A Winter Lady For A King.
Chapter XXVI: Defeating The Great Serpent Of Death.
Eihhlin had spent the entire night awake as her hand comforted king Éomer in his tormented sleep. He had called her name many times during those long dark hours, like he was asking her to save him from the invincible claws of death. Holding his hand made her feel it was the only way she could keep him alive until she had given him the cure. During those eternal moments, there were only three people in Arda for her: Éomer, the healer who was trying to accomplish an impossible task and herself. Nothing else mattered; nothing else had a logical meaning until the sun's rebirth.
Standing up from her chair, she walked to one of the windows to see her waiting would be over soon: darkness was announcing its departure. Apparently, Éomer hadn't noticed her hand was not in his anymore, so she decided to stand by the window, where she would be the first to know when the healer had arrived. Her body ached for a long awaited rest, but she knew she couldn't close her eyes in peace while her husband fought the most deadly of his battles. Eihhlin, the cold and indifferent queen of Rohan, was not worried about her own needs and wishes at the moment. Something more than just the feeling of performing her duty kept her in that room, watching Éomer's unconscious sleep and waiting.
After what seemed like thousands of winters of waiting, Eihhlin finally saw a man with his horse approaching the gates of Edoras. She couldn't tell whether he had found the plant or not, but she decided not to wait for an answer any longer. Looking at Éomer one last time, the queen walked to the door and exited the room in silence. Ignoring the haunting and empty halls, she soon reached Meduseld's main entrance, where Háma was already waiting for her.
-Go to the healing houses and don't come back without the antidote. –she said coldly. –Then, tell Elfhelm to meet me in the king's study later.
-Yes, my queen. –was Háma's only reply, leaving Eihhlin alone with herself again.
Turning around, she saw the king's throne and sighed. The last time she had seen him sitting on it had been in their wedding day, which, for a short moment, seemed to have happened in another life. She hadn't changed since then, but everything around her had and she could not accept it. Rohan was not her land, Meduseld was not her home, the Rohirrim were not her people, Éomer was not someone she cared about. Her existence was and had always been dedicated to winter; she had always spent her life waiting for the season of her essence and she would not change. Saving Éomer's life and taking care of him throughout his recovery did not mean he was something more than just her king and husband now. Eihhlin was doing what she would do with any other person. Even though her own life was not important to her, she knew other people, in a way she would never comprehend, valued theirs very much.
Unsure of how long she had been lost in her thoughts, she saw the first rays of dawn entering the throne room through the open door and they were not alone. Háma and the healer arrived bringing the awaited antidote. The healer was a young man, probably her age, and the fatigue of the journey was visible in his eyes.
-The antidote's ready, my queen. –Háma stated and the healer showed her a small bottle with a transparent liquid inside and gave it to her.
-Thank you. –Eihhlin said to the young man. –The king and I are very grateful to you. You'll be rewarded for this.
-Please, my lady, it's not… –the healer started but she soon interrupted him.
-You've done what everyone thought to be impossible. –she stated emotionlessly. –Never forget that.
-I won't, my lady. –he replied, clearly intimidated by her presence.
-So this is the antidote… –the queen said, looking at the small bottle in her hand.
-Three drops mixed with water will be enough to reduce his body temperature until the fever is completely gone. Then, he has to repeat the process twice a day for ten days. –the healer explained.
-Alright. –Eihhlin replied. –And, once again, thank you. –she continued. The two men bowed and walked away, leaving the house.
With the bottle in her hand, she left the room and, as she walked through the halls, she noticed the routine of Meduseld was back: the servants were concentrated on their work and they didn't even seem to remember the king's life was in danger. Reaching her bedroom door, the queen saw the young woman who had showed her her chambers when she arrived in Edoras walking down the hall.
-Prepare a hot bath for me. –she ordered in her emotionless voice.
-Yes, my lady. –the servant replied, uncomfortable. Eihhlin entered the bedroom in silence and closed the door. Éomer was still sleeping, but she couldn't wait until he woke up by himself to give him the antidote.
Walking to the table near the window, she poured some water in a cup and, after carefully mixing it with the small dose of the antidote, she kneeled down next to the bed, placing her cold hand on the king's forehead. The mere touch of Eihhlin's skin seemed to wake him up from his poisoned dreams, although he kept his eyes closed. He started muttering incomprehensible sounds and she realized he was aware of her presence. Caressing the surface of the water with her fingers, she gently placed them upon his lips like a fallen leaf. Even though his thoughts were not clear, Éomer understood his wife's message and slightly opened his mouth. She held the cup in her hand as she carefully let him drink, making sure he wouldn't choke.
