was a little crazy, but then shrugged it off and bustled over to the table with all the bottles and cloths, rearranging a few things.

"While, be that as it may, they should not have all converged on you like that, it's not good for the healing. Rest and quiet, that's what's needed. You shouldn't even be sitting up! Are you trying to undo all our hard work?"

She tied back her long, silky brown hair and and then moved to rearrange Mel's pillows. Mel sat up a little to get out of the way and winced. Her back did feel a little stiff. The elf was sharp and noticed the wince instantly.

"See what I mean?" she said, "You're healing well, Estë be praised, but you can't over exert yourself so early in the process."

Once Mel was settled flat again, the healer rinsed her hands in a basin and grabbed a bottle from the night table and a cloth.

"Now turn over."

Mel did what she was told. The elf rubbed a warm liquid over her back and Mel felt the familiar tingle and then numbness. The nurse helped her turn back over and held out a spoon of red liquid. It looked like cough syrup.

"Drink it up and don't make a fuss," she said firmly, "It will help you sleep."

The liquid was smooth and sweet with a hint of tang. Instantly, Mel felt herself getting heavy. She sank back into the pillows and sighed.

"What's your name?" she murmured.

The elf was rinsing her hands in the basin, "Eregwen."

"Thank you, Eregwen."

The elf turned and smiled, drying her hands on a towel.

"Thank me when you are well, Lady Melody."

Mel's eyes closed and she was asleep again.

Elvish Translations:

(Sindarin)

Nan aear adh in elin!- By the sea and stars! (Lothlorien dialect)