Once the cup was empty, the king fell asleep again and she stood up from the floor. Placing the cup on the table, she watched him sleep for a short moment and then left the royal chambers to go to the room opposite hers, where a warm bath was waiting for her. Sighing, Eihhlin closed the door and undressed, desperate to wash away the tension of the last few days. Entering the tub, she immediately felt the hot water burn her skin like a merciless fever. The queen closed her eyes, letting the water consume her body. The image of her unconscious husband wouldn't leave her mind, even though she tried to erase it. Why was she so worried about him? He had been given the antidote and soon would be back to his routine and his duties. The same fate awaited her; she wouldn't need to think about him anymore. Waiting for the next winter would be the only meaning of her existence again.
Noticing the water had become cold, she realized she had lost all notion of time. She stood up and, picking up a towel and wrapping it around her body, she came out of the tub. After drying her body, Eihhlin put on one of her dresses and took her time to comb her bright red hair. It always reminded her of the curious look in the eyes of Éomer's people when they first saw her and, after almost five months, it still made her feel uncomfortable.
Once she was ready, Eihhlin left the room and stood in the middle of the hallway for a moment staring at the door behind which her husband was sleeping under the effect of the antidote. Then, as if waking up from a dream, the queen walked away from the king's chambers. His departure seemed to have happened a long time ago, but only ten days had passed, in which the events of a lifetime had violated her spirit. She had been forced to turn away from her chained and monotonous existence of nothing and finding the way back would be a very difficult task for the delicate queen of Rohan. Almost avoiding her inner mirror, she secretly and almost unconsciously feared the image within her, the image of someone who was not her.
Entering Éomer's study, she sat down behind his desk and, after carefully choosing the words in her mind, she picked up a quill to write a letter to Éowyn. Trying to be brief, she explained the recent events concerning the war against the barbarians without going into details. She also told her about the king's current situation, emphasizing he was free from danger as she wrote. Once she had written the missive, she sealed it and her eyes rested on it for a minute until she heard a knock on the open door. Looking up, she saw Elfhelm waiting in the doorway.
-You wanted to see me, my lady? –he asked.
-Yes, I did. –the queen answered, standing up with the letter in her hand. –Come in.
-Is there a problem? –was Elfhelm's concerned question.
-No, there isn't. The king's life is not in danger anymore. –she stated. –But I'm curious about something.
-What is it?
-Wasn't the king wearing his armour during the battle? –Eihhlin asked in her almost indifferent voice.
-He must have taken it off moments before the attack. We weren't expecting it at all. –the Marshal explained.
-I see… –she replied as her mind ran away to see Éomer lying on his bed sleeping under the effect of the antidote. –Well, his life has been saved and that's all that matters.
-I'm glad to hear it.
-Send this letter to Ithilien as soon as you can. Lady Éowyn must have heard about the war and I want to let her know everything is solved. –Eihhlin said, giving him the letter.
-Of course, my lady. I'll send a messenger right away. –Elfhelm replied.
-Thank you. –were the queen's last words to the Marshal of the East-mark as he bowed to her and left the study.
Realizing at least two hours had passed since she had last seen her husband, Eihhlin exited the room to go to the royal chambers. Her essence was screaming inside of her, trying to make her see she would never change. It was smothering everything she could not and did not want to be and the queen did nothing to stop the winter of her heart from freezing her imprisoned soul. Éomer's life had been saved and she would soon return to her fragile hiding place to escape from the world, where nobody would remember her.
Eihhlin soon reached her destination and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Why was she hesitating? One more step and her life would be what she wished it to be again, so why was her body suddenly frozen? Her spirit was torn and the venom of doubt was secretly consuming her mind. Why didn't she want to go back to Vathinia? She was bleeding inside: Vathinia's winter was not hers anymore. She had lost it forever and there was no logical path to follow. Éomer's kingdom would always be a land of strangers to her, so why did that dark corner of her mind wish to remain among strangers? Knowing she could not escape from herself, Eihhlin tried to ignore the turmoil of her thoughts and, breathing deeply, she opened the door.